Billy Jenkins and Rose Lusk

A very early photo taken in Logan, Utah showing the youthful couple, William E. Jenkins and Emma Rosetta Lusk.

Jenkins / Lusk Photos

Children of Thomas Jenkins and Anne Evans married children of John Winters Lusk and Martha Tidwell.


Group picture of the Lusk children and their spouses. Probably taken in Malad, Idaho. William E. and Rose Lusk Jenkins are on the front row just right of center.

Zephaniah and Pheobe Jones

Zephaniah and Pheobe Davis Jones
By Pearl Atkinson (granddaughter)

Zephaniah Jones, my grandfather, was born September 21, at Trevethin, Monmouthshire, [Wales]. He was the second son born to John and Jemina Davis Jones and had three brothers: John, Thomas and George. John was a collier and Zephaniah followed in the same trade. It was a hard life.

He married Amelia or Amy Morris on July 5,1845. They had six children: Jane, who sailed to America in 1863 and was lost crossing the plains and never heard from again; William stayed in [Wales]; Jemina and Zephaniah died in their youth in [Wales]; Amelia married LeRoy Vader; and Joseph married Emma Rosetta Lusk. They joined the Mormon Church and lived in the Trinant Branch. Amelia died December 21, 1857, at the age of 31 leaving Zephaniah the family to raise with a seven month old baby.

Zephaniah married Caroline Thomas and to this union six children were born. They sailed to the
United States on the ship Amazon and landed in New York. They crossed the plains and made their way to Willard. Caroline died and Zephaniah was left with a fifteen day old son to raise and the rest of his family.




On May 21, 1841, Pheobe was born to John E. and Margaret Edwards Davis in Tredegar,
Monmouthshire, [Wales]. At the age of ten she was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. She took a great deal of interest in the Tredegar Branch and helped in every
possible way. She grew to be a beautiful girl, five foot tall, black eyes, dark hair and a ruddy
complexion. She had a genial disposition and always tried to make the best of everything. At 21 with the consent of her parents, she sailed to America on the ship Manchester on May 6, 1862. She landed in New York and came across the plains in the Ansel [P. Harmon] Company, arriving in Salt Lake City, October 5, 1862.

Pheobe married Richard Jenkins Davis, as his plural wife, on April 18, 1863 in the Endowment
House. They lived in Willard, Utah, and seven children were born: Amelia married Ephraim Jones and died February 27, 1898 leaving eight children; Rachel died June 17, 1880 at the age of 14; John Edmond, no record; Martha and Rhoda, twins, died in infancy; Hyrum married Margaret Victoria Williams, died April 3, 1941; Evan John drowned in the Devil Creek when two years old. Phoebe separated from Richard in the early part of 1873, and their sealing was cancelled on November 22, 1873.

Zephaniah Jones and Phoebe Davis were married April 20, 1874, in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. Phoebe also stood as proxy for Amelia and Caroline to be sealed. Shortly after they moved with their families to the Malad Valley. They were members of the St. John Ward.
They built a log home in the middle of the Valley and also farmed and had a dairy in the Dairy Creek area. Four children were born to them: Albert Davis Jones, born September 22, 1875, married Margaret Fairlie Jenkins February 10, 1904, and died October 9, 1921; George W. Jones was born November 3, 1877, married Lillian Perry March 27,1902, and died December 7, 1941; Phoebe Caroline Jones was born January 14, 1880, married William Hill, and died June 21, 1943; and Samuel Davis Jones, born May 7, 1882, married Hannah May Williams, March 23, 1904, and died December 9, 1929.

On the homestead up at Dairy Creek they had a complete dairy with water wheel, cheese room and corrals. They made cheese and butter and Zephaniah would haul the products to market in a
wagon. Phoebe would come to Malad in a buggy and sell cheese and butter to buy what she needed for her household. They probably lived at Dairy Creek in the summer and in the Valley in the winter.

Zephaniah was deaf in his later years. He had a health problem for quite awhile and passed away
June 11, 1883, at the age of 59 and was buried in the St. John Cemetery. The early pioneer women were not afraid to work and Phoebe was no exception. She was a religious
woman and with all her household duties she found time to attend to her church work. She worked in the St. John Relief Society for twelve years, as 1st Counselor for one year and President for eleven years. She bore her testimony often and loved God.

