John Edmund Pincock

Life of John E. Pincock

Early Pioneer of Snake River Valley

My Father, John Edmond Pincock was born December 16, 1853, at Kaysville, Utah. In a log cabin, with dirt roof, dirt floor, and without either door or window. The next year he, with his parents, John and Isabelle Douglas Pincock, moved to Ogden. There he grew to man-hood, attending school only a short time during the winter seasons. The remainder of the year he worked with his Father on the farm, until the advent of the coming in of the Union and Central Pacific Railroad in the spring of 1869. He worked for the Railroad Co. on grade transferring freight, and assistant station baggage master, and run on the road as train baggage man for six years. Making in all fifteen years he worked for the railroad company.

On February 27th, 1879, he was married to Alice Parker Richards, Daughter of Samuel W. and Mary Ann Parker Richards of Salt Lake. From which union there were ten children. Seven sons and three daughters. Their names were according to age John Franklin, Mary Alice, Henry Dewey, Richard Parker, Samuel Whitney, William Aaron, Howard, Edith Vilate, Carrie Alene, and Parley Parker. Five sons and two daughters are now living.

In the spring of 1883, he resigned his position with the railroad company and started for his new home in Idaho. The same ranch is now located just north and east of Sugar City.

He had two yoke of Oxen, a wagon, a saddle pony, a mare. and two colts and eight head of stock cattle. He traveled alone, and in crossing the Devide, North of Collinston, Utah, the following incident occurred. On one of the pitches, the oxen were unable to pull the load, after spending a half day trying to hire someone to help him up the hill, he unloaded flour, potatoes, grain, and etc., and carried the same on his back to the top of the pitch.

Then he preceeded without further trouble, arriving 18 days later on the site of his home on the 10th day of May, 1884, where he continued to reside until the time of his death. He has lived in a Territory, a State, five different Counties, Six precincts , without changing his place of residence. The counties were Bannock, Onedia, Bingham, Fremont and Madison.

He commenced at once to prepare the land and put in a small crop of wheat, oats, and potatoes. When the harvesting was completed, he had 171 bushel of wheat and 10 bushel of oats. On account of poor fence he slept out in the field for two months to keep horses and cattle from destroying his crop.

On July 7, 1888, he was set apart as second counselor to Bishop Davis of Wilford Ward, and served in that capacity until 1892. In 1893 he was ordained Bishop of Teton Ward, this part of Wilford being annexed to Teton. Under his direction, the only stone meeting house in the Stake at that time, was built. He served as Bishop for ten years and was then honorably released.

During this time the railroad came in the Valley and Sugar Ward was organised. This part of Teton Ward was annexed to Sugar. Father was one of the building committee to build the Sugar Ward meeting house. He also served as a school trustee.

On July 1st, 1904, he was set apart as High Priest couslor in the Fremont Stake. On June 16, 1907, he was ordained President of the High Priest quorum.

He was a member of the building committee for the Ricks Academy, also the gymnasium

building and the Stake Tavernacle. Father was very active in civic life a nd affairs as well as in the church. In the year 1896, he was elected Sheriff of Fremont County, served two years. Was then elected assessor and collector, then the county commissioner, serving in each capacity two years. Later he was appointed State Grain Comissioner by Governor James H. Hawley.

In 1916, he was elected State Senator from Madison County, and in 1918 was elected county commissionor for Madison County. During the time He served as county commissioner, the county issued bonds in the amount of one-hundred-thousand-dollars, for the purpose of building a county court house. The said building is now complete and is said to be one of the best arranged and most substantially built court houses in the state of Idaho.

At the death of James Siddowny, father was elected President of the Fremont Woolgrowers association and still hold that office at the time of death. In 1918, he was elected President of the Water Users Protective Association of the North Fork of Snake River and its tributaries. The same year, he was elected President of the Fremont, Madison Reservoir Company, known through the press and to the Public, as the Fall River Meadows Reservoir, which is located in the extreme Southwest of the Yellowstone National Park. This reservoir site aroused much opposition in the east against its construction because of its being in the Park, by people who do not understand and who are not familiar with what the building of a reservoir would mean to the Park as well as the agricultural interest of south-eastern Idaho.

Through-out all this time, he was a successful farmer and stock grower, a nd I quote from his own words, “So as I turn back the pages of memory and look at the years of struggle and toil that I have experienced and watch the growth from a desert to a great producing empire, I feel that I have certainly been favored by having participated in this great period of development.”

Father was known everywhere for his sterling qualition of honesty and integrity. His Wise council was sought by many and he was often called to settle disputes between people because of his fair judgement.

His posterity numbers seven sons and three daughters, thirty seven grandchildren, fifty-one great, grandchildren.

In May, 1924, he was stricken with Brights disease and passed away at his Fathers old home in Ogden, Utah. His funeral was held in the Rexburg Stake Tabernacle on October 16, 1924, and he was buried in the Sugar City cemetery

Transcribed by: Larissa Barsalou

Fall 2002