Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Emma Beck Evans (Coleman), Incidence From Her Life

Emma (Beck) Evans Coleman, Short Bio by Joseph Neal Heywood, Jr.

DICTATION FROM JOSEPH NEAL HEYWOOD, GRANDSON OF EMMA B. EVANS COLEMAN,
15 March 1966”

(This dictation and its title are preceded by the following note:  “Genealogical records show that the name of Emma Coleman was Emma Beck Evans Coleman.  Last year Eliza Coleman, widow of Evans Coleman, wrote to Mary H. Lewis and told her that BECK was not a part of the name, that she signed her name Emma B. Coleman to designate it from Elizabeth Eagles Coleman whose mail would also come addressed to ‘Mrs. E. Coleman’ so Emma Evans Coleman added the B. to her name for that purpose.” 

The dictated “incidents” are retyped without changes in punctuation or grammar as distributed at the reunion.  Richard N. Heywood)

It has been requested of me to relate incidents of the life of Emma B. Evans for the reunion of the descendants of the late Bishop David Evans, which reunion is to be held April 6, 1966, in Lehi, Utah.

When the David Evans Company crossed the plains going to Utah, Emma B. was a small girl of [space left blank] years.  Her mother had died in Nauvoo from consumption which is now known as T B.  She had two older brothers Israel and Henry Evans.  She walked much of the way across the plains, sometimes lingering behind the company.  One evening it was becoming dark.  A short distance ahead, out at one side, she saw a wolf showing its teeth menacingly. Ordinarily a child would have screamed and run, but not her.  With her poise, courage, and judgment, she walked on past the wolf.  It made no attack.  Needless to say, never loitered in the rear again.  This poise, fearlessness and judgment followed her through life.

With the Evans Company came the Coleman family, and several years later Emma B. Evans married Prime T. Coleman.  The company went to Lehi, Utah where David Evans became Bishop.

For convenience, I shall refer to Prime Thornton Coleman as Prime, and to Emma Evans, as Emma B.  Prime and Emma B. Became engaged, but Prime was sent down on “The Muddy, a stream in Nevada.  He was sent there as a missionary.  Emma B. suspected that her father was planning some exchange of daughters with another Bishop, most likely.  He immediately returned and they were married.

They moved to Pinto, a small town not far from ST. George, and 8 miles from Mountain Meadows where the Missouri emigrants were massacred.  Two little orphan girls, whose parents were killed here, were placed in care of Emma B.  Later, when officers came to claim the little girls for their relatives and were taking out their official papers, Emma B. said, “You don’t need to take out those papers.  Just take the children and get them to their relatives.” The massacre was in 1857. 

Three of Emma B;s children were born in Pinto—Sarah Francelle, my mother, Etta, and Prime.  They then moved to Springvalley, Nevada, so named because of the many springs.  Evans was born at Springvalley, which is about 20 or 25 miles out from Pioche. 

William B. Maxwell persuaded Joseph Neal Heywood, Sr. to teach school.  He fell in love with Emma B’s daughter Sarah Francelle Coleman and they were married when she was 15.

Prime used to keep his flask of whiskey and after a hard day’s work, especially if it were cold, he would have his evening toddy.  One evening after a hard day’s WORK THE COLD he came home and over-indulged.  Realizing that he had too much, he felt ashamed and went out to the corral where he remained until about 11:00 PM.  Emma B. thought he had gone to the neighbor and didn’t worry, abut when he came in at eleven, he was chilled through and through.  He said, “Emmy, I’ve got a confession to make.  Emmy, I’m drunk.”  She regarded the incident with amusement.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t give him another toddy or two to warm him up.

One time Prime went to P:ioche on a business trip.  He was quite late returning.  Emma B. had gone to bed and was asleep, didn’t hear him when he came in.  He stepped up to her and whisked his whiskers across her face.  She quickly snatched a dagger from beneath her pillow.  He had to grab her hands and hold them until she was fully awake.  He didn’t repeat.

At another time she was alone in the house and a man stepped in making indecent advances.  She back up to the cupboard and snatched a derringer.  He quickly turned and fled.  He might have been hard to catch, and he didn’t repeat.  Again this shows Emma’s courage and
judgment.  Through her life she never did panic.

The moved to Upper Kanab now known as Alton.  Bishop Robinson also lived there and was a friend of the Colemans.  One day Emma B. visited Mrs. Robinson.  That evening there was to be a dance.  In those days men’s trousers had a lining.  The Bishop was noted as being a fine step-dancer.  Some how the two women got hold of a live mouse and thinking to have some fun, they cut a hole in the lining of the Bishop’s trousers, put the mouse in and then sewed up the lining.  At the dance, while doing some lively steps, the mouse ran up and down with its toes punching through the lining, tickling or scratching the Bishop’s leg.  He danced some extra steps.

