Another history in the records of Golden Rulon Andra.
“(Elsie Wagstaff Coleman read this history of Aunt Louise at our Reunion 21 June 1980)
“(Louise Sophie Wanner was born March 30, 1879.) I was born in Gruenkraut Germany. I can remember as little kids we stayed home. When we were I guess seven years old, we had to go to the Catholic school. There were no other schools around in those days. My Mother and Father didn’t always live in Gruenkraut. My father, John George Wanner was born in Hildritzhausen, Wuerttemburg, Germany, on October 18, 1845. His father was Johann Friederich Wanner, and his mother was Anna Maria Marquardt. My mother Anna Maria Schmid was born January 21, 1849 in Holzgerlingen, Wuerttemburg, Germany. Her father was Jacob Friederich Schmid and her mother was Salome Notter. In 1870 my father went to Russia to fight in the war. My parents were married the 6th. of June 1870. My Father died February 16, 1922 in Logan, Utah. My mother died December 9, 1929 in Logan Utah. The last days of their lives they lived in the 4th. Ward, and they are buried in the Logan Cemetery. My brother John George and sister Christena were born in Holzgerlingen, and my brothers, Johannes, Johannes Friederich, Frederich, Gottlob, and sisters Mary Magdalina, Pauline and Wilhelmina were all born in Gruenkraut, Germany.
Wanner Family about 1895, back (l-r): Mary, Christine, George, and Pauline; front: Anna, Fred, Louisa, Wilhelmina, Gottlob, and John Wanner.
“To continue with my story- – we did so many things in life. First of all we were poor and had not much to live on. The folks had to move from Holzgerlingen to the new place in Gruenkraut. I remember we didn’t have much land. Father got a job working on the street. The grass grew high on the side of the road and we had to help gather the grass for the cows. We had to do this everyday before father went to work.
“We were poor in those days. We had to be up at 5 o’clock in the morning when we were big enough to work for other people. We worked every day in our lives to make a dollar. I would go out and work for other people whenever there was work. Some people had lots of land and we got plenty work there. They would come and get us to work when I was seven years old. I remember we never wasted any time. I remember when we had to go to a place to get vaccinated. I know I sure suffered a long time because my arm was so sore. They do this so that it will last a lifetime in the old country against disease.
“I remember how we got warm for the winter. Father would buy a yard of wood in the forest and we had to cut it down ourselves and haul that wood home with the cows and wagon. Some were long trees too and we would haul all the limbs and everything home. I am telling you, we had the yard so full of wood that we had no room for anything else till we had it shaped down and sawed up and put in its place. You know that was a job and we had to do all this before winter set in. We had a little wagon and we went to the woods in the summertime too, to get some dry wood. We did this many times and would always take home a wagonfull.
“In the old country they had fences in the lucerne fields. We had to put them up so we could hing the hay on them to dry after it got wet from the rain, so it would not mold. When it was dry we hauled it home. I remember we did all the farming with cows, they had them work all day and then milk them at night. Father worked on the street job for many years and mother and us children did most of the farming and in the fall we went picking hops. We never failed to make a little money in them. They have fields of hops in the old country. We always earned our winter’s money there. They have acres of hops there. We never wasted our time in the field.
“Another thing we did was go to the forest and pick fruit and go and sell it in the city. The people would sure buy it because the city was a long ways from the country where we lived. We had to walk all the way to the city. We raised hemp and mother would spin half the night making it into balls. She would take it to the factory and they made clothes out of it. We used to have many yards and would stretch it out on the grass in the summertime. It would go white and thats the way mother made our sheets and everything. We have in the old country the shoemaker, and he come to the house and make shoes for us. We also had the dressmaker come to the house. Sometimes they would stay at the house a week or more.
“When the grain was but, we had to out and clean the heads of the wheat. We cleaned sacks full each day for flour and one time right in the middle of the summer, the soldiers came in with their horses on some maneuvers or something. The horses mashed the grain and trampled all our crops up. I knew there was a big field of grand and they went right through it. They stayed around about a month or more. It sure was terrible.
“After a few years father bought a new farm and house about two miles away from the old one. It was a bigger house and more land and that’s where we lived until we came to America. Our house was a long house. We had four rooms and an upstairs. In the farmhouses of the old country we had everything under one roof– the pig pen and the hay loft. There was a big place in the floor where we threshed the wheat and other grain and we pulled all the hay up in the loft towards the roof. For a long time we threshed the wheat on this hard floor below with a stick and using a big klap, four or five of us would thresh the wheat and then would sieve the wheat from the chafe. But later, I can remember that we hired a thashmachine and the cows pulled it after that.
“I remember one time a wagon run over me. I believe it went over my arm. I don’t know how bad I got hurt, but it was plenty bad enough.
“Well, later on in that place not far away they built a Lutheran church and a school, too; and there we learned to knit our own stockings and do all kinds of sewing and crocheting. Yes, they built a nice church and school. They were very strict in those schools. If you were late a few minutes you would have to hold out your hand and the teacher would hit you so hard that your hand could feel it for a long time. It was one of those hard wood sticks. It wasn’t always our fault because we had to take the milk to the creamery in the morning in the snow and ice, and we could not go very fast, but there was no excuse at all. We had a lot to do before school, and if we didn’t have the lesson ready we were scared to go to school, ’cause if we were late we would sure get hit, and when you held out your hand they would do just what they wanted to do and it didn’t hurt them any.
“In the old country they sure celebrated Christmas. We had two Christmas trees every year and nice ones at that. We had applies tied from the bottom to the top and the step and the tree sure looked pretty every year. We only had white bread for Christmas and Holidays. I can remember how good that white bread was. We never saw it very often. it was only the rich who could buy that. There was only one bakery in Gruenkraut that had good bread and cakes, but we could never buy any. This is how we made our bread: We had a box of wood. Of course, it was clean. Father worked the dough and made enough for two or three weeks. It was mostly rye bread. It was hard and dark but we had to eat it. When Valentine’s Day came around, Mother made up cakes and they sure tasted good.
“We all the time raised our own meat. We raised pigs and salted and smoked the meat. We had our own grease. Mother made her own noodles all the time. She used lots of eggs–they were sure good. We had our cellar so full of potatoes, apples of all kinds and barrels of cider and barrels of sauerkraut. I can remember our cellar was full of all kinds of good things to eat.
“Well, about our garden. We had the prettiest garden you ever saw in the old country. The garden was laid out in a square and we had a path around all over with the vegetables in the background and flowers in front and we could walk all over the paths with flowers on each side. We didn’t need any ditches, but had to pack water when it didn’t rain. We always had a beautiful garden with flowers of all kinds.
“On Saturday we always had to clean the shoes for the whole family — shine them up for Sunday. We always went to church on Sunday. We never worked on Sunday. We were not allowed to work on Sunday, because in those days they would fine you if you did. You could not even get your hay in on Sunday, even when you could see rain coming.
“Well, I guess about in the year 1890, in the summertime, the Lord sent a man along that street in Gruenkraut where my father worked, who was a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He talked to my father a long time and he told father of the new and true Gospel and about Joseph Smith and showed him the Book of Mormon. This man talked to my father in German as he was a missionary to German. Well, it was dinnertime and father took this missionary to our home and father told him–“We’ll see mother”–and from that very day on this missionary stayed at our place. His name was Zollinger from Providence, Utah. When his time came to go home, the missionary took my brother George to America with him. After that we had three more missionaries–one from Bear Lake, one from Providence, and another one from Salt Lake City, who couldn’t speak the language, so we helped him learn the language. He would tell us English words and we would tell him German words. There wasn’t anybody who would listen to the missionaries for miles around–just one other family from Ravensburg–and they were the only ones that believed the message like us. We had room for them everytime they came. There was no place else for them to go and we were glad to have them.
“The missionary from Salt Lake–his name was Hubbard–decided to go tracting one day. It was his first time tracting. He didn’t come home for so late that we thought maybe he fell into one of the wells with water that were here and there. It was late in the evening and dark, so mother decided to put a candle in the window. He soon came back and told us that he had been lost for a long time until he saw the light in the window. There weren’t many houses when I lived there, but in seventy years since, I guess it is built up all over.
