Joseph Ellis Wilson, Sr.

I was born on Soap Creek, (1) Monroe Co., a thinly settled portion of Iowa, May 2nd, 1858. My father's name was Wellington Paul (2), son of Deliverance and Lovina Fairchild Wilson; he (my father) was born near Burlington, Vermont, Feb. 1st, 1814. My mother's name was Elizabeth Boardman Smith, daughter of Ira and Philomela Smith, born Emestown, Upper Canada (now Ontario), Jan. 29th, 1814. I am the youngest of ten children, 6 boys and 4 girls, all but one (a brother) of whom grew to maturity.

My parents removed to Utah in 1864, having joined the church in the days of Kirtland. While crossing the plains (in Capt. Warren's Company) (3) two of my sisters died, (4) the last one being buried at Echo City. My other two sisters had died in the States, one before I was born. This left our family when we reached Utah consisting of five boys. My father proceeded to Alma on the Sevier River, a small village where Monroe now stands and where his brother, George, resided. A team was sent by his brother to meet us at Salt Lake City. It was in Alma in a "dugout" school house where I first attended school, my father being the teacher.

In the following February my mother's half brother, George Lake, and Joseph Taylor, jr, her brother-in-law, came with a team from Harrisville, Weber Co., to take Mother there where her mother and other relatives resided. Mother consented to go as she had not seen any of her folks since the days of Nauvoo. The three younger children including myself accompanied her [see footnote below]. From this time my parents no more sustained the relation of husband and wife --in regard to this I may have occasion to speak further on.

After visiting among our numerous relatives in Harrisville such as the Lakes, Taylors and Dixons, Mother and I settled for a time in the family of Joseph A. Taylor, the husband of June Lake, Mother's half sister, and a hero of the "Echo Canyon War." He resided about on the line between Harrisville and Slatersville nearer the latter. In this place (Slatersville) Mother taught a summer school in 1865 which I attended part of the time: 'My two brothers who had come with us had found homes in the families of neighboring farmers. In the following fall, I went to live with my uncle George Lake where, I found a home for about three years.

My grandfather Ira Smith died in Canada before reaching the prime of life and my grandmother married James Lake by whom she had ten children. She and her husband, then quite aged, resided here with their son, George, and I have many kind remembrances of the motherly care she bestowed upon me. In these boyhood days I have since-been told I had no mean traits of character, but I tried the patience of my uncle and his two wives who then had not the experience of raising boys, my being so very slow. My remembrance is that I would become so engrossed in thinking that I would forget to move. That same characteristic still remains with me though I have striven to change it and has been transmitted to my first born son. My time was spent as chore boy about the farm and in attending school some little.

The three younger children were: Ira Lyman age 12 Oliver Cowdery “ 9 Joseph Ellis (me) “ 6 The older boys were: Stephen Fairchild age 27 Sidney Smith “ 25

In the summer of 1868, I was baptized by Daniel B. Rawson and confirmed by George Lake. In the autumn I went to live with my oldest brother Stephen F. who had married in Grantsville and through the death of his wife had been left with a young babe. This child he brought to Harrisville and committed to Mother's care, relieving her from the school she was teaching for that reason. He made a little home, Mother being his housekeeper. Here I had a home for two years when he married again:

In the summer of 1869, an accident occurred which seems to have affected my whole after life. Walter Chase, a son of Dudley Chase, threw a stone hitting me on the right ankle joint bruising it so severely that it caused a white swelling. Here I want to say a few words hoping they will be a warning to my children and perhaps some others against disobedience. My mother had passed by where I was with a few boys playing when this accident occurred and told me I should go home. Instead of obeying immediately, I lingered and in but a few minutes I had received an injury which caused me much suffering for many years and the mark of which I will carry to my grave. Had I gone straight home as my mother desired, this accident would not have happened. For a number of months I was quite sick, taking the measles in the meantime to add to the severity of my affliction, and when I finally got on my feet it was to use crutch and cane for a year. After the white swelling, a fever sore ensued from which I did not entirely get relief for twelve years. This had, as above intimated, a bearing on my whole future life as I will explain.

