TAYLOR, Ida Oakley^[1]

1860 - 1946  (85 years)  Submit Photo / Document

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• Name	TAYLOR, Ida Oakley
  Birth	6 Sep 1860	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States   [1]
  Gender	Female
  WAC	21 Oct 1876	EHOUS
  _TAG	Reviewed on FS
  Death	23 May 1946	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States   [1]
  Burial	25 May 1946	Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States   [1]
  Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
  Person ID	I50124	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
  Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

  
  

  Family ID

  F25440

  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Father	TAYLOR, John
  Family ID	F25441	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	WHITAKER, John Mills ,   b. 16 Oct 1863, Centerville, Davis, Utah, United States Centerville, Davis, Utah, United Statesd. 2 Apr 1960, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 96 years)
  Children	+ 1. WHITAKER, Jeannette Taylor ,   b. 5 May 1897, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United Statesd. 4 Feb 1975, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 77 years)
  Family ID	F7308	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	24 Jan 2022

  
  

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• Notes

  Her father, President John Taylor could not attend their marriage as he was in hiding. They were married in the Logan Temple but their reception planned for that evening in Salt Lake City was postponed for a day as deputies had surrounded the Gardo House, hoping to arrest President John Taylor and other Church leaders. LIFE OF JOHN TAYLOR Born: November 1, 1808 at Milnthorpe, Westmorland, England Died: July 25, 1887 at Kaysville, Davis County, Utah Arrived in Utah: October 5, 1847 (He headed the company.) Married to: (4) Mary Ann Oakley “President Taylor was a man of fine appearance; he stood about six feet high, his countenance was heavenly, and whosoever went into his presence, either in private or in public, felt intuitively that he was in the presence of a great man, a man of honor and merit. There was nothing in his nature of a pettish or groveling character. He spurned every sentiment that was low or dishonorable in thought, word or deed. His language and manner of address was always chaste and dignified to the very extreme.”1 “The forehead was high and massive, the eyes gray. In early life he was of fair complexion, but with age the face grew swarthy, and in middle life his abundant hair turned to a silvery whiteness.”2 “His noble form and bearing were but the outward expression of the spirit within. A universal benevolence, powerful intellect, splendid courage, physical as well as moral, a noble independence of spirit, coupled with implicit faith trust in God, a high sense of honor, unimpeachable integrity, indomitable determination, and a passionate love of liberty, justice and truth marked the outlines of his character.”3 John Taylor was born on November 1., 1808, at Milnthorpe, Westmorland, England. He died in his 78th year on July 25, 1887, at Kaysville, Utah. His father was James Taylor who was born June 21, 1783, and died in his 87th year on May 27, 1870. His mother was Agnes Taylor, born August 22, 1787, who died November 15, 1868. Both of John's parents were born in the same county of Westmorland., England, but in different towns, and both died in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ten children were born to this union, eight boys and two girls. John’s parents must have had some tragic times, because the fourth and fifth sons died in the same year that they were born, another at eight, and another at ten years of age. The oldest son, Edward, died at 22. John was the second son in the family. Only he and William, the eighth child, were ever married. The two girls of the family, Agnes and Elizabeth, also married. (For the exact names and birth dates of John's brothers and sisters, see the family group sheet.) James Taylor’s forefathers had lived on an estate known as Craig Gate, in Ackenthwait, for many generations. James’ father, Edward, had two sons by his first wife, before his second wife, Elizabeth, had James and his three sisters. Because of the English law of primogeniture, the eldest son inherited the estate, leaving the younger branches of the family to get along as best as they could. A generous uncle on his mother's side bequeathed to James a small estate in Hale, Westmorland. Agnes Taylor was the maiden name of John's mother. Her f ather, John, held an office in the excise under the government most of his life. He was between 70 and 80 when he died, and his father, Christopher Taylor, lived to be 97 years of age. Her mother was Agnes Whittington. In 1819, John Tavlor's father left Government employ in the excise which had required his moving from place to place, and settled on his small estate in Hale. John Taylor was eleven years old at the time. He attended school at Beetham., about a mile from his home. As a boy he did farm work, helping with plowing, sowing, reaping, hay-making,,and