John Abraham Coon

1857 - 1934  (77 years)  Submit Photo / Document    Has 6 ancestors and 36 descendants in this family tree.

• Name	John Abraham Coon
  Birth	22 Feb 1857	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States
  Gender	Male
  Initiatory (LDS)	31 Jan 1876	EHOUS
  FamilySearch ID	KWCD-FNB
  Death	8 Oct 1934	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States
  Burial	12 Oct 1934	Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States
  Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
  Person ID	I130	mytree
  Last Modified	25 Feb 2024

  
  

  Father	John Coon,   b. 30 Nov 1832, Lebanon, St. Clair, Illinois, United States d. 26 Jul 1906, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 73 years)
  Mother	Mary Tabitha York,   b. 3 Mar 1833, Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States d. 25 Jan 1922, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 88 years)
  Marriage	12 Mar 1854	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States
  Family ID	F133	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Charlotte Hirst,   b. 9 Dec 1859, Todmorden, Yorkshire, England d. 6 Aug 1942, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 82 years)
  Marriage	6 Jan 1881	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States
  Children	+ 1. John Bert Coon,   b. 15 Nov 1881, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 11 Jul 1963, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 81 years) + 2. Bertha Coon,   b. 23 Jun 1884, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 24 Jan 1981, Sandy, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 96 years)   3. Charles Lorus Coon,   b. 18 Mar 1887, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 28 Dec 1889, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 2 years)   4. Myrtle Coon,   b. 19 May 1889, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 24 Oct 1918, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 29 years) + 5. Roswell Hirst Coon,   b. 4 Dec 1892, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 24 Feb 1978 (Age 85 years) + 6. Rudgar York Coon,   b. 30 Mar 1896, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 11 May 1989 (Age 93 years)   7. Archie Brook Coon,   b. 18 Jul 1901, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 25 Sep 1964, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States (Age 63 years) + 8. Clifford Alton Coon,   b. 23 Jun 1904, Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 7 Jul 1993, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 89 years)
  Family ID	F132	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	5 May 2024

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 22 Feb 1857 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Initiatory (LDS) - 31 Jan 1876 - EHOUS Marriage - 6 Jan 1881 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Death - 8 Oct 1934 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Burial - 12 Oct 1934 - Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  History of John Abraham Coon (1857-1934) Compiled by Bertha Coon Chambers (1884-1981), daughter, 1972 Retyped and enhanced Victoria Wilson Chambers, great granddaughter-in-la w , 2017 John Abraham Coon was born February 22, 1857 in Salt Lake City, Utah , t o John Coon (1832-1906), and Mary Tabitha York (1833-1922). [Presen t da y location: 1258 Clark Street, near 364 North 13th West, Salt Lake C ity , Utah.] He was the second child and the oldest son in a family of fo ur b oys and six girls. He was named for his father, John, a kind and gen tle m an, and his grandfather, Abraham Coon. His parents were affectionat ely ca lled Uncle John and Aunt Tabitha by all who knew them. The home i n whic h John Abraham was born was located on the west bank of the Jorda n River , a little over a half mile north of the old white bridge which w as know n as North Temple Street. During the summertime, he spent most o f his boy hood days on the ranch owned by his grandfather, Abraham Coon , which wa s located near the mountains west of Salt Lake at the mouth o f Coon Canyo n in the Oquirrh Mountains. There he helped his grandfather , father, an d uncles. A favorite story told about John Abraham Coon took place when he was ve r y young. One day when he went swimming, some older boys came along an d to ok off with his clothing. When John A. got out of the water, he disc overe d his clothes missing and ran to a nearby school which was in sessi on. Wh en the teacher saw him come into the room, she quickly removed he r larg e apron and wrapped him up in it. Twice a year, generally at Conference time, the Indians would