John William Jenkin

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWCN-NJ4
• Initiatory (LDS): 28 Nov 1894, SLAKE

John married Harriet Davis on 28 Nov 1894 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. Harriet was born on 24 Jan 1876 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 1 Feb 1954 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried on 4 Feb 1954 in Pleasant Green Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. William Nathan Jenkins was born on 29 Nov 1895 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 17 Feb 1938 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States; was buried in Pleasant Green Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.
2. Elvin Davis Jenkins was born on 17 Oct 1897 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 19 Jan 1982; was buried in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.
3. Fannie Lavina Jenkins was born on 26 Aug 1899 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 7 Feb 1974 in Granger, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.
4. Sarah Elizabeth Jenkins was born on 2 Aug 1901 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died in Dec 1990 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried in Valley View Memorial Park, West Valley City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.
5. Harriet Della Jenkins was born on 6 Oct 1903 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 4 Dec 1991 in West Valley City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.
6. Hannah Grace Jenkins was born on 16 Dec 1905 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 8 Jan 1997 in Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States; was buried on 15 Jan 1997 in Price, Carbon, Utah, United States.
7. Mary Laurena Jenkins was born on 17 Nov 1907 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 13 Mar 1908.
8. Bertha Jenkins was born on 24 May 1909 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 3 Nov 1992 in Boise, Ada, Idaho, United States; was buried on 7 Nov 1992 in Boise, Ada, Idaho, United States.
9. Eugene Clyde Jenkins was born on 7 Aug 1911 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was christened on 5 Nov 1911 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 9 Oct 1977 in Bullhead City, Mohave, Arizona, United States; was buried on 13 Oct 1977 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.
10. Loretta Jenkins was born on 31 May 1915 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 4 Jan 2002 in Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, United States; was buried on 12 Jan 2002 in West Valley City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWNV-YMG
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Feb 1869, EHOUS

Notes:

William Jenkins was born on October 7, 1848 in Cavencaiau, Llanelly, C a r m arthen, Wales. He was the son of James
and Elizabeth Jenkins. He was a Mormon pioneer. He arrived in Sal t L a k e City, Utah in October 1854. He was a
member of the Dorr P. Curtis Company. He married Fanny Hirst on Dece m b e r 20, 1869 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
She was the daughter of John Hirst and Charlotte Brook of Yorkshire, E n g l and. She also came with her parents
as a Mormon pioneer. Her family was in the Hans Jensen Hals Compan y . T h ey had eleven children. William Jenkins
was a member of the 8th quorum seventies, a high priest, a mission a r y t o Indiana 1896-97, a hometeacher, the President of the Y.M.M.I.A . , H is p rofession was a farmer and stockraiser. He died on February 5 , 1 92 0 in S alt Lake
City, Utah.



William JENKINS & Fanny HIRST
Mormon Pioneers
Based on an essay by daughter Mary Charlotte Jenkins Smith 1952
Revised by Julie Robinson Smith 2009


