NIELSON PETER FREDRICK JONES by MERLE JONES

LIFE

of

PETER FREDRICK JONES

submitted by

MERLE JONES MELLEN

Peter Fredrick Jones was the first child born to Zachariah and Alice Mary Wall Jones.  He came into the World 2 August, 1878, Christened November, 1878 at Santaquin, Utah.  He was the first child born of twelve children.  Eight of them passed away within the first two years of their lives and four of the children lived to adulthood, were married and had families.  

Peter was a very happy child and had a great sense of humor.  He was very protective toward his younger brothers and sisters.  He was educated in the schools at Santaquin, Utah.  His father was a farmer and papa helped him on the farm.  Grandpa and papa used to have a team of horses and a wagon and used them to peddle vegetables to many of the surrounding towns including Eureka, Utah , a mining town.  Peter was also very artistic, he drew beautiful pictures and made lovely furniture.  He especially liked to make furniture for children.  He would carve beautiful dinning room furniture with turned and carved backs.  He made beautifully finished tables and china closets which he made and gave to his nieces and own daughters for presents. 

Papa had a beautiful singing voice and could play any instrument by ear.  He and Grandpa had an orchestra and would travel around the state playing for dances, mostly western dances where they both took turns playing and calling dances.  Papa Played the piano, banjo, violin (he had a Stradivarius Violin).  It was while Peter and his Father and some friends were in Spring Glenn playing at dances that he met May Nielson who was living there with her Grandmother (Christine Marie BirkedahlSmith) who was blind.  He was attracted to May who was a beautiful tall girl.  He said, "She had five brothers who I had to lick them all to let them know my intentions were honorable".  They were finally married in Salt lake City at the Latter Day Saints Temple.  They drove there in a wagon drawn by horses.  It took them two days to make the trip to Salt Lake.  They were married in the Temple by John Winder on 29 May, 1901, making all their children born under the Covenant.  They moved to Winter Quarters, Utah where Papa worked in a coal mine and continued to play and sing in the orchestra. 

Their first child, Verda was born 22 Nov., 1902 in Winter Quarters and she passed away # Jan., 1903 from complications of croup.

Beatrice was born at Winter Quarters, December 27, 1903.  They became concerned about her health and moved from Winter Quarters to Eureka, Utah, where Papa got a job at a mine and started mining.  His brother, Heber Jones, came to live in Eureka and Peter and May lived next door to a girl by the name of Fanny Mitchell.  Uncle Heber wanted to go to the University to continue his education and he left and went to Logan to the U.S. Agricultural College to go to school.  They were later married.

LaPreal was born to Peter and May, June 5th, 1907, at Eureka, Utah, Juab County.

Mother was a nurse and many people in our family were brought to Peter and May's home for Mum to restore them back to health.  There were boarders and roomers that stayed with them also.  Everything that Mother was involved in, Papa was right there to lend a helping hand right along with her.  They were very devoted to their family of girls and one son.  Papa worked for a time for Uncle Heber when he returned to Eureka and ran a coal business.  Aunt Fanny was a school teacher. 

Their son, Kenneth Zachariah, was Born June 7, 1910 at Eureka, Utah where Peter and family settled down to make their home for many years - possibly 45 years.

Norma came into the family June 11, 1912.

Merle arrived May 13, 1918 - Papa at the time was working for Uncle Heber.  He enjoyed the horses and wagon.  He used them in the winter to pull people out of snow drifts and taking people  on sleigh riding parties after work and on weekends.

Peter was made a member of the Eureka Town Council where he remained for many years.

Later he became a policeman, about the time Merle was going to dances and such. He loved to escort Merle home from dances to keep her out of trouble.

He loved parties and was usually the entertainment because he would play the piano and call dances.  We wore out many carpets from stomping and doing old time dances.  Whenever he heard his family of girls planning a party, he always offered our home.  He was very witty and was always coming up with is own jokes.  He also used to carry around a tablet with him and write down things his grandchildren said and tell them about what they said for years.

Beatrice married Erwin Peter Sax October 23, 1922.  He worked on the Rio Grande Railroad.  They lived in Eureka where their children were born.  Robert Erwin Sax was born August 15, 1924. Beatrice Elaine was born on July 13, 1926 and Kenneth Martin on December 24, 1931.

Peter and May's daughter, LaPreal passed away from giving birth to her first child, Lorraine on March 9th, 1928.  Lorraine was left to be raised by her grandparents.  All the family loved her dearly.  She was like a little sister to Merle and Norma.  When she got married Norma wanted to take Lorraine with her and John Oreno and raise her as their own.  But Mamma and Papa had grown so used to her that they finally adopted her and kept her with them.

On August 28, 1929, Kenneth was killed in an airplane accident while flying with a pilot who was taking up passengers during a parade over the little town of Eureka on their Silver Jubilee.  Papa was the policeman and helped take Kenneth out of the plane and to the Doctor's office and he did not even recognize who he was.  He left the Doctor's office and they sent someone to tell him that it was his son who he brought to the Doctor's office.

HISTORY OF JUAB COUNTY by Alice McCune; A tragic note marred the enjoyment of the celebration when a low flying- plane passenger plane crashed on Main Street at about noon.  The pilot of the plane came to Eureka on his own account to carry passengers, and at the time of the crash his passengers were Kenneth Jones, 19 of Eureka and Miss Helen Strong, 16 of Sliver City.  The plane first struck the Bell tower on the City Hall and then tore an immense hole in the west wall of the Taylor Brother’s store building, a brick structure of two stories, then falling to the ground.  John Bogden, a boy of twelve years from Silver City, was hit by the wing of the plane, and was sent to the hospital along with the pilot and two passengers.  Kenneth died during the afternoon in the hospital.  It was estimated that approximately 5000 saw the accident. 

Joel Sax said, Kenneth Jones was killed in a plane crash on 28 August 1929. He had gone up with a barnstormer. His sister, Beatrice (my grandmother) would only travel by land thereafter. She named her third son after her brother

Norma was married to John Peter Oreno, June 19, 1929. They lived in Eureka shortly and then moved to Salt Lake City.

Merle was married to Richard Douglas Mellen, May 20, 1937 and they moved to Salt Lake.  Dick liked to go out to Eureka and go deer hunting with Papa and they would kill, skin and bottle the deer before Papa sent him home with it all bottled and ready for use.

Papa became ill with his heart and the doctor felt he should go to a lower climate to live and he and May, with broken hearts, left their dear town of Eureka and all their choice friends after 45 years, and moved to Salt Lake and lived the remainder of their lives there.  He passed away a few years after moving there - April 18, 1946 at the age of 68 and was taken to Santaquin for burial.  Mamma passed away May 4, 1958 at the age of 73 and was returned to Santaquin to be placed beside her husband.

Peter Jones was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was a High Priest of record.  May N. Jones worked diligently in all auxiliary departments of the Church, being at one time President of the Relief Society.  She was a nurse and helped Doctors deliver babies and take care of many people who were ill.  Peter helped her with everything she was involved in.  They had many friends who were devoted to both of them for the services they rendered to them and were always declaring that they were true friends to them.  It was hard for them to leave Eureka and make their home in Salt Lake City but they soon had many friends there from people that were their friends who had moved to Salt Lake City and regained their acquaintances from Eureka.

They both worked helping people who had come with the flu in the early 1900's at Eureka.  It was a bad influenza epidemic and they worked night and day helping many who had contracted the disease.  They were remembered by all their friends for their humanitarian services to their fellow men.

It is hard to try and tell about Peter's history without May's along with him because of their very close association with everything that they were involved in throughout their lives.