Thomas Minson
HISTORY WRITTEN BY MORONI MINSON
My father, Thomas Minson, was born in
Leamington, Warwick, England, 26 July
1841. His father was John Minson, born 9 May 1794, in London, England.
1 His
mother was Ann Baker, born 3 Dec 1800, Cheltenham, Gloster, England. he was the
youngest of a family of seven-three boys and four girls. (One of these girls
died in infancy.)
| His father died in Jun 1846, when Thomas was only five years old. Just prior to his father's death, they had moved to London. this made it more difficult for his mother to provide for her large family, so it became necessary to divide the family. Thomas and his sister, Maria, were sent to live with his grandparents and an aunt and uncle. They owned and conducted the business of iron works. His grandparents were good people but his aunt and uncle were not married and tool little interest in children. Thomas was raised under the old rule that children were to be seen and not heard, and that they were to speak only when spoken to. These lessons he learned well and he carried them into his own family life. |
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Thomas had a common school education, which was much more than the average child
had at that time; but, as he said, it was not enough to fit him for the problems
of life. He devoted much of his time to study and improving himself.
Soon after Thomas' father died, his mother moved to Cheltenham, Gloster,
England, her home town. She followed the straw bonnet business there and became
very proficient in this work. She was a very religious woman and was a member of
the Congregational Church. But religion, as it was taught by the sects, had no
appeal to Thomas.
At the age of fourteen, he was sent to learn the mattress business, and it was
here that the foreman, Paul Wilson, introduced the LDS Gospel to Thomas. he
was very much interested in it and was soon attending their meetings. After
being convinced of the truth of the doctrines taught by the Church, he requested
baptism. On the 16th of January, 1856, he received the ordinance of baptism
for the remission of sins, performed by Elder Robert F. Neslin. At that time he
was fourteen and a half years old. To my knowledge he was the only one of his
father's house to receive the Gospel. To say his folks were displeased with his
joining the church, is putting it mildly. he was practically disowned.
After Thomas filled his contract with the mattress maker, he was immediately
apprenticed out to a shoemaker for a period of seven years. An apprenticeship in
those days was equivalent to being in bondage to a master. You were subject to
your employer's demands at all times. The only way you could be freed from this
servitude was to serve your apprenticeship, be released by the master, or reach
your twenty-first birthday. So Thomas was bound at least until he became of age.
he was also no longer a responsibility of his relatives, as his master had to
provide him with a place to stay and with food and clothing.
The months dragged on very slowly for the boy whose thoughts were on America and
Zion. He continually thought and planned how he might get away from his
apprenticeship, but he had no one to go to for advice. Of course, there were the
elders, but he knew they would advise him to finish his apprenticeship so that
he could go with a clean slate. But he didn't want to wait.
He wanted to get to
Zion to be with the Saints. So he decided to run away! He had all the
information about the sailing of the ships and he knew if he could get on the
ship they would take him with them. The day came when the ship was to sail.
Thomas was sure all he had to do was to get aboard and he would be on his way to
the land of the free. But this was not to be, for at that very moment a
plain-clothes man was talking to the Captain of the ship. As Thomas approached
the bridge, the man came forward and asked, "Are you Thomas Minson?" "I am,
sire," was the reply. "I have a restraining order here issued by your master
with orders to return you to him."
Needless to say, he was a sad and
disheartened boy. However, he decided to settle down and prove he could become
the best shoemaker in the shop, and he did just that. he became so proficient
that he was given the task of making satin slippers for the ladies of the court
and pumps for the gentlemen. In this way he was able to make extra money which
he saved against the day when he would be sailing for America.
| Finally, the long looked for day arrived, and on the 23rd of April, 1862, Thomas left England, the only place he had ever known. He had no regrets other than leaving his loved ones, but they had become almost like strangers to him. As he left the old world, he had high hopes for the future and a wonderful life in a new land. Little did he know of the things that were in store for him in this wild and untamed country. |
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Thomas sailed on the
John J. Boyd from Liverpool under the direction of James S.
Brown.
2
The trip across was typical of sea voyages in that day. There was a
terrible storm arose during the trip and the saints all became very sea sick.
The bridge of the ship was swept overboard and they had to lash it to the side
of the vessel to keep it from pounding the ship to pieces. Apparently, some of
the young people were making a lot of confusion during the storm so the Captain
came in and rebuked them. he told them they had better get down on their knees
and ask God for protection. The saints heeded his advice and immediately joined
together in prayer. It wasn't long before the storm subsided and they completed
the trip without incidence.
Shortly after arriving in New York, they started their trek across the country
to Florence, Nebraska where they would go by Ox Train to Salt Lake City. These
days were fraught with many dangers and hardships. Most of the Saints were poor
people and had little more clothing than what they had on. Many of them came
from the city and knew nothing about country life or how to survive on the
frontier where marauding Indians and wild animals were continually a hazard to
their safety. They finally reached Florence, and on July 22, 1962, they started
their trek across the plains to Salt Lake City.
