James McArthur

The following was written by Andrew O. McArthur's grandson, Andrew H. McArthur: Chapter 1: Ancestory President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Life is a great chain of generations that we in the Church believe must be linked together...Never permit yourself to become a weak link in the chain of your generations. It is so important that we pass on without blemish our inheritance of body and brains; and, if you please, faith and virtue, untarnished to the generations who will come after us” (From BYU devotional, Nov. 30, 1999, quoted in Church News, Dec. 4, 2004). Andy’s Paternal Heritage Andrew Oxborrow McArthur (Andy) comes from solid links in his chain of ancestory. His father, James McArthur was born January 29, 1871, in St. George, Utah to Daniel Duncan and Elizabeth Bulloch McArthur. Daniel D.’s father, Duncan joined the Church with his family in 1836. Duncan came out west with the pioneers in 1848—Daniel D. came out in 1847. James obtained his education in the St. George grade schools, and graduated from the old St. George Academy that was taught in the basement of the St. George Tabernacle. He loved to read and often read aloud to ‘Lizzie’. James fell in love with Elizabeth Oxborrow, or Lizzie as others called her. She was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Leicht Oxborrow. Joseph joined the Church in England and was kicked out of the family business because of his church membership. He immigrated to America and came to Utah. He was a baker by proffession and was living in Beaver, Utah, cooking for the men who were cutting timber for the St. George Temple when Lizzie was born October 28, 1873. Jim and Lizzie were married October 18, 1894. Lizzy was about five feet tall and Jim six feet—people used to call them ‘the long and the short of it’. They had nine children, two of whom were stillborn: Harley James, Clio, Bessie, Joseph, Mary, Lavera, Ina, Andrew, & Still born child. When Clio was two years old and Bessie was a baby, Jim was called to serve a mission in the Southern States. Lizzy supported herself and their family by gardening, sewing, and doing other jobs. When Lizzy heard of Jim’s release, she wanted to go to Salt Lake and pick him up, having a little honeymoon on the way home. She told her father-in-law, Daniel D., what she was planning to do and he replied, “No Lizzy, don’t do that, Jim will need that money to buy a team and wagon for the horses when he gets back. You stay here.” She did what he recommended, but always wished she would have made the trip to Salt Lake. Andy writes of his father: “Father homesteaded the bench [of] land down by, what is now, St. James Place. He bought a Jersey Bull named ‘Ol Pogis’ and the bull would scare you to death. He was fenced in and everyone knew about him. One day he got out and father [James] went to put him back in. He hit the bull and the bull turned on him and threw him into the air. When James hit the ground he remembered that when a bull charges, it closes its eyes. The bull charged three times. James was eventually able to roll under the fence and get out—he broke a few ribs and his thumb.” About a year after James’ mission he was called as Bishop of the St. George West Ward and served in that capacity for 23 years. In 1926, Jim had just built a road in a business venture that turned out bad, he had promised his men that he would pay them if they would help him finish. He was in a lot of debt and didn’t know what to do. He was approached by two men and together they bought the old Tithing Office and opened the Quality Bakery. He was able to repay every man that he owed. Later he bought the other two gentlemen out and with his wife developed a successful family bakery. He also served as the Mayor of St. George for two years. One story Andy remembers about his father took place during his father’s term as Mayor, he relates: "A man by the name of Woodhouse had the power business and when the lights would dim we would say, “Well the cows are taking a drink out of the water and so there is not enough.” My father became Mayor and the contract came up with Woodhouse and father made an agreement with him that Woodhouse would put lights on every light post so every street would be lit. He signed the contract." He never put the lights on the post. And father went after him and Woodhouse said, “Well I just can’t afford to do that.” Father went to the people and asked them to shut their power off and not use it, (my sisters really snorted at that). After two weeks Woodhouse came back and said, “I’ll put those lights on.” James was always known as a patient, honest, respected man. He died June 17, 1944 from a ruptured appendix. Andy’s grandfather was Daniel Duncan McArthur. He was born April 8, 1820, in the town of Holland, Erie County, New York to Duncan and Susan McArthur. His parents joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was 16 and he joined a few years later. He migrated with the saints from town to town and state to state. Finally in 1848, Brigham Young led a company across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley; Daniel D. and his family went with him. He would later return and lead two companies across the plains—one in 1856 and another in 1863. He set up home in the Salt Lake Valley and continued to raise his family. In 1852 he was called on a mission to Scotland. When the brethren were called by Brigham Young to go, he said they would be gone for “three to seven years”. He returned in 1856. Part of his partriarchal blessing reads: “Thou are called to hunt up the remnants of Jacob and push them together from the ends of the earth.” After returning to his family in Salt Lake City he was asked, with 308 other families, to help establish the Cotton Mission in St. George, Utah. In 1861 he took his family and went to St. George. Here he helped build the Tabernacle and the Temple and remained until he died June 3, 1908. A portion of Daniel D’s partriachal blessing is of great interest to his posterity: “[You] shall have a numerous posterity to bear th[y] name in remembrance in the Church forever.” Andy’s Maternal Heritage Andy’s mother, Ellizabeth Oxborrow, or “Lizzy” as she was called, was born October 28, 1873 in Beaver, Utah. She was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Leicht Oxborrow. Joseph’s folks ran a bakery in England where the entire family worked. Joseph joined the Church in England, but never told his family. When his family found out, they kicked him out of the bakery business. Joseph moved to America and came to Utah. Mary joined the Church in 1861 in England (where she was from) and in 1864 at age 11 with her step mother and step siblings, sailed across the sea, traveled the grueling path across the plains and ended in St. George, Utah Joseph was sent to Southern Utah with his first wife, Jenette, who was unable to have children. Apostle Erastus Snow asked 16 year old Mary Leicht to marry 52 year old Joseph. She followed his counsel, and on June 21, 1870 they were wed. They eventually had 11 children together, one of which was Lizzy. When Lizzy was young, Joseph and Mary were asked to cook for the people working on the temple. Lizzy writes: "I was a small child, but often carried kettles of hot gruel to the workers at nights. We lived on the Temple block for five years and father had charge of the Temple grounds for seven years more, totaling twelve years. The salary for this work was small, so Mother took in sewing and washing, and tended children to help support the family. I was taught to work and helped all the time." These stories of Andrew O. McArthur’s paternal and maternal ancestry are just a small sampling of the great chain of generations that preceeded him. He has followed in his “father’s footsteps” and kept the chain firmly linked for his progeny.

