|
Back to Biographies Back to Main Page |
OLD COX HOME |
Biographies & ObituariesCemeteries
|
OF THE OLD COX HOME OR THE "BIG HOUSE" AS IT WAS CALLED by Norma Smith Wanlass Granddaughter-in-law of Charles Cox Fredrick Walter Cox and his family arrived in Manti on October 4, 1852. That first winter we lived in a little log cabin owned by Sylvester Culer(?), situated on the corner lot of 2nd North and 1st West, now owned by Dean Lund. The next year we moved into what was called the little stone fort and here we lived for nine years in two sixteen foot rooms in the southwest corner, a family of four wives and nineteen children. In the spring of 1853 the Old Cox Barn, situated approximately where the Twin Pines apartments now stands, was purchased from a Mr. Larson. It was used by the Cox family for sleeping quarters while they were living in the Little stone fort. During warm weather it was good to sleep in the Old Barn, using straw spread on the ground for their mattress, and it was enjoyed very much as bed bugs had invaded the Fort. Fred Jr. married Lucy Allen in April, 1857, which added another member to the Cox family, making 25 that used the Old Barn for sleeping quarters. Father Cox realized the need of more house room and began to plan a bigger and better home. During seven of those nine years a house was being built inside the Big Fort on what is now the corner of 1st West on Depot Street. Work on the house had to be done after the day's work in the field was accomplished. Father Cox and his sons put all their available time in cutting stone from the stone quarry, and hauling timber from the mountains. William Arthur Cox tells that he and his brother Fred would work hard all day in the field clearing land and plowing, and when they returned at night they would carry enough rock to supply masons for the next day. The girls worked as hard as their brothers. It was their job to haul the mud and rock up the walls to the men working above. They build twelve rooms with one large room on the third floor which they used for a school room and dance hall. The house quartered like a pie and each of the four wives lived in a section. A fireplace was in each section on the north and south walls. At this time I have been unable to find anyone who knows which wife occupied which section. One day as Father Cox came out of their home in the Fort, he looked up to see Sarah Ann just leaving the south chimney of the Big House, stepping along from rafter to rafter, where they came to a point, on what was to be the roof. To slip would mean a fall clear to the basement, three stories below. Father Cox dared not call, he feared it would distract her attention and make her lose her footing. When she got to the middle rafter he started walking toward her. By the time he got there she was over to the north chimney. As he walked up to her he said, "Now Sary Ann don't ever do that again. You've done it this time, but don't ever do it again." Seven years of hard work and in April, 1861, just 100 years ago, their new home was ready and they moved into it: Four wives, seven sons and sixteen daughter's besides Fred's wife. They numbered 29 now. The women folks vacated the Old Barn but the Cox boys still remained and added to what became known as the "Barn Crowd." Father Cox had planned one large, light, airy room for service. Spacious enough for two teachers. School was taught in this room during the evenings as well as days, through the coldest weather, when outside work was somewhat laid aside. Rosalia taught the smaller pupils first and afterward when she had more experience she taught the higher classes. There was night school for the older boys and girls. Some married people, too, who had not been able to get sufficient schooling, attended the evening classes. A singing school was taught by W. K. Barton in this room. Uncle Orville Cox was a good dancer and with dancing pumps on his feet he was so light and nimble that he was like a rubber ball. He taught dancing. William Arthur Cox tells of the constant effort that was required of every member of the large family. All who were old enough had to work. They all shared alike in everything that was earned or brought into the house. They required a bushel of wheat a day for their bread alone. They had a large oven built in the dooryard to bake their bread. It would hold fourteen large loaves. When shearing time came the wool was brought home and each mother had her portion weighed out to her according to the number of children she had. The wives and older girls would card the wool into rolls, and others would spin them into yarn, and still others would weave this yarn into cloth or knit it into socks or stockings. There were three looms used by the mothers until the girls were older, when each in her turn learned to weave. At times there were seven or eight spinning wheels ranged along side by side facing the windows and the street. We first picked the wool, taking out all the bits of dirt and straw. Then it was sorted. The finest and best was put into one pile, the next best in another pile, and so on - usually making four grades. The finest grade was to be used in making fine flannel fr dresses, next was mixed wih cotton for linsey sheets and underwear. Next for jeans or heavy cloth for trousers for men an boys. The last lot was carded by hand for quilt batting. We ran races to see who could spin the most in a day or a given time. Rosalia wove ten yards of linsey in on day, but she was sick the next day to pay or it. Then Lovina spun 10 skeins in one day and the rest kept close