cross th e m ountains from the Tooele side, through what was called the Muddies. S inc e the Coon farm was near the mouth of the Canyon, their lot was the c ampi ng place for these guests. John Abraham and his brothers and sister s lear ned to be kind to the Indians, who were friendly to them and thei r family . The children were called, Coono’s Papoose by the Indians. On February 3, 1876, John A. Coon, not quite 19 years of age, left Sal t L ake City with a company of men, women, and some few children with Lo t Smi th as captain, to accomplish a mission that was given them by Presi dent B righam Young. The mission was two-fold—one to colonize a city in A rizon a and two, to establish the United Order . Brother Israel Call in speaking of this trip years later said: “When th i s company got down into southern Utah on the headwaters of the Sevier R iv er, going through snow six feet deep, graveling slowly, probably a mil e a nd a half a day, wading through the snow, digging out the wagons an d in t he evening making a fire and gathering around that fires in the sn ow, tea ms tied up to the wagons, with nothing to eat but what was give n out of t he wagons, Brother John A. Coon was always joyful, always plea sant and al ways had a smile upon his face. He didn’t have a great deal t o say, but h e was congenial, and he worked with diligence to make this t rip as comfor table as was possible for those who were not situated in su ch favorable c ircumstances. Willing to lend a helping hand, willing to g et under the wa gon and lift, and work in order that the company might th rough. We were s even days going thirty-five miles.” John A. Coon’s main job was to drive the cattle and livestock, and altho u gh he was young, Brother Call said, “He was a man in intellect and in s ta ture and in every way prepared to the kind of trip.” He returned hom e tha t same year on September 1st. The Deseret News of June 20, 1876 published the following: “The Arizon a S ettlement – We have perused a letter from Brother John A. Coon, one o f th e settlers on the Little Colorado, written at Sunset Crossing, no da te be ing attached, excepting that it was mailed the present month. It me ntion s the visit to the settlement of President Wells, Elder B. Young, J r., an d those accompanying them. They held meetings there, the brethre n from Br other Allinger’s Camp being present also. They likewise visite d and had m eetings in the camp of Brothers Lake and Allen. The visitor s expressed th emselves well pleased with the manner in which the brethre n had operate d and with the country. At the time the letter was written , the brethre n were clearing land, plowing for corn and had water runnin g upon the lan d. As a general rule, the brethren were doing well, and ge tting along ver y agreeably. Altogether, Brother Coon takes a cheerful vi ew of the situat ion.” On January 1, 1881, John Abraham Coon and Charlotte Hirst were marrie d i n the Endowment House by Daniel H. Wells. She was born December 9, 18 59 i n Todmorden, Lancashire, England, daughter of John Hirst, 1816-187 6 and C harlotte Brook, 1818-1880. They purchased several acres of land and a small house in Pleasant Gre e n from Charlotte’s sister, Sarah (Sarah Hirst Coon, 1857-1911). Their f ir st child, John Bert, was born there on November 15, 1881. Before Berth a , their second child was born on June 23, 1884, John Abraham had made a do bes and built a two-room house about a mile northeast of their first h ome . On March 18, 1887, Charles Lorus was born. He only lived a brief ti me , passing away December 28, 1889. Myrtle was born May 19, 1889; Roswel l H irst was born December 4, 1892; and Rudgar York was born March 30, 18 96 . In 1896, quite a large group of men in the Pleasant Green Ward were call e d to go on missions. They were all married men with families with the e xc eption of one or two. It caused quite a commotion in such a small ward . S ome of them did not see how they could go and leave their wives and c hild ren to run the farms. Hiram Theron Spencer (1835-1931), was bishop a t tha t time. He assured them if they were determined, the way would be o pene d for them, so they could go. It took a lot of faith, determination , scri mping and saving by all concerned. Twelve men went. They left th e ward a t different times. John Abraham Coon received his call at that t ime to th e Northern States Mission and was set apart on December 9, 189 6 . He sold his beef cattle in order to help with the expenses of his missio n ; he put $100 in the bank for an emergency. One of his companions was E ld er Melvin J. Ballard, who later became a member of the Council of th