Prints of John Toone Cello Painting Now Available!

In celebration of John Toone’s birthday this past week (April 10), high-quality prints of an original painting by award-winning artist Julie Rogers are now available for purchase.

Created last summer and unveiled at a family recital on July 24, 2008 in Salt Lake City, the painting depicts John Toone playing the same antique cello seen and heard at the recital. It is believed that John Toone brought this instrument across the plains from England in the 1850’s and used it throughout his musical career in the Salt Lake Valley.

Rogers based her work on historic photographs of John Toone provided by the family and used three Toone descendents as models: Kayson Brown (a professional cellist—arms, hands, and musical spirit), Jordan Toone (face), and Calvin E. Monson (shoulders, height and hair color).

The stunning, life-sized original – recently purchased by a Toone descendent – is professionally framed (41”X55”) and on display at a private residence in Utah. The artist is generously donating proceeds from the sale of the original painting and accompanying high-quality prints to a fund for future Toone family-related projects. A limited number of signed artist prints are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Part of Julie Rogers’ mission as an artist is to visually bring to life inspiring people from the past and foster a spirit of peace and remembrance in the lives of their descendents. Owning and displaying one of these prints is a beautiful way to honor the memory and music of John Toone and keep his legacy alive for future generations. Framed or unframed, it would also make a unique and meaningful gift for birthdays, holidays or other important occasions. Please help us spread the word about this remarkable tribute to John Toone by forwarding this e-mail on to other family members.

Special discount pricing for Toone descendents:

8 X 10 print, $30.00

11 X 17 print, $60.00

14 X print, $110.00

16 X print, $150.00

20 X print, $180.00

24 X print, $210.00

Larger-sized prints are available upon request.

Place orders directly with artist Julie Rogers at (435) 644-2121 or (435) 819-0232.

A minimum shipping charge will be added. Professional framing is available for an additional fee. For more info, see http://johntoonecello.blogspot.com, join the “Descendents of John Toone” group on facebook.com, or contact Liz Thomas at visitliz@hotmail.com.

I have begun posting video from the John Toone Cello Recital on YouTube.

So far, there are six segments. YouTube limits clips to 10 minutes. Each clip contains one song along with Kayson Brown's narration. The cello Kayson is playing is the same Cello John Toone carried to Utah and on which John Toone performed.

Here is a link to the first segment. You can find the others by searching on John Toone in YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONA-hzeyyCk

Once again, thanks Kayson and Doug for bring John Toone's cello back to life.

Come, Come Ye Saints

For those who missed the recital, here is a tape of the Encore performance. Kayson gave a very touching farewell performance of his own arrangement of Come, Come Ye Saints. It was clear that during the nearly six years that Kayson was able to perform on the John Toone's Cello, he very much connected to this instrument.

Enjoy!

Photos from the Recital

John Toone's Missionary Journal is On-Line

I have posted the transcription of the Missionary Journal of John Toone that was done by Michelle Richins McKnight under the direction of the John Toone Family Organization in June 1997. The original journal is in the Church Archives.

This journal covers his mission in England from 8 May 1854 - 13 September 1856.

There are two versions:

A high resolution 300 dpi version suitable for printing (112MB):

http://www.meredithroots.org/Documents/0104-0011%20hi-res.pdf

and a 72 dpi version for screen viewing (33MB):

http://www.meredithroots.org/Documents/0104-0011.pdf

Cello and Viola?

I was reading a document titled, "Sketch of the Life of Emma Prosser Toone by a Grand-Daughter Dora Toone Brough Daughter of her Son Charles J. Toone."

This document is not dated, but a hint as to its age is contained in a paragraph that reads, "Recently in 1960 the old 20th Ward was divided into 4 wards."

An interesting reference to join playing in the Salt Lake Theater reads as follows," How happy Emma was when she sat in the theatre with her black or brown lace trimed (sic) dress and saw her John in the orchestra playing the cello or other times the viola during the performance of some Shakespeare's (sic) plays or some of the local Utah actors and actresses in their parts of very wonderful home dramatics."