“(About this same time Grandma was writing her history, Mrs. Herbert Wagstaff and son came to visit her from California. Herbert Wagstaff was the son of sister Mary Magdaline. The son had recently returned from a mission to Germany, where he had taken colored slides of the big house in Gruenkraut as it stands today. Of this evening of reminising Grandma said:) “It was sure nice to see my old home again and see it still stand in Gruenkraut. It was nice to see it again after seventy years.”)
“Well, I lived in that community for 14 years. That’s when I graduated. We started to this country when I was fifteen, in May of 1893, and got here the 15th of June, 1893. We came by ship and docked first in Amsterdam, Holland, and then in London, England. And then from London, to New York City, where we went to a big high hotel. WE were 12 days on the ocean. We had a good time on the ship where we danced. One day there was a terrible storm which throwed water up on the dock and nobody could dance after that. From New York we boarded the train for Idaho. We were 6 days on the train. On the train we sang all across the United States. We couldn’t speak any English then nor for a long time. We got off the train on the 15th of June, 1893, in Franklin, Idaho, and my brother George was there to meet us. He had a wagon with three spring seats. Well, we never were so worried on our whole trip as we were in that wagon. That day the road was so bad–open ditches with water in, and the horses danced around before they would cross. I never say such a rough road in my life–hills and hollows, and then we saw a bunch of Indians. They were hanging dead squirrels on a line to dry. That was something new to us. Well, we got to the place where we were to stay. But father was as worried that he got off the wagon and walked all the way back to Franklin. Mother and the rest of us were so worried, because he didn’t come back for a few days. We stayed with some folks for about two months, then father built a place in Glendale, Idaho, and there we lived the rest of the summer.
“Towards fall there was a man who wanted to sell his place in Glendale and father bought that place. My father farmed in Glendale. Glendale had only a little meetinghouse and also a school. I went to school there that winter to learn the English language. From then on I worked wherever I could get a job. I worked washing, cleaning house and tending children. In a place where I worked their children got mumps and I got mumps too, and I suffered so much that I could never get better for a long time. When I got better I went to work again. One time in the winter I rode a horse to Preston, and I got the toothache so bad that I had to have it pulled out right there. I soon learned to ride a horse a lot–something I’d never done in the old country.
“I worked for Matthias Cowley in Preston one winter. I guess it was the year 1895. He used to take trips and travel in a buggy–he helped organize the Northwestern States Mission. Then I worked in Whitney, Idaho. They had plenty of sickness in homes there. In 1897 we moved down to Logan and to the 5th Ward. Then I worked in Millville and went to school there at the same time learning the language. After that I went to work in Logan. It was in the 3rd Ward one night in church I met Jeffrey Bodrero. We were married in the Logan Temple, March 16, 1898. My sister Wilhelmina married Jeffrey’s brother, Moses Bodrero, December 18, 1907. Jeffrey’s father was Domenico Marsiano Bodrero, and his mother was Maria Caterina Margherita Frank Bodrero. After we were married I went to work for Dominic Bodrero that summer, who lived by the courthouse, where I walked everyday from the 9th Ward and did washing by hand on a board up until the time of my first child. Later that year I tended to beets, but they didn’t grow very well because of too many wild oats. Jeffrey went to the canyon about every day to get lumber and to make a dollar. These are the years when I lived: Gruenkraut, German: 14 years; Glendale, Idaho: 5 years; Logan 9th Ward: 30 years; Logan 4th Ward–where I became a relief society teacher. I also did a lot of temple work.
“In the old country we had known a family names Speth for a long time. We used to go back and forth to each others homes all the time. There was a big dark forest between our two places, and we were sometimes afraid to go through it because it was dark, even in the day time. Father would send us kids over in the evenings too. Sometimes we went twice a week to see them. We always had to walk of course. We had no car. I can see it now and I will never forget it. They were really friends to us. The old people never joined the church, but the boys came over to America and settled in Providence and then joined the church. My granddaughter married a Speth grandson.
“My children’s names are: [Rosalie] Marie, John George, David Wanner, Eva Margaret, William Jeffrey, Parley Lorenzo, Louise Mary, Edward Theodore, Llewellyn Grant and Evelyn Jane.
Bodrero Family (l-r): Louisa, Louise, John, Parley, Rosalie, Jeffery, Jeffery, David, Eva
“My folks went to conference everytime there was one. We never had the chance to go because children had to stay home and do the work. I remember it was in the winter once and it was so cold my parents couldn’t go to the conference. They sure liked this Mormon Gospel from the first day my father met the missionary.
Wanner Reunion, Anna Schmid Wanner sitting, standing (l-r) Mary Carter Wanner, Wilhelmina Wanner Bodrero, Mary Wanner Wagstaff, Regina Nuffer Wanner, Louisa Wanner Bodrero, Christine Wanner Nuffer, and Rebecca Hicks Wanner
“(Louise Sophie Wanner Bodrero died February 1, 1967 in Logan, Utah)
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)” I am re-posting this as I received much better photos of Joseph and Annie, so those are now included!
Joseph and Annie Jonas 1883
“Joseph Jonas was born 10 January 1859. We learn the exact date and year because of research and the United States Census. His death certificate has the year of birth as 1858, and the headstone has Oct 1, 1860. I was told that members of the family couldn’t remember if he was born 10/1 – Oct. 1st or 1/10 – Jan 10. Fortunately, when Grandpa Jonas was asked during the 1900 census he told them January 1859. So we know he was born 10 January 1859. Also, all the other census records but one seem to agree. Joseph was born at Frenchtown, Monroe County, Michigan. His father was Hubert Jonas, who was born 8 Oct 1816 at Kirchheim, Rheinland, Prussia (Germany). His mother was Maria Catharina Schumacher, who was born 13 September 1815 at Oberdrees, Rheinland, Prussia. Joseph was the sixth and last son of a family of all boys. These three older brothers were born at Rheinbach, Rheinland, Prussia. These three older brothers died before marrying. Joseph lived with his family on the family farms in Michigan until 1879. Joseph was educated in the public schools in Michigan and could read and write. Joseph remained a member of the Catholic Church and went to St. Michaels Parish, which is still located at 502 West Front Street, Monroe, Michigan. This was a mostly German Parish, and this is the Parish that recorded Joseph’s older brother, John who was buried Sept 1870. Joseph moved with his family in 1871 to Ash Township. There the Jonas land was bordered by a railroad on its east border and was probably was the place where Joseph first became introduced to a very long career working on the railroad. In 1879 the family sold their land in Michigan and moved to Nebraska, Platte County, in a place called Pleasant Valley. This is where Joseph’s mother died in March of 1880. Pleasant Valley was a large area of county and the place where Joseph visited is now called St. Bernard. St. Bernard was a German settlement, and is probably the reason that first attracted the family to the area. His father and brother, William, farmed with a man named Michael Jonas. It was first believed that this other Jonas family was a branch of ours. Research proved this incorrect. Our Jonas family owned no land in Nebraska. Members of our family helped this other family to operate their farm for 4-5 years.
“Joseph had a long career working with section gangs for railroads. By the time he was 21 years old, (maybe before this age) until he was about 57 years old he worked for the railroads in section gangs. The only exception was a year and a half when he tried farming. That is over 35 years that we know of. “A section gang was a group of men – muscular, sunburned, streaked with dust and sweat; using crowbars and mallets. They were maintenance crews, the housekeepers of the railroad. All summer they chip away at their allotted section of railroad roadbed, weeding, spraying, burning, resurfacing, reballasting, repairing the ravages of frost and rain. The crew rode a handcar, which was nothing more than a flat, open truck on wheels, which raised about a couple of feet above the rails. It could be lifted on and off the tract by four men, two at each end. The men stood up to pump the handles by which it was propelled” Joseph’s work consisted in “Keeping the track in good level order. He used a jack to raise the sunken rails, shoveling earth beneath the ties to keep them in place. Besides the regular pay, they made overtime when there was any special work to be done, as unloading gravel trains. Only a few hands were kept on past November in the Northwest where Joseph mostly worked, two on a section. The rest got free passes, there being next to no work on the track until the frost breaks up.” Much of the information about section work was adapted from “Section Life in the North-West,” an anonymous article published in “Cornhill Magazine,” in January 1888.
