Grandson of Philip Cardon and Martha Marie Tourn
Son of Louis Philip Cardon and Susette Stalé
Emanuel Philip Cardon was born on January 29, 1859, in Ogden, Weber County, Utah. He was the second child of five born to Louis Philip Cardon and Susette Stalé The other children were Joseph Samuel, Mary Catherine, Louis Paul, and Isabelle Susette. Louis Philip had plural wives, Susette being the second; the first was Sarah Ann Welborn, but she bore no children. Louis Philip lived near his father, Philip, and other family members in Ogden and then in Logan, until the polygamy persecutions began to mount. He moved his family to Oxford, Cache Valley’s most northern boundary in 1866.
Molested by Indians, everyone lived in the fort until 1868, when they felt it safe to move out to their lots. Life wasn’t easy in the small pioneer communities and the whole family had to work hard to sustain life. Undoubtedly Emanuel did his part to help support the family.
Quoting from the biography of Joseph Samuel, “They were being persecuted for conscience sake, when Pres. Brigham Young saw fit to call them to Arizona.” In January, 1876, Philip, Susette and Emanuel left Oxford with the Bishop of the Oxford Ward, Geroge D. Lake, who was the leader of a company, for Southern Utah. Joseph, who was married, stayed with Aunt Sarah, sister Katie and young Louis Paul (Isabelle had died).
They joined with others at Orderville making up four companies under the general direction of Lot Smith. The entire group left Oderville in Feb., 1876, and traveled south through Kanad, crossed the Colorado river at Lee’s Ferry and found suitable places to settle on the Little Colorado River in Eastern Arizona. They made four settlements as follows. Lot Smith’s Company settled near Sunset Crossing and called the settlement Sunset. Ballingers’ Company settled near there and called the town Ballingers (later Brigham City). Allen’s camp (now Joseph City). Lakes company settled across the river from Allen’s camp and called the settlement, Obed. In all of these settlements the United Order was practiced. While Philip and Susette began the work of establishing the settlement, Emanuel returned to Oxford to help to bring the rest of the family to Arizona. (Nothing further is known of this return trip, but Emanuel undoubtedly traveled with some others who were also returning).
Joseph wrote in his biography that he was willing to help move the family to Arizona, but he had no intention of staying there, nor did Emanuel. But when apostle Brigham Young (son of Pres. Young) informed Joseph the he and Emanuel where to consider themselves missionaries called to Arizona, they quickly settled all business in Idaho and started on the “6 Oct., 1876 for Arizona. Our outfit consisting of six mules, five yokes of oxen, four heavy wagons, one single team and a herd of 65 head of stock.” They traveled with the Walker family and some others, including Amelia Maria Merrick who Emanuel married in the Endowment House on 13 Oct., 1876. He was 17.
Louis and the other boys drove the stock. He called the trip long and tedious, taking about three months. Joseph wrote that on Christmas day they pulled into the deserted fort at Moenkopi, 136 miles north of Obed. The stock were worn out; it was time for Selina’s (his wife) baby, so with Aunt Sarah, he just camped for the rest of the winter. Emanuel, with his wife, and Katie and Louis, took the mule team and went on. They were met on the way by Philip, Susette and Joseph H. Richards who had come to meet them and arrived in Obed a few days later.
Louis says, “At the time Obed was by far the most comfortably situated of all the settlements, but unfortunately, it was swampy and due to Malaria had to be abandoned …. Before we arrived Father had made plans to go to Woodruff, twenty miles to the south. In a short time he and the older boys went there to build houses. The rest of us remained at Obed for several months.”
Joseph wrote, “my father and brother came back as far as Moenkopi in March 1877, to meet me and I moved to camp Obed. After staying there a few weeks I moved up the river and located Woodruff in connection with Father, Emanuel, and William Walker… we were the first families to locate at Woodruff and were joined later by Elder Nathan Tenny and others.” The United Order was practiced at Woodruff at first, but soon broke up. The first child born in Woodruff was the son of Emanuel and Amelia, named Emanuel Alonzo, born 12 Dec. 1877. When the baby was about a month old he became very sick, but recovered by the grace of God and in answer to prayer.
The Cardons stayed in Woodruff for about a year. The first dam, made of brush and rock, in the Little Colorado washed out very quickly, leaving a bigger chasm than before. The Cardons felt thy must move to a place where they could raise a crop. A dam had been put across Silver Creek, about three miles south of Snowflake, where two men had harvested grain in 1878. So in December of that year they moved there. The establishment of Taylor is mentioned in Andrew Jensen’s Encyclopedic History of the Church. Taylor town site, established Dec. 1878, was surveyed by a group of interested residents led by Joseph S. Cardon, their rope being a chain.” Louis Paul left this description of early life in Taylor.
The first work we did in the winter and spring was to clear the land and plant it. We succeeded in getting very good crops the first year and putting in a brush and rock dam and bringing out the water through a canal that was made with pick and shovel.
