Thomas Campbell Beck (1840 - 1905)
Thomas Campbell Beck born 23, March 1840 was the son of James Beck and Elizabeth Yates. He was born in Wolverton Buckinghamshire, England.
When he was four years old he crossed the Atlantic Ocean and came to America with his parents. They landed in New Orleans, Louisiana, and then took a boat up the Mississippi River to St. Louis Missouri. Here they lived four years
In 1848 with his parents he crossed the plains by ox team to Utah arriving in August the same year. It seems they had two wagons, two yoke of oxen and a cow when they started across the plains. They came in Lorenzo Snows company. They first camaped near the old fort square. Then in the fall they moved onto a lot in the 17th ward.
As Thomas was growing up he helped raise garden, farmed, went to the canyon for wood and for a short time he helped his father make adobes which were selling for one dollar per hundred. He also spent much time hunting which helped with the food.
When he was about sixteen years old he was called, with abut twenty other young men to go on a mission to Deer Creek to open up some coal mines. He was away from home about six or eight months.
Thomas was among those who were called to stand guard at the Beehive House, the home of Brigham Young.
In the spring of 1859 Thomas father thought it best for the two sons Jonas and Thomas to go to Wellsville Cache Co., Utah and get homes. So with a wagon, 3 yoke of oxen, a cow, seed grain, etc. they go to Wellsville. Peter Maughn was the bishop there. He gave to each one twenty acres on the bench north of town. They broke it up and sowed wheat but did not raise much the first year. Crickets were bad and there was not enough water.
Before leaving Salt Lake City, Thomas had made the acquaintance of Isadora Adeline Brown. Isadora’s mother had come to Utah as a widow with her four daughters. After the older daughters were married it was hard for her to make a living as she was getting old. Catherine, Isadoras mother had a proposal of marriage from a man that had a store in Wellsville Cache, Co.
She accepted the proposal and married and took her only unmarried daughter - Isadora with her. It was Isadora’s job to take to and from the meadow the milk cows. In the morning she would take them to the meadow and in the evening she would go for them to take them home.
In the meadow was a large tree that had fallen down and one day as she neared the pasture she saw Thomas Campbell Beck sitting on the log. He greeted her and no doubt they did some of there courting in the meadow. They married young - twenty and she eighteen. She was in a home with a strange father and Thoms was away from his parents home trying to make a home of his own.
Thomas began building a little house. During the time of building they lived in a covered wagon. Isadora told how they had the wagon fixed. In the back end they put the bed. On it was a lovely counterpain. In the front of the wagon was a cupboard, stove, table and chairs. Isaodra said they lived quite comfortabale till the house was finished. It was their home.
Some difficulty in where Thoms and his family went from move to move. The one journal records that now they lived in Payson two years and then moved farther South to Burville Sevier Co. Burville was located in a sage brush desert and had twelve to fifteen families living there. The ground was rich and they had water so they raised everything they could eat also cattle of all kinds.
One would think how was Thomas going to keep his family there. Well they had hardly arrived in the village when one of the residents of the place came to Thomas and asked if he would take over his large herd of milk cows. Thomas could have all he could make from the cows for miling and takeing care of them. The mad had plenty of hay to feed them, but was in poor health and unable to do the work.
This offer was a great blessing to the family. The older children were grown and able to work as hard as their parents which they did. The older girls and boys milked the cows and the girls helped make the cheese and care for the milk. They sold cheese and butter. Had the whey to feed pigs and chickens besides all the family needed. The neighbors brought them a start of chickens so they had eggs, chickens, port for the family and they raised there vegetables, part of which they would store away for winter.
While here Thomas was made Presiding Elder and he organized the first Sunday School. It was here their eighth child was born Hattie Losetta, 20 Jan 1879.
At this time the rail road was being extended West and the Union Pacific was letting contracts for building rail road grade, in Colorado. Thomas took a contract to build fifteen miles of grade.
Colorado was a wild and rough country and not a desirable place to take a family. Up to this time they had always stayed together so now they all went and worked together. They had to live in tenets and half dugouts.
Horse thieves were stealing and several times drove away some of their horses. This meant that Thomas and his son Thomas or John Waters who was working for him must go and hunt the horses and get them back.
