Joseph Wilkinson biography

                        

Written by his daughter, Martha Ann Wilkinson Mills

December 10, 1946

Joseph Wilkinson, the seventh child of Charles Wilkinson, and Sarah Mercer was born at Bradford, Yorkshire, England, 22 August 1849.

The Father, Charles and his eldest son, William Charles, left Liverpool, England, 3 June 1856 on the ship "Wellfleet." They arrived at Boston 13 July 1856 (Church Emigration, Vol. 2, Journal History of Church 1851-1856). They came to prepare the way for their family that were to follow later.

Joseph, his Mother, three brothers, and five sisters set sail from Liverpool, England, 4 August 1857 for America. (Original Bradford Records in Church Historians office). They crossed the ocean in a mere sailing vessel called the "Margaret Tyson," (according to family tradition, John, who was thirteen years old at the time, remembers the name of the ship as "Margaret Tyson." Andrew Jensen, Church Historian, records a miscellaneous vessel crossed in fall of 1857. That may have been the "Margaret Tyson.") It took nine weeks to make the voyage.

Upon arrival in America, the family went to Lawrence, Massachusetts. Here, those who were old enough obtained work in the cloth factories to earn a livelihood and get money enough to continue their journey westward.

We can just partly imagine what sacrifice and heartaches were endured by these humble but courageous souls, who because of the faith they had in the message that had been given them by Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, desired to join the Saints in Utah. They were willing to break up their home and join the main body of the Church in America. It meant leaving the home in which their children had been born; the Church in which the marriage vows had been taken; and it meant leaving the land of their nativity, to join a strange people and help pioneer a new country.

They had no wealth accumulated, possibly had sold some of their possessions with what little they could save, to secure enough money to cross the water. The spirit of gathering had come upon them, for it was only thirteen years from the time by Grandfather was baptized until they were ready to sail for America.

This was the sturdy stock and the conditions under which my Father Joseph was born and reared. But with all the hardships they were able to emigrate to Utah in 1861, Father, Mother and nine children ranging in ages from about 2 to 20 years. (One daughter, Elizabeth Ann born 22 Feb 1857 Manningham, England, Bradford District died 7 Nov 1860 Lawrence, Massachusetts.

md. Joseph F. Johnson md. John Thomas Beech md. Zina Ann Brooks

md. Annie May Boyer md. Guy Raymond Trone md. Albert Edmond Mills md. Jacob Osborn Ashcraft

They crossed the plains in the Henry W. Miller Company. An extract from the Deseret Evening News, of October 17, 1940 gives the following information: '"The Henry W. Miller Church Train (fifth) which had left Florence, August 7, with sixty wagons and about 665 immigrants. They arrived in great Salt Lake City October 17, 1862. The company had suffered considerable sickness and about twenty-eight persons died on the journey."

The family remained in the Salt Lake Valley until 1864. Then they moved onto a farm at Hoytsville, Summit County, Utah.

The time had arrived when the family of necessity must be divided to help earn a livelihood. Some of the boys went elsewhere seeking employment. Brother Alonzo Winters, an early Pioneer of HoytsvilIe, told me that my Father, Joseph, didn't come to Hoytsville until later. He herded cattle and freighted in Southern Utah, though he must have been only about fourteen years old. So he had of necessity learned to work hard in his early youth; in fact, I never remember my Father having much leisure time all his life.

Father was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the 17 April 1870 by Bishop Alonzo Winters, Sr. and confirmed a member of the same day at Hoytsville, Utah. He was married to Martha Ann Mills 29 May 1871 by Joseph F. Smith. The ceremony was performed in the Endowment House at Salt Lake City, Utah. To this union were born the children as follows:

                        Mary Ella                   born 8 Apr 1872      died

                        Sarah                           born 3 May 1874     died 22 Nov 1929

Joseph Mills born 22 Feb 1876 died 22 Oct 1962 Ann (twin) born 22 Feb 1876 died 22 Feb 1876 Robert born 16 June 1878 died 30 May 1908 Estella Pearl born 30 Sept 1880 died 11 Nov 1919 Martha Ann born 7 Apr 1883

                        Cora May                   born 5 June 1886

                                                            George \\lillard 12 Feb 1889          died 4 Mar. 1889

Lawrence Wilmer 30 Mar. 1892

Robert had been to Evanston, Wyo. With a load of headstones for Charles West Monumental Company and was returning home with a load of lumber tor his new home he was building. On his way he was seized with an acute attack of appendicitis. No help was available on the lonely road down Echo Canyon. He tried to flag a train but to no avail. When he got near the mouth of the canyon, he called at the home of the Jones family and they called Dr. French. He was rushed to Coalville and operated on, but it was too late. Peritonitis set in and he passed away. He was survived by a pregnant wife and one son Robert Guy Wilkinson.

ten children, buy a farm and build a home all at the same time. uV lL W,"'~~uu •• _________________ _

working away from home even after he was married and while his family was growing

up. He worked off the farm during the winter months. He found employment in the coal mines at Rock Springs and Almy, Wyoming. He was working at Camp NO.3 where the explosion occurred at that mine. I remember of him telling of calling for help and some of the men answering "You damn fool, it's an explosion, everyone for himself." And they ran as fast as they could go, except those who were injured in the blast. Father was not hurt.

