SUSAN MARIA ELMER JONES

Susan Maria Elmer was born 5 Dec. 1860 at Payson, Utah, to Ira and

Eveline Wright Elmer. Susan was their 8th child.

Ira was born 2 Aug.1823 at Norwich, Vermont to John and Sally

Peake Elmer.

Ira was baptized into the LDS Church in about 1833. His parents

were baptized in 1832. Ira's mother died in 1838.

Eveline was born 23 nov.1823 in Liberty, Ind. to Joseph and Patsey

Barner Wright. She was baptized in August 1850 at Payson, Utah by S.

Driggs. She was a midwife and also did much doctoring to help those

who needed her help. She learned many secrets of herbs from the

Indians. She was very good and even after regular doctors came she

was still called upon to help with the sick.

The family moved around quite a lot. The two oldest oldest

children, Angeline and Oliver, were born in Adams Co. Ill. The next

two, Martha and Melissa were born in Lee Co. Iowa. Harriet and Amanda

were born at Wesr Jordan, Utah. Ira and Susan were born at Payson.

Then the family was called to help settle St. George, Utah, in

Southern Utah. There Hyrum and Eveline were born. The family lived

there several years. While living there Ira took anther wife, Sarah

Selenah Liecht. They also had ten children.

Fron there the family moved to Cannonville, Utah, where Ira became

Bishop of the ward for about 5 years.

Susan told of living in Escalante and Salina. At one place they

had a grape arbor where she could go to be by herself, and eat all

the grapes she wanted.

Quite often Susan would accompany her mother on her calls to

deliver babies or to care for the sick. Susan learned to be a

midwife by helping her mother. Sometimes at night Susan would rub

her mothers tired legs and comb her long hair for her.

In 1877 Susan married Joshua Jones. We don't know the date, but

they went to the temple in St. George and were sealed for time and

eternity, 30 Nov. 1877. This was 5 days before Susan's 17th birthday.

Joshua was 24.

They had ten children. Their first child, Joshua Oliver, was born

25 March, 1878 in Panguitch, Utah. He died 19 March, 1879, just

before his first birthday. Susan was brokenhearted over his death

and cried and cried. She was alone much of the time because Joshua

was away working. This made the babies death very hard to take.

Ira Bartlett was born 7 January,1880, also in Panguitch. It is

very likely that these two babies were delivered by their Grandmother

Elmer.

The family moved to Brigham City, Arizona, in Northern Arizona

near what is now Winslow. The town had been set up for the United

Order, but by the time the Joneses moved there it had been broken up

and only 2or 3 families lived there then. It was there that Mary

Eveline was born 9 Feb.1882.

The next move was to Cannonville where Susan's folks lived. Amanda

was born here 25 June, 1886.

While there Susan and Joshua took part in the M.I.A. program. In

Ward records it has a prayer given by Joshua, a reading from the Book

Of Mormon and at one time they sang a song with another man.

Joshua was also appointed as a Constable and as Road Commissioner.

Panguitch was their next home. There James Hyrum was born 31 Aug.

1886. Susan's mother died in Panguitch 7 Aug.1887. Susan's father

had moved with his second wife and family to Juarez, Mexico where

they lived about 4 years.

The next move was to Escalante, Utah. Susan's Grandfather, Joseph

Wright lived with them for awhile. He had been baptized into the LDS

Church on his 81st birthday, 7 Mar.1883. While living here Lovina

and Isaac Marley were born.

Joshua got itching feet again and the family moved to the Uintah

Basin, Vernal area. They were in the Glines and Mills Wards. It is

possible that some of Joshua's Jones half brothers lived there.

The Joneses made one last move, a long move to the Teton Basin in

Northeastern Idaho, A trip of over 400 miles. Victor, Idaho was just

being settled when they went there. The Ward was organized there in

1892. The Joneses went in 1895 or 96.

They left the Vernal area in the early Spring. There was still

some snow on the grond. The nights were quite cold. After they

crossed the mountains the snow was gone and it was warmer. The

children enjoyed the trip. Three other families went with them.