“When Joseph worked for the Great Northern Railroad he had to keep the track he was working cleared when the Fast Mail came. A train that carried the U.S. Mail from St. Paul to Seattle traveled the track once a day. The men had to be careful to get out of the way for the train.
“Research indicates that Joseph used the following tools: claw bars, line wrenches, spike malls, adzes and tongs. Each of the rails were thirty three feet long, and were held together by bolts and fishplates. The men who worked on the railroad comprised the most cosmopolitan crew in American History. They included Civil War veterans and freed slaves, Irish and German Immigrants, Mormons and atheists, Indians and Chinese. They would ride the rails on their hand cars replacing rotting ties, tamp loose spikes and tighten bolts. Joseph’s daily wages averaged in 1892 $1.76 to $2.20 in 1914 a day as a section foreman (statistics found in Railway Statistics of the USA published in 1917).
“Now a little early history about great grandmother, Annette or Annie Nelson Jonas. Annette Josephine Nelson was born 18 November 1864. Logan 4th ward records tell us she was given a priesthood blessing 2 Feb 1865. She was born one month after her parents had arrived in Utah from their immigration from Sweden. She was born in a temporary dugout on College Hill, Logan, Utah. Her parents were Johannes Nilsson, (He later changed the last name to Nelson, and also used Neilsen at one time). He was born 4 Oct 1827 in Tonnersjo, Hallands, Sweden. Her mother was Agneta Bengtsson who was born 9 December 1832 in Oringe, Hallands, Sweden. Annie was the sixth child of her family. Her husband, Joseph, was also the sixth child in his family. She had ten siblings, 5 sisters and 5 brothers. When Annie was born it was raining, so members of the family put pans on the bed to catch the water as it dripped through the sod roof. Annie’s older brother, August, told about this day in his life history. The following is a quote from he history. “We were just moved into your home when Annette Josephine was born…She was the first child born in the Logan fifth ward. Mother was alone except for James (an older brother) and me. James sent to fetch father who was threshing wheat for John Anderson. When he arrived with a sister, mother had already taken care of herself and the baby.” The Nelson family had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the year they left Sweden. They had built a temporary dugout until they could build a wooden cabin the following year. That winter was very hard for everyone in the area. An early January thaw had caused the snow to melt and the water inside the dugout was knee deep. Boards were used so the family could walk without wading in the water. They bailed out the home and went back the same night.
“When Annie was a baby the following events happened. “When mother went gleaning, I (August) had to stay with the baby (Annie). One day I left her on the bed while I went out to play. She rolled off the bed and got a big lump on her head. She was still crying when mother came home.” When Annie was almost nine years old her mother died, 4 November 1873. It was just about 14 days before Annie’s ninth birthday. And just six days before her birthday her infant brother, Moses, died. Moses was less than a month old when he died 12 November 1873. When Annie was about 11 years old her father remarried. The three younger children were raised by a stepmother. We have no details now, but life was very unpleasant for these three children because of the relationship with this stepmother. This marriage didn’t last more than eight years. Before Annie’s mother died she said to her son, “August, if I die, I want you to take care of the children.” He continues, “That had always been my job around the house. Later one evening mother kissed me and said, “You have been a good boy. God bless you.” With a smile she turned her head and breathed her last. God alone knows what little children lose when mother is gone. While she was sick I heard her say, “I don’t want to leave my little children.” Little did I know or realize what home would be like without her. She was more than ordinarily ardent and spiritually minded with high ideals, had a comprehensive knowledge of the gospel.”
“Annie had light red hair and blue eyes. Annie’s mother her sister Abigail, and her first daughter, Margaret, all had red hair. Annie wasn’t very much taller than five feet, and was slender.
“While Annie was a teenager she went to work in a boarding house. She didn’t like living at home with her stepmother and her step siblings. While she was working at the boarding house she met Joseph Jonas, who was renting a room. Joseph had a dark, wavy hair and brown eyes. During their courtship Annie received a letter from her brother, August. He said, “I suggested to her that she marry a Mormon boy. Her reply was that Mormon boys were not as genteel as a Gentile.” With Annie’s unhappy life at home she must have thought marriage would be a better life. Annie was married the same month she turned 19 years old. Joseph was 24 years old, two months shy of being 25 years old when they were married. They were married November 1883 in Logan, Utah. Since Annie was born in November she may have been married on her birthday, but the day isn’t known. Joseph was 5 years older than Annie. Their first child was born 17 Jun 1884 in Logan, Utah. I am told Annie’s children would come early, before the normal nine months. Shortly after their first child was born Annie and Joseph moved to central Washington State near or at Ellensburg, Kittitas County. That move was made before the birth of their second child, Mary, who was born 17 Jul 1885. The rest of their children, seven in total, were all born at or near Ellensburg. They eventually lived in several, little towns near Ellensburg, such as Bristol in the 1890’s, Thorp in 1901, and Cle Elum 1900. Annie and Joseph moved to Washington because Joseph’s father and brother, William, had moved there from Nebraska about this same time in 1883-84.
“By 21 Jun 1887 Joseph and his brother bought 240 acres of land. Their father, Hubert, was living with the two families. An 1885 census of Washington Territory has William’s wife, Emma, Joseph’s wife, Annie, our great grandmother, living at the same place. The land was about three miles south east of Ellensburg according to the speedometer on our car when we drove the distance. These two sister-in-lays, Annie and Emma, would help each other take care of their babies. Annie’s daughter, Rosa, said they washed the clothes on a washing board and then would take them, especially the diapers, down to the creek. The clothes were rinsed to get all the soap out of them. Then they would hand the diapers over some bushes to dry.
“The families shared responsibilities. Rosa and some of Uncle Williams children would take the cows out on the plateau to graze. Mary and Margaret would help take care of the house. There were a lot of rattle snakes in the area. Occasionally Rosa Jonas would take a forked stick and hold the snakes head down. Then the boys would stone the reptile to death. One time the snake was so large it pounded the ground and jumped until it got loose. The kids never realized the danger they were in until years later. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Another time a large, wild cat kept attacking the cows so the kids brought the cows home. When their parents got upset at them for bringing the cows home the kids told them about the large cat. Uncle William Jonas rode his horse to the plateau and found the large cat tracks so the parents knew the kids were telling the truth.
“Joseph and William sold their 240 acres 28 Dec 1888 for 100 dollars in gold coins. They owned the land for a year and six months. Joseph gave up farming and went to work for the railroad again, much of the time working as the section gang boss. William stayed in the area as a farmer and homesteaded. William lived about three miles north of Ellensburg. While the two brothers, Joseph and William were buying their land a third brother, Francis Jonas, came to live with them. On 5 Sept 1887 Francis baptized his son at the St. Andrews Church in Ellensburg. For a time Joseph’s two brothers and his father lived together as a family in the same area.
“An important date for the Jonas families must have been 3 April 1886. This day there were three Jonas children baptized. Joseph and Annie’s daughter, Mary; Williams and Emma’s two children, Elizabeth and Hubert.
John, Joseph, and William Jonas probably right before moving to Utah in 1901. The photo is stamped with Ellensburg on the matting.
“It seems that Joseph and Annie rented after this time in 1889. William’s family lived close and the cousins would visit each other. Uncle William’s family had a gorgeous watermelon patch. William’s children chided Joseph’s children because they didn’t have a watermelon patch. One night, Rosa, John, William and Joseph swiped a watermelon and ate it. They didn’t want anyone to know so they fed the rhines to the pigs. The pigs wouldn’t eat the rhines. So uncle William’s kids discovered the rhines and the kids were caught. Joseph, soon after selling his land, began working for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. He became a section foreman for the railroad. Both the 1900 and 1910 United States Census tell us he was a section foreman. Joseph would also make money besides working on the railroad. In the fall of 1895 the whole family went and picked hops.
