247. Short history of William Gustavus Miles, my grandfather, stone cutter, Patriarch.
This is a brief history of my own grandfather who died before I was born. He was 11 years old when they came to St. George as original pioneers.
INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM GUSTAVUS MILES
WRITTEN BY HIS DAUGHTER, SARAH MILES WALLACE, SISTER TO ORSON PRATT MILES (my father)
William Gustavis Miles was born at Salt Lake City, Utah, the first child of Samuel Miles Jr. And Hannah Colborn Miles. He was born of goodly parents, his grandparents on both sides being faithful Latter-day Saints until the day of their death, and so were his parents. His father was only seven years of age at the time the family joined the Church and when ten years of age he had read the Book of Mormon through. His parents and grandparents were real Pioneers and suffered many afflictions as most of the L.D.S. died in the early history of the Church.
(Written by my Aunt Sarah) I remember hearing Grandfather Miles (Samuel) tell of how the mobs used to surround the houses of our people and burn them, and drive the Saints from their homes. Grandfather Miles was not only a deeply religious man of great faith, but was an educator, and taught school for many years. He also held many responsible positions in the Church and taught his children the Gospel in every detail. In his diary he says at the end of each year, “We paid a full tithing this year.” (See posts about Samuel Miles) So you see William G. Miles was reared in a worthy family, and truly did follow in the footsteps of his parents, holding many responsible positions in the Church and was a Patriarch at the time of his death. He was ordained a Patriarch of the St. George Stake 14 September, 1919, by Hyrum G. Smith. He was a Patriarch until he died, on May 6, 1927, almost eight years.
He was born September 13, 1851, and when only eleven years of age, he moved with his parents from Salt lake City to St. George as the family had been called by Brigham Young to help settle Dixie. I remember my father telling of the experiences of the trip. He walked and drove a cow most of the way.
His childhood days were days of sacrifice and toil in helping to settle a new country, but these experiences seemed to have strengthened his testimony. As a child, I was greatly impressed as to his great faith, his kindness, and his ability to control his temper. Never do I remember of him giving away to profanity, but he was quiet and firm in his convictions. He was always patient with his family.
He was married to Paralee Amanda Church (Ch. 1 # 5) in the Endowment House at Salt Lake City, May 25, 1874. He was twenty-three years old, and his new bride, Paralee, was sixteen, almost seventeen. Of this union eleven children were born, two girls and nine boys.
Two boys, Richard and Haden, died in childhood. Two sons died in adulthood, William and Thomas. Father was a well educated man for his day.
He was a great reader and taught his children to read good books. I remember the evenings when we gathered as a family unit and read from the Standard Works of the Church, then followed the singing of hymns. Father was talented as a bass singer and sang many times in public in quartets and was a member of the choir for twenty-five years. He always encouraged his children to sing in the choir. I remember he and Uncle Haden Church used to practice in our home. He used a tuning hook. He would strike it and bring it to his ear to get the pitch.
He spent considerable time in guarding Indian Raids, and also served under Captain James Andrus in fighting Indians at Pipe Springs, south of St. George. He received a badge of honor for this service, but never did receive any pension. He was a stone cutter and mason by trade. He assisted in the building of the St. George Temple and Tabernacle, and in the Manti Temple. Many buildings in St. George were improved by his services.
He and George Brooks used to work together as Masons and were dear friends as were their wives and families. Father was a manufacturer of the Diamond Valley Grind Stone. He used to take trips to the stone quarry about 30 miles north of St. George and cut the large slabs of white stone from the quarry. He hauled it to St. George and made the grindstone from it which was used to sharpen tools etc. He had a small mill on the Santa Clara Creek where he used to mill the stone.
This is a picture of a pioneer grinding stone, in a frame. My grandfather, William "Gus" manufactured these and sold them, and was a stonecutter by trade. We have a round stone that went with one of these.