had a few mishaps with horses. “Like the majority of English boys, he was required to take up a trade.”4 At age 14 he was apprenticed to a Cooper (barrel maker) in Liverpool, and later to a turner in Penrith, Cumberlmd. It was in this beautiful valley, with a river and mountains and lakes near the Scotch border, where he spent his fifteenth to twentieth years. At the age of 20, he went into his own business under his father's auspices at Hale, Westmorland. John had been baptized into the Church of England as an infant and learned its catechism. When but a small boy, he had seen in vision an angel in the heavens holding a trumpet to his mouth, sounding a message to the nations. As a boy of twelve his religious nature had been stirred and he was impressed with the thought that he must prepare himself for an important future work. In his sixteenth year, he joined the Methodists, and spent many hours reading the Bible. At seventeen, he was appointed a local preacher for a small country town about seven miles from Penrith. While walking there one day, he had a strong impression that he must go to America to preach the gospel.5 In 1830 his parents emigrated to Upper Canada, leaving John behind to settle the estate. He joined them two years later after spending a few months in Brooklyn and Albany, New York. At Toronto, he affiliated with the Methodists and began preaching for them. While so engaged, he met Leonora Cannon, to whom he was married on January 28, 1833. Leonora was the daughter of Captain George Cannon of the Isle of Man. Her father had died while she was still a girl, and she went to live with various families, becoming the companion to the wife of the secretary of the Governor of Canada. Leonora rejected John's first proposal of marriage, but was convinced afterwards in a dream that he should become her husband. Although John became a successful preacher in the Methodist Church, he became dissatisfied with the existing creeds and churches when comparing them to the original Christian church of the Bible. He met with a group of like-minded men several times a week to investigate the claims of each sect of religion. They finally decided that all the sects were in error and without authority to preach the Gospel or administer its ordinances.6 They fasted and prayed for the Lord to send them a messenger of the true church if such were on the earth. But they did not at first recognize that Elder Parley P. Pratt might be that messenger because they had heard so many evil rumors about the Mormons. In spite of a letter of introduction f rom a mutual friend, John treated Mr. Pratt cautiously. After a week of trying to find a place to stay and hold meetings, a discouraged Elder Pratt was about to leave Toronto and was saying goodbye to the Taylors, when a neighbor of the Taylors happened by and offered her home to Elder Pratt He was soon giving his message to John Taylor and his friends, who liked his teachings from the Bible until he mentioned Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon. Some of them refused to investigate further. But John Taylor, being bold and independent of spirit, said, “We are here in search of truth. We have fully investigated other creeds and doctrines and proven them false. Why should we fear to investigate Mormonism? ... I desire to investigate his doctrines and claims to authority, and shall be very glad if some of my friends will unite with me.., But if no one will unite with me, be assured I shall make the investigation alone. If I find his religion true, I shall accept it no matter what the consequences may be; and if false, I shall expose it.”7 After a thorough investigation of three weeks, he was convinced of the truth and was baptized on May 9, 1836, along with his wife. Soon after, he was ordained an Elder and appointed to preside over the branches of the Church in Canada. In March of 1837, he visited Kirtland, Ohio, where he first met the Prophet Joseph Smith, who invited him to stay at his home. A spirit of apostasy had arisen among some of the members and Elder Taylor strongly defended the Prophet. He returned to Canada and the work of the Church spread rapidly there. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith on July 9, 1838, John Taylor was called to be an Apostle to fill up the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, as some had fallen into apostasy. ( D & C Sec. 118) He was instructed by the Prophet to go to Far West, Missouri, and was without means as he planned to go, but the Lord provided the way, as he did so often throughout Elder Taylor’s life. Their party was met by a mob near Columbus, Ohio, who planned to tar and feather him if he dared to speak in their town. He shamed them by mentioning that their forefathers had fought for liberty, and said, “I have been informed that you purpose to tar and feather me for my religious opinions. Is this the boon that you have inherited from your fathers? ... the blessing they purchased with their dearest heart's blood -- this your liberty? If so, you now have a victim..” Here he tore open his vest and said, "Gentlemen, come on with your tar