Father also freighted coal to Park City by ox team, before the railroad was built to that point. He had two fine yoke of oxen, named "Tom" and "Buck," and "Berry" and "Bright." He hired two men to help him freight, Joseph Hammer and Tom Dowdle.

Father's farm consisted of eighty acres, most of which was cultivated in time. I well remember the hours spent by Father and my brothers cutting willows, clearing off sagebrusl\ and breaking up the ground for planting. I remember the fine garden which provided so much of the family food supply. He also tried to plant the best of everything. I think of the white grape and red English currants that hung in such large fruity clusters that Mother used to bring branches in the house for decoration. He worked in the garden early in the morning before anyone else was out of bed. He took great pride in it. One transparent apple tree, a beautiful lilac bush against the hillside a baby of Gilead still remain of his plantings.

He was very industrious, always trying to improve his farm. He cut the hillside away and made a road. This road he banked with a rock retaining wall, fifty feet long and eight feet high. Then he built a large hay barn, cow barn, calf pens, chicken house, machine shed, two cow sheds, horse barn, all combined in such a way as to save labor in doing the farm work. This project required great effort both financially and by labor. But it made it convenient for handling farm work. Mr. Andrew Hobson, Sr. did the mason work on the walL

Now I can look back and see how hard Father wo'rked stacking the hay in that barn. And how we children would romp and play on it and help Father push it in the lofts over the horse and cow barn. I can remember the terrific heat and dust in the hot summer days in that nearly closed barn. Now, I wonder how he endured it. I remember "Old Rob," the horse, that was so well-trained to pull the rope that pulled the hay in the barn. He knew just where to do, when to go; and where to stop. Ifno one had been there, I think he would never have made a mistake. But the children loved to be on his back so a child was always there. The warning always went with them to keep hands away from pulley. But Lawrence forgot the warning and let his hand go into the pulley with the rope. The flesh was tom from his hand to the bone. As a result, he has a deformed hand today.

The town of Hoytsville is about four miles long and one mile wide, in the narrowest place. The Weber River runs North and South through the Settlement. In the early days, the river carried much more water than at the present time. During the high water, there was

no way to cross it but by taking the long route either to the North or South oftown where a bridge crossed the river. So when they went to Church or to the store with their butter and eggs to trade for groceries, they must take this long round-about way. Because of road conditions, no matter what the occasion, it took the biggest part of the day to make the trip. The children living on the West side of the river were never able to continue school to the close of the school year, because of high water in the spring of the year.

As the result of this, several of the leading citizens on the west side felt the importance of a road straight across from West to East with a bridge crossing the Weber River. My father was one to take the initiative in making arrangements in securing the right of way. He and Robert Mills donated a strip of ground as far as their land went which was about 2 rods wide Y:z mile long. He gave a quit claim deed for the sum of one dollar. Plans were made 5 Dee 1898. Then they secured help from the county in building a fine bridge across the river. Then Alexander Street and Joseph Lee donated labor to build the road and get timber from the mountains to build three smaller bridges across the smaller streams. So through great effort a road was made that proved of great worth to the entire community.

My father was also the one who took the initiative in the town in building a cooperative Creamery.

He and Alonzo Winters burned the lime that was used in building the rock wall around the "Hoyt Mansion," built in the early days.

According to Alonzo Winters, my father and other men of the town organized a Y.M.I.A Association before any word came from the Church Authorities to organize the young men for Mutual Improvement work. They met April 2, 1876 and continued to hold meetings during that summer.

Father was a man of retiring nature, never sought office, neither civic or Church. But was willing to help in any way with his money, labor, or time. He was appointed (5 Jan 1889) to visit the ward twice a month to collect money for the building of the Summit Stake Tabernacle. He was a ward teacher.

I shall always remember my Father as a kind, loving, considerate Father and husband, always looking after the interests of his family. A Man who enjoyed reading. After the days work was done, he was always willing to help Mother with the multitudinous duties what went with the rearing of a family on the farm in those early days with very few conveniences. Such things he and the children helped with in the evening was preparing things for the mince meat, fruit cakes, plum puddings, and churning the cream. Then everything had to be chopped by hand. It took a long time, for Mother always made a five gallon Jar of mincemeat and several large fruit cakes. The plum pudding was always a Thanksgiving and Christmas delicacy.

Father never allowed a child to speak unkindly to Mother and the children respected that authority.

Father suffered a great deal with rheumatism. I remember his having inflammatory rheumatism so badly he could scarcely walk across the floor. I suppose this affected his heart. He passed away at his home, 12 February 1904 of dropsy.