In the year 1867, my mother visited President Young and consulted him in regard to her family affairs the result of which was she was given a bill of divorcement from my father and some time after she was sealed to Apostle George A. Smith, afterwards counselor to President Young. Between Christmas and New Years in the winter of 1870 & 1871, I accompanied my mother to Salt Lake City. Pres. Smith was in St. George but returned and placed me in school before winter was over. My mother returned to Harrisville and I was left in my thirteenth year alone among strangers; but I did not feel the separation so keenly as when younger. The first time I was left by my mother among strangers I cried bitterly as I well remember and could hardly be reconciled, but now through separation during the greater portion of the time for a number of years, I had become somewhat accustomed to making my way alone.

The people in my new-found home were very kind and I soon felt quite at ease. Aunt Bathsheba, the first wife, and Aunt Susan, the last, then lived together in the residence adjoining the Historian's office and this was destined to be my home until I had nearly reached manhood. "Maggie," The second daughter of Aunt Susan took me to, school and introduced me to the teacher, Mrs. Mildred E. Randall, in President Young's school house just inside the Eagle Gate. At that time I had some little knowledge of reading, spelling, arithmetic and writing, but had not been taught any other branches. Being unaccustomed to city life, everything seemed strange but the teacher seemed pleased with my progress and soon advanced me to the fourth reader. By a system of grading the University had, as I remember, taken charge of a school taught by Miss Mary E. Cook in the building occupied afterward by the Deseret Museum half a block west of the Council House comer and also of Sister Randall's school where I attended. I was soon promoted to the school taught by Miss Cook which was soon removed to the Social Hall, a more commodious building.

Out of school my occupation was to feed, milk and care for two cows - cut wood and carry water and coal for the household and during summer the management of a small kitchen garden and the irrigation of the lot was entrusted to me. In season there was an abundance of fruit to be taken care of in which labors I took a part. My evenings and leisure time was largely spent in reading. Biography was my favorite literature. Cyrus, Alexander, Peter of Russia, Phillip of Macedonia, Xerxes, & etc., I can remember among the books I read and these I obtained from the Sunday School library of the 13th Ward where I quite regularly attended school on Sunday. Elder Geo. Goddard was then Superintendent with John B. Maiken and F. A. Mitchell to assist him. It seems to me in looking back that I never attended a better Sunday School and I have been connected with half a dozen since and visited quite a number. The family had season tickets to the theater and I was permitted to enjoy seeing some of the excellent dramas presented in those days. I did not care much to attend Sunday afternoon meetings but the rule was "no meetings no theaters" so to meeting I went and after a time it became a pleasure. I had very little spending money in my school days. It was sometimes a source of-humiliation to me for my companions to treat me to one thing and another and I not be able to return the compliment. A little later in life I felt thankful that I had been thus lacking in pocket money as it doubtless kept me from many temptations I might not have been able to resist. Once in a while I had the chance of earning a little money. [On] one occasion I regularly carried fresh buttermilk to H. B. Clawson, Supt. of Z.C:M.I. He was very fond of it and one of his wives made the contract to have him supplied and I had half the proceeds. Another time when peaches began to get ripe, Heber J. Grant and I were given half the proceeds of what peaches we could sell. Heber was a better hand at making sales than I was. In fact though but about [nineteen?] years old he showed some of the talent for business that has since made him famous. The little money that came into my possession I carefully saved to buy books, pencils, pens and the like for school use.

In my first business venture at eleven years of age, I was taught a lesson which I will always remember and which proved of great benefit to me. I had earned some seven dollars by herding cows for Uncle Wm. Dixon in Harrisville and when he paid me he took me to Ogden to trade it out at a store. After purchasing a few articles of clothing amounting to nearly the sum due me, I told the clerk to give me the rest in candy. The amount proved to be forty cents and eight sticks of candy were counted out to me. That candy lasted me until I was grown. It taught me the lesson that the whistle did Franklin as told in our school readers. In studying into the merits of money saving, I concluded that while to be miserly is a sin, economy is a virtue and there is a great difference between being stingy and saving.

