Josiah Albert and Mary Jane Faylor
By Orpha Faylor Bradley and Lois Lee Hulme, from History of Bear Lake Pioneers
Josiah Albert Faylor was born November 23, 1861, at park City Utah. He was the first of seven children born to Josiah Albert Faylor and Mary Jane Aland. When Josiah was six or seven years old, he moved with his parents, a sister and two brothers to California, living in Sonoma County, at Sebastopol and Guerneville.
In June of 1882 he came to Bloomington to stay with an uncle, Albert Aland. Mary Jane Thomas was born October 23, 1866 in Bloomington, the first of six children born to James Clayborne Thomas and Tene Nelson. Mary Jane was among the first children born in Bloomington. her parents were the first couple born there. Bloomington at that time, consisted of just a few house. Mary Jane slept in a trundle bed, which could be slid under the large bed to make more space in the room.
Early in life Mary Jane was taught to spin yarn, which her mother wove into material for clothing for the family. Mary Jane was given the task of spinning three skeins of yarn a day. She gathered green birch leaves and various other plants, berries and blossoms with which they dyed the yarn. In this way they were able to make checks and stripes in their material as it was woven.
When Mary Jane was of school age, a one room school house was built. All grades from the first to the eighth, were taught in this room. One of the biggest thrills of Mary Jane's young life was when she was presented a book for being the best speller in school. the book was "The Martyrs" a story of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It was inscribed "Presented by the Trustees of the Bloomington School District. September 15, 1882." Mary Jane cherished this book all the years of her life.
During Josiah's visits to Bloomington and after he came to stay, he worked at odd jobs, saving his money very carefully, as he was a very frugal man. He did the cooking and washed dishes, etc. for his Uncle Albert, who was a bachelor and lame, to help pay his way. When it was known that the railroad was coming through that area, Josiah bought four teams of horses, hired three other drivers, and he worked along with these drivers grading the bed for the railroad tracks.
Josiah began courting Mary Jane in 1882, shortly after his arrival in Bloomington. they were married October 9, 1883 in Logan, Utah. They young couple was accompanied to Logan by Mary Jane's parents and a younger brother, Burton. The party went to Logan in two team drawn covered wagons. The parents drove the wagons back to Bloomington and the newlyweds went to Salt Lake City, then by train to California for a honeymoon.
They bought a farm in Bloomington adjoining the property of Mary Jane's father, about a mile south of town and built a home there. In September of that same year, Josiah met with a serious accident. As he was standing watching some men at work at the sawmill, one of the men placed more boards on the carrier than the saw could cut through and three boards were thrown into the air, one of which struck Josiah's legs, breaking both of them just below the knees, almost completely severing them. There were no cars nor telephone in those days, so a man was sent on horseback to Montpelier to get the nearest doctor.
Both legs were in casts from that September until the following June. Mary Jane, with the help of another woman, would carry her husband from the bedroom to the dining room each morning where he was placed on a cot, so that Mary Jane could watch him and care for him while she continued with other work. Then each night, he was carried back to his bed. Josiah was on crutches for some time after that.
Children of Josiah Albert Faylor and Mary Jane Thomas
1. LaVerna Euretta Faylor b-3 Sep 1886 in
Bloomington; d-8 Apr 1951 in Alameda California; br-Bloomington Cemetery; m-John
P Hulme 8 June 1910 in Salt Lake City
2. Milford Willey Faylor b-17 June 1888 in Bloomington; d-1 Oct 1959 in Nampa
Idaho; br-Cloverdale Memorial Park in Boise
3. Leola Faylor Frances Faylor b-31 Mar 1893 in Bloomington; m-George Lorenzo
Bate 1 Aug 1923 in Logan Ut
4. Lester Thomas Faylor b-23 Apr 1898 in Bloomington; d-26 Dec 1901 in
Bloomington; br-Bloomington Cemetery
5. Melva Valoise Faylor b-2 Apr 1898 in Bloomington; d-14 Apr 1911; br-Bloomington
Cemetery
6. Thelma Oral Faylor b-26 Feb 1907 in Bloomington; d-26 July 2000; m-Allison
7. Frances Faylor b-1912 in Bloomington
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On April 17, 1893 Josiah purchased two city lots, a house, barn, shedding and granary owned by James E Hart in town. The house in town was a large two story home just a block from the church and two blocks from school. This home became the gathering play for young and old, for meetings, parties and dinners. Mary Jane often prepared and served dinner for twenty-five people at a time.
Josiah made two trips a year to Brigham City, Willard or Ogden Utah to get fruit and vegetables. He had a double box wagon and a team of large horses, which he would drive to Logan Canyon, camping overnight there, then drive on the next day to Brigham City. A son Lester was born but he was stricken with diphtheria and died in 1901. The family was quarantined at the time and on one was allowed to enter the house, so Mary Jane prepared her son for burial. Josiah, Mary Jane's father, Mary Jane and two devoted men friends took the little baby to the cemetery in a sleigh for burial.
A fair haired daughter, Melba was born. She was a lively little girl with a beautiful voice. Even when very young, she sang in church and concerts. When she was seven years old, she fell from a riding pony and it accidentally stepped on her. This accident caused a growth which turned into cancer. After suffering untold pain from September 1910 to April 1911, she passed away.
Josiah bought a store and he was most generous, often marking off bills that were on a charge account, when someone was ill, disabled or had a death in the family. Josiah played in two musical organizations, played the violin in the dance orchestra and a trombone in the band.
In 1911, Josiah bought an automobile, a Model T Ford. It was the first car bought by a native of Bloomington. In 1916 Josiah's health began to fail so he sold the farms, the store and home. The oldest daughter LaVerna had graduated from Utah Agricultural College, had married, had a home of her own in Blooming. The son, Milford, graduated from dental school in Chicago and was practicing in Preston. The parents moved to Logan in September 1910.
He had surgery at the LDS hospital in Salt Lake City, but after five years of suffering, he died in Logan, August 21, 1921. He was buried in the Logan City Cemetery. Mary Jane remained in Logan raising her two young daughters. She helped them through Logan High School and saw them both graduate from Utah State Agricultural College, where they were prepared for teaching careers.
Mary Jane remained active until November 1959 when she fell and broke her hip. She passed away early March 7, 1960 and was buried in the Logan City Cemetery.