and feathers, your victim is ready!" No one moved; no one spoke. He continued to preach with great boldness and power for three hours.”8 He stayed in Indianapolis for two months while his wife gave birth to their second son, and he raised up a branch of the Church there. At Dewitt, Missouri, his party was met by a mob of 150 men led by two alleged ministers of the gospel, late in the summer of l838. The mobs continued their plunder, house burnings, and persecution until the Saints were expelled from Missouri. John Taylor was appointed to a committee to petition the Missouri legislature for redress of grievances. The Prophet Joseph Smith had been put in Liberty jail on false charges and was kept for six months without a trial, in spite of asking for "habeas corpus." John Taylor assisted Brigham Young and others in removing the Saints from Missouri to a temporary resting place in Quincy, Illinois. They later began settling at Commerce in the Spring of 1839, which was afterwards known as Nauvoo. Almost a year earlier, the Prophet had given a revelation that the Apostles should leave for foreign missions from the temple lot in Missouri on April 26, 1839. At the risk of their lives, due to the threats of their enemies who said the revelation would fail, the Apostles met before daylight at the appointed place on that day, thus fulfilling the revelation. Before leaving on his mission, August 8, l839, John Taylor dedicated his wife and family to the care of the Lord. He had found some old log barracks in Montrose, Iowa, for them to stay in. He joined a sick Wilford Woodruff in Nauvoo, who was scarcely able to drag himself along. John's own health failed him several times on his way to the east, traveling and preaching. He embarked from New York on December 10, 1839, arriving in Liverpool, England, about a month later. He found a people prepared to receive the Gospel, but also met much opposition from sectarian ministers. He introduced the Gospel Ireland in 1840 and the Isle of Man, also going to Scotland. He helped print a Hymn Book, an edition of the Book of Mormon for the English Saints, a periodical to defend the faith, and helped to firmly establish the Church in England with the seven other Apostles, who baptized 8,000 souls. Elder Taylor arrived back in Nauvoo on July 1, 1841, and found his dear wife very sick, almost to death. She was healed by the prayer of faith. Shortly after the return of the Apostles from England, the Prophet Joseph made known to them the doctrine of celestial marriage -- marriage that is to endure for time and for eternity, the ceremony being performed by one holding that power to bind on earth and in heaven, also including a plurality of wives. This was not an easy principle for John Taylor to accept. In fact, he walked the floor all night, praying about it. Joseph Smith had told the Twelve that if this law was not practiced, the Kingdom of God could not go one step further.9 So within two years, John married Elizabeth Kaigham, Jane Ballantyne, and Mary Ann Oakley in Nauvoo. Afterwards, he married Sophia Whitaker and Margaret Young. “By tongue and pen he defended this celestial order of marriage against all who assailed it.”10 At Nauvoo, Elder Taylor was a member of the City Council, a Regent of the University, Judge Advocate with the rank of colonel in the Nauvoo Legion, and editor of the “Times and Seasons.” He nominated the Prophet Joseph Smith for President of the United States in February 1844, to remove the Saints from partisan politics. In that year several apostates conspired with assassins from Missouri to take the life of the Prophet. They were joined in this agitation against the peace of Nauvoo by sectarian religionists, politicians and scoundrels. An anti-Mormon newspaper, "The Expositor," came into being in Nauvoo which was designed to destroy the Prophet and the Church. It was so vicious and untruthful that the City Council voted to destroy it, which was done by the City Marshall. Warrants were immediately issued for the arrest of Joseph and the City Council. They were twice acquitted before two different judges in Nauvoo, one a non-Mormon. But Governor Ford insisted that Joseph Smith come to Carthage for a new trial, and pledged his faith as Governor that he would be protected. It was while awaiting this trial in the Carthage Jail that Joseph and his brother, Hyrum, were brutally murdered by a mob of men with painted faces. John Taylor and Willard Richards were there as friends, and survived. John's life was spared when a bullet hit the watch in his vest pocket over his heart and knocked him back into the room as he was attempting to leap out of the window. Upon recovering in Nauvoo, Elder Taylor worked with Brigham Young and the other Apostles in directing the affairs of the Church. He helped complete the Nauvoo Temple enough that endowments could be given, in which work he was engaged during that Winter. Snow was on the ground when he and his family left Nauvoo to cross the Mississippi River on February 16, 1846. They reached Council Bluffs by June 17 under many trying circumstances. John and two other Apostles were sent to England to set