JOSIAH LEAVITT
son of Jeremiah Leavitt III
(The following is copied from pages 11-21 of "History of Josiah Leavitt and Mary Ann Bowler and Family", by Rose Leavitt-McAllister)

AUTOBIOGRAPHY PORTION:

His Childhood

I am Josiah Leavitt, age 86. I now live in Gunlock, Utah the place of my birth. As I look back over the last 86 years it is with mixed feelings. Much happiness, much sorrow, much to be thankful for, and a desire to help someone else get through the stormy years of life with more serenity. I thank God for my parentage. Also I thank God for my wonderful wife, the mother of my children. Yes I also thank God for my wonderful family that I have been blessed with 17 wonderful children. Each contributing to the happiness of a wonderful home. I guess I am getting ahead of my story.

I was born in Gunlock, Utah, Feb 24, 1862. I was the tenth child and third boy born to Jeremiah and Eliza Harrover Leavitt. I grew up much the same as other boys and girls of the community. I grew up in a humble home. A most primitive atmosphere, no money. All our people had they gleaned from the soil, and hard labor with their hands. I learned very early to ride a horse. I went barefoot until I was grown. I hunted rabbits with a bow and arrow fashioned from a black willow from the creek bottom. I helped raise pigs, cattle and lambs for food. We also sold some to immigrants passing through going to California. The old Oregon [Spanish] rail went through our town. I swam in the creek, fished and waded the creek, tilled the soil, hoed the weeds, irrigated the land and watched the floods wash it away. I punched cows, herded cows, milked cows and fed and watered cows all of my life. It seemed like we actually took more from the cows than the land. Besides the beef they produced we sold butter and cheese and cream that we gleaned from the cows.

At one time the Indians became desperate for food and they started to steal the cattle so we had to guard them constantly. One day when I was a very small child, my brother, Jerry and I took the cows up on the black ridge to graze. We planned to stay all day so we took our lunch. Around about noon an old Indian appeared and wanted our lunch. Of course we gave it to him but we got so hungry that we went home early that day. When we told mother about the episode she suggested that we take the dog next day. We didn't have feed for the cattle in the corral so we had to herd the cows. So we took the dog.

Next day about noon sure enough the Indian appeared again and wanted our lunch so we set the dog on him. He bit the Indian's leg. We were so frightened we went home early again. When we told mother about it she said, "We haven't seen the last of this". Sure enough as the day wore on a big Indian appeared at the cabin and asked for a beef in pay for the dog biting the Indian. Eliza, my mother, refused to give them a beef so he left. After he had gone Mother gathered us children around her and we all knelt in a word of prayer to our Heavenly Father to please help us to protect ourselves from these desperate Indians. We had hardly risen from our knees when we heard a warhoop. Mother said, "This is it". Suddenly she got the idea to scare the Indians. She gave her oldest son Jerry the old sawed off shot gun and told him to go and scare the Indians. He was so sure that the Lord would protect him that he went out on the step and called to the Indians, "Don't come any closer or I'll kill every one of you. " The Indians looked at him in amazement, then at each other, then supposing something sinister be hind it all, one said, "Heap brave papoose. " and they turned and fled.

BIOGRAPHY PORTION:

Young Manhood

Josiah loved to ride and he liked to work with cattle so his father let him do a lot of the riding of the range for him. Josiah had many interesting experiences on cattle drives. He remembers how they would kill a beef for camp meat each spring. Oh how good that meat would taste after a long spring and winter without meat. They would cook the meat on long sticks over the camp fire. Sometimes Josiah ate his meat half raw.

As Josiah grew older he secured jobs from other cattle holders and took his pay in cattle. At one time he went to Bunkerville, Nevada and helped in the United Order. He was just a boy and he worked along with "Jim" Abbott. Later Jim recalled what a good worker he was and how he worked like most men, how dependable he was and how well they paid these boys when the Order broke up. He said the man in charge said, "I want you to pay this boy in cattle and pay him well because he has been a good man on the job. " So Josiah received his pay for his work, and he received it in cattle. Now he could start a cattle herd of his own, his greatest desire.