“Joseph and Annie lived together as husband and wife for 13 years and one month. Annie’s mother, Agneta; Annie’s youngest sister, Abigail; her oldest daughter, Margaret; Annie’s Granddaughter, Verla; and also Annie all had a similar physical condition. Some of the symptoms were that the heart would palpitate of flutter, not fully beating. And their womanly cycles would last up to six months and then stop for two months. There was a chemical imbalance in their systems. Today we would call this PMS or premenstrual syndrome. In our family it is apparently passed from daughter to daughter, and sometimes it skips a generation. It also seems that it is harder to live with after each pregnancy, but during the pregnancy it goes away. Annie had a severe case of this chemical imbalance. After each pregnancy her condition made her more emotionally imbalanced. During her seventh pregnancy she lost the baby girl who lived only a few hours. Rosa and some of the family gave the baby daughter the name of her mother, Annette Josephine and later sealed her to her parents. Lillian, who was Joseph Nelson Jonas’ wife, had a dream. In this dream her husband was carrying an infant in his arms. That experience got the family thinking and Rosa remembered the baby being born. While Annie was having contractions with this seventh baby she went to her husband who was at work. Joseph was very upset with his wife for not staying home. Some say that Joseph did a very foolish thing while he was upset, and kicked Annie where the baby was. I’m not sure why this happened, or what the entire circumstances were at the time. On 12 August 1896 the little girl was born. With Annie’s history of chemical imbalance getting worse and emotional health came to the last straw. I am certain that both Joseph and Annie felt guilt that the baby died, and blamed themselves to some degree. Joseph took Annie to the Eastern State Hospital in Spokane Country, Washington State. She was admitted 29 December 1896, a little over four months from the time Annie lost her last baby. After the baby died Annie continued to loose blood for several months after. Annie agreed to go to the hospital. The night before she went to the state Hospital her children knew something was wrong of different. Annie put on her nice clothes, curled her hair and slept with her children. The next morning Joseph and Annie took the train to Spokane. While Annie was gone Margaret, the oldest child, was in charge of the household. The children knew that if they didn’t mind Maggie she would tell Joseph when he came home from work.
Margaret Jonas
“After Annie was admitted to the hospital she was later sent home 31 October 1899 after 2 years and 11 months of hospitalization. Annie was just 32 years old when she first went to the state hospital. She had her 32nd birthday a little over a month before. She had been admitted four days after Christmas. With needed time to travel she must have left just a day or two after Christmas. It was probably delayed until after Christmas so she could have one last holiday with the children. Later she was discharged on Halloween day. Just about a month before she was discharged, 21 September 1899, Joseph and Annie’s daughter Mary Nelson Jonas had died. Perhaps after the loss of this daughter Joseph thought of bringing his wife home to the family again. The family was still living in the Ellensburg area. The stay was short. She was home for six months and 11 days. Then she was readmitted 11 May 1900. Her name is on the 1900 general census taken in Spokane County while she was at the hospital. Annie never saw her daughter, Mary Nelson, after her 11th birthday because Annie wasn’t home when she died.
Annie Nelson Jonas 1900
“After Annie was readmitted the second time she stayed for 14 months until 2 Jul 1901. On this day she was released by her family and taken to Utah. On the 3rd of July 1901 Joseph, Annie and their five living children arrived in Utah at Annie’s brother’s home in Sandy. Joseph and Annie’s sister, Charlotte, were hopeful if Annie associated with her family, the Nelson’s, it might help her emotional and mental health. Annie’s brother, August, had this recorded in his life story, “…my sister, Charlotte Abigail, lived with us that summer (Sandy, Utah-1893). When she went to Logan that fall she had the fever. Later, (1901), she went to Washington to visit with our sister, Annie, wife of Joseph Jonas. Annie had been sick for a very long time, but none of us knew the nature of her illness until Charlotte brought the whole family to Utah with her. It turned out to be a mental illness. She kept running away so we finally had to put her in the institution at Provo, where she died a short time after…” “…There were five children. It was sad to see sister in her condition. I had not seen her since 1878, (Annie was 13 years old in 1878 until November)…Her daughter told me that before she lost her mind she would hold her head in her hands and moan, will not my father or brothers come and get me? …Her husband destroyed her letters to us so we never knew what she was going through.” Joseph and Annie’s children did write to the Nelson’s while they were living in Washington because we have some letters or post cards that have survived. So it is the belief of the author that Annie could have found a way to communicate with the Nelson’s.
“August was asked to care for the children by his mother when she was on her death bed. Instead, he left home when Annie was 13 years old and never saw her again until she was almost 29 years old. In his life story August said that instead of caring for the children he wanted to go and “make money.” To his credit August did help his other sister, Charlotte, when she was older. But it would have helped if care could have been given when the children were young.
“After Annie arrived at her brother’s home in 1901 Annie stayed with them for a few days over four months. Then August and his wife signed the warrant of commitment for Annie to be admitted to the Provo State Hospital 6 November 1901. Annie’s records are still at the state hospital in Provo. Annie remained there for 6 years 11 months until she died 23 December 1907 and was buried 25 December on Christmas Day. She was buried in the Crescent cemetery. For some reason the Nelson’s never put a headstone on her grave. Years later members of the Jonas family, probably William Nelson Jonas, placed a headstone on her grave. Annie was a young 43 years old when she died, the same age that her mother Agneta, had died.
A copy of Annie’s Utah State Mental Hospital records are included after. There is very little in the record, but it is telling what little is included.
“While the Jonas family lived with the Nelson’s Joseph Jonas worked on August’s farm. He was not a free quest. While they were there it became harvest time. Joseph worked with both families. Joseph wasn’t a tall person, 5’6″ or 5’7” but he was a very strong man. He often boasted that he could take the place of two men in the field. Joseph worked on the threshing machine. He lifted the bags of grain off the thresher.
“Annie’s brother, August, condemned grandmother for not raising her family in the LDS church. He would bring out his temple cloths and according to Rosa Jonas who was there, made grandma cry. He would say, “This is what our mother was buried in.” Then he would show her the temple clothes. This happened a few times and grandma was so upset on time that she spit on her brother. August probably had good intentions, but he handled the situation wrong. Annie was a women who was sick and just released from a state hospital. She needed special consideration and understanding.
Joseph and Margaret Jonas about 1899
“Joseph and August had arguments, too. August persuaded the Jonas children to stay in Utah and not go back with their father to Washington. Rosa remembered that her father shook his fist at her and said “You remember where you belong.” Finally, Joseph went back to Washington with only one of his five living children, Margaret. The rest stayed in Crescent. The four Jonas children finally went to Richmond, Utah. Rosa married in 1904 and in 1908 the three boys left Sandy to live with their sister.
Christian & Rosa Andersen
“An interesting book that may help the reader of this story to understand the life of Annie had while she was in the state hospitals was published March of 1908 and is entitled “A Mind that Found Itself.” This is a biography written by the author after his complete recovery from a mental illness. He describes conditions in a state hospital during the same time period Annie was living in one. The man’s name is Clifford W Beers. People who were admitted at the turn of the century were often treated cruelly. The people who were hired were untrained and needed no qualifications. Add to this the low wage and one may understand that people who hired to watch the sick used physical restraints and force to control their assigned subjects. Besides having their freedoms and dignity taken away, they were assigned to one style of clothes to wear.
“According to Annie’s records Annie was rational at times and then would have a sudden stroke of passion come over her. While Annie was in the state hospital she wrote to her children. She was capable of writing beautiful intelligent letters. At times she was in possession of her mental abilities. Unfortunately her children never answered her letters, which only worsened the way she felt about herself. The children were young, the oldest in her mid-teens. But the lack of support of her children and all other family relatives must have made her very lonely and given her a feeling of unhappiness and probably despair. Also, Joseph, her husband, must have been frustrated after taking her out of the state hospitals three different times and unable to help her. The circumstances would try the patience of any man. Joseph and Annie were given certain trials in this life which would be hard to bear by most people. Perhaps their trials in this life will help their standing before God in the next. A feeling of empathy for them comes over the author when he thinks of their lives and their loneliness.
