John A. Thompson

Arrival in USA Dec 24 1855 New York, New York

Children John Alfred Thompson 1873 - 1928 Henry Oliver Thompson 1876 - 1951 Herbert Hans Thompson 1880 - 1967 Herman Samuel Thompson 1884 - 1976 Benjamin Le Roy Thompson 1889 - 1895 Newell Rendell Thompson 1895 - 1977 Caroline Matilda Thompson 1874 - 1879 Ella Anne Sparks (born Thompson) 1878 - 1961 Jane Marie Dahle (born Thompson) 1882 - 1972 Sylvia Olive Goodey (born Thompson) 1886 - 1981 Edith Godfrey (born Thompson) 1891 - 1980 Earl Mclynn Thompson 1897 - 1963

Short Sketch of the Life of John Thompson as he told it, and as he wrote it in March 1922

Contributed By: ThompsonMarkJay · 23 May 2015 ·

John Thompson Born March 30, 1852, London, England. Son of Joseph (Lewis) Thompson, (silver polisher), and Penelope Thompson. Birth Entry, (From Somerset House, London, W.C.2, civil registration list) March 30, 1852, at 3 Masons Place, St. Luke, Near Old Street, St. Luke, London, Middlesex. Died Jun 5, 1922, Clarkston, Utah. I, John Thompson lived in London a little a Over two years. My father being an expert Goldand SilversmithwasimmigratedbyGorham&CompanyfromLondon,England,to Providence, RI. To look after their shops in Providence, Rhode Island,U.S.A My father brought part of the family from England in the spring of 1855. My mother brought the rest of the family late in the fall of the same year. We crossed the ocean in a Sailing Vessel, and was nine weeks on the water. While crossing the ocean our ship was caught in a dense fog. It was only possible to see a short distance ahead. Suddenly there came into sight another ship sailing crosswise p to us and directly ahead in our path. Our ship couldn't stop and we crushed into the side of the other ship and it sank. Everyone on board the other ship was drowned. Our ship was so badly damaged our Captain had to put to Port for repairs. Quickstep was the name of our ship. My father worked for Gorham & Company at Providence until the spring of 1862. My parents had joined the Mormon Church in the year 1848. (The earliest baptismal record we have found is in the White Chapel Branch Record as 3 February 1851.) They wanted to come to Zion; so in the spring of 1862 we left Providence to come to Utah. We came by rail and steamboat to Florence, Nebraska. Stayed at Florence a few days and then we loaded into a wagon that was drawn by four yoke of oxen. (Left July 24, 1862.) The names of the four yoke of cattle were as follows: Dim and Duke, Lion and Bay, Speck and Buck, Balley and Brand. Our Captain's name was Murdock, and our Teamster's name was John Middleton. We arrived in Salt Lake City that fall, 27 September 1862. We went to Logan and stayed in Logan until the summer of 1864, when Israel jClark heard of the place which is now known as Clarkston. He and my father came here to see the place and brought me along to take care of the oxen. They looked around to see about timber and a place to make a settlement. They thought there was enough water for about twenty-five families, and said they thought it was the prettiest place they had seen. They yoked up their oxen and went back to Logan and scattered the news of the things they had seen. Lots of timber and meadows with hay up to your arm-pits. A lot of people wanted to come to Clarkston. Brother Myler, Jessie Pearson, Gideon Harminson, Andrew Heggie, Simon Smith and others came over and cut hay and stacked it on the north west corner of what is now known as the lower five acres belonging to Henry Griffin. We lived in Logan that winter and moved to Clarkston in the spring. My father had charge of the cow herd and a sheep herd and I helped to herd them for two or three years. On December 9, 1865 my mother died. She was the first person to be buried in the Clarkston cemetery. The next one buried was Ole A. Jensen's wife. After the death of my mother we had a very hard time. The winter was very hard. We could not get out to get flour and things we needed to eat. We lived for months on boiled wheat, milk and turnips. We got the turnips from Andrew McCombes. We got into a bad condition. We got the itch and had it bad. We got body lice, and head lice, and we were covered with sores and little boils from our heads to our feet. We were in this condition until my father got married to Caroline Griffin the 5th of October in 1867. After that we got rid of our itch and lice. In the spring before my father married Caroline Griffin we were advised to leave Clarkston on account of Indians. Some people went to Smithfield, and some went to other towns. We took our sheep over on the Mendon range and herded there that summer. The people came back to Clarkston in the fall and built a Fort, and everyone lived in the Fort for two years, then they moved out on their city lots. I herded cattle out on the promontory for two years for William V. Corbine and Robert Curley. Some of our own cattle were in the herd. On March 10, 1872 1 married Hannah Jensen. I was twenty years old. If we live to March 10, 1922, we will have been married fifty years. We have had a family of twelve children, seven sons and five daughters. While we were living in the Fort, Brother Martin Harris, (Witness to the Book of Mormon) came here and lived with his son and son's wife, Martin and Mary Harris. They lived in a house in the Fort owned by Andrew Quigley. After the people moved out of the Fort onto their city lots, the Harrises moved into a house owned by William V. 0. Corbine. While living in the Corbine house, Martin Harris died on July 10, 1875. He was buried in the Clarkston cemetery. The Book of Mormon was put in his right hand and the Doctrine and Covenants was placed in his left hand. I was called to wash and dress him and get him ready for burial. At one time I took a couple of apostates, Henry and John Serman, to see Martin Harris. One of them asked Mr. Harris if he believed the BOOK OF MORMON to be true. "No", he said. Then they told him they heard that he had never denied the truthfulness Of the BOOK OF MORMON. He then told them that, "HE KNEW THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE," and said, "THAT IS PAST BELIEVING". He then BORE HIS TESTIMONY OF SEEING AN ANGEL BEARING WITNESS TO THE TRUTHFULNESS OF THE BOOK OF MORMON. There was a chopping block there by the house and he pointed to it and said, "BEFORE I WOULD DENY THE BOOK OF MORMON I WOULD LAY MY HEAD ON THIS BLOCK AND LET IT BIE@ CHOPPED OFF." John Serman went to Salt L City, joined the Church and married a bishop’s daughter. The last I heard of him he was living good life. I am glad to have had the privilege of he Martin Harris bear his testimony, and getting ready for burial. Since that time I was called wash and dress and lay out the dead in Clarkston. In those days the people of Clarkston didn't have Doctors and Dentists. I used to extract teeth, set broken bones and helped to take care of the sick. I also doctored the sick animals in the town. I bought a farm and a home. I owned a dry goods and grocery store. I also had the Post Office for a few years. I held many offices in the town. I helped to build the first railroad that came into Cache Valley, and the first railroad leading out to Montana. John Thompson wrote this history in March 1922. He died June 5, 1922. He was buried in the Clarkston cemetery. As Middlesex was the birthplace of John Thompson, the following description of the area is of interest: Middlesex, an inland county, adjoining London. It formerly included a great part of the metropolis, but that area was severed from it by the Local Government Act of 1888. It is now bounded by Hertford on the N., Counties of London and Essex on the E., Surrey on the S. (the River Thames forming the boundary), and by Buckinghamshire on the W.; area, administrative county, 148,692 acres, population 1,638,521. There are no Middlesex Assizes; the County Council sits and the Quarter Sessions are held at the Middlesex Guildhall, Westminster; hence there is no county town, nor is there a county constabulary, the whole county being served by the metropolitan police. The appearance of the county is generally flat, with slight elevations on the Herts border. The Thames, with its affluence, the Colne, Lea and Brent, are the only rivers, although there are several smaller streams. There are numerous market-gardens in connection with the metropolitan supplies. For parliamentary purposes it is divided into 10 divisions. Thecountyiswhollywithintheareaof"GreaterLondon,"andisalmostcompletely urban in character. A granddaughter contributed the following information: I went to the court house here in Logan, I thought there might be some good information given when grandfather applied for his citizenship, but I was told to go to the Ogden courthouse. The Logan court house didn't accept citizenship papers until after 1888. So I went to Ogden. This is all the information there was. I copied it the way it was. I saw the film and the book Vol. A Page 297. It just listed John Thompson with all the other people who had applied that day for their citizenship. This is the way the card in the file read: U.S. Department of justice, Immigration & Naturalization Service. Family Name Thompson Given Name John Address (There wasn't any) Certificate No. or Vol & page Min. Book Vol. A, P. 297 County of Birth or allegiance (There wasn't any) Date and port of arrival in U.S. (There wasn't any) When born or age (None was given) Date of naturalization - 8 Sept. 1882 Name and Address of Witness - josh C. Thompson J.A. Dunn Title and location of court - District Court, Ogden, Utah. LIFE Author John Thompson Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence, as far as possible, without surrender. Be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexation to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievement as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble. It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in business affairs for the world is full of trickery but let this not blind you to what virtue there is. Many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection, neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as peaceful as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. Do not distress yourself with dark imagining. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of God and you have a right to be here. Be at peace with God and, whatever your labors and aspiration in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. It is a beautiful world. Be cheerful and strive to be happy. Little Tales About Uncle Jack John Thompson, best known as Uncle Jack by all the folks in town wore a large mustache, and was really quite a clown. He was also sort of a doctor, often called to set broken bones and with his jokes helped the patient to smile away his groans. He and Peter Barson with their funny stunts and stories, kept everything lively at the public parties. This little incident I've been told, happened in Logan one day: Mr Barson and Uncle Jack, while walking down the street, met a small boy on his way. He was selling peaches, and stopped to ask if they would like to buy a few. "Yes," they said, and filled one of their hats, but didn't offer to pay. Planning on an argument, they started to walk away. The boy went down the street without a glance or word, but when the cop tapped the two on the shoulder, they knew their joke had backfired, and they were two foolish looking birds. Uncle Jack and Aunt Hanna had a family of ten. The eldest, Henry O., nicknamed Black Hen, who wasn't afraid of the Devil himself, but took delight in scaring everyone else. Uncle jack was going to break him of this bad habit, so cleverly worked out a scheme, by sending Henry one dark night, for a turn of water from a nearby stream. Then wrapping himself in a sheet, crouched behind the gate to await Henry's return across the street. As he slowly rose up, Henry calmly set one bucket down, and with the other full of water, doused his dad from feet to crown. By Alzina Thompson https://familysearch.org/tree/person/KWCJ-T5Q/memories

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