Ira Ames Jr.

Ira J. Ames, who was also known as Ira Ames Jr., was buried in the Cleveland, Idaho Cemetery. I found one place where he was called 'Ira Jim Carter Ames.'

Ira Ames Jr.

(Compiled by his granddaughter, Mamie Ransom Nash Smith)


My grandfather, Ira Ames Jr., was the son of Ira Ames and Charity Carter.

In 1851, at the age of 15 years, he helped drive a yoke of oxen across the plains to Utah.

The family, then consisting of the parents, two sisters, Clarissa and Rebecca, and two brothers, Clark and Daniel, settled in Salt Lake City. Near the warm springs in the nineteenth ward, the father established the first tannery and shoe shop in Utah. Clarissa later married Phillip Pugsley and Rebecca married Isaiah Huntsman.

They remained in this location until the year of 1853 when the father was called by President Brigham Young to help settle Cache Valley. They moved to Wellsville where he kept a grocery store, tannery and telegraph office where Millie Maughan was the operator.

In 1854, when Grandfather was eighteen years old, he was called on a mission to the Indians in Salmon River Country, and was among those who established the historical Old Mormon Fort Lemhi. A little over a year later he returned to Utah. On 11 September 1856 he was married in the Salt Lake Endowment House to Mary Elizabeth Walton, daughter of Alfred and Sarah Buys Walton. Soon afterward, he returned to the mission at Salmon River where a wonderful missionary work was being done among the Indians, and a flourishing settlement had been established. He remained there until the missionaries were called home due to the increasing danger from some hostile Indians.

Ira had spent a total of about 3 ½ years among the Indians of Salmon River. He had, because of his wonderful personality, his faith and humility, performed a most successful mission, and had gained a knowledge of Indian lore, customs and language, that later became most valuable. He had seen many wonderful things and had many faith-promoting experiences.

At one time he and his companion were making a camp in the woods. Three times they made a campfire only to have it immediately extinguished as if it had been stamped out, every spark of it. Grandfather looked at his companion and said, “The Blackfoot Tribe is near, we had better go.” They traveled about three miles further, lit a fire and all was well. They later learned that the Blackfoot Indians, now on the war path, had found their first camp. If Grandfather and his companion had not heeded the warning, they would have been killed.

Upon Ira’s return to Cache Valley, he built a home in Wellsville for his young wife. Her mother and father were dead, so she had been living with his parents during his absence.

Cache Valley was where most of his twelve children were born. Their names are: Ira Henry, Alfred, Hannah Elizabeth, Ithamer, Mary Louise, Daniel Carter, Sarah Isabelle, Charity Francis, Emily, Charles Winslow, John Clark and Clarissa Rebecca.

The years of 1862 and 1863 found the Indians growing more troublesome to the people of the little settlements in North Cache Valley. They stole horses and cattle from the pastures. They became insolent and demanding. The leaders pleaded with the Indians to be peaceable and friendly. Repeatedly they made promises, only to break them and commit fresh depredations, even murder. At last the people appealed to President Brigham Young for help. President Young sent a letter to the Presiding Bishop, Peter Maughan, to be delivered to the Indian Chief, Bear Hunter. Bishop Maughan sent for Grandfather Ames to interpret the letter to the Indians. Grandfather said, “I will take this letter to the Indian Chief if you will let me tell him the message in my own words.”

Grandfather talked to the Chief for about two hours, and finally Chief Bear Hunter promised that his tribe would be good, and steal and kill no more. He also told Grandfather of a dream that he had the night before. He dreamed that he saw thousands of soldiers riding white horses. Grandfather told him that the dream was a warning that if they didn’t do better they would be wiped off the face of the earth.

The promises made to Grandfather, like their earlier promises, were immediately broken. Soldiers were sent in and in the year 1863, a battle was fought at what is now known as Battle Creek. The whole tribe was nearly completely destroyed.

In the year 1878, Grandfather helped build the railroad connecting Salt Lake and Cache Valley.

In about 1880, Grandfather and his family moved to a little valley in Southeastern Idaho known as “Gentile Valley.” This valley was scarcely settled at the time so they, once again, lived the life of pioneers. It was there that Ira became a leader in the religious and social life of the settlers. He was the first school teacher and he also established the first Sunday School in the Cleveland Branch.

Grandfather went about playing his violin for dances and provided entertainment in local communities. He loved music and played by ear. He could play along with others who had musical training.

Later, as the industries in the valley developed, he helped build the power dam and pipe line at Grace. He helped build the Logan Temple and the Old Oneida Academy at Preston, Idaho.