The ox Train was under the direction of
Captain Homer Duncan, a very capable
leader. There were five hundred souls, sixty wagons, This meant there were eight
and one-third persons per wagon, but the wagons were not for the purpose of
transporting the people. They had to be used to haul the provisions-water and
food-that would be needed to sustain life. Then there was their clothing,
bedding, tools, and other accessories which were necessary for the maintenance
of the train and the welfare of the people. Also, they had to carry extra food
and other things to give the Indians for President Young had said it was better
to feed the Indians than to fight them. This proved very true, but it was a
great hardship on the people.
Walking such a long distance on the rough ground presented a real problem. soon
Thomas' shoes were worn out and he was walking on his bare feet. having lived in
the city all of his life, he didn't know what it was to go barefooted. So his
feet were soon cut and bleeding. he tried everything he could find to wrap about
his feet to protect them from t he rocks and thorns, but these wrappings didn't
last very long. brother Wolley noticed Thomas' plight and gave him an extra pair
of boots he had. However, the boots were too small and caused Thomas a lot of
pain. When they would come to a stream, he would walk in the water to soften the
leather so it would stretch to the shape of his feet. The boots were never
comfortable, but they were much better than going barefooted.
Captain Duncan was very adept in dealing with the Indians and was able to bring
his company safely to Salt Lake. They arrived on Wednesday, September 24, 1862,
just one hundred, fifty-four days after they left Liverpool.
Things were not as Thomas had expected to find them in Utah. He was a lonely
young man in a far off land without a kinsman in the who vast country. however,
just being with the saints was a great blessing. Everyone seemed happy and full
of the spirit of brotherly love. They had but one incentive--to build up Zion.
he would devote his life to that and forget all else.
Thomas spent the first few days in Salt Lake with an old friend, his first
church teacher in England, who was also a shoemaker. He afterwards went to live
and work for Apostle Charles C. Rich in the 19th Ward. Subsequently, he moved to
the Rich farm in Centerville, Davis County, Utah, and lived with aunt Eliza Rich
and family until the fall of 1863. He then opened a shoe shop in the fort and
lived at the home of Brother William Reeves. Shortly after opening his shop, he
was taken ill with Typhoid Fever and almost lost his life. The elders
administered to him and promised him that he would live and would take a mission
to the nations of the earth to preach the Gospel. In the spring of 1864, he
again joined the Apostle Rich family and moved with them up to Bear Lake Valley
where they arrived June 4, 1864, and located in
Paris, Idaho. . Here he built a
log house and worked at his trade.
That first winter was very severe; snow was about three feet on the level, and
it was bitter cold. During the latter part of the winter, Thomas undertook a
journey across the mountains on snow shoes to Franklin, Cache County, a distance
of twenty-four miles. The journey to the summit was a long and tedious one.
because of the intense cold, the snow had frozen to ice, making it very
difficult to walk without sliding. As they cleared the summit and started down
the other side, the mountain became steeper and he had more difficulty managing
the snow shoes. Faster and faster became the descent! He sat down on the ice,
trying to dig his fingernails into it, but to no avail. his swift descent tore
the nails from his fingers and his blood streaked the snow. What could he do?
His whole past opened up before him. What had he done to deserve this end? Had
he displeased God? What about the promise the elders had given him that he
should take a mission to the nations of the Earth? Who was to give him Help? The
Elders had told him the way. "Ask God," they had said, so he prayed for
deliverance.
The chasm that was below opened to receive him; but the good Lord, who knows all
our needs, stood by to render aid. Father felt his downward motion cease. he saw
the precipice below him, and tops of the trees reaching up for him. But here he
was safe on the brink. The wind had drifted the snow in such a way that it formed
a saucer-like lip at the very edge of the cliff, and this had stopped his
descent.
Thomas worked his way back from the edge of the precipice, around the chasm, and
finally joined his companion. They continued down into the canyon even thought
the way was very difficult. The stream ran down the canyon and at intervals it
became necessary to cross from one side to the other because of the steepness of
the mountain. This necessitated their wading the stream a number of times until
their clothes were frozen on their bodies, and they were numb with the cold.
Thomas told his companion that he would have to stop and rest but the companion
insisted that they press on. He was more experienced in these things and
realized they would probably freeze to death if they did not keep active. So
they continued on their way with the companion leading the way. Finally, Thomas
saw a bunch of brush protruding from the snow and he thought he would sit down
there for a few moments to rest. That was the last thing he remembered until he
felt someone slapping his face and calling to him to wake up. The voice seemed
to come from a long ways off. He opened his tired eyes and looked into the
blurred face of his companion. Consciousness was slowly returning to his brain,
and he wondered why his companion was trying so hard to awaken him when all he
wanted to do was sleep awhile.
As consciousness slowly came back to him, he finally realized what had happened.
The frost had bit deeper than he thought. He must get up and get his limbs
moving or he would freeze to death. His companion finally got him on his feet
and began moving him around. The pain was terrible but he must keep on trying.
Then again the voice of the Elder came to him, "Ask God for help. He never
fails." So Thomas called fervently for help and he began to feel the warmth of
the blood as it coursed through his body. The efforts of his friend had brought
him back to life and activity. After some time of walking around and rubbing the
muscles of his legs and arms to get life back into the, they resumed their
journey.