In the fall of '71 Pres. Smith moved his last wife Susan and family to the "Union Academy" building but I remained with Aunt Bathsheba as I always called her.

The society of so great and good a man as was Geo. A. Smith was a privilege I was hardly capable of appreciating or wise enough to profit by as I should, yet I think with pleasure upon the lessons he taught me in his fatherly way. If I was reading a book he would inquire what it was and his unlimited fund of information would enable him to tell me things relating to the subject in addition to what the book contained. When he received money, he would sometimes send me with the tithing on it to pay for him saying it was always best to pay the tithing first. One time I was sent to sell a small quantity of dried apricots. The clerk in weighing them made a blunder and reported the weight to the manager of the store who gave me a check on the bank. After getting the money it seemed a good deal for the small amount of fruit but I took it home and reported. Pres. Smith was at home and he took the pains to go with me down to the store and have the mistake corrected teaching me a lasting lesson on honesty. On one occasion when my shoes were badly worn and winter was coming on he went into the Co-op with me and selected the heaviest make of cowhide boots saying it was better to have heavy leather than to depend on overshoes and take cold every time they were forgotten and left off. These cowhides wounded my pride a little but I said nothing and when the boys would josh [?] me about them I turned it off the best I could and he rewarded me by buying the best shoes in the store costing $6.00. He used frequently to speak of the value of a trade for a young man and illustrated it by anecdotes. (His table talk was full of anecdotes and not stale ones either.) His design was to give me a trade and he engaged an apprenticeship for me in the Deseret News Printing Office but his death occurred before a vacancy was made for me.

In the summer of /71 I assisted John Henry Smith (now apostle) in making hay at Farmington and hauling it to Salt Lake. In /72 we did the same and then both went to Provo and helped Chas. W. Smith to put up hay there. I think it was in /72 at Farmington that an incident occurred which I have been told John Henry has related to some of my friends in Cache Valley. We were trying to rake hay with a fractious horse. The rake was poor and hard to manage, so I led the horse and he worked the rake. In a short time the horse was struck with the handle in dumping and becoming frightened, commenced to run. I clung to the bits and though I endangered myself succeeded in stopping the horse and preventing any breakages to the borrowed rake. I had not got over being slow in those days (perhaps lazy would be a more honest way of expressing it) and I presume my kind friends sometimes wondered what I would be good for. This incident so pleased John that he told his father about it when he reached home. After laughing heartily, his father remarked. "Well we may find yet that big nose is not on Joseph's face for nothing." President Smith once remarked to me that he would like to have me be somebody as he did not know of any of the somewhat extensive family of Wilsons in "Utah" amounting to much financially then after a few moments silence he added. "I should not be surprised if you should yet become worth $150.000.00. I have taken this as uttered somewhat in a spirit of prophecy though evidently intended to implant in me a laudable ambition. During the five years I lived in his household, I do not recollect to have incurred his displeasure but three [?] times, but his rebuke when given was something to be dreaded.

In the summer of 1874, Pres. Smith voluntarily gave me a pass to Franklin and an introduction as his "foster son" to Bishop Hatch. My mother and brother Oliver--next older than 1--were living on a ranch at Packer's bridge on Bear River ten miles from Franklin. There I made a visit of one month then returned to prepare for school.