William Jenkins was born 7 October 1848 in Cavencaiau, Llane l l y , Wales, the third Child of James JENKINS and Elizabeth DAVIS. Fait h f u l missionaries brought the restored gospel message to William’s par en t s w ho received the invie baptized and accept membership in th e C h urc h of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Jenkins family stron gl y d es ired to gather with other Saints in America so they made prepara t ion s t o emigrate. William set out, with his brother John and Sister M ar y , unde r the protection of their parents on board the ship “Golconda ” f r om Liver pool England. Williams’s mother was very ill during the en ti r e long, dif ficult trip which would have made traveling very much mo r e pe rilous fo r a little Child of six year-old. The Jenkins arrived i n N ew O rleans an d then joined the Dorr P Curtis Company* in order to c ros s th e plains, sh aring a wagon with the Morgan Richards family. Al l arri ve d safely at Gre at Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1854.
The first winter in this new place, the Jenkins family li v e d i n a one-room cabin with another family until they could build the i r o w n cabin west of the Jordan River. William witnessed the cricket s de str oy ing their crops andf the seagulls that came to devou r th e c rickets- a sight which greatly stirred his soul and etched itsel f o n his v ery im pressionable young mind-never to be forgotten.
William married seventeen year-old Fanny HIRST, the ninth daug h t e r of John HIRST and Charlotte BROOK born in Slarthwaite,Yorkshire, E n g l and 10 May 1852. The couple exchanged the sacred vows of matrimo n y i n th e Salt Lake Endowmen 20 December 1869. Apostle Daniel H. We l l s performed the ceremony.
Fanny had been taught the gospel by her parents who had joined the Ch u r c h of Jesus Christ in England before Fanny was born. Fanny had thirt e e n s iblings and since the entire family wished to emigrate to Zion to ge th er, it took sixteen years to save enough money for the journey. Dur i n g tha t time of saving and dreaming, Fanny experienced persecution fr o m s choo l associates and neighbors. The mistreatment and resentment w a s int ensif ied by the fact that Fanny’s father was also the Branch Pre si dent a nd a m issionary working in England. To try to pacify the antag oni stic s pirit o f her community for a season, (as the family continue d t o work an d save d for escape from the hands of those that would mist rea t them), Fa nny an d her sisters attended the Baptist Church at the s am e time worshi p servic es were held in her home. She also worked in th e c otton mills i n order t o contribute to the Hirst's travel fund. Fina ll y at the tende r age of fo urteen her family had made preparations suf fic ient such tha t she and the y boarded the ship “Emerald Isle” in Live rpoo l, bound for A merica on 20 J une 1868!
The voyage to America was incredibly difficult. The tain t ed dr i nking water, (which was shared by eight-hundred seventy-six passe ng er s) , coupled with terrific storms resulted in disease and misery spre ad i n g rampantly throue ship causing at least one death al mos t every oth er d ay during the journey, totally thirty-seven by voyage’ s en d! Fann y dran k water only after her mother boiled it and this extr a prec autio n likel y saved her life. Miraculously no one in her family b ecame i l l and he r older married sister Nancy gave birth to an adorable l ittle g i rl whil e mid-ocean named “Emerald”! They arrived in New York Ha rbor 1 1 A ugus t 1868. Fanny’s family joined the Holman Company in Fort Bo nto n afte r t raveling there by train 25 August 1868 and then crossed th e w ide plai n s in ox-drawn wagons arriving at the long sought after desti n ation o f th e Salt Lake Valley in October. Many died along the trail , b ut agai n th e Hirst family was spared tragedy however Sarah (Fanny’ s youn ger si ster) did break her leg when she fell from their wagon an d was ru n over.
Fanny married William only twenty-two months after leavin g E ngl a nd. Her new life in the new world would now include a devoted a nd f a it hful husband. William brought his lovely bride home to a farm i n No r t h Point (what is no) and in their little adode hous e the hap py coup l e welcomed their first Child John William, christened f or his fat he r an d grandfather. In 1871 William homesteaded at Pleasan t Green alo n g wit h Fanny’s Father and other siblings. In their home in P leasant G reen, Fa nny and William were blessed with ten more children: Ha nnah Eli zabe t h 1 January 1873, Sarah Jane 1 April 1875, Fanny Grace 26 A ug 187 7, Ja me s Hirst 30 June 1880, Annette Eva 5 December 1882, Mary Cha rlot te 9 J ul y 1885, Amos Brook 16 November 1889, Thaddeus 25 December 18 92 , and A nni e 18 July 1894.
The Jenkins family met the many obstacles they encountere d w hi l e pioneering Pleasant Green with patience and faith. The land wa s fi l le d with rocks, endless sagebrush, and many rattlesnakes; addition a l l y a scarcity of water crardships and ultimately forced Wi lli am t o lea ve his farm in order to survive. He began a circuit of labo r t o s uppor t his family-to start William would take a wagon to Coons Can yon , wher e with a hand-axe he would chop down trees and haul a load of t h e m to S alt Lake with his ox-team. There he sold his load of wood fo r t h e smal l sum and $3.00. It took three or four days for the rough tr ip a n d wa s back-breaking labor. William next worked at the Jeremy an d Ree d Sa l t Works. He took his pay in salt, hauled it to Provo and sol d it t here . He finally fished in the Utah Lake and would haul back a wa gon lo a d o f Bass and Trout to sell at home in Pleasant Green to the se ttler s th ere, again putting in days of labor and travel for a mere subs istenc e-ty pe l iving.
When water was finally brought through the Valley t h e Jenki n s family could then resort to general farming as a means of pro vi din g f or their needs. They raised vegetables and grains as well as ot h e r cas h crops that sustd all in that vicinity. The i r seventh Child re minisced , “I remember the farm only when I think it w a s beautiful, wit h flowers , all kinds of berries and fruit trees.” Th e Je nkins lived i n a cozy ad obe house and in 1894 William and his brothe r Joh n partnere d with Sam S pencer and the three together bought a molass es mil l and b egan operatin g it to continue their prosperity. Daughter M ary rec alls , “There wa s a large vat to boil it (the molasses) in. The y wanted s ag e brush burn ed under the vat. They said it gave the molasse s a much b e tter flavor . I remember the children around bringing brass b uckets t o ge t the skim mings to make candy, a rare treat for us in thos e days.”
Fanny raised seven of her children to adulthood and experience gre a t j o y through them. She also drank deeply of the bitter cup of extre m e gr ie f at the loss of her beloved little ones. Young Hannah died dur i n g a who pping cough epidemic at the age of six along with her tiny on e- ye ar old s ister Fanny. Thaddeus and Annie also were prematurely buri e d be fore th e age of eight and were missed sorely. The knowledge tha t th es e beautifu l darlings would be restored to Fanny at a bright an d glori ou s future da y brought incredible comfort to all the family, es peciall y Fa nny.
Fanny worked the farm with the support of her children while William s e r v ed a mission in Indiana during the years of 1896 and 1897. Willia m a l s o was a member of the eighth Quorum of Seventy, an ordained Hig h Prie s t, a block teacher, and President of the Youth Organization call ed th e Y ou ng Men’s Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA). He addition ally s erv e d for many years as an ordained Temple Worker in the Salt La ke Cit y Tem pl e.
William and Fanny moved to Salt Lake City settling in th e F ifte e nth Ward. They stayed there four years. Then the couple purchas e d a h om e (just across the street from the Harold B Lee Hall Gymnasium) i n th e T wenty-fifth Wardr State in the Poplar Grove are a o n the Westside o f th e city just within walking distance of the Temple; wh ere they spen t th e remaining years of their lives.
After months of anxiously waiting and looking forward wi t h ant i cipation to the milestone of their Golden Wedding Anniversary, Wi ll i a m and Fanny were invited into the home of their daughter Mary Charl o t t e for a gala party!n an easy stroll-just a few house s a way-from h er p arents and there on 20 December 1919, family and friend s ga there d to ho nor William and Fanny celebrating with them the honorabl e li f e the tw o enjoyed together. This affair was a bright event for al l in vol ved an d thereafter, just six weeks later, William died from compl ic ation s du e to pneumonia on 6 February 1920. Fanny moved in with fami l y in Pl eas ant Green and peacefully passed away there six years after W i lliam. B ot h found their final resting places side-by-side in the ol d Pl easant Gr e en Cemetery, in Magna, Utah.