the Church in order and were gone from July 1846 to April 1847. They brought back the scientific instruments which were later used by Orson Pratt to lay out Salt Lake City. Elders Taylor and Pratt led two companies of pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley, leaving June 21, l847, and arriving October 5, 1847. Brigham Young called him to open the French Mission in October 1849. He directed the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon into French and German. He also wrote a book, “The Government of God.”11 His next call from President Brigham Young was to publish a newspaper in the east to counteract the rising swell of criticism against the Church's practice of plural marriage. This he did boldly, setting up his office between two of New York’s large daily newspapers and called his paper, “The Mormon,” which he published between 1855 and 1857, when he returned home due to the threat of Johnson's Army invading Utah. He removed his family south to Provo. “We shall touch only lightly upon the years between 1857 and 1877. During these twenty years, John Taylor was active in the community and in the Church. He served for 20 years as a member of the Territorial Legislature, was speaker of the House of Representatives for five sessions, was a probate judge, and was Superintendent of Education for the Territory of Utah. He spoke at all these and usually accompanied President Brigham Young on his visits to the Saints throughout all the territory.”12 The Quorum of the Twelve led the Church for three years after the death of Pres.Young on August 29, 1877, with John Taylor as its presiding officer. The Primary organization was organized during this time in 1878. On October 10, 1880, he was sustained as the third President of the Church, it's Jubilee year, or 50 years since it had been organized. President John Taylor received a revelation calling Heber J. Grant and George Teasdale to the Quorum of the Twelve on October 13, l882, and instructing the priesthood bearers on their responsibilities, and calling on the people to purify themselves. He dedicated the Logan Temple in 1884 Due to the persecution of the period, he went into retirement in 1885 from public life, and directed the affairs of the Church from homes of Saints in Salt Lake and Davis Counties for the next two and one-half years, until his death, July 25, 1887, in Kaysville, Utah. (This account was written by Elaine Chipman Hepworth, a Great-granddaughter, 810 East 900 North, Bountiful, Utah, in 1982.) LIFE OF IDA OAKLEY TAYLOR WHITAKER (Affectionately written by her daughter, Marguerite Whitaker Chipman) The second company of Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley on October 5, l947, under the leadership of Captain Horne, just three months after the first company had arrived. Among them was John Taylor and his young wife, Mary Ann Oakley, who later became the parents of Ida. They had planned to come with the first company, by John Taylor had been delayed in preparing ways and means for other companies of pioneers that would follow. Preparations for Winter were made against hunger and cold, in taking care of the families, the horses and cattle, and also against lurking Indians. So the old Fort was their first refuge. (It was erected where Pioneer Park is now located.) Later, as they could, the men built homes for their families. Mary O. Taylor was not as fortunate as some women because she had to wait three years for her home to be built on account of her husband John Taylor’s call to the French Mission. In the meantime, Mary Ann lived with her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Boyce, sewing for a living and taking care of their first son, Henry. Sometime after his return, John Taylor erected the first pioneer home for his two wives, Sophia and Mary Ann. It was located just two blocks west of the present business thoroughfare of Main Street and First South in Salt Lake City. The home was a double adobe building, two stories high. The north apartment was for Sophia, his fifth wife, and the south apartment was for Mary Ann, his fourth wife. Each wife was very happy to have, at last, a place of her own to live in where she could express her own individuality. There was not much furniture to be had, as furniture was costly by the time it had been hauled across the Plains, or made by hand. For in such a large family (seven wives and their children), it took much to go around. However, lack of much furniture or little means did not dampen their courage. Mary Ann had the knack of making her home clean, pleasant and attractive. In the year 1860, in the lovely month of September and on the sixth day, was born to John Taylor and his wife, Mary Ann Oakley, a dark-haired, brown-eyed daughter, the subject of this sketch. They named her Ida. She was the fourth child of this family. Her parents were exceptionally pleased with her birth because their first daughter, Mary, died at five years of age of pneumonia. Ida was the only other girl born to them. Ida’s childhood was a happy period in her life, and it was spent at the adobe home. Besides her own brothers Henry, Brigham and