The Blue Jarvis-DeFriez Book: Exciting News from FamilySearch Family Books

If you're not familiar with FamilySearch Family History Books, you may want to familiarize yourself with this amazing resource. Family History Books.

As my father noted yesterday, FamilySearch now has more than 100,000 family history books and collections available in this digital collection. Many Americans who have ancestry in America going back at least a few generations should be able to find resources on at least one family line: diaries, family history books, local histories, collections of letters. The collection is extensive and amazing.

One item of particular interest that FamilySearch just added is Grandma Margaret Overson's blue Jarvis-DeFriez history. My father inherited the original copyright, so he signed a copyright release, and now anyone can download all 710 pages of family stories and pictures. Here is a link to the downloadable pdf:

Overson, Margaret Godfrey Jarvis. George Jarvis And Joseph George De Friez Genealogy. Mesa, Arizona: Margaret J. Overson, 1957.

Note, 9/2/13: the link doesn't seem to work. Go to the link for Family History Books and type in "Margaret Overson" to see or download the book.

George and Ann Prior Jarvis and "The Windows of Heaven"

Last week my family and I visited St. George, Utah. We had an enjoyable time seeing the Temple, the Tabernacle, Brigham Young's Winter Home, the Jacob Hamblin Home in Santa Clara, the red bluffs overlooking the city, and the site of the Jarvis home, now apartment buildings.

Visting the Tabernacle was curious for two reasons. 

First, George and Ann Prior Jarvis's youngest child, "Willie" was killed by lightning on the front steps of the Tabernacle on April 5, 1881. It was a great and lasting tragedy for the family. They lived a couple of blocks from the Tabernacle and attended meetings there the rest of their lives, so their memories of the event would have had changing meanings throughout their lives.

Second, walking into the Tabernacle was like walking into the set of the movie "The Windows of Heaven," since part of the movie was filmed in the Tabernacle. Here is a short version of the movie, to see the renovations done since the movie was filmed. (Skip ahead to about 10:15 for the Tabernacle footage.) Most obviously, the paint has been stripped from the woodwork and the interior changed from blue to yellow.

Just today I saw a discussion online about tithing and I wondered about the historical sources for the story presented in "The Windows of Heaven." A quick Google search found that one of the first places to find information is on the George and Ann Prior Jarvis Family website page, "Pres. Snow's St. George revelation on tithing." The page mostly consists of LeRoi Snow's account of the story, but the webmaster also included this note:

Note: This story is included here because of its importance in church history, it happened in St. George, and it seems reasonable to assume that George and Ann and members of their family were present in the St. George Tabernacle when it occurred.

Were George and Ann Jarvis there? How would we know? Attendance rolls were not kept for meetings like that. We would only know if one of the family members kept a diary. Once of the family members did, but by 1899, Ann Prior Jarvis had been in very poor health for many years and her diary keeping had become rather sketchy. I will pull it up and see if she recorded anything.

Here is the page, and she does have an entry for May 17, 1899, the day the conference began.

Here is a transcription of the entire page.

1899
Jan
I had a letter from my Sister
I answered it and sent her
Maggies Photo and Alberts Photo
Sister Brown has died
I received a letter from my Sister
May 17
We have the Apostles and [Presiding] Bishop [William B.] Preston, Seymour B Young and many others at Saint George  I went to meeting one day and it was a pleasant change and a treat for me. I heard Lorenzo Snow talk his son LeRoy, Bishop Preston, [William B. Dougall], Br [Abraham O.] Woodruff, Joseph F Smith. Their discourses were on Tithing.
We thank the[e] Oh God for a Prophet.
I have had a letter from [granddaughter] Maud Jarvis and her Card
Weather Cool and Windy Sister Sylvester paid me a visit on Saterday
Heber [and Susan Smith Jarvis] had a Son born on the 22 of Sep. 1898
Named him William Prior. We the good people of St George had the Brethren from S L C
I went one day to Listen to their Instruction
I felt grieved I missed any meetings
[May] 21
I went on Sunday and partook of the Sacrement of the Lord. And went to Em Cottam's they had a party I suffered very much coming home. They tell me it is seven years since I was there before I was glad to see them so comfortable
Br Lytle was the Speaker on Sunday
Rose Mother Sylvester Miss Walker and many more has gone to S L City.
July
Sister Larson died Owen Woodbury died several young Children died I had letters from St. Johns and answered them

So that answers the question. Yes, Ann and undoubtedly other family members were present at the historic conference. Ann seems to have attended meetings on Wednesday, May 17, and Sunday, May 21. Her line "We thank the[e] Oh God for a Prophet" is her usual laconic way of commenting on the historical nature of the conference. Even in better years she would not have said much more.

[See also: A Note on the Sources for the Lorenzo Snow "Windows of Heaven" Story]

Gems from the Overson Collection of Photographs

One of the benefits of digitizing the huge Overson Collection of Photographs are the surprises. Here are two classic photos taken on 26 March 1911 at the home of George and Ann Prior Jarvis in St. George, Utah.

The caption reads,  "Grandfather George Jarvis, age 88 yrs. and one day; Annie P. Jarvis, age 81 yrs., 3 months, Mar. 26, 1911. C.S.J. , St. George" This picture does not appear in the Jarvis book. (Overson, Margaret Godfrey Jarvis. George Jarvis and Joseph George De Friez Genealogy. Mesa?, Ariz: M.G. Jarvis Overson, 1957).

This picture is cropped on page 49 of Jarvis book. The caption says "George and Annie P. Jarvis and George F. Jarvis and Anna Jarvis Ward and children. Mar. 26, 1911 C.S.J."

George Frederick Jarvis was their first child, born 16 June 1847 in London, Middlesex, England. The lady named Anna Jarvis Ward is likely Anna Catherine Jarvis, the fifth child of George Frederic and Eleanor Cannon Woodbury Jarvis. Anna was born 5 July 1882 in St. George, Washington, Utah and married William F. Ward on 20 May 1903. The three children are likely her first three: Eleanor Ward, born 29 March 1905, Frederick Jarvis Ward, born 7 May 1907 and Catherine Ward, born 14 March 1909. They appear to be about the right ages.

