Joseph Argyle

Family/Spouse: Mary Smith. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

In 1851, Mary's brother Joseph Argle was converted to Mormonism. He then converted Mary and baptized her on the 31st of August 1854.

Mary married William Jackson on 26 Feb 1850 in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, England. William (son of William Jackson and Sarah Smith) was born on 15 Jan 1826 in Belper, Derbyshire, England; died on 22 Jan 1889 in Ogden, Weber, Utah; was buried in Ogden City Cemetery, Ogden, Utah. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: 2 Apr 1853, Leicestershire, England

Notes:

He was a builder -- a brickmaker and a mason. His death certificate lists his occupation as "architect."

Although his daughter Harriet Viola (Jackson) Stevens is unmentioned on his Wikitree page and unlisted among the children shown on his Find a Grave page, the (unsigned) biography of him on the latter page states that in old age, he and his second wife Mary Ann Stowell moved to El Paso to live with "their daughter, Harriet Jackson Stevens", where he died in 1935 and Mary Ann died in 1943.

From his Find a Grave page (citation details below):

Joseph Jackson was the second child of eight born to Mary Argyle & William Jackson in Leicestershire, England. He came to America with his younger brother William, when he was nineteen years of age. They lived with his mother's brother, Joseph Argyle, in Bountiful, Utah until they could earn enough money to send for their family.

At a very early age he had been apprenticed to a contractor & builder in England, where he learned the trades of brick making, building & architecture. This early training was a great help to the two boys, who had the responsibility of moving their large family from England to Utah.

On Jul 7, 1873, Joseph was married & sealed to Prudence Phillips, in Salt Lake. Prudence had been born in Stoneheath, Staffordshire, England to Robert Phillips & Alice Rushton Phillips. Prudence was a boyhood sweetheart & had also immigrated to Utah. Joseph & Prudence had nine children. Sadly, six of the nine died before reaching the age of one. Three died in Jul & Aug of 1877, due to an epidemic that swept through Ogden.

While living in Ogden, Joseph became a very successful builder & brick maker. He owned & operated a large brick yard in Ogden. He employed twenty laborers & his factory was capable of turning out 35,000 to 40,000 bricks a day. Many of Joseph's relatives & in-laws were employed at the brickyard.

In 1887, Joseph entered into the practice of polygamy. He married Mary Ann Stowell on Nov. 22, 1887. Prudence, had given her consent to this second marriage, but soon left the marriage & the LDS religion & moved to Kanesville with her children. Joseph's second wife, Mary Ann, had been born in Ogden on Nov 23, 1866. She was the daughter of William Stowell & Sophronia Kelly. Unfortunately for Joseph & his family, this was a time of mounting pressure against polygamy on the part of the federal government. Many men practicing polygamy had to go underground to avoid being jailed. In 1889, Joseph sold his business & property in Ogden, & moved to Mexico with his second wife & their young daughter. There were several Mormon colonies that had been established in northern Chihuahua Mexico. When Joseph arrived in the colonies, he basically had to start over. His enterprising nature again prevailed, & after trying a few ventures, he finally built & operated a successful flour mill. He built a comfortable home for his family that was about three miles from Colonia Dublan, & a mile north of Casas Grandes. The first two children of Joseph & Mary Ann died of typhoid fever while still babies. About that time, Joseph contracted smallpox & almost died himself. They had nine more children, all born in either Colonia Dublan or Colonia Juarez. The last three children were triplets, but one of them, Ivy, only lived 10 days.

In about 1900, Joseph was called on an LDS mission to England. Following his mission, he was advised by Church leadership to take a third wife. He married Mary Ann "Mollie" Jones on Dec 2, 1902 in Colonia Juarez. Mollie Jones had been born Jun 22, 1872 in the small southern Utah town of Pine Valley. Her parents were Ellen Marshall & Frederick William Jones. Joseph & his third wife, Mollie, had four children.

For several years following his mission to England, Joseph seemed to prosper while supporting his two families. His life, along with everyone else's who lived in the Mormon colonies, was sent into turmoil by the Mexican revolution of 1910. Because of their relative prosperity, their food, livestock, & homes became attractive targets of both the Mexican army & Pancho Villa's rebels. Joseph was robbed, beaten, extorted & jailed. Mary Ann & her children sought refuge & safety in El Paso, Texas. Joseph, Mollie & their children managed to stay in Mexico for a few more years. They finally gave up, after their flour mill & home were burned, & virtually everything they possessed had been stolen. They moved back to Ogden in 1917. After Joseph arrived back in Ogden, he purchased the brick yard he had owned earlier, but apparently found the work to be too much for him at 65 years of age.

Mollie died in Ogden on Jan 28, 1929. Joseph was 75, while their youngest child, Fredrick was 14. His second wife, Mary Ann came to Ogden from El Paso to care for them. They ended up moving to El Paso and lived with their daughter, Harriet Jackson Stevens where Joseph died on Apr 13, 1935. He was buried in the Evergreen (Alameda Street) Cemetery in El Paso. Joseph's second wife, Mary Ann, died in El Paso on Apr 25, 1943. She is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery next to Joseph.

Joseph married Mary Ann Stowell on 22 Nov 1887. Mary (daughter of William Rufus Rogers Stowell and Sophronia Kelly) was born on 23 Nov 1866 in Ogden, Weber, Utah; died on 25 Apr 1943 in El Paso, El Paso, Texas; was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, El Paso, El Paso, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Harriet married Benjamin Earl Stevens on 25 Aug 1912 in El Paso, El Paso, Texas. Benjamin (son of David Alma Stevens and Sariah Agnes Johnson) was born on 5 Aug 1889 in Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona; died on 17 Jul 1974 in El Paso, El Paso, Texas; was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, El Paso, El Paso, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]