JOHN THOMAS NOAKES & MILLIE ANN GUYMON

Ruby's Paternal Grandparents

JOHN THOMAS NOAKES, the oldest son of John Hubbard and Susan Amelia Childs Noakes, was born in Springville, Utah, February 16, 1865.

MILLIE ANN GUYMON, daughter of James and Rhoda Leech Nease Guymon, was born in Fountain Green, Utah, September 9, l865.

The parents of this couple were early pioneers, and they themselves were native pioneers, experiencing the days from the Saturday night bath in the washtub in the kitchen to the daily bath in the modern tub. In their time, also, the wash bench and water bucket were replaced by the modern sink and wash bowl; the straw tick was discarded for the spring-filled mattress; and the ox team was traded for the automobile. They missed having the privilege of riding in an airplane, although the mail plane and some passenger service were in progress. In short, they watched the desert blossom into prosperity.

The Noakes family settled in Springville where they were prosperous farmers, while the Guymon family was among those chosen to settle land in all parts of the State, finally making their home in Fountain Green, Utah. They, too, were farmers.

John Thomas had a pleasing personality. He spent his boyhood days helping his father raise cattle and horses and working about the farm. Hay and grain were the chief products of the Noakes farm, and they also raised some of the best cattle and best horses. It was his father's hobby to drive a fine span of horses or ride his beautiful pony, and John Thomas also loved horses and always owned a good team.

These early settlers had their celebrations and amusements -- dramas by home talent, etc., but the big special occasion was the 24th of July, the State day. This was celebrated in grand style The festivities began at sunrise with the firing of a cannon and the band playing some lively tunes. The finest team in town was groomed in shiny style, and the best wagon was used to carry the band from place to place. John Thomas played the snare drum. The happiness of this day was always long remembered.

They were taught to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy, and John made this his life habit and duty. He was a quiet person who weighed his words well and generally meant what he said. Always honest, he believed firmly in justice.

The Guymon family, too, were staunch Latter-day Saints and firm believers in obeying the laws of the Church. Millie Ann was raised in a large family of twelve children. Being the tenth child, she was often told, in fun, that she belonged to the tithing. Her outstanding characteristics were neatness and cleanliness.

One incident, in regard to her pride, was often related. Her mother had made her a new dress for a special occasion in Church, but she refused staunchly to attend on account of the dress being too stiff and the skirt flaring out too much. Her heart was broken to think of missing the affair, yet she was too proud to go if her clothes were not in good taste. At this point, her father appeared, and, his word being law with the family, the other members thought she was in for a sound chastisement for her conduct, but, to their surprise, as well as hers, he understood her pride and said, "It does poke out a little too much. I'll carry you over to Church and that will hold it down so it will look all right by the time we get there." That was one of the happiest moments of her young life and a memory she always treasured of her father. He being the father of thirty-three children, it isn't hard to understand why this little courtesy was so much appreciated.

The children of these large polygamous families were expected to earn their own living at an early age. Therefore, the girls learned how to cook, sew, wash, iron, etc. much sooner than they do today, but they were happy and found pleasure in their work. Millie Ann began sewing for women in the town of Fountain Green at the age of eleven. She was an artist with trimming, etc.

When Millie Ann had grown to womanhood, she left the quiet little town of Fountain Green to work In Springville where work was more plentiful, such as cooking for contractors who were building railroads, etc. She was a splendid cook and very neat so had no trouble finding a good place to work in the Boyer family. She was attractive, well built, with auburn hair and blue eyes. She weighed around 125 pounds and was about five feet four inches tall. So she had no trouble in making her own choice of a partner from among the young men in the town. He had to look just right, and the one with the required personal appearance was none other than the tall, well-built, dark, handsome John T. Noakes.

Life for awhile was a whirlwind of merriment - dancing, sleighriding, candy pulls, etc. The wedding date was set for March 17, 1886.

John and Millie settled down in a little home to start life together with just a small piece of land -- enough to raise their garden stuff, a team and a cow. They spent some time in summer in the canyon at a sawmill. There Millie Ann helped with the cooking.

Their first baby, a girl, was born May 31, 1887. She was named Pearl. The next year found them expecting another baby who arrived January 26, 1889, their daughter Emma. Almost two years later, their third child and first son was born, December 21, 1890. They named him Leo Milton.

By this time things were not going too well. They could not accumulate enough land to make a comfortable living, and John developed rheumatism and was unable to do much work. This was discouraging, so they sold their home in Springville and moved to Orangeville, a little town in Emery County where several of Millie's relatives had settled. They bought a place with a young orchard and worked hard, but the young father still suffered with rheumatism. Millie was gifted with an ability to care for the sick, and she prayed that something could be done for her husband's condition and that he could be restored to health. She believed in putting faith and work together, and, when told by a friend to try Turkish baths, she was willing. These had to be accomplished without the modern conveniences of today, but instructions were carefully followed. First, the room had to be warm; then a kitchen chair was arranged with a blanket. The patient sat on the chair, his feet in a tub of warm water, and the blanket was wrapped around him, also enclosing the tub. Steam was created from heat made by placing one-half cup of wood alcohol under the chair and lighting it. As soon as the fire in the cup burned out, which usually took about thirty minutes, the patient was put in a warm bed with plenty of covers and allowed to sweat for about two hours, being careful to avoid drafts. John was completely cured of rheumatism by this treatment, which was repeated for days at a time, and from then on was a healthy man.

Two little girls were born to them while they lived in Orangeville: Kate, on November 13, 1893, and Winnie, on October 18, 1895.

