William Abdellah “Will” Carlow Jr was born on 13 April 1875 in Beaver, Beaver, Utah Territory. He was the oldest of five children of William Abdellah Carlow and Charlotte Eliza “Lottie” Baldwin. His parents had immigrated from the east to the California gold fields and then to Utah Territory in 1857and helped to settle the town of Beaver.1 His father worked at the Beaver woolen mill and flour mill.2 In 1891, Will was offering young shade trees for sale in Beaver.3 In 1900, he was a laborer, living alone and single in Beaver.4 In 1905, he planned to run the Copper Gulch Hotel with George Cockett.5
Will married Eva Olcott in 1905 in Beaver.6 They had seven children together; one daughter died as an infant. They left Beaver and went to the Kaibab Forest in Northern Arizona, where Will worked as a forest ranger. A few years later, they returned to Beaver where he was a deputy sheriff in charge of prisoners for Beaver County. By 1910, he had gone into the carpentry trade which he loved.7 Will and George Cockett get a contract for relining the water works tank at the head of the pressure line in Beaver in 1912.8
In 1920, Will owned his own carpenter shop in Beaver.9 He then had the opportunity to be the superintendent of the Silver Reef Mine and they left to make their home in Leeds, Washington, Utah, in 1921.10 They lived in Silver Reef, Leeds, and Toquerville while Will was working for the Silver Reef Consolidated Mining Company.11 He was friends with Alex Colbath who was the superintendent of the company.12 When the mine closed down, they moved back to Beaver where Will once again did carpentry work, including making caskets.13 In 1927 they moved to Arizona,14 but were back in Beaver by 1930.15
Will became sick with heart trouble and asthma and was not able to do much work. The last few months of his life he was bedridden.16 He died at age 63 of myocarditis on 4 October 1938 in Beaver and was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Beaver. Eva lived alone and worked for the Relief Society until she remarried in 1944 to George Wilson. In 1948, she fell and fractured her hip while visiting a sick neighbor. The long trip to the hospital in Cedar City and the pain while they set her hip caused a blood clot to her heart. She died and was buried next to Will in the Mountain View Cemetery in Beaver.17
1 History of William Abdella Carlow, by granddaughter Kathryn Smith Gilbert, at Familysearch.org
2 United States Census, 1880.
3 The Utonian, 17 April 1891, p. 4.
4 United States Census, 1900.
5 Beaver Press, 9 May 1985, p. 2.
6 Utah Marriages, 1887-1935.
7 United States Census, 1910.
8 Beaver Press, 4 October 1912, p. 8; 7 October 1932, p. 5.
9 United States Census, 1920.
10 Salt Lake Tribune, 7 November 1920, p. 65.
11 Beaver Press, 21 April 1922, p. 3; 25 August 1922, p. 2; 23 November 1923, p. 8Deseret News, 9 September 1922, p. 3; Washington County News, 29 March 1923, p. 8; 5 April 1923, p. 5; 12 October 1922, p. 5.
12 Mohave County Miner and our Mineral Wealth, 18 February 1921, p. 2.
13 William A Carlow Family, by son Charles W Carlow, at Familysearch.org
14 Beaver County News, 1 July 1927, p. 5; Beaver Press, 7 October 1927, p. 6.
15 United States Census, 1930.
16 William A Carlow Family, by son Charles W Carlow, at Familysearch.org
17 Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1965; William A Carlow Family, by son Charles W Carlow, at Familysearch.org
(Images from Findagrave.com)
Research by Elaine Young, Silver Reef Foundation historian, October 2023
Please email eyoung@young-zone.org for additions and corrections
