Edward Henry SYPHUS

                   Family records has birthday 22 Aug 1856.  St.Thomas, NV Ward records has birthday as 27 Aug 1856.

Baptism date in St. Thomas, Nev. Ward Records; Baptized in CLover Valley, Nevada as listed in the Family Group Sheet written by Effie Syphus.

Panaca, Nevada Ward records:  Film # 3647 or new number, 14,914.
   Baptized: 1864 in Clover Valley, Nevada
   Birth: Born in San Pedro, California, August 22, 1856.

Parents came from San Bernardino, CA in 1857 when he was very young.  The name of the town, the Indian name, means:"Ivanpah - good waters".  It is in southern Piute Territory and applied to the Santa Fe branch - 1902 Goffs.  The Italian Saint of the 15th century, "Bernardino", was recorded as a place name in 1810, San Bernardino.  In 1842 it was applied to a land grant, on a part of which Mormons in 1851 started a settlement, the nucleous for the present city.  The mountains are mentioned before 1850, the county was named in 1853, and the national forest in 1893.  The name also occured in other parts of the state.  The city of San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA., was short lived for the Mormons, only about six years, when the troubles with the Indians and other matters forced the Saints to be called back to Utah. The Mormons had made a beautiful city and hated to leave it, but they did as they were told.
     The City of San Bernardino was patterned closely after Salt Lake City, Utah.  It's streets were wide, surveyed on sectional lines, and shade trees bordored them.  Many houses were built of adobe with gables built of native lumber and shakes.  A proposed temple block centered the city and streets numbered from there. Many streets bore names accociated with their church leaders or events in church history.  After the Mormons left the streets names were changed and forgotten.  There were well planted farms, road making, grist mills and peaceful  citizens.  Most of the Mormons got on well with the Indians.
     A Mr. Jefferson Hunt had lead the first Mormon's wagon train into the San Bernardino area and helped the people get established. This was about 1850 and the route was through north Texas.
1857 - Just about a year old his parents left San Bernardino and joined the Saints on the way to Salt Lake City, Utah by wagon train.

1863 Arizona became a separate territory

1882 - Married Anna Vilate Burgess April 1882 at Tunnel Point, Arizona.  Aother date, from her father's family group sheet is: 30 March 1884. With her endowment date being: 12 Feb 1879.  Baptized in 1872.

1884 from Book: Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Vol. 8, Page 7.
"March 20, 1884 - High Water in Nevada"  Deseret News (Newspaper)
"A correspondent at Overton, Lincoln Co., Nevada, states that on the 7th inst., the monotony of that place was disturbed by the arrival of Samuel M. Whitmore and two young ladies, who had barely escaped drowning the day before in the Virgin River, near the big hill.  Their team was swept away and lost, so far as known at the time of writing.  The three persons were taken downstream clinging to some poles for nearly half mile, when, reaching shallow water, young Whitmore succeeded in rescuing his lady passengers, Rose Kelsey and Mary Cox.  But they were on the east side of the river, sixteen or eighteen miles from an inhabited neighborhood, and walked all day and nearly all night when they were finally picked up by Ed Syphers of St. Thomas, who had two days previously lost his wagon bed with bedding, tools, etc., by crossing the same angry flood."

2nd Marriage: Eleanor Amanda Beebe 21 Dec 1892

St. Thomas, NV part of "The Muddy Mission 1908-1932". This is a book. Church Ref: M170579 170579

Film 14,924 F69 3654 in St. George Genealogy Library, UT.

Letter April 19, 1891 from Mary Etta Syphus, Edwards sister, to John Bunker.
John, Eldorado Canyon, Nevada from Panaca, Nevada.
"I received a letter from Ed the other day and he said St. Thomas was beginning to hop and he thought it would be quite lively after a while".

Panaca, Nevada - Letter dated Jan 13, 1891 to John Bunker from Mary Etta Syphus, Edward's sister.
"Last Thursday might I was out to a candy pulling and on Friday night we had a Social Hop in the school house.  Of course we all had a lovely time.  A buggy load of the young folks have just returned from Clover Valley where they went to attend a party.
Some of the people here, namely: Wadsworth's, Lee's, Edward's, and Syphus's are constructing a reservoir on the west side of town.  From 12 to 14 teams have been working for 2 weeks and it will take about a month yet to complete it.  Clara is attending school.  She is sitting with me now writing a composition".  (NOTE: Clara would be about 13 years old at this time.)

Letter - March 10, 189? written by Edward's sister, Mary Etta Syphus, to her boyfriend, John M. Bunker
"Ed says they are all well on the Muddy and that the winter has been unusually cold for that part.  Little Anna wrote too.
She said: Aunt Julia has a lovely little baby but I don't think it is quite as nice as Everet (her half brother who is about five months old at this time). She declares she will go to Panaca, (for) sure, when I go home".

Letter - March 26, 1895 written to the John Bunker, from his brother who lived in Gunlock, Utah.
"Ed Syphus wanted me to have him in some lumber for some salt (a trade of items and I thought you might do it all in one trip.  If you do not want to do it, you can tell Ed that I will be down about the middle of April and will fetch him in a load of lumber for some salt out where he is".

From his son, Fay Beebe Syphus: " Edward Syphus and Harry Gentry.  Edward was a butcher and helped Harry Gentry.  Edward had his own farm and had cattle first.  When he built the house in St. Thomas, he sold his cattle to pay for it.  He hauled his own produce, from the farm, to different places such as the mines in the area.  His wife, Eleanor, pulled vegetables from the garden and took them to Logandale and sold them.  She had a white topped covered buggy pulled by two horses that she drove herself.

