Amos David HOLDAWAY

                   Historical data in Notes

Provo City Councilman 1888-89, Utah County Commissioner 14 Yrs., High Prist
BURIAL: Buried Block 6 Lot 13 Provo City Cemetery, UtahSource: Family Bible of Amos David Holdaway in poss. Edna L. H. Bentwet; Birth certificate of Lydia Thrower; Provo 4th Ward recs. ser# 6442 pt, 12; GS F Utah P 1 a pt 12 ; Tombstone inscriptions;Amos David HoldawayWritten by his daughter Mrs. Edna Holdaway BentwetMy father, Amos David Holdaway, was born January 23, 1853 on what as known as the Newell Farm about a mile west of the Provo River bridge in north Provo. He was the son of Shedrick and Lucinda Haws Holdaway who came to Utah and were married in Salt Lake City on December 24, 1848. His father Shedrick was a member of the Mcrmon Battalion and was the first man to pay his tithing in California gold dust. He brought about $3,000 worth of gold from California and in the spring of 1849 he, with his young wife went back to St. Louis where he purchased a load of carding machinery and returned with the first machinery to come to the State of Utah. Shedrick was a pioneer and builder. He built a road up the south fork of Provo Canyon and had a sawmill there. He took up land in Vineyard and laid out the line of the Lake Bottom canal across Provo Bench without an instrument of any kind, but by the brin of his brother David's hat. One day when grandmother was talking with him about being away from home so much and working so hard, he said: 'Well Cindy, I don't expect more out of this old world than I put into it". A good motto for all to follow.Father Amos was always industrious as a boy and worked by the side of his father in the sawmills, building roads or canals, or whatever the job was. He went to the common schools and then to the Dusenberry-Lewis school where he met mother, Lydia Thrower. She was living with grandmother's sister-in-law, who was also her cousin, where she was working for her board and room and going to school. Father was particularly good in mathematics and later taught it in the school.Mother says the first place father asked her to go was to a lecture saying he had an extra ticket. She thought he just wanted to give it to her as he had been over to "Aunt Nancy's" several times before. She was very much surprised when he made it clear that he wanted to take her to the lecture and I am sure she was very happy too.In the spring of 1872 mother went home to Minersville to help her mother on the ranch. Grandfather died on the plains and grandmother had married Jehu Blackburn who was a stockman. He had told grandmother that she could have what money she could make that summer to help emigrate her eldest daughter, Leah who was married and stayed in England when they emigrated. That fall, in early October father took a team and wagon and went for Mother and they were married in Beaver, Utah, on October 10,1872. They came right on to Provo and on to Salt Lake where they were sealed on October 21, 1872 in the Endowment House.For their first home they rented a room in Sarah Young's home which was located near where the First Security Bank now is on the corner of first north and University Avenue, and father taught school that winter. On August 2, 1873 their first child, Claude Amos was born. He died May 1, 1875. They next moved to a home on the corner of sixth west and Center street and here their second baby boy, Don Alvin. vas born on January 23, 1877. He died in March, 1879, of scarlet fever. This home was next to grandmother Holdaway's home and mother helped take care of Grandmother's family while she was away taking care of the sick as she was about the only doctor here at that time. She had studied with an herb doctor in Illinois.Father next bought a farm in Pleasant View known as the Readhead Place. Here their third boy, Elmer Thomas, was born on October 13, 1879. He died August 20, 1936. In 1880 father received an appointment as Selectman for Utah County and was re-elected to that office for twelve successive years. On September 27, 1881 their fourth child, a baby girl whom they named Elsie Alberta, was born. She died January 2, 1883 of membraneous croup which was a severe blow to them, particularly
  father, as he loved little girls and this was their only one.From this time on, father's work was in other channels so he sold the farm and loved to Provo. For several years he was a City Alderman and Justice of the Peace. He was a member of the State Insane Asylum Commissiion for a number of years and in 1884 was appointed by Governor West a Director in the Deseret Agricultural Manufacturing Society or what is now our State Fair Commission. He was also appointed a member of the committee to settle the Jordan River difficulty.He was an active member of the Democratic party. He was deeply interested in the question of irrigation and was president of the Upper East Union Ditch Canpany and also interested in the Timpanogos Canal Company. The following is a quotation from his Biography as given in "Portrait, Genealogical and Biographical Record": "In fact, Mr. Holdaway became part and parcel of the work of developing and bringing to a high state of perfection the natural resources of Utah County and in his death the city and the county alike sustained a severe loss".He was ordained a High Priest by President George Q. Cannon Nov. 11, 1884 and became a member of the High Priests' Quorum of Utah Stake. For two years he was president of the Y.M.M.I.A. of the Provo Fourth Ward.After selling the Readhead Place he rented rooms in what was known as 'Old Lady Shaw's place' on the corner of second east and center street. Here their fifth boy, Milton LeRoy, was born on Anril 20, 1884. He is a successful dairy famer of Vineyard, Utah.He next bought a quarter of a block on seventh north and second east and here in what we always called "the old house", their next two sons were born, Leland Eugene on January 20, 1887, and Walter Roland on November 25, 1889. Leland filled a mission for the Church in Holland and Walter was The first Stake President of the Orem Stake and served for eleven years. He died April 20, 1970. Father built a new home on this place and here their last child, a girl named Edna Lydia, was born on August 5, 1892. She fulfilled a mission to the Eastern States.For about twenty years father was in partnership with James R.