Josiah had no formal schooling. The first school teacher that came to Gunlock came when Josiah was 20 years old and he was out working with the men by that time so Josiah didn't go to school. All he learned he got from the school of hard knocks.

One time Josiah and Billie Truman went to Arizona to work on the railroad. They stayed there for two years. When the job was done and they received their pay they went to Flagstaff, Arizona and bought cattle. They bought the long-horned Texas cattle off the "Mocohom" range. They had quite a cattle herd to drive home. It was in the middle of the summer and it was hot and dry and the drive was very slow. When they got to Pipe Spring it was the 3rd of July and they wanted to be home for the 4th so they corralled the cattle and rode home.

When they came around the point at the lower end of town they started to whooping and hollering so every one would know that they were back. They threw their hats in the air and rode fast through town. They rode on to the cabin, tied their horses to the hitching post and Josiah ran in to see his darling mother. When he got in the house there was a nice looking Bowler girl there talking to his mother and he met her. Five minutes later he came out and announced to Billy, "I'm going to have that girl if I've got a rope that will hold her. " Of course Billy didn't know what he was talking about. He knew that Josiah was "promised" to another girl. When he had told his mother of this promise, she said, "Josiah you will never marry that girl. Someday you are going to have a huge posterity and that girl can never give you one.

During the 4th of July celebration Josiah was looking strongly on the Bowler girl. Apparantly she was going.with another man. One night Josiah went to the dance and Mary Ann was there with this other man. They had such fun together and Josiah asked her to go home with him and she did. This made the other man real mad. He wanted to fight Josiah and Josiah said, "You know Hy, I wouldn't fight you for Old Sailor and I wouldn't take a hundred dollars for Old Sailor. " So there was no fight and Josiah got his girl.

They dated for several months and then on the 28 of Dec 1888 Josiah and Mary Ann Bowler were married in the St. George Temple.

Ironcially Josiah's other girl married someone else and she died of child birth with, her first child and Mary Ann lived to produce Josiah with 17 children.

Married Life

Josiah and Mary Ann were married Dec 28, 1888 in the St. George ample. After the wedding they moved into a one room brick house ith a lumber lean-to on the back belonging to Josiah's brother Joseph avitt. They lived in this house awhile then decided to buy it from me, which they did. They got their waranty deed several years later om Franklin O. Holt and wife Emma. It was filed Sept 19, 1904 in the Washington Co. Courthouse.

Most of the children were born in this home. The children came very fast, about every one and a half years. The last one, Florence, was the only one to have a doctor. She was born in Florrie Truman's home in St. George with Dr. Woodbury in attendance. The rest of the births were attended by a midwife.

The first six children were boys; Sid, Si, Wallace, Lyman, Vern and Lawerence. The boys just had to learn to help in the home as well as on the farm. All learned to mix bread, wash dishes, clean house, scrub on the board, carry water and wood, prepare meals, tend smaller children and get along with each other. They developed great respect for their Mother and Father and also for each other.

Josiah and Mary Ann farmed the lower field. It was located about 2 miles south of town. In order to be closer to their work on the farm in the summer time, they moved the family to the field to live. They boarded up a tent to cook and eat in and they all slept out under the stars. They did much cooking out of doors too especially when canning time came. They raised fruit, vegetables, especially corn and beans, lots of hay and grain for the stock, cane for molasses and many good melons. They sold lots of corn and onions for money for much needed things for the family. In later years they made molasses also to sell. When hay cutting time came all the children were out there black willows to catch the rabbits that would run out of the hay patch. They needed the rabbits for food, so couldn't afford to miss one of them. In the summer they had an abundance of good food, but the big problem was how to preserve it so they could use it in the winter time. They did much drying of food. Then they started to canning or bottling. This opened a whole new aspect of storing food. All the family had to work, but in working they were happy.