Ezra, Ida played with all the other half-brothers and sisters that lived in their respective homes on the same lot, the size of a half city block. The families of her father, John Taylor, were as one big happy family, There were no fences in between the yards. Each family had their own garden to raise vegetables and chickens. Working, playing, and going to school was Ida’s pleasant experience, first attending a private schoolhouse that her father had built, at which her elder half-brother, Hyrum, and her half-sisters taught. They received other pupils into the school to help pay expenses. After this schooling was completed, Ida attended the University of Deseret. She will never forget two excellent teachers that, she had, namely, John R. Park and Joseph Toronto. The subjects then taught were Botany History, Geography, Physiology, and Grammar. At one time she took music lessons from her cousin Elizabeth Best. Oh, how Ida loved to read good books, although the only one she had then was the Book of Mormon, which she read through three times. But since those days, Ida can't count all the good books she has read. Everything in the line of beauty appealed to her. Ida was both born and reared in the Church, and regularly attended to her religious duties, enjoying Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting, staying home only when the lack of something to wear prevented her from going. The amusements she enjoyed then consisted of dancing, church socials, sleigh-riding in the cold weather and going to hot suppers afterward at the homes of her friends. Last, but not least, Ida attended the excellent plays that were produced on the famous old Salt Lake stage. Many noted actors and actresses she saw brilliantly performed their parts. The President of the Church and the Apostles’ families had a box in the theater; but as seats were limited, the different members in the families had to take their turns at seeing the plays. Ida's friends and associates were among the prominent pioneer families. She always mixed with cultured people, and some of the best, but not necessarily the richest as far as money went. Three years after the death of Brigham Young, Ida's father, John Taylor, was unanimously sustained President of the Church, and so the Gardo House was put at his disposal for his residence -- also as a place to entertain friends, noted travelers from other countries, and prominent men of the Government. So Ida's father, President John Taylor, moved into the Gardo House with his families in January, 188, and at last he could enjoy a little respite from his strenuous work. John Taylor always enjoyed the simple pleasures, and he kept up his birthday, requesting that the family do it in his absence. His family and descendants have met yearly in his honor, and this practice has done much to keep the family together. Ida lived six enjoyable years at the Gardo House. This house was three and one-half stories high -- the lower floor being half underground. The front entrance was on the north side. The Gardo House was one of the best residences at that time and the most beautifully furnished. The walls were frescoed in pastel shades. The beautiful drapes were brocaded and lined with silk; the lace curtains were exquisite. The stairways and most of the floors were covered with Brussels carpets. The main floor had the lovely dining room where the hospitable table was always set with lovely silver and china, and constant entertaining was done. Ida's Aunt Agnes (John Taylor's sister) was house manager. They maintained a cook and a girl, Mary Gold, to wait on the tables. She also laundered the fine linens and bedding by hand. Other help was called in to keep the home in excellent condition. John Taylor was perfectly Immaculate in his dress. Ida did up her father’s fine linen shirts and ties. She used to comb his beautiful white hair every morning. It was a grand six years in her life when she did not have to wash dishes. Her bedroom was on the third floor, and everything was run in excellent order, and the food was delicious. Ida’s father wanted her to stay and help entertain. Every day he brought home visitors to dine; nearly always some of the Apostles came. Ida's father's residence at the Gardo House was short-lived because of the Polygamy Law that went into effect, making it a prison offense to live with more than one wife. A family counsel was held, and all the wives but one (Margaret, who had the largest family) returned to their respective homes. After that the wives could only visit at the Gardo House. Ida traveled considerably with her father throughout the country, going to conferences and meetings in a buggy with a beautiful black span of horses, up to the time of the "underground," or retirement period in President Taylor's life. Her courtship was begun in the old Fourteenth Ward Sunday School where she met John M. Whitaker at the socials. As John recorded in his journal, he had been invited to a party at the Gardo House with about fifty other young people. His only pair of shoes wasn't very good, so he had borrowed a pair of boots, but had stubbed the sole of one of them, partially