One time when they were hunting they came to a little valley and when they looked down in the valley they could see their horses grazing on one side. On the opposite side from the horses were the thieves with a fire busy with getting a good meal. Thomas and the man with him rode to the horses and took them out and the thieves sat and watched. Thomas’s faith was ‘never carry a gun and you won’t get killed.’
Another time he was with another man went out hunting, and whn night came they lay their blankets down for the night to get some sleep. In the middle of the night he was awakened and when he opened his eyes a mans face was immediately over his. Thomas always felt the thief was looking to see if he had a gun.
Thomas always found his horses and was never shot at.
Thomas had about twenty ment working for him. Isadora and her daughters, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Ellen did the cooking for the outfit.
Thomas had always said the blessing on the food before eating so at this time he continued the same practice. Some of the men were very surprised and it gave them something to think about. A few were heard to say I like that custom it gives us an even start at the table.
One day two head men of the rail road drove up to their camp and ask if they could get some one to wash their underwear.
Said they were having a hard time to find some one to wash it. Isadora did not like the idea very much and hesitated. The official said we will pay any price. It was against Isadora’s will but she finally told him to put his bundle in the fork of the tree and they would do it this time. When she was ready to wash the clothes she examined them carefully and to her disgust she found some body lice. In those days men that were camping out if they were not careful they would get them.
When the officials came for the underwear Isadora charged a big price and then doubled it because of the lice. The men were very satisfied with the work and insisted that they wash the articles as long as the men were there.
Thomas and familiy did very well on this job. When the contract was finished he went back to Utah with his family and located in Pleasant Grove, Utah. First he bought a house and lot in the center of Pleasant Grove. But the family had been in the wide open spaces and were not satisfied with so small a place. They sold the city place and bought the little farm one mile north of the center of Pleasant Grove. This place was their most permanent home.
This farm had nine acres of choice apple trees just begging to bear. Alfalfa was planted between the trees and it grew very tall, while the trees were small, and it made two large hay stacks.
Thomas raised wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, squash, and a garden. Between the apple orchard and the plowed ground was a fence and on it grew Isabel grapes. There was a few peach and apricot trees on the place. A very small grove of locust trees were planted to furnish hard wood for broken single or double trees or any broken part of machinery or wagons. Later on Cherry trees, a few peach trees and a straw and raspberry patch were planted.
When the family first moved on the place a small stream of water always ran from the canal down in front of the house. Early in the morning the first thing Thomas would take a bucket and fill a barrel, that stood by the front gate under a lilacs bush, with water. Over the top of the barrel was stretched a white cloth to keep leaves or dust from falling in the water. This water was for drinking and cooking.
At the South east corner of the house Isadroa kept a rain barrel to catch the rain that fell. This water she used for washing.
It seems the seasons began to get drier with less rain and the population increased which made it harder to get drinking water so Thomas decided to dig for water. He and his boys dug a well about thirty feet deep. They walled it up with rock and on the top built a well curb and farther up a roof. And the old oaken bucket, the iron bucket, the moss covered bucket hung in the well with clear cool water in it. Many times the family sat on the well curb; eating sugar cookies and drinking water (in the summer)
Finally there was not enough rain for washing. Then Isadora would fill the barrel with well water and to soften the wtaer she would take wood ashes and sprinkle over the top of the water and the ashes, as they were sinking down to the bottom would take the hardness in the water to the bottom of the barrel.
One by one the children married. James and Frances, Frank and Hattie, and George and Mamie, when they were first married came to the farm to live for a short time.
Howard Beck was born on the farm. So now Ethel, Edward, and Hattie were the three children not married and living home on the farm. Ethel and Edward were born on the farm. The farm was bouth in eighteen eighty three.
Thomas was called to be bishops counselors in Manila Ward and held that position for years. Thomas was voted to be trustee of the Pleasant Grove School district number a5.
Thomas passed away very quickly. The doctor said it was either his heart or a blood vessel burst in his brain. In those days the Drs. did not understand the different ailments so well.
Isadora stayed on the farm one year and then rented it out. She decided it was best to sell it, and located in Saslt Lake City with her three last children. Ethel and Hattie had gone to Salt Lake a little ahead of their mother and brother. Hattie had taken a job at the Paris Millinery Co. and Ethel had one more year at the University before graduation.
On Novermber 17, 1906 she sold the farm and all that was on it.