Lewis Rosalvo Perry was the son of Stephen C. Perry and Anna
Marie Hulett Perry. He was born at Mr. Pisgah, Iowa, on December 31, 1849. At
six months, he came with the family to Utah and spent most of his childhood in
Springville. His schooling was limited to three months during winter. The
remainder of his time as a boy was spent on the farm, herding sheep and cattle.
As he became older, his responsibilities increased to cutting grain with the
old-fashioned “turkey wing cradle,” or scythe, threshing and winnowing. At 16,
he went to Strawberry Valley to work on a government logging project. In 1869,
he was requested to assist the perpetual Emigration Co. to transport a company
of Denmark emigrants from the North Platte River to Salt Lake. That same year
he went to Weber Canyon to work on the Union Pacific Railroad. With the mining
boom of 1870, Lewis started a mining operation with L.J. Whitney in the Tintic
region. The claim, which was named “Sunbeam,” yield a high gross and proved to
be a very successful venture.
On December 18, 1871, Lewis married Cornelia Dolly Whiting
in the Endowment House. They built a home in Mapleton a few years later and
Lewis became a full-time farmer. Both were active in civic and church
functions. Lewis served as Superintendant [sic] of the Mapleton Sunday School
under Bishop Edwin Lucius Whiting and Dolly served in the Relief Society. In
1897, Lewis was called by Willaim [sic] T. Tew to fill a mission to the
Southern States. He remained 18 months in the mission and returned home on
account of illness in the family. There were seven children born to the Lewis
and Dolly: Willis Delmar Perry, Myra Gertrude Perry, Leon Lewis Perry, Charles
Franklin Perry, George Washington Perry, Erma Perry, and Ross Leo Perry.
In 1899, the Lewis R. Perry family moved to Union, Oregon in
1910. Lewis died there on December 19, 1914. Dolly survived him 19 years and
died October 15, 1933. Lewis was active in church affairs and eventually became
a member of the high council. In 1907 the family moved to Driggs, Idaho, and
finally moved to LeGrande, Oregon in 1910. Lewis died there on December 29,
1914. Dolly durvived [sic] him 19 years and died October 15, 1933. *
*Note: This paragraph could have been worded better. In the US 1900
census, his family is in the county of Union, Oregon, so it looks like the
timeline is as follows:
- 1899: Perry family moves to Union, Oregon
- 1907: Perry family moves to Driggs, Idaho
- 1910: Perry family moves to LeGrande, Oregon
- December 29, 1914: Lewis R. Perry dies.
- October 15, 1933: Dolly dies, having survived Lewis 19 years.
