Jacob Stoker Welker, Sr

Biographical Summary:

"...Jacob Stoker Welker (1829-1911) was born in Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio, the 8th of January 1829, to James and Elizabeth Stoker Welker. Jacob's middle name was his mother's surname. He was their fifth child.

His father, James, was born 19 August 1803 in Rowan County, North Carolina, to Adam and Sarah Welker. His mother, Elizabeth Stoker, was born to Michael Stoker and Catherine Martha Eller, 23 February 1800 in Ashe County, North Carolina.

Jacob had the following brothers and sisters:

1. David born 2 July 1823, Henry County, Indiana.
2. James Wilburn born 17 January 1825, Jackson County, Ohio.
3. John born 16 March 1826, Jackson County, Ohio.
4. Mary Catherine born 12 January 1832, Meridian, Jackson County, Ohio.
5. Susie born 1834, Jackson County, Ohio.
6. Rebecca born 21 July 1835, Willard, Huron, Indiana.
7. Adam born 19 February 1841, Adams, Adams, Illinois.

Marriage:

He married Harriet Angeline Lish in February of 1855. She was born 25 July 1839, in Greenwood, Marquette, Michigan, to Joseph Lyons Lish and Harriet Ann Tripp. Jacob Stoker Welker and his wife Harriet Angeline came to Salt Lake City, Utah, by wagon train in 1855 and were asked to settle at Willard, Box Elder, Utah.

A son Jacob Jr. was born to them in Willard, 27 May 1856. While living in Willard, great grand father farmed and also ran a printing shop. He owned his own printing press and supplies. His brother Wilburn had two wives and also lived in Willard. They came with the Isaac Stewart Company in 1852. Others of the Welker family came to Utah. Some settled in Utah, Idaho and Arizona.

Jacob and Wilburn's mother, Elizabeth Stoker Welker, also came west with the Isaac Stewart Company of 1852. Her husband James had died in August of 1844 while living in Adams, Adams, Illinois, leaving great-great grandmother a widow at age forty five. After coming to Utah, she lived with her youngest son, Adam, until her death in 1868.

Jacob and Harriet's first child, Jacob Jr., died 1 May 1860, at four years of age. The following other children were born to them in Willard while they were struggling to build their home, farm and business and raise their children.

1. Harriet Ann born 3 December 1857
2. Charles Wesley born 4 May 1859
3. Joseph Lyons born 9 February 1861
4. John Quincy born 10 September 1862
5. Louisa Mahala born 4 July 1864

Great grandpa and grandma moved sometime between 1864 and 1866 to Bloomington, Bear Lake, Idaho, to help settle that part of the country when church members were asked to go. Jacob made his home on Worm Creek in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains.

They had to start over again with a log cabin with dirt floor and roof. With a lot of hard work he and grandma Harriet had a good farm and beautiful garden and orchard. He raised honeybees, cows, horses, chickens and pigs. The stables were under and overhang of a hill almost like a cave, near the Worm Creek gravel pit. They had a spring house where they kept their butter, milk and cream cool.

Great grandfather built a large home which was like two separate houses each with a number of rooms. The two sections were connected by a walkway or what we would call a breezeway with a shingled roof over it.

While living at Worm Creek the following children were born to them. Their place of birth being given as Bloomington as it was the nearest town to them.

1. Arlena Emmeline born 6 April 1866
2. Myron James born 1870
3. Amelia June born 19 April 1871
4. Eliza Augusta born 6 January 1873
5. Alvia or Alvis Alexander born 15 August 1874
6. Rachel Melvina born 19 November 1876
7. Alzeda Angeline born 9 September 1878.

This made thirteen children that were born to this union.

Jacob still continued to run his printing business from his home. My father remembers his grandfather showing him the dyes and the working of the press when he would go there to visit. He would also take him to the orchard to give him fruit when it was ripe.

Great grandfather played the violin and also liked to raise flowers, especially huge beautiful hollyhocks. He was a tall, large man with a white beard. He was very sedate and was always dressed up, even to do his farm work. He never wore the homespun clothing or overalls like the other men when they were working at their chores.

Great grandmother was Irish, short and light completed, with blue eyes. She was also very exacting in everything she did. She was a good cook and homemaker and always keeping the cookie jar full.

Wood was the only fuel for the stoves as it was a long ways to get coal so a good supply always had to be brought down from the mountains. At night the coyotes would sing their chorus on the hills above the house.

Great grandfather Jacob had a stroke in later years and was forced to spend most of his time in a straight wooden armchair. He passed away at the age of eighty-two, 28 April 1911, at Bloomington, Idaho, and he was laid to rest in the city cemetery. Great grandma Harriet Angeline died 7 October 1914, at the age of seventy-five in Bloomington. She was also buried in the Bloomington Cemetery..."