At age 57 her daughter Amelia died leaving eight children, the 'youngest 14 days. She gave them
her best and they all loved her. She passed away February 26, 1912, in Malad and was buried by
the side of Zephaniah in the St. John Cemetery. She left a host of relatives and friends.

(From St. John, Oneida County, Idaho: A collection of personal histories from the time of the first settlers to the present day, pp. 177-178.)

Irene Jones Jenkins

Life Sketch of Irene Louise Jones Jenkins

Irene Louise Jones was born January 1, 1903 at St. John, Idaho to George Wilford Jones and Lillian Parry Jones. She was the oldest of eleven children, and spent her childhood in the Malad Valley.

She married Wallace Lusk Jenkins on November 16, 1921 in Malad, Idaho; this union was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple.

The young couple lived in various cities and towns in southeastern Idaho; these changes of residence being necessary for seeking and gaining employment during the difficult depression days of their early marriage.

Irene took an early interest in Primary, Sunday School and Relief Society work, and taught Primary and Sunday School classes to each of the five children born to them. She maintained an active teaching role for over thirty years, holding various offices on both ward and stake levels. She continued in this ward to teach Jr. Sunday School until about the age 63, well beyond the time when most would have felt they had fulfilled their calling.

Irene thoroughly liked and enjoyed people, making friends easily wherever they resided. Several of these associations have developed into lifelong friendships, despite the separation of many miles and time. She had a deep feeling of love for all and enjoyed providing service to others.

No matter where she went, she made friends, whether traveling or at home, she spoke to people, smiled, and attracted people with her sheer personality.

She came from a large family of brothers and sisters, who were taught to share and sacrifice for the overall family harmony. They have all retained a close relationship throughout their adult lives. Each of them always being ready and anxious to assist the others during times of need.

Her five children, Elene, Wallace, Stanley, Eugene, and Karen were always provided with the feeling of close family ties, she was always an example to her children, and seemed to have a sense of intuition. Whenever there were problems, she could sense this, almost before, or at least as soon as her children could, even after they had grown up, married, and moved away. Her great love for her children has kept all of them close together, even though separated by many miles. Her family has been a great source of accomplishment and she indeed fulfilled that great principle of keeping her family close and united. Five children, and thirteen grandchildren survive her.

The earthly marital union of Irene and Wallace Jenkins has withstood the trials and tribulations of over 48 years. This fact alone, is indicative of the love and devotion they both felt for each other.

Along with this love, they had a great respect for one another; assisting each other through personal problems, and also rejoicing together during times of happiness; and if she were able, she’d tell us that the times of happiness occurred more often than the other times.

One of the highlights of her life has been that she was able to live in Salt Lake City, close to the roots of her religion, close to the Temple, where she was able to take her place as a member in all the activities of the ward in which she lived.

Irene has suffered much physical illness throughout her life, but her faith in her religion , and her bravery have made all of those illnesses easier for all of her family to withstand.

Her most recent illness, which has kept her bedridden for quite some time, has been a strain on her husband and members of the family. The constant vigil, that was kept by her husband, her daughters, and other members of the family, again expresses their sincere love and devotion for Irene Jenkins.

John Winters Lusk

John Winters Lusk

(Written by Catherine Lusk Reynolds, Jan. 26, 1935)

John Winters Lusk was born June 12, 1829, in Madison County, Illinois., a son of Samuel and Elizabeth Dixon Lusk. He was married to Mary Elizabeth Park, daughter of John M. and Matilda Stewart Park, at Council Bluffs, Iowa June 20, 1851. She died Nov. 20, 1853, at Provo, Utah.

He married again on March 4, 1854, at Kaysville, Utah, to [Esther] Catherine Park. She died Oct. 29, 1893, at Malad City, Idaho. She was the mother of eight children.

He married the third time on Jan. 20, 1859, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Martha Tidwell. She was the mother of ten children.

John Winters Lusk was one of the early pioneers of Malad Valley, coming to Malad, Idaho in April 1866. He settled on a block of land, located on the north of the street going East and West of the school house, the public square, and the Morman Church.

John Lusk had two families. They lived in a dugout and two covered wagons during the first year after they came to Malad. In the fall, he started to build two log rooms, which were built together with only outside entrances to each room. The rooms had wooden floors, the roof was made by placing large willows over the entire area, then covering that with straw, and finally a layer of dirt.

The night they moved in, Esther gave birth to a baby boy. His name was David James. He was a very bright child. He died when he was fourteen years old. (he was loved by all people both young and old) They lived in this house for a number of years. Later father built a log room on the west corner of the block for Martha.

