James Andrus

WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY     (Washington County, Utah)

JAMES ANDRUS

(cattleman, merchant, indian fighter, bishop)

BIOGRAPHY

James Andrus was born on June 14, 1835 in Florence, Huron County, Ohio.

Laura Altha Gibson was born on June 17, 1837 in Monroe County, Mississippi.

Manomas Lovina Gibson was born on March 10, 1842 in Monroe County, Mississippi.

Laura and Manomas Gibson arrived in the Salt Lake Valley with the Gibson family on July 29, 1847, one week after the Brigham Young party.

James Andrus was known as the cattle baron of southern Utah. He was a pioneer, indian fighter, bishop, businessman, statesman, and accomplished equestrian.

James married Laura on March 11, 1857 in Big Cottonwood, Salt Lake County, Utah.

Manomas married Lot Huntington (born 4/29/1834) in October of 1861, but he died on January 16, 1862.

James took Laura's sister, Manomas, as a polygamous wife, marrying her on September 17, 1863 in Salt Lake City.

When James decided to move his families to St. George from his ranch in Canaan in 1886, he acquired lots and built a house for Laura at 196 West 100 South and a house for Manomas at 164 West 100 South.

Laura died in St. George on July 4, 1905 and was buried in Plot _C_69_6 in the St. George City Cemetery.

James died on December 8, 1914 in St. George and was buried in Plot A_C_69_5 in the St. George City Cemetery.
Manomas was blind for the last 18 years of her life. She died in St. George on May 31, 1940 and was buried in Plot _C_69_4 in the St. George City Cemetery. At the time of her death she was the oldest living original 1847 Utah pioneer.


FAMILY

James' Parents and Siblings:
    Milo Andrus
    Abigail Jane Daley Andrus
        Mary Jane Andrus
        James Andrus
        John Daley Andrus
        Millenium Andrus
        Amanda Ann Andrus
        Sarah Ann Andrus

(3/6/1814-6/19/1893)   (married 2/14/1833)
(1/26/1815-10/27/1894)
(11/15/1833-3/15/1914)   (married William Dorris Hendricks)
(6/14/1835-12/8/1914)   (married as shown below)
(4/23/1841-3/25/1921)   (married Caroline Weatherbee)
(8/31/1845-2/20/1922)   (married William Frederick Fisher)
(11/19/1847-11/18/1925)   (married Howard Ransom Egan)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)

Laura's Parents and Siblings:
    George Washington Gibson
    Mary Ann Sparks Gibson
        Lydia Ardelicia Gibson
        Robert Pilaskey Gibson
        Francis Abigail Gibson
        Laura Altha Gibson
        Moses Washington Gibson

        Manomas Lovina Gibson
        Joseph Smith Gibson
        William Washington Gibson
        Robert Malek Gibson
        William Gilbert Gibson
        Mary Denisia Gibson


(6/17/1800-8/17/1871)   (married 3/15/1822)
(6/10/1802-9/6/1871)
(7/31/1826-2/16/1915)   (married Gilbert Hunt)
(4/23/1827-5/21/1909)   (married Lucinda Wakefield)
(5/15/1832-10/23/1913)   (married Alvin Greeley Green)
(6/17/1837-7/4/1905)   (married James Andrus)
(1/21/1840-2/14/1912)   (married Electa Ann Badger,
    Lydia Ann Badger, and Mary Elizabeth Beebe)
(3/10/1842-5/31/1940)   (married James Andrus)
(10/24/1844-7/22/1892)   (married Ruth Theobald)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Cynthia Lockhart)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married William New)

Manomas' Parents and Siblings:
    Same as sister Laura's.



First Wife and Children:
    Laura Altha Gibson Andrus
        James Andrus, Jr.
        Mary Lavina Andrus
        Laura Jane Andrus
        Elizabeth Louella Andrus
        Nora Andrus
        William Edgar Andrus
        Milo W. Andrus
        Gideon Lafayette Andrus
        Thamizin Andrus


(6/17/1837-7/4/1905)   (married 3/11/1857)
(1/10/1860-11/8/1937)   (married Elizabeth Adelaide Dodge)
(2/24/1862-9/8/1863)
(11/30/1862-10/17/1926)   (married Alexander Findlay McDonald)
(12/6/1863-2/11/1927)   (married Jedediah Morgan Gates)
(xx/xx/1865-9/30/1938)   (married John Macfarlane)
(8/5/1868-4/7/1871)
(9/8/1870-5/31/1937)   (married Mary Nixon)
(3/8/1874-11/10/1957)   (married Martha Jane Petty Crawshaw)
(12/1/1876-5/11/1955)   (married George R Lund)

Second Wife and Children:
    Manomas Lovina Gibson Andrus  
        Lottie Lavina Andrus
        George Judson Andrus
        Medora Andrus
        Moses Willard Andrus
        Robert Nathaniel Andrus
        Alexander Burto Andrus

        Charles Andrus
        Thomas G. Andrus
        Vilate Andrus
        Ethel Andrus
        Pearl Andrus


(3/10/1842-5/31/1940)   (married 9/17/1863)
(8/19/1862-8/3/1863)
(9/26/1864-8/4/1866)
(3/6/1866-9/1/1866)
(4/7/1869-12/12/1941)   (married Elizabeth Orpha Morris)
(3/4/1873-2/14/1874)
(2/14/1875-4/2/1949)   (married Catherine Heyborne "Caddie" Macfarlane
    and Rosilla Brooks)
(3/5/1878-11/18/1948)   (married Rose Elizabeth Turner)
(5/28/1880-5/3/1921)   (married Elizabeth Whitehead)
(5/14/1882-11/1/1969)   (married Nephi John Wadsworth)
(10/14/1885-5/13/1935)   (married George Albert Sorenson)
(8/7/1887-1/15/1966)   (married Clarence Morris)


PHOTOS

James Andrus
James
      Laura Altha Gibson Andrus
      Laura
      Manomas Lovina Gibson Andrus
      Manomas

WCHS photo:
WCHS-04306   Photo of Manomas Gibson Andrus in April of 1922
WCHS-04307   Photo of Manomas Gibson Andrus on March 11, 1932


REFERENCES

FamilySearch entry for James Andrus

Find-A-Grave entry for James Andrus

FamilySearch entry for Laura Altha Gibson

Find-A-Grave entry for Laura Altha Gibson Andrus

FamilySearch entry for Manomas Lovina Gibson

Find-A-Grave entry for Manomas Lovina Gibson Andrus