Did George Jarvis Have a Middle Name? No.

George Jarvis (1823-1913), Mormon pioneer and original settler of St. George, Utah, did not have a middle name.

I will explain a possible reason he is sometimes shown with a middle name, and then I will list all the proofs that he did not, indeed, have a middle name.

WHERE DID THE ERROR ORIGINATE?

George and Ann Prior Jarvis named their first son George Frederick Jarvis. George Frederick was born in London in 1847 and he accompanied his parents to America. George Frederick Jarvis and his two wives were influential figures in early St. George history.

George Frederick Jarvis participated in Utah's Black Hawk Indian War. Many years later, the federal government granted pensions to the men who fought in the Indian Wars. George received a pension and it was later paid to his widow Eleanor. Due to some government error, George's name was listed in at least one record as "George Franklin Jarvis."

"Veterans with Federal Service Buried in Utah, Territorial to 1966," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FLR7-HWP: accessed September 7, 2012), George Franklin Jarvis, 01 Jan 1919.

Did someone confuse this entry for George Jarvis (1823-1913)? This record is not about our common ancestor; it is for his son, George Frederick Jarvis. This is the only record I have ever seen with the name "George Franklin Jarvis."

PROOF THAT GEORGE JARVIS HAD NO MIDDLE NAME

Here are the records showing that George Jarvis was never known by the name George Franklin Jarvis. I start with his marriage record since I have never seen an official birth or christening record.

1. Marriage record of George Jarvis, Bachelor, and Ann Prior, Spinster. October 19, 1846.

2. George Jarvis married fourth quarter 1846, St. Saviour Southwark, London, Vol. 4, Page 527. Other people on the same page are shown with middle names. George is shown with no middle name. FreeBMD. England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index: 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

3. The church record of his emigration shows his name as George Jarvis. Mormon Migration.

4. The record from the Boston port of entry shows his name as George Jarvis. Boston Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1943. Ancestry.com.

 

5. The Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel previously showed his name as "George Franklin Jarvis," but that was because that's how he was shown in Family Search. None of the records associated with the overland crossing shows his name as anything but "George Jarvis." Due to that fact, the database has been changed to show his name as "George Jarvis." As I have said before, the database is an amazing resource, almost without peer in the genealogical world.

6. Every time George shows up in a census he is listed as "George Jarvis."

1851 England Census. George Jarvis, head, married, 28, mariner.

1880 United States Census. Jarvis, George, white, male, 57, farm laborer.

1910 United States Census. Jarvis, George, head, male, white, 87. To date, no one has been able to find George Jarvis in any census but these three.

7. He calls himself George Jarvis in his personal histories. He is quite formal in his writing and would undoubtedly refer to himself using his middle name if he had one. ("The Journal of Ann Prior Jarvis, 1884-1899 Book C," n.p.)

8. He is listed as George Jarvis in a list of the Thomas and Elizabeth Billings Jarvis children in Ann Prior Jarvis's diary. ("The Journal of Ann Prior Jarvis, 1884-1899 Book C," 254 12.)

9. He is called George Jarvis in his patriarchal blessings on April 15, 1870 (Patriarch William G. Perkins), October 30, 1892 (Patriarch Joseph Mecham), and September 23, 1894 (Patriarch William Fawcett). I will not reproduce those here, but they are found in Ann Jarvis's diary. ("The Journal of Ann Prior Jarvis, 1884-1899 Book C," 159, 195, 197.)

10. He is called George Jarvis in the formal correspondence regarding the sealing of Charles DeFriez to the Jarvis family. A number of the other men mentioned in the correspondence are listed with middle names. ("The Journal of Ann Prior Jarvis, 1884-1899 Book C," 190.)

This is the first of the three documents reproduced in Ann's diary.

11. His wife Ann Prior Jarvis calls him George Jarvis in her personal histories. ("The Journal of Ann Prior Jarvis, 1884-1899 Book C," document 207.)

12. He is called George Jarvis in histories of St. George, Utah. See, for example, "St. George Tabernacle and Temple: The Builders" by Church historian Leonard Arrington.

...George Jarvis, the British sailor who erected the scaffolding..

13. He is called George Jarvis in Wilford Woodruff's Temple records. George Jarvis and his sons George Frederick Jarvis and Brigham Jarvis all helped with Woodruff's Founding Fathers and Eminent Men temple work project. George Jarvis did the temple work for Edward George Earl Lytton Bulwer (yes, the "it was a dark and stormy night" author) and Thomas Chalmers; George Frederick did the temple work for David Garrick; and Brigham did the temple work for Frederick von Schiller. Brian Stuy, "Wilford Woodruff's Vision of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence," Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 26, No. 1, 85-86.

14. He is called George Jarvis in newspaper articles during his lifetime.

The Union (St. George), April 16, 1896, 1.

"A Dixie Patriarch: Seventy-two Descendants Celebrated George Jarvis' Birthday," Salt Lake Herald, April 4, 1898, 7.

"Birth at St. George," Salt Lake Herald, December 25, 1898, 18.

15. A copy of his citizenship certificate shows his name as George Jarvis.

16. When George Jarvis died, Dr. Frank J. Woodbury filled out his death certificate with information provided by George Frederick Jarvis. In the space for "Full Name," Dr. Woodbury wrote "George Jarvis."

17. His obituary lists his name as George Jarvis.

18. His gravestone lists his name as George Jarvis.

George and Ann Jarvis grave marker from the St. George City Cemetery, St. George, Utah. Picture from FindAGrave, courtesy of "TB."

19. About 40 years after his death, George's granddaughter Margaret Jarvis Overson wrote a book about her Jarvis and DeFriez family lines. She called the book George Jarvis and Joseph George DeFriez Genealogy and used the name "George Jarvis" throughout. She listed one grandfather, Joseph George DeFriez, with a middle name and her other grandfather, George Jarvis, without. Her research and family connections were extensive enough that if her grandfather had a middle name, she would have known it and used it.

