Thomas Jones (1827-1862)
Thomas Jones left this brief account of his family from a copy book, dated 27 February 1856:
"I Thomas Jones, the son of John and Ann Jones, was born July the 20th, 1827 in a place called Troedrhwyr Llanc, parish of Penderyn, Breconshire, South
Wales. My father before he was married was pretty well off or anyhow they lived first rate and he had a good education. When my grandfather died, he
divided the property between the children and my father had his share among the rest, but about that time England called for men to defend their country and
my father's lot fell, and he had to pay for a man to go in his place. He'd rather pay than go himself. They called again and he paid, and by that means he was
stripped of most all he had. Soon after that he got married. My mother's name before she was married was Ann Rees, daughter of Morgan Rees, but to go back
to my father--as I said before, when he got married he was poor in regards to property but he had health and strength. His former occupation was farming but
now he had to turn his hand to anything that came handy."
Later Thomas's father lost his eyesight. Thomas was the fifth child in a family of seven, four sisters and two brothers. When Thomas was 20 years of age, he
was contacted by the LDS missionaries and became interested in the Mormon church. His parents were very much opposed to this religion, but Thomas was
converted and was baptized by one of the missionaries, William Howell, 30 June 1848. He left Wales in 1849 with other immigrants. As he was the only
member of his family converted to the church, he left his entire family. Thomas's parents had heard such awful stories of this strange people, and were so
deeply concerned that they had forbade Thomas to ever attend another meeting. To avoid an open clash with his parents, Thomas climbed out of his bedroom
window and ran away.
Thomas Jones arrived at Council Bluffs, or Kanesville, as it was then known--the settlement established by the Mormons who had been driven out of
Nauvoo--on 16 May 1849. After living there for two years, he traveled west in the Dan Jones wagon train company and arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah 23
August 1851. He married Sage Treharne, whom he had met in Kanesville, 28 October 1852. They were sealed in the Endowment House 20 May 1855. The
young couple stayed in Salt Lake City for a time with the idea of making their home there on a quarter lot Thomas had purchased. They erected a primitive
adobe house at the corner of the present South Temple Street and Sixth West.
Sage and Thomas had barely become used to married life when a call came from Brigham Young for masons and other workmen to go from Salt Lake City to
work on the State House being built in Fillmore. Thomas assisted in laying the stone and worked there for some time. In 1853 he and Sage moved to Palmyra,
or Spanish Fork, to help establish a settlement there. Their first child, Alma Treharne Jones was born there 21 August 1853. Soon Thomas and Sage moved
again, this time to Cedar City, Utah where they lived in the "Old Fort." Perhaps Thomas thought his experience in the coal mines of Wales could be put to use
better there where an iron works was being established. Thomas worked diligently with the Deseret Iron Company in the attempt to produce iron, but the
company was faced with many setbacks and finally failed; Thomas lost almost all of his wages.
Thomas and Sage's second child, Lehi Willard Jones, was born in the "Old Fort" 15 November 1854. A third son, Kumen, was born 5 May 1856. Their first
son, Alma, was kicked in the stomach by an ox and died at the age of four in 1857.
Probably in the summer of 1855 or 1856, Thomas was called to help build a fort at Las Vegas as an outpost on the Old Spanish Trail. It was while Thomas was
working at the "Muddy" that he took cold and developed rheumatism. The climate there was extremely hot and dry, and it was not uncommon for the
temperature to go well above 110 degrees. In order for the men to sleep during the hot nights, the men wrapped themselves in wet clothing or blankets for
relief from the heat. These conditions were instrumental in causing an attack of rheumatism, for which Thomas had an inherent tendency.
On 5 June 1858, Sage and Thomas became the parents of another son whom then named Thomas Jedediah Jones; and William Treharne Jones was born 12
September 1859. In 1860 Sage and Thomas, with their four boys, moved out of the "Old Fort" and managed to build a small one-room adobe house in the new
Cedar City townsite. Moving to their new location was a chore for Thomas, as his rheumatism was bothering him. It was extremely difficult for him to do
much manual work, and it hurt him deeply to put so much of the load on his wife. After the Iron Works were discontinued, Thomas and Sage turned
completely to farming and raising livestock. On 11 February 1861 twins were born to Sage and Thomas: a boy and a girl, Uriah Treharne Jones and Sarah Ann
Jones.
As the months wore on, Thomas became increasingly disabled by the crippling disease which had become a part of him. He spent a good part of his time in bed
the last year of his life. He died 2 September 1862 leaving Sage alone to rear their six children, the oldest being only eight years old.
J. Cecil Alter, in his book, Utah, the Storied Domain, wrote that Thomas Jones "was a hardworking, intelligent and public-spirited citizen, [who] served some
time as a counselor in the bishopric of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his sterling character gave him a secure place in popular confidence
and good will."
(Material taken from Jones, York F. and Evelyn K. Jones; Lehi Willard Jones 1854-1947. Salt Lake City, Utah: Woodruff Printing Company, 1972.)
