History of Jacob Nephi Rock
Written by Gertrude Tan Rock McFarlane (his daughter)
Whittier Ward Camp, Daughters of Utah Pioneers
(History started in October 1936)
Notes: Father: Jacob Nephi Rock, Grandfather Rock:
Valentine Rock, Grandmother Rock: Harriet Smith Rock, Mother: Louesa Eve Free
Rock
My Father Jacob Nephi Rock was born in Waynesborough, Franklin Co. Pennsylvania
on October 8, 1854.
Our first ancestor to come to America
was Adam Rock who with his wife and five sons and an adopted daughter settled
in Maryland in the year 1657. This family came from Ireland. A little
settlement was established, homes were built and they farmed the land very
extensively. They also went hunting for meat for their families. Their lives
were rugged but they were happy in this new land where they could be free.
After some years it became necessary for them to move farther inland in order
to make a better living. So into Pennsylvania they went and joined with the
Dutch people. This group has been known always as the Pennsylvania Dutch.
In a few years these people went back to their old homes to reclaim them but
the city of Baltimore was rapidly being built around their houses which were
occupied. They were unable to get them back so they returned to Pennsylvania
down cast and blue, knowing their children must grow up as Dutch, that language
being the predominating language spoken in Pennsylvania.
However, in the first census of Baltimore the Rocks are listed as the first
settlers there.
The Rock boys married Dutch girls and the large home which was built at that time
is still occupied by members of the family, the oldest son of the oldest son
for three hundred years has lived there. The home was built over a spring of water
at the end and is called "Rock Spring."
On this tract of land is erected a Latter Day Saints Chapel the property having
been donated to the church by the Rocks. This relative Alexander Rock is now
President of the branch of the Church there. This homestead was called the
beauty spot of Pennsylvania as described by Angus M. Cannon who was one of the
missionaries sent there by George Q. Cannon who had been there on a mission and
had converted a number of the Rock family to the Church in the 1840's.
In the years 1852 to 1855 George Taylor and Angus H. Cannon made Grandfather
Rock's home their Headquarters.
My Grandmother Rock was of Dutch and German descent. Her name was (Harriet)
Smith (Schmidt) and her first ancestor to come to America was John Jacob Smith.
Her Grandfather's brother, James Smith, was a signer of the Declaration of
Independence from Pennsylvania (Research shows this is not true).
In 1856 the Rocks and Smiths left Pennsylvania for Iowa. Grandfather, Valentine
Rock, was appointed guardian of Grandmother's brothers and sisters.
Grandmother's parents having died and left a large family, all younger than
Grandma.
Grandfather's Mother came to Iowa in 1858 and on to Utah in 1859 - ahead of my
Grandparents who came to Utah on Sept. 4, 1860 in Captain J. D. Ross™ Company,
an independent Church Company, all members owning their own teams and wagons.
Two of Grandfather's sisters came to Nauvoo, one married William Alden and the
other married Albert Carrington. William Alden and his wife Leah stayed in the
east with Emma Smith, the Prophets wife, and were Josephites.
One of Grandmother Rock's sisters married Samuel H. Smith, a nephew of the
Prophet.
My father's parents left Penn. When he was one year and a half old, from there
they went to Iowa and lived in the town of Marion, Lynn Co. For four years.
Because of the death of father's grandfather, Henry Rock, in Pennsylvania,
Grandfather's brother went back to Pennsylvania to get their mother. Thus
delaying the family in their progress on their journey west.
From Marion they went to Florence, Nebraska and there it was that they made up
the Independent train of 100 wagons and started for Utah arriving in the Valley
on Sept. 4, 1860. They camped on the Eight Ward Square for a week or so to
rest.
Bishop John Hess of Farmington, being a cousin of Grandfather persuaded him to
go to Farmington to live. Being a builder, a rock mason, by trade he supervised
the building of several rock buildings, the most outstanding of which is the
Farmington Meeting House. The first Primary ever held was held in that building
which still stands and is still in use. It was built in 1862 and Grandfather's
Initials, V. R. Are cut in a stone up over the door, near where the date of its
erection is placed.
Brigham Young, noting his ability as a builder, called him to go to Dixie. He
was planning to leave when on April 5, 1863 he very suddenly died, being thirty
seven years old, leaving Grandmother with five children, and oldest thirteen
and youngest a year and a half. The youngest was born in Utah.
At that time wheat was $10.00 a bushel, flour was $25.00 per hundred but the
Mormons sold it among themselves for $2.00 for wheat and $5.00 for flour, these
prices being established by Brigham Young.
During these kinds of times Grandmother had to work and support her family. She
moved to Morgan from Farmington and lived on Bishop Hess' farm. Her two
brothers and a brother-in-law worked the farm and she cooked for them until
1866.
At that time another brother Daniel Smith was working for Daniel H. Wells on
his farm in Pleasant Grove and he asked Grandmother to come there to live. She
was a fine tailoress and was kept busy with her needle, making mens clothing,
she had a machine, one of the first in Utah, a one thread affair which she
used. The people had their own sheep, they sheared the sheep, carded their own
wool (carding mills were being built at this time) but sometimes they sent it
to the carding mills, they spun their own yarn and then sent it to the weaver,
who made it into cloth. Lindsey cloth was part cotton and part wool, all wool
was flannel. Mens clothing was much coarser than ladies, black and white yarn
made gray, the flannel and Lindsey cloth was dyed any color. Grandmother did
all these things and made clothes for men and children.