20. George Jarvis does not show up in any contemporary vital or legal or church records with a middle name.

21. As late as 1949, the family organization called him George Jarvis with no middle name.

"Jarvis Reunion," Washington County News, June 15, 1922, 1.

"Jarvis Family Reunion," Salt Lake Telegram, March 28, 1949, 26.

CONCLUSION: NO MIDDLE NAME

If anyone can provide a single contemporary record (a record made during his lifetime) that shows his name as "George Franklin," I will reconsider my conclusion. Otherwise, I will conclude that the middle name "Franklin" is due entirely to a genealogical error and the spreading nature of such errors in online family trees.

Sketch of Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis, Part 4

St. George Temple. From Wikipedia.

When the persecutions became so great against those who had taken more than one wife, and after Father's return from his Mission, he was arrested by the U.S. Marshalls and told to appear at Beaver for the September Term of Court. My brother Orin and myself were also suppoened [sic] to appear at the same time as well as Aunt Rose. When the time came, my Father was very critically ill, and a Doctor's Certificate had to be sent telling them of his severe illness and excusing him from attending Court, but the rest of us had to go. My brother Orin, a lad of twelve years of age, and inexperienced at driving a team acted as teamster, driving a pair of young animals fresh from the Range, and with Aunt Rose’s Assistance at driving, we finally arrived in Beaver, after many exciting experiences. Once can imagine the chagrin and embarrassment of appearing before a room full of men—the Grand Jury, who quizzed and questioned all sorts of “flings” at her as well as to each of us in turn but alone in the room with the Jury. It was surely a very trying time, and we all tried to forget it as much as possible, but the memories are still as fresh in my mind now as it was then at that time.

After her health failed her and she had to give up teaching, she devoted most of her time to Research and Temple Work. She was called to be an Ordinance Worker in the St. George Temple in the Spring of 1908, and she worked there until sickness overtook her and confined her to her bed in November of 1912. In the meantime, she had decided to sell her home on Main Street, and she moved to the house across the street from her husband's home,—the old Second Ward School-house, which my husband, E. D. Seegmiller had worked over into a dwelling house for us after his return from his mission to Germany, and which we lived in until 1908, when we moved to the part of town where we are now living. She used the means received  from the sale of her home for furthering the Research and Temple Work which she was so interested in, and which she devoted her later years in accomplishing. She also made it possible for her Kinsfolk to assist her in the work, even after she had passed on, or until the names she had gathered of her Ancestry, had all been taken care of at the Temple, and their work all been done.

Along with her education, in her later years, she attended Summer School at the B.Y.U. where she studied music and painting along with other studies, thus showing that she had a love for the cultural Arts and Beauty.

After the completion of the Washington Field Dam, and the higher ground was then available for cultivation, my Father procured some land under the new canal that was built around what was formerly called "Dry Lake", but which was included in the new field. As he had been so critically ill after his return from his mission, and his health was far from being what it should be, he was not able to get out and work as he had formerly done, so, in order to procure the necessary machinery for him to run his farm, Aunt Rose furnished him with the necessary funds or means, which she had procured from her teaching, thus enabling him to go on and till and cultivate his newly acquired ground to raise his crops. This showed her great generosity and big-heartedness in assisting those in need, and that was just a sample of what her life was always with her family and her husband's family, as well as her husband.

As was stated before, she was taken ill in November of 1912, and confined to her bed. She had been troubled with what was called, "Addison's Disease of the Kidneys" for four years previous to this, but at this time the disease appeared to be getting the upper hand of her condition, and she died on January 1, 1913, at the age of nearly fifty-six years, just lacking one month and a few days.

Although in her life, she was not blessed with children of her own, and which was a constant sorrow and regret to her, yet it did not deter her or keep her from doing for and showing to others that she was able to take a "mother's" part to others in need of such care, and she is remembered for her great love and kindness in this regard.

She died a faithful and consistent Latter Day Saint, with hopes of a glorious Resurrection, and loved and missed by many who mourned her passing.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

This was a biography written by Ella [Eleanor] Jarvis Seegmiller. My biography of Rose Sylvester Jarvis can be found at Keepapitchinin.org (Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis). It is one of a series of biographies of the women of early St. George, Utah.

Sketch of Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis, Part 3

Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis and George Frederick Jarvis.

Besides teaching in most of the early wards of St. George, if not all of them, she also taught out in the County and vicinity—at Toquerville, Leeds, Kanarra, Rockville, at Littlefield in Arizona and at Bunkerville, Nevada, during the winters, and in the summer-time for several years, she taught at Pine Valley and Grass Valley. It was while teaching in the old Second ward, where she had an ungraded school of near eighty pupils, that she used me for her Assistant, although I was very young in years. I would prepare the lessons the day before they were to be given, at home with "Auntie's" help or the assistance of my mother, who was ill, then the next day when the older students needed help with their lessons, they would raise their hands and I would go and give them the needed assistance in solving their problems, so that they would not have to call upon the over-worked teacher. Sometimes, some of the older boys would take advantage of their opportunity and call on me to answer some simple questions, just to have me leave my studies and to try to tease me, they told me afterwards. Although at the time I thought it was quite a hardship not to be able to take part in the games and other forms of amusement with the children after school, I later admitted that it was very helpful to me, as the assistance and help I was required to give them in the school, impressed those phases of the lessons very indelibly on my mind and were of lasting benefit, to me.

In Church work, she was very active and she held various positions. In the early years of the M.I.A. she was Stake Secretary to Sister Elizabeth (Libby) Snow Ivins, and later she was Stake President of the Y.L.M.I.A. of the St. George Stake, holding that position for around fifteen years. During her time in that position, the M.I.A.'s and the Relief Societies would visit all of the Stake, which reached from Springdale on the East, to St. Thomas, Nevada on the West and South or to the Southwest, and to the White River Settlements in Nevada to the Northwest with all of the settlements lying in between these various points. These visits would necessitate several weeks travel with team and wagon or buggy, and much time spent. During these visits, she met many young people who became very much attached to her, and often the young women, who were under her in the M.I.A. when coming to the Temple to be married, would stay with her at her home and she would accompany them to the Temple, which they appreciated very much.