Between the two homes he built his barns and other outside buildings. In the granary father kept his tool chest. The inside of the granary was divided into sections according to different sizes of tools. These were always in order, and no one was allowed to bother them.

Each woman had cows, pigs, and chickens, which helped to make a living for the family. Father was a farmer, raising hay, grain and all kinds of fruit and vegetables. On his east lot he planted all kinds of the choicest fruit trees, namely apples of all kinds, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, gooseberries, and currants, which were all the very best. He always had a good garden, plenty of large field squash, and corn which are seldom seen now.

He was a great lover of horses. (He always had a kettle he used for boiling wild sage, which was used for limbering joints, and curing all kinds of ailments in horses.) He owned several race horses. Sleepy Tom, a medium sized white horse, was his favorite race horse, because of being faithful to him in later life. Father once said, “Sleepy Tom knows more than the most of men.”

He owned a piece of hayland south of town, and also a few acres of wheat land near where the depot now stands. In after years he took up a quarter section, five or six miles north of town, just at the mouth of New Canyon, (now owned by Evan Evans), His land was joined on the south by the property of his sons-in-laws, the Evans brothers, and on the north by the property of another son-in-law, Henry Bolingbroke. The property of his son, John W. Lusk, joined that of Henry Bolingbroke.

Esther and Martha took turns living on the farm, one one summer and the other the next, caring for father and the boys wile they were working on the farm, They had a number cows, pigs, and chickens.

On April 22, 1882, Martha died at the age of forty, and Ester then cared for the two families, consisting of ten children, the rest being married. Later father decided to build a larger house on the east corner of the lot. The family all lived together on the west corner in Martha’s home until the new home was completed. The new home was a two story building, with five large rooms, stairway, pantry, and one large closet, at the head of the stairs.

Fastened to the ceiling of one of the large rooms up stairs were four large hooks, these were used to hold the quilting frames in place. While the quilt was not being worked upon, it was wound up on ropes to the ceiling, and the room was used for other purposes.

There they lived very happily, until Esther was called home. That was the trying time of father’s life, with five children home and no mother at the head. He kept the home together until all the children were married. He was then alone, getting old and no partner or help-mate. He sold the farm and other lands. One of the girls, Rose, and family lived with him one winter. He then lived for some weeks with Ida, another of Martha’s daughters, and also with Mary, Esther’s daughter.

His health was failing all the time. He then moved to the home of Sarah, another of Esther’s daughters. After some weeks he passed away, (and went to join his loved ones in Heaven, where I know they are all glad to meet him as he was a kind hearted father and husband.)

He was the father of eighteen children, eleven girls and seven boys, (six girls and three boys still living, on Jan. 26, 1935) He was a sturdy pioneer and went through all the hardships and trials of taking care of his family and building up a new home in a barren country. He was a true Latter Day Saint and died in full faith in the glorious resurrection.

He died on September 21, 1899, and was buried in the Malad Cemetary. (May all his children and grandchildren follow in his footsteps is the desire of one of his daughters.)

Sarah Catherine Lusk Reynolds

Malad City, Idaho

Jan 26, 1935

The children of John W. Lusk and Esther Catherine Park Lusk:

Mary Elizabeth Lusk Bolingbroke
John Winters Lusk
Cynthia Maria Lusk Jones
Sarah Catherine Lusk Reynolds
Martha Lucretia Lusk Jones
Matilda Lavesta Lusk Evans
David James Lusk
Perry Park Lusk

The children of Martha Tidwell and John Lusk were:

Sarah Jane Lusk Evans
William Jefferson Lusk
Emma Rosetta L. Jones Jenkins
Alma Hyrum Lusk
Elizabeth Maria L. Williams
Louisa Lusk Jones
Samuel Tidwell Lusk
Lovisa Lusk Jenkins
Joseph Tidwell Lusk
Charlotta Elmedith Lusk Koons

John and Jane Tidwell

Biography of John Tidwell

Written by Himself

John Tidwell and Jane Smith Tidwell

John Tidwell, son of William Tidwell and Sarah Goben, born January 14, 1807 in Shelby Co. Kentucky. From there my father moved to Henry county in the same state, and there near the fork of Kentucky river he was called to go and fight for the Independence of his country in the War of 1812 & 1813. On his return home he was taken sick from exposure and died at a place then called Fort Ball. The war was between the United States and England. Soon after the war, the news came to mother of the death of my father, after which she moved to her father’s who lived in the county of Clay in the state of Indiana. Her father’s name was William Goben. Some little time after my mother moved to Indiana she married a man by the name of John Conner. He was the half brother to my wife Jane Smith. I will say here that my mother had five children by her first husband William Tidwell, my father. There names were John, Littleton, Nancy, Moriah, and William. […..] second husband, she had eight children, James, Lewis, Mary, Isaac, Wesle, Alexander, Robert, and John.

