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.)