On the 17th day of August. Heber Grant. several of my associates and I received our endowments in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. I was ordained an Elder the same day under the hands of Abinadi Pratt. That fall I entered the University at the Council House. The teachers were Dr. J. R. Park, J. L. Rawlins and F. M. Bishop. The branches I took were history, civil government, natural philosophy, geometry, rhetoric and composition, elocution and orthographies, and punctuation. My tuition that winter till about April first when my school days ended amounted to over $30.00. Pres. Smith had an attack of illness at April Conference, 1875 from which he temporarily recovered in the fore part of the summer but again was stricken and died in September. I felt keenly the loss of this noble man. Though he had suffered a great deal yet I had felt all the time like he would recover. Many a time had I got up in the night to assist in giving him a vapor bath and often more than once in a night. His malady was of such a nature that he could not sleep without losing his breath. While in the vapor bath he could get a few minutes of refreshing sleep. His strength and faculties did not fail him to the last and he walked from one room through a hall to another but a few minutes before he expired. I was attending his team and driving the carriage at the time and gathered up the portion of his family that resided in the city and took them to the house at the time of his death. He died too suddenly to give time for the gathering of his family. John Henry having been recalled from his mission to England reached home a few days before his father's death. It was a sad blow to me as I had learned to love that great and good man as a father.

After the funeral was over I found I was left on my own resources and began to seek employment. I was in my "long green" boyhood having scarcely begun to think seriously upon the problems of life. I secured a place with Geo. W. [Crocheron ?] at one dollar per day to assist in his fish market. I was too unsophisticated to suit the gentleman. He would say anyone could sell to those who wanted to buy and I must learn to sell to those who did not want to buy. This seemed hardly to correspond with my Sunday School training. After three weeks he paid me up and again I was wanting employment. I went to Bishop Hunter. After plying me with questions about what I knew and what I could do he soon advised to try school teaching. I went to Dr. J. R. Park and learned that several teachers were wanted and undertook to pass an examination to obtain a teacher's certificate. I succeeded in obtaining a first grade certificate and the next Monday morning started out afoot and alone to Taylorsville some nine miles where they wanted a teacher. I was given a short ride by Elias Morris and made the rest of the way on foot.

Finding John Bennion, one of the school trustees, I soon closed a bargain to teach for 40.00 per month and board and I was desired to begin the following Wednesday morning. I returned to Aunt Bathsheba's that evening and Wednesday morning found me in the schoolroom with children of all ages --some being larger and older than myself. A part of the time I boarded with John Bennion and the remainder of the term with Bishop Samuel Bennion. For a school teacher I did not succeed to my own satisfaction, but for a boy seventeen I believe the verdict was I did tolerably well. I taught an evening class two nights in the week in bookkeeping and penmanship. As I hardly felt competent to teach the former and the experience would be of value to myself, I consented to do this gratis. A number of married men attended this night school.

When my term was out I had a settlement with the trustees and received a portion of my pay. My labors were spoken of as satisfactory as far as I heard opinions expressed. Though not feeling satisfied with my success as a teacher, I had the satisfaction of having done my best. After settling up my little bills and paying, my tithing, I took train for Harrisville to visit my mother.

In May and June, 1876, I taught a primary school in the 17th Ward Salt Lake City. Not being able to get any support whatever from the school trustees [?], my little school became almost a failure. Bp. John Henry Smith of the Ward gave me his support for which I was thankful. In July, desiring to have a settlement and get my pay in full from the school Trustees in Taylorsville; I paid the village a visit and while there hired out to Bp. Bennion to work in the hay and harvest field. Being slender and growing, my muscles were soft and it took me some time to get used to the work. However I received $30.00 per mo. and board. At Mothers request by letter, I went to Harrisville in August where I labored in harvesting and on the threshing machine, & etc., and laid up some supplies for her for the coming winter.

In Clifton, Idaho some of our relatives resided and they, learning of my desire to get employment as [a] teacher, got the trustees to send me an offer. Between Christmas and New Year found me in Clifton and an engagement made to teach at $45.00 per month. This was destined to be my abiding place for a while.

