TITLE PAGE. Daughters of Utah Pioneers. 16 [016]. PIONEER NAME- John Toone. BIRTH DATE AND PLACE- April 10, 1813. Birmingham, Warwick, England DEATH DATE AND PLACE- August 31, 1893. Croydon Cemetary FATHER- John Toone MOTHER- Elizabeth Reading WHO MARRIED AND DATE- Emma Prosser. June 12, 1836 YEAR ARRIVED IN UTAH- September 27, 1852 NAME OF COMPANY- Captain Thomas Howell WHO WROTE HISTORY AND DATE- Teresa Dawson Olson WHO SUBMITTED HISTORY AND DATE- Camille Wilde CAMP NAME- Mt. Joy CAMP HISTORIAN- Bertie Smith COMPANY NAME- Morgan, Utah HISTORIAN- Dena Rich Dat.e /C, History of John Toone and His Wives Compiled and written by Teresa Dawson Olson Great Granddaughter of John and Jemima Cook Toone. With corrections, modifications and additions by M Reed Wilde Great, Great Grandson of John Toone and Emma Prosser Toone. Great Britain was the mother of many great nations. The greatest of these was our beloved United States of America. To her we owe much of our greatness as a country. In all classes of society, whether living in a mansion or forced to live in poverty. The English people used all their powers to live exemplary lives, and taught their children the principles of common morality and obligations with regards to society. John Toone, our great grandfather, was born to John and Elizabeth Reading Toone, on the 10th of April, 1813, at Birmingham, Warwicks, England. Being the eldest of fourteen children John had many advantages. He and his four brothers were all given a good education, as their father was a prominent builder and contractor in Leamington. It was important to him that his sons learn the trades of plumber, plasterer, builder, painter and carpenter. Some of the special things John also studied were law, medicine and music. He had a strong thirst for knowledge, reading and studying many books. He was a talented musician and played his cello in the Royal Orchestra of Queen Victoria, as well as at the old Salt Lake Theatre and Social Hall. Old time dances at Croydon, Henefer and Echo often heard the lively strains of John's fiddle. John was about twenty-two years of age when he met and fell in love with a lovely and refined young lady whose name was Emma Prosser. She was born April 26, 1819, at Herefordshire, England, the third child of James and Mary Ann Morgan Prosser, who had nine children, six girls and three boys. Emma was tall and slender with brown hair and sparkling brown eyes, along with a lovely smile. She was reared in a comfortable home with nice clothes and pleasant surroundings. She grew up happy and secure. She had a good education and special training in dressmaking and fancy sewing, which came in very handy in her pioneer years. John was a tall handsome fellow, well over six feet, with an abundance of curly hair and smiling blue eyes. When he was twenty-three years old, and Emma but seventeen, they were married in the Leamington Chapel on the 12th of June, 1836. They made their home in Leamington, where six of their eight children were born and two were buried. There had been Mormon missionaries in Leamington a number of times, but they were not successful in making converts in that part of England. In 1848 Brother Alfred Cordon, who had been converted years before was sent on a mission to England. While in Leamington and Warwick he preached the gospel where Emma had relatives, and they were converted and baptized. The following is taken from Brother Cordon's Journal and given to Sister Dora Toone Brough, by his great, great granddaughter, June Cordon Garfield. "On April 3, 1849, I baptized Mr. John Toone of Leamington, who afterwards became an efficient elder. In conference, held April 15, 1849, we were visisted by Elder Levi Richards, who had a commission to travel in any part of England he so desired. On April 19, 1849, John Toone and William Chiveral were ordained Elders. John Toone was later appointed to preside over the branch". Emma was also baptized in 1849, along with other members of the Prosser family. When Elder Cordon was released from his mission to return home, the Saints of the Warwick Conference presented him with contributions to help pay his expenses. Elder John Toone, representing the conference, wrote, "When at last we reflect upon the lonely situation in which you found us, and the wonderful things that have transpired in this, so short a time, we with reluctance say, 'Go home, 17 His wife Emma was lonesome, but kept busy with her two sons working the small homestead acreage. She worked in the Primary, holding the position of President for 20 years. Little did she know that she would be sharing her John with two other wives soon after his return from his mission. John Toone embarked on the ship Horizon from Liverpool, England on May 25th with a fellow missionary Edward Martin and 7 other fellow missionaries whom he had labored with. Elder Edward Martin was the Presiding Elder in charge of 856 saints emigrating to the valley on board the Horizon. Among these saints were two young female converts traveling alone to the Salt Lake Valley the first was Hannah Wardell whom John had baptized earlier. The other was Jemima Cook the 28 year old daughter of Richard Cook and Elizabeth Johns. Jemima was converted and baptized in February 1854 against her parent's wishes. As far as we know she was the only one of her family to join the church. She came from a family of nine children 5 boys and 4 girls, she being the youngest daughter. She heard the missionaries preaching the gospel and became very interested although her family was very much opposed to her listening to their teachings and attending their meetings. She would slip away after they thought her in bed, and slip back in through the window unobserved. She was baptized in February 1854, against the wishes of her family. She worked for a tailor and regularly saved a little of her earnings for the time when she would be ready to start for America. When the time came she slipped quietly through her bedroom window in the middle of the night leaving her parents a goodbye note, to start her long trip to Zion. The next morning her parents rushed to the harbor but the ship had already set sail. Hannah and Jemima were listed together on the ships manifest as though they were traveling companions. Arriving in Nebraska all 3 joined Handcart Company No. 5 Captained by Edward Martin the same Edward Martin that was their Presiding