Melvinia Rawlins Lemmon ~ Index
Melvinia was born 9 February 1837 at Quincy, Adams County, Illinois. She was the daughter of James Rawlins and Jane Sharp Rawlins. Her parents belonged to the Mormon Church. They came to Utah when she was a small child. They lived at Cottonwood, Salt Lake County. She was the youngest child of a family of eight, three boys and five girls. They were a well to do family. She said she could remember many times she had rode horse back with her mother to hear the Prophet Joseph Smith speak. She often told us how she and her other sisters would go into the woods to gather fruits and nuts for their winter use.
She had the advantage of getting an education and attending school at Cottonwood, and there she grew up with the young folks. It was at this place where she met her husband, Jasper Lemmon. They were married 17 February 1858, in Great Salt Lake City, Utah in the Endowment House. The marriage was sealed by Daniel H. Wells, witness, John Smith. Her mother always told her she wanted to live to see all her children married, and before mother moved away from home, her mother took sick and died three weeks after their marriage.
Soon after their marriage the Saints of Salt Lake were called to "Move South" and father and mother were called to go. They went as far south as Pond Town (now Salem), where they lived until the fall of 1857. Then they came back to Great Salt Lake City, and on 7 November 1859, my oldest sister was born. She was named after her mother and grandmother, Melvinia Jane. Then the next spring they moved to Willard, Utah, where they lived for a few months. From there they moved to Mendon, Cache Valley, Utah. They lived in what was known as the fort. At this place her second child was born, Harriet Ann, she being the third child born in Mendon.
The rest of the family were all born at Mendon, Utah. Later they had a home of their own made of logs. In this little humble home they lived a very happy life. As the population of the town grew and people became more prosperous her husband built her a large rock house. This was the first shingled house built in Mendon, the rest of the houses were made of logs and covered with a dirt roof. This house is still standing. (It was taken down in about 1964.)
She was always faithful and taught the truth to her children. She was the mother of nine children, six girls and three boys. She was a frail woman, being sick most of her life, but never complained and made everybody welcome at her home. She was very quiet and reserved, not taking part in public affairs. She always belonged to the Relief Society, and was a teacher in that organization for years, and always doing her duty and was free in giving donations and help. In later years, she became a member in the genealogical society. She did considerable work in the temple.
She was a real home woman, her favorite labor and pastime was caring for her home and family. She enjoyed piecing quilts and quilting them. In her younger days she did a great deal of spinning and wove the cloth out of which she clothed herself and family. Her husband died 18 August 1905. At the time of his death they had buried three children, had three married and had three at home. She was a widow for sixteen years. She died 23 June 1921.
Notes…
This history of Melvinia Rawlins Lemmon was written by her daughter, Ida Lemmon Lalliss in 1934. This was most likely presented at a Mendon, Utah D.U.P. meeting. I have added the listing of the children below, my name order may be different than other lists. I could have the middle names in the wrong spot, but they are the children and if you know the family, you should be able to make all of them out.
This photo of the Jasper Lemmon rock home in Mendon faced to the west along Main Street. Center Street ran to the right of the home. It was just across the street (north) from where the old James H. Hill rock home still stands. This picture was taken around 1925. The home was taken down in about 1964 perhaps a little earlier ~ I remember the home as it was directly east of the 1935 yellow brick school in Mendon. The building was located in Block 6, Lot 2. I believe it was Merlin Yonk, of Petersboro who took it down and built the newer house now on the property. I think the Lemmon family was able to build on their early Mendon Fort property. They were among the ten or so families that were able to stay on their original fort plot, from the times when we lived close together for protection from the Indians.
I got into it and played in this house some. No one had lived there for many years when I found it in the 1960's. There were several empty places or homes in Mendon at this time that us kids could get into and explore.
Children of Jasper and Melvinia Rawlins Lemmon:
- Melvina Jane Lemmon (1858-1864)
- Harriet Ann Lemmon (1860-1939)
- Mary Tamer Lemmon (1862-1940)
- Jasper George Lemmon (1865-1924)
- James Albert Lemmon (1868-1875)
- Elva Estelle Lemmon (1871-1892)
- Ida Lucinda Lemmon (1876-1975)
- Authur Washington Lemmon (1879-1924
- Adelia Sarah Lemmon (1883-1977)