She was President of the Primary Association of the old Second Ward and an active Sunday School worker and teacher, also. In those organizations, as well as the others wherein she labored, she was greatly loved and respected by all with whom she came in contact.

She lived in the same house with my Mother, (Eleanor C. W. Jarvis), until after Father returned from his Mission to England in March, 1890, when to comply with the laws of the land under the Edmunds-Tucker Act, she was obliged to have a home of her own or to live apart from her husband, so she rented the home, later owned by William Whitehead. She lived there for several years or until she had a chance of purchasing a home of her own. In time, the home of Ute Perkins, located on the corner of Second South and Main Streets, was offered for sale, and she purchased it, paying for it with her earnings from teaching school. While living there in her own home, she had some of her Nieces or Nephews live with her for company and to assist her with her outside chores, while attending school. She had done the same while living at Mother's home, as she was very anxious that they obtain an education, which they could not get at their home at Bellevue, (or Pintura, as it is now called) where there was no school held. She also took a great interest in the education of her husband's children while living with them at the old home.

To be continued...

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

Sketch of Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis, Part 2

The Pintura (formerly Bellevue) area. The picture is from www.flickr.com/photos/dabinsi/2555071310/. Yes, it shows the interstate—it's a different road than when the Sylvesters lived there, but still gives an impression of the people who traveled through the settlement.

They usually kept an open house for travelers, especially in the winter time, —those who could not afford to stop at the Gates Hotel, and the children often remarked, that "the hotel keeper took the money while their father took the gratitude and blessings of the people," but some of them paid their way so they managed to live. Sometimes, years later, men have called at the door and said, "Mrs. Sylvester, I called here when I was broke and hungry and you fed and warmed me, and now I wish to pay you for it," and the mother would have forgotten all about the circumstances.

When Roseinia was thirteen years of age, she went to live with Mrs. Gates, a neighbor, who kept a hotel, or entertained the traveling public. Here she had a good course of training in Domestic Science and Physical Culture, for Mrs. Gates had lived in a gentlemen's family's home in England, and had become an accomplished cook and housekeeper, hence she was a competent teacher. As she was in very delicate health, Roseinina (or Rose as she was usually called by her family and friends) was put to cooking and house work, and great pains she took to have everything just right, as her cooking was criticised [sic] by every member of the family from the Father down to the youngest child.

When company came Mrs. Gates would sit in her chair and assist and direct Rose, when unable to stand by her. Among those who were entertained at this Station were President Brigham Young and party as they traveled to and from St. George, also Apostle Erastus Snow and other Church Officials who were always welcome, and their conversation was thoroughly enjoyed by Rose, at least. Mrs. Gates also taught her many kinds of fancy work. The "Physical Culture" consisted in carrying water to, feeding and milking four or five cows, feeding calves, pigs and chickens, etc. which was fine out-door exercise and she grew up strong and healthy. In fact, the roses in her cheeks were so perfect that she was accused of painting them, which greatly annoyed her. Then in the summer time came the fruit to be taken care of. Oh, the delicious lucious [sic] fruit with all its hard work! With this kind of work and a similar training at home, with the addition of assisting her father plant and reap,—as he had only one small boy at home to help him,—she took great pleasure in doing all she could that would be of assistance to her family. 

Thus she grew to womanhood. She had a happy peaceful happy home, though all worked hard to make a living and to make a home at the same time. The Mother and her three daughters spent the long winter evenings mainly in knitting men's and boy's socks, for which they received a good price, as these articles were in great demand in the mining camps and were readily disposed of by the Peddlers. They also knit chair tidies and other fancy work as well as crocheting the curtains for the windows and and the spreads and the pillow shams for the beds, while the Father read aloud to them or played the violin or other musical instrument, when there were no travelers of company to be entertained in his "open house for travelers" who could not afford to put up at the Hotel near by. The Mother always kept dry clothes and extra bedding for travelers, and they often came in handy, too.

Rose felt the lack of an education, as schools were scarce and rare in those days. As has been stated before, her Mother had taught her to read, write, and spell, but she longed for more. One day she expressed this desire to a young mechanic who was plastering her sister's house there in Bellevue. He invited her to come to his home in St. George and attend school there that winter. She gladly accepted the invitation and spent a pleasant winter there, and the next summer she taught the children at her home in Bellevue.

This young mechanic just referred to, happened to be my father, George F. Jarvis, who was working for Joseph Birch at Bellevue at the time plastering his house. Upon Rose accepting the invitation of my father, she and my mother became quite well acquainted and very good friends. After five years of married life, my mother consented for her husband to marry Rose as a plural wife. They were married January 11, 1877, the day the St. George Temple was opened for Endowments and Ordinance work, and a number of marriages took place that day. Their life together was very congenial, and after Mother's health failed, Rose, who had no family of her own, took a mother's part to Eleanor's children, and they looked upon her as a "Second Mother." To show how she had become an integral part of the family, the children in their play, would name the father, mother, and Aunt Rose, as the family unit or group, when characterizing them with their models, or "make-believes."

Having no family of her own, she decided to fit her self to teach school, as she was a lover of children. Among the schools which she attended, were those taught by Libbie Snow, Elida Crosby, Miss Mary Cook, Mr. Eugene Schoppmann, and others. She began teaching in 1882, and continued to teach school for twenty-five years, being counted as a very successful teacher and considered one of the "Veteran Teachers" of St. George and vicinity. In 1889 and 1890 she taught in the St. George Stake Academy in the Basement of the Tabernacle along with Nephi M. Savage and John T. Woodbury. Among her papers is her Certificate received from the Church Authorities, after passing the required Examination necessary to teach in the Church Schools. It was signed by the Board of Examiners consisting of Karl G. Maesar [sic], D.L.D.; James E. Talmage, D.L.D. and PhD.; and J. M. Tanner, D.M.D. Also by Wilford Woodruff President and George Reynolds Secretary of the General Board of Education. She was also a Teacher in the Religion Classes held here in the late 1890's and early 1900's and a Certificate for that teaching is among her papers.

