|
 The parents of Esther Jane (Barton) Stokes, William and Sarah E. Barton were natives respectively of Illinois and Tennessee.
Together with the other Mormon people who came to Utah in 1851, they made their home in Parowan, Utah.
Here William was a civil engineer and millwright until his death.
Here on June 25, 1856, Esther Jane Barton was born to bless their home.
Esther taught school and took a prominent part in theatrical activities in Beaver and other Utah cities.
To those who knew Mrs. Stokes only in her declining years, she was a beautiful and distinguished old lady.
She must have been a young woman of such rare loveliness, intelligence, and charm that it is little wonder William Stokes, the dashing young Deputy U.S. Marshall fell in love with her and forthwith courted and married her on February 15, 1875 while she was still but eighteen years of age.
It is not hard to imagine that the widely-traveled young ex-Civil-War soldier appealed to a young lady of the dramatic interests of Esther Barton.
The life of William Stokes which had taken him from New York his birth state to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alabama, California, Washington, and finally Utah, must have appealed to the romance loving young girl who reciprocated his affection and married this young man twelve years her senior.
Their marriage occurred in Beaver City where they spent their first five years of wedded life.
In line with his duties as [Deputy] U. S. Marshall, Wm. Stokes arrested the notorious John D. Lee, a Mormon bishop who was implicated in the Mountain Meadow Massacre in 1857.
While Lee was held as a prisoner in the Stokes home, young Esther ably assisted in obtaining Lee's life history and his confession of the part he played in the massacre, together with his connection with the Mormon Church.
This was published with his sanction although he was later convicted and tried for his participation in the crime.
To Cassia County in 1880, came these young pioneers.
They purchased a 160 acre ranch four miles from Albion.
Here they lived until their holdings which were increased from time to time consisted of a cattle ranch of 1080 acres.
“To their home came friends, relatives, ministers, distinguished strangers, patriots, and ambitious politicians.”
Although the mother of a large family of ten children, the gracious wit, wisdom, and charm of Esther Stokes was, we are sure, one of the things that drew so many interesting personages of importance in Idaho and in the nation to the Stokes' home where she presided as such a wonderful help-mate to her stalwart husband who was sheriff of Cassia County and a major of the National Guard of Albion.
In those days, Albion was a real pioneer town to which all supplies were brought by freight team from Kelton and Ogden.
It is easy to understand why officials who wanted to chooses a state flower for Idaho consulted with Mrs. Stokes and honored her choice of the syringa [Philadelphus lewisii] for that purpose.
The purity of its white blossoms, its grace, dainty loveliness and dignity could as easily represent her as it represents her loved state of Idaho.
To leave a real picture of this worthy pioneer lady, we quote from the letter of a pioneer child whose vivid memory portrait of Esther Stokes has been so well painted in words.
|
“Mrs. Stokes always epitomized for me, culture, beauty, graciousness and efficiency.
As a child she gave me the impression of a lacy white cloud whisked by in the wind.
She always seemed to hasten on, but was never in too great haste to be gently kind.
“Her love of flowers and her knowledge of them, gave Albion what it had of beauty.
Possibly every yard in the town had flowers from the Stokes'.
Sometimes she sold them, but any purchase was a bargain as she always included, this or that 'just for you to try out,' thereby increasing the variety of plants grown in the valley.
“Albion Normal commencements would have been impossible in the old days without Mrs. Stokes.
Her peonies, snowballs and iris made commencement decorations.
There was no other source as no one else raised enough for a showing.
When the flowers came in she always stayed in to help in the arrangement.
She brought containers, found others, and made suggestions as to combinations which helped materially in achieving a lovely effect.
I should say she was the heart of her flowers.
“One little incident when I was about ten years old: my sisters had arranged what was probably the first normal New Year's reception that Albion had ever had.
Everyone was invited (but the younger generation).
Cakes were all “fancy” and sister Mary was a natural at that.
The house was dressed in its best tidies and artificial flowers, along with a real forest of little pines.
It was super-elegant, but when I peeped in for a little while, the most elegant part of it all was Mrs. Stokes in her trailing fluffy black dress and something shiny in her hair, I got my idea of queening, right then and there.
I am sorry I can furnish nothing but impressions.
I am sure you must know her well enough to know they were sound impressions.”
| |
Cordially yours
(signed) Anna H. Hayes
(Daughter of John and Mary Hansen
pioneer Star members of Albion and Naomi Number 4)
|
* * *
Among ten children born to the union of William and Esther Stokes who grew to maturity were Barton D., Kaatye, George, Mamie, Ora, Hugh, Steven, and Lottie [sic].
Six children survived her death.