In 1972, James A. & Denise McArthur were living in their parents home helping to remodel it. James records what happened: “We were working in the kitchen when a knock came at the door. A man handed me three leather bound journals and a small record book. He said he thought they belonged to our family and that while he and his wife were walking they saw the journals in the road and picked them up. They had been run over and were indented with gravel marks. He handed me the journals and I opened one and read my grandfathers name on the inside cover. I told him I was sure they belonged to my grandfather and thanked him for bringing them. “When my father [Andrew O. McArthur] returned home, I told him what had happened. He looked at the journals and said, ‘Yes, these are my father’s missionary journals, I have seen these on his book shelf for years.’” To this day, we do not know how the journals ended up in the road. Thirty years later James and his son, Andrew H., decided it was time to make the journals legible. They typed up two of the journals, but could not find the third. Time went by and Andrew O. McArthur passed away. One day while James was cleaning out some things, he went into his father's bedroom and there, on the top of his dresser, was the third journal—he had no idea how it came to be there. You can imagine how excited we were! We typed up the third journal, which completed his missionary journals.

The following was written by Andrew O. McArthur's grandson, Andrew H. McArthur: Chapter 1: Ancestory President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Life is a great chain of generations that we in the Church believe must be linked together...Never permit yourself to become a weak link in the chain of your generations. It is so important that we pass on without blemish our inheritance of body and brains; and, if you please, faith and virtue, untarnished to the generations who will come after us” (From BYU devotional, Nov. 30, 1999, quoted in Church News, Dec. 4, 2004). Andy’s Paternal Heritage Andrew Oxborrow McArthur (Andy) comes from solid links in his chain of ancestory. His father, James McArthur was born January 29, 1871, in St. George, Utah to Daniel Duncan and Elizabeth Bulloch McArthur. Daniel D.’s father, Duncan joined the Church with his family in 1836. Duncan came out west with the pioneers in 1848—Daniel D. came out in 1847. James obtained his education in the St. George grade schools, and graduated from the old St. George Academy that was taught in the basement of the St. George Tabernacle. He loved to read and often read aloud to ‘Lizzie’. James fell in love with Elizabeth Oxborrow, or Lizzie as others called her. She was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Leicht Oxborrow. Joseph joined the Church in England and was kicked out of the family business because of his church membership. He immigrated to America and came to Utah. He was a baker by proffession and was living in Beaver, Utah, cooking for the men who were cutting timber for the St. George Temple when Lizzie was born October 28, 1873. Jim and Lizzie were married October 18, 1894. Lizzy was about five feet tall and Jim six feet—people used to call them ‘the long and the short of it’. They had nine children, two of whom were stillborn: Harley James, Clio, Bessie, Joseph, Mary, Lavera, Ina, Andrew, & Still born child. When Clio was two years old and Bessie was a baby, Jim was called to serve a mission in the Southern States. Lizzy supported herself and their family by gardening, sewing, and doing other jobs. When Lizzy heard of Jim’s release, she wanted to go to Salt Lake and pick him up, having a little honeymoon on the way home. She told her father-in-law, Daniel D., what she was planning to do and he replied, “No Lizzy, don’t do that, Jim will need that money to buy a team and wagon for the horses when he gets back. You stay here.” She did what he recommended, but always wished she would have made the trip to Salt Lake. Andy writes of his father: “Father homesteaded the bench [of] land down by, what is now, St. James Place. He bought a Jersey Bull named ‘Ol Pogis’ and the bull would scare you to death. He was fenced in and everyone knew about him. One day he got out and father [James] went to put him back in. He hit the bull and the bull turned on him and threw him into the air. When James hit the ground he remembered that when a bull charges, it closes its eyes. The bull charged three times. James was eventually able to roll under the fence and get out—he broke a few ribs and his thumb.” About a year after James’ mission he was called as Bishop of the St. George West Ward and served in that capacity for 23 years. In 1926, Jim had just built a road in a business venture that turned out bad, he had promised his men that he would pay them if they would help him finish. He was in a lot of debt and didn’t know what to do. He was approached by two men and together they bought the old Tithing Office and opened the Quality Bakery. He was able to repay every man that he owed. Later he bought the other two gentlemen out and with his wife developed a successful family bakery. He also served as the Mayor of St. George for two years. One story Andy remembers about his father took place during his father’s term as Mayor, he relates: "A man by the name of Woodhouse had