Joseph Morgan Wixom
by Ida Wixom Prescott
Joseph Morgan Wixom was born November 10, 1856 at Lehi, Utah. He moved to Bear Lake with his parents, Solomon and Hannah M. Wixom, in 1864. Joseph was the sportsman of his father's family. He began hunting and fishing at an early age. Fishing was his specialty. When a high church official visited the Wixom home in Paris, Joe would be sent to catch a mess of trout for the visitors. His equipment consisted of a willow, string, and a pin hook. When he grew to manhood he seemed to be gifted with enormous energy. He always drove a fine team of spirited horses and tried to keep anyone from passing him on the road.
He married Elvira Sarah Ricks on July 3, 1880 and they moved to the mouth of Emigration Canyon and secured a farm of about 300 acres. Joe was a good farmer and a fine woodsman. He spent many years logging and cutting timber for extra money. He and Elvira built a home that was considered nice for that day. It became the social center for many parties and banquets. Thirteen children were born to this union: Bennie, LeRoy, Lewis, Frank, Retta, Ira, Esther, Jesse, Nora, Ida, Ruby, Vera, and Clarence.
Joseph Wixom was a wonderful and kind neighbor. He always shared his irrigation water with his neighbors. Joe also was one of the first to donate time or money to neighbors when they had sickness or death.
Elvira Ricks was born December 5, 1860, at Logan, Utah. She was the daughter of Lewis and Amorette Allen Ricks. Lewis Ricks was called to explore Bear Lake when Elvira was three years old. She went to Bear Lake with her parents. She was with the first company to go from Cache Valley by way of Emigration Canyon to Bear Lake where they settled at Paris. When she was thirteen years old her mother died, leaving a baby four days old. Elvira, the oldest child in the family, had to work very hard helping her father raise the other six children.
A group of men operated a large dairy called Union Dairy Corporation, and be-fore her marriage, Elvira was hired as one of the milk maids. She had to milk twenty cows night and morning, stir the cheese, and help clean the large vats. In addition to their room and board, the girls received one dollar per week wages. At that time calico was 5 cents per yard; shoes $1 per pair.
They built a house there that was considered a very nice home for that time. The soil was rich and lumber plentiful. A crude sawmill was established nearby. Elvira spun her own yarn and knit all the stockings for her family.
Other settlers soon followed the Wixoms and the town was given the name of Sharon, after the birthplace of the prophet Joseph Smith. Her son Lewis was the first child born in Sharon. Elvira was the first Sunday School secretary and the first Relief Society secretary in the Ward and a first counselor in the Pri-mary. Elvira always helped with the sick and gave freely to the poor as she was blessed with more worldly goods than were most of her neighbors.
Elvira was very well educated for that day. Her father was one of the first school teachers in Bear Lake, and he taught her in their home. Several years later high school classes were held in Paris, and she attended these classes. Some of the fondest memories of her children today are the many good books she read to them. She was a very fast reader and read every book she could acquire. She knew the names of most of the important authors of the day. She was usually the class leader in the Church organizations. She lived in Sharon until 1918, when her husband's health failed, and they moved to Montpelier for a short time. For a time her husband was hospitalized until his death in May 1918. She, with her unmarried children, moved to Preston and settled in the Third Ward there. Her desire had always been to live again in Cache Valley where she was born. Through her kindness and love she gained many good friends in Preston and was loved by all. On March 26, 1932, she died and was survived by seven children, forty grand-children, and six great-grandchildren. She is buried in the Preston Cemetery.
Joseph Morgan Wixom
Joseph Morgan Wixom was born in Lehi, Utah 10 November 1856. He was a native pioneer, being born in the Utah territory before the railroad came in 1869. His parents were Solomon Wixom and Hannah Montgomery. Solomon had twenty children from five wives. Listed here are only the children of Hannah as brothers and sisters. Catherine born 21 October 1851 and died when only six days old. Next was Mary Matilda, (Sleight) born 7 April 1853, lived to age 83: David Carlos was born 21 May 1854, lived to age 22. Solomon Montgomery was born 22 January 1855 and lived for ten months. Joseph was the fifth to be born, 10 November 1856. He lived to the age of 61. Hannah Marie was born 31 March 1859, living until age 8. John Steven was born 24 September 1861 and lived for 71 years. Next was Orson Charles, born 27 December 1863, living to age 56. Living only 4 years was Nathan Franklin, who was born 29 January 1866; Lorenzo was the next, born 28 June 1868 and lived to age 56. Sarah Jane (Hymas) was born 19 October 1870, living to age 57, and last was Hyrum Augustus born 10 May 1873 and lived to age 33.
When Joseph was about five years old (1860) his family moved to Brigham City, Utah. Here again his father raised sheep and cattle. His father enjoyed the wilderness. He was able to build houses and make needed furniture. His family helped settle and build up the Brigham City area for four years. In 1864, his father Solomon was called to go to the Bear Lake Valley to help build a new settlement. Brigham Young knew this family could endure the cold hard times that would face them in the Bear Lake Valley. Several other families responded to the call under the leadership of Apostle Charles C. Rich.
So Joseph grew up in southeastern Idaho. He learned to fish and hunt. He learned to cut logs and to build and construct houses. He learned how to make furniture and how to farm. He developed a strong faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He knew of the great need of helping others and working together. The communities of Liberty and Sharon were in their beginnings.
Joseph loved to fish. He was the sportsman of his father's family. Whenever high Mormon leaders visited the Paris area, Solomon would send Joseph to get trout for their supper. In no time Joe would be back with a large mess of trout. Whenever he went fishing he was able to catch more fish than anyone else. He could catch fish when others couldn't.