e Twe lve. At John A. Coon’s funeral, Elder Ballard related some of thei r missi onary experiences. The following was taken from the funeral sermo n: “I feel highly honored to be asked by Brother Coon’s family to speak o n t his occasion. I think that the greatest sermon each one of us is prea chin g, is the sermon of our lives. To me, Brother John A. Coon preache d a gre at sermon in his life. “I desire to speak of him as a missionary companion, because thirty-sev e n years ago we were made missionary companions in the Northern States M is sion and sent into southern Illinois, into Johnson County, to preach t h e gospel without purse or script. He was several years older than I, a n d I looked upon him as a father, and he treated me with every considera ti on that a father would give a son. No one could be intimately acquaint e d as we were that summer, without begetting a great love for each othe r , and so I have loved him from that time on and regarded him as I hav e fe w of my missionary companions. I had been out in the mission field o nl y a short time when that appointment came, and it was the beginnin g o f a new epic in my life. He was retiring, but he was courageous. “I recall an experience that came to us in Johnson County, having been t h e first missionaries to come into there, and we discovered in that terr it ory that was called Hell’s Neck, some very bitter opposition. We had p erf ormed a baptism that afternoon and some boys and men threw rocks an d shou ted at us and otherwise harassed us. On a Saturday night, they tri ed to b reak up our meeting and made great disturbances, but we paid no a ttentio n to them and went on delivering our message. When we left the sc hoolhous e to go to the home of one of our saints, Brother Miller, whic h was a two -mile journey, we got part of the way when these young fellow s rode up be hind us and started to shoot off firearms. We heard the bull ets and ran i nto the brush behind a rail fence until they went by. Whe n it became quie t, we started on our journey again. On the summit of th e hill, the road r an through a piece of timber. When we reached this, w e found the mob ha d ridden into the timber and started to throw rocks a t us. A little gir l in the arms of one of the brethren was hit by a rock , but we soon out-d istanced the rocks. That night we were both satisfie d that everything wou ld be all right. This good friend of ours laid by t he door with a shotgu n and said they would go over his dead body befor e they harmed us. We sle pt quietly that night. He was very courageous. W hile we passed through so me disturbing experiences, it did not stop ou r missionary work. “I recall a circumstance when we were trying to get permission to hold o u r meetings in a schoolhouse. We waded to one of the trustees’ homes b y ta king off our shoes and stockings, and wading through the river. He g ave u s the schoolhouse, and the next task was to invite the people to co me . I wished they wouldn’t come. I was just beginning my missionary wor k an d Brother Coon was timid and felt that I would have to do the majo r part , although he was willing to do his share. We had gone all day wit hout an ything to eat and when they rang the bell of the schoolhouse thir ty minut es before the gathering, if I had been waiting my execution, I w ouldn’t h ave been more nervous than when that bell rang. But we saw th e people gat her and they packed the schoolhouse and we walked into it i n a daze and c onducted our services. We sang and prayed. Of course, tha t day, I want t o tell you we many times sought the Lord in prayer in th e woods and we to ld him what part of the world we were in and what oblig ation was upon us . Many times, that day, we kept the Lord posted about o ur situation. Th e Lord came to our help. “I was out with Brother Coon all that summer, but I never heard him deli v er a finer sermon than I did that night. We were able to hold an hour a n d a half meeting and then distributed our literature. We invited the pe op le to take us home, for we had started this missionary work without pu rs e or script. We would start to ask in the morning for a place to sta y tha t night. The people would laugh at me and say that it wasn’t night , an d I found that the important thing to do was to preach the Gospel an d whe n we preached and took up no collection and traveled without purs e or scr ipt and all we wanted was a bed to sleep in, we never failed t o get a bed . This night we got six invitations and we took them all. Th e reason we t ook them all was that we would have a place to stay for th e week, and al l hearts were glad. “I remember when