Donna Gladys Coon

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWC4-ZYN
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Jun 1932, SLAKE

Donna married Elmo Lambert Bawden on 1 Jun 1932 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. Elmo was born on 28 Feb 1910 in Granger, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 1 May 1985 in West Valley City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried on 4 May 1985 in Elysian Burial Gardens, Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Joan Bawden was born on 25 Jan 1935 in Murray, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was christened on 3 Mar 1935 in Granger, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 14 Jun 1991 in Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States; was buried on 19 Jun 1991 in Evergreen Memorial Park, Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States.
2. Jan Bawden was born on 20 Jan 1954 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; died on 13 Jun 1959 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried on 16 Jun 1959 in Elysian Burial Gardens, Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWC4-ZBV
• Initiatory (LDS): 18 Jan 1905, SLAKE

John married Hannah (Johanna) Charlotta Ek on 7 Dec 1904 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. Hannah was born on 13 Oct 1883 in Degerfors, Örebro, Konungariket Sverige; died on 6 Jul 1954 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried on 9 Jul 1954 in Pleasant Green Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWC4-ZBP
• Initiatory (LDS): 18 Jan 1905, SLAKE

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWCD-FNB
• Initiatory (LDS): 31 Jan 1876, EHOUS

Notes:

History of
John Abraham Coon (1857-1934)
Compiled by Bertha Coon Chambers (1884-1981), daughter, 1972
Retyped and enhanced Victoria Wilson Chambers, great granddaughter-in-la w , 2017

John Abraham Coon was born February 22, 1857 in Salt Lake City, Utah , t o John Coon (1832-1906), and Mary Tabitha York (1833-1922). [Presen t da y location: 1258 Clark Street, near 364 North 13th West, Salt Lake C ity , Utah.] He was the second child and the oldest son in a family of fo ur b oys and six girls. He was named for his father, John, a kind and gen tle m an, and his grandfather, Abraham Coon. His parents were affectionat ely ca lled Uncle John and Aunt Tabitha by all who knew them. The home i n whic h John Abraham was born was located on the west bank of the Jorda n River , a little over a half mile north of the old white bridge which w as know n as North Temple Street. During the summertime, he spent most o f his boy hood days on the ranch owned by his grandfather, Abraham Coon , which wa s located near the mountains west of Salt Lake at the mouth o f Coon Canyo n in the Oquirrh Mountains. There he helped his grandfather , father, an d uncles.

A favorite story told about John Abraham Coon took place when he was ve r y young. One day when he went swimming, some older boys came along an d to ok off with his clothing. When John A. got out of the water, he disc overe d his clothes missing and ran to a nearby school which was in sessi on. Wh en the teacher saw him come into the room, she quickly removed he r larg e apron and wrapped him up in it.

Twice a year, generally at Conference time, the Indians would cross th e m ountains from the Tooele side, through what was called the Muddies. S inc e the Coon farm was near the mouth of the Canyon, their lot was the c ampi ng place for these guests. John Abraham and his brothers and sister s lear ned to be kind to the Indians, who were friendly to them and thei r family . The children were called, Coono’s Papoose by the Indians.

On February 3, 1876, John A. Coon, not quite 19 years of age, left Sal t L ake City with a company of men, women, and some few children with Lo t Smi th as captain, to accomplish a mission that was given them by Presi dent B righam Young. The mission was two-fold—one to colonize a city in A rizon a and two, to establish the United Order .

Brother Israel Call in speaking of this trip years later said: “When th i s company got down into southern Utah on the headwaters of the Sevier R iv er, going through snow six feet deep, graveling slowly, probably a mil e a nd a half a day, wading through the snow, digging out the wagons an d in t he evening making a fire and gathering around that fires in the sn ow, tea ms tied up to the wagons, with nothing to eat but what was give n out of t he wagons, Brother John A. Coon was always joyful, always plea sant and al ways had a smile upon his face. He didn’t have a great deal t o say, but h e was congenial, and he worked with diligence to make this t rip as comfor table as was possible for those who were not situated in su ch favorable c ircumstances. Willing to lend a helping hand, willing to g et under the wa gon and lift, and work in order that the company might th rough. We were s even days going thirty-five miles.”
John A. Coon’s main job was to drive the cattle and livestock, and altho u gh he was young, Brother Call said, “He was a man in intellect and in s ta ture and in every way prepared to the kind of trip.” He returned hom e tha t same year on September 1st.

The Deseret News of June 20, 1876 published the following: “The Arizon a S ettlement – We have perused a letter from Brother John A. Coon, one o f th e settlers on the Little Colorado, written at Sunset Crossing, no da te be ing attached, excepting that it was mailed the present month. It me ntion s the visit to the settlement of President Wells, Elder B. Young, J r., an d those accompanying them. They held meetings there, the brethre n from Br other Allinger’s Camp being present also. They likewise visite d and had m eetings in the camp of Brothers Lake and Allen. The visitor s expressed th emselves well pleased with the manner in which the brethre n had operate d and with the country. At the time the letter was written , the brethre n were clearing land, plowing for corn and had water runnin g upon the lan d. As a general rule, the brethren were doing well, and ge tting along ver y agreeably. Altogether, Brother Coon takes a cheerful vi ew of the situat ion.”