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4

Sketch of Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis, Part 1

Top (left to right): Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis, Joseph Sylvester, Althea Sylvester Gregerson. Front (left to right): Joshua William Sylvester, Lovinia Sylvester Berry, Rebecca Nicholson Sylvester.

Sketch of Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis

Written and compiled from Notes by herself and others, by Ella J. Seegmiller for the Dixie Camp of the D.U.P. at St. George, Utah and read by her at the Camp Meeting, December 12, 1947.

Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis was born at Springville, Utah, February 9, 1857. She was the seventh daughter and the nineth [sic] child of James and Rebecca Nicholson Sylvester.

Her parents were Converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from Sheffield, England, and they arrived in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1852.

They lived in Provo for a while, then moved to Springville where they resided for nine years. It was there that Roseinia was born, and she was five years old when they left there. She remembers a broken arm and a sun-stroke which nearly cost her her life while living there. They endured many hardships incident to Pioneer life, such as Indian Wars, grasshoppers, crickets, etc. They had plenty to eat, such as it was, -- squash pies and Melon Preserves made in Beet Molasses, were among the delicacies, but they had bread, milk, butter and meat, also vegetables in plenty.

Her father had always desired to live in a warm climate, so when the Call was made for the Saints to settle the southern part of the Territory of Utah, he volunteered to go. There was also another reason for him wanting to go, as his oldest daughter, Mary, had married Joseph Birch, who had been called to go. Brother Sylvester sold out his property at Springville and started south with his family, traveling with ox teams. He had considerable stock, and as it was late in the Fall, he concluded to winter at Gunnison, it being a warm open valley, and then he would go on south in the Spring.

That winter the new settlement of Gunnison was visited by Apostle Orson Hyde, who advised all who were there to remain. James Sylvester went to him and explained his condition, to which Apostle Hyde replied, "Brother Sylvester, stay here and make your mark!" so he bought land and built a two-room log house that winter. In the spring during the high-water season, the Sandpitch River overflowed its banks and spread over the Valley. It was two feet deep in their house, and it covered the garden which was looking so fine before. It was then deemed necessary to move the town from the river-bottom to the Bench Land. Brother Sylvester, along with the rest, tore his newly built house down, and moved it to the new town-site. He was prospering very well when the Black Hawk Indian War broke out, which necessitated another "move." This time into a Fort for mutual protection against Indian raids. Roseinia's brother Joshua was a soldier boy at the time and he had many narrow escapes during that time. The War lasted four years and the people lived in constant dread of the Indians raiding their homes and robbing them of their horses and cattle. Roseinia remembered falling off the foot-bridge which crossed the Sandpitch River and she came near being drowned. After the War her father built a rock house on his City Lot at the upper end fo the town, and was quite comfortable again.

The family next moved to Nephi where the father had charge of a grist mill. Roseinia and her sister attended the first Sunday School held there, and they enjoyed it so much that the mile walk from their home to town was not noticed by them. When she was ten years old, she came to St. George to stay with her sister, Mary Birch, for the summer. While here, her sister Eliza, a beautiful girl of fifteen, died at Nephi. Brother Birch took her back, but thought it a kindness not to tell her of the trouble at home, as she would fret and worry along the way. Upon arriving at Chicken Creek, or Levan, near Nephi, at her brother's home, she ran in and asked how her sister Eliza was, as she had been told that she was sick. "How is she!" was repeated in tones which told her too plainly what the situation was, and then she realized what had really happened. She rushed rushed out of the door, and there outside, alone in the darkness, she sobbed out her grief and disappointment. She listened to the recital within, of her sister's illness and sudden death, and also learned that Eliza had been buried three weeks. It was a sad homecoming for her, as a favorite sister who had urged her not to leave home, had departed this life.

Brother Sylvester could not give up the thoughts of going to Dixie. His daughter Mary and her husband were constantly pleading for him to join them, so he finally disposed of his property there and arrived at Kanarra in July, 1868. Later, he decided to locate at Bellevue, where he pitched a tent and made a nice bowery in front of it, then placed the wagon box near by. These gave the family shelter until late in the Fall, when they moved into the Basement of their new rock house, which was completed by Spring. The children helped, — girls as well as boys — clear the land, make the rock walls or fences, around the land and plant the trees, vines, and gardens.

As time went on, their home and surroundings became more homelike and attractive. They raised their own meat— beef, pork, poultry, etc., besides milking several cows which furnished them with plenty of milk and butter. These with plenty of choice fruits and vegetables, furnished them a good living, but it was rather difficult to obtain clothes. Their mother took time to teach the children to read, write and spell, as they had no schools at first. Their father was very musically inclined, and at one time, he made a "dummy organ" marking the "make-believe" keys on a keyboard, and he and Roseinia, both practiced on it and learned a number of easy and simple selections, so that when they had a "real organ", they were able to play their numbers on it. As time went on, the father usually had some kind of a musical instrument to play, either the organ, violin or accordion, and Roseinia would accompany him on the organ as he played the other instruments. Sometimes, traveling musicians would stop with them over night, and they would have a musical evening, which was enjoyed by all so very much.

To be continued...

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Brigham Jarvis in the Juvenile Instructor

These letters by a life-long resident of Salt Lake City, Lula Greene Richards, were meant for an audience of young children belonging to the Primary (children's) organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The heads of the auxiliary organizations of the church regularly toured the outlying areas of the church, and they continue to do so today.

These letters are valuable not only for the mention of Brigham Jarvis, the third child of George and Ann Prior Jarvis, but for the glimpse of life in St. George in the late 1890s.

LETTER TO THE PRIMARIES.