May 3, 1883 was a sad day for Grandfather and his family. It was on that day that his beloved wife and companion died after a three day illness of pneumonia. She left their large family to the care of their father and the older girls. He carried out his trust. He never remarried but as his family grew up and married, he lived with one or another of his children, most of the time with his oldest son, Ira. His grandchildren all loved and respected him and made him feel welcome. They never tired of listening to the music of his violin, his stories of pioneer life, and his kind words of counsel and advice. These wise and inspiring words have been handed down to children and grandchildren. His beneficent influence lives on in the lives of his posterity.

He was a patient, understanding and forgiving man. His life was a living example of the ‘Golden Rule.’ He passed away on 21 July 1912 at the age of seventy-five and was buried in the cemetery at Cleveland, Idaho.

Kathy's additions:

Ira was not yet 3 years old when his mother, Charity, died. It was his father's second wife, Sarah, who raised him. Ira's parents were early converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were a part of early church history. They moved around with the body of the saints from one location to another as they endured persecution by mobs. They were closely associated with the Prophet Joseph, Brigham Young etc. Ira arrived with his family in the Salt Lake Valley on the 22nd or 23rd of September, 1851. He was about 10 days shy of being 15 years old.

The following are excerpts from the journal of Ira Ames (Sr.) concerning his son, Ira Ames Jr:

"In the fall I made a contract with a man in Appenoose, two miles from my house to deliver him 550 bushels of corn at 12 cents per bushel sacked. I and my two boys Clark and Ira thrashed it out and delivered it and with the money I bought a splendid yoke of cattle which proved my salvation. In April 1846 about the middle of the month we crossed the Mississippi River to Fort Madison and camped there for a week or ten days. My family consisted of my wife, Sarah, my children were Rebecca, Clark, Ira Junior, and Samuel. My outfit was two yoke of oxen, a wagon, two cows and three sheep. I had 1200 lbs flour and 300 lbs bacon and a few other trifles."

"In the beginning of winter 1852 my second son Ira Jr. having had some contention in the tan yard with Clark where they were working, Ira Jr. took offence and ran away from home without anyone knowing where he was going. He went North; herded sheep and when he had worn out all his clothes he returned home again, he was gone about two months. He remained at home until April 1855 when he was called to go on a mission to Salmon River. He went and remained there until fall. In the spring of 1856 he again returned to Salmon River and remained one year. Previous to his second trip to Salmon River he married Mary Walton. I married them in my house."

Excerpt concerning what took place during a family meeting on 21 Feb 1858: "Ira Jr. then arose with a good spirit and talked well. Felt that he would stick to his father anyhow and take his father's counsel in all things and be subject to him. Ira Jr. spoke at considerable length, all were well pleased."

At another family meeting on 1 March 1858: "Ira Jr. then arose and spoke upon his boyish folly and disobedience and gave some of the causes that lead him to run away from his fathers house in 1852."

BLESSING of Ira Ames Junior, son of Ira Ames and Charity Carter, born in Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio on October 3, 1836:
"Ira, my second born son, I lay my hands upon thy head in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to place upon thy head a fathers blessing. Thou was deprived of thy mother in thine infancy. The adversary has also sought to destroy thy life from the face of the earth by the power of the disease he implanted in thy system in thine infancy. That disease has been preying upon thee from thine infancy until now; I feel now to rebuke that disease that has been trying to destroy thy body. I feel to rebuke it in the name of the Lord. And I say to Satan be thou rebuked. And I say to the disease be thou rebuked. And I pray my Heavenly Father to ratify and seal this rebuke, and to cause every principle of disease to be rebuked. And I ask my Heavenly Father to rebuke the disease that thou mayest grow to a sound and healthy constitution. And if thou art obedient to the counsels of thy father thou shalt realize that the spirit of health is upon thee. And if thou will seek to do the will of God thou shalt have health. And thou shall have power to do much good in thy day and generation. Thy desires to do good are right, In other words, thou hast naturally a desire to do right; but the adversary seeks to lead thee away in by and forbidden paths, but if thou art faithful he shalt not have power over thee. Thy blessings shalt increase from this very time, and these blessings shall attend thee through the journey of life. Thou shalt be perserved from the hands of wicked men; they shalt not have power to take thy life from the earth, but if thou trusted in God he shalt deliver thee and Thy God shall lead thee in safety through the journey of life. And Ira, thou shalt live to see Zion redeemed. Thou shalt live to see the time when the nations of the earth shall come up to see the glory of Zion. Thou shalt live to behold the events of that great day spoken of by the prophets of the redemption of Zion the destruction of the wicked. Thou shalt have prosperity. And thy prosperity shall be blessed with the Holy Priesthood; they shall be an ornament around about thee; and thou shalt rejoice in thy posterity through the years to come. These blessings I seal upon thy head in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

(this was copied from a transcription and contains obvious errors, such as prosperity and posterity being interchanged, some text seems to be missing etc. I didn't try to correct or assume what was intended)