John never gave up the idea that he should farm, so, now that he enjoyed better health, he had the urge to try again. Encouraged by some acquaintances who were leaving this settlement to take up land in Idaho, they sold their land, took some good cows, two teams and two wagons with all their belongings and joined them. "I (Emma) was eight years old and well remembers the trip. Pearl, Milt, and I would walk and gather pretty rocks and flowers along the roadside. How we enjoyed making camp. We inherited the pioneer spirit but were far more comfortable as we had everything convenient for camping."

The family settled about seven miles from Blackfoot, Idaho, on a flat piece of land covered with sagebrush. It wasn't long until a log cabin was built. The land was plowed, and grain was planted that year. The next year they moved to a nice big farm which had a good log house and a fine barn. They took this place on shares, but it was one of those years of drought, and the crops were almost a failure. This discouraged them, and they loaded their belongings and returned to Springville where they secured a few acres of land from Grandfather Noakes and built a two-room house. In this house, another son was born February 9, 1898, Clarence John.

John worked for contractors while Millie cared for her little family, raised a garden, milked cows, made her own butter, raised chickens, etc. On one occasion, she sold one ton of good hay for $3.00 and bought shoes for the children to start school.

It was at this time (1898), while working for contractors, that John met with an accident when he drilled into a hole filled with joint powder. The powder blew up throwing him many feet away on a hillside. He was knocked unconscious, and it was at first thought he had been killed. However, he regained consciousness and, fortunately, was not seriously injured. Through this experience, he gained a testimony of the gospel that remained with him throughout the rest of his life. While unconscious, he dreamed that he had died and entered a beautiful place which was heaven. There he was shown an unfinished open book and told his work on earth was incomplete and that he must return and complete it. He was not a man to exaggerate and was sincere in his belief of life after death. As he had not yet been married in the Temple, he was sure that was the meaning of his dream, and he never felt satisfied until that requirement was fulfilled, although it was years later before he and Millie had an opportunity to go to the Temple. This testimony was his guiding light.

Contract work was about the only work to be had, so John started a fruit and vegetable business, making weekly trips to the coal camps. He had a good team and wagon with a canvas cover and took a big load of the finest fruits and vegetables that were raised in the area. Much of this he bought from William Kelsey -- one of the best gardeners in Springville. He had regular customers in Thistle, Tucker, and Scofield. Two of the children were privileged to go with him on these weekly trips -- Pearl and Winnie, then Kate and Emma. The children helped arrange the crates and watched to see that nothing was stolen while deliveries were being made to the houses. The children looked forward to these trips for it was such fun to camp, and John could prepare a good meal.

Millie made and baked all the bread for the "grub box". She was always busy and, in addition to other daily tasks, found time to pick fruit on shares to bottle and do washings for several prominent families. These people could buy soap and would send two bars with each big basket of laundry, but they always expected the unused part of one bar to be returned with the clean laundry. Millie would use her own home-made soap, if necessary, in order to be sure to have part of a bar to return.

From her earnings, she was able to purchase her first washer -- a machine made of wood. The lid on top had a set of cogs with a handle attached, which was easy to work back and forth. This handle turned a dolly that was attached on the inside of the lid and kept the suds in motion, cleaning the clothes with hardly any rubbing on the board. It took fifteen minutes to a batch, and each child old enough took his or her turn for five minutes. After going through the washer, the clothes were scalded in a boiler of water, so they were both clean and sanitary. The next improvement on the washer was a large wheel on the side that turned like a grindstone. Then came the Maytag.

On November 12, 1900, their seventh child and third son, Robert Uel, was born. And in 1903, on January 8, their son, Elmo James, was born. They now had a family of eight children--four boys and four girls, all healthy and happy. They were always clean and, due to their mother's ability to sew, well dressed.

It was difficult to make a living in Springville unless one owned abundant land, as such low wages were paid for farm work. They worked in the beet fields and did any kind of work to be had, but still things did not go too well.

A friend of John's, Charles Daily, came one day to tell him about the work in the coal mine at Scofield. They were paying good wages and needed men badly. As this would be easier on Millie, they decided to make the move. Here John earned very good wages, and Milton, who was just fourteen, made a man's wages working with him under his watchful care and protection. They soon were able to possess a few longed-for bits of furniture, nice carpets, a Monarch range, graphophone, nice dishes, etc. They also started their first savings account.

Then John had an opportunity to work on the railroad. This was much safer and in the open air, so they moved again to Thistle, Utah, in the year 1906, and John went to work for the Rio Grande. This work he loved and continued for over twenty-two years with but very few days absent. He was well-liked by his fellow workers and respected by his employers.

It was while working on the railroad in Thistle that John and Millie gathered their family together and traveled to Manti to be married and sealed in the Temple. They were faithful to the teachings of the Church, paid their full tithing, and attended meetings whenever possible. Millie worked in Primary and Relief Society and also took care of the sick. She was especially good with maternity cases and was highly praised for her work. With her knowledge of sanitation, she accomplished many difficult cases successfully.

Their greatest sorrow came with the death of one of their children. Their young son, Clarence, twenty years of age, while working on the railroad in Laramie, Wyoming, contracted a throat infection and died quite suddenly on June 9, 1918. After raising all their children to manhood and womanhood, they were hardly prepared for such a loss, and it was a great shock to them.

A few years later, a son-in-law, John William Huff, Emma's husband, was killed in the Castle Gate mine disaster, March 8, 1924. A week later, a daughter-in-law, Alice Luthy Noakes, passed away from heart trouble, leaving their son, Milton, with four children. They felt these children were their responsibility, also, and saw that they were cared for, taking one of the grand-daughters, Ruby, into their home. They were also caring for another grandson, Fred, so found themselves with two of their grandchildren. They were now living in Eureka, Utah.