St. George, Washington Co.,

Utah, June 15, 1896.

Dear Children: Think of being three hundred miles from home. That will seem like a long way to some of you. It seems quite a distance to me, when I think of my own home and children in Salt Lake City.

It was on the fourth of this month that I left home, with Sisters Mary Freeze and C. R. Wells, to visit the Primaries down here, and at some of the settlements between Salt Lake and St. George.

At Parowan, Summit and Cedar the children met with, and sung and recited for us, and listened to us so attentively that we felt well paid for the journey we had taken to see them. Every one seemed so willing to do what the Primary officers requested, and everything was done so well, we enjoyed all the meetings very much; and we felt all the time, whether we were in meeting or not, that everyone was so kind to us; we found with all whom we met the spirit of love and charity, shown in words and actions.

There may be some boys and girls in the Parowan Stake who are not always good and obedient to their parents and teachers; but we did not see them[.] And we asked those whom we did see to act as missionaries to those who might not be so good, and try to get them all to go to Primary meeting and to Sunday school.

The day we came to Parowan we passed through an open place in a mountain, called "The Gap." Bishop Adams of Parowan, with whom we were riding, stopped his team and let us get out of the carriage and look at some curious characters, called hieroglyphics, on the rocks. We were much interested in the figures, or writing, which must have been cut on those rocks a very long time ago. Some of the figures seem to represent men, others look like animals, snakes, walls, suns, balls, chess-boards, and many other shapes. You can find characters which look very much like some we saw on the rocks, in the Book of Abraham, Pearl of Great Price. I know two little Primary boys who like to look at the plates in that book, and get some older person to tell them what the characters mean. You can do the same if you wish.

The day we came to St. George we rode with Brother Brigham Jarvis. I want to tell you about Brother Jarvis' team. He said they belonged to the "Primary Department," and that was their first trip away from home. They were colts, five years old this month, had never been turned out, but raised right at home. We agreed that colts, like children, do better if they are kept at home instead of being allowed to run just as they please, until they are wanted to go to work. Those colts went along as steady as old horses, or more steady than some of the old horses do. Their names are Don and Duke; one is a dark and the other a light brown.

We have had a real nice Primary Conference here. The children have great faith in the gift of healing. One little boy, who was quite sick the day before Conference, through faith and the blessings of the Lord, was enabled to go to meeting and take part in the program. There are very bright and beautiful children here, the same as we find in all the Stakes of Zion, and kind and earnest sisters at work with them.

The Indians who live here are a great help to our people: the Indian women do the washing and scrubbing for their white neighbors. They are strong and work well. Some of them seem very attentive to the meetings. The Temple here, though not so large and grand as the one at Salt Lake, is filled with the same happy, restful spirit. God bless our children everywhere.

Your loving friend,

Lula [Greene Richards].

SECOND LETTER TO THE PRIMARIES.

Dear Children: Last month I wrote to you from St. George, where I had gone to visit the Primaries.

I told you of the well-behaved colts which Brother Brigham Jarvis, who owns the team, said belonged to the Primary Department. When we were ready to leave St. George, and visit other settlements in the south, the same brother kindly accompanied us again; but this time he took a span of mares, which he said belonged to the Relief Society Department. One of them was the mother of one of the colts with which we had traveled before. The names of this team were Janet and Valessa.

Traveling in some parts of Dixie is very hard. Deep sand makes the roads heavy and the horses have to step slowly and pull hard to get the wagon along; sometimes the driver must let the team stop and rest every few yards or the poor horses would give out and could not go at all.

Brother Jarvis is a natural trainer and educator of animals. He treated the kind, faithful team with which we traveled with great tenderness; and yet the pulling was so very hard for them that one of them actually bled at the nose the day we left St. George.

We held meetings in several of the settlements — Sister Wells for the benefit of the Relief Society, Sister Freeze for the Young Ladies' Associations, and myself for the Primaries. Everywhere the humble spirit of love and peace seemed to prevail among the Saints; everywhere the children were so good and bright and beautiful. We were constantly reminded of a saying recorded in the Holy Bible. "Children are a heritage from the Lord; blessed is he that hath his quiver full of them."

One day while we were in St. George President David H. Cannon took us all through the holy Temple there, and told us much about its history that was good to listen to. We felt greatly blest; for although we had worked much in the Salt Lake Temple, it still seemed a choice privilege which we then had of entering the St. George Temple, the first one finished and dedicated to the Lord in Utah, where we now have four. The same heavenly influence which we felt in the temple seemed to be with all the humble, faithful Saints with whom we met, those whose diligence, industry and dauntless courage have made beautiful, happy homes all through the country there, where less determined, energetic people could not have lived.

The children born there seem to inherit the brave hearts and strong faith of their parents. It was indeed gratifying to meet with them, and our visit there will always be gratefully and lovingly remembered.

Brother Thomas Judd, Superintendent of the Washington Cotton Factory, invited us to visit through that building. We did so, and found much there that was very interesting. It is wonderful to see how many changes the cotton is put through before it comes out cloth ready for use. Brother David Morris showed us through the factory, and told us much that was instructive about it. Sometime I hope our people will have many more factories, and make much more of the strong, good cloth such as is made at Washington. We were given a souvenir each, two towels, twelve napkins, and gingham for an apron. This will often remind us of the hard-working, large-hearted people of Dixie.

That evening, June 16th, we held meetings at Toquerville, where we stayed over night. It was the hottest night throughout all the country there, so far as we learned, that had been known for several years.

In my next letter I shall tell you of wonderful Kanab, besides some other places.

Lula [Greene Richards].

SOURCES

Richards, Lula Greene, "Letter to the Primaries," in Deseret Sunday School Union, Juvenile Instructor, Salt Lake City, Volume 31, No. 14 (July 15, 1896), pp 437-38. http://www.archive.org/details/juvenileinstructv3114geor

———, "Second Letter to the Primaries," in Deseret Sunday School Union, Juvenile Instructor, Salt Lake City, Volume 31, No. 16 (August 15, 1896), pp 499-500. http://www.archive.org/details/juvenileinstructv3116geor

Jarvis Family Genealogy

This is a slightly edited repeat of a comment I made yesterday morning on the George and Ann Prior Jarvis family message board.

