ERNEST JOHN THOMAS

Ernest John Thomas – by Lynne Thomas Cannon

Ernest John Thomas was apprenticed as a sailmaker to his father’s employer, Lee & Co. at age thirteen.  Ernest wanted to be able to continue to attend school.  But, as the only son, his parents didn’t want him to live so far away from home.  Apparently, would have had to go to school in Wales where there was probably some family property.  Ernest also always wanted to become a seaman, but his parents forbade it.  Ernest never forgave them.

Instead, Ernest served an apprenticeship for six years in his own hometown and then got a job in a shipyard in Strood, another town very close to home.  While living in England, Ernest walked a great deal, all through the south of England.  But, what he really wanted to do was to go to Canada.  Many people were going to Canada at that time, looking for opportunities.  Ernest John Thomas mad his first trip to Canada on a White Star Liner steamship when he was probably in his early twenties.

Ernest arrived in Montreal, Quebec and found plenty of work available.  First, he went to work in the country raising flax.  Then he worked on another farm where he made friend with some fellows from Toronto.  He moved to Toronto, Ontario and lived in boarding houses.  He worked in a piano factory, a foundry and a bakery.  He also worked for a Mr. Turner in Peterborough in a tent factory.*

After some time in Canada, Ernest went to Chicago in answer to an advertisement for sailmaker.  He worked there for a time and then went to Massachusetts, working in Boston, Fall River and New Bedford.  Ernest also went to Philadelphia and New York.  In New Your City, Ernest worked on Fulton Street and lived in Brooklyn.  He walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to work and back every day.

San Francisco 1906 earthquake

Ernest returned to England but he only stayed about two months before sailing again for Canada.  This time he went to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Alberta, and Vancouver, British Columbia.  During this trip he also went to San Francisco.  While in San Francisco he went walking down by the ships alone one night.  He met a sailor who took him aboard ship and tried to drug him and shanghai him, but he escaped.  He was in San Francisco right after the big earthquake which was April 18^th and 19^th, 1906.  He was conscripted into helping clean up after the earthquake.  Ernest returned to England sometime shortly before his marriage to Edith Annie Hawks on May 12, 1910.

*J.J. Turner & Sons; Manufacturers; Peterborough, Ont. [Ontario] The following information is taken from the archives of the Peterborough Museum: “The J.J. Turner Company was established about 1870 in Port Hope, Ontario. It re-located to Peterborough in 1887. In 1914 the company was described as the largest maker of tents, sails and awnings in Canada. In 1908 it employed 68 workers in a 20,000 square foot factory in downtown Peterborough. It was at one time, among Peterborough's ten largest employers. The factory contained a blacksmiths shop, carpentry shop and other large scale workshops. J.J. Turner also had a nation-wide marketing and distribution network”. In a 1920 catalogue, Turner listed itself as a maker of “sails, tents, awnings, flags, and camp equipment.  For at least part of its existence, the company was located at 140 King Street. The building still exists today and is known as the J.J. Turner Building. The company still existed in 1975 under the name Turner Company.

Ernest John Thomas + Edith Annie Hawks

Edith and Ernest – by Lynne Thomas Cannon

Even though Edith Annie Hawks and Ernest John Thomas lived right nest door to each other in two little neighboring towns, they didn’t meet until about 1901 in London.  Edith had an Uncle Hawks who was an undertaker in London.  One day when she stopped by his place of business, she found her sister Daisy there with her beau, John Beach, and another young man named Ernest John Thomas.  They were introduced and he asked if he could walk her home.  Following that beginning, they often went out walking and to church together.  After five weeks of courtship Ernest kissed Edith.  They kept company for two years.  Once, during this courtship they went together to the home of Rudyard Kipling in Sussex.  They expected to meet him but were unable to do so.  They also know Lloyd George before he was Prime Minister.  Edith had been in his home.  Edith and Ernest became engaged.  They were known as Annie and Ernie to their friends.

MONET: Charing Cross Bridge, London 1901

Ernest John Thomas was always talking about crossing the ocean, so Edith wrote him a letter telling him that he should go with no ties, the engagement was off.  He left for Canada.  She did not hear from him for three years.  Then, one Sunday when she was home for Easter, She went to church with her two sisters and their beaus.  The church was filled.  There were three seats together near the front.  On her way to her seat with her sisters, Edith saw Jack (as she called him) sitting with a girl – she blushed!  He didn’t see her.  After the services, she saw him waiting outside and he introduced her to the girl, his sister Mabel.  Edith and Ernest walked home together.  Ernest said, “On the way past my house, come in and wait while my father helps me out with my trunks, as I am sailing tomorrow for America.”  He had been in town for a month without her knowing.  Ernest said, “See you in the morning.”  He was planning on taking his three sisters to London in the morning to the Crystal Palace Resort.

Perhaps Ernest delayed his sailing for a few days or weeks.  But, within a month he had sailed for America.  Before he sailed, Edith and Ernest had become engaged again.  On the Monday following Easter Edith and Ernest went for a walk in the forest.  On Tuesday Ernest went to London and bought Edith a diamond ring, a watch, a bracelet, and a necklace – a matched set.

