On 29 Nov, 1866 Elizabeth Frances Dyer married John Simpson Bales (Beals) in Hawkins County, Tennessee. They had a family of eleven children: James Robert, Mary Barsheba, Caswell Alxander, William Thomas, Charles Mitchell, Joseph Jashua, Sarah Martha, Hila Ella, Richard Francis, Eliza Frances Bevan, and John Luis Hendley Beals.
They owned the farm next to Elizabeth's family in Terrapin Valley. They had two little baby boys, Caswell Alexander and Joseph Joshua, die there. Then the most wonderful thing happened. Two missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints came and brought with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This wonderful message changed their whole lives. Our third great grandfather, John Simpson Bales was the first convert in that vicinity.
Soon, they sold their farm and home and all of their possessions except what they could take on the train and moved to Sanford, Conejos County, Colorado. All of their children went with them. Their oldest son, Robert, and his wife, Jewell Luster, went on to Arizona. Great Great Grandma and and Grandpa Beals lived in Colorado for eight years before moving on to Pima, Arizona.
They were in Pima for only seven years when Grandpa Beals passed away in July 1904. Grandma lived in the little lumber house build for her by her husband until she passed away in December, 1928. She is buried in the Pima Cemetery by Grandpa. According to Nancy Mildred Beals DeWitt, he was the sweetest kindest man that ever lived.
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