Biographical Sketch of Ricy Davis Jones
Taken from Records of Ricy by his daughter, Sarah Jane Victor
April 14, 1957
Ricy Davis Jones was born October 18, 1828 in Abergorlech, Carmarthenshire, South Wales, the
youngest boy of eight children born to John and Hettie Davis Jones. He joined the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of 18 and was baptized March 7, 1846 by David
Jeremy. He was the only one of his family to embrace the gospel. In March 1849, he left his
native land, home and parents with the Saints for America. He sailed from Swansea on a fifty day
voyage to New Orleans. It was during the Great Plague, many died on board. He was stricken at
Council Bluffs and on recovery continued westward. Arrived in Utah in October 1849, passed the
rigors of the winter of 1849 and 1850 in Salt Lake. Worked for several years on the Salt Lake
Temple. Helped to build the Narrow Gauge Railroad to Granite Canyon and helped to get out the
granite blocks for the Temple. He was called by Brigham Young to work on the State House in
Fillmore from Jun 10, 1850, to March 4, 1853. In July 1854 he was married to Ann Howell and
built a house in Salt Lake on his lot where the D&RG Depot now stands.
In the Indian (Blackhawk) Ward, he was a Sergeant in Captain Callister's Company, Colonel
Smith's Regiment; Nauvoo Legion of Utah Volunteers for which services he was a U.S.
Pensioner, and after his death, his widow Margaret Jones drew same. In 1857-8, during the
"move South," he was a Minute Man at Echo Canyon on the Johnson Army episode of President
Buchanan. He was among the early settlers of Brigham City Pioneering at the "Old Fort" and
"The Welsh Settlement and Calls Fort" from 1856 to 1863. He bought a farm north of Brigham
City and they lived in a dugout while he built a rock house. It is over 100 years old now. After
RH grew up and moved back to Brigham City, he bought the farm and rock house because it was
his birthplace. Then BH acquired it and sold it to his sister Alice. When Alice died, he son
inherited it and he promised to get me a picture of it. Lewis took me out to see it two years ago
and said he was going to buy it because of the four homes Ricy built, that is the only one still
standing. RH, Will Martha and EH were born there, and BH, Lewis, Alice and Zina were born in
Wellsville. In March 1863 they moved to Wellsville. They were among the first settlers there
before anyone had moved on the plotted lots.
In 1868 Ricy married Margaret Morse in the Old Endowment House in Salt Lake. He built the
home in Wellsville and helped to build the old rock house next door for his mother-in-law, which
still stands. It is built on the same order as the home in Brigham City. The walls are either 18" or
2' thick. They lived in Wellsville until 1888 when the family moved to the farm in Mt. Sterling
where he lived until his death on February 15, 1908. The main reason he moved to Wellsville
was that Brigham Young promised him a farm for his years of work for the Church. The farm he
got was in the "East Field" between Logan and Wellsville. When he moved to the "Hawbush
Farm," he sold the other farms. One was called "North Field" down by Mendon and the other
was the "East Field."