My Father’s family formed a company consisting of my father, two older brothers and Joseph Clawson (Katie’s husband). I was chore boy. Joseph Clawson had the horse and mule teams working on the railroad and freighting out towards Albuquerque, which enabled the rest of us to do work necessary for raising the crops… when the crops were in, the fields had to be fenced and stock must be herded off until this was completed. We made a pole fence. Emanuel and I got the poles, while father and Joe put the fence up. They would work putting in the fence during the daytime and keep cattle off the green wheat during the night. It took us three days to get a load of poles. We had two teams, Emanuel’s a double yoke of oxen, and mine, a single. We got them from the vicinity of Pinedale.
A daughter, Amy Sophia, was born to Emanuel and Amelia at Taylor on 14, Jan. 1880. “Also this year,” Louis Paul said, “Emanuel took his family and mother back to Utah on a visit and were gone two years.” While they were there Amy died on 9 Jan 1881 and a son Clarence Philip, was born in Oxford, Oneida, Idaho on 13 Nov. 1881. Other details of this trip are not known. A daughter, Isabelle Kitty, was born in Taylor on 6 Oct 1883, but died within a year.
From Louis Paul’s history: “In the fall of ’84 my father, Joseph, Emanuel, and myself took about 3,000 sheep on shares, but just after we had taken them father and Joseph were advised to go to Mexico by Pres. John Taylor on account of their plural families. Emanuel had Typhoid Fever that fall and so I had the sole care of the sheep.” Though his father and brother went to Mexico, Emanuel and his family stayed in Taylor for another 10 years or so. The following children were born in Taylor. Catherine Eliza Inez, born 2 Nov. 1885, died 1887; Louis Leander, born 27 July 1888; Amelia, born 12 Mar. 1891, died 22 Mar 1891. Jesse Leo, born 19 Apr. 1892, and Lester D. born 22 Mar., 1895, died 1 June 1895. The death of so many children must have been difficult for Emanuel and Amelia. I’m sure their faith in God strengthened them. Emanuel was a prayerful and devout man. Daily prayers were held at home and everyone attended Sunday and other church activities.
Emanuel Alonzo says in his history that they were called to Mexico and the family moved there in 1896. (Louis Paul who was now teaching school in Taylor moved at about the same time). Two more children were born in Colonia Dublán, Chihuahua, Mexico. Ernst, born Apr 1897, died same year, and the last child, Nellie Sarah, born 28 July, 1898. Emanuel Alonzo married Rosa Vilate Terry on 10 May, 1898 and moved to Tombstone, Arizona, a few years later. Emanuel farmed and freighted goods to earn a living. He decided to build a new house in Colonia Dublán. This he did with the help of Jesse Leo who often worked with him. I’m sure much pleasure was shared by all members of the Cardon clan as they were near each other again. In a few years they would be forced to move again.
Joseph Samuel died of Typhoid Fever on 28 Sept. 1909, and Clarence married Verdie Pratt on 1 Oct 1909. Emanuel’s father Louis Philip died 9 Apr., 1911 after a short illness. Jesse Leo married Frances Maude Farnsworth on 22 Aug 1911 and Louis Leander married Ada Diantha Pierce on 1 Jan 1912. The Mexican revolution had been going on for some years, sometimes interfering with life in the colonies when soldiers harassed people and took cattle, etc. Finally Poncho Villa determined to control the area in 1912. Church leaders decided it was best to leave. Many, especially women and children, left on a train to El Paso. Many men brought cattle out with them and kept them at Hatchita, New Mexico.
Emanuel eventually went with Jesse Leo to Logan for a few years, but returned to Mexico in about 1917. Jesse Leo related to daughter-in-law, LuDean Lunt Cardon, that at the Mexican border, as Emanuel was trying to get all the papers approved, the officials stalled and began causing trouble (hoping for a tip). The man just kept giving more trouble, so Emanuel had the whole family got into the covered wagon and they had prayers. Just after that the man’s horse started jumping and pitching. He was scared to death. Emanuel grabbed the horse by the head and turned it clear around to where it couldn’t move and it calmed down. The man was so thankful that he went right in and signed the papers so they were able to leave and go on their way. It was an answer to their prayers.
Emanuel and Jesse Leo and their families returned to the house they had left. After some time repairing and fixing, life was much as before they left. Emanuel was now getting older and I’m sure he enjoyed his grandchildren. Sadly two grandsons (sons of Jesse Leo) died about the same time Emanuel did ( Franklin before and Jesse Leo Jr. after). This was difficult on the family and is remembered with sadness by all. Emanuel Philip Cardon died on 12 Dec., 1927, and his wife and companion died on 10 Feb., 1933.
Dublán Memorial Cemetery, Colonia Dublán, Mexico
The above marker was placed by the Cardon Families Organization in October of 2008. The original marker, close by, is shown below.