The men caught fish for their suppers. Susan could cook them very

deliciously but wouldn't eat them herself. They stopped in Soda

Springs, Idaho for 2or 3 weeks while the men got jobs shearing sheep

to earn a little much needed money. Within a day or two after

arriving Susan delivered a baby for Lovina Bourne who had made the

trip with them.

Susan told Joshua that she was tired of moving and wouldn't move

again. If he wanted to move again it would be without her, so they

lived the rest of their lives in Victor. Their last three children

were born in Victor. Elmer was born 19 Nov. 1896. Pearl was born 19

April, 1900 and her twin brother Parley was born April 21st. What a

hard time Susan must have had with their births. She was 39 years

old then.

Susan served for many years as a Midwife in Victor. About 1916 a

doctor came into the area and the Midwives were not to deliver any

more babies. During the bad Influenza Epidemic of 1917-8 &9 the

doctor died. Susan had to begin her midwife services again. It

isn't known how many babies she delivered, but it must have been

quite a lot. For years she kept a record of the babies she delivered.

She kept the papers in a drawer of a clock she had. One time some

of her Grandchildren got the papers and lost them. SHe felt very bad

about losing them.

Susan delivered quite of her grandchildren, at least six for Mary,

and some for Amand, Lovina , Pearl, also some for her son's wives.

She was 69 when she helped with Mary Larsen's birth.

Susan always went when she was needed whether it was night or day,

fair weather or foul. Sometimes Joshua got tired of hitching the

horse to the buggy in the middle of the night for her. Many times

she walked. She had a black cape that she usually wore it it was

cool enough for a wrap. Sometimes she would receive a little pig, a

dozen eggs, a chicken or 2, a dozen eggs, or nothing at all. She

seldom if ever recieved any money. One time a lady gave her some

lace for pillowslips. There were two women there who each had 14 or

15 children. Susan delivered all of them. One of the families had

12 girls. One woman had a stillborn baby that weighed 14 pounds.

Susan never lost a baby other that the stillborn one.

That was very cold country with lots of snow, blizzards and long

cold months. Sometimes the snow would be drifted clear to the eaves.

At times a tunnel had to be dug through the snow to the door. The

fences would be covered over completely with snow. The snowdrifts

would pack so hard that a bobsled, pulled by horses would go right

over the top. The wind would even blow snow in through cracks in the

doors and windows.

In the fall they'd pick Huckleberries and Chokecherries, perhaps

other kinds. They'd make jelly from them. They might dry some also

for pies or Roley Polies. They always had a big garden, raising

potatoes, carrots, turnips, rutabegas beets, beans and peas, perhaps

others. The growing season wasn't long enough for tomatoes. They had

a root cellar for storing these vegetables in. They had at least one

cow, sometimes more for milk, butter and cheese. They usually raised

a pig for winters meat. Susan aslo was busy making soap, quilts,

many of the families clothing. She always kept busy.

because Joshua did a lot of freighting, he was away from home

alot, sometimes for weeks at a time. This left Susan home a lot with

the younger children. If she ever heard something during the night

she would get up and check out what it was and wouldn't go back to

bed until she found out what caused it.

One time Susan and Joshua came down to Monarch, Utah to deliver a

baby for her daughter Lovina Blanchard. Thay made the trip with a

team and wagon. Joshua had a fine pair of mules that he was proud

of. Before going back to Idaho they went to Vernal to visit some of

Joshua's relatives who lived there. On one trip down to Utah Susan

rode back on the mail stage. Maybe this was the time that Joshua

sold his mules and wagon to Heber Beddes. He went to Price, Utah and

came home on the train.

One time Susan visited Monarch she brought two small grandson with

her. They were Elmer's sons, Dale and Gordan. Elmer's wife Irene

had died and Elmer and his sons lived with Susan. After they

returned home , Dale got pneumonia and died.

