History's James Wilson Memmott

Jill Memmott Olsen has transcribed many histories from family bulletins and has offered to send them along with the pictures she has. Thanks Jill for all your help!

James Wilson Memmott

 James Wilson Memmott (1841 – 1919)

Written by James Wilson Memmott

(Published in the 1976 Bulletin)

This is a sketch of the life of James Wilson Memmott born February 25, 1841, in Aston, Yorkshire, England.  Son of William Memmott, born in Aston, Yorkshire, England, on August 30, 1823 and Ann Wilson Memmott, born in Woodhouse Mill, Yorkshire, England on August 30, 1823.  My parents had seven children: Thomas, Martha, James Wilson, John William, William, Samuel and Sarah Ann.

I received some schooling until 10 years of age.  At about 12 years I commenced to learn the engineering trade.  At the age of 18 I learned a part of the milling business.  At 20 I married Elizabeth Hopkins on 24 March 1861.  Went to Utah April 23, sailing on a ship, Underwriter.  Arrived on New York 29 May 1861, about six days before the Civil War commenced.  Left New York for St. Joseph, Missouri, 30 May 1861.  Traveled by river, went up to Florence by steam boat arriving about 10 June 1861. Camped about three weeks there and then started for Salt Lake City, Utah in July.  Traveled in the Milo Andrews and Omer Duncon train.  Had a first rare time and good trip.  Our team, first two yoke oxen, one cow, with eleven family members.  We arranged our business first rate.

I don’t think we were five dollars to the good – or five dollars in debt.  We had a little trouble on account of Indians, but I consider we had a first class trip.  Some few died on the trip.  There were seventy- five wagons, five hundred head of oxen, and about five hundred people.

We camped in Salt Lake City about ten days and found some of our old Sheffield friends.  Harry Roper, Matthew Rowen and others.  We went to Payson, sixty or sixty-five miles south.  Found many friends and got along fine for newcomers and not being used to the country and people.

On 16 July 1862, my wife gave birth to a baby girl (Annie Elizabeth), which at this time is 51 years old and has eight living children.  But my wife never recovered and died 13 September 1862.  This was very hard on me and many a time I would have gone back to my old home, my Mother raised the baby and she called her Mother.

All my people moved to Scipio, Millard County, Utah, but I stopped in Payson until 1890 when I went to Mexico.  In the meantime I bought about $10, 000 of land, two threshing machines, two saw mills, and done general business which Mormons generally do so as to make a living and build a home.

In the years 1863-64-65 I made shingles, made two trips to Montana, in 66 I took charge of Simons Mill and held it for over twenty years.  I built a good home in 1866 and in 1871 – I married a young lady, Jane Mathewson, from Scotland.  We lived together for twenty years and had 10 children.  They are:  Martha Jane, James Wilson, Lillie, Mattie, William George, Lee Edward, David F., Zoe Helen, Maude May and Zella Ireta.

We lived in Payson for fifteen years, and then moved to Salem in 85’, and in 1890 we moved back to Payson.  In six weeks trouble got in the family and in less than forty-eight hours I was on my way to Mexico.  Arriving in Juarez on 9 July 1890.  I have made five visits to Salt Lake since I came to Mexico.  After arriving in Colonia Juarez, I rested for about twenty days, and then went to work for W.R.B Stowell to run his grist mill, of about 75 bushels per twelve hours.  At first I earned one dollar per day, but as people move in, business increased.  I had a great time as I did not know the Spanish language.  After a time I got acquainted and saved some cash, bought me a home and found me a wife.  I married Mary Ann Mellor, 14 June 1894.  Since that time we have had six children, two girls and four boys.  They are: Mary Etta, Joseph Fletcher, James Wilson, George Liecester, and  Hazel.

Many changes have come to pass, and today July 20, 1914, we are in Thatcher, Arizona, wondering who is in Mexico, and wondering when we go back to our home, and 200 acre farm with tools and everything complete.  I worked with and for  W. R. R. Stowell as miller about six years and was very much pleased and took much pleasure with the Stowell Family for three years, then built a mill below Jackson Mill, but before it was completed Joseph Jackson offered me his mill for $12,000 Mexican.  I ran it for seven years then sold it to Don Leuis Terrazas of Chih.  And moved to Colonia Juarez at the time I was making cash.  I bought P.N. Skousen’s farm for $6,000.  The seven years I run the mill and farm I cleaned up about $5.00 a year and did quite a large amount of business from 1890 – 1903.  After 1908 trouble in Mexico was talked about so I sold to P.N. Skousen $18,000 land.

When in 1907 I built a home worth $7,000 with a good barn, one hundred acres in San Jose, and one hundred in Chuachupa.  In 1912 we all left Mexico for a time, a few came back, and many never did.  We came back and had to leave again.

This was written by James Wilson Memmott.  He died February 13, 1919 in El Paso, TX.