Edward built roads out to mines and did other contract work.  A name of a mine was, Grand Gulch that was about 50 miles from St. Thomas, Nevada.  The produce was unloaded onto a platform and Fay, Edward's son, would unload it from the platform to the train with a wheelbarrel.

Edward started the idea about having the road through the Valley of Fire and he started construction of the road.  He would drag a hugh log behind his horses and level the ground and get the bushes off the dirt.  He was always keeping the streets of St. Thomas clean because he wanted it to be a pretty town.  Whenever he would see a bush growing in a street, he would remove it.

He and Frank Burgess, the brother of Edward's first wife, built about a mile long wall along their property in St. Thomas, Nevada to keep in their cattle.

He and his brothers bought a piece of land some distance away from St. Thomas and wanted to use it for a meadow to grow alfalfa and hay for feed.  They made a cement ditch, that went for miles, from a spring that they owned, Rogers Sprints and another spring, Blue Springs, (which now was bought by the State so that they could make a State Park.  So, as it happens it is a State Park near Lake Mead). There are still many miles of the old cement ditch.  Eventually, the meadow was lost through the families lack of funds to pay the bank what they owed it.  They had borrowed $40,000 dollars to buy the land and build the ditch.  They were unable to pay off the loan and lost the water and the land.

All that work may not have netted the family lots of money, but the history of it is interesting for the descendants of Edward Henry Syphus.  In the spring of 1989, Fay Beebe Syphus Jr., his wife, Mary and son, Douglas, went to the sites of these two springs and followed the remains of the cement ditch.  Pictures were taken of some of the ditch.  In between the two springs, Rogers Springs and Blue Point Sprngs, there is a smaller spring where the men would camp.  It took them about 3 years, starting in 1907, to get the ditch completed.  There were wooden flumes across the large cuts in the landscape.  In 1989 there are still a few signs of wood and some metal bands that were around the flumes.  Fay Beebe Syphus Jr. found an old  wheelbarrow still in the gully by the camp.  It had been broken and abandoned with cement remains still in it.  Of course it was in pieces, rusted and not worth anything except for the sentimental value to the family.  We understand that Edward Henry Syphus had his brother, Levi, worked with him and also, Everett Syphus, Edward's son.  Everett has written a little bit about this ditch in his personal history.  There may have been others who worked on the ditch, but we do not know who they are.

Averett Family History Book 922.83 Av35.
Myron Abbott had to go to town to settle with D. Leavitt.  Bro. Syphers, Whitney and Utley were referrees.

Diary of Myron Abbott - book 921.73 Ab 28, page 2.
"March 2, 1880 Bunkerville, Nevada. Bro. Wadsworth and Sifers from Panaca, came down to hunt farms."
Page 94 -"There was a trial today between Stephen Bunker and Bro. Syphus about some salt."

Poem by Flora Hannig Keller   St. Thomas, Nevada
Do come with us and reminisce - Of things that used to be, And of the things as
they are now, I never thought I'd see.
When I was just a little girl, In old St. Thomas town, I never thought would be
a lake, A lake of great renown.'
I never thought I'd ever see, Boats sailing up the street,  To catch a fish
while in a tree, Would seem a magic feat.
Remember sliding down clay hills, A shouting and a smiling.  Whoever thought
that this same hill, Would someday be an island
I can't forget the old school house--, They had to tear it down, Because the
waters of Lake Mead, Began to flood the town.
But there is where we gathered: At school, at church and all, For weddings, and
for funerals, And many a festive ball.
Then we went away to High School, To Overton, to learn.  That hard-tired truck
we rode in, We rightly called "The Churn".
That "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", Was written of St. Thomas, 'Cause they are
dear who yet are here, And those who have gone from us.
I remember Brother Gentry (Harry),  His humor and his wit;  Whene'er a prank was
played on one,  He was a part of it.
He'd rather play a joke than eat, He was so full of fun, His store, the place
where friends would meet, Beloved by everyone.
There was Martin Allen Bunker, A very pious man, And his only real ambition - To
help the gospel plan.
You know the Bunker family,  Of it, there's Bryan L., Who is loved by all the
Mormons, And other folks as well.
And then Berkeley made the Senate--, It seems just yesterday,  I saw him
barefoot, on a horse, So carefree and so gay.
There are others of St. Thomas, Whom I ought to mention,  I'd keep you listenin
all day, And that's not my intention.
Dear to us was Bishop Gibson, You all know Robert O.  Took a special interest in
us,  And showed us how to grow.
There was a little bachelor,  Remember?  quite a fella.  Always at the dance
you'd see him.  Of course, 'twas Frank Bonella.
Remember George L. Whitney, too.  He is still going strong.  Recently a wife's
he's taken--  He's not old, just been here long.
There are many other dear ones.  If more time I only had,  Many are the things
I'd tell you,  Of my Mother Dear, and Dad.
We were like one big family,  Each one interested in the other;  Helping out in
time of trouble,  Like a sister or a brother.
This big family was scattered;  Some went far and some are near.  Each one has
place in memory,  Memories we all hold dear.
So to me this spot is sacred.  Memories will last always,  Gone is now our dear
St. Thomas;  Gone too, are my girlhood days.
Gone are many friends and neighbors,  To that fair and distand land,  And We bow
our heads in memory,  As on this hallowed spot we stand.
(This believed to have been written for a St. Thomas, Nevada town reunion).