In 1880 he married Elvira Sarah Ricks. Her parents had also answered the call to settle the valley. They were married in the old Endowment House in Salt Lake City. They were both familiar with frontier life.
Four years later they moved close to Emigration Canyon and took up a homestead of 320 acres. Through this Canyon was a favorite way to go to Cache Valley. They soon had a nice large house built at mouth of the canyon. Joseph built a large barn that he kept full of hay. He had extra stalls for horses of travelers. Many stopped there and spent the night before their journey through the canyon. People were welcomed in the home and fed a good meal. Their animals were well cared for in the barn. Most often Joe Wixom would never take a cent in payment
Their first child Benjamine was born 13 April 1881 and died that same day. They weren't discouraged. Twelve more children followed: Joseph Leroy born 9 January 1883; Lewis Ezra bom 6 February 1885; Frank Solomon born 6 June 1887; Hannah Amoretta (Retta) born 15 September 1889; Ira Allen born 17 February 1892; Esther Elvira born 31 August 1893; Jesse Earl born 1 December 1895; Nora Ella born 2 February 1898; Ida Lucille born 19 March 1900; Ruby Mildred born 19 August 1902; Vera Orena born 3 April 1905 and Clarence Ricks born 12 January 1909.
The children were taught to work. They raised a big garden. Their home was a gathering place for many socials. The children were given the best education that was available. Grandfather Lewis Ricks had been the first teacher in Paris, Idaho. Education was important. Their mother was one of the best readers in the settlement. It was said that one of the favorite books of the home was the Montgomery Catalog. Cousins and friends all came to enjoy it. There were many cousins that lived fairly close. They were together often to play and work.
Joe was a good looking man. He had dark eyes and hair. He dressed very neatly. He was ambitious and a good provider. He was always cheerful and even jolly and mild in his manner and language. He disliked anything of a show-off nature. He was sincere and true and had no use for insincerity. Joe was always generous in spirit, kindly and generous toward all who met him, always pushing his work with more than ordinary energy and was generally successful in his undertakings. He would sometime drive a sharp bargain, but always honorable in his dealings and always full of fun. He loved children. Nieces and nephews loved to visit his home. He was very generous. When other family members were having hard times or were ill, he would take their children into his home and feed and clothe them. Not one of the family had ever needed help, but what Joe did more than his share. They all loved his friendly manner. Even though he had a bad habit, he was greatly loved by his nieces and nephews.
Like all farmers of the time, Joe had his own butcher shop set up. He would butcher pigs, sheep, and cattle. Hides were tanned and used. The bladders of the animals were given to the children to use as basketballs or footballs. All food was shared with extended family and neighbors. The butchering was planned for different times so that there was always fresh meat. Wool from the sheep was taken to Elvira to wash, cord, and spin.
Penelope (Nellie) Wixom Dayley tells of this experience: It was election time and in Bear Lake Valley there was better than a foot of snow all over. My father was a staunch Republican and Joe was a 'died in the wool' Democrat. Well, on election day Uncle Joe hooked up his spirited horses (he always kept fine horses) to his double bob sled and off he went to Montpelier to get the election returns. It was, I think, the second time Grover Cleveland was running for President. I do not know who was running against him, but Father stayed at home and worried himself and us almost frantic for fear Cleveland would win. He told us the bottom would fall out of our government and we would all starve and great calamities would come if the Republicans did not win. We were all sad. It was a bright day and the snow glistened in the late afternoon sun. Then we saw a sleigh come over the hill from Liberty, and we could see a man standing up, whipping the horses from side to side, whooping and hollering at the top of his voice. Father watched him from the door and knew it was Joe. Father then sank to his chair, covering his face with his hands and saying over and over, “Cleveland has won, What will we do? What will we do?” Well, in a few minutes the sleigh pulled up and stopped at the door and Joe was all smiles and joyful, while Father was almost white with anxiety…Surprisingly the government held together and I found one President— Democratic or Republican—carried on."
From the Wixom Family History book we read this experience: When he grew to manhood he was gifted with enormous energy. During one winter he made a contract with a sawmill company to saw all the logs that he would bring to the mill. And in the contract it was provided that Joe would keep the mill supplied with all the logs that the mill could saw. That contract provided penalty that in the event that Joe failed to supply enough logs to keep the mill busy all the time, Joe must pay the wages of all the mill hands during the time that they were idle for want of logs to saw. Joe had quite a number of men hauling trees and cutting them into logs, and others with oxen teams hauling them to the mill. It happened that on a Friday that several of the teamsters broke their ox yokes, and a delay in hauling of the logs to the mill seemed inevitable. The making of the new yokes would take time and it appeared that the mill must stand idle Saturday. The mill men were rejoicing over the prospect of a holiday at Joe's expense.
The joke seemed to be on Joe, but he was equal to the emergency. He put his men to work at cutting an enormous tree, and placed on the skids at the mill the butt-cut of that tree. It was too large for the mill to handle without loss of time and profit, but it complied with the contract. This scheme on Joe's part gave him time to make new yokes for the Monday morning rush. (Page 127)
He raised some of the best crops in Bear Lake County. He was a successful farmer, stock and sheep man. He and his brothers would log all winter in the canyons— breaking in new roads through deep snow.
Joseph was a man of faith and honored his church. He loved the Gospel and the Lord as well as all his brothers and sisters and their families. He raised an honorable family and was a great example to all. He was a hard working man and supported his family well.
He died 17 May 1917 at Montpelier, Idaho. He was buried in the Sharon Cemetary.
Compiled by Colleen Tippets, wife of John Tippets, a grandson.
Information came from the book "Wixom Family History" written by J. H. Wixom and Ruth S. Widdison and from memories written by Lois Wixom Shaffer, and Penelope (Nellie) Wixom Dayley for a family reunion in 1960.