Author: Joseph Holyoak (unknown relationship)
Minor Editions By: Chad Nichols, 4th Great Grandson of George Holyoak, Sr.

He [James Holyoak] and his father, George J. Holyoak, first traveled to Idaho. They left their home in Provo, Utah in February, 1911 and traveled with team and wagon to Burley, Idaho. Sometimes they covered 20 miles per day, walking to keep warm. George Jr. whistled as he walked and drove the team. He was a buoyant spirit who never let anything get him down. Joseph also told how his mother had baked bread in large round loaves preparatory to the trip. These they called wagon wheels. At one point George Jr. wrote home that they had beaten one of the wagon wheels. When they arrived in Burley, the population was about 1,000 people.

James Holyoak told of incidents in the histories and romances of George Holyoak, Jr. and George J. Holyoak, and also of himself. George Holyoak, Sr. met and married Sarah Green in England. There all of their children were born, and they also learned of a new religion, being taught by missionaries from America. After much study and prayer, they were convinced that this new religion was true and were baptized on June 24, 1841. They then made preparations to join the body of the Saints in Zion. George Holyoak, Sr. always went to church and in testimony meeting bore his testimony, said he was there even thought he could not hear. He had become deaf due to over/use of quinine. George Holyoak Sr. and George Holyoak, Jr. were shoe makers. James said he, himself, had worn shoes made by his Grandfather.

George Jr. met Eliza Moore in St. Louis, Missouri. They were married in 1853. Their eldest son William was an actor and performed in Salt Lake show houses. He had a good memory and could learn his parts well. After the family settled in Parowan, George Jr. volunteered to go back to Omaha to help bring a group of Saints across the plains. With this group of Saints was Miss Elizabeth Ann Ferguson traveling with her aunt and Uncle from England to Salt Lake. George courted her and finally persuaded her to marry him when they reached Salt Lake. They had some opposition from a Mr. Wright but finally won out. They were married in the Salt Lake Endowment House on Oct. 9, 1866 and made their home in Parowan. After the Manifesto, George obtained a divorce from Elizabeth Ann to comply with the laws of the land. He continued to support her and after the death of Eliza, they were re-married in a civil ceremony with a daughter standing witness.

George James Holyoak met Miss Anne Mary Kerstine Jensen in Parowan. She looked good to him, and they were married on June 8, 1892 in the St. George Temple.

In 1920 James Holyoak met Milda Randall and persuaded her until she caught him.