the power business and when the lights would dim we would say, “Well the cows are taking a drink out of the water and so there is not enough.” My father became Mayor and the contract came up with Woodhouse and father made an agreement with him that Woodhouse would put lights on every light post so every street would be lit. He signed the contract." He never put the lights on the post. And father went after him and Woodhouse said, “Well I just can’t afford to do that.” Father went to the people and asked them to shut their power off and not use it, (my sisters really snorted at that). After two weeks Woodhouse came back and said, “I’ll put those lights on.” James was always known as a patient, honest, respected man. He died June 17, 1944 from a ruptured appendix. Andy’s grandfather was Daniel Duncan McArthur. He was born April 8, 1820, in the town of Holland, Erie County, New York to Duncan and Susan McArthur. His parents joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he was 16 and he joined a few years later. He migrated with the saints from town to town and state to state. Finally in 1848, Brigham Young led a company across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley; Daniel D. and his family went with him. He would later return and lead two companies across the plains—one in 1856 and another in 1863. He set up home in the Salt Lake Valley and continued to raise his family. In 1852 he was called on a mission to Scotland. When the brethren were called by Brigham Young to go, he said they would be gone for “three to seven years”. He returned in 1856. Part of his partriarchal blessing reads: “Thou are called to hunt up the remnants of Jacob and push them together from the ends of the earth.” After returning to his family in Salt Lake City he was asked, with 308 other families, to help establish the Cotton Mission in St. George, Utah. In 1861 he took his family and went to St. George. Here he helped build the Tabernacle and the Temple and remained until he died June 3, 1908. A portion of Daniel D’s partriachal blessing is of great interest to his posterity: “[You] shall have a numerous posterity to bear th[y] name in remembrance in the Church forever.” Andy’s Maternal Heritage Andy’s mother, Ellizabeth Oxborrow, or “Lizzy” as she was called, was born October 28, 1873 in Beaver, Utah. She was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Leicht Oxborrow. Joseph’s folks ran a bakery in England where the entire family worked. Joseph joined the Church in England, but never told his family. When his family found out, they kicked him out of the bakery business. Joseph moved to America and came to Utah. Mary joined the Church in 1861 in England (where she was from) and in 1864 at age 11 with her step mother and step siblings, sailed across the sea, traveled the grueling path across the plains and ended in St. George, Utah Joseph was sent to Southern Utah with his first wife, Jenette, who was unable to have children. Apostle Erastus Snow asked 16 year old Mary Leicht to marry 52 year old Joseph. She followed his counsel, and on June 21, 1870 they were wed. They eventually had 11 children together, one of which was Lizzy. When Lizzy was young, Joseph and Mary were asked to cook for the people working on the temple. Lizzy writes: "I was a small child, but often carried kettles of hot gruel to the workers at nights. We lived on the Temple block for five years and father had charge of the Temple grounds for seven years more, totaling twelve years. The salary for this work was small, so Mother took in sewing and washing, and tended children to help support the family. I was taught to work and helped all the time." These stories of Andrew O. McArthur’s paternal and maternal ancestry are just a small sampling of the great chain of generations that preceeded him. He has followed in his “father’s footsteps” and kept the chain firmly linked for his progeny.

In 1972, James A. & Denise McArthur were living in their parents home helping to remodel it. James records what happened: “We were working in the kitchen when a knock came at the door. A man handed me three leather bound journals and a small record book. He said he thought they belonged to our family and that while he and his wife were walking they saw the journals in the road and picked them up. They had been run over and were indented with gravel marks. He handed me the journals and I opened one and read my grandfathers name on the inside cover. I told him I was sure they belonged to my grandfather and thanked him for bringing them. “When my father [Andrew O. McArthur] returned home, I told him what had happened. He looked at the journals and said, ‘Yes, these are my father’s missionary journals, I have seen these on his book shelf for years.’” To this day, we do not know how the journals ended up in the road. Thirty years later James and his son, Andrew H., decided it was time to make the journals legible. They typed up two of the journals, but could not find the third. Time went by and Andrew O. McArthur passed away. One day while James was cleaning out some things, he went into his father's bedroom and there, on the top of his dresser, was the third journal—he had no idea how it came to be there. You can imagine how excited we were! We typed up the third journal, which completed his missionary journals.