Samuel Jewkes

Samuel Jewkes, steelmaker, soldier, saw and grist mill operator, and musician of early Sanpete County and pioneer of Castle Valley, was born in Tipton, Staffordshire, England on March 23 1823. He was the son of William and Jane Woodward Jewkes of Dudley, Worcestershire, England. Tipton and Dudley are both suburbs of the huge industrial city of Birmingham. [YY]

 

Samuel Jewkes was born March 23, 1823, at Tipton Staffordshire, England where he lived until after he was 20 years old. His father William, died when he was nine years old. At the age of six, he commenced working in the coal mines, picking up the small lumps of coal that fell off the cars, later laboring there as a coal miner. [SJH]

 

He had a good common school education. He could read and write well and was good at figures. He was a good singer and could read music readily... When he was nineteen years old, he married Sarah Knight at Kingswinford, Staffordshire, England at St. Margies Church, by Edward Addison, Vicar. [SJH]

 

Samuel's early training was in the field of engineering and his work experience in the iron works and heavy industry in Birmingham. In the mid 1840's, England was exporting its technology to other countries and so it was that Samuel Jewkes, his young wife, Sarah and baby daughter arrived in Mount Savage, Maryland [in 1848], the place where the first steel rails for the emerging railroad industry were made in the United States. [Edward Adds, Vicker, performed Samuel's and Sarah's wedding ceremony] [YY]

 

Other children were born to Sarah and Samuel in Mount Savage and later in Norristown, Pennsylvania and Cincinnati, Ohio, none of whom survived childhood ["all six of them before reaching the age of two" SJH]. The cruelest blow fell when Samuel's wife Sarah died in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850. [YY] Their children were Nanah Maria, Joseph Richard, Sarah Jane, Mary Ann, Richard and Sarah.

 

Samuel and Sarah Jewkes arrived in America in 1848 and ended up on St. Louis, Missouri by 1850, where Sarah died wife and one time mother to their six previously deceased children leaving Samuel totally alone.

 

Mary Nash Adams and her daughter were baptized [into the LDS church] in Dover, Kent, England, 29 April 1848. They attended the Dover London England Conference. [YY p. 283]

 

According to the Liverpool Emigration Records, on 25 November 1850 both Mary's signed onto a ship heading for America using the same name:

 

In early January 1851, Mary Adams and her daughter (listed as Mary Adams, age 63, and Mary Adams, age 21) were among a group of 281 converts who borded the George W. Bourne, a 663 ton US ship... [YY, p. 283] The 291 Mormon converts on this voyage were to set sail for New Orleans, Louisiana on 9 January 1851.

 

On Jan. 11 the ship was "towed into the river to be ready for a fair wind," but because of contrary winds they were not able to put out to sea for 12 days. In the meantime the passengers organized a branch [of the LDS church] with Elder William Gibson, a native of Scotland, as branch president, and dealt out provisions. [YY, p. 284]

 

During the first two days at sea, the wind blew trememdously and some of the passengers were greatly frightened.... Later the wind calmed and porpoises played around the ship while the passengers sat on deck "enjoying the view of a smooth sea in a warm sunshine." [YY, p. 284]

 

They passed the Bahamas on 9 March and reached the Gulf of Mexico on the 12th. On 19 March 1851, a steamer took them up the Mississippi to New Orleans.

 

Mary Gardner and her mother, Mary Nash Adams, arrived in America (New Orleans) on 19 March 1851 and Sophia less than one month later on April 6th. Mary, and probably Sophia, traveled from New Orleans, Louisiana to Saint Louis, Missouri on the 499 ton sidewheeler riverboat Concordia, commanded by William H. Cable. The 1200 mile, 7 day journey cost "10s 5d. each adult; children under twelve and over two years old, half price; infants and baggage, free." Once in St. Louis, Mary resumed sewing to raise the funds necessary to bring her and her mother to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

 

With the threat of Johnsons Army marching on Utah, Samuel, because of his training and experience in the Iron Works of Birmingham, England and heavy industry in Mount Savage, Norristown, and Cincinnati, was called with others to the Iron Mission in Cedar City. It was here that he moved his two families in 1857, for a short time, until the threat from the army had subsided. Samuel had previously served with the U.S. Army during the Mexican War and later in the Blackhawk war as a lieutenant. His army record also shows him listed as a musician. [YY]

 

Sophia's 3rd child, William Henry Jewkes, was born in Cedar City in 1857.