As they continued on their way, the timber and brush began to thin our
considerably, so traveling was easier. The rays of the sun became warmer and
brighter. This warmth was mighty pleasing to their frost-bitten bodies, but
there was one factor they hadn't thought of before; one that was almost as
menacing as the bitter cold frost. The intense glare of the sun on the crystal
white snow as a terrible hazard to be dealt with. As the glare of an electric
welding torch can destroy the sight, so can the sun's rays when reflected off
the brilliant white snow. Their eyes began to smart and burn and they realized
the pain of snow blindness was setting in. Their vision began to fail and things
became distorted and unclear. Would they never reach shelter from this inferno?
They finally did reach shelter but their trials were not over. For three days
and nights they suffered untold agony with their eyes. Thomas remarked that he
didn't know whether he would ever see again or not. But the Lord came to his
rescue again and his life was spared to bear testimony, many years later, of
God's goodness to him.
Thomas returned from Cache Valley in May 1865, by Indian trail. His friends at
Paris were glad to see him again and marveled at his experiences. He again
returned to Franklin that summer and worked for Bishop Hatch. He lived with
James Hobbs during the summer of 1866 and worked a grain farm on shares. In the
fall, he went to Smithfield, twelve miles south, to work at his trade of
shoemaking. There he became acquainted with his future wife, Catherine Ward.
After a whirlwind courtship, they were married December 14, 1866, by Bishop
James I. Roskelley of Smithfield, Cache County, Utah. (James Cantwell, Recorder)
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Thomas took his bride and returned to Paris, Idaho, in July 1867, where they
settled down to raise their family. Their first baby was born the 18th of
September, 1867, a beautiful baby boy. They named him George Thomas after his
father and grandfather, George Ward. He was a welcome addition to their home and
a great source of comfort and inspiration to his parents, mainly because neither
of them had any kinfolk in this country.
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| In those days, all the men were advised to take up land to farm that they might provide a living for their families. There wasn't much else for a man with a family to do, so he must turn to the soil to provide the necessities of life. But Thomas was not a farmer. He had been raised in the city all his life and his knowledge of farming was very limited. However, he felt he could learn and he would observe from the ways of others. But this was a raw, new country and even those who understood farming could not change nature. |
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The season for growing was short, and if you didn't get the seed in soon enough
it didn't mature before the frost. If you got it in too soon there was a chance
it would freeze. The farmer had to learn the whims of the country and the kind
of crop that would mature in the shortest length of time, as well as the most
hardy types of seed. To say the least, these people had a hard time ahead of
them, and pickings were very thin for a number of years. Many a day Catherine
would have to wait in the morning for the hen to lay an egg so she could make a
gravy to put over her Black Jack bread in order to have something to eat that
day.
Nature did provide in its own way for those who knew and were able to take
advantage of her offering. There were the sego roots that grew most abundantly.
They took and used these in different ways for food. There were fruits of
different kinds which could be taken in season. But the pioneers had to learn
the hard way, through suffering and privation. Yes, those early years were full
of hardship for all for they shared with one another that all might live.
Despite the hazard of the Indians, the pioneers were able to learn a lot from
them. They learned the different roots and herbs which were good for food and
medicine, and how to prepare them. They learned about the wild life that lived
in the forest and rivers, how to snare them, and how to tan the hides that they
might use them to keep their bodies warm in winter. All these things they
learned from the Indians which helped to make their lives more enjoyable.
It was an especially hard life for these people who had been raised in the city
where they could go to the market and get most everything they needed. Here
there were no stores. Over the mountain to Franklin was the closest market place
so that people had to make the best of what they had. But this was the land of
Zion, a place where God had brought them. They had been promised if they were
honest and true that the windows of heaven would be opened to pour them out a
blessing that they could not contain. They must be true to the covenants they
had make else how could they expect God to keep His promise. In humility and
prayer, they asked Him to help them bear their burdens. He heard their prayers
and their burdens were lightened. He poured out His blessings upon them, and as
the years passed, they did bear testimony to the goodness of God to them. (I
have heard my parents, Thomas and Catherine, bear their testimony many times.)
| Time passed by, and on the 2nd of May 1869, another fine boy came to bless their home. They named him Joseph Ward Minson. He was blessed by Charles C. Rich, Sr. on June 21, 1869. These were happy days for these young people. They now had two fine boys to bless their home. Summer was here. There was a song in their hearts. The crops looked better than they had ever looked before. The grain was maturing wonderfully well. There was no question about it, this could be the best year they had had in Bear Lake, and they did harvest a wonderful crop that year. They thanked God for His merciful goodness to them. |
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Then the fall came with could and ever present sickness to harry the hearts of the people. Little George, who was only two-years-old, was laid low with a terrible sickness. Despite the efforts of all, the little fellow died on the 22nd of October 1869. This was a terrible tragedy to come into the lives of these young people who had held such high hopes for their eldest son. The Lord had given and the Lord had taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. They had George for such a short time, but what a blessing he had been to them, and they still had little Joseph.
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