LIFE HISTORY OF GEORGE HENRY JEFFS

George Henry Jeffs was born at the house on the end of Feather Bed Lane, Two Waters, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, 28 December, 1864[1863]¹, the son of Mary Bateman and Henry Ryon. His mother died when George was a very young child so he was adopted by Mary's cousin², Matilda Bateman and her husband, Joseph Jeffs and his name was changed to Jeffs. He was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in England in 1872.

George started school at the age of six and continued until he was twelve years of age. For the next two years he attended school half days and worked half days. His first job was at the Lewis Dunbar Greenhouse, potting plants, and thus was able to attend school until fourteen. Later he worked at a factory in Two Waters, folding and gumming envelopes. His mother's people were bricklayers³, so he next worked as a bricklayers helper. He also did some white washing jobs.

His parents left George in England and come to Utah, so he went to Brouchfield⁶ to live with his aunt, Mary Ann Baldwin⁴. He later returned to Two Waters to work as a bricklayer and paperhanger. Here he stayed with Mrs. Larline Fox.

At the age of seventeen, George left England and arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah 17 May, 1882. He did odd jobs at first, then was hired as a mail carrier to take the mail from Salt Lake City to Argentery in the Big Cottonwood Canyon by way of Sugar House, Mill Creek and Holiday post office. He started carrying mail on the 3rd of July, the day President Garfield was killed. At this time, he made his home in Big Cottonwood.

His parents, Joseph and Matilda, moved to Salt Lake City, making their home a block from the Ninth Ward meeting house. George helped with the building of the Second Ward church. Then he leased a pair of mules from Heddy Taylor to clean up the tithing yard and later, when Bishop Preston took charge of the tithing yards, he furnished a team and George hauled supplies from the tithing yard. He hauled kindling wood to the homes of President Wilford Woodruff and President John Taylor. He often spoke of what fine men they both were. He helped build the Sandy smoke stack and later, went to farming with George Low⁵.

George met and married Annie Groom, daughter of Nathan and Emma Elizabeth Hill Groom, the sixth of February, 1887 at Buttlerville, Utah. Three daughters were born to them while they lived in Utah, named Florence, Emma and Mable. After his marriage, George worked at the Deseret Paper Mill as night watchman for about nine months, then returned to farming until he brought his family to Idaho in 1892.

In Idaho, George cleared Sage brush and broke up the land for his farm in what was known as Willow Creek. His neighbor on the east was Nathan Groom, the brother of Annie. Their first grain crop was frozen and it was difficult living through the winter. George and Annie, with their family, which had increased to eight; two boys died at birth; lived on this farm about twenty-five years. By now Henry, Edith, Ida, Gladys and Dora had blessed the Jeffs home, the first being a one room log house. Later a nice five room home was built. It had a large dining room, big enough for three large dining tables. Many a good meal was served at these tables to threshers, the family, aunts, uncles and friends.

On 11 June, 1913, George and Annie went to Salt Lake City to have their marriage solemnized in the Temple of the Lord.

About 1914, the farm was sold to John Treasure who named it "Needmore". A ten acre tract of land was purchased adjoining the Garfield grade school and a new home was built. George had milk cows and some other live stock also. After about two and a half years, this home was sold to Mrs. Hobbley, and the family moved to Ucon. By this time, the four older children were married, Edith and Ida were working at the Rigby telephone office, and Gladys and Dora were still in school.

In Ucon, George worked as village drayman. He hauled some of the first rocks for the old Ucon Ward church building, and donated much dray work to families, less fortunate then his own. He had a team of white horses and a green wagon.

George was village marshall for about thirty years and spent many nights as night watchman in the business district of the town. At about seventy years of age, he worked as night watchman for the Simmons and Woolf store, for four years.

George was ordained a seventy 25 December, 1921 by Fred J. Storer. He donated much of his time and talents to the church. He was a generous, good-hearted man and did not believe in finding fault or speaking evil of people. No one was ever turned from his door hungry.