to them. We sang every song we could think of. We set words to music, we sang whole stories told in verse. Meanwhile, the boys harvesting the crops and getting the wood in for the winter. William Arthur at one time, hauled twenty-one loads of wood from the hills alone, in twenty days. There were five fires to keep going all winter and summer and they were obliged to haul their wood from the hills while the Indians could not get through the snow. Their amusements were mostly in some part of the large Cox House or outside in the door-yard in summer time. They had games, singing and dancing; mostly singing. All the wives and children would be together of evenings and have just glorious times. The music seemed to cement them together. All evil influences would vanish under the spell of the music. They were so united that the people outside the family circle could hardly tell which mother the children belonged to. Father Cox was quite a musician. He played the flute beautifully. He was also a good singer and sang in the choir in the Old Council House. Often at public gatherings five of the Cox girls sang together: Lucia, Alice, Arletta, Amanda and Eleanor. Sometimes their brother, Sylvester sang with the. At one time a salesman tried to sell Father Cox a sewing machine but he could not see the point. Finally, in exasperation the salesman said, "But Brother Cox, this is a Singer." To which father replied, "That's nothing, I have a houseful of singers." In October, 1865, afater laboring 27 months, Father Cox came home from his mission to England. One of the boys went to Salt Lake City to meet him. We went up in the garret of the Big House to watch out the round window at the north of the house with field glasses. We watched the county road long before he could possibly be in sight, but so anxious were we it was almost impossible to wait. It was along in the afternoon when we caught sight of his covered wagon. Then six or eight of us older girls hurried off to meet him. We met him at the point of Temple Hill. He stopped the horses, got out and clasped Rosalia and Adelaide in his arms, while he looked steadily at the rest saying, "You have grown so fast, I can only guess who you are." The Indians were always with us begging and when we had bread they shared with us. They found Father Cox to be a true and lasting friend and Couselor. They never left him in anger for his talk was so forceful and the right way so plainly pointed out that they knew that he was speaking the truth. He put President Young's advice "It is better to feed them than to fight them" into practice and often he would kill a beef and give them a feast. He always kept his word with them and they knew that he did not talk with a "forked tongue". Often he would go with them for two or three days at a time. Father Cox spoke three different Indian dialects: Blackfoot, Navaho and Ute. Will Cox Jr. tells that he could remember when he was just a young boy, of Fredrick Cox standing on the Northwest steps of the Big House preaching to between 1000 and 1200 Indians on horseback. They were all around him on all sides, north past Ned Armstrongs home, west past Brigham McAllister's home, and south to Halbert Keller's home. William Arthur Cox states that he often saw the Indians standing around the Big House in great crowds with Father Cox standing on the west steps preaching to them and reasoning wih them. The Indians came to Father with many of their troubles. Even after he was gone an Indian came from far out in Dixie country to see him and seemed disappointed when told that Father Cox had been killed in an accident. On June 2, 1879, Father Cox and some older boys of the family were unloading logs down by the sawmill behind the house where Emma lived. Belle, aged 7, May, not yet 3, and Lee aged 0, were watching them. Belle had hold of the hand of each of the younger girls. She said, "Pa, be careful." Pa said, "You children move back." They stepped back out of the way. The logs were on a wagon, the boys on one end and Pa on the other. He called, "Hold on a minute," but the boys didn't hear him and putting their strength against the log, rolled their end off the wagon. This forced the other end to smack against the log lying next to it, pinning Pa's head between the two, where he dangled until the boys could move the logs to release him. In recounting it in later years, Belle said the logs were as big around as wash tubs. She didn't know whether they appeared that big to her because she was so young or if it really was so. She said Pa's neck stretched way out as he dangled between the two logs so that he looked like a chicken hanging from the shed. Pa's eyes were squeezed from the sockets and laid on his cheek bones. Blood came from his ears, nose and mouth. His tongue swelled until it filled his mouth. They took him to the Big House where he died on June 4, 1879, never regaining consciousness. The Cox's lived in The Big House for 21 years, although it wasn't deeded by Manti City to Fredrick Walter Cox until 1872. After Father Cox's death, Emeline and Jemima went to live with their married daughters. Cordelia and Lydia moved to homes of their own. The estate of F.W. Cox deeded the Big House to Gustave B. Carlson on August 8, 1882. On March 19, 1883, he deeded it to Lars C. Kjar for the sum of $500.00. On March 26, 1887, it was deeded back to Gustav B. Carlson for $500.00. On September 2, 1887, he deeded it to Neils J. Provstgaard for $500.00. A daughter, Florence Provstgaard Larsen now resides there. Written by Norma S. Wanlass 1961 |
Last Updated: 03.10.2018