When the 7th child was born it was a girl and they named her Mary Agatha. She was born on the 5 June 1897 in Gunlock and 2 days later the 4th child, Lyman Howard, died very suddenly of laryngitis. The shock of it all was a very hard thing for the family to take. Little Agatha was the pride and joy of everyone in the family. The boys tried to make the burden lighter for their mother all of the time. Next came Gladys. She was also petted, loved and spoiled by the whole family. While Gladys was yet a small child and Mary Ann was expecting another child Josiah was called on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. When the call came from the Church there wasn't a question as to will I go, but how will I go? The Lord did provide a way. Josiah and Mary Ann sold some cows and one choice horse, "Old Sailor" to get the immediate money they needed. On Oct 2, 1899 the Gunlock Ward held a public dance in behalf of Josiah and his brother-in-law, Harry Bowler. They sold tickets on a quilt for 25 cents a ticket. They sold 70 tickets, then they raffled off a silk handkerchief and got $4.00 for Josiah in Gunlock. Then on Oct 6 in the Hebron Ward they raised $4.50 for Josiah. Josiah and Henry Bowler left Modena, Utah on the 7th of October for Salt Lake City. They traveled on the train. On Oct 11, 1899 Josiah was set apart for the Southern States Mission and Harry was set apart the same day for the South Western States Mission. Josiah labored in Kentucky. He was gone about one and a half years. He filled an honorable mission. While he was gone, a son, Joseph Page, was born. Mary Ann paid Grandma Turman tea from her store for delivering Joe.

When his darling little Agatha was burned to death, Josiah dreamed of her death the day it happened, but it wasn't until two and a half months later it was told to him by a letter from Mary Ann. Then his mother Eliza died while he was gone and also his wife's beloved mother, Matilda, died also. All of this was very sad indeed for Josiah. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. " He must go on. Josiah was released from his mission on the 8 March 1901. He didn't get home until May.

The people in the community were planning a big home coming for Josiah. It had been in the making for days. His older sons met him at Modena. Josiah wasn't feeling well at all. It had been a very tiresome and strenuous trip and he thought he was just tired. He didn't feel like going to the dance but Mary Ann insisted because she didn't want to disappoint the home folks, so Josiah went. When he got there the Church house was filled to capacity. He had to shake hands with everyone and most everyone had a big kiss for Josiah. He managed to get through the evening, but he was asked by the Bishop to give his mission report the next day in Church. He was so sick he didn't feel like going but he must, so he went to Church and reported his mission, sang a song and then went home and dropped into bed not to get up again for weeks. After several days had gone by and Josiah didn't feel better, Dr. Athlic from St. George was summoned. He came in a buggy to see Josiah. After examination he pronounced smallpox. All the town was quarantined and vaccinated and the family was quarantined from the town. Josiah was very ill. One by one the family started to get it. Mary Ann needed help. The people in town were afraid to come near except J. S. P. Bowler, Mary Ann's father. He had been vaccinated for smallpox before leaving England so he came to the home and helped with all the sickness. All the family had it but no one in the town besides the family got it. People in the community wanted to help out so they brought food to Jim Tullus's across the street and Sister Tullis delivered it to the home. All the family recovered from that dread disease without harmful effects.

While Josiah was gone on his mission Mary Ann stocked a store in her front room of her home and sold groceries to the neighbors. The sign out in front of the house was something like this:

	HAY		GRAIN		SUPPLIES
			H O T E L

People used their yard for a sort of campground. Travelers came for a nights lodging, food, hay and grain for their animals. They pitched their tents if they had one and cooked their fare over a camp fire by the wagon. Many times 8 or 10 camps would be at the Leavitt yard at the same time. Besides building a thriving business at the home, the cattle herd grew until they had more cattle than they had before Josiah left. So the Lord was watching over this family while the father was serving his Heavenly Father teaching the Gospel to others.