(Note: The volume Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude pg 45 state s t h a t the Jenkins family crossed the plains in the William Empey Comp any . Co ntrarily the volume Pioneers & Prominent Men records that the Ja m e s Jenki ns family came to Utah with the Dorr P. Curtis Company in Oct ob e r 1854, a s does daughter Mary’s article written for the Daughters o f t h e Utah Pion eers 1952.)

William married Fanny Hirst on 20 Dec 1860 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. Fanny (daughter of John Hirst and Charlotte Brook) was born on 10 May 1852 in Slaithwaite, Yorkshire, England; died on 28 Aug 1926 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried on 31 Aug 1926 in Pleasant Green Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWNV-YML
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Feb 1869, EHOUS

Notes:

Pioneer
John G. Holman Company (1868) Age at departure: 16
About 650 individuals and 62 wagons were in the company when it beg a n i t s journey from the outfitting post at Benton, Wyoming.




William JENKINS & Fanny HI R ST
Pioneers
Based on an essay by daughter Mary Charlotte Jenki n s Smith 1952
Revised by Julie Robinson Smi t h 2009


William Jenkins was born 7 October 1848 in Cavencaiau, Llanel l y, Wales, the third child of James JENKINS and Elizabeth DAVIS. Faithf u l missionaries brought the restored gospel message to William’s parent s w ho received the invitation to be baptized and accept membership in th e Ch urch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Jenkins family stron gly d esired to gather with other Saints in America so they made preparat ions t o emigrate. William set out, with his brother John and Sister Mar y, unde r the protection of their parents on board the ship “Golconda” fr om Liver pool England. Williams’s mother was very ill during the entir e long, dif ficult trip which would have made traveling very much more pe rilous fo r a little child of six year-old. The Jenkins arrived in New O rleans an d then joined the Dorr P Curtis Company* in order to cross th e plains, sh aring a wagon with the Morgan Richards family. All arrive d safely at Gre at Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1854.
The first winter in this new place, the Jenkins family liv e d in a one-room cabin with another family until they could build thei r ow n cabin west of the Jordan River. William witnessed the crickets de stroy ing their crops and the miracle of the seagulls that came to devou r the c rickets-a sight which greatly stirred his soul and etched itsel f on his v ery impressionable young mind-never to be forgotten.
William married seventeen year-old Fanny HIRST, the ninth daug h ter of John HIRST and Charlotte BROOK born in Slarthwaite,Yorkshire, En gl and 10 May 1852. The couple exchanged the sacred vows of matrimony i n th e Salt Lake Endowment House on 20 December 1869. Apostle Daniel H . Well s performed the ceremony.
Fanny had been taught the gospel by her parents who had joined the Chur c h of Jesus Christ in England before Fanny was born. Fanny had thirtee n s iblings and since the entire family wished to emigrate to Zion togeth er , it took sixteen years to save enough money for the journey. Durin g tha t time of saving and dreaming, Fanny experienced persecution from s choo l associates and neighbors. The mistreatment and resentment was int ensif ied by the fact that Fanny’s father was also the Branch President a nd a m issionary working in England. To try to pacify the antagonistic s pirit o f her community for a season, (as the family continued to work an d save d for escape from the hands of those that would mistreat them), Fa nny an d her sisters attended the Baptist Church at the same time worshi p servic es were held in her home. She also worked in the cotton mills i n order t o contribute to the Hirst's travel fund. Finally at the tende r age of fo urteen her family had made preparations sufficient such tha t she and the y boarded the ship “Emerald Isle” in Liverpool, bound for A merica on 20 J une 1868!
The voyage to America was incredibly difficult. The tain t ed drinking water, (which was shared by eight-hundred seventy-six passe ng ers), coupled with terrific storms resulted in disease and misery spre adi ng rampantly throughout the entire ship causing at least one death al mos t every other day during the journey, totally thirty-seven by voyage’ s en d! Fanny drank water only after her mother boiled it and this extr a prec aution likely saved her life. Miraculously no one in her family b ecame i ll and her older married sister Nancy gave birth to an adorable l ittle gi rl while mid-ocean named “Emerald”! They arrived in New York Ha rbor 11 A ugust 1868. Fanny’s family joined the Holman Company in Fort Bo nton afte r traveling there by train 25 August 1868 and then crossed th e wide plain s in ox-drawn wagons arriving at the long sought after desti nation of th e Salt Lake Valley in October. Many died along the trail, b ut again th e Hirst family was spared tragedy however Sarah (Fanny’s youn ger sister ) did break her leg when she fell from their wagon and was ru n over.