Father filled important offices in both Church and civil activities. He served at one time as Justice of the Peace. He was a member of the High Council of the St. George Stake, and at the time of his death was at the head of the Genealogical Stake Committee and a Patriarch. He gave my Patriarchal blessing to me, which I prize. Such things as these were said of my father at the time of his death by speakers at his funeral. “Brother Miles was a man of his word, scrupulously honest, a kind and loving husband and father. He was a producer. He worked for all he had and earned all he ever had, and reared his family in honor by diligent labor. Brother Miles died in the satisfaction of a well lived life and possessed a richness of soul not produced by material wealth. His creed, desire and ambition was for the development of this land materially and for the advancement of the people spiritually. Brother and Sister Miles have been a blessing and inspiration to many. There has not lived in this town a more charitable woman than Sister Miles. According to the teachings of this Church, Brother Miles is entitled to Celestial Glory. He donated liberally to public cause, paid his tithing faithfully and observed all the laws and commandments of the Lord, as he understood them, assisting in the cause of truth all his days.”
All the above comments were made by speakers at his funeral and many other tributes were made at the time of his death which was May 6, 1927. He died of a lingering lung trouble which was caused by the dust of the stone he had cut for many years.
As a child, (by Sarah, his daughter) I appreciated my father, but as I grew older, I honored him more than ever. As an adult and with the experience I have, I more fully see the excellent character of my father. To me, he was an ideal Latter-day Saint. I never heard him swear. He was so patient in everything, so kind to all his children, truly to me he was as Paul said Charity is, quote, “Charity suffereth long and is kind, charity envieth not, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemingly, rejoiceth not in evil, but rejoiceth in righteousness etc.,” such was the life of my father. I can only hope to repay him by trying to heed his advice and council in righteousness, that I can do by following his example. I am happy to know I can repay him a little by making an effort to complete a nice record of his ancestry and help in the baptisms and endowment work of his people. So far many of his ancestors have had this work done for them. He and his family have the access to the records we are now doing. (This Aunt Sarah did a lot of genealogy on the Miles line.)
This picture is of "Pal", his wife, and daughter Sarah, my aunt, who wrote this story of her father.
He and his father were faithful in doing much for their people in the Temple, but did not have the access to the records we now have. The Lord has blessed me in this effort and I plan to continue on in Genealogical and research work the benefit of my father’s relatives. He was a Patriarch in the L.D.S. church at the time of his death and had been very active in genealogical work. He worked as a stone mason on the St. George temple, Manti temple. St. George Stake Tabernacle, the first Dixie College, on the corner south of the Tabernacle, other public buildings, and carved many headstones in the St. George Cemetery.
INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM GUSTAVUS MILES
WRITTEN BY HIS DAUGHTER, SARAH MILES WALLACE, SISTER TO ORSON PRATT MILES (my father)
William Gustavis Miles was born at Salt Lake City, Utah, the first child of Samuel Miles Jr. And Hannah Colborn Miles. He was born of goodly parents, his grandparents on both sides being faithful Latter-day Saints until the day of their death, and so were his parents. His father was only seven years of age at the time the family joined the Church and when ten years of age he had read the Book of Mormon through. His parents and grandparents were real Pioneers and suffered many afflictions as most of the L.D.S. died in the early history of the Church.
(Written by my Aunt Sarah) I remember hearing Grandfather Miles (Samuel) tell of how the mobs used to surround the houses of our people and burn them, and drive the Saints from their homes. Grandfather Miles was not only a deeply religious man of great faith, but was an educator, and taught school for many years. He also held many responsible positions in the Church and taught his children the Gospel in every detail. In his diary he says at the end of each year, “We paid a full tithing this year.” (See posts about Samuel Miles) So you see William G. Miles was reared in a worthy family, and truly did follow in the footsteps of his parents, holding many responsible positions in the Church and was a Patriarch at the time of his death. He was ordained a Patriarch of the St. George Stake 14 September, 1919, by Hyrum G. Smith. He was a Patriarch until he died, on May 6, 1927, almost eight years.
He was born September 13, 1851, and when only eleven years of age, he moved with his parents from Salt lake City to St. George as the family had been called by Brigham Young to help settle Dixie. I remember my father telling of the experiences of the trip. He walked and drove a cow most of the way.
