Joseph Albert Manning Williams (1877 -1908)
Joseph Albert Manning Williams was born Sunday, May 20, 1877, at eight A.M. in Salt Lake City. He was his parents’ first child. He was blessed June 3, 1877 by ELder George Teasale.
Father always appreciated being able to stand when original members of the Sunday School in the Twenty-FIrst Ward were called for. At the organization of the Sunday School, October 1877, he was a five month-old baby, and he was present at the ceremony in his mother’s arms.
On Tuesday, June 2, 1885, he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Elder John Cotham and two days later he was confirmed by Bishop W.L.N. Allen.
On June 30, 1893 he was ordained a deacon by counselor Herbert J. Foulger. Two months later he was made president of the second quorum of deacons of the Twenty-First Ward. On February 19, 1895 he was ordained a teacher by counselor H.J. Foulger and on the same day was ordained president of the teacher’s quorum by Bishop M.S. Woolley. August 28, 1896 he was made a priest and two months later an elder. On October 21, 1896 he received his endowments in the Salt Lake Temple. One can readily see what rapid strides he made in the priesthood and surely he must have been a worthy boy and young man to receive them.
As a boy he attended the Longfellow and Wasatch schools, but being the eldest in the family he had to stop school early and work. For many years he worked with his father in the car barns. But about 1895 grandfather built what is now known as the Gem Grocery and he and the boys ran it. Soon after this, father was called to go on a mission and the family made preparations for his departure. But in September, 1896 grandmother died and everyone thought it best for him, the oldest boy, to stay home. Grandfather, however, insisted that he go.
So on November 9, 1896 he was ordained a seventy and set apart for a mission to the Southern States Mission by Elder Seymor B. Young in the temple annex. At the same time he was given a missonary blessing which is as follows: (Contact me for this blessing)
Ao at ninetten my fathre prepared for his mission. During the first of his experiences he kept a ournal and I am going to include some excerpts from it for he has writtten so interestingly of some of his experiences.
August 20, 1896
I receibed an unexpected call from President Wilford Woodruff, to fill a mission to the Southern States. I was to be ready to leave November 10, 1896. I readily accepted the call, telling President Woodruff, that while I felt very young (19) and weak I was willing to do my best.
Preparations were at once begun and advances made in the priesthood. Brother H.J. Foulger ordained me a priest and after a recommend from the general preisthood of the stake, I was ordained an elder in the eleventh quorum by Joseph S. Williams, my father.
October 28, 1896
The long lapse between entries is accounted for by his mother’s death of which no mention is made in this missionary journal.) A farewell reception was tendered me, the committee in charge being Bishop M.S. Woolley, Brothers W.S. Owen, George A. Hill, George R. Scott and D.A. Affleck. I received a purse of forty-four dollars and also a ready reference from our boys’ theological class, of the Sunday School. The meeting house was filled to over flowing, the program was good and appreciated and all together it showed we had a host of friends.
November 13, 1896
(By this time father was on his way to his field of labor) Another good night’s rest over and St. Louis reached at 7 am. Met Frank Merrill and he showed us all over the town. Theaters, department stores, hotels and restaurants were visited. Also steamers on Mississippi River where several hours were spent. Took street cars and visited city, especially those portions just ruined by the big cyclone. The ruins extended for fifteen miles. St. Louis created a good impression. Was clean and business like. Just before leaving we met the elders laboring there and were well treated. Took train at 9:45 p.m. and soon were sound asleep being very tired after our day’s sight seeing.
November 14, 1896
Awoke to behold the land of the “Sunny South”, our home for two years or more — At night all went to the theater, play — Faust, was well rendered and enjoyed by all bu one of the elders who “wished he had his money back.”
November 15, 1896
Went to fast meeting at 9:00 a.m. and all had an opportunity of expressing our feelings. Also received instructions pertaining to our Missionary Work, what was expected of us. The meeting proved a spiritual feast. The afternoon was spent in sight-seeing, the principal point of interest being Mt. Lookout, famous for its battles of the Civil War. Many were the marks found that indicated fierce wars. Had our pictures taken up on top of Mountain. In descending we went on the incline railway built at an angle of forty-five degrees. At night 7:00 p.m. attended another meeting and received more instructions and our appointments to the different states. My lot, with ELder Woolley fell to the North Carolina conference.