Margaret Jarvis Overson, the daughter of Margaret Jarvis and Charles Defriez Jarvis, spent many years working on a large blue book containing the genealogy of the Jarvis and Overson families. It is an amazing compilation and the amount of work and expense that it took to put it together back in the days before the internet is mind-boggling. She published the 710-page book in 1957 and there are various copies in family and library collections. We are trying to make sure a copy of it is available online.

Right now, I am going through my Ancestry.com Jarvis Family Tree, making sure the family is complete. I am working to make sure all the children and grandchildren and their families are properly entered and documented. I am finding that in most cases, Margaret Overson's data was correct. When I find information that disagrees with a family tree created by someone else, I am relying on primary or other secondary sources to choose the most accurate data.

So far I have worked through the George Frederick Jarvis Family, the Margaret Jarvis Family, and am currently working on the Ann Jarvis Milne Family. I am very appreciative of those who have created thorough family trees on Ancestry, since that drastically cuts down the amount of work it takes to process these hundreds of people. I've particularly relied on the trees of Doug M- and Alexandra H-, and others too numerous to mention.

So if you are a Jarvis descendant, what can you do to help create this master family tree for the Jarvis Family Association?

1. Send a copy of your documented family line back to George and Ann Prior Jarvis in GED format so I can add it. My email address is on the sidebar.

2. Let me know if you have done research back past George and Ann and have compiled accurate family trees of the Jarvis and Prior families in England. I can see family trees on Ancestry and New Family Search, but some of the information may be due to computer matching, and I haven't looked closely yet to see what is correct and what is due to computer matches and mismatches.

3. Look at the current family trees in your line of descent and let us know if the information is correct.

4. Send family photos and original documents that you may have in your family collections, particularly of George and Ann Prior Jarvis children and grandchildren.

5. Go through your family line on New Family Search, the genealogy site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, if you have access. If you have documented names, dates, and other events, select the correct information and add documentation. Don't select information unless you have proof, please, and when you select places, make sure they are in the format City or Town, County, State, Country with everything spelled out, checked for accuracy, and correctly punctuated, for example, St. George, Washington, Utah, United States. Names and places should not be written in all caps. Please do not change information on common pioneer ancestors unless you have documentation.

6. If the biography of your Jarvis ancestor (a child or grandchild of George and Ann Prior Jarvis) from the Margaret Jarvis Overson book is not on The Ancestor Files, let me know and I will add it and provide it to the Family Association website. So far I have Samuel Walter Jarvis and his two wives, Margaret and Charles Defriez Jarvis, Heber and Susan Jarvis, Emeline and Thomas Cottam, and Victoria and George Miles. See here:

http://theancestorfiles.blogspot.com/search/label/Jarvis%20Children

Samuel Walter Jarvis and Pearl Dean Taylor Jarvis

Samuel Walter Jarvis, fifth child of George and Ann Prior Jarvis, born in London, Middlesex, England, April 18th, 1854, married, first, Frances (Fanny) Godfrey DeFriez, December 4th, 1877, in the St. George Temple.

A sketch of the life of Samuel, and a complete record of this family and his descendants from his wife are to be found in Part II of this Book, in the "Joseph George DeFriez" section, commencing on page 66. [Found in the post Samuel Walter Jarvis and Frances Godfrey DeFriez Jarvis.]

Samuel Walter Jarvis married, second, in Poligamy [sic], which was then being practiced in the "Mormon" Church to some extent, Pearl Dean Taylor, daughter of Edwin E. and Alice Ann Taylor, Taylor. They were married quietly the fall of 1902, at Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, and went to the Temple in St. George and had their Ceiling [sic] done there August 28, 1907. Pearl was born at Springerville, Apache County, Arizona, September 4th, 1881. She was a very nice looking young woman, well and gracefully built, of medium size and rather dark complexioned. After her marriage, she often went with her husband out on jobs, where she would have to live in crude conditions of camp life as it was in Mexico at that time, so that she did not enjoy the luxuries of a nice home, but helped him in his work of overseer on contracts building sections of the railroad, etc., by cooking and making a home for him at his camps. This he appreciated, as his first family was by this time too large to shift about, and leave an established home and a store which they had there, also livestock, and other interests that needed to be looked after.

When the people of Mexico had to leave because of the War, Samuel took his families to St. George where his relatives lived, but as soon as possible left there to find employment for himself and his boys, and by 1919, they were down near the border, hoping to be able to get back into Mexico, and get the use of some of the property they had left in the exodus. By this time, Pearl had six children, and had moved many times. She was in El Paso, Texas, when she took the "Flu," and became dangerously ill. Her husband was with her and sent (or took) her to a Hospital, where all possible was done for her. She had a baby boy born March 1st, 1919, that died the next day, and she lived until the 21st, and passed away. She was buried March 23rd, 1919, in Concordia Cemetery, El Paso, Texas.

Samuel was by this time, in failing health and quite discouraged. The next years were hard for both father and children. For a time the small ones lived with their father's first wife, Fanny, the older boys being able to get some work, and partly, at least, take care of themselves. It was trying on all concerned to have the two families together, and as soon as the father thought it was at all possible, he got a house and let the oldest daughter, Pearl, manage a home for their family. By this time she was between eleven and twelve years old, but she did very well, and the children were learning to take care of themselves. The father did not live very long. He passed away February 7th, 1923, at Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico, after several months illness. He was buried there.

Children:
Hyrum Taylor (1903, Mexico)
Edwin Walter (1906, Mexico)
Brigham Taylor (1908, Mexico)
Pearl (1910, Mexico)
Earnest Van Buren (1912, Utah)
Bessie Ann (1916, Texas)
Baby boy (1919, Texas)


From Margaret Godfrey Jarvis Overson. George Jarvis And Joseph George De Friez Genealogy. Mesa, Ariz: M.J. Overson, 1957, i: 69-71.