breaking it off. So he sat all evening afraid to move. At the and of the party, Ida came over and asked him if he had had a very good time, to which he replied,, "Oh, yes, I have had a splendid time." This visit, on November 7, 1813, was his first visit to the Gardo House, I but not the last! In those days dances were given only by invitation and everyone's character had to be vouched for in order to attend. Ten o'clock in the evening was the hour for all visitors to leave. A guard, a staunch friend of the family, was always kept to protect the family day and night. When Ida's father thought it unwise to live longer at the Gardo House (after the Polygamy Law went into effect), he decided to move, as he was a target. He went into exile, but directed the affairs of the Church and of his family through letters, and managed to serve them that way. Nor was he permitted to attend public meetings, as spies were always on the look-out for him. Ida saw her father only twice in the last four years of his life when he sent for her. Ida continued to live at the Gardo House until she was married. Her trousseau was made ready, as complete as the times afforded. Her real courtship lasted only six months. This was only after John Whitaker had finally gotten the consent of President John Taylor through letters, as it was impossible for him to see the President in person to ask for her hand.. They were married in the Logan Temple on September 22, 1886. (The Salt Lake Temple had not then been completed.) After the ceremony the happy couple anticipated returning to Salt Lake City for their wedding reception that night. But, on reaching Ogden, they received word warning them not to come that night as deputies were surrounding the Gardo House, expecting her father to attend the reception. The bridal party remained in Ogden that night, returning the following day. Their reception was held the next night, but President John Taylor did not attend, as much as he would have loved to, and she never did see her beloved father again. He died In exile in 1887, two days after Ida's first child was born (July 23), rather than to give up his principles. Nor could Ida attend his funeral. Many tears were shed as she lay beside her young baby. In discussing her husband., John Mills Whitaker, Ida says, “It is hard to do justice to such a fine character, so varied have his activities been, but to mention merely a few outstanding qualities: there was his fearlessness and honesty, a fighter for right, a preacher, teacher, a good husband, and a very kind and excellent provider." John Whitaker was Principal of the Granite High School Seminary for several years, bishop of the Sugar House Ward for nine years, and for the past twenty-three years he has been a Patriarch. When he was put in at fifty-two years of age, Ida cried and thought that only when men were ready to die were they put in as Patriarchs. Her husband was graduated from the University of Utah in 1919 with a B.S. degree, at the age of almost 56. His great desire for an education had been interrupted by the necessity to help his father in the building of homes, stores and churches. “My school days were limited to not more than three months at a time," he later said. At the present writing, 1937, Ida and her husband have six living children, twenty-four grandchildren, and six great- grandchildren. (Edison's five children came later). The only tragedy that marred her happiness was the death of Ida’s two eldest sons, Lynn and John, and one daughter Mary, in the early part of her married life. Their eldest daughter, Ida, married J. Marlow Taylor, son of the late Bishop George Taylor of the Fourteenth Ward. He went on a mission to Great Britain. They have five children: Lois, John, George, Elizabeth and Nancy Taylor. All of them have been married in the Temple. The next daughter, Bessie (Elizabeth) Whitaker married Nelson Glen Hunt, son of Elias Hunt, a pioneer of Southern Utah. Her husband went on a mission to the Southern States. They have five children: Glen, Elizabeth, John, Ida and Mary. The third daughter, Marguerite Whitaker, married Auburn Chipman, a grandson of Stephen Chipman, a pioneer of Utah County. The have five children: Ruth, Dean, Irene, Afton , and Elaine. Dean and Irene are the only pair of twins in this family. Jeanette, the fourth daughter, married Samuel S. Smith, son of President, Joseph F. Smith. They have eight children: Avon, Samuel, Joseph, Hyrum, John, Esther, Joan, and Gladys. Eugene, the eldest, living son, went on a mission to the West Central States. He married Nellie Woodruff, daughter of' President Elias S. Woodruff of the Central States Mission. They have three children: Eugene, Ralph and Maurine. Edison, the youngest son, went on a mission to the Central States. He married Lamar Lyman on January 7, 1939, in the Mesa Temple in Arizona. They have three girls and two boys: Diane, Linda, Julie Mar, Lyman, and John. Ida Taylor Whitaker's activities in the Church since being married have been as a Bishop's wife, a Relief Society worker, Registrar of the Daughters of the Pioneers for four years, and now, as a Patriarch's wife, along with