they had all withdrawn and we turned out the lamps, w e f ell in each other’s arms and wept like children, and fell down on ou r kne es and thanked the Lord that he had not deserted us. When men pas s throug h experiences like that together, their hearts are drawn close a nd they f ind themselves and the power of God. We were happy, and I neve r spent a h appier summer than I did that summer, and we had many meals b y going int o the corn field and eating new corn, but we were happy jus t the same. “I recall another experience that happened that summer. Having asked so m e twenty times for a place to stay and being denied, it was getting la t e at night, but finally the last house we were invited in. I have man y ti mes said if the door of heaven will be opened to me, I would not hav e gre ater joy than I did that night when we were invited in, for it wa s a col d night. “I met one of the boys of that home last summer, and he said, ‘You proba b ly have forgotten us, but 37 years ago you came to our father’s home tr av eling without purse or script and asked for a bed, and we took you in. ’ W hen they gave the name, I said, ‘I shall never forget it, because o f th e situation we were in, and the gratitude we had in our hearts.’ H e said , ‘You remember you taught us the Gospel and you came back two o r three t imes during that week, and within a few weeks, mother and fathe r were bap tized and the children who were old enough.’ I had not heard o f the famil y in 35 years, and did not know what had happened. The two br others had e ach found a companion and had journeyed to Salt Lake City an d been marrie d in the temple. Each of these men had been on a mission t o Germany and o ne had a boy and a convert on a mission. When they got th rough with tha t story, I was in tears, knowing the conditions under whic h Brother Coo n and I came to that home. If we touched some souls, they h ad touched oth ers, and who can see the end. It is like throwing a ston e into a lake, fo r it will create a ripple out to the last shore. “The work we do here will go on touching the hearts and lives of other s . I recall many of these interesting things that came into our lives, a n d I wanted to refer to it to pay him [John Abraham Coon] this tribute f o r he was a faithful devoted man. I have often admired him for his frien dl iness and his willingness, for many times he carried his grip and min e to o. That is the kind of sermon he has preached. Such a man is blessed , suc h a family is blessed to have such a husband and such a father.” John Abraham Coon filled an honorable mission and returned home on Decem b er 25, 1898. His good wife had sold butter, eggs, milk, poultry, and so m e grain which they raised to help keep him in the mission. His expense s w ere about $10 a month. On his return the emergency fund of $100 plus some more was in the ban k a nd the family built an addition on the house with this. The additio n incl uded building on a front of the house with a small kitchen and lon g porc h on the south. This house burned down in about 1910, probably fro m an ov erheated stove. They lived in part of Uncle Oliver (Oliver Shafer , Sr., 1 855-1942) and Aunt Mary’s (Mary Tabitha Coon, 1855-1933) house u ntil th e house could be rebuilt. At this time, Bertha’s husband, Frank L eRoy Cha mbers (1882-1971), helped John A. build the new place. Big popla r trees s urrounded their property and by the house. When these died, Bo x Elder tre es were planted in their place. They also had lots of plum tr ees in the y ard and black currant and gooseberry bushes. From the frui t of these the y made lots of jams and jellies and bottled the fresh blac k currants. The re was not much other fresh fruit available, so they purc hased dried frui t which sold for 25¢ a large bagful. Every other week, John A. and a neighbor, Will Hartley (William Hartle y , Sr., 1834-1906), would load one of their wagons and man a trip into S al t Lake to sell butter, eggs, and other produce. When John A. was on hi s m ission, Charlotte or other children would go with Will Hartley to Sal t La ke for selling and purchasing needed items for the home. Two other children were born to John A. and Charlotte, Archie Brook on J u ly 18, 1901, and Clifford Alton on June 23, 1904. They were a happy fam il y; the kind and loving parents tried their best to bring up the childr e n in the right way. The parents were both hard working and of good pion ee r stock. The 4th of July was a special occasion for the whole family for they wou l d leave early in the morning with a large basket of food, including chi ck en and always two cocoanut layer cakes, and drive to