On January 1, 1881, John Abraham Coon and Charlotte Hirst were marrie d i n the Endowment House by Daniel H. Wells. She was born December 9, 18 59 i n Todmorden, Lancashire, England, daughter of John Hirst, 1816-187 6 and C harlotte Brook, 1818-1880.

They purchased several acres of land and a small house in Pleasant Gre e n from Charlotte’s sister, Sarah (Sarah Hirst Coon, 1857-1911). Their f ir st child, John Bert, was born there on November 15, 1881. Before Berth a , their second child was born on June 23, 1884, John Abraham had made a do bes and built a two-room house about a mile northeast of their first h ome . On March 18, 1887, Charles Lorus was born. He only lived a brief ti me , passing away December 28, 1889. Myrtle was born May 19, 1889; Roswel l H irst was born December 4, 1892; and Rudgar York was born March 30, 18 96 .

In 1896, quite a large group of men in the Pleasant Green Ward were call e d to go on missions. They were all married men with families with the e xc eption of one or two. It caused quite a commotion in such a small ward . S ome of them did not see how they could go and leave their wives and c hild ren to run the farms. Hiram Theron Spencer (1835-1931), was bishop a t tha t time. He assured them if they were determined, the way would be o pene d for them, so they could go. It took a lot of faith, determination , scri mping and saving by all concerned. Twelve men went. They left th e ward a t different times. John Abraham Coon received his call at that t ime to th e Northern States Mission and was set apart on December 9, 189 6 .

He sold his beef cattle in order to help with the expenses of his missio n ; he put $100 in the bank for an emergency. One of his companions was E ld er Melvin J. Ballard, who later became a member of the Council of th e Twe lve. At John A. Coon’s funeral, Elder Ballard related some of thei r missi onary experiences. The following was taken from the funeral sermo n:

“I feel highly honored to be asked by Brother Coon’s family to speak o n t his occasion. I think that the greatest sermon each one of us is prea chin g, is the sermon of our lives. To me, Brother John A. Coon preache d a gre at sermon in his life.

“I desire to speak of him as a missionary companion, because thirty-sev e n years ago we were made missionary companions in the Northern States M is sion and sent into southern Illinois, into Johnson County, to preach t h e gospel without purse or script. He was several years older than I, a n d I looked upon him as a father, and he treated me with every considera ti on that a father would give a son. No one could be intimately acquaint e d as we were that summer, without begetting a great love for each othe r , and so I have loved him from that time on and regarded him as I hav e fe w of my missionary companions. I had been out in the mission field o nl y a short time when that appointment came, and it was the beginnin g o f a new epic in my life. He was retiring, but he was courageous.

“I recall an experience that came to us in Johnson County, having been t h e first missionaries to come into there, and we discovered in that terr it ory that was called Hell’s Neck, some very bitter opposition. We had p erf ormed a baptism that afternoon and some boys and men threw rocks an d shou ted at us and otherwise harassed us. On a Saturday night, they tri ed to b reak up our meeting and made great disturbances, but we paid no a ttentio n to them and went on delivering our message. When we left the sc hoolhous e to go to the home of one of our saints, Brother Miller, whic h was a two -mile journey, we got part of the way when these young fellow s rode up be hind us and started to shoot off firearms. We heard the bull ets and ran i nto the brush behind a rail fence until they went by. Whe n it became quie t, we started on our journey again. On the summit of th e hill, the road r an through a piece of timber. When we reached this, w e found the mob ha d ridden into the timber and started to throw rocks a t us. A little gir l in the arms of one of the brethren was hit by a rock , but we soon out-d istanced the rocks. That night we were both satisfie d that everything wou ld be all right. This good friend of ours laid by t he door with a shotgu n and said they would go over his dead body befor e they harmed us. We sle pt quietly that night. He was very courageous. W hile we passed through so me disturbing experiences, it did not stop ou r missionary work.

“I recall a circumstance when we were trying to get permission to hold o u r meetings in a schoolhouse. We waded to one of the trustees’ homes b y ta king off our shoes and stockings, and wading through the river. He g ave u s the schoolhouse, and the next task was to invite the people to co me . I wished they wouldn’t come. I was just beginning my missionary wor k an d Brother Coon was timid and felt that I would have to do the majo r part , although he was willing to do his share. We had gone all day wit hout an ything to eat and when they rang the bell of the schoolhouse thir ty minut es before the gathering, if I had been waiting my execution, I w ouldn’t h ave been more nervous than when that bell rang. But we saw th e people gat her and they packed the schoolhouse and we walked into it i n a daze and c onducted our services. We sang and prayed. Of course, tha t day, I want t o tell you we many times sought the Lord in prayer in th e woods and we to ld him what part of the world we were in and what oblig ation was upon us . Many times, that day, we kept the Lord posted about o ur situation. Th e Lord came to our help.

