Mary Julia Meadley was born on 21. Jan. 1868 at Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. She was the daughter of
Jabaz Bunton Meadley and
Mary Etta Boyd. Mary Julia Meadley married
Henry Augustus Havens, son of
Schenk Sanford Havens and
Henrietta Ada Chichester, on 29. May. 1893 at Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.
Mary Julia Meadley appeared on the census of 3. May. 1930 at Lewisville, Jefferson County, Idaho,
; a widow
real estate value 600.00.
Mary Julia Meadley was shown in the census on 3. May. 1930 as a post mistress, post office.
She died on 8. Nov. 1956 at Salmon, Lemhi County, Idaho, at age 88.
MARY J. HAVENS
1918-1940
Mary Julia Meadley was born 21 Jan. 1865 at Davenport, Iowa, the 4th child of Jabez Bunton and Mary Etta Boyd Meadley. Her father’s parents, Matthew and Judith Smith Meadley, crossed the ocean in 1829 and located in Philadelphia. Here is where her father was born. Later the family traveled by prairie schooner to the frontier near St. Louis where they took up a homestead and built a log cabin for their home. From there they moved to Davenport, Iowa where Mrs. Havens was born.
On 20 May 1893 she married Harry Augustus Havens at Davenport, Iowa. He was born 11 May 1859 at Hennapin, Putnam, Ill., the son of Schenck Stanford and Henrietta (Chichester) Havens. To this union were born the following children: William Henry born 24 May 1894 at Davenport, married 18 June 1920 Cora May Anderson; #2. Henrietta Ada born 18 Dec. 1896 at Davenport, died 2 Oct. 1902; #3 Clarence Boyce born 4 March 1899 at Davenport, died unmarried 2 March 1922; #4 Harold Curtis born 9 June 1902 at Davenport, married Ila Vivian Paulsen 29 Dec. 1926. Her husband left her and later died after she came to Idaho with her father-in-law.
In 1903 a Latter Day Saint missionary, Don C. Walker, changed the course of her life. Shortly after joining the LDS Church she left Iowa and came to Lewisville with her family, arriving at Market Lake (now Roberts) that fall. Mr. Walker met them with a team and wagon and took them to his home where they stayed until she was settled in a home of their own. First they moved into a rock house owned by Brigham Ellsworth which she rented until she bought a big house and 2 ½ acres of land from Adolph Marler. Next she purchased 4 acres from George S. Fox. Then she and her sons tried to operate a farm south of the village. When this venture failed, she became postmistress of Lewisville, serving for almost 22 years. She moved a small building between Hoggan’s store and Maynard’s black rock house on
main street and opened the post office. She also sold penny candy, gum and nickel candy bars as well as school supplies to the children. Her son, Clarence, assisted her in the post office until his death in 1922.
In 1929 she inherited some money so bought a warehouse in Lewisville which handled grain, potatoes and coal. She turned the warehouse over to her son, Harold, who operated it successfully for 6 years. In the meantime he built a service station where it now stands and operated it between seasons to take up his spare time.
In 1935 her son, William, moved his family to Lewisville from Gooding, Idaho and took over the warehouse for 6 years. Then he turned it back to his mother and she rented it to others for a few years. In 1945 Robert Belson from Idaho Falls bought the building. He had put $700 worth of repairs and equipment into the warehouse when a fire broke out and destroyed it, cellar and all. He had 2,000 potato sacks in the cellar and 2 railroad cars pulled up alongside for loading at the time of the fire.
At first Mr. Belson was very discouraged but, seeing the attitude of the Lewisville people, he decided to go ahead and rebuild. Within 24 hours a bulldozer was at work pushing the burning logs to one end of the cellar. They dug out the cellar, put up a cement block house and had everything ready for that season’s run. In 1937 Harold rented his service station to Merrill (Mick) Rounds and moved to Salmon
where he built a service station, lubricating building, 2 cabins, and a home for them to live in. He still remains ownership of the station in Lewisville which Mick Rounds and his sons are presently trying to buy.
On 1 Feb. 1940 she retired as postmistress. 6 years later she sold her home in Lewisville and moved to Salmon where she died 8 Nov. 1856. She is buried in the Lewisville Cemetery beside her son, Clarence.
Information from Lewisville Centennial Book 1882-1982 Page 21.
Typed into the computer 18 Dec. 2002 by Kathleen Jardine Woolf of Idaho Falls, Idaho.