 

Mary's 1st child, Alma Gardner Jewkes, was born in Cedar City, Utah in 1858 (Mary was 28). Alma lived until he was 96 (1954) and may have been the author of Temple Record Book, 1503 1863 (see the footnotes).

 

Moroni, Sanpete County, Utah (1861) Samuel moved his families from Cedar City to Moroni, Sanpete County, and about a year later, Fountian Green, Sanpete County.... [YY]

 

Moroni is about 2030 miles south of Fountain Green, connected by a long straight road running through rich farmland across the valley. Sophia's 4th and final child, Sophia Jane Jewkes (Samuel's 3rd child with Sophia), was born during their brief stay in Moroni on 9 July 1861.

 

Mary's 2nd child, Benjamin Franklin Jewkes, was born in Moroni, Utah on 13 Sept 1861 only one month after Sophia Jane Jewkes' birth!

 

Fountain Green, Sanpete County, Utah (18611879) Samuel moved his families from Cedar City to Moroni, Sanpete County, and about a year later, Fountian Green, Sanpete County, where he had purchased two farms and acquired other property. With James Bosewell, he built a sawmill and a grist mill northwest of Fountain Green. Both mills were built together in order to make use of the same water power. Logs were hauled from nearby canyons, one of them called Jewkes Canyon, to be sawed into lumber for construction of various pioneer homes in that area. The hauling was done by an ox team, and many stories have been written concerning this mode of transportation and its problems. [YY]

 

The name of Samuel Jewkes first appears on the tithing records of Fountain Green under date of October 21, 1862, although Church historian Andrew Jenson gives the date of his arrival as the spring of 1861. [SJH]

 

It was at Fountain Green that Samuel's musical talent and ability were recognized. He organized and directed one of the first choirs in the state of Utah in 1862. The Fountain Green Ward Choir was known throughout the state for its fine performances. Samuel was a perfectionist, and he drilled each part seperately over and over. Not until a number was thoroughly learned was it ever attempted in public. Samuel could sing any part himself and was able to fill in whenever his voice was needed. When the choir was first organized, it was necessary for them to sing acappella because of a lack of an organ or piano. Samuel used a tuning fork to set the key for the choir to practice and to perform. [YY]

 

Samuel R., eldest son of Samuel and Sophia Lewis Jewkes, was band leader in Fountain Green for many years. Like his father, he took great pride in his music work and would often write the score and arrainge the part for all the instruments when the printed music was not avaliable. [YY]

 

The rest of Mary's children were born in Fountain Green. Sophia didn't have any more. All died in Orangeville, except John Lewis who died in Fountain Green.

 

The Black Hawk war was a disrupting factor in the efforts to build up the town. Fountain Green was abandoned in May, 1866, the people living in Moroni until the men could enclose five acres with rock walls and build log cabins within the fort. They moved into the fort in July of the same year. Everyone lived there that winter and the next summer. Some families stayed on for three or four years. [SJH]

 

Alma Jewkes, who was ten years old when the fort was built, remembered it well when interviewed at the age of ninetysix. The fort had four lookouts about twenty feet off the ground. Inside was the public square. he old Social Hall where dances were held was on the south side of the square. Later a red brick meetinghouse was built on the west side. A cow corral was on the east side. In the center of the fort was a grove of trees, here a bowery was constructed and the first meetings in the new fort were held in it. It had a platform at the west end for the dignitaries and the choir sat in front of the platform on the ground the same as the congregation. Unlike many of the later boweries constructed for 4th of July celebrations and outdoor meetings, this one required no posts driven in the ground to support the roof poles. It had standing trees as a base. Alma Jewkes said he helped cover the bowery many times. It was a great relief to choir members to get out of the small, crowded building into the open air.[SJH]

 

There is a gravestone near John Lewis Jewkes' family grave marker, where Samuel and Mary Jewkes buried one of their children (only 8 years old) while living in Fountain Green. Of this, Joseph Hyrum Jewkes, Samuel & Mary's son, wrote:

 

My sister Annie, two and onehalf years older than I, was a wonderful singer and although I can't remember much about her I know she was a beautiful girl and it just broke mother's heart when she died. I think it was when she was eight years old, just after she had been baptized.