“All of the children of Joseph and Annie, who lived past the age of 20, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. John, William, and Joseph Nelson were all baptized 10 January 1902. Rosa was baptized 6 February 1902. Margaret, Mary, and Annette Josephine had short lives. Mary died of typhoid fever 21 September 1899 being 14 years and two months old. Her sister, Rosa, said she chided her sister and told her, “You’re not sick because your face is so pink.” Mary unfortunately died the next day. The children did not realize it was the high fever that caused her cheek’s to be so flushed. Mary was baptized in the St. Andrew church in Ellensburg 25 Jul 1886 with two of her cousins, Elizabeth and Hubert. She was just one year old. Her headstone is on the main road or trail which runs through the Holy Cross Cemetery in Ellensburg. Her headstone is facing away from the road so you would need to go to the back to see the words. The original road was moved from in front of her headstone to the back of her headstone. The headstone reads, Mary dau. of Joseph and Anna Jonas born 17 Jul 1885 died 21 Sep 1899. She is buried next to her grandfather, Hubert Jonas and close to her sister, Margaret, and Uncle William Jonas. Her baptism and death records are at St. Andrew’s church. Margaret died of Bright’s disease. Bright’s disease is characterized by heightened blood pressure. The city paper called the Ellensburg Dawn dated 22 Sep 1904 reads, “Miss Jonas, daughter of Joe Jonas died Sat of Bright’s disease.” Margaret was born 17 Jun 1884 in Logan, Cache county, Utah. No records were found for her baptism in Ellensburg, although she was baptized. We have pictures of her graduation from catechism. Margaret was the only daughter who had red hair like her mother. Margaret was the only child who went back to Washington with her father sometime in 1901. She lived in Thorpe when she died. She has a beautiful headstone with a lot of detail embossed on it and these words, “Margaret beloved dau of Joseph and Annie Jonas died 17 Sep 1904 aged 30 years 3 months.” Both Margaret’s and Mary’s headstones were bought by grandpa Joseph Jonas. We know that because grandma was absent from the family during both deaths. Margaret also had a 4″ X 6 1/2″ card made at the time of her death. This card, too, was Joseph’s idea. The card is in a silver and black print with white background. There is a bird that has a paper in its mouth with the following description, “Let us be patient: These severe afflictions not from the ground arise, but often times celestial benedictions assume this dark disguise.” There is a small arch with “In Living Remembrance of.” Then a box elaborately decorated with, “Margaret Jonas” died Sep 17, 1904 aged 20 years and 3 months.” Then at the bottom in silver letters the following poem. “We miss thee from our home, dear, We miss the sunshine of thy face. We miss thy kind and willing hand, Thy fond and earnest care, Our home is dark without thee, We miss thee everywhere.” Joseph Jonas’ sentiments are realized to a degree by the headstone and card he left behind. He was obviously deeply hurt by his daughter’s death.
Margaret Jonas
“Another interesting story we have, which gives us insight to Joseph’s personality, is how he handled his three son’s misbehaving. The three Jonas boys, John, William, and Joseph, had been caught stealing apples. Joseph was very upset. But instead of doing something immediately he went and chopped some wood for the fire. He chopped long enough to get rid of some of his anger. Then he disciplined his three boys. Joseph had a quick temper, but this story reveals his attempt to control his temper. If Joseph came home and got upset he was capable of turning the furniture over. However, Rosa’s children who knew Joseph Jonas really loved him. Rosa said that she had often wished she had sealed her mother’s sister, Charlotte, to him after he died.
William Nelson Jonas
“Joseph gave annual donations to his church. One record reveals the following: “Mr Joe Jonas paid $5.00 this 11 day of October.” Also, 5 July 1910-paid $5.00 for cemetery care; 1911-his name was written for contributions; 1912 contribution of $3.00; 1913 contribution of $10.00. Joseph was also one of the witnesses when his brother, William, sold his land on the 18th of October 1905. The above records reveal faith in God. Also, there were probably other donations before 1910 that weren’t recorded. We have a census record for Joseph in the following years; 1860, 1870, 1880, 1885, 1887, 1900, 1910. We learn from the 1900 census that the family lived in Cle Elum, a place north west of Ellensburg, at which time they were renting a house. The 1910 year has Joseph living in the South Kittitas Precinct. He was living in a house with two single men, who were also of German extraction and were also workers for the railroad. Joseph was 51 years old and his roommates were 47 and 56 years old. He told the man taking the census that he was the head of his family and that he was a widower. next to Joseph’s name on the 1910 census is the record of seven men who were living in a section house. Joseph was most likely living in the foreman’s house that was owned by the railroad. Counting the two people living with him it is likely that Joseph was the foreman of nine men during this summer work.
Margaret Jonas
“On 19 February 1912 Joseph Jonas went to a notary and recorded the following affidavit: “Joseph Jonas to public. Joseph Jonas, being first duly sworn, on oath states: That he is a brother of William Jonas who died in Kittitas County Washington, Oct 11, 1905; that said William Jonas died seized the following real estate situated in said Kittitas County, to wit: the south west quarter of section twenty three (23) in township eighteen (18) north of range eighteen (18) east, W.M.; that said William Jonas at the time of his death was a widower, his wife, Emma Jonas, having died in said Kittitas county, on March 17, 1898, intestate: that said William Jonas was married once; that George Jonas, son of said William and Emma died on the third day of July, 1908, at the age of ten years, intestate.”
“Joseph Jonas was a hard working man. He was strict with his family, and was a good provider. He often helped neighbors by letting them stay in his house and by feeding them. One time grandmother, Annie, had made some rolls and jam which were given to a visitor. The man decided that he didn’t want to eat the food so after he got outside he gave the food a toss. Joseph saw this and gave the man a verbal tongue lashing. Also, Grandpa one day was cooking a pan of eggs. It was a large fry pan. A fly landed into the eggs, so he threw the eggs, fly and all, into the fire.
“About 1907 Joseph was visiting his daughter, Rosa. He needed some help on his section gang. So his son-in-law, Christian Anderson, went to Washington and worked on the railroad. His son-in-law thought Joseph was a good man to work for and after Joseph died he made a wooden cross for his grave.
“When Joseph was 58 years old he came to Utah to die at his daughter’s home in Richmond, Utah. Joseph had sugar diabetes and dropsy. He had been sick for a year and six months before he died. He stayed at Rosa’s home for about two months before he passed away. Lillian, Joseph Nelson Jonas’ wife, who remembered seeing Joseph said that he was a handsome man even on his death bed. He died 28 Jun 1917 at 3:00 A.M. and was buried 30 Jun 1917 in the Richmond Cemetery. He has a headstone. It is exactly like his wife’s headstone and were both placed on the graves by a member of the Jonas family years after their deaths. The records aren’t clear, but the only sibling they had who could have bought these headstones was William Nelson Jonas. All the other siblings had died rather early in life.
Joseph Nelson Jonas and Lillian Coley Jonas
“During one of the visits Joseph made to his daughter, Rosa, in Richmond, Utah, Rosa had forgotten to put Annie’s picture away. Joseph picked it up and said, “They didn’t tell me when you passed away, but you came to me so I knew you were dead.”
“Some time after Cy Anderson was born, the first grandson of Joseph and Annette, Joseph made a visit to Utah to see the family. That was probably in 1908. Joseph bought him some new clothes, a sailor’s outfit. During his visits he would ask the children to help their mother. Joseph would be standing at the top of the stairs and would toss someone a nickel and say, “clean up the table for your mother and the nickel is yours.” The grandchildren who knew Joseph really like him. Joseph rejected any attempt his children made to convert him to the LDS Church. But Joseph was a religious man, and believed in God.
“Rosa loved to take her father’s coat and smell the lapel when he came to visit. She liked to smell the smoke from the big cigar Grandpa smoked.
John and Nellie (Andersen) Jonas
“Grandpa Joseph Jonas lived to see his wife, Annie, die; three of his daughters; both of his parents; his brother, William, and Emma his sister-in-law all die. He lived away from his four living children for most of their lives. He was a man with a family, but wasn’t able to be with them very much for the last 16 years of his life. He was very much alone except for friends he made in Washington. Grandma, Annette Nelson Jonas, except for a few brief months, spent the last 11 years of her life alone or in the company of strangers. Annie experienced her family’s lack of support and certainly a broken heart sped her to an early death. One may wonder why some people are asked to suffer such hardships in life. Yet, we should always appreciate them for giving us our lives and for the sacrifices they made in raising a large family. They provided for and loved their children, and raised them well under extreme hardships.