On December 18, 1828 I was married to Jane Smith at Marysville Clark County, Indiana. September 25, 1835, I was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by Levi Bracken in connection with Uriah Curtis who were both on a mission together at that time. I […] ordained an Elder in the church and left in charge of a small branch of saints, about twelve in number, which had been baptized previous to this time. This number increased to about twenty-two or twenty-three.

September 11, 1839, I left Clark county, Indiana to gather with the church at Nauvoo, Hancock county, Illinois. I reached there November 6, 1839, where I remained until after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith. This took place June 27, 1844 by a mob while they were in charge of the law, in the jail at Carthage. In the fall of 1844 I was ordained a seventy and organized the ninth quorum of seventies.

I must say in connection with our stay in Nauvoo, which was less than six years, we had a great deal of sickness, also trouble caused by mobs of outlaws of the state of Illinois, who continually sought to disturb the saints. June 10, 1844 the Nauvoo Expositor a libelous paper edited by the Law’s and Fosters, was considered a nuisance by the City Council and was destroyed by the City Marshall, John P. Green. Great excitement arose about this time in the county of Hancock, by the mobers of the state of Illinois so that the Governor of the state, Thomas Ford, with pretense of protection, come to Carthage, the county seat of Hancock county. On the 27^th day of June, 1844, while Ford was in Nauvoo with the pretense of friendship, a mob broke into the jail where Joseph the Prophet, Hyrum Smith the Patriarch and Willard Richards and John Taylor were confined and under pretense. Those were days of trouble for the saints in Hancock county, Illinois. On the second day of February 1846 in the city of Joseph, John Tidwell and Jane Tidwell received their Patriarchal Blessing by John Smith, brother of the Prophet, who was Patriarch.

On June 5, 1852, I left Council Point, Southwest on Kansville, Iowa for Salt Lake Valley and crossed the Missouri River June 8, 1852. The fifth company was organized for crossing the plains the present season by Ezra T. Benson. I was appointed Captain of the fifth Company for crossing the plains. The Journal of the company will be found in another book kept by the Clerk of the Company. The record of the fifth company of 1852 shows the rest of the journey. September 15, we arrived in Salt Lake City. After a few days I moved from there to Utah County to a place called Pleasant Grove. July 14, 1855, I was ordained a President of Seventies at Provo by Joseph Young, Andrew Moore, Uriah Curtis, and David Hunt.

Joseph Young took the lead and afterward I was assigned to the thirty-fourth quorum of Seventies and appointed to preside over the mass quorums of Seventies Pleasant Grove, Utah county.

I lived at Pleasant Grove from September 20, 1852 until June 9, 1859 when I concluded to go to some place where I could get land enough for farming so as to provide for my family and also on account of things being in such an immoral state that I feared my family would get into bad habits such as I did not wish them to do. I thought I would move to some other place so I moved to Sanpete County, a distance of about eighty miles to Mt. Pleasant, where I arrived June 13, 1859. On the 19^th of June, 1850 [1860?] I was appointed to take charge of the building of the east wall of the Fort. It was 26 rods long, 12 feet high, 4 feet thick at the bottom and two feet thick at top this was completed before the 24^th day of July of the same year. It was built to protect the people from the Indians.

John Tidwell dies at Mt. Pleasant, January 24, 1887. He had the following children:

James Harvey
William Nelson
Mary Jane
Jefferson Lyman
Nancy Ann
Martha
Margaret
Sarah
John
EmmaJane
Emeline Mariah

Child eleven, Emma Jane was born in Emigration Canyon, September 13, 1852 died at birth two days before they entered Salt Lake Valley.

Postscript by Jessie Lusk:

The immoral state mentioned above was no doubt caused by Johnston’s Army being in Camp 20 miles to the West. They traded and sold produce and of course some romances crept in. They were there from 1849 to 1851 [1861?] when the Civil War broke out.