His childhood days were days of sacrifice and toil in helping to settle a new country, but these experiences seemed to have strengthened his testimony. As a child, I was greatly impressed as to his great faith, his kindness, and his ability to control his temper. Never do I remember of him giving away to profanity, but he was quiet and firm in his convictions. He was always patient with his family.
He was married to Paralee Amanda Church (Ch. 1 # 5) in the Endowment House at Salt Lake City, May 25, 1874. He was twenty-three years old, and his new bride, Paralee, was sixteen, almost seventeen. Of this union eleven children were born, two girls and nine boys.
He was a great reader and taught his children to read good books. I remember the evenings when we gathered as a family unit and read from the Standard Works of the Church, then followed the singing of hymns. Father was talented as a bass singer and sang many times in public in quartets and was a member of the choir for twenty-five years. He always encouraged his children to sing in the choir. I remember he and Uncle Haden Church used to practice in our home. He used a tuning hook. He would strike it and bring it to his ear to get the pitch.
He spent considerable time in guarding Indian Raids, and also served under Captain James Andrus in fighting Indians at Pipe Springs, south of St. George. He received a badge of honor for this service, but never did receive any pension. He was a stone cutter and mason by trade. He assisted in the building of the St. George Temple and Tabernacle, and in the Manti Temple. Many buildings in St. George were improved by his services.
He and George Brooks used to work together as Masons and were dear friends as were their wives and families. Father was a manufacturer of the Diamond Valley Grind Stone. He used to take trips to the stone quarry about 30 miles north of St. George and cut the large slabs of white stone from the quarry. He hauled it to St. George and made the grindstone from it which was used to sharpen tools etc. He had a small mill on the Santa Clara Creek where he used to mill the stone.
Father filled important offices in both Church and civil activities. He served at one time as Justice of the Peace. He was a member of the High Council of the St. George Stake, and at the time of his death was at the head of the Genealogical Stake Committee and a Patriarch. He gave my Patriarchal blessing to me, which I prize. Such things as these were said of my father at the time of his death by speakers at his funeral. “Brother Miles was a man of his word, scrupulously honest, a kind and loving husband and father. He was a producer. He worked for all he had and earned all he ever had, and reared his family in honor by diligent labor. Brother Miles died in the satisfaction of a well lived life and possessed a richness of soul not produced by material wealth. His creed, desire and ambition was for the development of this land materially and for the advancement of the people spiritually. Brother and Sister Miles have been a blessing and inspiration to many. There has not lived in this town a more charitable woman than Sister Miles. According to the teachings of this Church, Brother Miles is entitled to Celestial Glory. He donated liberally to public cause, paid his tithing faithfully and observed all the laws and commandments of the Lord, as he understood them, assisting in the cause of truth all his days.”
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All the above comments were made by speakers at his funeral and many other tributes were made at the time of his death which was May 6, 1927. He died of a lingering lung trouble which was caused by the dust of the stone he had cut for many years.
As a child, (by Sarah, his daughter) I appreciated my father, but as I grew older, I honored him more than ever. As an adult and with the experience I have, I more fully see the excellent character of my father. To me, he was an ideal Latter-day Saint. I never heard him swear. He was so patient in everything, so kind to all his children, truly to me he was as Paul said Charity is, quote, “Charity suffereth long and is kind, charity envieth not, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemingly, rejoiceth not in evil, but rejoiceth in righteousness etc.,” such was the life of my father. I can only hope to repay him by trying to heed his advice and council in righteousness, that I can do by following his example. I am happy to know I can repay him a little by making an effort to complete a nice record of his ancestry and help in the baptisms and endowment work of his people. So far many of his ancestors have had this work done for them. He and his family have the access to the records we are now doing. (This Aunt Sarah did a lot of genealogy on the Miles line.)
He and his father were faithful in doing much for their people in the Temple, but did not have the access to the records we now have. The Lord has blessed me in this effort and I plan to continue on in Genealogical and research work the benefit of my father’s relatives. He was a Patriarch in the L.D.S. church at the time of his death and had been very active in genealogical work. He worked as a stone mason on the St. George temple, Manti temple. St. George Stake Tabernacle, the first Dixie College, on the corner south of the Tabernacle, other public buildings, and carved many headstones in the St. George Cemetery.
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