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Margaret Nielson
John Ernest Adams
John Ernest Adams and Margaret Nielson
John Ernest Adams
Born: 13 June 1866 at Paragonah, Iron, Utah, USAMargaret Christine Nielson
Born: 1 April 1864 at Parowan, Iron, Utah, USALIFE SKETCH JOHN ERNEST ADAMS AND MARGARET NIELSON
Margaret Christina Nielson was born in Parowan, April 1, 1864. She was a daughter of Jens Nielson and Kisten [or Kirsten] Jensen Nielson. The fourth child of a family of nine. The family moved to Cedar when Margaret was very young. The President of the Church, John Taylor, called a Company of people to go to San Juan County and settle that part of the State. Jens Nielson's oldest son, Joe, was called to go so his father, Jens Nielson, volunteered to go also. It was a great day to prepare for this journey. Grandfather took three wagons. They could just take what they needed most, expecting to be on the road 6 weeks but they were 6 months.
The family consisted of the Mother, Father, Joe 20, Jense 18, Margaret 15, France 11, Lucinda 8, and Caroline 6 yrs. Some of those in the company were Silas Smith, the Captain, Walter Lyman, Eddie Lyman, Kumen Jones, Hyrum Perkins, Ben Perkins, J.S. Decker, L.H. Redd, Ida Nielson, Brother Walton, Joshua Stevens, Joe Barton, and Hans Bayles. Everyone seemed to be happy to go not knowing the trials and hardships before them. The Company traveled 10 to 15 miles a day. They went along pretty good until they came to the "Hole in the Rock". There was nothing to do but camp here until a road could be made. They camped here for 2 months. The "Hole in the Rock" is just a crack In a big cliff. They blasted rock and finally made a kind of a road. Kumen Jones's wagon was the first to go down [Kumen Jones stated in later life that while he drove the first wagon down, the wagon belonged to Benjamin Perkins]. It was so steep that they had to hold the wagons back with chains and teams so they wouldn't go head over heels. They finally all got down. Right there was the Colorado River. While some of the men were making roads others were making boats or rafts to cross the river. The rafts were so large that they could drive a team and wagon onto it to cross the river.
The people enjoyed themselves. They would clear a place and dance and sing and hold meetings. Brother Walton played a violin and someone had an accordion. They were divided up into several camps. There were two babies born at the Hole in the Rock. One was Iona Decker.
Wood was scarce and they had to bum sage brush. France 11, would take his rope and go out hunting wood. Margaret, Caroline and Cindy would often go along to help. The food was getting scarce. They would take com and grind it up in coffee mills and preserves; we also had bacon and potatoes. They had milk cows but they got very poor. Everyone seemed to have good health.
The roads were very rough and they would have to wait days at a time to make a road. The places called Slick Rocks and Clay Hill were very bad. The women and children would walk most of the way. Sister Harriet Barton had two little girls. She would walk and carry these little girls, one under each arm. They could see that they were going to be out of supplies. Silas Smith sent to Salt Lake City for food and ammunition. This was sent and they also got cheese, flour, bacon and fruit. This was a great treat for these people. This was at Clay Hill.
They traveled along until they came to Bluff, a little valley on the San Juan River, April 6, 1880. Here they decided to stop and make their homes. There was nothing but sage brush and cottonwood trees. Margaret said to her father, "Is this where we are going to stay?" He said, "Why yes, where did you want to go." She thought this was the worse place on earth. They at once started to clear the land and plant corn, alfalfa, potatoes, beans etc. They had to make a ditch from the San Juan River. There was always a lot of work to keep the water in the ditch. They built a fort and lived here for some time because the Indians were not friendly. They caused a lot of trouble stealing. They finally marked the town off in blocks and streets. They then drew for lots.
Grandpa Nielson's family was living in the Fort when William Adams and his son John came to Bluff. Grandpa invited them to dinner. Margaret was young and shy. While they were eating dinner, Margaret peeked at them through the cracks in the wall, never thinking that John would be her future husband.
The Adams' and Nielson's lots were in the same block. The young folks would often dance in one another's door yards.