On June 12, following [1877], Harvey Dixon, my cousin, was chosen Bishop of the settlement and he chose Wm. N. Marler, Sen., and myself as his counselors. I was ordained a high priest and set apart to this position by President (afterwards Apostle) Moses Thatcher of Cache Stake of which Clifton then formed a part. But little past nineteen years old, at the time I called myself 20 owing to an error in count rectified afterwards. Bishop Preston, then counselor to the Stake President, quoted the words of the scripture in regard to a Bishop being blameless, the husband of one wife” & etc., in his remarks to the meeting and said counselors should have the same qualifications. I took this probably with more earnestness to myself than it was intended though the Bishop was doubtless in earnest and joking too.

Marcellus Monroe (true name, Marion Monroe Martin) known as "Major Monroe" in the Echo Canyon War removed with his family from Providence, Cache County, to Clifton in April of this year. He was from Virginia born near Richmond and [his] proper name was Marion Monroe Martin. Having an ardent desire to join the regiment of soldiers formed to take part in the war with Mexico and being under age, he ran away from home and enlisted under the assumed name above given to avoid being returned to his parents, which name he retained until about the year 1884, though he had come to Utah and joined the Church in 1856. His wife's maiden name was Lucinda Busenbark, a native of Niagara Co., N. Y. These people had a daughter named Lerona Abigail born at Huntsville, Weber County, Feb. 23rd, 1862. Between this young lady and myself an attachment was formed almost from the time of our first meeting. I first had the pleasure of her company to a May Day Dance. After this remark by brother Preston I decided to seek the hand of Miss Monroe, in marriage the result of which was our marriage on July 22nd by Bishop Harvey Dixon at the residence of her parents. The Endowment House at Salt Lake City was closed at this time and the only proper place to be married was at the Temple in St. George. My financial condition at the time did not justify such a journey and the counsel of the First Presidency under such circumstances was to be married by the Bishop at home. On the reopening of the Endowment House we took the first opportunity of going there and being sealed, which was in the spring of 1879.

We lived in Clifton until the fall of '78 keeping store or rather clerking in the little co-operative store that had been started and teaching school in the winter. In the spring of '78 my brother Oliver and I having bought a house and lot (which ... was the same house, in which we were married) I planted out a young orchard and cultivated a garden, getting the name of having the best garden in the village. Our first child was born June 15th, a son which we named Joseph E., Jr.

In the fall of this year my mother and all of my brothers removed to Brigham City on the Little Colorado River in Arizona. My brother Lyman was, called to that mission of colonization early in '76 and Stephen this year and the others, Sidney & Oliver, went voluntarily, Mother accompanying Stephen to take care of his three motherless children. As Oliver was compelled to have the means he had invested in the home with me, and I being unable to purchase his share, we sold the place, and I was left without a home. I went to Richmond, Cache County, and taught school that winter where I rented a house and moved my family into it. In doing so we bade Clifton good bye as a home. My ambition for intellectual advancement and the surrounding of my family with home comforts had little hopes of gratification in that humble district.

In the following spring after the close of school I found myself without employment and desiring to assist in building the Logan Temple then in course of construction, I took provisions along to provide myself with board at the Temple Cook House and put in one month's labor being assigned to the work of scaffold building. After this month was out Superintendent Card employed me at $2.00 per day and soon after sent me to the Temple Saw Mill in Maughan's Fork Logan Canyon 25 miles from Logan to assort [sort] and pile lumber from the saw and attend to shipping and keeping a/cs. [accounts] giving $2.00 and board.

In August the "Ogden Junction Publishing Co." of Ogden hired me to make a preliminary, canvas of Cache Valley for the newspaper they were about to, start in Logan to be called the "Logan Leader with Frank J. Cannon as editor. After the paper was started my services were still wanted though the wages were, but $45.00 per month. I was promised an advance and I acted on the principle, of accepting such employment and wages as I could get rather than to lay idle for something better to turn up, trusting to be better-paid fast as I proved worth it. A considerable better offer was made me to take a school, but I had made up my mind that teaching was not my forte and wanted to work up as a book-keeper for which occupation I had studied to qualify myself without much opportunity for practical experience. The opportunity seemed open to me in looking after the accounts and business of the "Logan Leader," hence I accepted. Besides my inclinations had been gravitating to Logan as the place of my choice as my future home, the landscape, the people, and the very air seemed congenial to my heart's ideal of a home.