Fanny married William only twenty-two months after leavin g E ngland. Her new life in the new world would now include a devoted a nd f aithful husband. William brought his lovely bride home to a farm i n Nort h Point (what is now Centerville) and in their little adode hous e the hap py couple welcomed their first child John William, christened f or his fat her and grandfather. In 1871 William homesteaded at Pleasan t Green alon g with Fanny’s Father and other siblings. In their home in P leasant Green , Fanny and William were blessed with ten more children: Ha nnah Elizabet h 1 January 1873, Sarah Jane 1 April 1875, Fanny Grace 26 A ug 1877, Jame s Hirst 30 June 1880, Annette Eva 5 December 1882, Mary Cha rlotte 9 Jul y 1885, Amos Brook 16 November 1889, Thaddeus 25 December 18 92, and Anni e 18 July 1894.
The Jenkins family met the many obstacles they encountere d w hile pioneering Pleasant Green with patience and faith. The land wa s fil led with rocks, endless sagebrush, and many rattlesnakes; additiona ll y a scarcity of water created great hardships and ultimately forced Wi lli am to leave his farm in order to survive. He began a circuit of labo r t o support his family-to start William would take a wagon to Coons Can yon , where with a hand-axe he would chop down trees and haul a load of t he m to Salt Lake with his ox-team. There he sold his load of wood for t h e small sum and $3.00. It took three or four days for the rough trip a n d was back-breaking labor. William next worked at the Jeremy and Ree d Sa lt Works. He took his pay in salt, hauled it to Provo and sold it t here . He finally fished in the Utah Lake and would haul back a wagon loa d o f Bass and Trout to sell at home in Pleasant Green to the settlers th ere , again putting in days of labor and travel for a mere subsistence-ty pe l iving.
When water was finally brought through the Valley t h e Jenkins family could then resort to general farming as a means of pro vi ding for their needs. They raised vegetables and grains as well as ot he r cash crops that sustained the farmers and all in that vicinity. The i r seventh child reminisced, “I remember the farm only when I think it w a s beautiful, with flowers, all kinds of berries and fruit trees.” Th e Je nkins lived in a cozy adobe house and in 1894 William and his brothe r Joh n partnered with Sam Spencer and the three together bought a molass es mil l and began operating it to continue their prosperity. Daughter M ary rec alls, “There was a large vat to boil it (the molasses) in. The y wanted s age brush burned under the vat. They said it gave the molasse s a much be tter flavor. I remember the children around bringing brass b uckets to ge t the skimmings to make candy, a rare treat for us in thos e days.”
Fanny raised seven of her children to adulthood and experience great j o y through them. She also drank deeply of the bitter cup of extreme gr ie f at the loss of her beloved little ones. Young Hannah died durin g a who pping cough epidemic at the age of six along with her tiny one-ye ar old s ister Fanny. Thaddeus and Annie also were prematurely buried be fore th e age of eight and were missed sorely. The knowledge that thes e beautifu l darlings would be restored to Fanny at a bright and gloriou s future da y brought incredible comfort to all the family, especially Fa nny .
Fanny worked the farm with the support of her children while William ser v ed a mission in Indiana during the years of 1896 and 1897. William al s o was a member of the eighth Quorum of Seventy, an ordained High Pries t , a block teacher, and President of the Youth Organization called the Y ou ng Men’s Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA). He additionally serv e d for many years as an ordained Temple Worker in the Salt Lake City Tem pl e.
William and Fanny moved to Salt Lake City settling in th e F ifteenth Ward. They stayed there four years. Then the couple purchas e d a home (just across the street from the Harold B Lee Hall Gymnasium ) i n the Twenty-fifth Ward of the Pioneer State in the Poplar Grove are a o n the Westside of the city just within walking distance of the Temple ; wh ere they spent the remaining years of their lives .
After months of anxiously waiting and looking forward wi t h anticipation to the milestone of their Golden Wedding Anniversary, Wi ll iam and Fanny were invited into the home of their daughter Mary Charlo tt e for a gala party! Mary lived within an easy stroll-just a few house s a way-from her parents and there on 20 December 1919, family and friend s ga thered to honor William and Fanny celebrating with them the honorabl e lif e the two enjoyed together. This affair was a bright event for al l invol ved and thereafter, just six weeks later, William died from compl ication s due to pneumonia on 6 February 1920. Fanny moved in with fami ly in Pl easant Green and peacefully passed away there six years after Wi lliam. B oth found their final resting places side-by-side in the old Pl easant Gre en Cemetery, in Magna, Utah.