Joshua built a large home about a mile outside of Victor. They had

lived in a small log house before. Often some of their family lived

with them. On special occasions, especially at Christmas, family

members gathered there to stay. Many beds were made of the floor.

Everyone had a great time.

During the Flu Epidemic of 1918 their son Jim died and,i think, two

daughters-in-law died. Susan tiik in some of her grandchildren to

raise. She had Alice and Arnold Jones children of Ira. He lived

with them for while, too. Grandson Gordan Jones lived with her until

he went into the Service during World War II.

In March 1920 Joshua went to Pocatello, Idaho for a Hernia

operation. He came through the operation just fine, but he got

pnermonia and died from it. He died 19March, 1920. They had the

funeral and burial the next day, the 20th.

The large house seemed too large for Susan, Pearl and Parl, and

even for the others who sometimes lived there. They said it seemed

spooky and that they heard footsteps sometimes when no one was there.

It made them feel uneasy. Pearl married James Elmer Larsen 1 Dec.

1921. A few years later Susas moved into a small log house near them

in Victor. Trail Creek ran between Susan's and the Larsen's. Her

grandson Gordon Jones lived there with her.

In 1933 Susan came to Monarch to visit the Blanchards and Hamblins

to get acquainted with her grandchildren and a few

great-grandchildren. Delmer Hamblin took her back to Victor. Later

she came down again with Pearl and El Larsen and some of their

children.

When Susan lived by Trail Creek her grandchildren loved to come and

visit with her. Jim Larsen said he loved to go over and visit her.

He helped her weave rugs and loved to listen to the stories she told.

It is too bad that he can't remember them. He likrd to stay there

overnight and loved to sleep in her feather bed. It was so soft and

he'd sink down in it. The only bridge over Trail Creek was a log

across the stream. There wasn't a lot of water in it except in the

spring when the snow in the mountains was melting. It was from this

creek that Susan got most of the water that she used for cleaning

purposes. Sometimes the grandkids carried it for her.

Susan was always a hard worker. She was a good housekeeper and a

very good cook. She always gave anyone a meal or a place to stay if

they needed it.

Susan always kept a bottle of Purina cough syrup on hand. Mary and

Jim thought it tasted awful. Everytime the syrup got low in the

bottle she'd ask them if they had been drinking her cough syrup.

Mary said that Susan liked Root Beer. She often called it beer. One

day when Mary was there visiting her she wanted a bottle of Root Beer

so she asked Mary to go over to Harold's store and get her a bottle

of beer. Mary went to Harold and told him that her Grandma wanted a

bottle of beer. He said that she meant Root Beer, but Amry insisted

that Grandma had said she wanted beer. She was so insistant that

Harold finally gave her a bottle of beer to take home. He knew that

Mary would soon be back with it, and she was. Then she got the Root

Beer.

Susan always had a soft spot in her heart for boys. She was

especially kind to a Shears boy and to a Humble boy. She often

loaned them 25 or 50 cents. Mrs. Shears finally told her not to give

her son any more money. Sometimes the Humble boy would cut wood or

carry water for Susan and she would pay him a little for that. She

encouraged him to go to Church. He became active and went on a

Mission for the Church.

The last few years Susan lived in a little house very close to the

Larsens. Maybe the log got to hard to cross to get toand from her

house.

Susan died 10 June, 1942 at her home in Victor, Idaho. She had

lived a long and useful life. She was 82 years old. She had lived

in many areas that were just being settled. They lived in Utah,

Arizona and in Idaho. Brigham Young was the President of the Church

when Susan was born. Heber J. Grant, was the 7th President of the

LDS Church when she died. She had outlived five of her sons and

daughters. She had been a Releif Society worker and Visiting Teacher

for many years. She is burried in The Victor, Idaho Cemetary beside

her husband Joshua Jones. She had been a widow for 22 years.