THOMAS SAMUEL THOMAS AND MARY JANE ANTHONY
Thomas Samuel Thomas was born December 26, 1825 at Tredegar
Iron Works in the Parish of Bedwellty, Monmounthshire, England.
Mary Jane Anthony was born December
11, 1838 at Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales. They both embraced
the gospel in Wales.
They met and were married, on board ship, while immigrating to Utah
in the year 1853.
Thomas Samuel Thomas was the fifth son of eleven children
born to Samuel Thomas and Margaret Watkins. As a young man he worked for a
mining company, driving a horse-drawn coal car out of a mine. This job came to
an end one day when the mine exploded. Thomas was knocked beneath the moving
coal car and his leg was severed from his body. His father was also killed in
the explosion. With the frightful tragedy went Thomas's youthful dreams of
getting an education.
A friend knowing of Thomas's disappointment aided him in
getting his long desired education. Along with his enterprise in school, Thomas
was taught a handicraft in the art of making shoes. This art proved to be very
beneficial in later years as he resorted to it many times in earning a living
during critical periods.
In the fall of 1843, Thomas heard the gospel for the
first time from William Davies, a missionary in England.
Thomas was a devoted member of the Baptist
Church, and he became disturbed by
the doctrine of Mormonism. He was rather reluctant in accepting all that he
heard about the Mormon religion. While walking down the street one day, a voice
came to him saying, "Keep thyself for thou must yet stand for me." He
was overcome by the Spirit and fell to his knees, weeping because of the lack
of faith he had had in the past. He pleaded with the Lord for forgiveness. He
joined the Church on July 16, 1851,
being baptised by Thomas Williams.
On February 3,
1853, Thomas Samuel Thomas sailed for Zion,
on the ship "Jersey." He arrived in Salt
Lake City on October
10, 1853. He and Mary Jane Anthony were sealed in the old Endowment
House in Salt Lake City on November 3, 1855.
Mary Jane Anthony was the daughter of John Anthony and
Alice Evans. When she was thirteen years of age, the L.D.S. missionaries came
to her town preaching the gospel. She had heard many tales about the Mormons
and did not think highly of them. One evening she joined two girl friends with
the purpose of throwing rocks at the missionaries while they preached on the
streets. When the girls arrived on the scene, the missionaries were beginning
their first hymn. Mary, being a good singer, joined in the song. When they
prayed she became so interested that the rocks rolled from her apron. Her girl
friends were angry and begged her to throw the rocks at the Elders. She said,
"No, I can't see anything wrong with them." From that time on she
became very interested and attended meetings regularly.
On a cold, bitter morning in December, 1845, the ice was
broken on a nearby river and Mary Jane Anthony was baptised
a member of the Church. Incidentally, years later in Samaria
Idaho she met her two girl friends who
married and came to America,
and settled in the same town as Mary Jane. These three girls belonged to the
most prominent families in Samaria.
Mary Jane's parents became angry with her because she was
interested in the Mormon Church. They practically starved her and hid her
clothing so she could not leave the house. She did not give up faith, however,
and left her home to live on a farm with her uncle. She learned many things on
this farm that helped her in her future life in America.
A few years later her mother thought she would go to the
L.D.S. meetings to see what attracted her daughter. Alice, her mother, became
interested and she too was baptised, in 1849. Alice
immigrated to America
with Mary Jane. Mary Jane's father did not join the Church. He died before his
wife, Alice, and daughter, Mary Jane, came to America.
Thomas Samuel Thomas and Mary Jane came across the plains
with the Joseph Williams Company, in the fall of 1853. They settled in Farmington
where their first child, Margaret, was born, July 4, 1854. In May 1855 they traded their one-room adobe
house and lot for twenty-two acres of land west of 28th
street and a lot across from the present City Hall
in Ogden, Utah.
On the lot was a small adobe house. Later a tannery was built against the
foothills and here Thomas went into business with a Mr. Farrin
and Johnathan Browning, father of Johnathan
M. Browning the inventor.
When Johnston's
Army came to Utah, the Saints
were instructed by Brigham Young to move south to Provo.
Thomas and Mary Jane were among the Saints going south. Their wagon was piled
high with their belongings. Mary Jane and her two children were sitting on the
seat of the wagon while Thomas was walking and steering the oxen with a rope
attached to their horns. One of the animals suddenly turned in the yoke, almost
turning the wagon over. If Mary had not held fast to the children, they would
have been thrown out.
Thomas and Mary traveled a distance of twenty miles that
day, reaching Farmington at night.
They camped in their wagon two miles north of town. Mary's baby was born that
night in the wagon. A Mr. Steed took him on a horse to the nearest house where
he was taken care of for a few days. Later they moved on to Salt
Lake City where they stopped for a month; then, went
on to Provo. They remained in Provo
six weeks and were then ordered to return to their homes again in Ogden,
on July 14.
The twenty-two acres of land which they had acquired was
partially covered with willows, which had to be grubbed out. Mary would help
Thomas as much as possible because of his lameness, due to the early accident
to his leg. Often Mary would strap her baby to her back while helping him in
the fields.
After the land had been brought under cultivation, a
small cabin was built into which the family moved. Three more children were
born here: John, Samuel and Alice.
The washings in those days were done on the board;
knitting and sewing were done by hand. Sewing machines were not known then. The
first sewing machine had to be turned by hand. Raw materials had to be partly
prepared at home. Thomas kept about a dozen head of sheep so they would have a
supply of wool for clothes. After the wool had been sheared from the sheep, it
had to be washed and then pulled apart, which was called "Wool
picking." It was necessary in those days to have wool picking parties.