(Note: The volume Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude pg 45 states th a t the Jenkins family crossed the plains in the William Empey Company . Co ntrarily the volume Pioneers & Prominent Men records that the Jame s Jenki ns family came to Utah with the Dorr P. Curtis Company in Octobe r 1854, a s does daughter Mary’s article written for the Daughters of th e Utah Pion eers 1952.)

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LKVY-TH2
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Feb 1869, EHOUS

James + Elizabeth Davis. Elizabeth (daughter of Lewis Davis and Marietta Bona) was born in 1815 in Aberdare, Glamorganshire, Wales; died on 8 Nov 1881 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWJY-DQM
• Initiatory (LDS): 23 Feb 1925

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWVH-TDB
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Feb 1869, EHOUS

Notes:

Family Records

Salt Lake Sealings, 25261 pt 1, p 244

Occupation: Farmer, Cattleman

Pioneer
John G. Holman Company (1868) Age at departure: 52
About 650 individuals and 62 wagons were in the company when it beg a n i t s journey from the outfitting post at Benton, Wyoming.

Burial: Salt Lake City Cemetery plot: I_13_10_1W

History: They left England 20 June or 20 May 1868, sailing on the pack e t ship "Emerald Isle" over 8 weeks on the Atlantic. Aunt Nancy bore a b ab y girl on the ship, who they named "Emerald." They were with over 80 0 LD S Saints on board. 37 people died. He was a presiding Elder in Magn a (the n Pleasant Green) Utah and was Branch President up to the time h e died. A fter that time, the branch became a Ward. The history of Pleasa nt Green W ard reported: in 1877 a branch organization was effected wit h John Hirs t as presiding Elder and the same year an adobe meeting hous e was built , which served the branch and later the ward, until 1897, whe n it was rep laced by a substantial brick chapel. Elder Hirst died Set. 7 , 1878 and wa s succeeded as presiding Elder by Lehi Nephi Hardman (who b ecame bishop w hen the ward was created as part of the Salt Lake Stake o n Oct. 1, 1882 . It became part of Pioneer Stake on 1904.)