Maggie Walton and Margaret were great friends. One summer they went to Elk Mountain to visit Julia and Willard Butt who had a milk ranch there. John Adams and Thales Haskel [Haskell] were at a cow camp a few miles away. These boys invited the girls to their camp. They had a fine dinner of cooked beefsteak and biscuits. After dinner they went for a horseback ride. This was the beginning of the courtship of Margaret and John. Two years later they were married. John said he had $163.35 he had saved to get married on. They took the train and were married in the Logan Temple. April 24, 1887. They stayed in Salt Lake a few days with John Isllin, Grandma Nielson’s brother.
When Margaret was a young girl about 18 or 19 years old, they had many good times. They often went to Mancos and Fruitland to Conferences. They would travel by team and wagon and to make the trip it would take 8 or 10 days. One time Margaret, Maggie Walton and Irene Haskal [Haskell], who were good chums all their girlhood days, went to Conference with Eugene Walton, Maggie's father. One day at noon when they had eaten their lunch these girls climbed into the wagon. The team was hitched up eating their grain. They suddenly became frightened and ran away. They ran straight for the San Juan River and as they reached the bank they stopped dead still and the lives of those girls were saved.
Those same girls made several trips to Durango with their brothers and fathers. They had a fine time camping out. People in Bluff would go to Durango for their provisions. Durango was a prosperous town. The girls would stay at a hotel and they shopped and would have their pictures taken. It would take two weeks to make the trip. They would buy a whole barrel of oat meal mush, dried apples and sugar syrup which was a great treat.
The girls at that time did lovely handwork. They would knit lace 4 or 5 inches wide for pillow slips and petticoats. Crochet piece quilts and always made their own dresses. Grandma Kisten Nielson was a seamstress. She made men’s suits and buckskin gloves. The girls helped in the gardens. Irene Haskel [Haskell] had an accordion and the young folks would dance in the door yards.
When they first came to Bluff, they built a meeting house. Jens Nielson was made Bishop with L.H. Redd and Kumen Jones as counselors. The Sunday School was organized under the "Old Swing Tree" with James B. Decker as the first Superintendent. Brother Decker led the singing in Sunday School and the Choir for many years until his death. The Primary was organized with Aunt Jody Wood as President with Rachel Perkins and (?) Clistie Hammond, counselors. Sister Jane Walton, Iona Nielson's mother, was President of the Relief Society. After she was President for several years, Kisten Nielson was President then Lisa Redd. Brother Walton was the first school teacher.
For a good many years the Indians were mean and the people were in a state of fear all the time. The Indians didn't like the white people to come so close to their country. The Indians would steal their horses and cattle and everything they could. Bands of them would come into town on their horses with their guns. They were all painted and they would scare the people. They would give them beef, flour and other food in order to keep peace with them. Bishop Nielson said it is better to feed them than to fight them. Through the wise acts of the leaders, nothing very serious happened at that time. The Indians would frighten my mother so many times. The Indians would put blankets around their heads and come peaking through the windows. One time when my mother was at her mothers, an Indian saw that she was away from home. He broke into her house and filled up a sack with sugar and other things. While he was there, my father came home and found the Indian helping himself. The Indian couldn't get out as he had crawled under the bed
The first houses were built of logs and the cracks plastered with mud. The roofs were built on a slope covered with bark, boards and dirt. When it rained very much the houses would leak. The women would line their houses with factory (a course cloth) and tack it on the walls. When it would get dirty, they would take. it of and wash it. The floors at first were dirt. When they could get lumber, they had lumber floors which were a great thing. They had fireplaces to heat the house at first and they used open campfires to cook their food. The wind would blow so hard they would have to put rocks on the lids of the kettles so they wouldn't blow off. They dug wells and people would fill barrels of water then pour ashes in the water to soften it for washing clothes.
The first summer when their crops failed, part of the men went to Alamosa, Colorado, to work. It was a mining town. Joe and Jens, Mother's brothers, went there. With the money they earned, they bought provisions and clothing and brought it home for the first year. They would divide it up among people so that no one suffered.
The first summer that Margaret and John were married, they lived at Dodge, a ranch north of Verdure. The whole Adams family was there, Uncle George and Aunt Eve, Frank, Grandma and Grandpa. Here they made butter and cheese and took it to Durango to sell. One time George took a load to Durango and he met a man who wanted to sample his cheese. When he was told the price the man said this butter and cheese seems a little cheap. I think I will try and get a little higher priced or better grade. George said, "I think that if you want a higher priced cheese I have it here in this other part of the wagon". George raised the price of his cheese about double and sold it to this man.
