This is another chapter of the Jonas history book compiled by Carvel Jonas. “The Joseph Jonas clan of Utah (including – early Jonas family history; early Nelson family history)” This one is on Joseph Nelson Jonas. I have written a biography of Joseph and Lillian previously.
“Joseph Nelson Jonas was born 19 March 1893 at or near Ellensburg, Kittitas, Washington State. He was the 6th child and 3rd son of Joseph Jonas and Annetta Josephine Nelson. He became the youngest of the family (a younger sister was born after Joseph, but she died a few hours after birth). Joseph was about three years old when his mother left the family and went to the Washington State Hospital in 1896. Joseph lived in the Ellensburg area with his father and siblings until he was 8 years old. On 3 July 1901 the family moved to Crescent, Utah. He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 10 Jan 1902 by Aug Nelson. His two older brothers were also baptized that same day.
“He worked on his Uncle August Nelson’s farm until he moved to Richmond, Utah, to live with his older sister, Rosa, in 1908 when he was 15 years old. He traveled the same day with his two older brothers. When he was 23 years old he married Lillian Coley. They were married 6 September 1916 in the Logan Temple. That same day they were each endowed with the temple ordinances for the first time. Joseph met his wife while he was living in Richmond. His wife’s family had a farm in Richmond where Joseph had hired on as a far laborer to help the family harvest hay.
“About 6 months after they met they were married. His wife was 18 years old and Joseph was five years older than his wife, age 23. They became the parents of eight children, the first six were boys and the last two were girls. Joseph went to work for the sugar factory in Lewiston, Utah. By about 1920 Joseph had moved to Thatcher, Idaho with his brother, William and his sister, Rosa. They operated a dry farm which grew grain. Joseph had a wooden red house which had a front room, bedroom and a kitchen. His sister lived about a mile away in her own home and William lived in Thatcher teaching school. At the farm Joseph and others operated a combine which was pulled by horses and had blades that were taller than the men. The animals were kept in a barn which was about a block from the house. They had five horses, a cow, pigs, chickens, domestic animals and a vegetable garden. One horse was white and was named “dime.” To mail letters and receive letters the boys would need to ride Dime. This horse, while carrying his son, Joseph H., ran as fast as it could go all the way from getting the mail one day. This experience scared the young boy who was about 5 or 6 years old, and he had to hold on for fear of his life. About 1924 or 1925 Joseph moved from Thatcher to Lewiston, Utah. Joseph drove the wagon which carried some of his sister’s children. He began working for the Utah-Idaho Central Railroad. This was an electric inter-urban trolley railroad that had 94 miles of track and went from Ogden, Utah north to Preston, Idaho. Joseph began working on a section gang, the same type of job his father, Joseph, had had. Joseph worked keeping the track in operating condition by repairing rotten timbers, hammering spikes or tightening the bolts which kept the track together. He worked seven days a week, some of the work was all night, but he was able to come home after a shift was over. While the family lived in Lewiston they lived in a train box car, which had the wheels removed. There were two box cars which were used by the family. They were close together and a ditch ran under their box car. One car was used as a storage shed, the other one was used as the family home. Once there was a tub of gas which was stored in the shed. This gas caught on fire, which started the shed to burn. Joseph went to his wife and told her to leave because the shed was on fire and it may cause the house to burn down (the two structures were close together). She didn’t believe him, but there was little time to convince her so he picked her up and carried her outside. The best way to stop the fire was to remove the burning tub of gas–Joseph must have thought. So he went into the shed, picked up the burning tub of gas and took it outside. Joseph’s brave act saved his home from burning, but they lost the shed and it’s contents. Joseph spent about two weeks in the Ogden Hospital with 2nd and 3rd degree burns.
“About 1927 Joseph was promoted to Section Foreman and moved to Ogden with his family. His father, Joseph, had been a section foreman in a leadership position, too. Joseph worked on the railroad line that went from Ogden to Huntsville, and also a line that went to Plain City. Joseph worked at one time on the Quinney Railroad Line. Except for the Thatcher home the family rented their homes until Joseph died. They lived at 17th St. and Wall Ave. in an apartment complex owned by the railroad called a section house. This was a long, wooden building that was divided into rooms. Joseph’s family was the only one that had a porch, a special privilege given to Joseph because he was the foreman. Joseph had a vegetable garden when he lived in Ogden. He was a very generous host and his visitors were always given a lot to eat when they visited their home. Joseph was active in the L.D.S. Church. He was a strict father and was not afraid to “switch” his children when they got into trouble. He stood about 5’6″ tall and was muscular. His nephew, Merlin Andersen, said that Joseph told him “I want to show you what a good wrestler is!” Next thing Merlin knew was that he was on the ground. Joseph was on the wrestling team at Brigham Young College (Logan), the school he graduated from. Joseph and his brother, William, went to college some of the same time together.
“Joseph liked to discuss religion. He would argue with his siblings his point of view with determination. After the discussion all the siblings would talk nice to each other and gave each other hugs and handshakes. They family moved to 103 17th Street in Ogden. On 1 Aug 1932 Joseph last child was born. He was very glad to have two daughters after having six sons in a row. September 6, 1932, a little over a month later, Joseph and Lillian had their 16th wedding anniversary. Joseph had gone to work as usual that day. He was welding some train track on the corner of Lincoln and 20th East in Ogden. One week before, while Joseph was working in front of the American Cannery, he had been shocked by electricity and landed on the ground. He got up and went right back to work that day. But it was a week later when Norwood, Joseph’s son, was bringing his father something to eat. Norwood saw his father welding when someone started to move the trolley car. Joseph was welding a ground wire. Grounds were put into the track to the electricity would go harmlessly into the earth. This time the electricity, cause by the trolley being moved, went to the ground which Joseph was touching. Joseph was killed Sept 6, 1932 on his 16th wedding anniversary. The Ogden City paper, dated Sept 8, 1932 carried the following obituary. “Ogden-Funeral services for Joseph Jonas, 39 of 103 Seventeenth Street, section foreman for the Utah-Idaho Central Railroad Company, who was electrocuted Tuesday afternoon, will be held Friday, at 10 A.M., in the Lindquist’s Chapel, with Bishop Huggins of the Tenth ward in charge. Investigations into the death of Mr. Jonas are being conducted by the railroad company.” He was buried in Richmond Cemetery where two of his sons, his wife, his brother, John, and his father, Joseph are also buried.
“Merlin Andersen gave me the following tidbits about his uncle, Joseph. “Joe always had cows so he could have enough milk for all his kids. He was an ambitious person-he had a way to get things done.”
“Lillian told me the following story. One day we went to the movies. This was when Lillian was about 5 months pregnant. When they had both decided to cross the road near the movie theater a car ran over both of her legs. Her legs weren’t broken, but were badly bruised. The other family felt so badly that the mother of the boy who was driving the car became good friends with Lillian. This mother visited and gave Lillian comfort during her recovery.
“Joseph Nelson Jonas had read the Bible so much that he could quote scriptures and could back up his knowledge by finding the scripture and showing it to people.
Sagacity 