Preece Family Tree

Events

Families

Pedigree

1. 1. Martha Ellen Smith
      1. John Henry Clegg

Source References

1. Wm James Mortimer: How Beautiful Upon The Mountains: A Centennial History of Wasatch County
   1. • Page: Page 307-308
      • Citation:

        JOHN HENRY CLEGG

        John Henry Clegg was born November 15, 1856, in Salt Lake City on the present side of the Federal Building at 4th South and Main Street.

        His father, Henry Clegg, Sr., was the second person to be baptized into the LDS Church in Europe. A younger man won a race with him to the River Ribble near Preston's old tram bridge at Lancashire, England, in July, 1830, thereby winning the honor of being hte first of a small group of converts to be baptized. In immigrating to America, his wife and baby died, so that he arrived in Salt Lake Valley with only one son, Israel. Ann Lewis, also a convert from England, who was meeting the immigrants as they came into the city, was one of the first persons to greet him. They were married soon after, and the family moved to Springville, later coming to Heber where they homesteaded land and went into the grocery store business. Henry Clegg became the first Bishop of the West Ward in Heber.

        John Henry Clegg was the oldest of Ann Lewis and Henry Clegg's children and soon was engaged in farming and stock raising. In between the farm work, he worked at his father's shingle mill in Clegg's Canyon. He also hauled cord wood into Salt Lake City and always camped at Third South and State, where the City and County Building now stands.

        He met Martha Ellen Smith, daughter of Thomas Smith and Sarah Frampton Smith when she was working at the shingle mill. After 10 years of courting they were married on New Year's Day 1889 during a total eclipse of the sun. Their home still stands at the corner of 6th South and Main Street in Heber.

        To them were born two sons, John Douglas and Henry Cardwell, and eight daughters including Mattie, Ann, Ramona, Ruth, Bessie, Sheila, Camille, and Bernice.

        He was a successful farmer and stockman. He took an active part in the politics of the valley, but never ran for an office. In 1889, he went up to the head of the Provo River to help make cuts in the lakes to drain out more water. That fall two dams were built - one at Washington Lake and one at Trial Lake. Due to a very heavy winter of the year 1889-90 both dams washed out, and this left the people of Heber with practically no irrigation water, but they kept on working with a view to rebuild the dams. In 1906 John helped to survey the Uinta Reservation. By 1908 the work was outlined again for the rebuilding of the dams at the head of the Provo River. At this time the Provo Reservoir Company came into being and furnished the money to fight a lawsuit with Salt Lake City when it protested the rebuilding plans.

        The case was won by Heber, and for their financial aid the Provo Reservoir Co. received a half interest in the three big lakes as well as in many of the smaller ones. John Clegg was influential in getting this work started again. He sent his team with his son Henry Cardwell to help build a road to the lakes 46 miles away. They arrived on the 27th of June 1910 at Trial Lake but were driven out by mosquitoes. In late July John Clegg was in charge of building the Washington dam and for several years he supervised the building of dams and served as President of the Wasatch Canal Company.

        He lived a very useful life, and due to his vision and foresight, Wasatch County now enjoys many water rights and privileges. He adhered to a strict standard of personal honesty and integrity, never avoiding hard work, and reared his family by the same standards. He died June 22, 1930, in the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City and was buried in the Heber CIty cemetery. His memory is revered by all who knew him.

2. (Death unknown but obviously not living)