Here is a poem that was in the family history book of Golden Rulon Andra. It is with a number of other Andra, Wanner, and Nuffer histories. Thought I would share it too. I could not locate it anywhere else. I typed it as typed, no spelling or grammar corrections. I felt the spirit of the poem. I have a long family history with the Logan Utah Temple.
Back l-r: Laura, Wilhelmina, Floyd, Kenneth, Ivan, Earl, Hazel, Barbara Bodrero; Sitting: Moses, Wilhelmina, Clara Bodrero
This is a copy of a letter transcribed and in the records of Golden Rulon Andra.
“Preston, Idaho
“Feb. 4th, 1941
“Dear Clara,
“I just ran into your letter of last Dec. Sorry I did not tend to it sooner.
“Well, my father was born October 18th, 1845 in Holzgerlingen, Wurttemburg, Germany. He served in the war in 1866. He also served in the war against France in 1870 and 71. He received the Iron Cross for Bravery.
“After the last war, he moved to Grunkraut, Ravensburg. He got a job from the goverment as a Strassenwarter (road overseer in English). He held that job until 1893 until he immigrated to this country, or until he joined the church.
“I don’t know much about his early life, but I believe he was a weaver of cotton goods. He also had a small farm, and I did most of the work on it.
“In 1893, 21st of June, I think, they all headed to Mapleton, Oneida Co., Idaho. He bought John Nuffer’s farm at Glendale (now Franklin Co., Idaho.)
“Later, he bought the Jed M. Blair farm in Whitney, Idaho. Started to raise sugar beets. (Your mother can tell you the rest.) My father was a sucessful farmer.
“In Jan. 1900, he moved to Logan City, Utah, and did a lot of Tempel work, until his death, which was Feb. 16th, 1922. He was buried in the Logan Cemetary.
“John G. Wanner
“179E. 1st So. St.
Prestn, Idaho
John George Wanner Jr
“P.S. I don’t know anything about the family bible. I know there were a lot of dates and information about the family. I was not present when the furniture was divided.
“I did not get any of it.
“J.G.W.
“This above letter was received by Clara Bodrero, 495 W. 5th No., Logan, Utah, several years ago. John G. Wanner was her grandfather.
This biography of Anna Maria Schmid Wanner was in a family history book that belonged to Golden Rulon Andra and was given to me by his daughter. I did not have this biography and am happy to share it.
“Anna Maria Schmid Wanner, my grandmother, was born in [Holzgerlingen], [Württemberg], Germany on the 21 of January 1849. She was the daughter of Jacob Friedrich Schmid and Solome Notter. Her mother died when she was two years old. She then had a stepmother who was very cruel to her. They were very poor, and she would go to her grandmothers place and pick over potato peelings for the want of food. She ate the potato peelings for food.
“She started school at the age of six. For years the people in Germany couldn’t grow a thing, and the schools had to feed the children soup in school.
“She was a member of the Protestant church.
“Her father was a linen weaver, and grandmother would walk miles and miles at night through the dark woods to deliver the linen to different people. She had to carry it on her head. She often would be afraid, but she always prayed, and never was harmed.
“She married John George Wanner on the 6th of June 1870. From this union was born to them 5 sons and 5 daughters. They buried 2 sons in Germany. They were married only a short time when her husband called to go to war.
“It was the custom for the women to do the farm work, cutting the hay with the scythe and putting it up by hand.
“When the children needed shoes or dresses the shoemaker and the dressmaker would come to the home.
“Early in the year 1873, the family moved to Greenkraut [Grünkraut], [Württemberg], Germany.
“In 1891, she and her family were converted to the Morman or Latter-Day-Saint church. In her home she had a large room where she would accommodate the missionaries with food and beds, and help them learn the German language.
“In May 1893, she with her husband and family of seven children left Germany to come to America. They arrived at Franklin County [then Oneida County], Idaho on Sunday the 18th of June 1893.
“She left a brother and sister and father in Germany when she came to America. She had a brother named Carl and a sister, Louise Sophia. Grandmother was the youngest child. She was the only one of her fathers family that joined the Latter-Day-Saint church.
“They lived in Glendale, Whitney, and Preston, Idaho and in 1910 they moved to Logan, Utah. She and her husband did lots of Tempel work for their own dead ancestors as well as considerable donation work in the Tempel for other people.
“She obtained many names from Germany which was promised in her Patriarchal blessing, and the work was done for all of them before her death.
“She took sick in December, and died on the 9th of December 1929 of Pneumonia. Her funeral services were held in the 4th ward of Logan, Utah in which she was a member. She was buried by her husband in the cemetery at Logan, Utah.
“NOTE: Her oldest son preceded the family to America. He came over 1 and 1/2 years before the rest of the family. Thus — they only brought 7 children with them.
“This biography was copied from a letter received from Clara Bodrero, 495 W. 5th No., serveral years ago. She does not remember who sent it to her. Logan, Utah.
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 Gaylen Thompson Jonas, Melvin Andersen Jonas, and John Irvin Jonas.
“Gaylen Thompson Jonas
“Melvin Andersen Jonas
“John Irvin Jonas [all my family history records show his name as Irwin John Jonas, not John Irvin]
“The above three Jonas boys were killed during World War 2 within two months and eight days of each other. Each was a grandson of Joseph and Annette Josephine Jonas, and each is a son with a different father. Melvin was a son of John Nelson and Armina Jonas. Gaylen was a son of William Nelson and Mary Jonas. Irvin was the son of Joseph Nelson and Lillian Jonas [I wrote about a post about Irwin exactly 10 years ago, then the 70th Anniversary of D-Day]. Gaylen never married. Melvin and Irvin married. Irvin was the only one of these three to have any children. He had one son, whose name was Irvin [Robert Irwin Jonas (1944-2019)], and only one grandson who was killed in a car accident when he was 16 years old [Robert Irwin Jonas II (1965-1983)]. Also, grandpa Joseph Jonas had a brother, William, who had a grandson who was also killed in the war [Melvin Paul Jonas (1917-1945)]. This grandson may have passed the Jonas surname had he lived, but with his death William Jonas had no great grand children who were boys. The war killed four of the Jonas sons.
Irwin John Jonas
“I wish that I had more information about Melvin and Irvin. I do have pictures which have been included in this history. If you (the reader) have any additional information please let me know so it can be included in a future edition.
Melvin Andersen Jonas Portrait
“Melvin Andersen Jonas was born 31 March 1917 in Richmond, Cache County, Utah. He was given a priesthood blessing 1 July 1917. He was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 31 August 1925. He was ordained a Deacon 3 December 1929; a Teacher 12 February 1933, and a Priest 21 June 1937. He married Doris Everts 17 March 1944 and died just over four months after he was married on 16 July 1944. The Deseret News – 20 July 1944 p. 14, has the following obituary. “Houstin Texas. Lt. Melvin Jonas. Richmond – Funeral services for Lt. Melvin Jonas, 27, who drowned Sunday in the San Marcus California River, Will be conducted Sat. at 2 P.M. in the Richmond tabernacle by Bishop Erastus Johnson.”
“John Irvin Jonas was born 2 September 1921 at Thatcher, Bannock [Franklin] County, Idaho. His first name was probably given to him in behalf of his uncle, John Nelson Jonas, who died about two years before Irvin’s birth. Irvin was given a priesthood blessing 5 February 1922 and was baprized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 19 February 1931, and confirmed the same day. He was ordained a Deacon 1 April 1934 and a Teacher 27 February 1938. He was married 17 June 1943 when he was 21 years old at Rochester, Minnesota. Their only son, Robert Irvin Jonas was born 12 February 1944 at Logan, Utah. His son was four month old, less one day, when John Irvin died. The Salt Lake Tribute 8 August 1944 p. 11, and the Deseret News 8 August 1944 p. 5 have the following information. “Sgt. Irvin Jonas, 22, Richmond. Husband of Mrs. Mary [Popwitz] Jonas and son of Mrs. Lillian C. Jonas died 11 July 1944. Died in action in France.
