Life Story of Amelia Jarvis
by her grandaughter (name not given)
As I contemplated this assignment I thought of a passage
from the Bible found in James: "Faith without works is dead."
Grandma Amelia had both of these qualities - A firm faith
and she worked her entire life against hardships; including
hunger at times. She never lost faith and certainly it was
the work and the faith of these early pioneers that saved
the Dixie Mission.
Amelia Jarvis was born at Garden Place, Poplar, England on
January 3, 1853. She was the fourth child of Ann Prior and
George Jarvis. When she was just four years old, her parents
decided to leave England for Zion to gather with the saints
as the prophet had asked. George had planned to get help
from the Perpetual Emigration Fund, but due to an over
amount of people helped in 1856 all money had gone to pay
the debt incurred. They had very little money, just a small
amount Ann had saved from her work as a fine seamstress.
That and what they received from selling all their belongings,
they sailed on March 27, 1857 on the George Washington for
Massachuetts.
There were 817 saints abord the ship. George accepted
work in the ship's galley to help pay expenses. Amelia
was four years old.
The family remained in Massachuetts for three years
trying to get money to go on to Utah Territory. Once
agian they sold everything but the bare necessities to
start the journey. They had enough to travel by train
to Florence, Nebraska. It was a pleasant trip with plenty
to eat while they waited for the wagon train to assemble.
There wasn't room for everyone and the Jarvis's were without
a wagon of their own. Their belongings were placed on
various wagons. Arrangements had been made for Ann to
ride because she was pregnant again, but the ride didn't
work out so Ann, George and all the older children walked.
Amelia was seven at the time. She was one who walked
1000 miles to Zion. The story is told of her and her
mother, Ann, being foot weary and tired, laid down one
afternnon behind a bush to rest for just a minute. Ann
was awakened by Amelia screaming, "The Lamanites are
coming!" Having woken up she saw a dust behind her and
she was sure it was Indians. The wagons were out of sight.
Ann took Amelia's hand and together they hurried to find
the wagon train.
On August 30, 1860 they arrived in Salt Lake City and
were met by the saints who took care of their needs until
they could help themselves.
Soon they had a home with curtains at the window, a garden,
work and a few nice things about them. It was the end of
a dream. They were all content and happy. At Conference
in 1861 Grandpa George volunteered to go to the dreaded
Dixie Mission to help grow cotton. Grandma Ann was
rebelious but followed Grandpa's lead.
Once again they sold their belongings. This time they
purchased a wagon and a poor team of horses. Amelia was
placed on the wagon to tend the new baby Heber. They
arrived in St. George on December 5, 1861.
They pulled their wagon into the camps with the rest of
the volunteers at a spot about 7 blocks from where the
Tabernacle now stands. This place became known as the
Abode Yard. "Do we have to stay here?" Amelia asked.
"We sure do. We could never make it back to Salt Lake
City," answered Ann Catherine.
Life in the Dixie Mission was hard. The heat, flies, and
lack of good food was a daily problem. Schools were set
up for anyone who could bring books to use and writing
materials. Having so many children to go to school and so
few books, schooling became a problem. Amelia had trouble
with her eyes and found school to be difficult. She did
not go to school very often.
When Amelia turned 14 she accepted a job from Artismesa
Snow, the President's first wife, as a servant girl.
She did this to ease the pressures at home. She was
treated exactly as a servant, eatting left overs and
wearing hand-me-downs which her mother cleverly made over.
One Sunday at Meeting a good looking fellow with a black
beard sat across from the Jarvis family. Everybody wondered
about him. George told the family his name was William Webb,
and he came to Utah with his wife. He was a good horseman and
had brought freight to St. George for President Snow. On
the way down his wife became ill and died. He buried her by
the side of the road at Scipio. He was staying at Snows.
Amelia waited on him there. He was very nice to her and told
her she was pretty.
One cold Sunday afternoon in Janurary 1868 William came to
the Jarvis house to call on Amelia. Amelia was nervous, as
was William. Ann was very cool, but George greeted him pleasantly
and shook hands. He finally told them in a weak voice that he
would like to marry Amelia. She wanted to marry him at once.
She was very much in love.
Her mother refused to permit marriage at this early age, but
for one year Amelia held on. At the age of 16 it was agreed
that she would be allowed to marry. First, she must wait
until the 3 year old Josephine was old enough to leave alone.
William was called to accompany a group to the Indian Wells,
so it was the last week in August before they were able to
leave for the Endowment House. Her mother went with them.
William had acquired a splendid wagon and team for this trip.
They were married in the Endowment House on September 20, 1869.
They returned to St. George in October, 5 weeks later.
Amelia and William set up house keeping in St. George for
sometime but soon left to Pioneer Heberville (later the
name was changed to Price City Bench). The United Order
was started and William was one of the first to join, though
the duration was very short. Uncomplaining, Amelia endured
heat, flies, poverty, child bearing and Indians in this
stubborn land. She was loving, kind, hard working, loyal
to her husband and church, and a firm disciplinarian.
They raised a large family. William, George, Joseph, Amelia,
Ephriam, Heber, Annie, Sarah, Ida, Alma, Emma, Effie and Samuel.
Baby Amelia died at 5 months and Samuel died the day he was
born. William worked as a farmer, raising everything they
needed to survive. He raised the last commercial cotton crop
on a lot here in St. George.
Amelia greived because of her lack of education and did all she
could to install the need for an education in her children.
This desire has been carried down through the generations.
Because of this desire to better the lives of her children they
moved back to St. George and built a home. It stands, remodled,
at the corner of main and fourth south.
The family responded to this longing for betterment, all
received fair educations and the younger ones college and over.
One became a doctor, one a botonist, one a home economist, and
one or two teachers. The older ones went onto business for
hemselves, a builder, two farmers, a mill owner, progressive
citizen both civic and church wise. The second generation has
benefited by this desire of her longing for schooling. I hope
she is proud of her grandchildren. They are educated, teachers,
doctors, lawyers, progressive farmers, public servants honorably
serving wherever they are called.
The last several years of her life she was in poor health and
for about four months before her death she was bedfast. Cared
for by Emma and Effie. Alma helping with finances. She died
on August 13, 1908 before her husband or parents at the age of
52.
When I think of Amelia Jarvis Webb I think of standby adjectives:
The gift of courage, steadfastness, loving, beautiful in body and
soul, and above all the gift of faith and love of her Heavenly
Father and I think of the words of Nephi of old, "Having been
born of goodly parnets".
Obituary---Amelia Jarvis Webb (August 20, 1908)
Amelia Jarvis Webb died August 13, 1908. Deceased was born
January 3, 1853 in London, England, and was a daughter of
George and Ann Prior Jarvis. She came to Utah with ger parents
in 1860, and accompanied them when they volunteered to settle
this Dixie Country in 1861. Was married to Willian Webb in the
Endowment House at Salt Lake City in the fall of 1869, and by
him had twelve children, ten of whom, six sons and four daughters,
with her husband survive her, also fifteen grandchildren.
Sister Webb bore long and patiently intense suffering with the
malady that finally carried her off, diabetes, and was practically
bedfast for the past fourteen months. Her desire to live to see
her daughter, Mrs. Annie Wilkinson, who was on a mission in the
Society Islands, undoubtedly prolonged her life--her daughter
returned on the 9th inst.
Sister Webb was a devout Latter-day Saint and was a teacher in
the Relief Society.
Funeral services were held in the Tabernacle last Friday, the
speakers paying many deserving tributes to the noble woman who
had gone to her rest.