John married Charlotte Brook on 5 Nov 1837 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. Charlotte (daughter of George Brook and Hannah Bottomley) was born on 20 Feb 1819 in Salendine Nook, Yorkshire, England; was christened on 20 Feb 1819 in Salendine Nook, Yorkshire, England; died on 20 Jun 1880 in Brighton, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried on 28 Jun 1880 in Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LKVY-TH3
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Feb 1869, EHOUS

Notes:

Burial: Salt Lake City Cemetery plot: I_13_10_1W

John HIRST and Charlotte BROOK
Pioneers
Written by Ellen Hirst Whipple-a daughter ,
and Henrietta Taylor-a granddaughter.
Combined with additions by Julie Robinson Smith 2009

John HIRST was born on 7 January (or March) 1816 in the village of S l aithwaite, near Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. John was the only so n o f Abraham HIRST and Nancy SYKES. Abraham and Nancy lived off of thei r lan d in the picturesque little farming and factory community. John rem aine d on the farm working with his parents until he was twenty-three yea rs ol d. He then acquired a small farm of his own in Slaithwaite and i t was t o this cottage that John brought his lovely bride, to begin thei r new lif e together.
John’s bride was nineteen year-old Charlotte BROOK, the daughter o f W illiam (or George) BROOK and Hannah BOTTOMLEY. John and Charlotte exc hang ed sacred vows of matrimony on 5 November 1837. This fortunate coupl e wa s blessed with thirteen children: Abraham born 2 April 1838, James 3 1 Mar ch 1839, Harriet 10 June 1841, Hannah12 January 1843, Nancy 15 Nove mber 1 844, Eliza 21 February 1846, Mary 1 May 1848, Martha 15 June 1850 , Fanny1 0 May 1852, John Jr. 12 January 1855, Sarah 29 July 1857, Charlo tte 9 Dec ember 1859, and Ellen 3 Feb 1862. The family experienced grea t joy and ex ceptional sorrow together. Some of their greatest mourning c ame when thei r first two boys, both Abraham and James died as infants, a nd again at th e death of their darling seventeen year-old daughter Hanna h.
Being naturally of a religious turn of mind, John readily conceded t h e rights of humble Elders who came to his village preaching the newly r es tored gospel of Jesus Christ in this Latter-day. He investigated the g osp el message they preached and gladly accepted the truth as is was expl aine d to him. Charlotte also welcomed these missionaries into their hom e an d listened attentively to the story of the great Plan of Happiness . She w as inspired by the news that the priesthood had been restored aga in to ea rth from heaven, so that families could be united eternally. Cha rlotte wo uld have again her little lost boys and daughter to rear durin g the mille nnium! This message went straight to their hearts such that a t Linthwaite , on 3 April 1852, Elder Johanthan Midgley baptized John Hir st a member o f the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Charlott e followed hi s example and entered the waters of baptism on 10 April 185 2. Elder Wrigh t Beaumont performed Charlotte’s ordinance at Slaithwait e while Elder Geo rge C Reiser, another missionary, was a witness. John w as also ordaine d a Priest in 1852 by Elder William Noble, and soon there after was ordain ed an Elder.
The Hirst family commenced to look forward to emigrating to Utah, t h e land of cherished hopes. With this end in view, all the children wh o we re able to do so, worked in the cotton mills of Yorkshire and save d thei r hard-earned money towards the realization of their dream to gath er wit h the Saints in the Rocky Mountains! For the next sixteen years Jo hn serv ed as the Branch President of his local congregation, the meeting s for wh ich were held at the Hirst home. Also John was called as a “hom e missiona ry and a traveling Elder” throughout England, during those lon g years o f saving for emigration; throughout which time his cottage wa s always rea dily open to all missionaries. The Hirsts moved from Slaithw aite to Longw ood, (which is also near Huddersfield), and finally to Todm orden; but des pite transience, their hearth was never without welcomed g uests in gospe l association. Charles W. Penrose and many other prominen t men of the chu rch visited at the Hirst residences.
The Hirst girls were beautiful and active sisters. Because their par e nts were “Mormons” and due in part to the fact that church meetings we r e held in their home, the Hirst daughters had many trials of persecuti o n to pass through. Their companions and friends began to shun them an d mi streat them. To try to mollify this situation, the sister began to a tten d the Baptist Church, while their father held meetings at home. Th e girl s were each in turn baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of La tter-da y Saints and supported their parents greatly by ultimately makin g it poss ible to emigrate to Zion as a family-the goal for which they ea ch had bee n praying and working toward, for nearly two decades !
When the preparations to depart for America had been made and everyt h ing arranged the family experience an extreme mix of emotions. First th e y each were thrilled at the prospects of finally being able to go a s a fa mily to join with the Saints living near a prophet of God; yet the y wer e also filled with despair at the realization that they would be se parate d from their beloved daughters Eliza Hirst Gledhill, Martha Hirs t Taylor , and Harriet Hirst Marshall; since these dear siblings had marr ied and n eeded to stay behind in England for the present. Eventually Eli za and Mar tha were able to also travel with their families to Utah, bu t the Marshal l family did not relocate to the Rocky Mountain Region, des pite the fac t that Thomas, Harriet’s husband, did join the Church.