“I was out with Brother Coon all that summer, but I never heard him deli v er a finer sermon than I did that night. We were able to hold an hour a n d a half meeting and then distributed our literature. We invited the pe op le to take us home, for we had started this missionary work without pu rs e or script. We would start to ask in the morning for a place to sta y tha t night. The people would laugh at me and say that it wasn’t night , an d I found that the important thing to do was to preach the Gospel an d whe n we preached and took up no collection and traveled without purs e or scr ipt and all we wanted was a bed to sleep in, we never failed t o get a bed . This night we got six invitations and we took them all. Th e reason we t ook them all was that we would have a place to stay for th e week, and al l hearts were glad.

“I remember when they had all withdrawn and we turned out the lamps, w e f ell in each other’s arms and wept like children, and fell down on ou r kne es and thanked the Lord that he had not deserted us. When men pas s throug h experiences like that together, their hearts are drawn close a nd they f ind themselves and the power of God. We were happy, and I neve r spent a h appier summer than I did that summer, and we had many meals b y going int o the corn field and eating new corn, but we were happy jus t the same.

“I recall another experience that happened that summer. Having asked so m e twenty times for a place to stay and being denied, it was getting la t e at night, but finally the last house we were invited in. I have man y ti mes said if the door of heaven will be opened to me, I would not hav e gre ater joy than I did that night when we were invited in, for it wa s a col d night.

“I met one of the boys of that home last summer, and he said, ‘You proba b ly have forgotten us, but 37 years ago you came to our father’s home tr av eling without purse or script and asked for a bed, and we took you in. ’ W hen they gave the name, I said, ‘I shall never forget it, because o f th e situation we were in, and the gratitude we had in our hearts.’ H e said , ‘You remember you taught us the Gospel and you came back two o r three t imes during that week, and within a few weeks, mother and fathe r were bap tized and the children who were old enough.’ I had not heard o f the famil y in 35 years, and did not know what had happened. The two br others had e ach found a companion and had journeyed to Salt Lake City an d been marrie d in the temple. Each of these men had been on a mission t o Germany and o ne had a boy and a convert on a mission. When they got th rough with tha t story, I was in tears, knowing the conditions under whic h Brother Coo n and I came to that home. If we touched some souls, they h ad touched oth ers, and who can see the end. It is like throwing a ston e into a lake, fo r it will create a ripple out to the last shore.

“The work we do here will go on touching the hearts and lives of other s . I recall many of these interesting things that came into our lives, a n d I wanted to refer to it to pay him [John Abraham Coon] this tribute f o r he was a faithful devoted man. I have often admired him for his frien dl iness and his willingness, for many times he carried his grip and min e to o. That is the kind of sermon he has preached. Such a man is blessed , suc h a family is blessed to have such a husband and such a father.”

John Abraham Coon filled an honorable mission and returned home on Decem b er 25, 1898. His good wife had sold butter, eggs, milk, poultry, and so m e grain which they raised to help keep him in the mission. His expense s w ere about $10 a month.

On his return the emergency fund of $100 plus some more was in the ban k a nd the family built an addition on the house with this. The additio n incl uded building on a front of the house with a small kitchen and lon g porc h on the south. This house burned down in about 1910, probably fro m an ov erheated stove. They lived in part of Uncle Oliver (Oliver Shafer , Sr., 1 855-1942) and Aunt Mary’s (Mary Tabitha Coon, 1855-1933) house u ntil th e house could be rebuilt. At this time, Bertha’s husband, Frank L eRoy Cha mbers (1882-1971), helped John A. build the new place. Big popla r trees s urrounded their property and by the house. When these died, Bo x Elder tre es were planted in their place. They also had lots of plum tr ees in the y ard and black currant and gooseberry bushes. From the frui t of these the y made lots of jams and jellies and bottled the fresh blac k currants. The re was not much other fresh fruit available, so they purc hased dried frui t which sold for 25¢ a large bagful.

Every other week, John A. and a neighbor, Will Hartley (William Hartle y , Sr., 1834-1906), would load one of their wagons and man a trip into S al t Lake to sell butter, eggs, and other produce. When John A. was on hi s m ission, Charlotte or other children would go with Will Hartley to Sal t La ke for selling and purchasing needed items for the home.

Two other children were born to John A. and Charlotte, Archie Brook on J u ly 18, 1901, and Clifford Alton on June 23, 1904. They were a happy fam il y; the kind and loving parents tried their best to bring up the childr e n in the right way. The parents were both hard working and of good pion ee r stock.

