Our Family Tree

Written by Lucille W. Deem ….. –As told by his son, Ezra Weaver….1976

 

James Albert was the 5th child of William Weaver and Ann Watkins. He was born 3 March 1855 at Childs Ercall, Shropshire, England. He came to America with his family when he was 11 years old, on the ship John Bright. They left Liverpool, England 30 April 1866. His father and older brother, john, did the cooking on the ship for the company of Mormon immigrants. In return for this work, they were to receive a pass to Utah for the entire family. However, the Captain of the company had given the pass to someone else and they had to stay in New York for three years and earn enough money to buy train fare to Utah.

They finally arrived at Riverdale, Utah in October 1869. That was as far as the train went, so that is where they settled and bought a farm. Their first home was a tent until his father could build them a home. His early years at Riverdale were a lot of hard work helping his father clear the land of sage brush and oak brush in order to plant crops. They had always had plenty in England, but here in Utah they had to really ration their food and seed in order to maintain life and get a foothold.

He met Dora Sophia Johnson at Brigham City, Utah where he used to stop each week to water his horse on his way to and from Promotory. One time she invited him in, but he declined saying, “Next time”. The next time he came thru he was spruced up a bit, and when she invited him in, he went in. They started seeing each other every week from then on, and when he ask[ed] her if she would be his wife, she jumped at the chance. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on 26 February 1880.

They moved to Promotory after their marriage, where they homesteaded a farm. They took everything they owned in a wagon. On their way they found a barrel of molasses someone had lost. They picked it up and it lasted them all winter. They lived there for three years.

In 1883 they sold their homestead in Promotory and bought their first farm of 27 acres from William Horsley in Perry, Utah. From that humble start he began to accumulate both land and cattle. At the time of his death he had 226 acres of land and over 200 head of cattle.

James Albert was quite a farmer and a hard task master. He worked hard and believed in working all his family, both girls, boys and wife. His word was law around there. He never got excited about anything. His wife was very sickly, and when she had a fainting spell and the kids would find her on the floor and would run to get their Dad, he acted like he could care less and would finish what he was doing before he would come to the house to see about his wife.

The only time the kids remember about their Dad getting excited was when his barn caught on fire. He was down in the pasture with his team and wagon and looked up and seen [saw] the fire. He whipped his horses on a dead run and started up the road to the barn, he almost got hit by the train as he crossed the tracks just seconds before the train.

The fire was started by Orville Davis and Vince Davis. Tom Judson had sent those boys to the Frank Housely store in Perry to get him some tobacco and matches. They also got some marshmallows and decided to roast them in the manger of Will Davis’s barn. So they built his fire in the manger and it got out of control and burned his barn to the ground. The sparks flew over and ignited the Weaver barn and burned it down too. Sparks also blew over on the shingles of the house, however, they were able to contain the damage to the roof with the aid of the bucket brigade and save[d] the house.

J.A. (James Albert) was called on a mission for the Church, 15 June 1898, to serve in the Southern States. He left his wife with ten children to look out for. They had a family group picture taken just before he left on his mission with his wife holding her baby Porter, who was about three or four months old at the time.

His mission call was signed by President Wilford Woodruff, George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith.

J.A. loved music. When he returned from his mission he was made Ward Chorister, a position he held for several years. Then he got his feelings hurt over something and never went back to church. However, he always seen [saw] that his children went.

They had a phonograph record of “When the Morning Glory Twines Around the Same Old Door” that he used to play all the time and loved to hear. When Ez was about 14-years old his Dad said, “Ez, why don’t you learn that son and sing it to me. Manda can play it on the piano for you. If you sing it real good, I will give you one of those steers out there.” Ezra said, “Who will be the Judge?” He replied, “I will.” So Manda and Ezra practiced real good, learned the song from the record and sang it to him. The tears rolled down his cheeks and he told Ez to go pick himself out one of those steers, which he did. Then Ezra traded the steer for a sorrel mare. [see sheet music]

When everyone else was getting cars, he took Ezra to Brigham and bought him a new rubber tired buggy at Duncans, so he could take his girls out in horse and buggy style. Ezra was real proud of that buggy; he and his little sorrel mare didn’t miss having a car at all. J.A. didn’t want his boys to have a car, as he didn’t want them to kill themselves while he was alive.

The crops they used to raise was [were] grain, hay and tomatoes. They used to have three large stacks of hay that they would feed to their red durum cattle. They haed 9-acres of tomatoes that his wife and kids used to pick for the cannery. At that time he was called the “Tomato King”. He hauled his tomatoes to Brigham City on a double bed wagon. There would be 48-boxes to the load and he hauled three loads a day.

J.A. Loved to tease. To tease was his delight. He had a gruff voice and when the Bate boys would be taking their cows to the pasture and he was out in the field, he woud holler, “Hey kid, come here.” They would come over to him with fear and trembling, not knowing what they had done. Then he would give them a watermelon or cantaloupe.

He loved to tease his granddaughter, Della. Whenever he came around and they were eating, he would take her of her stool and sit down in her place. Boy did she howl when he did that. Then he would get off and put her back on the stool.