John, Charlotte, John Jr. (the only living brother), Hannah, Nanc y ( and her husband Mr. Dearden), Mary, Fanny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Elle n, a ll sailed from Liverpool on 20 June 1868 on the sailing vessel, “Eme ral d Isle”, bound for the Promised Land! The Emerald Isle was “and old f ashi oned packet of sailing variety”. John was fifty-two years-old and Ch arlot te, fifty. The children ranged in ages from twenty-five to six year s-old . There were Eight-hundred seventy-six Saints on board ship under t he lea dership of Hans Jensen Hald. After only a few days journey it wa s discove red, to the consternation of all on board, that the apparatus u sed for fi ltering the drinking water was unserviceable, and this necessi tated every one drinking the water from the huge tanks in an unsanitary c ondition. Th is fact, coupled with the very restricted space and exceptio nally crowde d quarters, as well as the long tedious ocean journey of eig ht heart-brea king weeks, caused agonizing sickness to spread throughou t the passengers . Almost every other day of the trip, someone died! Th e first to be lower ed to a watery grave was a two-year old toddler. On e particularly horrifi c day found the death’s toll at six! During the en suing terrifying days t he list of the departed mounted higher and highe r until, appallingly thir ty-seven souls lost their lives while on boar d and had to be buried at se a. Violent storms were encountered by the ve ssel practically the entire w ay across the Atlantic-all were at the comp lete mercy of violent waves fo r many days at a time. The voyage was so r ough that it seemed as though t he ship would be sunk.
Charlotte brought with her a sack of Chamomile flowers. She boile d t he water her family drank mixed with these flowers making a kind of h erba l tea which likely protected the health of her family during the jou rney . None of the Hirst family became ill. The Hirsts were additionall y bles sed and elated when their married daughter Nancy Dearden, gave bir th to h er first child while midway across the ocean. The infant was an a dorabl e little girl, thus she was christened for the ship upon which sh e was bo rn, and named “Emerald”. They arrived safely in New York harbo r the 11 Au gust 1868, after fifty-six long treacherous days. The Emeral d Isle then b egan a return trip which ended in tragedy as she sank-cargo , crew, and al l-just within reach of its destination of England!
The exhausted traveler next boarded the train in New York and rod e a s far as Fort Bonton, the then terminus of the railroad line. Fort Bo nto n was about seven-hundred miles west of Omaha. The Hirst clan gratefu ll y arrived there 25 August 1868. From this point on, the journey was ma d e by ox-team and wagon under the direction of Captain Holman who ha d a co mpany of men with teams and provisions ready to escort the newly a rrivin g immigrant Saints to Utah. The company experience a great deal o f sickne ss on the plains and many were left by the wayside after a hast y grave wa s dug, with a few leaves and brush put at the bottom of the gr ave, and ov er the top as the only markers. The Hirsts again mercifully a voided sickn ess and loss. Eleven-year-old Sarah however fell from the fr ont of the mo ving wagon and was overrun, being badly bruised and sustain ing a broken l eg. After suffering many privations and much weary toil, t he Hirst clan f inally arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in October of 1868 , four months af ter leaving Liverpool.
John and Charlotte settled their family on a ranch in Jordan, nine mil e s Northwest of Salt Lake City, belonging to Dr. W. F. Anderson and too k t he cattle there on shares. The first winter and spring found John als o wo rking on the railroad, which was under construction through Echo Can yon . The Hirsts stayed on the Jordan Ranch four years, and then homestea de d a beautiful farm of their own in Pleasant Green where they also rais e d cattle. Taking advantage of the home Homestead Act, John “took up” on e- hundred sixty acres of land. He built a two-room frame house and move d i n on 2 April 1873.
John Hirst was called to be the Bishop of the Pleasant Green bran c h by President Shoenfeldt of the Brighton Stake of which Pleasant Gree n w as a part. John held therefore, the first religious meetings in the P leas ant Green, and served in his position of “Presiding Elder” until hi s deat h on 7 September 1878. Pleasant Green was located where the city o f Magna , Utah is presently. John was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemete ry. Geor ge C Reiser, one of the missionaries that taught the Hirst famil y the gos pel, spoke at John’s funeral giving tribute to his devoted conv ert and fr iend who was a faithful and energetic minister of the gospel d uring all t he long years of his exemplary life .
The Relief Society was organized in Pleasant Green the spring of 18 7 9 by Eliza R Snow and Martha Horne Tingey. Charlotte Hirst was electe d th e first president-a position she held until her death on 28 June 188 0. C harlotte loved her charitable work with the women of her area and w ould w alk four miles rather than miss a meeting. It was said of her that , “sh e was a woman of the purest principles and greatest integrity. Wher ever s he went, she gained the good will of all her associates. She was f aithfu l to her trust in visiting the sick, liberal to the poor, and a go od usef ul member of the ward in which she lived.” Charlotte was buried n ext to h er husband in the Salt Lake Cemetery.
John and Charlotte Hirst and their children were members of the la s t group of Latter-day Saint emigrants that crossed the ocean in a saili n g vessel, and the last company that crossed the plains by ox-team. Th e ne xt company of Saints to cross the Atlantic came in a steamboat, an d the r ailroad was completed to Ogden, Utah the following spring!\