SOURCE: Davis, Florence Nedra Welker; History of Jacob Stoker Welker

From Find A Grave.com:

Birth: Jan. 8, 1829

Death: Apr. 28, 1911

Burial: Bloomington Cemetery, Bloomington, Bear Lake County, Idaho, USA

Spouse: Harriet Angeline Lish Welker 1839 - 1914

Children:

Jacob Stoker Welker, Jr. 1856 - 1860

Harriet Ann Welker Thompson Ward 1857 - 1939

Charles Wesley Welker 1859 - 1939

Joseph Lyons Welker, 1861 -

John Quincy Welker 1862 - 1937

Louisa Mahala Welker Thornock 1864 - 1940

Arlena Emmeline 1866 -

James Myron Welker 1868 - 1936

Amelia June Welker Loveland 1871 - 1928

Eliza Augusta Welker Prescott 1873 - 1945

Alvah Alexander Welker 1874 - 1958

Rachel Melvina Welker 1876 - 1877

Alzeda Angeline 1878 -

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=38199545

The following information is from Family Search.org, and was written by Eva Thornock Burrows:

My grandfather, Jacob Stoker Welker, was born in Bloomfield Township, Jackson County, Ohio, 8 January 1829. His father, James Welker, was born in Rowan County North Carolina 19 August 1803,his mother, Elizabeth Stoker was born 22 February 1800 at Ashe County, North Carolina.

Grandfather, Jacob Stoker Welker, was baptized by Franklin Vanload in 1843 when fourteen years of age. He saw the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith when he was quite young. He lived near where they lived and could remember when the Prophet and his brother were martyred. It was a very tragic and sad experience for him and all others at that time. He and his mother and her family came to Utah in 1852. They crossed the plains in the Isaac Stewart Company. Grandfather had one wagon, three cows, six oxen and two loose cattle. They came first to Salt Lake City but within a very short time they went to Willard, Box Elder County, Utah, which at the time was called "Willow Creek". Here grandfather met, courted and married grandmother, Harriet Angeline Lish. They were married in February 1855, the first marriage performed in Willow Creek. Later they received their endowments and sealing in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 31, 1857.

Grandfather was a handsome man with black hair and kind smiling eyes. He was five feet eight inches tall and weight about 160 pounds.

At Willow Creek, now known as Willard, they acquired through hard work and careful planning quite a lot of fertile land, animals and other property and they got along real well. Six of their children were born there. Grandfather was ordained to the office of a Seventy by Elisha Malory February 8, 1859.

Grandfather made two trips to Arizona. The first one to visit relatives who had settled there; a while later grandfather's health was not too good so he was advised by a doctor to go to Arizona again. This he did, selling all of his property, machinery and cattle in order to make the journey and care for his family. They made these trips with a team and wagon. It was a long hard tiresome journey. This second trip to Arizona for grandfather's health lasted for two or three years. Through exposure and hard work his body had become infected with rheumatism. These few years in the warmer climate improved his health very much, so they returned north going back to Bloomington, Bear Lake, Idaho.

They filed on a homestead located in Worm Creek Canyon, near Bloomington. Some of grandfather's older sons settled on small farms in Worm Creek Valley near their parents. Grandfather raised hay and grain but specialized in growing currants and berries of all kinds, and some hardier fruits such as plums and apples. He had a very beautiful vegetable garden and lovely flowerbeds. He also had cows, horses, pigs and chickens. He loved his work in his gardens, orchards and fields.

He was ordained to the office of High Priest by John Stucki on 16 December 1906. We really enjoyed visiting with our Grandparents. They were so cheerful and always seemed pleased to have us come to their house.

Grandfather was a farmer, mechanic and carpenter by trade. He made furniture of all kinds. My parents used a table and chest of drawers (we called it a bureau) he made in our home all during my parent's lives. My youngest sister is still using this chest of drawers in her home. It is still beautiful and almost as good as new. Modern furniture is not made to endure through the years as it was then.

Grandfather loved music very much. He played the large and small drums, the fife and the flute and also the violin. Grandmother sang well so they had many happy times together with their families in their humble home.

It was while working in his garden and orchard that grandfather had his first stroke, from which he never entirely recovered. It was necessary for him to give up hard work because of his poor health. By this time he was quite an old man. He sold his land and property to his sons and moved into the town of Bloomington. By this time the children were all married and some of them lived in town.

They bought a home one and a half blocks from our house. I was a small child at the time and spent a great deal of time with my grandparents helping them in every way I could. Grandfather had, because of his stroke become quite helpless. He sat in a chair or walked around a little by using a cane. He was always quite cheerful and we loved to visit and talk with him or to help in every way we could. He was unable to do any physical labor, so whenever he felt well enough, he read and studied good books and magazines. His families and friends called often to give him a word of cheer.

He was loved and honored by all who knew him. He loved the gospel and had lived it well. He was very proud of his family. He visited with all of us and encouraged us to live the gospel and in everything do what was right. We surely missed him when he was called home. He had another stroke, the third one, if I remember correctly and passed away 20 April 1911, after spending ten years in a wheel chair.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Dec 10 2016, 17:01:22 UTC