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John Jay Thomas journals, 1906, 1915

 Series
Identifier: MSS 6780 Series 2

Scope and Contents note

Two journals kept by John Jay Thomas, both of a Excelsior Diary brand. The first one records April to August of 1906, in Fish Springs, Utah. John would have been about 13 years old at this time. The second journal has some entries for the year 1915. He records many details about work on his father’s ranch in Fish Springs. He would have been about twenty-two years old at this time.

Dates

  • Other: 1906
  • Other: 1915

Creator

Conditions Governing Access note

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use note

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the John Jones and John Jay Thomas journals must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

John Jones Thomas (1852-1917) was the county commissioner for Juab Counter, Utah, and also operated a successful ranch there in Fish Springs.

John Jones Thomas was born to Daniel Stillwell Thomas and Martha Pane Jones 10 January 1852 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents were Mormon pioneers from the eastern United States who had settled in Utah. John married Myra Amanda Clark on 4 November 1873 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had eleven children: Myra Lenore, Jerome Clark, Pearl, Victor Stillwell, Ethel Stanley, Genevieve, Hazel May, Inabell, John Jay, Beulah, and Myra. His wife died in 1900 in Lehi, Utah, and he remarried Leanore Genevieve Kearney 22 October 1901 in Salt Lake City. They had one daughter, Eva Kearney. John served as county commissioner for Juab County, Utah, and owned a ranch there in Fish Springs. He loved the desert, so he confidently homesteaded his land in Fish Springs despite the isolated conditions and ran a successful business. The ranch became a way station for travelers passing through the area. He operated the ranch up to the time of his death. His daughter described him as “a stand out man,” big, tall, and with hair as “black as tar.” The Thomas Range in Juab County was named for him. John died 17 April 1917 in Fish Springs, Juab, Utah. He was buried in his hometown of Lehi, Utah.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

John Jay Thomas was born 9 June 1893 in Lehi, Utah, to John Jones Thomas and Myra Amanda Clark. He married Rose Winnifred Kirkham on 15 May 1913. They had ten children. John worked on his father’s ranch in Fish Springs before his father’s death in 1917. He died 11 February 1972, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Extent

1 folder (0.1 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States