Amy Elizabeth Barton was born on September 22, 1877 in Greenville, Beaver County, Utah to
William Barton and Mary Williamson. Amy married Jonathon D. Prother on March 2, 1906 in
Paragonah, Iron County, Utah. They had six children all born in Paragonah, Iron County, Utah:
Evelyn Prothero born on December 1, 1907; David Barton Parother born on December 13, 1908;
Lewis Henry Prothero born on October 14, 1914; Raymond C. Prothero born on January 14, 1917;
Roe Prothero born on October 20, 1919 and died two days later and Mary Prothero born on July 26,
1922.
Mary Williamson was the second wife of William. They had seven
children, Mary Ann born on January 3, 1862, Amanda born on July 9, 1865, Rebecca born on
April 6, 1869, Sophronious born on January 29, 1871, Julia King born on March 2, 1875,
Amy Elizabeth and Charles Hampton born on April 14, 1880.
William Barton, Sarah Esther West Barton and a son, Joseph Alma Barton, left Lebanon, Illinois,
for Utah in the late summer of 1850. They were almost three months crossing the plains by ox team.
They remained in Salt Lake until the early spring of 1851, arriving in Parowan April the seventh
or eighth.
It was in 1853 and 1854 that the first flour burr mill in Iron County was built. It was constructed
by William and Nelson Hollingshead and owned by George A. Smith and John Calvin Lazell Smith. It was
operated by William Barton, who was the first grist miller in Iron County. This mill was built just
inside the old fort at the southeast corner and was run by water power.
William was a carpenter, a mason, a miller, a violinist, a farmer, a brewer and a stockman. He
also served as a dentist when needed. Because Polygamy was endorsed for church leaders, which
William was, he married Mary Williamson, an English emigrant, 28 August 1857. The two families
never lived together, but resided in separate towns. William lived with Mary the rest of his life.
This was because Esther seemed to be self-sufficient.
On 23 November 1923, Mary died peacefully in her home at the age of eighty four. She was buried
beside her husband in Parowan. Esther requested to be buried in the Greenville cemetery beside the
body of her daughter, Estella. This in no way discounted her love for William, but she simply preferred
to remain in the homestead where she had such happy memories with William and the children in their
growing-up years.
Amy died on August 7, 1958 at the age of 80; Jonathon David had died on October 26, 1953 at the age of 76.
They are buried together in the Paragonah City Cemetery.