In the Gunlock Ward they organized what they called a religion class. It was similar to our seminaries of today. They taught the members how to pray to our Heavenly Father, they taught the commandments of God and also how to live them. Josiah was the first superintendent of this religion class. The first year the schoolteacher Annie Miller took the younger group of children and Josiah took the older group and this group consisted of many adults. After the first year Josiah taught the whole group for many years. (Some say 15) Blanche Leavitt Holt told in our Sunday School class one day about a nephew of her's, Mar Tullis, who was a student of that religion class. He had a very bad habit of throwing rocks at people as they went passed the family home. One day he threw a rock at Josiah and very narrowly missed him. Instead of the usual swearing and cussing Mar got, Josiah called him over, gave him a piece of candy from his pocket and explained to him why he shouldn't throw rocks. In love and kindness he also told him that he, Josiah, knew that Mar was a very good boy but the people in town didn't know it so, "why Mar don't you let them know that you are a good boy?" Many times since that, Mar has told how this kind act had changed his life. He never threw another rock. He did prove to the people that he was a good boy, he greatly respected his teacher, and in turn became a highly respected man himself.

After Josiah returned from his mission he and Mary Ann decided to take out a homestead on the property in Ox Valley. They had been farming the lower field by a squatters right and it became necessary to obtain a deed for that porperty, so they took out a desert entry on the lower field. They farmed the lower field, raised a nice garden on the property in town and also raised a good crop on the homestead in Ox Valley besides taking care of the cattle. They were busy people.

Soon after Josiah's return from his mission there was a severe earthquake. November 17, 1902 the first quake came. It was a severe shaking. People who were here remember how the water slopped out of the ditch, how the huge boulders came falling off the black ridge causing a great commotion and dust no one had ever seen so much of in Gunlock before. During the coming winter there were tremors very often.

Josiah's home was damaged from the quake. The living room was brick so it was damaged beyond repair. Josiah and his oldest son, Sid, went to Panguich to get the lumber for the new home. When they got enough lumber on hand to start with the building they hired Jessie Huntsman to come and build it for them. He was considered an excellent carpenter. He lived at the family home. All the children helped with the job that was old enough. First they built the "green room" and put a fireplace in it. It was papered green and the woodwork was painted pink. Then they tore the old brick room off and put up the parlor. It was also papered and beautiful pastel shades of paint on the woodwork. They had an organ in this room and was used for a family room. They they tore off the lean-to behind and built the kitchen where the family had many happy hours. Then they built a big room south of the "green room". This they used for the store. Because the family had to move back and forth from Gunlock and Ox Valley they had to give up the store. Then later other families lived in the big room. They built a big sleeping quarters upstairs above this store room. Here the boys had a big bedroom. Then they built 2 small bedrooms downstairs behind the green room and store room. These rooms were used by the parents in one room and the girls in the other room.

The house was patterned after the old southern mansions in Kentucky that Josiah had seen while he was on his mission. The big front porch in front of the green room and store room was a constant scene for family parties in the summer time and the families loved to sit on the porch and watch the people go by. The love in that home was felt by the neighbors and friends far and near. The music, the singing and laughter and all the family will never forget. The Leavitt orchestras furnished much of the music in the community also. All this contributed to a healthy community life.

Josiah's sand Mary Ann's second boy was called on a mission to North Carolina. While he was gone the family was having a very hard time making ends meet. It seemed that every time they had to send him money they had to sell a cow. Their cow herd was getting so depleted that Josiah was worrying about it. One day when they got word that Si needed more money Josiah started to complain about selling another cow, when Mary Ann said, "Sigh, I promise you that if you will quit the grumbling and complaining that you will not have to sell another cow." This turned out to be true. All the rest of the time Sile was gone they never had to sell another cow.

The young people of the community used to go to the ranches for parties very often. There was the old Truman Ranch, the Henry Hunt Ranch, the Biglow Ranch, all scenes of much fun for the young folks. They also went to Veyo, Central, Enterprise and Pine Valley for celebrations which were much fun but on the whole they made their own fun right here in the town of Gunlock. They had candy pulls, chicken suppers, corn roasts, melon busts, dances galore, horse races, foot races, pie eating contests, and one of the things all looked forward to was the 10 o'clock meeting on all holidays. Every one took part in this. All practiced their talents and used them on these occasions. May Day was a very special day for all the town. Everyone went to Dudley's grove about 4 miles north of Gunlock where they took swings, baseballs, horse shoes, May poles and a big lunch for everyone. What a gay time these May Days were. Sometimes they even took the organ in a truck so they could have a band. Riding horses was a favorite sport too along with hunting wimps, bottle stoppers, sour berries, squaw bush gum and pine gum. Wild flowers were fun to hunt too.