John and Margaret moved to Monticello and lived there two years. They didn't like it in Monticello so they moved back to Bluff. They now had two children, Kisten and Ernest. They bought a home in the west part of town, a three roomed log house. They lived there for 12 years and 5 children were born here, Carlie, Lloyd, Melvin, Effie and Clara. John was trying to get a herd of cows and he was away from home a great deal of the time taking care of them. They were on the Elk Mountain in the summer and also Comb Wash and Butler.
They built a fine stone house down in town. It was plenty large with six rooms on the floor and 5 bedrooms upstairs. Pearl and Joe were born here in this house. We enjoyed this nice home.
When Joe was about a year old, John was called on a mission to the Southern States. He labored in South Carolina. Margaret had nine children and Joe was a very sick baby at the time. It was a great trial for John to leave his large family and his property but he went and was blessed. He said he spent a very happy two years. He also said he hadn't lost or gained any during the two years. His property was about the same. The second year, Kisty went to Provo to school. When John came home from his mission, he met Pearl and Joe on the side walk. He picked them up and kissed them. They didn't like it at all for some strange man to kiss them. Two years from this time, John and Margaret went to Salt Lake City to attend conference. While they were there, there was a terrible rain all over this part of the country and floods came down the San Juan River and Cottonwood Wash. It was so big that it came into town and was about 2 feet deep in our house. Every thing possible was moved out. The family stayed at Grandma Adams' for a few weeks and then moved back into our home. The house cracked and never was as good again. In 1914, Margaret and John went to San Francisco to the World Fair. Margaret said this was the nicest trip she had ever had. They went to Catalina Island, Old Mexico and bathed in the ocean.
Ernest went on a mission to Holland. When Ernest was on this mission, Margaret took the family to Provo to school. Kisty was married and had a little girl, Merlene. They lived in the home and took care of John when he was home. John and Margaret wanted their children to have an education.
The San Juan River had taken most of Bluff away so the people moved to Blanding. John bought the Will Nix place. He remodeled it and made it very comfortable. The family moved to Blanding in 1917. The place had a good orchard and a good garden spot. At this time, all the young men were being drafted into the army for World War I. Lloyd was one of them. Lloyd went over seas and was in the worst of the war. He came home okay. Melvin also was drafted and in the training camps. Margaret was chosen Relief Society President. She was President from Oct. 28, 1919 to Oct. 26, 1924 and Hattie Barton and Nancy Harvey were her counselors and Ruth Redd her secretary. She was loved by everyone.
Margaret went to Topeka, Kansas when Effie and Dr. Sherman lived there and Joe, their son was born. Margaret and John spent the winter in Salt Lake City and worked in the temple. This is the time they had their pictures taken that the family all have and how fine looking they are. They stayed with Clara who had an apartment there. They enjoyed themselves very much that winter. Soon after this John's health began to fail due to a heart ailment. He died March 10, 1935.
In July 1940, Melvin took his family and Margaret and Carlie for a trip to New York City. They had a fine trip. Carlie died suddenly in June, 1941. At this time Margaret had 30 living Grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. The family have always been happy and congenial. They have always had Thanksgiving dinner together and also a Christmas Party at their different homes as the years come and go. Mother died January 31, 1945. This history was written by Kisten as told to her by her mother in May, 1944. John Adams was one of the stalwarts of the Church. He was a High-Counselor for years-when L.H. Redd was president of the San Juan Stake. He always paid his full share of donations, assessments and tithing. At one time, Frank Adams, a brother, said to John, "I think you pay more tithing than you owe." John said, "I think I would rather pay a little too much than not quite enough." He filled two missions. One to the southern States and a six months mission in Kansas City. John was a quiet man never talked very much in public but what he did say was genuine. He had patience and understanding. He dearly loved his children and grandchildren and we all loved him.
In March 1882, William got a call to go to San Juan to settle that part of the country. He took with him his young family: George, age 13, John 11, Fred 7, and Frank age 5 and Mary Barbara's daughter Louise 13. Her first husband had died in Germany . There were 10 other families who left Parowan at this time taking with them their property in wagons and driving cows and horses. They tell of an incident that happened on the road. Frank 6 years old wandered away from camp following some horses. He went quite a ways and got lost. He just kept on going. When his parents found out he was missing they all went to hunt him. He was gone all night. The next morning they saw him across the canyon. They called to him and he said, "Bring pie an apple".