The 4th of July was a special occasion for the whole family for they wou l d leave early in the morning with a large basket of food, including chi ck en and always two cocoanut layer cakes, and drive to Garfield Beach. T her e they would meet with Charlotte’s sisters and their families. Sara h Coo n (Sarah Hirst Coon, 1858-1911) and Fannie Jenkins (Fannie Hirst Je nkins , 1852-1926) always brought black currant pies and Ellen Whipple (E llen H irst Whipple, 1862-1935) brought chocolate cake. They would all pl ay, swi m, and eat and the children enjoyed riding the merry-go-round an d drinkin g soda pop. Whenever Buffalo Bill Circus came to town and it co uld be arr anged, John A. would take the whole family.

During summer sometimes all the neighbors would pack their lunches an d g o to Black Rock Beach for picnics in the evening and swimming. Picni c sup pers were had in Coon Canyon on occasion. When the children were yo unge r on Christmas and New Years the family would get together with Char lotte ’s sisters and their families and spend the day and night. The me n and bo ys would go home to take care of the livestock, milking, and far m chores . Beds were made up all over—boys in the kitchen and girls all o ver the l iving room floor. All members of the families were together fo r breakfast .

Daughter Bertha Coon Chambers wrote the following about their life on t h e farm: “It was not easy to make a living on a dry farm. Father acquir e d more land – I think he bought some from some of his cousins and homes te aded some. He eventually owned four hundred and some odd acres. They h a d to depend on the snow in winter and rain the spring, also some wate r th at came down from Coon Canyon in the spring. When it was a dry seaso n th e crops were poor. Most of the land father owned was only good for g razin g since it was up in the foothills next to the mountains. This wa s wher e the milk cows would be taken each morning for milking. At differ ent tim es in his life father owned quite a lot of cattle. The ones he wa s raisin g for beef would be driven to the canyon each spring and brough t out in t he fall to sell. The price of beef was much lower than it i s now, so on e that weighed several hundred pounds really did not sell fo r much. Whe n father had a number to sell and got what he called, a fai r price, the f olks were very happy. This meant money for taxes, new clot hing that was n eeded on a farm.”

John A. loved horses and was kind and gentle with them and all his boy s l oved to ride too. He broke in many horses, both for riding and drivin g, f or church leaders and many neighbors and friends. John A. always ha d goo d barns and buildings for his animals made from logs he had hewn hi mself . The barn he built still stands in 1972. His corrals were kept i n good r epair at all times.

John A.’s son, Rudgar, recalls: “I heard him tell of how he broke hors e s for the L.D.S. Church when he was a young fellow. As I remember it, t he re was a large corral in Salt Lake City where Main Street now is, an d abo ut where Z.C.M.I. store is. The Church owned quite a lot of horses , mos t of them raised on Antelope Island (at that time it was called Chu rch Is land). The horses were brought over by boat from the Island and Fa ther an d others would break them in this corral. He was a very good ride r. He ke pt on riding horses all his life up until the last few years tha t he live d.”

John A. and Charlotte were very thrifty and did not believe in going in t o debt. Occasionally in the winter this was necessary, however, when mo s t of the cows were dry and the chickens not laying good, and grocerie s we re needed. Then they might charge thirty or forty dollars’ worth o f groce ries. In the spring extra money would be made by shearing sheep , an art J ohn A. became an expert at.

Rudgar Coon wrote the following about his father’s sheep shearing: “Aft e r he was married and had several children, he would sheer sheep in th e sp ring of the year for large sheep men. A number of times he and som e othe r men went to Fremont Island in Salt Lake and sheared sheep fo r a widow l ady named Minnie Wenner (Katherine Yates Green Wenner, 1857-1 942). She an d her husband owned the Island. He died and was buried ther e (Uriah Josep h Wenner, 1849-1891). The sheep were permitted to roam a s they pleased th e year around with no herder or anyone with them, so th ey became very wil d.

“Father told of how hard they were to handle in the shearing pen. Also , t heir wool was full of sand which made it more difficult to shear. I t hin k it was the last time Father went over there they had trouble. The y wer e finished with the shearing, the boat was loaded with wool and som e shee p, Mrs. Wenner and several men. They started out and hadn’t gone f ar whe n they noticed the boat was leaking. At first, they were undecide d whethe r to go back to the Island or go for the shore, which was some d istance a way. They decided to head for shore and baled water all the way . On accou nt of the heavy load, reached shore sometime after dark. I nev er did lear n what they used to power the boat, I suppose it was sails.”