This is the first reference I have seen that refers to John playing both instruments.

Bravo!

Bravo Kayson and Doug! Thank you for a wonderful evening.

Family Meeting

If you are coming to the family history meeting prior to the recital, (5:00 pm, same location), please consider bringing any historical photos, documents, or histories. We will have scanning and photographic equipment set up to digitize your treasures for sharing with the extended family. You will be able to take your originals home with you.

Mary Dickson to Host Recital

We are thrilled to have Mary Dickson, a great-great-granddaughter of John Toone, as our host for the Cello Concert.

Mary Dickson, a well-known Utah journalist, is the Director of Creative Services at KUED Channel 7, the Utah PBS affiliate, a position she has held for the past 18 years. She oversees the station’s community outreach, Web, promotions, publicity, media relations and advertising services and publishes the monthly program guide, Seven. She also is the on-air host of Contact, which airs weeknights on KUED. Under her direction, the station has won a variety of local and national promotion and outreach awards, including Emmy and New York Film Festival Awards as well as those from PBS and the Utah Broadcasters Association.

Invitation to the Cello Recital

Click on the image to view a larger version.

Please share with all the Toones.

We are very fortunate to have two very talented musicians involved. Both are great-great-great-grandsons of John Toone.

KAYSON BROWN

Kayson Brown serves as Director of Education at The Music School where he oversees the progress of over 1300 young musicians pursuing excellence in nearly every genre of music. The Music School is an after-school conservatory offering private instruction, music theory, ear-training, orchestra, big band, choir, folk and rock ensembles as well as summer programs and touring groups. The Music School was recently honored with its third Best in State Award and is partnered with the Utah Symphony and the Juilliard School in New York City.
Kayson completed a Masters Degree in Orchestral Conducting and is Music Director of The Music School's Lyceum Repertory Orchestra. Additionally, he has conducted orchestras throughout Utah and beyond including all five BYU Orchestras, The University of Utah's Philharmonia, Symphony and New Music Ensemble, Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Savior of the World the musical, The Pearl Awards Orchestra, Honor's Orchestras in Salt Lake and Logan as well as The Celebration Chamber Orchestra. Kayson additionally serves as Music Director of the Pleasant Grove Civic Symphony. His conducting mentors include David Cho, Scott O'Neil, Kory Katseanes, Robert Baldwin, David Effron, and Carl Topilow.
Kayson earned his Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and has worked with some of the country's premier cellists including Marc Johnson of the Vermeer Quartet and Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic. Kayson is a member of the BYU cello faculty and teaches some of the state's premier young cellists. He remains in demand as a conductor, teacher, and performer and will be featured July 19th 2008 in the Temple Square Concert Series performing on his great-great-great grandfather's pioneer cello. Kayson resides in Salt Lake City with his wife Daniele and two children Logan and Cadence.

DICKSON, DOUGLAS

The pianist Douglas Dickson received his B.A. degree from Princeton University and his M.M.A. from the Yale School of Music. He has performed in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America, in venues ranging from Japan’s Expo Hall to the Cincinnati Coliseum. While still in college he was the accompanist for the American Boychoir. As part of Duodecaphonia, a prize-winning piano duo, he has performed at the Kennedy Center and elsewhere.

Douglas Dickson has been music director for productions at Quinnipiac University, the Yale School of Drama, Opera Theater of Connecticut, and Connecticut Experimental Theater. He was music director and conductor for Yale Opera’s production of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, and he conducted a concert featuring Yale Opera with the Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi di Milano. He has served for fourteen years on the faculty of Quinnipiac University, and joined the Yale faculty in 1998. He recently made his Carnegie début in an all Ives concert at Weill Recital Hall.