Samuel Walter Jarvis and Frances Godfrey DeFriez Jarvis

Frances (Fanny) Godfrey Defriez was born May 5th, 1859, in London, Middlesex, England, was the youngest daughter of Dr. Joseph George and Mary Anne Godfrey DeFriez. She was given the best education available, especially musical training, which only the well-to-do could afford. The family kept servants for their house-work, and Fanny had a private maid. These things were all changed when she came with her mother to Utah, and had to learn to do all the various things necessary for the early Pioneer Women. She was a sweet, charming young lady of eighteen years when they arrived in St. George, Utah, in the summer of 1877, and was soon sought and won by a "Dixey" [sic] boy, Samuel Walter Jarvis. They were married in the St. George Temple, December 4th, 1877.

In the spring of 1879 they started for Arizona in answer to a call made by Brigham Young just prior to his death, to help establish settlement in Arizona, along the Little Colorado River.

Fanny had to camp out and sleep in a wagon box while her husband and brother Charles got timbers to build their log houses in Snowflake, fence and prepare land, and put in crops, &c. She must have been very lonely at times, there being no one of her class or kin, except the pioneers in that vicinity who were also making a new home. Charles had left his wife and baby in St. George until he had a log house for them to occupy. Accordingly, as soon as possible, he returned to Utah for them, arriving in Snowflake November 22nd, 1879. In the meantime, Fanny had given birth to their first child, July 11th, 1879 in Snowflake, while among strangers. One other child, George, was born October 13th, 1881, in Snowflake.

The following spring of 1883, her husband and brother moved to Nutrioso, Apache County, Arizona, to make a home there. They each moved into a one-room log house with dirt floor and roof, but Sam soon had a two-room frame house up, and Charles put a small stock of merchandise in the room he had vacated, but not before another son had been born to Sam and Fanny.

Sam's next move was to Old Mexico, in the fall of 1885. Here, as the Poet expressed it "Nature had moved in first, a good long time, and had things already somewhat his own style." They had to clear the ground, before building brush shelters, then proceed to make rude houses to shelter them from rain and storms. Townsites were selected, farms and ditches located, land cleared and fenced, etc. No time to help the women-folk with their affairs. To prepare food for so many under such circumstances, to do the necessary washing and taking care of little children was a full job. These were hard conditions for all, but they made the best of what could be obtained and lived through the stage of want and poverty, and established themselves, gathered comforts. They had a good home, cattle, land and means, when they had to leave it all at the time of the Revolution in Mexico.

The conditions this dainty English maiden had to endure during her long life and pioneer experiences cannot be even guessed at by us now, who have every convenience and comfort of this time. She bore it all uncomplainingly, and was the mother of twelve children. Her daughter Frances died and left a baby girl which she raised. Her husband had another wife, who died and left six children. These she helped care for until the oldest girl was able to manage the family, making in all nineteen children she mothered. In addition, she had her own mother [Mary Ann Godfrey Defriez] who was totally blind, with her for the last fifteen years of her life, and cared for her most tenderly, seeing to it that she had every necessity and comfort that was possible under the circumstances. Fanny also helped her husband with his store business and learned to speak Spanish, so as to be able to take care of their many Mexican customers.

Needless to say, her life was a busy one, yet she had time withall to live with her children and impress upon them the lessons of life, love, industry, self-reliance, kindness, loyalty to God and their Religion, and each other, and the fundamentals of culture and refinement.

Her daughter Grace Jarvis Fenn gives the following description and tribute: ——

Somewhat under average height, a bit sturdily built, comely of features, grey eyes, medium brown hair, Mother was a queen among women, with manners that became Royalty; not given to much speech, yet possessing an unlimited vocabulary, her expressions were easy-flowing and couched in the best of correct English, with the London accent, musical to the listener. Born and reared in London, tutored in a private school, her cultural nature was without flaw. She seldom sang except for congregational, though her voice was sweet and true. Her touch on the piano or organ was unexcelled, with rhythm seldom acquired. Her character was beyond question, lavishly endowed with all the noble qualities and graces. She was honest, upright, trustworthy and filled with integrity to the Truth. Having embraced the Latter Day Saint's Faith at mature womanhood, she understood and practiced its principles. Businesslike and methodical in all she did, it was said of her, "She was at home in any company." Neat and extremely particular in personal appearance, she won the admiration and respect of all who knew her, and 'twas often said she looked like Queen Victoria.

Her ability in art was best expressed in her bouquets of natural looking wool flowers of many kinds and rich hues. Brought up in luxury, with household servants for all menial tasks, she was not reared in idleness, but required to use her time profitably and advantageously, and when her age permitted, was allowed to assist her mother as Postal Clerk in one of London's large division offices. Being trained somewhat in elocution, she often gave public readings, with dignity and ease.

Much time during her last years, after her husband's death, was spent among her children tho' she kept a home of her own. She was able to wait on herself until near the last, when her children were glad to do all that could be done, waiting upon her with all tenderness.

She never complained of her lot, but was always thankful for her many blessings. She rejoiced in the fact that she had heard and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ in her native England, and had come to Utah; and her testimony of its truthfulness was faithful to the end. She passed away September 17th, 1933, at El Paso, Texas aged 74 years.

Children:
Samuel Walter (1879, Arizona)
George Josiah (1881, Arizona)
William Heber (1883, Arizona)
Frances (1885, Mexico)
Amelia (1887, Utah)
Grace (1888, Mexico)
Nephi (1890, Mexico)
Clementhina (1893, Mexico)
Lehi DeFriez (1895, Mexico)
Joseph DeFriez (1897, Mexico)
Benjamin Charles (1899, Mexico)
Mary Esther (1902, Mexico)


From Margaret Godfrey Jarvis Overson. George Jarvis And Joseph George De Friez Genealogy. Mesa, Ariz: M.J. Overson, 1957, ii:66-69.