John A. had very little formal schooling as a young man, but was alway s t rying to improve himself by reading and studying every chance he got . H e attended night school and later on taught it. A son, Clifford Coon , fou nd the following from the book Rags to Riches, p. 86: “By 1883 th e citize ns of South Pleasant Green began building a school within walkin g distanc e for their children. They purchased a lumber one-room-buildin g from Joh n A. Coon and moved it to the desired location; a two-acre lo t donated b y Isaac Coon.” (Later on, a brick building was erected on thi s property t hat is where the children in the upper part of Pleasant Gree n Ward went f or a number of years.) “Three teachers instructed elementar y grades in th e building: Hayden smith, John A. Coon, and Rosella Jenkin s. Schools wer e provided by private tuition or subscription. Occasionall y territory hel p was made available. But the responsibility rested mainl y on the residen ts of the areas. In 1890 the legislature of the territor y of Utah enacte d a free public-school law. During the same year a one-r oom brick buildin g was erected across the street from the Pleasant Gree n Ward house. Wit h the event of free public education, it became the fir st district schoo l in the area and was called District 47.”

On page 85 of this same book we read: “Shortly after the Spencer Schoo l b egan, Miss Charlotte Hirst also opened classes in her parents’ home w hic h later served as the Pleasant Green Ward. She taught the children th e AB Cs and began the first steps in reading, spelling, writing and simpl e ari thmetic.”

John A. did lots of reading in the wintertime when the farm chores wer e n ot as demanding, and often read out loud to Charlotte while she was k nitt ing or mending. They both loved good books and took good care of al l the y had. He was a good writer and often would write on the margins o f newsp apers or on any scraps of paper he could find. Perhaps this is wh y he wa s called to serve as secretary of the 14th Quorum of Seventies fo r a numb er of years and later secretary for the high priests in the Mill er Ward i n Salt Lake. He also served in the M.I.A. and Sunday School i n Pleasant G reen.

There was no coal available in Pleasant Green, so the people depende d o n wood to burn during the winter. Each fall the men went up into Coo n Can yon to haul wood down for the winter. Often times they had to mak e severa l trips to have enough in the wood pile to last until spring. So metimes t he weather was so cold they would put big burlap sacks over the ir shoes a nd tie the up to help keep their feet warm as they loaded th e wood .

On April 6, 1893, the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated by President Wilfo r d Woodruff and John A. and Charlotte Coon attended this service with th ei r two oldest children, Bert and Bertha.

In the spring of 1918, Rudgar took over the farm and John A. and Charlot t e and their daughter Myrtle and the younger boys moved into Salt Lake C it y on 33rd South between 2nd and 3rd East. On October 24, 1918, their d aug hter, Myrtle, passed away as a result of the flu. For several summer s aft er moving to Salt Lake City, John A. returned to help do the farm w ork i n Pleasant Green. He raised a little garden at his Salt Lake home a nd als o kept a cow for many years.

Two sons filled missions, Ross in Canada and Clifford in the Southern St a tes. Ross and Rudgar served in the armed forces during WWI but neithe r ha d to leave the United States.

On October 8, 1934, at the age of 77, John Abraham Coon passed away at 4 : 50 p.m. while working in his yard. He was survived by his wife and fiv e s ons and one daughter, 21 grandchildren, and a number of great-grandch ildr en.

True to his ancestry, he was of the pioneer type, being a devout home m a n and a great lover of the soil and nature. At his funeral services, Br ot her George A. Reed paid him this tribute: “In the passing of John A. C oon , the community has lost a splendid citizen; his wife, a loving husba nd ; sons and daughter, a diligent father; and to all whom he knew and as soc iated with, a very splendid and staunch friend and neighbor.”

John A. Coon’s wife, Charlotte, passed away August 6, 1942 at the ag e o f 82 at the home of her daughter, Bertha. She had not been well for s om e time, but was bed fast only a short time.

John married Charlotte Hirst on 6 Jan 1881 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. Charlotte (daughter of John Hirst and Charlotte Brook) was born on 9 Dec 1859 in Todmorden, Yorkshire, England; died on 6 Aug 1942 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried on 8 Aug 1942 in Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWCD-FN1
• Initiatory (LDS): 6 Jan 1881, EHOUS

Notes:

Pioneer
John G. Holman Company (1868)
Age at Departure: 8

Holman's ox train of 62 wagons left the rail terminus at Benton, Wyomin g , on September 1 with 628 emigrants. Benton was located 11 miles eas t o f present-day Rawlins, Wyoming. This end-of-track town was in existen ce f or only three months, but during its brief history more than 100 peo ple w ere reported to have died there in gunfights. The company was delay ed i n Benton when a woman in their company was arrested on a trumped-u p charg e and they had to wait for her trial. U.S. soldiers had to protec t the co mpany when an enraged mob from the railroad town marched on th e wagon com pany. The mob had been angered by false rumors to the effec t that the Mor mons were intent on taking a woman to Utah against her wil l.

