Introduction

As told by Hazel West Lewis--

At a meeting of the John West Family Organization, I was requested, as a granddaughter of Charles Henry John West, to write a history of his life that would be interesting and readable, especially to the younger members of the family.

The source of most of my information was a rather small but comprehensive journal written by Charles himself. It covers (1) the period of his birth and early life in England (2) his coming to Utah and (3) all the years he lived in Utah, up to and including his and grandmother's golden wedding anniversary, December 25, 1900. Grandfather's small green leather journal (3.5 inches by 6 inches) contained 115 pages of small legible writing in black non-fading ink except for the last few pages which were written with ink that has faded considerably.

The material contained in Charles' journal was first typed (mimeographed) about 18 years ago. The typist had the help and advice of Ruth West Sorensen, Agnes (Dot) West and Myrtle West Bitter, who are daughters of Charles' son, Jabez. The typed copies made Charles' life story available to more of his descendants. But since it retained the unique spelling and sentence structure of the original material, older members of the West family urged that a complete rewrite of the material was necessary if it was to be read by all of Charles' descendants.

It is largely from Charles' journal that the writer has obtained the information to write a history of her grandfather Charles Henry John West. In general the manuscript follows the journal closely. But in several instances notes from other sources are used to round out the history of his life. If I have taken the liberty of interpreting some events or conditions that arose in his life, it is because I was trying to understand him better as a man of character who gave up a great deal when he left his secure and comfortable home in England for a new home in foreign land which was full of severe hardships but where his religion continued to be the motivating force in his life.

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A few weeks ago my husband and I stood by the graves of Charles Henry John West and Eliza Dangerfield West, my grandfather and grandmother. The sun was setting and a rosy glow pervaded the atmosphere. The cemetery was so peaceful and quiet. The birds were singing their last little sleepy songs before settling down for the night. In my mind's eye the lives of these two cherished grandparents passed before me. Why was I so proud of them? It certainly was not because of their success in accumulating worldly goods during

their lifetime. But they left to their children and their children's children something more precious than material possessions. They were shining examples of traits. such as humility, integrity, dependability, a love of their fellowmen, a capacity and love for hard work, and a keen sense of humor. Most important of all was their love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was so sincere and motivating that their example has been an

inspiration to all their descendants.

Among their descendants are to be found fine doctors and nurses, dedicated teachers, excellent farmers, talented musicians, writers, lovers of art, artisans of various kinds and above all devoted members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many of whom have fulfilled missions for the Church.

In terms of their influence for good on this earth, Charles and Eliza lived lives that were inspirational models for their devoted descendants and friends to follow.