Delaun Mills Cox
Delaun Mills Cox was born 24 of March 1850 in Manti, Utah, about where the east end of the first terrace of the temple now stands, on the south side of Temple Hill.
He was the son of Orville Sutherland Cox who was born 25 November 1814, Plymouth N. Y. and Elvira P. Mills, born 2 March, 1820, Nelson, Portage County, Ohio, who crossed the plains in C. C. Rich's Company, arriving in the Valley in October 1847, with two children, Almer and Adelia.
In his boyhood Delaun herded his father's sheep. At 11 years he cradled wheat alongside his father. At 16 he stood guard in Black Hawk War, for which he received a pension from the government in later life. With most of this he helped his children, each about the same amount and at a time when they most needed it.
In 1866 his father was called with other saints to settle on the Muddy in Nevada. While here he assisted with farm work with the grain, cotton and cane, and started an orchard and vineyard. He went to school most of one quarter. He made several thousand adobes and built 4 adobe houses.
He played the fiddle for most of the dances in Overton, St. Joseph and St. Thomas. Here he met his first lady love, Charlotte Kelsey. They were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, 19 June 1871. She was the daughter of Easton Kelsey and Abigail Finch. She was a large woman, efficient in her work in both house and garden, cooking meals, making clothes and taught her bunch of girls the same thrifty habits. To this couple was born 13 children, 9 of them living to maturity.
They lived in Washington, Washington Co., Utah about 3 years, where he farmed, built houses and carpentered. He lived in the United Order which President Brigham Young set up to test the people, 2 years in Washington and 9 years in Orderville. He was called in the latter to be foreman of the Building and Cooper Departments which lasted most of the time, the Blacksmith Department following. He was on the Board of Directors part of the time, led the choir and played bass viol along with the choir. From his diary the following accomplishments are recorded: “Desks and benches for schoolroom; molasses barrels, bass viol and box; machine for crimping washboards; coffins; waterpower to run turning lath, grinding of cornmeal (later wheat}, plaster paris for white-washing, apples for cider, potatoes for starch. Run circle saw and grindstone. Built a shingle mill; built flumes and penstalk; repaired an old cotton gin and baled cotton in Washington while living in Orderville; cart to draw bread from bakery to kitchen; whitewash brushes from oose, and lots of wagon wheels, one for President Young’s carriage; made a silk reel and weaving machine, tables, tubs, brooms; folding doors for meeting house.“
At the family reunion in 1930 in Orderville, a long table extended across the stage held more than a hundred things gathered up among the people, that Delaun Cox had made. His cupboards would match any cabinet work today in strength and beauty.
He improved every opportunity for storing his mind with useful knowledge. A number of times he attended evening schools. He records in his diary that he studied the life of Andrew Jackson and lectured on the same for one hour and fifty minutes. Thomas Chamberlain relates in his diary of hearing Delaun Cox give this talk and said it was given very interestingly. He also read Gunn's works on health.
He had been taught the law of plural marriage as given by the Prophet Joseph Smith and, encouraged by Brigham Young, as well as those in authority where he resided; with the sanction of his wife Charlotte, after acquaintance with a little “brown eyed Susan” he took her on an excursion to the St. George Temple where they were married 8 August 1877.
Her name was Susan Brown, daughter of Robert Brown and Eunice Pectol, who had been among the first called to settle in Dixie. She was born in a tent in St. George 18 April, 1862. When 2 weeks old the tent got on fire, but the infant was rescued by a neighbor. Through this marriage there were 9 children, 3 of them born in the United Order.
She went to school a few short years. Her main reader was the Bible. As soon as she was old enough she helped in the kitchen. When setting tables the girls would gather wild roses from the river's edge, which first drew Laun's attention to her.
Susan was not a public woman but her children loved to hear her sing the hymns and old time songs and read aloud from the Juvenile Instructor. Her teaching of obedience was mostly accomplished through other means than whipping. Usually by quoting Scripture verses and those of great writers handed down, she steered her children onward. She would often quote, “Obedience is the first law of order" and “Order is the first law of heaven.” If they did not know which path to take she would say, “Shun even the appearance of evil.”
The people in the United Order seemed to enjoy working together, and called it the happiest part of their lives, experiencing similar to what a missionary does who sacrifices all his time and means. It was cheaper to cook and eat together in one big kitchen and dining hall until things got going. Later they began getting better homes where each family did their own cooking. The order was dissolved about 1884.
Delaun continued to do carpenter work and blacksmithing along with farming. Money was scarce, but he said “Labor was sweet.” The children all learned to work and help out with the expenses .They all got through the grade schools and most of them with 2 or more years of high school. Trading of products was used quite extensively. Honey, brooms and wheat brought in most of the cash. One year he produced 1700 gallons of honey. He was a pioneer in dry farming. For this he received a free ticket to a Dry Farming Congress held in Butte, Montana.
The two families (all but 4 were married with homes of their own) in 1913 moved from Orderville to Hinkley, Utah, then to Idaho in July, 1930. He called his family together for 3 days of reunion with 125 posterity. In preparation for this he met with 5 of his daughters to get his history written up. It was put over in the form of a pageant. From this history arranged by Elvira, Charlotte, Maggie and Susie, also from his diary, written in several different, books, envelopes, scraps of paper, which Eunice so faithfully put together and made into a complete history, this brief has been obtained.
His remaining years were spent visiting his children and back to his home in Manti, the town of his birth, where he died 24 April 1932.
In 1949, out of his posterity, had come 22 missionaries, also bishops and counselors, Presidents of Stakes, and many active L. D. S. Church workers, and many who have been loyal to their nation’s call.
He lived within the law and his character was beyond reproach. He lived free from debt most of his life. “He had a congenial, happy disposition, and his conversations and sermons were interspaced with frequent bits of humor. He honored the Sabbath Day, and was inoffensive, generous, cheerful and jolly. One of his little granddaughters said he looked like Santa Claus, he was jolly like Santa Claus, he was good like Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus.”
He had family prayers and encouraged scripture reading and the singing of hymns in each of the two homes. He discouraged gossip and fault finding, was honest in his dealings, deliberate in his views, patriotic to his country, and faithful to his family and his God.