Jared Rock

Pioneer Memories History of Hibbard Ward 1904 by Sunday School Genealogy Class Jared Rock was born 24 August 1866, the son of Henry and Leannah Robison Rock. He commenced his career by engaging in construction work on the Union Pacific Railroad until he was fifteen years of age, when he began to learn the mason's trade at Evanston, Wyoming. Finishing his apprenticeship in Salt Lake City, he returned to Evanston where he was employed in the railroad shops and later for four years in the water service of the railroad. he came to Idaho in 1891, purchased eighty acres of land and engaged in mason work and stone-cutting. He was the first contractor in the county in these industries. In the building of the Farmer's Consolidated Canal, Jared and his father contributred $1,500 in work for water privileges. In association with his faqther he has been employed in the construction of nearly all the brick and rock buildings in the county. He was the first man to file on a stone quarry in the county and was the first one to discover a rock that would polish and cut well to be used for grave stones. Although prosperity had come to Mr Rock, the struggles and hardships of the early days would cling to his memory. all of the buildings on his father's ranch were burned and while he was trying to restore them he tried to get 100 pounds of flour for the family. He offered $1,500 in security for payment but could not obtain the flour. He then borrowed that amount of flour from a neighbor and to get the flour to return he "grubbed" about five acres of sage brush. wishing to give his attention t the opening of a brickyard, he employed five men to finish the grubbing. Thus the total amount he had to pay for the flour was $27. He was frequently injured. In getting out wood he had one of his legs crushed by a log rolling over it, and it was four months before he could work again. He said he had a premonition of this disaster, but paying no heed to the warning he was injured. He was active in the Mormon Church and was an Elder. In all phases of life, social, religious and civil, he was public-spirited, progressive and in the front of all good enterprises and with his family stood ohigh in the good graces of the people. At Salt Lake City on 22 December 1897, Mr Rock married Elisa Godfrey, a daughter of William and Lucy Williams Godfrey.

Jared Rock Progressive Men of Idaho By A.W. Bowen 1904 Page 379-80 The gentleman whose name stands at the head of this review was born at Morgan, Utah, on August 24, 1866, the son of Henry and Leannah (Robison) Rock, and for their history and ancestral data the reader can look at the sketch of Henry Rock, appearing on other pages of this volume. After giving effective service to his parents’ interests in the days of his youth, Jared Rock commenced his independent career by engaging in construction work on the Union Pacific Railroad until he was fifteen years of age, when he began to learn the Mason’s trade at Evanston, Wyo., finishing his apprenticeship in Salt Lake City, then, returning to Evanston, he was there employed in the railroad shops and later for four years was in the water service of the railroad. He came to Idaho in 1891, purchased eighty acres of land near Rexburg, which he has since increased to ninety acres, and engaged in mason work and stonecutting, being the first contractor of the county in these industries. In the building of the Farmers’ Consolidated Canal, Mr. Rock and his father contributed $1,500 in work on this canal for the water privilege. In association with his father he built the large brick store of the Rexburg Cooperative Mercantile Institute, the finest edifice of Teton City, and he has been employed in the construction of nearly all of the brick and rock buildings erected in the county, and also the first one to discover here a rock that would cut and polish sufficiently well to be used for grace stones, for which purpose he has now used it for ten years, it being equal to marble in appearance and durability, though not susceptible of so high a polish. This discovery was made in the forks of the Snake River. Although prosperity has attended the well-directed and sustained endeavors of Mr. Rock, the struggles and hardships of the early days will ever solidly cling to his memory. All of the buildings on his father’s ranch were burned and the labor of restoration devolved upon our subject, who, to obtain 100 pounds of flour for the needs of the family, offered $1,500 in good values as security for the payment but could not obtain the flour. He then borrowed that amount of flour from a neighbor and to get the flour to return he “grubbed” about five acres of sagebrush, and wishing to give his personal attention to the opening of a brickyard, he employed five men to finish the grubbing, the total amount he thus had to pay for the flour was $27. He has been frequently injured. In getting out wood a few years since he had one of his legs crushed by a log rolling over it, and it was four months before he was again ready for business. He says that he had a premonition of this disaster, but paying no heed to the warning, he was injured. In political matters Mr. Rock has steadily supported Democratic principles and candidates, and in the Mormon Church he has been a deacon, a teacher and is now an elder. In all the relations of life, social, religious and civil, he is public-spirited, progressive, ever in the front of all good enterprises, and, with his popular family, stands high in the good graces of the people. At Salt Lake City, on December 22, 1897, Mr. Rock married with Miss Eliza Godfrey, a daughter of William and Lucy (Williams) Godfrey, who in the early days settled as pioneers of North Ogden, Utah, there they were agriculturists for some years, thereafter removing to Park Valley, Utah thence in 1894, to Rexburg, but later returned to Twin Grove, where they are now living on a homestead of their daughter, Mrs. Rock, which is beautifully located near Fall River. A family of four interesting children have come to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rock, Lucy Leannah, born Jan 7, 1899, died Jan 8, 1901; Emanuel Henry, born Feb 27, 1900, died Jan 12, 1901; Veda June, born June 9, 1901; Eliza Giralda, born May 22, 1903.