Father and his brother Reuben, five years older, helped on the farm. They were
hauling wood for Sandy Bullock from Battle Creek Canyon to Pleasant Grove.
Uncle Reub and another man were cutting a tree big enough for two loads when
for some unknown reason the tree fell in the wrong direction and killed Uncle Reub
instantly. He was twenty one and father was sixteen. Father drove the team that
brought the body home to his widowed mother.
When father was sixteen he left the farm and went to Railroading. His mother
gave him her last two dollars and he set out for the R. R. Camp. These camps
were made up of very rough men and they played all kinds of gambling games.
Every evening he played with these men who played for drink and he won for
about a week but one evening he was looser it took the two dollars, his mothers
last cent to pay for the drinks. He felt so badly about it that he made a
resolution that he was through with that kind of business for life, and he was.
The Railroad was the American Fork. From
there he went to the Bingham Canyon and then to the Pleasant Valley. The Rio
Grande acquired all of these R. Roads.
He was then sent to Montana where he
worked for sometime. The day he returned
from Montana he married my mother, Louesa Eve Free, on December 24, 1881. They
were married by Daniel H. Wells, Mother's Brother-in-law. The reception was
given by her sister Louisa F. Wells at their home on Main Street and So. Temple
where the Zions Saving Bank now stands. Early in January they were married in
the Endowment House.
Their first home was in Provo where father was Yard Master Mechanic for the Rio
Grande while the road was under construction. The tracks were laid north from
Provo and South from Salt Lake. When the tracks met, father was the first
engineer to drive a train from Provo to Salt Lake City.
The train was composed of flat cars for hauling railroad ties, so father took
one of the kitchen chairs and with the help of a few planks and nails he
fastened it to the floor of the first car and mother rode on it, thus being the
first woman to ever ride on a train from Provo to Salt Lake.
From 1883 to 1887 father and Uncle Al worked in Colorado for a Mining Co. and
built a Saw mill for themselves. At the time Mother joined him there I was six
months old. This saw mill was seventy five miles south of Grand Junction on as
Indian Reservation. When this Creek was surveyed by the United States Government
it was named "Rock Creek"after two Mormon boys who had a saw mill on it.
After returning to Utah father worked on the Railroad again, the Utah Central
and Union Pacific. About this time father together with John Hurst and George
Goss invented a wonderful air brake. This locomotive air brake is required by
the Interstate Commerce Commission of all engines and cars. It was tested over
the summit in Parleys Canyon Aug. 19, 1891 and proved very successful. Father
and his partners put the brake on exhibition in the Rio Grande shops.
Westinghouse heard about it and sent his experts to examine it. These experts
duplicated it but concealed the double valve action in a single casing and
appropriated it to their own use and would never give father even a hearing.
Seven children were born to them, Winnefred Louesa, Gertrude Tan, Jennie
Elmetta, Percival J (Mother disliked the name of Jacob so she just gave Perce
the initial J.), Reuben Free, Delbert Henry and Stanley Free. Winnie died April
25, 1893, Reub died Oct. 9, 1895, and Perce died Jan. 26, 1936.
Grandmother Rock lived to be eighty four years old having been a widow for
fifty years. She died Oct. 26, 1911.
For Thirty years father was a locomotive engineer, the last railroad he worked
on was the Bamberger. He ran the "Dummy" (small engine) for 18 years.
When He retired from the railroad on account of his age he was employed at
hygia Ice Co. and then the Holy Cross Hospital Heating Plant.
He has just
had his eighty second birthday on Oct. 8th, and is well and active, attending
to his daily work as Bailiff in Judge Oscar McConkie’s Court.
-Update November 1948 -
Up to this
point in father's history he and I sat across the table from each other as he
related incidents in his life and I jotted down notes. In the original there
are a few pages in father's handwriting and I prize these pages very highly,
not because of their perfection as literature or for their excellence in spelling
but because they are in his own hand-writing.
Even though
his schooling was limited he was a natural born psychologist and a devout Bible
student. He had a clear mind, a keen eve, and a remarkable memory. He could put
his finger on any passage in the Bible in a moment and could converse on any
subject. He was a very kind man and friend to everyone. The Gospel was very
dear to him, he believed every principle and doctrine and lived it to the
letter. He was humble and prayerful. In my memory I can see him as he kneeled
every night at the north double window of his bed room to pray, and he always
reminded each of us to do likewise.
He had the complete confidence of his entire family and we always told him of
our mistakes as well as our successes. We knew he was our friend and would
understand. His aim in life was to do good and be of service to his fellow man.