Josiah served as Superintendent of the Sunday School for many years. He served as a counselor in the Bishopric for about 8 years. He was called on many occasions to administer to the sick and served his community in many ways. We have all heard many times of the time Thelma was so sick with the croup. Annie had doctored her with everything .she knew what to do with. She just seemed to get worse. She got so bad that Annie sent Vern flying on a horse to get the neara est neighbor across the creek. (The family lived at the lower field ~ at this time) Uncle Ed Leavitt came with his good wife Elthier. When ;'they reached the tent Annie came out crying, "she's gone", were her aefirst words, "dedicate her to the Lord. " Uncle Ed took the child and s~handed her to Vern then he pronounced a blessing upon her that was ` literally fulfilled. He said, "you will grow up to have a nice family. " We all know that this is so. From that point on Thelma got better. In the meantime Josiah was on his way home and he had camped at `Kane Spring. In the night a voice clearly spoke to him and said, "Joeiah you are needed at home. " He got out of bed, dressed, hitched y~up his team with as much speed as possible and headed home. He prayed all the way home that nothing serious was happening. When he arrived at the field gate the older boys met him. His first words were, "What's wrong?" Then they told him about Thelma and what had happened to her during the night. He was much relieved and thankful to be home again. And then there was the time when Florence was the baby. She was very sick and had a fever and Annie was doing all she could for her. Josiah was in Ox Valley. The night was so black they wanted to wait for morning before sending for Father. But as usual Josiah sensed there was something wrong at home. He had asked two boys to catch the horses and put them in the corral the night before. (It would have been utterly impossible for them to have caught them in the dark. ) Then after Josiah went to bed he was just half sleeping that night. Well as I said before the family didn't want to send for Josiah but Florence became worse so Annie felt that she must send for him. It was Lawerence that went. It was 18 miles through the hills to Ox Valley. The trail was very dangerous especially in the night, but Lawerence made it alright and as he was going around the field in Ox Valley Josiah heard the horse and got up, dressed and was ready by the time Lawerence got there. They headed back for home. They rode in at home just at daylight. After administering to Florence she started to improve. She was soon alright again.

All the children remember how each evening before retireing they used to make corn meal mush over the open fireplace, or pop corn, or make lumpy dick for the evening snack.

Mary Ann organized two orchestras in the family. She didn't play an instrument herself but she could teach some one else how to play and she did. Besides teaching her own children she gave lessons to the neighbors.

And so Josiah's and Mary Ann's life was full. They were living a good life and setting a proper example for others who knew them.

They were very desirous to give their children a high school education so when the time came when they could, the moved to Mesquite, Nevada where Lester, Joe and May attended high school and the younger children went to grade school. They moved in the fall of 1921, that year the dread flu epidemic went around. Most of the family had it and finally Annie got it and died with flu and pneumonia Feb 20, 1922. In her passing she left 8 children for someone to care for. The people in Bunkerville helped a lot with the children but they only stayed a short time then they moved back to Gunlock, heartsick, discouraged, afraid and terribly sad. The first night at home was a trail for everyone. Things were just as Mother had left them except no mother. Everyone felt a definite loss, including Florence the baby then just one and a half years old. Florence kept crying for Mama until it was getting them down. Finally she saw some peaches and reached for them, everyone wanted to help her, she ate the peaches then dropped off to sleep.

As the days wore on things became more unbearable, so it was decided that Gladys and Joe would take Grace and Florence, Vern and Luella would take Ray, Grand and Shorty and the rest of them would try and get along at home. I guess Josiah sensed it more than anyone else, so 3 months later he married Myrza Miles hoping to get his children together again.