Garfield Beach. T her e they would meet with Charlotte’s sisters and their families. Sara h Coo n (Sarah Hirst Coon, 1858-1911) and Fannie Jenkins (Fannie Hirst Je nkins , 1852-1926) always brought black currant pies and Ellen Whipple (E llen H irst Whipple, 1862-1935) brought chocolate cake. They would all pl ay, swi m, and eat and the children enjoyed riding the merry-go-round an d drinkin g soda pop. Whenever Buffalo Bill Circus came to town and it co uld be arr anged, John A. would take the whole family. During summer sometimes all the neighbors would pack their lunches an d g o to Black Rock Beach for picnics in the evening and swimming. Picni c sup pers were had in Coon Canyon on occasion. When the children were yo unge r on Christmas and New Years the family would get together with Char lotte ’s sisters and their families and spend the day and night. The me n and bo ys would go home to take care of the livestock, milking, and far m chores . Beds were made up all over—boys in the kitchen and girls all o ver the l iving room floor. All members of the families were together fo r breakfast . Daughter Bertha Coon Chambers wrote the following about their life on t h e farm: “It was not easy to make a living on a dry farm. Father acquir e d more land – I think he bought some from some of his cousins and homes te aded some. He eventually owned four hundred and some odd acres. They h a d to depend on the snow in winter and rain the spring, also some wate r th at came down from Coon Canyon in the spring. When it was a dry seaso n th e crops were poor. Most of the land father owned was only good for g razin g since it was up in the foothills next to the mountains. This wa s wher e the milk cows would be taken each morning for milking. At differ ent tim es in his life father owned quite a lot of cattle. The ones he wa s raisin g for beef would be driven to the canyon each spring and brough t out in t he fall to sell. The price of beef was much lower than it i s now, so on e that weighed several hundred pounds really did not sell fo r much. Whe n father had a number to sell and got what he called, a fai r price, the f olks were very happy. This meant money for taxes, new clot hing that was n eeded on a farm.” John A. loved horses and was kind and gentle with them and all his boy s l oved to ride too. He broke in many horses, both for riding and drivin g, f or church leaders and many neighbors and friends. John A. always ha d goo d barns and buildings for his animals made from logs he had hewn hi mself . The barn he built still stands in 1972. His corrals were kept i n good r epair at all times. John A.’s son, Rudgar, recalls: “I heard him tell of how he broke hors e s for the L.D.S. Church when he was a young fellow. As I remember it, t he re was a large corral in Salt Lake City where Main Street now is, an d abo ut where Z.C.M.I. store is. The Church owned quite a lot of horses , mos t of them raised on Antelope Island (at that time it was called Chu rch Is land). The horses were brought over by boat from the Island and Fa ther an d others would break them in this corral. He was a very good ride r. He ke pt on riding horses all his life up until the last few years tha t he live d.” John A. and Charlotte were very thrifty and did not believe in going in t o debt. Occasionally in the winter this was necessary, however, when mo s t of the cows were dry and the chickens not laying good, and grocerie s we re needed. Then they might charge thirty or forty dollars’ worth o f groce ries. In the spring extra money would be made by shearing sheep , an art J ohn A. became an expert at. Rudgar Coon wrote the following about his father’s sheep shearing: “Aft e r he was married and had several children, he would sheer sheep in th e sp ring of the year for large sheep men. A number of times he and som e othe r men went to Fremont Island in Salt Lake and sheared sheep fo r a widow l ady named Minnie Wenner (Katherine Yates Green Wenner, 1857-1 942). She an d her husband owned the Island. He died and was buried ther e (Uriah Josep h Wenner, 1849-1891). The sheep were permitted to roam a s they pleased th e year around with no herder or anyone with them, so th ey became very wil d. “Father told of how hard they were to handle in the shearing pen. Also , t heir wool was full of sand which made it more difficult to shear. I t hin k it was the last time Father went over there they had trouble. The y wer e finished with the shearing, the boat was loaded with wool and som e shee p, Mrs. Wenner and several men. They started out and hadn’t gone f ar whe n they noticed the boat was leaking. At first, they were undecide d