Gaylen Thompson Jonas
“Gaylen Thompson Jonas was born 14 March 1925 at Logan, Utah. He was 6′ 2” tall and weighed over 200 pounds when he enlisted in the US Marines 19 August 1942. He was just 17 years and 5 months old when he enlisted. He went to San Diego, California to be trained with the 2nd Mormon battalion. He went overseas Jan 1943. He died 19 September 1944 when he was 19 years, 6 months and 5 days old. He was buried overseas for four years and 4 days and then was reburied 23 September 1948 at the Elysian Burial Cemetery in Murray, Utah. Here his body was laid next to his youngest brother, William Thompson Jonas, and now his parents are there, too. The Deseret News – 24 October 1944 p. 5, has an obituary.
“Gaylen was given a priesthood blessing 5 July 1929 by his father. He was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 25 November 1933. He was confirmed 3 December 1933 by his father. He was ordained a Deacon 4 July 1937 and a teacher 29 January 1940. Temple work was done for Gaylen by his father 8 March 1950. Gaylen had visited his father two different times after his death and asked for his temple work to be done.
“The following is quoted from the April 1943 edition of the Millcreek Courier, which was the ward paper for William and Mary Jonas. “Gaylen was born in Logan on March 14, 1925. He came so near being born on Friday 13th that Mrs. Jonas was on the verge of asking the President to set the clock ahead about 24 hours to insure for her son a lucky beginning. Gaylen enjoys fishing and riding horses. The horse however on one occasion became just a little peeved and didn’t enjoy one bit the caress bestowed upon it by our hero. Being kicked in the face by one of the beasties isn’t a pleasant experience as Gaylen will tell you. He is a member of the 2nd Mormon Battalion having enlisted July 6, 1942. He is the proud possessor of a medal for sharpshooting and is a private in the Marines. Since they entered the service, the paths of Gaylen and Maynard have crossed and they have spent some enjoyable moments together under the palms where Pacific breezes blow. We wish them many more such meetings whenever the opportunity arises.”
“Gaylen, before joining the Marines, had received a severe wound in his leg which could have kept him from military service. But Gaylen would volunteer even though his parents encouraged him to consider not going, he being only 17 years old.
“Two of the many letters that Gaylen wrote will now be included. Mailed 23 September 1943. “Little Brother, well here’s a letter all of your own. Well your eight years old now. Your getting to be a big boy now. When you get big you will make a good Marine. Be nice to your teachers and make good marks in school. Be good until I come home and I’ll bring you a nice, big present. Do you still have your rabbits I gave you? Tell me how many cows and calves we have now. I got to go to bed now. I’m still your pal, Buddy. Your big Brother, Gaylen.”
“This next letter was written 10 June 1944. “Dear Pap, I received four letters from you and ten from Mom. You can see our mail was held up for sometime. I don’t think I will be able to see Del for sometime as we are headed in different directions. Vaughn will sure snap out of it sometime. I was hoping he would get into the M. Marines. I guess it is just as well that he went into the Navy because he may learn a trade that will help him when he gets out sometime. Maynard is on a sub. he travels mostly between Pearl Harbor and Brestone. He doesn’t get much danger but his work is very important. Well pop that makes four of us in the service. I hope we are safely able to get out of this war okay. Tell mom, Grandma and little buddy hello. Love, Gaylen.”
“Two of the people Gaylen served with wrote home to the Jonas family to express their sympathy and to tell the history of Gaylen’s death. The first letter is from Richard B. Wentworth.
“Ebba Thompson, I have been trying to find out P.F.C. Jonas’ address ever since his death. I knew he lived in Salt Lake, but his correct home address I have been unable to obtain or I would have written sooner. I believe I knew Jonas longer than anyone else in the battery. I knew him when he was in the 155 M.M. Batt. and I am proud to say I am one of the many friends that he had while in the Marines. In all the time that (I) knew him I very seldom ever saw him without a smile and a good word for anyone. On Sept. 19th the regiment asked for volunteers to do stretcher bearer duty at the front. There were 9 of us who volunteered for this duty. On this island we knew full our odds of coming out were practically nill. I meant that we would all be exposed continually to enemy fire like ducks in a shooting gallery from the start. We all split up and worked pairs. Jonas and I carried three wounded and went back. A man had been shot in the chest just forward of the front lines after knocking out the pillbox. We went out after him and got caught in enemy machine gun crossfire. Jonas was killed immediately. You may be assured that he never suffered for a moment… I know that this is not in the smallest way adequate, these few words that I have written. So feel perfectly free to write me personally and ask any questions. You can always write my mother if I should change address and she will give it to you…
“This next letter was written by Sgt. L. E. Byington 20 January 1945. “Dear Mrs. Jonas, It sure was a pleasure to hear from you. I want you to know if there’s anything I can do please don’t hesitate to ask I’ll be only glad to help out in anyway I can. When I come home I sure will come and see you all. Gaylen often told me “Blondy I want you to meet my folks when we get a furlough, they are the best parents a guy could want.” He always called me Blondy. He sure thought a lot of his aunt Miss Thompson too. Most people don’t figure that letters from relations interest other people but he used to let me read some of her letters. He sure thought a lot of her. I took two pictures of Gaylen but one negative must have got lost in the mail when I sent it home. I’ve already sent Miss Thompson one picture of Gaylen and another fellow and I. And I told her if she wanted the negative she could write to my folks in Hooper and they’d sent it to her… Sgt. Rawlings and I and three other members of Gaylens platton and three Seabees were there at the dedication of Gaylens grave. Sgt. Rawlings said a wonderful prayer. Yes. I know Corp. Wentworth also. He told me how it happened. It wasn’t compulsory that they went, they asked for volunteers and well Gaylen was the kind of guy who lent a hand wherever a hand was needed regardless of danger. Why things like this happen to our closest friends I’ll never know but his name will never go unremembered. I had to stay on board ship to watch our galley equipment and when I reach camp I was told about him. At first I couldn’t believe it. I was just stunned. It’s just like losing a brother. Gaylen and I used to be in the mess hall together back in San Diego. We used to go on liberty together too. Every time I think about it I’d like to kill a dozen… Those that we’ve captured said they knew they’d lose. All they held out for was to kill. They said you’ll win the war but it will cost you… Well, Mrs. Jonas I’ve enjoyed your letter very much. I’m going to save it so I can always remember you folks and I’m going to try my best to meet you all some day soon. May God be with you always, a friend. Stf. Sgt. L. E. Byington.”
“The next letter is from the secretary of the Navy. “The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Bronze Star Medal posthumously to PRIVATE FIRST CLASS GAYLEN T. JONAS, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE, for service as set forth in the following Citation: For heroic service while serving with the Twelfth Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu, Palau Islands, 19 September 1944. Courageous in the fact of terrific fire from Japanese guns, Private First Class Jonas volunteered to serve as a stretcher bearer during the evacuation of the wounded from the front lines. After the establishment of a shuttle system, he operated between the high ground dominated by hostile enemy snipers and, having assisted in the successful removal of several wounded men, was returning to the front lines to render further assistance when mortally wounded by a Japanese sniper. By his self-sacrificing spirit and daring efforts to save the lives of others, Private First Class Jonas upheld the highest tradition of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.”
This comes from a history compiled and written by Jack Johnson as part of his Discovery Area Guides. Jack graduated from Burley High School with my Mom in 1972. He now lives in Hyrum, Utah. This article is in the 2022 Guide for North Cache County, including Smithfield, Richmond, and Lewiston. L.D. is loosely linked to me as I believe he is the nephew of Lorenzo Bowcutt, who married my Great Grandmother Lillian Coley Jonas in 1953 (Ren passed away in 1966).
“When Richmond was settled in the mid-1850’s, a locally-owned landmark business was still over a hundred years from being established. L.D.’s Cafe makes fascinating history live once more.