Researched by Ray B. Jensen and Evelyn Jenkins.
Reference Archives: 34260F 929.2F 21 pt.347

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LC73-1MJ
• Initiatory (LDS): 15 Jan 1999, JRIVE

Thomas married Mary Thomas on 9 May 1805 in Llangynin, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Mary was born in 1781 in Llangynin, Carmarthenshire, Wales; died on 9 Mar 1866 in Llangynin, Carmarthenshire, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: MYRD-C15
• Initiatory (LDS): 9 Mar 2010, JRIVE

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: L2WK-XW8
• Initiatory (LDS): 4 Feb 2016, JRIVE

Lewis + Marietta Bona. Marietta was born about 1793 in Eglwysilan, Caerphilly, Wales; was christened on 28 Jan 1782 in Carmarthenshire, Wales; died on 22 Dec 1835 in Eglwysilan, Caerphilly, Wales; was buried on 26 Dec 1835 in Eglwysilan, Caerphilly, Wales. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LCWN-V36
• Initiatory (LDS): 26 May 1920

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LCZR-49C
• Initiatory (LDS): 31 Aug 1894, SLAKE

Notes:

Parish Registers of Huddersfield. Researched by James R. Cunningham.

Abraham Hirst was a farmer.

Abraham married Nancy Sykes on 29 Aug 1802 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. Nancy (daughter of James Sykes and Ann Blyth) was born about 1781 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England; was christened on 1 Feb 1781 in Slaithwaite, Yorkshire, England; died on 15 Mar 1861 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWVH-TVY
• Initiatory (LDS): 31 Aug 1894

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LZ2Z-2L3
• Initiatory (LDS): 15 Jan 1896, SLAKE

Notes:

From Grace Whipple's genealogy sheets. Temple Ordinances stamped.

Pioneer
Unknown Companies (1847-1868) Age at departure: 61
Evidence from genealogical records proves that George traveled to Utah b e tween 1848 and 1850. Further research is needed to confirm the year h e ca me to Utah and the name of the company he traveled with.

George married Hannah Bottomley on 26 Dec 1796 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. Hannah (daughter of Joseph Bottomley) was born about 1775 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England; died on 18 May 1845 in Yorkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: LTCY-XCF
• Initiatory (LDS): 23 Jan 1896, SLAKE

Notes:

From Grace Whipple's genealogy sheets.

Temple ordinances stamped.

From Grace Whipple's genealogy sheets.

Temple ordinances stamped.