(?) Daniels. Their first acquaintance was when father was Selectman and Mr. Daniels was County Road Supervisor. Their first work together was on the Provo River when high water threatened to wash the bridge out. From then on they worked together on quite a lot of county roads and later formed a partnership which lasted until my father died in 1900. They first took a contract on the main line of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. When the railroad company decided to broaden their guage father and Mr. Daniels joined with Straw & Pond and took a contract to build the road from Soldier Summit to Colton making a change in the road for seven miles. After finishing this father and Mr. Daniels took another contract for the railroad known as the Grassy Trail change in Castle Valley covering a distance of twelve miles.Here they employed several hundred men teams and worked day and night shifts. This was a time contract with a bonus of $50.00 and a penalty of $100.00. They finished a month early. On this job they had a 68 foot cut and a 68 foot fill 20 feet wide on top. The contract was for $250,00O. Father was timekeeper and looked after the business while Mr. Daniels looked after the men and teams. After that job was finished they did force account work for two years,for the railroad company and took other small contracts.They then bought a sawmill and look a cortract to get out 100,000 ties for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company. They located their mill in Willow Creek and built a road from Kyune Station to Willow Creek Canyon. After completing this contract they took two others and got out 250,000 ties; also bridge timbers and sawed planks for platform and warehouse floors. Father tended the saw and did the book work while Mr. Daniels looked after the men and teams getting the logs out. Father took our family to the sawmill part of one summer and it always fascinated me to see the big power saw sawing t
  he logs. Father was always cautioning me not to get too close - that was a happy time.While in this country father and Mr. Daniels took up a ranch in what was known as "Emma's Park" and started a rock quarry. The light gray stone in the Knight Building on the corner of Center Street and University Avenue came from their quarry. Father sharpened the tools and did the blacksmith work. I can still remember how I used to love to watch the bellows blow the fire in the blacksmith shop. It was here we spent some summers with him, carefree days I'll always remember. Here it was we younger children had to bring the water from the spring and on wash days it was quite a task, we thought. I could only carry a little ten pound pail full. Here it was we heard the coyotes howl and here we enjoyed the great outdoors, swinging in a hammock made of barrel staves and placed in a quaking aspen grove not far away; gathering wild roses; trapping chipmunks; and enjoying the hearty meals always ready for the men when they came for meals.It was at this rock quarry that father was injured by a falling rock in April, 1900. He had to ride fourteen miles to the railroad station in Colton in a wagon. His leg was amputated and although he had lost a lot of blood, he came through the operation and said he was going to.be all right and everyone thought he would. However, in the night the pain became so intense he could not stand it so the doctor was sent for but he refused to come saying he was too tired. He sent some morphine with instructions to have a nephew, who was a clerk in a drug store at that time, give it to father, which he did and they could not bring him out of it. He died April 28, 1900, and was buried from the Utah Stake Tabernacle, funeral services being conducted April 30, 1900. He was buried in the Provo City cemetery.Mr. Daniels in relating their experiences together said to me, "There never was a man more conscientious nor one who kept his books more straight. He would work for hours to find a 10-cent error and when I would tell him not to bother about it, he would say, 'There is a mistake somewhere and I must find it,' and he would work until he did. He was the most straightforward man I ever knew and he never cheated a man out of a cent in his life'. He said he stayed with father continuously from the time he was hurt until the night after the operation when father begged him to go home and get some rest, which, he said, was father's nature, to always think of others rather than himself. He did and when he returned at five the next morning and looked at father, he said, he knew father had morphine poisoning and said he: "I shall never forgive myself for leaving him and I shall never get over his death for I loved him more than a brother."Father believed in work and having his children learn to work although he was not stern. He held my mother up as a queen and demanded obedience of the children. He loved to dance and enjoyed life. He lived a full life in the few short years he was permitted to stay here. He was only forty-seven when he passed away yet he owned what was later the Provo Foundry & Machine Company which he had taken over from his father, his home, a farm, and part interest in the rock quarry. He used to say, "I can stand to be a poor young man but I will never be a poor old man," and he worked to realize that. By precept and example he taught his children the real values in life - to be honest, to be morally clean, to work, and to believe in God.As a family we honor him and are thankful for his life and the heritage he gave us.