In March 1890 a committee of Masons and Stars met to formulate a petition to organize a chapter under the jurisdiction of the General Grand Chapter of the United States.
Upon July 1890 two outstanding incidents in pioneer history occurred.
On that date President Benj. Harrison affixed his signature to an act of Congress admitting Idaho to statehood to become the forty-third state of the union.
Upon that same July 3, 1890, here in Albion, Naomi Chapter No. 4 duly installed Esther J. Stokes as its first worthy matron.
The General Grand Chapter had granted a charter on Mar. 20, 1890 and plans were made so that the chapter might begin in real form.
Those pioneer Star brothers and sisters had ordered in addition to the necessary equipment for the secretary and treasurer, a set of jewels, a scarf, sword and veil, columns of barley, broken column, a cup, a seal, a crow and scepter, a seal, two bibles, and a Star point carpet, as well as a charter.
Of course the tables for the secretary and treasurer and the officers of the east were of rough pine as were the chairs for the star points but Sister Stokes had brought many flowers to add beauty and elegance to the East.
When she had been duly installed by Brother Cleveland who had come from Mindoka for the occasion, and had been conducted to the East by Brother T. A. Starr acting as installing marshall, we can almost see the dignity and glowing pride with which she accepted the gavel and presided for the very first time as the very first worthy matron of Naomi Chapter No. 4.
“Her hair which was thick and long and fine had been piled easily in loops, coils, and knots of the fashion of that day.”
Her dress was one to enhance her beauty and add to her distinguished office.
The glow from the coal oil lamps which hung in the Masonic Hall over Snodgrass store where the installation occurred added a new luster to that shining head and illuminated the intelligent Christian loveliness of a noble sister Star.
Sister Stokes gave unstintingly of her time and talents to insure the success of Naomi in its early years.
From 1890 when she began serving as its first worthy matron until 1913, there were only three years in which she was not an officer.
Twenty years of almost continuous service, saw her acting twice as worthy matron and filling the varied offices of associate matron, conductress, associate conductress, secretary, treasurer, chaplain, Adah, Esther, Ruth, Martha, and Electa.
It was also during these twenty years that she was raising her large family and serving the community life of Albion in many other ways.
With Mr. Stokes failing health, the family moved from the ranch to Albion where on June 24, 1906 he passed on to his reward, leaving Esther a widow.
From 1923 until her passing in 1942, Mrs. Stokes spent most of her years in California with her children, coming back to her home in Albion for a few months every two years.
During those brief sojourns in Albion, many of the newcomers were impressed with her talent and charm as she spoke or read poetry she had written at one of the annual reunions of Seventy-niners at Albion.
The younger generation of Albionites also have vivid memories of Mrs. Stokes as she gave them help in preparing for and having the celebration of the Oregon Trail in the Albion State Normal Training School under the direction of Sister Aria Woods in 1930.
Sister Stokes joined the White Shrine of Jerusalem in Sherman, Texas.
She transferred her membership to Long Beach Calvary Shrine in 1934.
From Long Beach, California on June 17th, 1942 just eight days before her eighty-sixth birthday, Esther Jane Stokes departed this mortal life to follow the gleaming, guiding light of our beautiful Eastern Star to those realms of celestial glory prepared for such choice souls as she.
The funeral services at Dilday Mortuary were officiated by Dr. Ralph W. Lee, Bettina Chapter O.E.S. of Long Beach, California.
Interment was made in a choice spot in Rose Hills Memorial Park Cemetery on June 20th, 1942.
One cannot help but feel that the influence and presence of Esther Stokes and others of those brave, sturdy pioneer spirits who organized and nurtured the early growth of Naomi Chapter are still here with us in a very real way.
The custom of having an abundance of lovely flowers to glorify and dignify our chapter room as well as the East has been perpetuated by us since that first installation.
Surely it is not imagining too much to feel that each worthy matron who has graced our East in Naomi since that first year has tried by direct or reflected example to be just as sweet and gracious and dignified as was Esther Stokes, and to be as altogether lovely and kindly as was she, exemplifying just a little better the lives of the heroines of our order because of her outstanding personality.
Note: |
Much help in writing this obituary has been gained from the History of Naomi Chapter No. 4, written by the history committee with Sister Margaret Weisel as chairman.
Where exact words have been used, they have been enclosed in quotation marks. |
Obituary Committee
Naomi No. 4
courtesy
Verlene Powell
from the files of Albion Valley News,
Box 83, Albion, Idaho 83311
Text Transcription 1996
HTML October 1998
Laura Faye Stokes Bryant
Post Office Box 722
Garden Valley, California, USA 95633-0722
lbryant@foothill.net
previous
top
|