Most of those who traveled to Utah in Holman's company crossed the Atlan t ic aboard the ship Emerald Isle. Many in this company were Danes and Sw ed es who suffered much sickness while crossing the ocean and after landi n g in New York. Also traveling with the company were 8 independent wago n s with about 40 passengers. After getting off the train and being load e d into the Church wagons, this company traveled in a northwesterly dire ct ion from Benton through Whiskey Gap and northward from there until the y r eached the Sweetwater River and the old emigrant road on September 8 . A s did many other companies in the 1860s, after coming through Echo Ca nyo n they traveled to Silver Creek and then down Parley's Canyon into th e va lley. They arrived in Salt Lake on September 25. Twenty-two people d ied b etween Benton and Salt Lake.



History of
Charlotte Hirst Coon
1859-1942
By Bertha Coon Chambers, daughter
Retyped by Victoria Wilson Chambers, great granddaughter-in-law, 2017

Charlotte Hirst Coon was born in Todmordon, Lancashire, England, Decemb e r 9, 1859. She was the twelfth of thirteen children, three boys, two d ie d in infancy and ten girls, one of whom died at the age of eighteen.
Her father was a farmer and a weaver of fine cloth in that little Engli s h village. Both her parents, John and Charlotte Brook Hirst, were stau nc h Latter-day Saints, having joined the Church before Charlotte’s birth , a nd for sixteen years John Hirst had labored as a home missionary an d trav eling elder throughout England. During this time his home was alw ays ope n to missionaries, among them were Charles W. Penrod and many oth er promi nent men of the Church. For years all in the family who were ab le to d o so worked and saved their hard-earned money that they might g o to Utah ; and by the year 1868, they were ready to depart from the lan d of thei r birth.
This they did with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow—joy at the prospe c t of journeying to a new land—and sorrow because three of the girls wh o w ere married remained behind. Later two of these girls came to Utah , th e other one never saw her family again, with the exception of her br othe r John, who went to England on a mission many years later.
The family embarked on the little packet ship Emerald Isle, an old-fashi o ned sailing vessel, with a company of 876 saints under the leadershi p o f Hans Jensen Hals. [Leaving Liverpool 6.20.1868 and arriving in Ne w Yor k 8.14.1868.] Incidentally this was the last group of saints to cr oss th e ocean in a sailing vessel, and also the last trip for the ship ; on th e return voyage it sank with crew and cargo.
The long tedious journey of eight heart-breaking weeks was marked by ma n y sad incidents—terrific storms were encountered all the way and the ap pa ratus used for filtering the drinking water became unserviceable. The y a ll had to drink water from huge storage tanks in an unfiltered condit ion . Charlotte recalls her mother boiling Chamomile flowers in the wate r t o purify it. Many became very ill, thirty-seven adults and childre n died . Although just eight years of age at this time, Charlotte ha d a vivid r ecollection of seeing the bodies being lowered into the ocean . One day , during a heavy galea huge rope swung behind her and she wa s swept acros s the deck. A sailor rescued her and returned her to safet y.
On the tenth of July her married sister, Nancy Dearden, gave birth t o a b aby girl who was named Emerald at the request of the Captain. Arri ving i n New York, August 11, they left by rail for Benton, Wyoming and a rrive d August 25. On September 1st with John Greenleaf Holman at the he ad o f a company of sixty-two wagons drawn by ox-teams, they started on t hei r journey across the plains. This was the last company to travel by o x-te am. During the journey, thirty-six died and were buried on the plai ns .
Fourteen weeks after leaving England, the family arrived in Salt Lake Ci t y. Charlotte’s family settled in a little log house west of the Jorda n R iver. Her father and brother-in-law worked on the railroad under con stru ction through Echo Canyon during the winter and following spring .
As soon as the water was warm enough Charlotte was baptized in the Jord a n River by Nathan Hansen and confirmed by her father. In 1872, they mo ve d to Pleasant Green near the west mountains where her father homestead e d and raised cattle. He was presiding elder of that place until his de at h and her mother was president of the first Relief Society organized i n 1 879. She also held this position until her death.
As Charlotte grew older she became very active in the Church working i n S unday School, M.I.A., and was 2nd counselor in Relief Society many ye ar s later. She was a good singer and loved to do so. She was from a mu sic al family and sang in the choir for years before and after her marria ge . She taught the neighboring children for some time as there were n o sch ools in the locality.
When she was 18 years of age her father passed away and two years late r h er mother followed him. This was a great loss to her as she was ver y dev oted to her parents. As all the other children were married she wa s lef t alone, so she lived with one sister, then another.
On January 6, 1881, she married John A. Coon after he returned home fr o m the colonizing mission to Arizona. The ceremony was performed in th e E ndowment House by Daniel H. Wells. After their marriage they continu ed t o live in Pleasant Green. John A. owned some property given him b y his g randfather, he being the eldest grandson. He purchased more acre age an d a little house which was their first home. Eventually he homest eaded m ore land, purchased more, and finally owned a large tract of land .