Elder on the ship Horizon. This handcart company was late starting from Nebraska and they encountered many hardships along the way. They were buffeted by an early Wyoming blizzard that continued for 3 days leaving 18 inches of snow with drifts several feet deep and temperatures dropping far below zero. They struggled on pushing and pulling their handcart through 18 inches of snow. One night Jemima was so exhausted she tried to steal a ride on one of the wagons, and the teamster guide used bis bull whip on her. This incident was told by Jemima to one of her granddaughters and of the many hardships she suffered. She told of men digging graves where fires had been burning all night. This softened the ground, as it was frozen so very hard. One night 18 souls were buried in one grave. When their provisions ran out they became very hungry. At night, when they stopped, their clothing was covered with ice and snow and frozen to their bodies. Large fires were built to thaw them out, only to have them awake in the morning and find another storm had left two or three feet of snow on their beds. Some of the Saints were so exhausted they would ask to die, they felt they could not go on. Many did die and were buried only in the deep snow. Many lost hands, feet and legs from frost bite. At a place called Devil's Gate, in Wyoming, John asked Hannah and Jemima if they were going to be able to cross the river in the morning, they told him they were. The river was deep and the water had chunks of ice in it. The next morning they sat down to remove their shoes to wade in. Instead John picked up Hannah and carried her across the river then he returned to carry Jemima across to safety. He also helped them push their handcart. Perhaps this was when their courtships began. President Brigham Young heard of their suffering and distress and sent men and provisions to rescue and save them. One of the greatest Mormon Scouts was Ephraim Hanks, and he said the storm during those three days was simply awful. In all his travels in the Rocky Mountains, before and after, he said, "I have seen no worse. It lay on the ground so deep it was impossible to move wagons through it. The sight that met my gaze, as 1 entered their c~p, can never be erased from my memory. The ' 3 starved forms and haggard countenances of the poor, suffering souls was enough to touch the stoutest heart. 1 was camped in South Pass one night and earnestly prayed for .meat to take to the starving saints. Upon arising next morning, a buffalo crossed my path. 1 shot it and took it to the starving saints." They finally arrived in Salt Lake in November. Captain Martin stated 576 persons started the trek to the Rocky Mountains, there were 135 to 150 deaths enroute. The faith of these saints was surely tried, and yet, in the face of so many obstacles, they had courage to go on, stopping each Sunday to worship and give thanks for their new found true religion. Within the month of February 1857 John Toone took first Hannah Wardell and then Jemima Cook to be his plural wives. The next year all 3 wives were expectant mothers first Jemima had a baby son on March 6, 1858, then on May 19th Emma also had a son. Early in July Hannah gave birth to premature twins and with serious complications Hannah and her twins all passed away. Tragedy continued within the month when Emma' s baby son also died. John and Emma Prosser Toone had 8 children, 4 died in infancy and 4 grew to maturity one daughter and three sons and had families. John and Jemima Cook Toone had 7 children 4 sons and 3 daughters all grew to maturity and had families. William Henry Toone the oldest son of John and Emma was called on a mission by Brigham Young early in 1861 to join a freighting expedition to California for supplies. Throughout the year he made several trips by wagon train to California and return. In 1862 his mission was reassigned to the Perpetual Immigration Movement going to and from Nebraska assisting the saints immigrating to Utah. He worked as teamster and livestock herdsman. In 1863 he was released from his mission and was walking on the street in Salt Lake City and met Apostle George A. Smith. William had beautiful dark brown curly locks of shoulder length hair. Brother Smith said, " William you are in need of a hair cut. Come to the barber shop and I will pay for your hair cut" William not able to refuse an apostle agreed. After the hair was cut Brother Smith paid the barber and said, "Carefully gather the hair so I can have a wig made" Apostle Smith was completely bald and he wore this wig the rest of his life. Also in 1863 John Toone with his 2 sons William Henry, 21, and Charles Jabez, 19, were sent to Lost Creek by President Brigham Young to help build up the town of Croydon. They traveled to Lost Creek and acquired three parcels of fann land and returning to Salt Lake for the winter. In the spring of 1864 William met for the first time pretty Hannah Webb whom he courted when ever be could over the next year. They were married on William' s birthday March 4, 1865 by Wilford Woodruff in the Endowment House. Soon after their marriage William and Hannah were directed by President Young to make their home and settle on Lost Creek. Therefore William Henry and Hannah Webb Toone went to Croydon where William built a one room log house with a dirt floor and sod roof. Other rooms were added as needed. On October 26th Brother Charles Jabez Toone married Sarah Augusta Squires and they also were asked to make their home in Croydon. Their father John traveled back and forth between Salt Lake and Croydon for another 6 years before he and his wife Jemima moved to Croydon to make their permanent home on the farm. John's wife Emma choose to remain in her home in Salt Lake City and maintain the home for John and the family to stay when visiting in Salt Lake. She came to Croydon to visit her family here on many occasions. Emma passed away April 7, 1889 at age 70, after many trails and heartaches, she loved the precious Gospel and was humble and faithful to the end. John died August 31, 1893 at the age of 80, the father of 17 children, 91 grandchildren and numerous greats. Jemima died January 3, 1907 at the age of 79, she also loved the gospel her first and last concern was always John and the children. John and Jemima were buried in the Croydon Cemetery in the beautiful valley they helped to build a permanent settlement. 1 JC/