For the first part of this history we will draw heavily from the information given in the journal of his Uncle William Marsden. It is with a degree of sadness and appreciation that we look back on the early beginning of grandfather’s life upon the earth. True, it started out well and natural enough. He was born on the 24^th of May 1848 in Manchester, Lancashire, England, the son of William and Sarah Marsden Yardley. His paternal grandparents were Thomas and Jane Heald Yardley. His maternal grandparents were Abraham and Hannah Thornton Marsden, the latter were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and had emigrated to Nauvoo, Illinois, in November 1842, They both died in 1849,His parents, William and Sarah Yardley were also devoted members of the Church and had a great desire to join his mother’s brothers, William and Samuel Marsden in Oquawka, Illinois. Thus it was that when our Thomas was a very small child, the three of them set sail for America either in 1848, 1849, or 1850. By the time they reached Oquawka, Illinois where his Uncles William and Samuel and their families lived, the main body of the Saints had been driven from Nauvoo and were established in the Rocky Mountains. The Marsden’s and Yardley’s had hopes of journeying west as soon as possible.It was just after Thomas had passed his third birthday that tragedy struck, leaving him an orphan. His Uncle William’s journal says “1851-July 6th Died Br. in law–William Yardley of Cholera in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. He has left a wife and one child an only son to mourn his loss. Sarah Yardley died of congestive chill in the town of Upper Alton, Illinois, on the eleventh day of October, 1851“.It is doubtful if young Thomas could even remember his parents. His Uncle William and Aunt Jane took him into their home and from then on he was treated as one of the Marsden children. But alas, he was deprived of a mother’s love again when death took his Aunt Jane on the 14th of July 1854.  His next “Aunt Mother” was a woman named Maria whom his Uncle married in St. Louis the 1st of April 1855. This was an incompatible marriage and William gave her a bill of divorce in Provo, September 1855.Thomas was not quite seven years old when his Uncle and family were ready to leave Illinois for the Long journey to Utah. At Kanesville, Iowa, William Marsden teamed up with 11 wagons and formed an Independent Company. This group left Kanesville June 2, 1855, and arrived in Great Salt Lake City September 3. The Marsden’s went on to Provo to make their home.

William Marsden married Sariah Scovil, who became Thomas’s next “Aunt Mother”.

Thomas Yardley’s .growing up years were spent in Provo where he worked hard at many tasks directed by his Uncle. It is supposed that there was time for schooling as his Uncle was a well-educated man himself and would certainly see the value of education for his family.

William Marsden was a religious man, thus the Church standards and gospel teachings were the hub of their home life.

Thomas was 13 years old when he was to move again with his Uncles family to make his permanent home in Parowan, Iron County, Utah, some 200 miles to the south. William Marsden was called by President Brigham Young to establish a cotton mill in Parowan. Consequently, he got all his affairs in order and left Provo with his family to begin his new endeavors in Parowan on August 15, 1861.

Thomas Yardley found new friends among the young people of the community, although there was little time for play and recreation. His Uncle believed in keeping busy himself and seeing his family likewise employed.

However, as Thomas grew older he participated with the young folks in dances, dramas, sleighing and skating parties, as well as candy pulls, held at the different homes.

Thomas had just turned 20 years old, when on June 5, 1868 he left Parowan with a team and outfit and traveled to Salt Lake City to join a wagon train which was going East to the end of the railroad to fetch the Saints from the Plains. Thomas’s specific mission was to get his Aunt, the widow and children of his Uncle Samuel Marsden, who had died in January 1868, and bring them to Parowan.

This trip was quite an adventure for young Thomas. It was indeed a change from the sameness of his day to day duties of his life in Parowan.

When he arrived back in Parowan with his relatives, the Samuel Marsden family, he found that his “Aunt Mother” Sariah Scovil Marsden had died on June 20th. However, in November 1868, his Uncle William married Aunt Mary Alice Benson who became his last “Aunt Mother”.

It is noted in the History of the Iron Mission, page 96, that Thomas Yardley was among the Parowan men who took part in the Little Creek Indian raid in the fall of 1868 to get back the cattle and horses the marauding Indians had gathered up in the Valley and were making away with up the canyon.

At this time the Indians all over the territory were stirred up because of the Black Hawk War which was raging especially bad in Sanpete and Sevier Counties.

The Parowan and Paragonah men were organized into a militia and were doing their best to guard their livestock to keep the Indians from stealing them. They were ever on the alert to keep from getting killed themselves.

We will tell briefly the Daniel Pendleton story where Thomas Yardley’s name is mentioned among the 16 men. “In Cottonwood Canyon, east of Buckhorn, there is a natural pass between Upper and Lower Bear Valley. Almost midnight Captain Edward Dalton, heading 16 men rode away”.

“The Indians watching thought they had the best of us. Going through the Pass we surprised a few Indians and caught them off guard. We had a short skirmish and took the cattle and horses they were herding. We brought the stock back down Little Creek Canyon. During the night other Indians had gathered about 700 head of cattle and horses in the Valley but did not succeed in getting away with them. However, many shots were exchanged on both sides, but no lives were lost. Allen Millers holster by his side got the impact of a bullet and saved his life. A rifle ball passed through the cap of Heber Benson and grazed his horses’ hip, and two horses were shot”. Finally a permanent peace was made with the Indians which was very welcome.