Their first child, John Bert, was born in the little home, November 15 , 1 881. Before Betha, their second child was born, June 23, 1884, Joh n A. h ad made adobes and built a two-room house northeast of their firs t home . Four children were born there: March 18, 1887, Charles Lorus wa s born , he passed away December 23, 1889. Myrtle was born May 19, 1889 , passe d away during the flu epidemic of 1918. Roswell Hirst was born D ecembe r 4, 1892. Rudgar York, born March 30, 1896.
Charlotte passed through many trying times raising her family of six bo y s and two girls. Far from medical aid, she nursed them through seriou s i llnesses with no one but her husband to help. They had faith in thei r He avenly father, firm believers in prayer and administration.
Although she was not very strong, she was a hard worker—raising chicken s , and churning—making as many as eight pounds of butter a week. In 18 9 6 when she had five children, her husband was called to go on a missio n t o the Northern States. At this time her eldest son, Bert, was 15 yea rs o f age and Bertha was 13. She was an excellent manager and when he r husba nd returned home two years later, he found she had added to inste ad of us ing a sum of money he had placed in the bank for her use befor e his depar ture.
At the time John A. received his call, twelve were called from the Pleas a nt Green Ward, most were married men with families, all farmers. At fi rs t a number of them did not see how they could go and leave their wive s an d children to run the farms. Bishop Hiram T. Spencer told them if t hey h ad faith the way would be opened up for them to go. They all wen t at dif ferent times during the year and filled honorable missions .
From Bertha Coon Chambers’ Autobiography :
“Father left on December 10, 1896 and returned December 25, 1898. Tha t w as a happy time for all. It took faith, courage and determination fo r al l concerned. Mother was a good manager and we children helped wit h wha t we could do. Bert especially was a great help in taking care o f the li vestock, feeding, watering and milking the cows. Mother’s niece , Emeral d and her husband Will, helped in many ways while father was awa y, especi ally on Saturdays in taking the butter and eggs to Salt Lake an d bringin g groceries home. Sometimes mother, Bert or I would go along t o help. W e had been doing this for some time before father went away, u sed our tea m and buggy some of the time, theirs other times.
“During the time the men were in the mission field, Pleasant Green War d p rospered exceedingly, a new ward house was built. After father retur ne d from his mission, two other sons were born, Archie Brook on July 18 , 19 01 and Clifford Alton, June 23, 1904.
“The money that had been saved was used the next summer to enlarge the i r home. In 1913, this home and all their household goods were destroy e d by fire caused by an overheated stove. The home was later rebuilt.
“The folks took us, Bert and I, to the dedication of the Salt Lake Temp l e which was in April; I was nine the following June. The temple was de di cated April 6, 1893 by President Wilford Woodruff. The dedicatory ser vic es continued twice each day from April 6th to the 18th, again April 2 3r d and 24th, the 21st and 22nd being reserved for Sunday School childre n . It must have been one of those days we went.
“It was not easy to make a living on a dry farm. Father acquired mor e l and – I think he bought some from some of his cousins and homesteade d som e. He eventually owned four hundred and some odd acres. They ha d to dep end on the snow in winter and rain the spring, also some water t hat cam e down from Coon’s Canyon in the spring. When it was a dry seaso n the cr ops were poor. Most of the land father owned was only good fo r grazing s ince it was up in the foothills next to the mountains. Thi s was where th e milk cows would be taken each morning for milking .
“At different times in his life father owned quite a lot of cattle. T h e ones he was raising for beef would be driven to the canyon each spri n g and brought out in the fall to sell. The price of beef was much low e r than it is now, so one that weighed several hundred pounds really di d n ot sell for much. When father had a number to sell and got what he c alle d, a fair price, the folks were very happy. This meant money for ta xes , new clothing that was needed on a farm. The folks were very carefu l an d wise in their spending. They had to be careful. They were so ple ase d when they had what father called, a little next egg, left over, eve n i f it was just a few dollars. I never saw anyone that could make a do lla r go farther than mother could. If she wanted to get something a lit tl e special, she would save a little each week, even if it was just a fe w c ents. At times it would take weeks and months before she had the nee de d amount. She would keep it in a fancy cup she had on next to the to p sh elf in the cupboard. The money was never taken out for anything els e exc ept in case of an emergency.
“The folks did not believe in going in debt, and never would unless it w a s very necessary. Sometimes in the winter when most of the cows were d r y and the chickens were not laying good, they would have to get some gr oc eries on time. I know when this happened they got as little as possib le . If the folks owed thirty or forty dollars for groceries by spring , i t seemed such a dreadful thing.