He never delivered a sermon from the pulpit, but all our relatives and his
associates in his Ward asked his opinion on doctrine. One Sunday in Priesthood
meeting in Wells Ward, there was quite a heated argument on a particular
subject and the class leader, Bro. Larvin said "Brother Rock I notice that
you haven't given your opinion on this subject" and father answered and said I've been
interested in all of your views but none of you have told us what "the
book" says, I will read from the Scriptures and that will set us all
right†and he read from the Bible. The class
leader thanked him and said "if we would all study the Scriptures as this
man does we would all know for ourselves and there would be no differences of
opinions." (We learned this from father's former Bishop the day of his
funeral.
To show that he was a real psychologist and knew how to handle people, I would
like to give an incident in my life that has helped me hundreds of times. There
had been a family reunion over to Grandma Free's home which stood in the center
of a ten acre farm. Our home was in the north east corner of the farm. During
the party it snowed and mother had four children , three of them asleep, mother
carried Perce, father carried Jennie, Uncle Henry carried me. On the way I
awoke and made it almost impossible for Uncle Henry to walk, I kicked and
screamed because he held me too tight. The harder I kicked the tighter he held
me. When we got home father was very much disgusted with me and sent me off to
bed in a hurry. Some weeks later, a grown relative was visiting us and he lost
his temper and carried on to extremes. I sat on father's lap and told him how
awful I thought that was for a big man to act like that. He turned me on his
lap so I could see his face and he asked me if I could remember the night when
Uncle Henry carried me home and how I had acted. Of course I could remember it.
He then said "my little girl has a hot temper, too, but she must learn to
control it or it will grow and grow until she can't control it either. Your
Uncle never learned how to control his."All through my life when I become angry I think of how he looked and
acted, and it's really surprising how it has toned me down.
As previously mentioned father invented an air brake for engines and the entire
train line. It was exhibited on the Rio Grande just on an engine and that is
all the Westinghouse expert got. Father still had the patent for the train
line, that was not infringed upon. By showing lawyers, patent experts, and
train men his blue prints of the train line it was also appropriated. (Father
trusted everybody, he was so honest himself). Now it is on all new cars and is
on all rolling stock.
In March 1939 Father went back East again to try to get the Patent office
experts and Westinghouse officials to see that they had taken his brake. He had
confidence that before he died he would be recognized as the inventor but he
came home a very discouraged man.
He arrived home March 21, 1939 with about sixty dollars of his expense money
left. He said to Mother, "lets go up town and get you a new spring outfit
with this money and they did. They bought a coat and hat and then went to see
Mother's sister who was dying. Mother got home very tired but they sat up until
eleven thirty talking over fathers trip. She went to bed as usual but she never
changed her position. At seven thirty in the morning father went back to the
bed after having called her three times and found that she had passed away in
her sleep. Aunt Tan also died that night, Wednesday March 22 1939 on their
father's 121st birthday anniversary.
Father continued to work as Bailiff in Judge Oscar McConkie's court until Dec.
16, 1940 when he contracted the flu which turned to pneumonia from which he
recovered but he never got his strength back and was very ill until April 10th
1941 when at twenty minutes to four he passed away. My sister Jen and I were
with him, both of the boys being in California. They had each made several
trips here during his sickness. His funeral was well attended and many
wonderful things were said about him. (I have a copy of his funeral among my
papers.)
Apostle Bowen, father's attorney for the Brake was one of the speakers; these
are some of his remarks.
"I think I have never known a man whose name so perfectly fitted his
qualities of character as did the name borne by our Brother whose remains lie
here before us. His name is Rock, his character was like granite. The first
time I saw him I thought he was just a modest unassuming man, but I began to
observe that he was always courteous, that he was always truthful and kind, and
always made it agreeable and easy for those who had business to transact with
the court. Then later he came to me with his private concerns of life, his own
business affairs. It was then I began to find out the real qualities of the
man. He portrayed surprising intellectual power. He was an inventor, and not
just an inventor of trivial things but an inventor of penetration. I learned
that the great railroad industry to which we trust our lives when we travel
over the rails owes to him one of the greatest inventions contributing to it's
safety. He invented the basic idea that underlies the air brake and I am
convinced that it was but the appropriation of his device that the brake is now
evolved that is used upon the stream liners that travel with such lightning
speed over this country. The Westinghouse Airbrake has been by Interstate
Commerce Commission ordered within a given time to be put on all trains. I
learned he was a man who could think, who could collect his mental possessions
and concentrate upon a most obtuse and difficult thing and pursue it to the
point of great clarity. And while he didn't realize in financial reward the
gains to which his invention entitled him he left behind him a contribution to
the safety of everybody who rides upon the railroads of America, and that is
worth more than any money he could have gotten out of it. When you his friends,
journey across this land, you will know, if you stop to think about it, that
you rest in mental comfort, freedom from anxiety about the safety of your
journey, largely because of the ideas developed and worked out by our brother
who lies before us."
Father is buried in the Salt Lake Cemetery in his own plot of ground which was
bought at the time little Reub was buried in 1895. Winnie was buried in
Grandfather Free's plot of ground but the day little Reub was buried, her body
was moved and buried by him. Father, Mother, Winnie, Perce, and Reuben are
buried in that lot located on Center Street up on the north hill, a block or so
from Wasatch boulevard on the east side of the road.