 

The 1870 US census records:

Samuel Jewkes, age 47, had a household of 5 in Fountain Green, Utah, and had $1,600 in real wealth and $400 in personal wealth.

 

Samuel Jewkes, age 49, had a household of 7 in Fountain Green, Utah, a laborer with $500 in real wealth and $150 in personal wealth.

 

Orangeville, Emery County, Utah (18791927)

Samuel and his two families were called to assist in the colonization of Castle Valley. After living in Fountain Green for seventeen years, it was difficult to pull up stakes and move to another unsettled valley. But again, the pioneer spirit proved equal to the task. Samuel settled about 2 miles west of Orangeville, Emery County, again building another sawmill and grist mill and obtaining the best in farm machinery in the way of thrushing machine and gang plow. [YY]

 

Samuel was never very enthusiastic about politics. Concerning himself mainly with farming and the milling business; however, he was appointed by the governor of the territory as the first judge of Emery County. The first winter in Castle Valley was a disastrous one for Samuel and his families. It was an extremely cold winter, and they lost nearly 200 head of cattle to the cold and out of 12 yoke of oxen, only 2 yoke were able to withstand the cold winter. Through hard work and perseverance, they were able to recover from this loss and many of the descendants of Samuel still reside in Castle Valley. Samuel Jewkes died August 23, 1900 at Orangeville. The anniversary of his death for many years was an occasion for a family reunion. He was survived by his two wives and 8 of his children. [YY]

 

From Castle Valley



by Hazel Wayman

Grandfather's Teeth My grandfather, Samuel Jewkes, told this story many times. When he and several other men were working at the first sawmill in the valley [Fountain Green?], they had an old coffee pot which was kept on the stove most of the time. They seldom washed the pot out, just added more coffee and more water. The men were cramped for room in the little log cabin so the bed was very close to the stove. Grandfather Jewkes always took out his teeth while he was dropping off to sleep on morning he couldn't find his teeth anywhere. They all looked and decided a pack rat had carried them off. After a week, one of the men decided to wash the coffee pot and lo and behold, there they found grandfather's teeth.

 

1900: My [Joseph Hyrum Jewkes'] father [Samuel Jewkes] died on 23 August, 1900 at the age of 77 and is buried in the Orangeville cemetery by the side of his wives Mary and Sophia. He looked unusually find in his casket. Mother [Mary] remarked that his skin looked like wax. Of course there was no embalming done in those days. [YY, p. 566] The anniversary of his death for many years was an occasion for a family reunion. He was survived by his two wives and eight of his children. [YY, p. 278]

 

On Feb. 19, 1925, my grandmother Mary, Father's mother was 95 years old [written by Dorthea Jones, Joseph H. Jewkes daughter]. The Jewkes planned a big birthday part in her honor in the old hall which used to stand on the church square. The Orangeville chapel now occupies that spot today. Ina and I attempted to make her birthday cake a graduated teer brown cake. It had three layers with pink and white icing. It had 95 pink and white candles on it. Towards the end of the party, we started to light the candles and before a third of them were lit, the heat was so intense, it melted the rest of the candles right down. It was a wonderful affair. It was very rare for anyone to live such a long life, and her mind was exceptionally clear. She enjoied life so much. She died at the age ot 97, just went to sleep. Aunt Polly found her propped up on the pillow. She had left this life and had gone to meet her maker and her dear husband, as well as all her dear onew who had preceded her. [YY, p. 378]