The Minor Family of Somerset

Name Prefix:<NPFX> (Twin)
REFN: 17CD-C6
History of John Smith Park Written byhis Daughter Mary Ann Par
k Davis for the Camp grand View Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
, Provo, Ut.
William and John Smith Park were born 29 dec 1849 ina log cabin
, which was built inside the Old Fort at Provo.
They were the first pair of twins born in Utah County, and wer
e sons of John and Louisa (Smith) Park, pioneers of 1847, who ca
me to Salt Lake in September 1847.. They hadfour daughters, thr
ee born in Canada and one at Winter Quarters, when they came t
o Salt Lake.
They were among the first families chosen by Brigham Youngto se
ttle Provo, and when the twins came, they were a great source o
f amuesement and curiosity to the Squaws, who often came to se
e them.
The twins were cared for by the two older isters. Jane had th
e care of William and Marycared for John. Tmes were very har
d and everyone had to work helping with the crops and keeping wa
tch for the Indians, as they were very troublesome, often drivin
g away, or killing the settlers cattle.
When father was small, they moved from this cabin, to higher gro
und where another Fort was built, knownas the Old Adobe Yards
. They remained there for nearly two years, and the family agai
n moved to what is known as Dry Creek, and here they took up far
ming land, another pair of twins were born here, called Joseph a
nd Martha, andlater on, three more children came, maKing eleve
n brothers and sisters in all.
Soon as John and William were old enough they would herd the cow
s up on the foot hills, east of Provo City, going barefoot, an
d many times the Indianswould follow them, stepping on their he
els and taKing their lunches away from them.
John grew to manHood, full of mishchief and high spirits and use
d tomake us children laugh and wonder at some of the wild escap
ades he would tell us about, and also would sing the way the Ind
ians did.
His school teachersmust of not been too alert or watchful, beca
use on several occasions, he told us of slipping out of school i
n the winter time, taKing someone's sled andhorses and gettin
g a girl or two and going for a ride and coming back to school b
efore the teacher found out what had happened.
He went to Randolph, RichCounty, Utah, also to Morgan, Ut., t
o work, and it was at Morgan the he metand courted and marrie
d one of the bells of that town, Martha Melissa Parker,daughte
r of Wyman Maynard Parker and Martha Simmons. They were marrie
d 26October 1874 in the Salt Lake Endowment House.
They lived for some time in Morgan, Utah. Here the first chil
d was born, Johnnie Parker, and then they moved to Randolph. Ric
h County, where Hugh Park was born, then to Provo, where Nora an
d Albert Andrew were born, and it was here that the first grea
t sorrow came into their lives, they lost their oldest boy, John
ie who was born 4 october 1875. died February 23, 1883 at th
e age of seven.
Father then took up a large section of land on Provo Bench, on
e hundred and sixty acres, and here he built a log house. The g
round was all sage brush and lots of rocks andno water closer t
han the Provo River on the south and Battle Creek on the North
. Their cattle were driven each Day to one of these streams to d
rink. Their culinary water was hauled in barrles. The work wa
s hard, but graduallythe ground was broken up and planted int
o fruit tree, berries, potatoes, vegetables and he also raised l
arge patches of grain and alfalfa. Canals and ditches were du
g to bring water to the thirsty land of which he helped to dig
.He also worked for sometime on the railroad.
In 1883, the first child was born in the little log house, and n
amed Louisa B. Later, William Smith, and another boy they calle
d Joseph, who was not blessed, but died at birth and wasburie
d close to the house. Then came Iona, the last born in the Lo
g home,as a new home was being constructed about one hal