In November I removed my wife and child and household effects to Logan and in the following May, 1880, I purchased two acres of willow land with a one room frame house on it, on the Island near the business portion of town. This one room we joyfully took possession of as the first home of our own. There seemed a double joy in this as I had not known a parental roof since my seventh year. The property cost me but $350.00. Having no money in hand I borrowed the amount from President Wm. B. Preston (then Stake President) who kindly loaned me the full amount of the purchase money with the property as security and allowed me to make partial payments as I could.

I will here state that President Preston had previously expressed his willingness to release me from the position of counselor to Bishop Dixon at Clifton and leave me free to settle in Logan if I desired. While in Clifton, in addition to my labors as counselor to the bishop, I performed a portion of the labors of ward clerk, kept the tithing books, looked after the Temple donations & accounts, taught a class in Sunday School and assisted the secretary of the Y.M.M.I.A. [Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association].

Soon as I became established in Logan my labors in Sunday School were continued. The schools of the 1st and 4th wards were united in one and held in the Tabernacle basement. It numbered about 400, a large Sunday School for those days. Here labored as teacher for some time and then as secretary for two years. My labors as ward teacher also began before I had obtained my release from Clifton and became identified by recommend with the First ward.

In August 1880, the Logan Leader was sold out and as the new proprietors were prepared to do their own work, my services were not needed, so I did odd jobs of bookkeeping until the end of the year, spending five weeks on the railroad at Spring Hill, Montana, where C. D. W. Fullmer and myself assisted in transferring the then terminus of Utah & Northern from Red Rock to Dillon. On returning from there I paid $90.00 on mortgage.

Early in Jan. 1881, Superintendent C.O. Card of the Temple employed me as bookkeeper to take the place of Wm. E. Bassett who had been appointed clerk of the Logan Tithing Office. My wages were put at $75.00 per month. Here I found steady employment for over 3 years --Jan 10/81 to about the 1st of May /84. As spring opened I had a part of my lot cleared of willows. This spring Lerona was sick with St. Vitus Dance for a few weeks. I had a summer kitchen constructed and in the fall an additional room to the house in the shape of a lean-to at the rear, and saved up enough to make a good payment on the place. November 19th our first daughter was born. We named her Amy Elizabeth.

Salt Lake Telegram 27 October 1930

Deaths Wilson-- Joseph Ellis Wilson died at the family residence at 291 Center street, October 25, 1930. He was born in Monroe county, Iowa, May 2, 1858. He had been a resident of Salt Lake for the past 25 years. He is survived by two wives, Lerona A. Wilson and Esther R. Wilson, Salt Lake; the following sons and daughters, Jos. E, of Clifton, Ida; George A., of Ely, Nev; Wellington Paul, of Compton, Cal; Ellis R., Bountiful, Utah; Marion L., Colonia Pacheco, Mexico; Joel R., Salt Lake; Mrs. Walter R. Sant, Salt Lake; Mrs. J. G. Johnston, Twin Falls, Ida; Mrs. Irvin Allred, American Falls, Ida.; Mrs. W. R. Sant, Los Angeles, Cal.; Mrs. Mabel Hadley, Salt Lake; Mrs. J. M. Thorup, Ely, Nev.; Esther R., Salt Lake; Ida, Salt Lake; Mrs. Leo Kirkham, Twin Falls, Ida.; Mrs. Walter Schwaar, Salt Lake; Mrs. L. E. Masterton, Portland, Ore.; fifty _____ grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

• Updated from Find A Grave Memorial via mother Elizabeth Boardman Wilson (born Smith) by SmartCopy: Nov 4 2015, 6:17:30 UTC