For more journal entries see the BLUE BOOK
Fataher was honorably released from his mission after two and a half years’ labor and returned home Wednesday, May 10, 1899. He often said that the harest part of his missionw as his homecoming and his finding his mother not there. She had died such a short ime before his departure that he had never fully realized her loss.
Soon after his return, his brother Bert was called to the Southern States and assigned to the same field as father. There he labored for about eighteen months when he was stricken with typhoid fever. His life was despaired of. Grandfather decided that my father, knowing the country and people so well, should go and nurse him. Uncle Beert had been promised before going that he would return in safety and grandfather believed this would be fulfilled. Father went and watched night and day over his brother. And although he had one of the most severe cases ever know, he began to recover. Soon he was well enough to return home; the date was set; the tickets obtained; and all arrangements made, when father contracted the dread disease. He told the elders he would go to Chattanooga; fight the disease; and meet them in three days to that Uncle Bert might leave when the authorities said he should. This he did, but as the president of the mission later said, “The methods used to break up his fever rapidly were so violent that his constitution was undermined.” He was never robust again.
When father returned this time from North Carolina, he took charge of the grocery store on K Street. His two brothers, Walter and Bert, worked with him; but when grandfather died, he received the business. Later Uncle Bert started a grocery store for himself on Sixth Avenue. Father worked at his own store from the time of his return until his death in 1908.
On May 31, 1899 father was set apart as a home misionary and on September 3, 1899 was set apart as second counselor to George H. Wallace, president of the M.I.A. On December 2, 1900 he was sustained a teacher in the Twenty-First Ward Sunday School and was given charge of the second division of the second intermediate department. Sunday, October 13, 1901 he was sustained and set apart as second assistant to Elder E.G. Woolley of the Twenty-First Ward Sunday School. The Twenty-First Ward was soon after divided and Brother Woolley went with the new ward. Elder George H. Wallace was then made superintendent of the Sunday School and father was made first assistant, February 2, 1902. Later the stake was divided and superintendent Wallace was made stake superintendent so that on May 2, 1904 father was set apart as superintendent of the Twenty-First Ward Sunday School by Bishop M.S. Wooley. This position he held until a short ime before his death.
Monday, May 9, 1904 he was ordained a president of seventy and set apart as one of the seven presidents of the fourth quorum at the age of twenty-six. In his record book, father traces his ordination thus: “Jesus Christ ordained Peter, James, and John seventies; they ordained the Prophet Joseph Smith; who ordained Edmond Ellsworth, who ordained Joseph Young, who ordained Seymour B. Young who ordained Joseph A.M. Williams a seventy.
About this time father began to seriously court my mother whom he had known practically all her life, for she had lived in the same ward as he for many years. They were married on June 16, 1907. The wedding supper was held at the home of mother’s sister, Mary Ann, on Third Avenue. Mother has often told me of the supper. At that time of the year then tomatoes were a choice delicacy and her brother, Oliver, was severely reprimanded when he began eating the tomatoes on the table, for they were there only as trimmings.
My parents enjoyed married life for only a short time. Father contracted tuberculosis. He was never strong after his fight with typhoid fever, and his work at the store and at the new house which he built at 712 Third Avenue for my mother, and at his church, all weakened him. Hoping to overcome the disease he went to Southern Utah and at the same time applied and took a test for a job as a mail carrier, hoping that being at a job in the air would better him. He passed the test and a letter saying he had been accepted as a postmaster came, but too late. The fight with the disease was useless and he died at his home on Third Avenue, November 7, 1908.
When father died he had been advanced in the priesthood until only Josiah Burrows, Thomas Hull and James H. Anderson were ahead of him in the fourth quorum of seventies. Yet he was only thirty-one, two years younger than Christ when he was crucified.
Father died loved by all I am sure, for never have I heard directly or indirectly one word against him. His life was worn out through his hard work as the eldest in the family, his arduous church duties and his poor health, and it seems to me that he deserves having it said of him, “Greater love hat no man than this–that he lay down his life for man.” And if I could see that father of mine whom I have never seen I would say “I love you and I am proud to be your daughter.” Somewhere now he is laboring “upon the islands of the sea, –commanding the elements of the waves.” (as his patriarchal blessing said) freed of his physical frailities and handicaps.