Welcome

Thanks to all you cousins who have had your hearts moved and your imaginations sparked by John Toone. I discovered John Toone largely because of my wife Daniele who is a convert to the church. Growing up LDS I had much of my genealogy handed to me, but wife is the only member in her family. The sweet experiences of being baptized for her father and grandfather--people she knew and loved dearly, really opened my eyes to the link that the living have with their progenitors. At the time I was just starting a degree in cello performance and remembered a little packet of information on John Toone I had seen in my father's records while visiting home. Little did I know that day how much my life would be impacted by John Toone. By a miraculous sequence of events his cello was between my legs by the end of that day.

Because of the generosity of the cello's owners, I have been able to perform inspiring music on his instrument for the past several years. There are very few things we do today as our ancestors did them 150 years, we don't travel, get medical care, work, play, or even communicate in the same way. John Toone probably never imagined that his cello could be heard anywhere in the world by clicking a link on a computer. Despite all the advancements of science and technology the world has seen since the 1850's, playing the cello is the same today as it was then, and if you close your eyes and listen there's a very, very thin veil between him and us.

I hope the whole family can enjoy the music, events, and histories shared here. Together we honor those who came before and pass along a wonderful legacy to those who will follow. Long after we are all gone, with any luck, the Toone cello will still play the beautiful music of the restoration and in a way we then all become part of his ongoing story.

Portrait of John Toone

We are very fortunate to have Julie Rogers working on a portrait of John Toone. The portrait will feature John playing his cello.

Ms. Rogers is a noted painter of pioneer art. Ms. Rogers' work has been selected for numerous private collections and has received many awards, including first place at the 2003 Dixie International Art Show. Her work has been included in many regional and international exhibits: 2003 International Church Show; Purchasers Award National Birds of Prey; First and Second place; at the ASCA International art show; and first place at the 2004 Dixie International Purchaser Awards.

You can visit her website at: http://julierogersart.com/joomla/

Kayson Brown Performing on John Toone's Cello

Physical Description of John Toone

The following description of John Toone was recorded by his granddaughter Dora Toone Brough:

He was tall and had an abundance of curly, snowy white hair and a long white beard. He used a walking stick and his little white dog, Tiny, always accompanied him when he visited. He talked about interesting things, places, and people, and sang songs while the smaller children sat and listened intently. He was a grand old man.

John Toone

Who is John Toone?

John Toone was born on 10 April 1813 in Birmingham, England to John Toone and Elizabeth Masters.

On 12 June 1936 at Leamington, John married Emma Prosser, daughter of James and Mary Ann Morgan.

John and Emma joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1849. In the early winter of 1851, they set sail for American with their young family and arrived in March 1851.

They made preparations to come to Utah and left Pattawattamie on 7 Jun 1852 In Captain Thomas Howell's company and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 27 Sep 1852.

John and Emma lived in the 20th ward around D Street and 2nd Ave in Salt Lake City.

John played the cello in the first orchestra of the Salt Lake Theater. He played in dance orchestras in the old Social Hall. He performed with Mineer's band.

John was called on a mission to England in 1854 and was able to stay with his parents during that time. While on his mission, he met an English school teacher named Hannah Wardle. On his return trip with the Martin Handcart Company, he met Jemima Cook. Upon returning to Utah, he married Hannah on 1 Feb 1857, and Jemima on 27 Feb 1857.

When Johnson's Army came to Utah in 1857, John and his three wives moved to Payson, Utah. It was a very trying time for the Toone family. Emma's two-month-old son, Benjamin Prosser Toone, died 23 July 1858. His second wife, Hannah, gave birth to premature twin babies and she and both the babies died on 20 July 1858. After the army trouble, the Toone family moved back to Salt Lake.

In 1876, John was called to Morgan County to help pioneer that part of Utah. He and Jemima moved to Croydon, Morgon County, Utah. His wife Emma remained in Salt Lake City until her death on 7 April 1889.

John Toone died on 31 Aug 1893 at the age of 80 years. He was the father of 17 children and 91 great-grandchildren.

(Borrowed from the life sketch of John Toone, written by his granddaughter, Dora Toone Brough on 22 Aug 1953)