Ernest was gone for another three of four years.  But, this time when he returned, Edith and Ernest were married.  Ernest paid the twenty-five pounds for the special license so they would not have to wait three weeks to have their banns read in church.  They were married May 12, 1910 in Kingston on the Thames by a Justice of the Peace on a Friday morning.  Edith’s sister Lillian and her husband, Frederick Smith, were the witnesses.  Edith and Ernest spent Friday night at Lillian’s home in Teddington and Saturday morning they sailed for Canada.

The ship docked in Montreal and Edith and Ernest took a day’s train ride from there to Peterborough, Ontario where they rented a house with three rooms upstairs an three down.  Ernest arranged for some furnishings and the necessities to set up housekeeping for his new bride.  But, as the story goes, Edith hated Peterborough and would not stay.  After six weeks, Ernest did what he could with the furniture and moved his wife to Salt Lake City, saying, “I know a place you will love.”  Well, she didn’t love it, but Ernest couldn’t afford to move them again and that is how we all came to be residents of Salt Lake City.

Ernest had been in Salt Lake before and was immediately attracted to the place and had a feeling that it would be a good place to live.  Ernest got a job at a canvas factory working for Mr. Rippey.  It is believed that Ernest had worked for him before, while living with the Evans sisters, later a well-known singing trio.

Arriving in Salt Lake, Edith and Ernest first lived about a month with Mrs. Smith on Third East and Fifth South while waiting for their home to be finished.  Soon they moved into their home on Fifth South between Fourth and Fifth East.  They paid eighteen dollars a month in rent.  Both Bill and Owen were born at this residence.  In 1913 the family moved to 428 East Ninth South where Evelyn was born.  In 1917 they moved to 356 East Eight South where Kent was born.

AAA Tent and Awning Company in the early 1940's

Ernest eventually went into business with Lawrence Nink and formed AAA Tent and Awning Company.  The business was first located on State Street between Second and Third South.  Some years later there was a fire after which the business moved to Second South between State and Second East.  It was said that this fire was the best thing that ever happened in the business.  The fire destroyed the floor of the basement.  The insurance company deemed the machines a total loss.  Ernest bought the machines back from the insurance company as damaged merchandise, repaired them and bought new machines with the insurance money, essentially doubling the business.

The rest of the story is probably more well known by others in the family.  Many entertaining stories could be told about Ernest and Edith and the Thomas family and maybe this coming year would be a good time to start gathering those stories.

Jane Evington Bitton & William Farman Bitton

Jane Evington was born in Deptford, London County, England on September 29, 1805, the daughter of John K. Evington and Mary Beeble. She had two step-siblings, and a full sister named Elizabeth (Mina).

She married William Farman Bitton in England about 1837. To this union six sons and four daughters were born. They were: Amelia, John Evington, Louis, Amelia (2), Jane, Stephen, Walter, Walter (2), Harriet and William. All of her children were born in London or at Great Yarmouth, England. Her first daughter Amelia died when she was just a child and little is known of her. Her second daughter was also named Amelia. 

One son, the first Walter, was jumping from one boat to another and fell between the ships and was killed.. His body was not found for about two hours. Two of her other sons, Louis and the second Walter came to America by ship, which exploded soon after arriving in the harbor. 

Jane’s husband, William was a seafaring man, like his father before him. One day while he was unloading some cargo, the pressure of the weight he was lifting caused his optic nerve to burst. As a result he became totally blind. This was just one more tragedy Jane experienced in her life. 


One day William heard the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints preaching in a meeting, and he went home to tell Jane he had found what he was looking for. The Elders’ testimonies and the teachings of the gospel impressed Jane also, and she was baptized on February 9, 1852. 

Six months after her baptism her youngest son, William was born, He died when he was seven years old, adding to Jane’s lifetime of heartache.

On May 25, 1856 Jane’s oldest son, John Evington, his bride Sarah Wintle, and John’s nineteen-year old sister, Jane left England aboard the ship “Horizon” and sailed for America. They traveled with the ill-fated Martin Handcart Company to Salt Lake City, Utah to join their fellow Latter- Saints. Seven years later, Jane, William and their daughter Harriet sailed for the United States. They crossed the plains on a wagon pulled by an ox-team in the fall of 1863. Because her father was blind, Harriet led him by hand most of the way. They settled in West Weber, Weber County, Utah where their son John and his family lived. 

William passed away in 1864, just one year after coming to the United States. (Jane’s obituary in 1891 noted that he was buried in the Ogden City cemetery. However no records exist to verify this burial.)

Sometime after her husband’s death, Jane went to Menan, Idaho where her two daughters, Jane and Harriet lived. (Both daughters were married to John Rawlston Poole as polygamist wives.) Jane became sick while living with her daughter and passed away in Menan on January 24, 1891. Because of the hardship and poor transportation of the time, it was impossible to take her body to Utah to be buried with her husband, so she was buried in the Poole family plot in the Little Butte cemetery. (The cemetery is located in Annis, Idaho, just outside of Menan.) Her daughters, Jane and Harriet were later buried beside her.

(Compiled by Barbara Fowers King great, great, great-granddaughter)