Thressa Elnora Cox Black
Thressa Elnora Cox was the fourth child of Orville S. and Mary E. Cox. Her early life was much the same as has already been written about her brothers and sisters. They lived for the first eight years of her life in Sanpete Co. then went to Nevada to help settle “The Muddy". She was twelve years old when they left there and moved to Orderville, Kane, Utah. Because of the pioneer conditions that she lived in, she wasn’t able to receive much schooling although she could read and write.
While living in Orderville she met and married John Morley Black. She was a pretty girl of medium height with dark brown curly hair, brown eyes and a pleasant disposition. Life for her had always been hard and she seemed to expect nothing else. She was always very happy and uncomplaining about things that happened to her. She was only seventeen when her first child was born. For weeks her life hung in the balance. She had what was called "milk leg" and it left her with a stiff arm that she was never able to raise above her head.
They lived in the "Order" until after her third child was born then moved to Salina, They lived in that part of Utah for several years but because her husband had taken another wife, they were forced to leave. In 1888 they left Utah with plans to go to Mexico. On the way they stopped in Orderville for her to visit with her family then continued on by way of Kanab and Lee's ferry. After they crossed the river they had to cross what was known as Lee's back bone. It was a very dangerous stretch of road along the top of a rock mountain, with the sides both sloping off into the river. Thressa was too frightened to ride in the wagon, nor would she let her children ride, but she walked and carried the baby for miles. Even after this place was crossed, the road was terrible so it was with a thankful heart that they arrived two months later in St Johns, Arizona. John's brother was living there and offered him work which he accepted. How gratefully Thressa unloaded her few belongings and set up house keeping.
They lived in St Johns for eight years then moved to Fruitland, New Mexico where John built a grist mill. They lived there for several years until one day a big flood came down the creek and washed the mill away.
John had a chance to build a grist mill in Monticello, Utah so they moved back to Utah. Their first winter there was a hard one. Monticello was high and cold and they weren't used to that kind of country, so their clothing and bedding were insufficient. They suffered a great deal with the cold. John decided to move them twenty miles farther south to a new town called Grayson, later known as Blanding. Here he built another mill and, a little at a time, a home for his family.
How proud Thressa was of this, her last home. She had always been an excellent housekeeper in the poorest of her homes, but this house was far better than anything she had ever had before. It included a living room, two bedrooms, kitchen, two large screened porches and later on a bathroom. She kept her floors as clean as most people do their tables and even when she had linoleum on them they were always mopped on her hands and knees, no mop sticks ever scratched her floors.
Most of her children were grown by now and she had more time to do some of the things she had always enjoyed. She was never idle, but kept her hands busy crocheting, knitting, embroidering and mending. Her needle work was really beautiful and she won many ribbons at state and county fairs. One of her beautiful scarves was used on one of the alters in the Manti Temple for years. She was an excellent cook and was able to make delicious meals from very little food. Her salt rising bread was mouth-watering.
It had been thirty years since she had been in Orderville and seen her folks, so when she got word that her mother was very ill, she longed to go see her. Chester, one of her sons, had a Ford car, and though she was terrified of this fast way of traveling her longing to see her own people out weighed her fear and she went to Orderville for a visit. How great was her joy to see all her loved ones again, and how great her sorrow to find that her mother was too ill to even know her. She stayed several days but returned home before her mother's death.
For years she had a large goiter on her neck and when it started to grow she was taken to Salt Lake to a doctor. He told her that she had cancer and nothing could be done for her. She knew she didn't have long to live but said if the Lord wanted her she was ready to go. She went home and got busy finishing up every piece of hand work she had started. She kept up her house and took care of herself up until the last few weeks of her life. She died in her own home on July 29. 1926.
Children and grandchildren alike loved and honored her.