They arrived in Bluff and met the people there who had come 3 years before through the Hole-in-the-Rock. I heard my mother say that she remembered when the Adams family came to Bluff. They first came to see her father, Bishop Jense Nielson, he invited them into dinner . She said she peeked through a crack in the wall. I saw John, a young fellow not knowing that he would be my future husband.
Bluff was divided into lots and streets. The Adams and Nielsons lived on the same block . One Nielson house and the Adams house are still standing. People are living in them. The young folks would often dance in one another’s door yards. Maggie Walton and Margaret Nielson were good friends. One summer they went to Elk Mountain to visit Julia and Willard Butt who had a milk ranch there. John Adams and Thales Hoskel [Haskell] were at a cow camp a few miles away. These boys invited the girls to their camp. They had a fine dinner cooked of beef steak and biscuits. After dinner they went horse back riding. This was the beginning of the courtship of John and Margaret. Two years later they were married in the Logan Temple, April 4, 1888. They rode in a wagon to Thomspons Springs and took the train from there to Logan. John said he had saved $165.35 to get married on. They stayed a few days in Salt Lake City with Margaret's Uncle John Tollin [Lollin].
The first summer John and Margaret were married they lived at Dodge Point, a ranch north of Verdure.The whole Adams family were there, Grandpa, Grandma, George and Eve and Frank . They were experts at making butter and cheese. One time George and John took 2 wagon loads of cheese to Durango to sell. They met a man who wanted to sample his cheese. When he was told the price of the cheese he said this seems a little cheap . George said if you want a higher priced cheese I have it here, he liked the cheese George raised the price of the cheese about double and sold it all.
John and Margaret made their home in Bluff. They bought a 3 room log house west of town . One afternoon when Margaret was at her mother's an Indian saw that she was away. He broke into her house and filled up his sack with sugar and other things. While he was there John came home and found the Indian helping himself. The Indian couldn't get out so he crawled under the bed. John gave him some things and told him to go.
John built up a herd of cows which he took care of on the Elk Mountain and Comb wash.
They had a large family of nine -- 5 girls and 4 boys .
John loved little children when he had to go to see about the ditch or farm he would lift his children in the wagon also the neighbors children and away they would go.
John built a fine 10 room stone house for his family in town. We enjoyed this home very much. John and Margaret wanted their children to have an education . They went to the BYU to school. Two of the boys went on missions, Ernest to Holland and Melvin to the Central States. At this time there was the World War I. Lloyd was drafted into the U.S. Army. He went over seas and was in the battle of the Argonne and the Marne.
After the armistice he was in the Army of Occupation. Melvin also was in the training camp.
When Joe was 1 1/2 years old John was called on a mission to the Southern States. He labored in South Carolina. Joe was a very sick baby at this time. It was a great trial for John to leave his large family and his property. He went and he said he spent a very happy 2 years. When John came home from his mission he met Pearl and Joe on the sidewalk. They had forgotten about their daddy. He picked them up and kissed them. They didn’t like this at all for some strong man to kiss them.
In 1914 Margaret and John went to San Francisco to the Worlds Fair. Margaret said this was the nicest trip that she had ever had. They went to Catalina Island, Old Mexico, and bathed in the ocean.
One year Margaret and John went to Salt Lake to do temple work. They enjoyed this very much.
The San Juan River took most of Bluff. It changed it’s course and thru floods it cut away most of the land. John moved to Blanding - he bought the Will Nix home remodeled it and made it very comfortable for his family.
John Adams was one of the stalwarts of the church. He was a High Councilman for years. His council and judgement was always sought for. He always paid his full share of donations, assessments and tithing. One time his brother, Frank said, John, I believe you pay more tithing than you owe. He said, "I would rather pay a little too much than not quite enough. John went on two missions one to the Southern States and a 6 month mission to Kansas City. John was a quiet man never talked very much in public but what he said was genuine. He had patience and understanding. He dearly loved his children and grandchildren and we all loved him.
When John and Margaret, our parents, were with us we always had a Christmas Eve
party together at one of our homes and we always had Thanksgiving dinner together.
by Kisten Adams Perkins
Sources:
1 Margaret Nielson (FamilySearch)
2 John Ernest Adams (FamilySearch)
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Margaret Nielson
John Ernest Adams
John Ernest Adams and Margaret Nielson