Jasper Neuton Lindsay

The above photo of Jasper Neuton Lindsay and Grace Ellen Minson Lindsay was found on Family Search, along with the following information. There is another photo of Jasper under the Media Tab above showing him holding a musical instrument of some kind near a cabin. Here is the information about him from Family Search: Jasper Newton Lindsay was the son of William Buckminster Lindsay and Sarah Henderson. He was the seventh child of a family of eight. His parents were pioneers of the Bear Lake Valley, migrating from Canada. When Jasper was old enough, he worked for other people receiving a wage of fifty cents a day. After working one whole winter, he was able to earn enough money to buy a team of horses. He helped his brothers cut and haul the logs to build the two-room house that he lived in during most of his lifetime. They went to the canyon in the winter without shoes or overshoes, tying burlap around their feet to protect them from the cold.

Grace Ellen Minson was the daughter and seventh child of Thomas Minson and Catherine Ward who had a family of thirteen children. T hey were Bear Lake pioneers and lived in Paris, Idaho. Ellen was not a healthy child and her parents were concerned and worried about her. They felt that if she could have a patriarchal blessing her health would improve. On March 13 1880, Brother Joseph M. Works gave her a beautiful blessing. Her daughter, Geneva, still has the copy of this blessing in her possession. Henceforth, her health improved. Her early childhood was spent on their farm north of Paris. Their Christmases were very meager. She said the only toy she ever received for Christmas was a doll one of her brothers gave her. The other brothers teased her about it so much she hid it in the cellar and the chickens picked its eyes out. The only reason they looked forward to Christmas was because their father would spend the whole day playing with them.

Ellen loved to dance and when she did not have a date one of her brothers would take her. She always praised her brothers for this kindness. Ellen’s mother had a lady come in and do sewing for her. Ellen loved to watch her and thus learned much about it, which helped her to become a good seamstress. She was able to design her own patterns.

She married Jasper, October 14, 1896, in the Logan Temple. They traveled there and back by team and wagon. They started housekeeping in a one-room log cabin in Paris. Their first child, William, was born but lived for only few hours. The doctor told Ellen if she had another child she would die. However, through her faith and prayers she brought eight more children into the world. These children were: Catherine Lauretta born January 20, 1899; Sarah Geneva, born May 14, 1901; Marion David born June 2, 1903; Joseph Carlos born June 27, 1906; Mary Ellen, born March 14, 1910, and Arthur Minson born September 11, 1912. There were two other boys, George born May 24, 1909, and Thomas born May 23, 1908, but both babies died soon after birth.

Jasper’s mother, Sarah, in her latter years, went to live with her daughter, Deseret Hurst, in Salt Lake City and Jasper and Ellen moved their family into Mother’s house which he had helped build as a young man. There was always much sickness in their home. The summer that Carlos was three he was very ill along with the rest of the children. The doctor told Ellen that Carlos wouldn’t live. Ellen managed to nurse him and the rest of the family back to good health. She had much faith and always put her trust in the Lord.

Jasper’s health failed, so he sold their farm and began raising chickens. He always raised a large and beautiful garden and sold part of it to the neighbors. The children were old enough now to look after themselves so Ellen did sewing and nursing in the neighborhood. She helped the doctors in confinement cases caring for the mother and baby and doing housework.

In 1918 the influenza was taking its toll of lives. Ellen’s family had this terrible sickness early in the fall, so she and her daughter Geneva helped nurse other people who were ill during that winter. With Geneva’s help she nursed several back to good health that the doctor said could not survive. Ellen was a good nurse, but what she could earn in the small town of Paris wasn’t enough to provide for her family. Ellen’s sister Eliza owned a knitting factory in Salt Lake City and offered her a job there. Both Lauretta and Geneva were married by now. Lauretta lived in Wyoming, but Geneva was in Salt Lake City, so Ellen took her three younger children, David, Mary Ellen, and Arthur, and stayed with Geneva until she could find a place of her own. She worked at the factory for several years.

Jasper joined his family two years latter. During this two years Carlos was living with his sister Lauretta and her family in Wyoming. Early in the spring he wanted to return to Paris to have dental work done. He had not felt good previously, but was anxious to go so he could return to help with the spring farm work. His only transportation was horseback, so one morning in March when he felt better he started home. He was sick all the way, but felt somewhat better after his arrival. However, that night he became very sick again and in the morning Jasper called the doctor. After the examination the doctor said it was appendicitis and he needed an operation as soon as possible. The doctor would not operate until he received a certain down payment. Jasper secured the money as soon as he could but when the doctor finally operated the appendix had ruptured.

Jasper called Ellen in Salt Lake and she hurried home to care for Carlos, but on the eighth day he passed away. This was such a shock to Ellen that she never fully recovered. After a few years her health began to fail. Jasper had joined his family in Salt Lake and worked for the Pullman Car Company. Ellen worked as long as she could, but finally she had to have an operation, but her health did not improve. Before the year was over another operation was performed. While she was in the hospital she made the nurses a floral corsage of beads. She was always thinking of others no matter how ill she was. Still her health did not improve and the doctor said another operation was needed. This was more than she could take and on July 24, 1929, she passed away. She was buried in the Paris Idaho Cemetery.

She had made many friends while living in Salt Lake City. One woman said she had never known such a noble character. She loved and appreciated her friends. She always tried to show her love for her family. She loved to give her children birthday parties. Lauretta said she gave her a party every year on her birthday until she was married. She enjoyed getting together with her family and friends and was the life of the party. She liked to go to the hills with her family and pick wild fruit. She liked to go on picnics, play ball and other games with them.

Jasper stayed with his job in Salt Lake City until the Fall. He was discharged from his job with the railroad because of his age, so he returned to his home in Paris. Every year he raised a big garden. His neighbors always knew where they could get fresh vegetables. He loved to fish and neighbors often stopped by to give him a ride to the fishing streams. (One of these was our own Uncle Arden, before he married Aunt Verdena). If he didn’t have a ride, he could always walk. He enjoyed going to church and never missed a Sacrament Meeting if he was well enough to go.

He also enjoyed music. He taught himself to play the guitar and violin when he was young. His neighbors would come in and visit in the evenings and listen to him play. They were very kind to him, often bringing him a tasty dish for a meal. He had many opportunities to play at old folks parties which he enjoyed doing. When his health started to fail, his daughter Lauretta took him to Star Valley to live with her so she could care for him. He hated leaving his home and friends in Paris. He lived with her nearly two years before passing away on September 2, 1953. He was eighty-four years old. He was a kind and loving father who possessed a certain dignity of character and courage, which endeared him to his family. He was honest and upright and left his children the priceless heritage of the true gospel. He was buried September 7, 1953 in Paris, Idaho.