The memory that Nona has of her grandfather, was one Sunday when her Mother and Dad got her and Rulon all dressed up and drove down from Mantua in a horse and buggy to visit with grandma and grandpa. J.A. was sitting on the porch. He looked up and said, “Is that you, Leslie?” Leslie replies, “Yes it is Dad.” J.A. said, “Drive on.” So les and Vilda drove on. Les was so mad and Vilda was crushed. Nona said she will never forget that incident and that is all she can remember about her granddad.

J.A. couldn’t get along with his older boys at all. They all left home early. Even all the older girls married young to get away from home. He didn’t have any close friends. In fact, he had many enemies because of his wealth. People were envious of his good fortune. However, he was honest in all his dealings.

One day Milton Thorn came to him and said, “Jim, I need to borrow some money, I need four hundred dollars.” J.A. said, “What security have you got?” Milton told him, and it seemed sufficient to him, so he told him to come in the house. Ezra was sitting there and heard sufficient to him, so he told him to come in the house. Ezra was sitting there and heard the whole conversation. He said to his wife, “Mam, go get me my strong box.” When he opened it up, Ez said it looked like two or three thousand dollars in it. He peeled off four one hundred dollar bills and handed them to Mr. Thorn. No papers were signed, just his word that he would pay it back. Mr. Weaver often said, if a man’s word was no good, I want nothing to do with him. Will Davis also came for a loan. The only one that ever gipped Mr. Weaver out of any money was a neighbor that got away with 1,700 he never paid back.

J.A. gave Albert one acre of land east of the old homestead to build him a little home on, so he would be close by. One night he saw a light flickering in the window while Albert and Dollie were away. He went right up to investigate and found some stranger there in bed. It didn’t take him long to oust him out of the house.

J.A. wouldn’t have anything to do with milking those flat nosed cows. He always kept a herd of milk cows for his wife to milk. The money she got from her cows and chickens was hers to spend in running the house.

One day J.A. said to Ez, “I want Manda to have all my money. I want you and Shirley to each have one of the farms.” He always figured he would out live his sickly wife and would not have to worry about her. All the older kids were married and on their own. All he was thinking about were the three youngest kids. However, things didn’t turn out that way. His life here on earth ended 22-years ahead of his wife’s.

Family Group picture taken in 1920 before J.A. died.
Seated: Myrtle, Shirley, Manda.
Center row: Fannie, Albert, Dora Sophia, James Albert and Cora.
Back row: Ezra, Harriet, Seymour, Minnie, Porter, Beatrice and Leslie.

J.A. had a real power for healing and was called on many times to go and administer to the sick with either Hyrum Perry or Sam Holton.

He was sick about seven months before he died. The night he died, his wife had been up with him most of the night when Ez came to relieve her. He was laying in the bed and when he saw Ez he said, “Ez, take that white platter off my feet.” Ez said, “Dad, there isn’t any platter on your feet.”” He said, “To hell, there isn’t.” So Ez acted like he was removing it from his feet, then he went up to his head and felt it. It was cold as could be. Then he took a couple of short breaths and he was gone. He died October 20, 1920, was buried October 23, 1920 in the Brigham city Cemetery.

He told Ez he had Catarrh of the throat. In the ward records his death is listed as Tuberculosis of the throat. We assume it was cancer of the throat.

Ez remembers that Jessie W. Hoopes was the embalmer and came right in the bedroom and embalmed him. He took the bucket of blood outside and poured it out under the apple tree west of the house and covered it up with dirt. He was only 18-years old at the time. It sure did set hard with him.

Hyrum Perry and Sam Holton came down and dressed him out for the burial.

Funeral Services for James Albert Weaver Sr.

Splendidly attended funeral services were held in the Perry Ward Chapel

Friday October 23, 1920.Burial – Brigham City Cemetery
Counselor Milton J. ThornTaking Charge
The Choir Sang:“Life Is But a Bubble”
Prayer:J. S. Holton
Choir Sang:“I Know That My Redeemer Lives”
Speakers Were:Milton J. Thorn, who spoke of the good he had found in Brother Weaver. Was always willing to help when asked. He was always honest in his dealings.
Speakers:J.D. Call, Denmark Jensen, Ephram White, and W.C. Horsley
Mr. Horsley spoke of the sterling character of Brother Weaver, of his honesty; his word was his life. He never made a promise that he did not meet. Had raised a large family and had tried to teach them to be the same as he was. Told the children to try to be as their father was and walk in his foot paths. Had known Sister Weaver, ever since she came to this country. Sister Weaver had been a sickly woman, was surprised of Brother Weaver going before her. Asked the Lord to bless her in her hour of trouble.
Song:Emil Jeppesen, “Sometime We’ll Understand.”
Song:Brother Tyson, “I Come To Thee”
Choir Sang:“When the Mist has Cleared”
Prayer:James M. White

 

 

[Note: the song that James Albert Weaver asked Ez to learn to sing - "When the Morning Glories Twine Around the Door” had words written by Andrew Sterling with music by Harry Von Tilzer and was published by the Harry Von TIlzer Music Publishing Company.]

[Digitized and added here by Douglas Bryan Weaver - any notes added by D.B.Weaver are in brackets]