It was natural that. Thomas find himself a wife as he was of the marriageable age. He decided that Miss Isabell Keyes, the daughter of the late Elisha Barrus Keyes and Joanna Keyes Teeples filled the bill perfectly. She was agreeable to his attentions, and they were married on January 30, 1871 in Parowan. On the 27th of February 1871, they received their endorsements and were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Endowment House. They eventually became the parents of 11- children: Thomas William-died young, James Gilbert, Tessa Estella, Alice Minerva, Celia Isabell, Ervin Elisha, Sarah Emma, Joanna Marietta, Leslie Clinton, Raymond-died infant, and Russel Samuel.The family home was in the east part of town. In those days a man was obliged to turn his hand to many trades in order to do his own work. Besides farming, he was a good blacksmith and did work for others, as well as keeping his own farm machinery and tools in good repair, and his horses well shod. His daughter, Alice, remembered a buggy he made for them which was enjoyed very much by the family, especially when they moved to the farm to live.

He also did carpenter work, and did all the lumber work on this farm home. In fact he was a mason also and made the adobe bricks laid them up for this spacious six room farm home, about a mile a half or two miles northwest of town.

It is remembered that he kept bees. After supplying his family honey he no doubt had some to sell or trade.

Somewhere, along through the early years of raising his family, something happened between Thomas Yardley and a member of the Ward there in Parowan, which caused his estrangement from the Mormon Church.

In those days the Ward Bishop was all powerful in the execution of Church affairs, and he was also just human. Sometimes a member was excommunicated for a very trivial matter.

Thomas realized his children needed some religious training, so they attended the Presbyterian Church and school. This school was taught by devoted ladies who did a wonderful job in shaping the lives of the children for good.

The temple work has since been done by family members for all members of the Yardley family. If they so choose, they can become united in progressing in our Father in Heavens kingdom.

When Thomas was 44 years old, the grim reaper death again visited the Yardley home, this time taking the wife and mother, Isabell. She died on the 19th of February 1892 on the farm in Parowan. She was only 38 years old.

Thomas was heartbroken. He was left with a family of nine children, the youngest a baby just three months old. He was fortunate to have almost grown daughters who could take over the care of the home and younger children. It was Alice at 15 who assumed the care of baby Russel and gave him the loving attention their mother would have done.

Alice tells in her history what a difficult time they had that winter. Their father was sick in bed for weeks with pneumonia and complications. Her oldest brother was laid up with a mashed foot and four of the smaller children had the measles. Being alone out on the farm like they were, neighbors’ weren’t able to run in and help as they otherwise would have done.

Thomas never sought another wife to come into the home. He devoted his life to his children, teaching them to live by the Golden Rule.

After his wife died he moved to a residence in town. It was a nice two-story frame house located 1 1/2blocks from the pioneer Equitable Store, now the Southern Utah Dairy store. The house stood on the southeast corner of the block. They operated a hotel there for many years.

On page 134 of Vo1. 16 Our Pioneer Heritage Book, we quote the following. ”The Yardley Hotel located on Second East and First North, was operated by Mr. Thomas Yardley and his children; Alice, Celia, Etta, Irvin, Leslie, and Russell. The travelers consisted of drummers, who displayed their samples of yard goods, dry goods, groceries, and other merchandise for the merchants of the area. As Parowan was the county seat, judges and attorneys also stayed there, partaking of the wonderful meals. A large barn was maintained in which was accommodated the teams.As the Yardley girls married and started rearing their families, the hotel work became a burden and it was closed to the traveling public.When the Yardley Hotel closed, Sally Ann Lowder opened her home across the street.”It is not known just when Thomas Yardley joined with his youngest son Russel in a farming venture on Provo Bench, now Orem. Nor is it known how long they remained there before they moved on to Gunnison where they had a nice farming set-up.

So, Thomas Yardley spent the last part of his life with his son Russel and his family. Gradually, old age began taking its toll on his good health. He suffered with poor circulation in his legs, which caused them to go black. It seems that it was blood poisoning in them which finally caused his death in the Salina hospital on June 29, 1921, where he had been taken to receive the best medical attention available.

He lacked a month of being 73 years old at, the time of his death. He was taken back to Parowan and laid beside his lovely wife on July 2, 1921. He had lived the lonely life of a widower for some 28 years.

AN ACROSTIC

Written by my Wife, Isabell Yardley, on my Thirty-seventh Birthday

• Tis down lifes stormy hill together
• Hand in Hand we’ll go on for ever
• Oh I know that you and me
• My own, will happiness and sorrow see
• After years when we are gone
• Some will still be struggling on
• You are all the world to me
• And I hope that I may be
• Really a Comfort unto thee
• Dear, will, fight lifes battle through
• Love, I know that, me and you
• Even though that some has past
• You and me will fight on till the last
• from your loving wife Isabell Yardley to Thomas Yardley.
• Thomas Yardley you are thirty seven today on this twenty fourth of May