Emily Stewart Barnes1846-1932
Emily was born on May 3, 1846 in Colmworth, Bedforshire, England. Her father, William Stewart, was a humble shoemaker and early settler of Kaysville. Her mother, Mary Ann Marriott Stewart, was a lace maker. Her mother's ancestors came to England from the town of Marriott in Normandy with William the Conqueror and distinguished themselves in the Battle of Hastings.
In 1850, William, Mary Ann, their two daughters, Susannah and Emily, and William's sister, Elizabeth, sailed from Liverpool, England to America. After arriving in America, they settled for a time in St. Louis. In 1851, the family crossed the plains and settled in Kaysville around 1852.
When Emily was a little girl she could not have known that her school teacher would one day become her husband. John R. Barnes and Emily were married in 1869. John R. Barnes was a member of Utah's Constitutional Convention, the first Senator from his district, and founder of Barnes Bank. He had two other wives. John and Emily had nine children together. John died in 1919.
After her husband's death, Emily took it upon herself to provide a veritable banquet once each month for the directors of Barnes Banking Company in the evening after their meeting. So kind was Emily to Indians all her life that they called regularly at her door for food and clothing. Some of them were daughters and grandchildren of squaws she had known in earlier days.
Emily's versatility and capabilities were so outstanding that she won both admiration and respect. Not only could she, with her own hands and the simplest tools, pluck snagged wool from sagebrush, card it, spin it, dye it, weave it, and make it into a dress, but she could also grow flax, prepare it and make it into table linen. Not only could she tan hides, but she could also make them into shoes. She could gather straw, strip it, dye it and make it into hats. She could make soap and provide the kitchen with salt and soda prepared from the wild lands. She knew everything that grew in the desert, valley and mountain. She gathered chockcherries, service berries and haws for fruit, sunflower seeds for bread, rose leaves for tea, as well as mushrooms, edible roots, and succulent leaves for other foods. She knew every root and herb helpful as a remedy and also how to use and supply them in aid of the sick and afflicted. She could make equally well an apron, suit or wedding dress. She would put up fruit by the hundreds of bottles, make pickles, corn beef and cure hams. Nothing was wasted. Pulp from jelly was made into wine, barley into beer, and even dandelions on the wayside were gathered, their blossoms made into wine and their leaves put into salad. Wild cherries went into delicious pies. Butter, cheese, dried corn, dried apricots, all came within her habit of economy and supervision. Her home, from cellar to attic, was spotless with everything such as old letters and cherished momentos neatly packaged and stored in its place. She could make dozens of distinguished guests feel at home or chat understandingly with Indians at the back door. She was always giving to someone. She preferred to give more than to receive. She always had the urge to learn how to do things. As a cook, she was so famous that several of her recipes have become notable in Utah's cuisine. She learned cooking not from cookbooks but from observation and experiment. She gathered soda and salt from the shores of the Great Salt Lake. Her table, when set as a full course affair, was a masterpiece with every accountrement of silverware, hand-painted china, delicate glasses and fine linen. Her food, especially beef roasts, beef stews, dried corn, bottled raspberries and angel cake, could make the mouth water in memory. The President and Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church were as well-known at her table as her uncles. At one time, the entire Quorum of the Twelve met in solemn conclave in her living room. She could manage a public banquet as well as a private dinner. Never nervous or irritable in her movements, Emily was calm, methodical, confident, unhurried and soft-spoken. She admired ambition, efficiency, honesty, work, resourcefulness, tranquility and culture.
Emily died in 1932 and lies buried in the family plot in the Kaysville City Cemetery from which the mountains at the east, the fertile valley and great lake of brine to the west can readily be seen. Nothing more could her heart have desired.
