Jesse M. Wilbur
Jesse M. Wilbur (b. February 1874) was the eldest of seven children born to Elisha Wilbur, one of the first settlers of Eden, Utah, and Rose Ellen Worden Wilbur. Upon the death of his mother in 1897, he became the legal guardian for his four youngest siblings.
Jesse began learning the skills of a blacksmith from his father at the age of eighteen, which became his life’s work. Not only did he receive on-the-job training, but he also attended classes in blacksmithing at Utah Agricultural College (now Utah State University) in Logan.
On July 5, 1899, Jesse (age 25) married Minnie Farrell (age 23). It is believed their courtship took place in their earlier years as they attended the same school together in Eden and only lived one block apart from each other. Their first home was the Wilbur home in the “Stringtown” section of Eden, where Jesse also operated the farm. They later moved to the Farrell home, one block away from the Blacksmith Shop. Jesse and Minnie had seven children. Minnie always did the bookkeeping for Jesse’s Blacksmith Shop.
On February 1, 1924, Jesse’s son Glenn became a partner in the business and the business name was changed to J.M. Wilbur and Son, which remained until Jesse’s death on June 19, 1951.
According to LaMar Petersen: "Everybody liked Jesse Wilbur. He was friendly and obliging. When he shod the horses, his shop became a haven for idlers and bug-eyed kids. His smelly leather apron, the red-hot embers in the forge, the sweat of the horses all made a pleasant atmosphere worth standing around for an hour at a time enjoying. I loved to watch him at work, smoking his stogie, intent on gentling the horse as he applied the shoe, his swarthy, perspiring face showing both concentration and kindness. He was also a fixer. He mended plows and harvesters, an occasional wheel from a wagon, or a flivver that refused to start."
Jesse is also remembered as a good friend of David O. McKay, a later president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was a native of nearby Huntsville, and would often pay visits to Jesse’s shop. They enjoyed discussing local events and politics but avoided topics of a religious nature.


Glenn Wlibur
The son of Jesse M. and Minnie Farrell Wilbur was Glenn Wilbur (b. 1 December 1903). He married Clara Hunt on March 28, 1936. In 1924, he became his father’s partner in the Blacksmith Shop. After his father’s death in 1951, Glenn changed the name of the company to Glenn M. Wilbur and continued to operate the shop. Glenn operated the Blacksmith Shop until his retirement on May 29, 1971. For 42 years, he was one of the last blacksmiths in the Ogden area. Like his father, he continued producing necessary articles for home and agricultural use as well as horseshoes. He also provided service to the community as vice president and former director of the Eden Waterworks Co.Glenn died at the age of 69 on November 19, 1973.
