Frances Lovina Harris History

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Frances Lovina Harris

I was born in San Bernardino, California, November 6, 1856. I was the second child of of Daniel and Lydia H. Harris. I was named for my two grandmothers, Frances Harris, and Lovina Harris.

My Mother's maiden name was Harris, but she was not related to my father.

When I was a year and a half old my parents moved from California to Southern Utah. They settled in the town of Washington, Washington County. Mother's health was poor because of the bad water so they moved from there to Parowan, Iron County. My father's people had settled in Fillmore, Millard County, so our family soon moved there. My brother, Charles Franklin, was born in Fillmore, May 24, 1869. Soon after this, our family and that of my grand-parents, moved to the western part of Millard county to near the Sevier River. The place was called Deseret, because of the desert looking valley.

My father was a farmer, also raised horses and cattle. It was at this place that I remember first seeing Indians. I remember an Indian coming to our house and asking for bread. Mother told him she didn't have any bread. The Indian said, "You lie," and went to the fire place, where Mother had some bread baking in a bake over. He arted to take the lid off, when mother picked up a stick of wood and hit the Indian with it. He quickly drew his gun and pointed it at her. We children were terrified, and all screamed and clung to Mother, but she just stood and looked him in the eye. When he saw she was not afraid, he turned and walked out of the house. He later said that Mother was a brave squaw and that was the reason he didn't shoot. I also remember going for a boat ride on a canal, with my parents and how seasick I got.

Later my father and his brother, Jake, were asked to return to California along with some other men to gather up some horses they left there. While they were doing this, they were arrested for stealing horses. My father and two other men were tried and sentenced to serve two years in prison. Mother was left with four small children to care for. Sister Orissa was born a few months after my father left.
Mother's people wrote and urged her to come to Dixie and they would help her if she would apply for a divorce, which she did. Mother's brother, Silas Harris, came after us and we moved to Harrisburg, Washington County. This was in the fall of 1862. I remember the first night out - the howling of the coyotes frightened me so much I couldn't eat or sleep.

One Day we all had to get out of the wagon and walk up a long steep hill. This was the first time I had ever seen acorns. They grew on scrub oak all along the road. My uncle stopped while we gathered some. We put them in a small tin churn and in the evening when we camped, we would roast the acorns over the camp fire and eat them. Mother told us after we moved to Beaver that the place where we gathered our acorns was North Creek Hill, north of Beaver.

My grandfather Harris and family, along with a few other families had settled on Cottonwood Creek and it was later called Harrisburg. We lived there about two years. When grandfather and his family and his two sons, John and Silas and their families moved to Glendale, Kane County.
We have lived here about a year when the Indians began to make trouble. The people moved their log houses close together and made a fort for protection. Between the houses cedar poles were set close together in an upright position to form a wall. The corrals were on the outside of the fort.
The now fell very deep that winter. I remember seeing uncle John Harris breaking a road with four oxen, hitched to the wagon, going up and down the street. The animals were afraid of Indians. There was a span of mules which would give the alarm in the night by a peculiar whistle when they smelled Indians. The people lived under a great strain at this time because of the Indians. Still they enjoyed themselves and had good times.

I was baptized there by Bishop John Berry. I remember on Sunday mother and others coming home from church very much excited. A friendly Indian had ridden up to the church building and told Bishop Berry that two of his brothers and the wife of one of them had been killed by the Indians as they were returning home from Salt Lake City. A rancher had found the bodies and sent word by the indian. They had been dead about three days when found. The Indians had taken their horses, bedding and animals away. Their faithful dog had stayed by the bodies and kept wild animals away. The Indians were making trouble in other small towns at the time, so President Brigham Young advised them to move to larger towns for protection.

Everyone began to prepare to move by fixing the wagons, mending harnesses and making boxes to pack clothing and other articles. They boys who were old enough were sent to the range to gather cattle. Some beavers were killed and divided up. Part of this was dried, or jerked, and part of it was cooked. The women were just as busy as the men.

The company traveled together and were led by John D.L. Pearce of Washington County who had been sent to bring them out. One day at noon while we were camped by a deserted ranch house, several Indians rode up to the camp, an done of them was wearing a shirt that had been taken from the body of one of the Berry brothers. Bishop John Berry drew his gun and would have shot the Indian, but the men prevented it. However, he did grab the Indian's arrows and broke them over this knee.

At another time the Indians were going to ambush the wagon train, but this was prevented by our scout, Mr. Pearce, who rode ahead and was awarned of the nearness of the Indians by his horse putting back its ears. This ambush was led by an Indians called Charlie Howd, who had been raised by Simeon Howd of Beaver, an dhe had gone back to live with the Indians.

Out family went back to their old home in Harrisburg. It was here that I attended my first school.
My oldest brother, Duayne, with other boys herded cows in the summer. They had to go bare-footed and the red sand became very hot during the day. We stayed here until 1866 when mother married Samuel D. White, of Beaver. They were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake. The morning they started for Dixie to move the family to Beaver, they were stopped at Jackson County and told of the raid at Lee's Ranch up South Creek that morning by Indians and advised to return to town, which they did and waited until the next day.

Samuel White built a lumber room for mother on the lot occupied by his other family.

The first school I attended in beaver was taught by Daniel Tyler at his home. When I was in the third reader, Julia P. Murdock (now Julia M. Farnsworth) was my teacher. Tihs school was held in a new brick building, called the Central School Building. This school building was also used as an amusement hall and the first mutual meetings were held there. Lucinda Lee Dalton was my teacher for one year.

The last school I attended was taught by Richard Horn. This was the fifth reader. At that time the schools were graded by the reader - first reader, second reader and so on. I went to work in the Beaver Woolen Mills before I was sixteen and worked here for four years. The factory would shut down about Christmas and open again in the late spring.

I was eleven years old when my sister Amelia White was born and my stepfather died when she was a few months old.

A few years after this we moved to the place where I am now living.

I was married to Wm. Henry Jones, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Simons Jones, from North Wales. We were married in the St. George Temple, March 14, 1877.

The summer before I was married I spent in Leeds, Washington County, with my grandparents. I got a lot of pleasure out of that visit. They were such dear old people.

The summer after we were married, we lived on President John R. Murdock's farm. In the fall we moved to town and lived in two rooms of father Jones' house. My oldest child Della was born here on February 4, 1878.

My next two children were born to us while living in this house, Lydia Lovina and William. The latter died when a year and a half old. Two more children were born to us, Franklin and Ernest. Franklin died when he was six weeks old and Ernest lived but seven months.

My husband died December 18, 1886 and I thought no on had ever had as much trouble as I. My mother and brother Frank brought me home to live with them.