Emma B. was full of wit and humor.  I have often heard he say, “little ears, little wit; big ears, not a bit.”

The Colemans and Heywoods left Upper Kanab in the autumn of 1880.  They drove milk-cows and horses to Alpine, Arizona.  They ate Christmas dinner at the Little Colorado, near Black Falls north of Cameron.  New Years dinner was eaten at Brigham City, near Winslow.  Just east of Winslow they drove the teams and wagons across the river on ice.  Arrived at Alpine January 15, 1881.

Prime and Emma B. with their two boys prime and Evans went to Williams Valley, New Mexico where for one or two seasons they raised crops of corn, and then they returned to Alpine and lived in the Fort until they could build a [home a few years later.

Prime’s second wife Elizabeth lived in a corner cabin.  In 1884 Mar29, during the night or early morning, she gave birth to a little boy.  Prime went out to his work, but they soon sent for him.  She had bled to death.  I was standing near the door and heard Prime weep aloud.  She had six children, the oldest Willard about 17, Susan, Sarah Ida (Doll), John, June, and the baby whom they named George.  Emma B. took these children in her care as if they were her own which gave her a family of eight.  Later when George was possibly six or seven years of age he bumped his knee just below the knee cap on the end of a pole which to catch a bird, Emma B. cared for him.  The bump became an abscess which proved to be tubercular and would not heal.  Emma B. gave him the most tender care, and though they were in poverty, she took George to Dr. Pinkerton in Salt Lake City.  He scraped out the abscess but the wound would not heal.  About 1897, Dr. Platt amputated the leg below the knee.

In alpine, at one time, a peddler came through wishing to enlarge pictures.  He was insistent that Emma B. give him an order but she was unwilling saying that she did not have the cash.  He said he would be willing to take her note for the amount and she finally said, “all right!” so she wrote out a note and handed to him.  He was profuse in his thanks to her.  She suggested he had better look at the note, and after insisting that he look at it more closely, l he found the note was payable February 30th

Emma B. and her family moved to Springerville in 1890.  She taught school at Amity and moved to Thatcher about 1898.  On the way they stopped for noon lunch, sat on a rock and saw a long-legged green lizard.  As they got back into the wagon to go, they noticed the green lizard but didn’t pay attention to it.  Along the way they came to a country store and stopped long enough for Prime to do some trading.  Presently she called out, “Prime, Prime, come on.”  “All right, in a few minutes,” he replied. Soon she called again and there was something apprehensive in her voice that caused him to come.  She told him to climb into the wagon.  “Now drive up,” she said.  When they were out of sight of the store, she said, “Now stop.”  She had been clutching something under her skirt upon her leg.  She reached up under her skirt and pulled out that long-legged, green lizard.  ”My heavens!” Prime exclaimed, “if that had been me, no matter where I was my trousers would have come off.”

Emma B. spoke disparagingly about a man who was deceitful and had taken advantage of a widow woman.  He heard about [it] and promptly hunted her up and told her that she couldn’t talk about him that way.  He wouldn’t have it.  With an amused smile she said, “how are you going to stop me?”

In territorial days Emma B. was a strong advocate for woman suffrage.  One morning while she was cooking breakfast, while living in Alpine, a big, strong, conceited, very positive and ignorant man named C. B. came into her kitchen to argue with her.  He finally said, “Well, Mrs.
Coleman, whatever comes into my brain, comes out of my mouth.”  She quickly replied, that accounts for the little brain.”  She couldn’t apologize enough to make him happy.

One time during territorial days, she appeared before the Territorial Legislature and made a speech on woman suffrage.  It received wide praise and acclaim over the territory.

Emma B. was noted for her charity, quietly visiting the sick or those in need, sometimes taking food, sometimes irritating Prime though he never interfered.

One evening Mrs. Jamison came to our house.  My husband is in a bad way.  He is drunk and threatens to kill me.  By way of explanation, Emma B. was a small woman weighing from 100 to 110 pounds, black, curly hair though now greying, and in her seventies, but she did not hesitate.  When she reached the home of Mrs. Jamison, she stepped up close and said, “
What’s the matter here?  The man raised up profaning.  A large book happened to be nearby. 
She picked it up and whacked him on the side of the head and face and knocked him down and when he started to get up, again she repeated and said, “Now lie there.”  He did.  Mrs. Jamison said, “I don’t think we need you any more Mrs. Coleman.”

Emma did much in a public way, working in various organizations and especially adept at handling children in Sunday School or Primary.  She could portray in words a picture of      Daniel in the Lion’s Den or Jesus on the Cross so vividly that it often brought children to tears and sobs.  I would say without hesitation that she is the most unforgettable character I have ever known, this little old grandmother of mine.

                                                                                                  Dr. Joseph Neal Heywood

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