William Evan (Preece) Price Jr (1839 - 1903)

Born 7 Jun 1839 in Herefordshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Rhoda Jane (Stone) Price — married 27 Feb 1864 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA

Descendants

Died 18 Sep 1903 at age 64 in Ucon, Bonneville, Idaho, United States

William (Preece) Price Jr was a Latter Day Saint pioneer.

Biography

This profile is part of the Price Name Study.

William Price was born to William Preece and Mary Pugh in Prestigne Radnor, Wales. He was baptized in the LDS Church, December 25, 1855. He emigrated to America and settled at North Ogden, Utah.

William married Rhoda Jane Stone and they were parents of Mary, Rhoda, William Henry, Moroni, Rose Hannah and Margaret,

In 1875 after the sixth child was born, William and Rhoda were divorced and William married Amelia Ekins, by whom he had three daughters. They were Berthaner, who marred Alexander (Alick) Robbie, Meldia Matilda who married Charles Smith and Letitia, who married Abraham Olson. Amelia died during the birth of the third daughter in 1880.

William remarried Rhoda Jane and she helped him raise the three girls and they had three more sons: George, Riley and Grover. All the children were born in Ogden, Utah.

To avoid the pressure of plural marriage, William joined his two oldest sons at the homestead on Sand Creek near Iona, Idaho. The first home was a dugout on the east side of Sand Creek where they lived while bringing building supplies from Ogden. After a two-story rock home was constructed, Rhoda Jane and the rest of the family moved here from Ogden.

Some time prior to that two of Williams sons, William Henry aged sixteen and Moroni J, aged fourteen, came to Idaho by way of Soda Springs from Ogden, Utah. They made their way from there to a settlement on the Snake River called Poplar. They stayed overnight at the Stauffer's place. They then proceeded on to Sand Creek, a small natural stream near the settlement of Iona, Idaho.

They were on horseback and driving a herd of horses. This spot along the stream was a good stopping place. While camped they noticed that the soil was fertile and there was an ample supply of water. They decided to stay and made a dug-out home near the bank of this beautiful winding stream.

They grubbed sagebrush and cleared the land for farming. They made many trips back to Ogden for building supplies and brought fruit trees, berry plants, and bushes back which soon provided food and shelter for them. They even had a surplus which was sold. Many years later,"Rone" Price and his wife, Mabel, still raised fruit, berries, asparagus and other vegetables for sale on their Ririe Highway farm.

The two brothers and their father, William were good carpenters and builders. They constructed a large house and many farm buildings. One building was moved from the farm. This was the red barn that is now an antique shop on the highway from Ririe to Idaho Falls.

The house was made with the natural rock from the area hauled from the rock quarry in back of the big hill of Iona which is just east of the farm. it is now the home of a Price grandson, David "Dick" Haderlie, who is the present owner and was born in the home on August 7, 1909. He has farmed this land ever since.

Upper valley residents recall seeing the Price's baling alfalfa hay in a stationary baler. The hay was haled to the baler and fed into it. The bales were taken by rail to Utah to be sold. This was such a good cash crop that at one time the whole farm was seeded in alfalfa hay. This crop is still raised on the farm along with wheat and barley. The grains have been a part of the farm from its very beginning.

The Price's helped to construct the irrigation system of the area part of which still serves the farm.

William Henry's son, William Lorin, purchased the farm from his father as the father purchased it from the original William Price. He farmed it and then sold it to his sister's son, Dick Haderlie. Dick's daughter, and her husband Warren Dale Rockwood, later purchased this farm from Dick.

Dale has been the farmer of the homestead and still was in 1990. The farm produces well when properly taken care of. It seems to produce better each year.

Price Place is what the Centennial farm occupied currently by Warren Dale and Sharron Rockwood was known as it was recorded on the books of the bureau of Land Management on April 22, 1885, as the homestead of William Price. The farm is located in the Sand Creek area of Iona.

Sources

• Price Family History (From Preece to Price) by Verna Lea Lemoine, Ellen Jorgensen and Sandra Leah Price

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=103629296