“Remnants of local history adorn L.D.’s dining area walls, including framed newspaper clippings, historical articles and an American flag. L.D. Bowcutt has been actively running the business since 1959, and loves to relate the history posted on his walls. Ask about his famous rodeo clown relative, or any one of the area’s veterans – each has a story that he’s anxious to tell.
“According to the Herald Journal newspaper article posted on its wall, “L.D.’s father bought this place in 1957. It started out as a poolroom. When the earthquake hit in 1961 this place rolled like a wave.” Wikipedia reports that the quake (it states as 1962) was a magnitude Mw5.9 the morning of August 30, 1962 at 6:35 am local time. With its epicenter just north of Richmond, this quake, Utah’s most costly , caused damages estimated then at $1-2 million dollars ($18.5-20 million in 2020 dollars.)
“L.D. remembers, “My father remodeled it and used some of the fixtures and furniture from the restaurant up the street that he bought because it was condemned by the damage from the earthquake.” Started initially as a bar and pool room, “since August 31, 1962, L.D.’s has served full meals. Before that it was strictly a sandwich and lunch menu.”
“”L.D. says that most of his customers are local people and repeat customers. This place isn’t commercialized or franchised. I can get to know my customers and they get to know me. People come her for sociability to be with their friends and neighbors. A log of business also gets transacted here. Based on comments from the lunch crowd, it would seem like L.D.’s customers return for more than just the comfortable, friendly atmosphere.”
“”He said one day the “champion cow” entered his cafe through the front door and paraded around the pool tables, but something like that only happens during Black and White Days, when the town is filled with horses and cows.”
“A lot of people don’t know that L.D.’s had a private meeting room upstairs. Bowcutt says that for a long time the area’s riding club would meet upstairs to shoot the bull and plan events.
“Serving two terms on the Richmond city council, L.D. Has been heavily involved in local interests. He tells how after the Richmond bank was robbed int he early 1960’s the bank manager had a buzzer installed to ring at the cafe. He’d return the call to the bank, whose employees knew when he asked, “Is L.D. there?” – a positive answer meant there was trouble, a negative meant all was well. His cafe also served as the communications center for the local volunteer fire department, sounding a warning siren whenever help was needed.
“L.D.’s daughter Lori, and grandson, J.R. Hoggan, are also actively involved, but J.R. is quick to point out that L.D. is really the heart of the business. Now in his eighties, L.D. still takes over at the grill quite often, filling every order the L.D.’s way – with healthy home-cooked meals. Hungry for meat and potatoes, burger, seafood of breakfast? You’ll find it all and a whole lot more – traditions of excellence and community involvement at L.D.’s Cafe in Richmond.
“L.D. states, “You need to be really sharp to compete with the big restaurant chains and stay open for business, and I think my cafe is the last of its kind.”
“Source: Conversation with L.D. Bowcutt Nov. 2, 2022, Wikipedia search “Earthquake – Logan, UT.
Hygiene and Sanitation Textbook used at Brigham Young College
On the 15th I wrote about my Grandfather’s 100th Birthday (Norwood Jonas) and noting it with a newspaper article found in a textbook that belonged to his parents. This is that book. This was a textbook for my Great Grandfather at Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah.
Joseph Nelson Jonas graduated from Brigham Young College on 3 June 1915. That is 109 years ago tomorrow. Here is a copy of his Diploma. I have written about his history previously. I have also written about his time at BYC previously too.
Joseph Jonas graduation diploma from Brigham Young College in Logan, Utah
The textbook is also interesting. It appears Hygiene and Sanitation written by Seneca Egbert has some serious staying power. I found this history of Mr. Egbert.
Dr. Seneca Egbert (1863-1939) and Nancy Egbert
“Dr. Egbert was a physician. He graduated from Princeton University in 1884 and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1888. Before graduating, Dr. Egbert had been a demonstrator of hygiene in the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania. While in this position, he worked with Professor Samuel G. Dixon to establish the first Laboratory of Hygiene in the University, and was made lecturer on hygiene for 1890-1891. In 1892 the Drexel Institute of Philadelphia hired Dr. Egbert for a similar position. In 1893 he was elected Professor of Hygiene and Sanitation in the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia, appointed Vice-Dean of the same college in 1897, and elected Dean in 1898. Once the Medico-Chirurgical College merged with the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Seneca became a professor of hygiene. He was president of the Radnor Township Board of Health and he was esteemed as a public health authority.
“In 1897 Seneca Egbert and his wife, Nancy Bredin Egbert, bought part of the old Towne family farm. The home, now owned by Fred French, is located on Blueberry Lane.
“Dr. Egbert was widely published. His book, Manual of Hygiene and Sanitation (seven editions), appeared first in 1898, as did his Home Sanitation, a Manual for Housekeepers. In 1919 Personal Hygiene for Nurses was published. He also wrote numerous articles for medical journals, maintained an impressive lecture schedule, and was a history buff who strongly advocated for the creation and maintenance of historic sites. He was not hesitant about venturing his opinion openly, and on at least two occasions made suggestions to Philadelphia politicians which received limited consideration. Dr. Egbert “was an advocate for ‘pure air, pure milk, and pure water.’ He felt that if people in the United States had these ingredients the average span of life would be increased by seven and one-half years.” He pursued this philosophy in an article, “Pure Water for Philadelphia,” which proposed damming the Mullica River and its feeder streams at the head of the tide to form a reservoir all the way to Atsion, NJ, and then pump to a reservoir on the western side to flow towards the Cooper River and another reservoir, thence to be pumped under the Delaware in order to relieve the poor water quality in Philadelphia . It would have pumped a relatively small quantity, 450,000,000 gallons of water per year, to start. The potential value of his plan was not recognized, either then or, to judge from a 2011 Web comment, now.
“On another issue, the City of Philadelphia proposed clearing all buildings from three city blocks. In response to a request for ideas on how to use this space, Dr. Egbert suggested allocating some of the land to the federal government, some to the state and some to the city of Philadelphia. On a strip of land extending down the center of the whole space, Dr. Egbert suggested constructing thirteen buildings representing the thirteen original colonies, and calling the area Independence Square. Each building would house the contributions made by that state towards the forming of our Union. “The idea was considered ludicrous in design and in scope. Dr. Egbert was a physician, not an architect.”
“Despite his critics, Seneca Egbert was doggedly determined to maintain the quality of life for Americans. For example, he embraced the newest form of transportation, bicycling, and “saw cycling as a remedy for dyspepsia, torpid liver, incipient consumption, nervous exhaustion , rheumatism, and melancholia.”
“A portrait of Dr. Egbert was painted for the University of Pennsylvania by Nancy Egbert’s brother, Rae Sloan Bredin (1870-1937). Mr. Bredin was a member of the New Hope group of American impressionists and several of his paintings are owned by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Bredin was co-founder of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women and the New York School of Fine Arts. His portrait of Dr. Egbert hangs now in the home of Dr. David Egbert Sparks, Dr. and Mrs. Egbert’s grandson, who is a genealogist and retired head of libraries at Notre Dame.
“Like Dr. Thomas Montgomery Lightfoot, Dr. Egbert was a lecturer in the winter lecture series held during the years 1887-1895 sponsored by the Academy of Natural Sciences. Dr. Egbert’s lecture was titled, “The Prevention of Disease and the Preservation of Health.”
“Nelson’s own Parke Struthers wrote in A History of Nelson that like Dr. Egbert’s good friend Dr. Thomas Montgomery Lightfoot, Seneca Egbert “met his fellow Nelsonians on an equal footing, a trait in human relations reserved for only the Great.” Mr. Struthers also states that the Egberts were “gracious, active in town affairs, and interested in the people of Nelson.” With their friends Dr. Lightfoot and his wife, Dr. and Mrs. Egbert served on the committee to make arrangements for the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the first settlement of Nelson 1767-1917.
Inside cover of Hygiene and Sanitation
Here is the writing inside the book:
Joseph N. Jonas 1915
394 So. 1st East
Logan, UT
Jonas Joseph
Richmond, Utah
1915
First written page inside Hygiene and Sanitation
Here is the writing on the second page of the book:
Sagacity 