He died on 27 February, 1946 at the home of his son, Henry Jeffs in Rigby, Idaho. His funeral was held in the Ucon Ward Chapel Sunday, 3 March, 1946. Burial was in the Ucon cemetary. The following is the account of the funeral as given in the Post Register edition of 4 March, 1946.

"Funeral services for George Henry Jeffs, who died Wednesday, were held Sunday in the Ucon L. D. S. church with William Hill, counselor in the bishopric, officiating.

The invocation was given by Charlie Groom and the Benediction by Robert E. Hill.

Speakers were J. H. Holland, Percy Groom, Joseph Ritchie and Howard Andrus. History of his life was read by a granddaughter, Joyce Hill.

Music included choir numbers, "Oh My Father" and "Though Deepening Trials," with Ray Andrus as conductor; vocal solo, "We'll Meet at the End of the Trail," Ray Crystal; trio, "Silver Haired Daddy of Mine," Mr. Andrus and sons, Ray Jr., and Heber; vocal solo, "The Lord's Prayer,' Inez Tracy; and trombone solo, "The Holy City" Eugene Clayton. Dolly Clayton and Melba Woolf were the accompanists.

Honorary pallbearers, members of the 155th quorum of seventies, were Oliver Robinson, Wilford Tracy, Harold Tracy, Henry Hill, Robert Hill and Howard Andrus.

Active pallbearers were DelRoy Jeffs, Laverl Finn, Lee Peterson, Daryl Peterson, Alden Hill and Earl Danielson.

Flowers were under the direction of the Ucon Relief Society with Mrs. Alfred Cramer, Mrs. John Phillips, Mrs. Lillian Casper and Mrs. Ruth Ritchie in charge.

They were carried by the following grandchildren: Kathleen, Arleen and Barbara Lund, Colleen and Joyce Hill, Vonda Finn, DeAlta Gallup, Fay Peterson, and by Ida Groom, Mamie and Thelma Groom, Bessie Taylor and Laura Peterson.

Mrs. Annie Robinson, a pioneer of Ucon, stayed with Mr. Jeffs' widow who is an invalid, and was unable to attend the services.

Burial was in the Ucon cemetery under the direction of the Williams Funeral home with Harvey Woolf dedicating the grave."

---

Notes:
1:  The certified birth record from the British General Records Office lists his birth date as 28 December 1863 and his name as George Henry Ryon.  Mary Bateman is listed as his mother, but no father is listed.
2:  Matilda has a cousin, Mary Bateman, born 20 May 1839 out of wedlock to Caroline Bateman, who is Matilda's aunt. Mary was raised by her grandparents John and Mary Batemen and appears with them in the 1841 and 1851 censuses.  Mary used the Bateman surname on George's birth certificate, but afterward switched to her mother's maiden name and used the surname Fox. She died 9 April 1871 at the age of 31.  George was seven years old at the time. It seems likely that George was raised by Matilda from a very young age and probably never knew his mother Mary.
3: Census records show that Joseph Jeffs was a “bricklayer’s labourer.” George’s grandfather, James Bateman, and great-grandfather John Bateman are listed as “journeyman bricklayer” and “bricklayer.”
4: Mary Ann Bateman, born 8 May 1833, married William Baldwin in 1872. She was one of Matilda’s younger sisters.
5: This is probably George’s uncle. Matilda’s sister Sarah Bateman married George Low in 1865 and they immigrated to Utah in 1874.
6:  Probably Crouchfield, Hertfordshire which is a small village just to the west of Hemel Hempstead.

Revisions:
2011, April:  Added new information about his mother Mary to note 2.  Added note 6.
2008, May:  Corrected notes 2, 4, and 5 with information from recent research.
2006, November: Added notes 3-5.
2005, May:  Added notes 1 and 2.
1997, December: Scanned and transcribed by Matt Young from a typewritten source by an unknown author. Some small spelling changes were made for readability.