Parley P. Pratt Memorial — 1998
Late in August of 1998, I received a letter from the president of the Jared Pratt Family Organization, informing me that our family organization had joined forces with the Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation division to create a small city park to honor Parley P. Pratt. The park would include a larger-than-life bronze statue of Parley, beautiful landscaping, and large granite boulders engraved with the names of “pioneers”. I was asked to donate $300 to the cause, and by so doing, would be allowed to submit one name of a pioneer to be engraved on a boulder. I gladly contributed, and then Susan and I decided to submit the name of Albert Jones, my wonderful great-grandfather, as our pioneer. I was asked to write a brief account of him to be included in a booklet which would be published to coincide with the dedication of the park. Following is the article I submitted:
ALBERT JONES
August 28, 1839 – December 9, 1925
Albert Jones, respected patriarch and faithful Saint, was an outstanding figure in the development of the original Utah Stake in Provo, Utah. He crossed the plains as a teenager in the Martin Handcart Company. The handcart that was pulled the farthest west in this company was pulled by Albert, as he was carrying a sick Scottish woman in his cart. He refused to abandon this poor sister, despite
her semi-conscious and debilitated state. He pulled her until she succumbed to the cruel exposure and lack of food, at which time he buried her in a shallow grave. He then abandoned his cart and rode in a wagon. His life-long creed was “Suffer wrong rather than do wrong; contain within a good spirit and offend it not.”
On October 24, 1998, our family had a beautiful experience as we attended the unveiling of the statue of Parley at the dedication of the new park, located at the corner of 2100 South and 2300 East in Salt Lake City. I was so proud to see Albert’s name engraved on one of the rocks in the park. One of the speakers at the dedication was Natalie McCullough, the woman who collected and compiled the articles on the pioneers and put them in book form. She specifically mentioned Albert in her talk, recounting his handcart story. Again, my soul filled with pride and tears flowed from my eyes as I considered the wonderful heritage we have, wonderfully represented by Parley and Albert. The statue, magnificent and stirring, was then unveiled. The sculptor, Ed Fraughton, caught the spirit of this great man in his work. Elder M. Russell Ballard then spoke briefly before dedicating the statue. He told of how Parley’s wife was extremely ill, weak, and pregnant when he received his mission call to Toronto. He was also deeply in debt. Heber C. Kimball promised Parley that he would be blessed with a healthy son if he fulfilled his mission, that his wife’s health would improve, and that his debts would be relinquished. A few days later, Parley left for Canada with nothing more than the clothes he wore and a small knapsack. He eventually arrived in Hamilton, Canada (having walked the entire distance through inclement weather and mud), but had no money to pay for the ferry ride across Lake Erie to reach Toronto. He retired to a small wooded area and pleaded with the Lord to assist him. As he walked out of the woods, he was approached by a man who stated, “You appear to need assistance. How may I help you?” After Parley explained his plight, the stranger gave Parley $10 and the name of a friend of his that might be able to help him once he arrived in Toronto. The name of the friend was John Taylor! Parley baptized scores of people during this mission, including John Taylor, the 3rd president of the church, and Mary Fielding, the mother of the 6th president of the church and the grandmother of the 10th president of the church. Every promise that Heber C. Kimball made to Parley was fulfilled. There is no earthly way to fully comprehend the faith, the devotion, the spirituality of this wonderful progenitor, Parley P. Pratt. This was truly a memorable day for me and for our family, basking in a deeper understanding and appreciation of our choice heritage
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