temple work. Besides traveling with her father before her marriage, Ida made a trip to New York and Washington, D.C. in 1990 with her husband when he was working for a prominent railroad promoter and developer, John W. Young. In their home, religion played an important part. Family prayers, both night and morning, were regular as they day came. The home conditions were very pleasant and happy. Ida always maintained a well kept home in cleanliness, order, and good taste Her cooking has always been excellent, and would tempt the most jaded appetite. After her marriage, Ida lived a short while in the Gardo House, and then she and John moved into the house where she had been born at 47 South First West (now Second West) where her first three children were born. Then in 1890, they moved into a large new two-story brick home built in Sugar House. There they resided until the year 1927, after Ida’s husband built their present lovely home at 1536 South 13th East, with all the conveniences that the most modern homes possessed: a gas water heater, electric refrigerator and stove, and a stoker. This home was not crowded and was furnished with the best of taste. It was a place where both relatives and friends loved to come, and all found a warm welcome there. On September 21, 1936, Ida and her husband, John, celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, and it was a grand and beautiful affair. Gorgeous roses, chrysanthemums, petunias, and many other flowers and green plants, mostly gifts, decorated their home. The happy couple looked lovely with John in a gray suit, and Ida with a powder-blue dress with pink corsage. They warmly greeted over four hundred friends and relatives. Ida’s family and friends loved her dear ways and said that she would never seem old because there was eternal youth in her heart. He ways were gentle, and her carriage queenly and dignified. Ida was a peacemaker in her home and very unselfish. Her sons-in-law said that they loved her as they loved their own mothers. She always dressed in good taste and wanted to act and look her best. Ida enjoyed her family and friends, and kept actively going every chance she got for new and different contacts. She was loyal to her Church, husband, home and friends. If there was any thing, new or better that she could learn about homemaking, cooking or art, no opportunity was lost in putting it into use. Time did not slacken her ability to do her house-hold tasks well, or to make her lose interest in the best in life. Ida rose to every occasion, be it weddings, sickness, or trouble. She put her whole soul into bettering conditions. She was not a complainer. Her heart went out to the less fortunate. A wonderful mother she was to her family and was truly a daughter in deed of her father, President John Taylor. On May 23, 1946, Ida O. Taylor Whitaker left this earth, just four months before she would have celebrated her 86th birthday and 60th wedding anniversary. It was hard to part with such a wonderful mother. Our consolation is that if we live worthy, we may hope to see her in heaven. Nothing would make this couple happier than to have the high standards and ideals of their life carried on by their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. May their example of righteous living shine as a beacon to their descendants. ****** The following describes the home they lived in for 37 years at 975 Garfield Ave. It was written by Afton Chipman Record, a daughter of Marguarite Whitaker Chipman in her mother's biography: "The new house was large with 10 rooms downstairs and four rooms and attic upstairs. The Whitaker family was known for its hospitality. The kitchen was large and accommodated a crowd for meals around the immense round table. The old black stove kept the room warm and comfortable. The pantry held various goodies and hid many a fruit cake from too eager hands. The outside kitchen, or porch, held the old washing machine. Many times John M. Whitaker helped his wife with their new-fangled washing machine. It would wash the clothes provided someone continually turned the handle back and forth. Ironing day was more than just a day, and in the early days, it was done with irons heated on the stove. The vegetable garden was known to produce ''the very best” corn and every other vegetable. On the back end of the large lot a large red barn hid grain bins, hay, and chickens. In later years, Grandpa converted part of it into a garage to house his modern Franklin. He believed in keeping up with the best and newest, and no one had anything finer, so when the auto came into vogue, the horse and buggy went out. The home had a wing for Ida's mother, Mary Ann Oakley Taylor, to enjoy friends in her own parlor, and in which she had her own bedroom for privacy. Besides the family, there lived with them various relatives who stayed with them at intervals. Also, an English family of converts came to stay until they could find themselves a home. (This section submitted to the D.U.P. by Elaine Chipman Hepworth in October 1983)

  
  

• Sources

  [S148] Ancestry.com, Unknown, (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.).