whethe r to go back to the Island or go for the shore, which was some d istance a way. They decided to head for shore and baled water all the way . On accou nt of the heavy load, reached shore sometime after dark. I nev er did lear n what they used to power the boat, I suppose it was sails.” John A. had very little formal schooling as a young man, but was alway s t rying to improve himself by reading and studying every chance he got . H e attended night school and later on taught it. A son, Clifford Coon , fou nd the following from the book Rags to Riches, p. 86: “By 1883 th e citize ns of South Pleasant Green began building a school within walkin g distanc e for their children. They purchased a lumber one-room-buildin g from Joh n A. Coon and moved it to the desired location; a two-acre lo t donated b y Isaac Coon.” (Later on, a brick building was erected on thi s property t hat is where the children in the upper part of Pleasant Gree n Ward went f or a number of years.) “Three teachers instructed elementar y grades in th e building: Hayden smith, John A. Coon, and Rosella Jenkin s. Schools wer e provided by private tuition or subscription. Occasionall y territory hel p was made available. But the responsibility rested mainl y on the residen ts of the areas. In 1890 the legislature of the territor y of Utah enacte d a free public-school law. During the same year a one-r oom brick buildin g was erected across the street from the Pleasant Gree n Ward house. Wit h the event of free public education, it became the fir st district schoo l in the area and was called District 47.” On page 85 of this same book we read: “Shortly after the Spencer Schoo l b egan, Miss Charlotte Hirst also opened classes in her parents’ home w hic h later served as the Pleasant Green Ward. She taught the children th e AB Cs and began the first steps in reading, spelling, writing and simpl e ari thmetic.” John A. did lots of reading in the wintertime when the farm chores wer e n ot as demanding, and often read out loud to Charlotte while she was k nitt ing or mending. They both loved good books and took good care of al l the y had. He was a good writer and often would write on the margins o f newsp apers or on any scraps of paper he could find. Perhaps this is wh y he wa s called to serve as secretary of the 14th Quorum of Seventies fo r a numb er of years and later secretary for the high priests in the Mill er Ward i n Salt Lake. He also served in the M.I.A. and Sunday School i n Pleasant G reen. There was no coal available in Pleasant Green, so the people depende d o n wood to burn during the winter. Each fall the men went up into Coo n Can yon to haul wood down for the winter. Often times they had to mak e severa l trips to have enough in the wood pile to last until spring. So metimes t he weather was so cold they would put big burlap sacks over the ir shoes a nd tie the up to help keep their feet warm as they loaded th e wood . On April 6, 1893, the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated by President Wilfo r d Woodruff and John A. and Charlotte Coon attended this service with th ei r two oldest children, Bert and Bertha. In the spring of 1918, Rudgar took over the farm and John A. and Charlot t e and their daughter Myrtle and the younger boys moved into Salt Lake C it y on 33rd South between 2nd and 3rd East. On October 24, 1918, their d aug hter, Myrtle, passed away as a result of the flu. For several summer s aft er moving to Salt Lake City, John A. returned to help do the farm w ork i n Pleasant Green. He raised a little garden at his Salt Lake home a nd als o kept a cow for many years. Two sons filled missions, Ross in Canada and Clifford in the Southern St a tes. Ross and Rudgar served in the armed forces during WWI but neithe r ha d to leave the United States. On October 8, 1934, at the age of 77, John Abraham Coon passed away at 4 : 50 p.m. while working in his yard. He was survived by his wife and fiv e s ons and one daughter, 21 grandchildren, and a number of great-grandch ildr en. True to his ancestry, he was of the pioneer type, being a devout home m a n and a great lover of the soil and nature. At his funeral services, Br ot her George A. Reed paid him this tribute: “In the passing of John A. C oon , the community has lost a splendid citizen; his wife, a loving husba nd ; sons and daughter, a diligent father; and to all whom he knew and as soc iated with, a very splendid and staunch friend and neighbor.” John A. Coon’s wife, Charlotte, passed away August 6, 1942 at the ag e o f 82 at the home of her daughter, Bertha. She had not been well for s om e time, but was bed fast only a short time.