After being pulled apart the wool was sent to Taylors
Mill to be corded into rolls for spinning. Some of the spinning was done by
someone else until the children were old enough to do it. Then, the yarn had to
be dyed. This was done during the summer so that everything would be ready for
the weavers before winter. The thread for sewing was obtained from President
David 0. McKay's grandmother, who spun the thread from flax on what was called
the "small wheel."
The children wore wool clothes summer and winter.
Margaret, the oldest daughter, earned herself a calico dress by gleaning wheat.
Margaret said there was never a prouder girl walked the streets of Ogden
than she in her calico dress. She appreciated a dress of cotton.
When Margaret was twelve years old the family was
preparing to move to the corner of twenty-eighth and Wall
Avenue. Before they could move, diphtheria broke
out among the children. In those days they called it "Putrid sore
Throat." The youngest boy, Samuel, became ill and died in four days. When
Thomas and Mary returned from the cemetery they found two more children sick.
They completed their moving into their new home, thinking that the higher
ceilings might be beneficial to the children. The next morning, however,
another son, John, passed away.
A short time later the oldest doy,
Thomas, took the disease and was the next to go. While this oldest boy was very low, the
parents thought at one time he had passed away. But the boy rallied and said
that his two brothers had come and taken him with them. He refused to go any
father [sic] until they had let him return to his parents, yet promising to go
with them as soon as they came for him again. His mother, with tears streaming
down her face, said, "Well, if it is the Lord's will we shall have to let
you go, but don't let them come for any more." His father asked the boy
what he should do with his heifer calf, and the boy said, "Give it in for
tithing." The parents felt at this time that the entire family was going
to die. It was just a short time until the oldest boy said, "Here they
are, I shall have to go," and he passed away. His mother was holding him
on her lap. After he died she laid him on the bed. His father felt so terrible
at losing him, his last and oldest son, that he lay on
the bed with the boy in his arms and sobbed out his sorrow.
Another girl, Mary, died,in a few days. Four of their children had died
within a month. The other two children, Margaret and Alice also had the disease
but didn't die. The disease left them very sickly, however. Two years later,
Alice, Mary Jane's mother died on February
11, 1868 in Ogden. Two
more children came to bless their home, Gladys and Sarah. Mary Jane was still
suffering from the loss of her children.
Some of Thomas's and Mary Jane's friends who were moving
to Samaria, Idaho
asked them if they wouldn't like to move too, saying that the change would do
Mary Jane good. So Thomas and Mary Jane moved to Samaria
in November, 1868. There were only six families in this locality at this time. Samaria
got this name from the story of the "Good Samaritan" in the Bible.
Thomas secured the only span of horses at that time,
although other horses were brought in later. They homesteaded a tract of land
and built a two-room log cabin. It was situated on a little knoll facing the
East. One room was used for the bedroom and the other for the kitchen. Later
they built a four-room log cabin. This house had a fireplace in it.
Mary Jane was a fine housekeeper. She made her home as
attractive as she could with the materials they had in those days. She made
dainty white curtains for the windows. The furniture consisted of
rawhide-seated chairs, a table and a home-made cupboard. In the bedroom were
two wooden beds with wooden pegs. From these wooden pegs were laced heavy cords
to form a foundation for the straw and feather mattress. Around the bottom of
the bed draped dainty muslin curtains. The covering for the beds were
beautifully quilted quilts, and the pillowcases were trimmed with knitted lace.
A dry, good box served as a dresser. Mary draped this with curtains that opened
in the middle. A white cover was placed on top with a lamp and a few books. A
mirror was placed on the wall over the dresser. In the
bedroom also stood a spinning wheel. A homemade carpet covered the
floor. The floors were scrubbed every Saturday with sand and water until they
were clean enough to eat from. Soap was scarce in those days.
A path led from the house down to several cold and warm
springs. A mile away was a beautiful lake. The Indians liked the springs and
lake too, and the people lived in constant fear of the Indians, especially one
by the name of Sulky Joe. He would come and sit for hours at Thomas's and
Mary's house.
Mary had two more children while she lived in Samaria:
Sariah and another son, named Seth, which made them
very happy. This gave them a total of ten children. They had not proved upon
their homestead, however, before Thomas took sick. Mary Jane took her sick
husband to Ogden where he died October 17, 1873. He was buried
beside their children in the Ogden
cemetery.
Mary returned to Samaria,
living there until she had made final proof on their homestead. She then
decided to move her family back to Ogden
as they had not sold their property there. By selling most of her land she was
able to build homes for rent and in this way she supported her family the rest
of her life.
While in Samaria,
Mary married a man by the name of Thomas Thorpe. She had a daughter, Prudence,
by him. This marriage was not a congenial one and was soon dissolved.
Mary (as she was often called) was a wonderful mother and
wife, a capable business woman, and a natural born nurse with a gift of faith
and healing. She was a dignified person and always true and faithful in the
Church.
Mary Jane Anthony Thomas died on Christmas day in 1920,
at the age of 82. She was buried beside her husband in Ogden.
In November 1868 Thomas Samuel Thomas was made the first
presiding Elder of Samaria which was a branch of the Malad
Ward. David W. Davis and James Thomas were sustained as teachers. Thomas S.
Thomas was also elected to be one of the first three school trustees. In August
of 1869 Thomas S. Thomas resigned his office as president of the settlement. In
December 1869 Samuel D. Williams was appointed to preside over the branch.
Thomas S. Thomas was a good man. His faith was strong and he never faltered in
the gospel. His life and that of his wife are worth remembering because of
their strong testimonies in the Gospel.
- Family of William E. Hawkins