“For a number of years, they went to the May sale at the Z.C.M.I. to g e t us fitted out for summer. I often times went with mother and helpe d pi ck out calico in different colors and patterns for dresses and apron s, pr etty flowered lawn (fine high-count yarn, silky finish) for best dr esses , a heavier grade of material in light and dark colors for waists f or th e boys, toweling and sheeting. She made a lovely white waist wit h a sail or collar trimmed in white embroidery for Rudgar when he was a l ittle boy . He wore this with a pleated black and white skirt. His hai r was lon g and in ringlets. He looked more like a little girl than a bo y. She ha d a very nice dress made by a niece who was a dress maker befo re father w ent on his mission. Mother made a very nice dress for Myrtl e and I; we a ll had our pictures taken before father went. Rudgar was j ust a baby the n, about a year and a half later, she had his picture take n in the littl e suit I have described to send to father.
“Mother made a lovely white dress with a crocheted lace insertion for My r tle when she was little. I have the dress at this time. I don’t see h o w mother accomplished all the things she did, sheets and towels had t o b e hemmed in those days. This she taught me to do when I was quite yo ung . I remember some material she bought on sale for 5¢ a yard. She in tend ed to use it in a quilt. It was pink with a little design that was s o pre tty. Myrtle and I wanted it for dresses. I helped make them; th e skirt s were quite full. We wore them all that summer. Later, they we re cut i nto quilt blocks and put with other colors which made a very nic e quilt . Mother was a good seamstress, she not only sewed for her own f amily bu t helped her sisters and neighbors with their sewing. She mad e her own w edding dress, also helped a number of girls in the ward mak e theirs. Wa s very good at trimming hats which was the custom in thos e days. Her sis ters would come to get her to help them. She always ha d such good tast e in selecting our hats and trimmings. Myrtle and I wer e so proud and ha ppy to wear them with our lovely new dresses she alway s made for us to we ar on the Fourth of July which was a very special da y for all.
“Down through the years I remember the wonderful picnics; always fried c h icken and lots of it. Mother would be up before day light cooking it ; i t always meant a hot fire in the cook stove. There were lots of bre ad a nd butter sandwiches and father always insisted we have sardines i n musta rd sauce, and the two cocoanut layer cakes mother made for specia l occasi ons such as the Fourth of July and Christmas. Mother’s sisters , their hu sbands and families were there. We went as one big family. Al ways ate to gether, there was always plenty for everyone. Aunt Fanny (Fa nny Hirst, 1 852-1926) and Uncle Bill Jenkins (William Jenkins, 1848-1920 ) and family , Aunt Sarah Coon (Sarah Hirst Coon, 1858-1911) and family ( Aunt Sarah wa s a widow), she and Aunt Fanny always took black currant pi es which the y stacked one on top of the other, three or four deep. Aun t Ellen (Elle n Hirst Whipple, 1862-1935) and Uncle Dan Whipple (Daniel W hipple, 1854-1 926) and family always took the jelly layer cakes. It wa s one glorious d ay. We would leave home eight or nine in the morning, i t was a long driv e.
“The folks did not go to these places very often, there was always so mu c h to be done on the farm, but as nearly as I can remember, we went to G ar field on the Fourth for years. We children did not have much to spend , b ut a nickel went a long way then, you could get a good-sized bag of p opco rn or candy or a tall glass of soda water. I always felt so big an d impo rtant when I was at the fountain drinking a strawberry soda with t he pin k foam on top, which was my favorite. Sometimes father would tak e us u p in the canyon for a little outing. When the circus came to Sal t Lake , if it was possible, the folks would bring us in, sometimes whe n money w as not very plentiful we would just watch the parade, get a loa f of baker ’s bread, some bologna and cheese to eat on the way back home . When th e Buffalo Bill Circus came we saw both the circus and parade . Later on , we went to Saltair a few times, also Liberty Park, Wandame re and Lago on. We always had our new dresses for the Fourth, which see med to be th e custom for all at the time. The four families met togethe r on Christma s and New Years for a number of years. Mother had anothe r sister livin g in Pleasant Green, Aunt Nancy Dearden. She and her husb and, Uncle Jo e had four daughters, all older than we were. Aunt Nancy m et with an acc ident in her early married life and was an invalid for yea rs so could no t join in with the others.”

Two sons, Roswell and Rudgar served in WWI. A number of grandsons and g r eat grandsons in WWII. Two sons filled missions, Roswell in Canada an d C lifford in the Southern States. Many years later Clifford and his lo vel y wife LaVerna went to the South again on another mission. A large n umbe r of grandchildren and great grandchildren have served on missions i n dif ferent parts of the world.
They moved to Salt Lake in 1918, lived in Miller Ward for a number of ye a rs. On January 6, 1931, John A. and Charlotte celebrated their Golde n We dding anniversary with their six living children, 17 grandchildren a nd fi ve great grandchildren.
John A. passed away October 8, 1934 and Charlotte August 6, 1942. She w o uld have been 83 the following December. At the time of her death sh e wa s survived by one daughter and five sons, 19 grandchildren and 20 gr eat g randchildren.



Grandma
Charlotte Hirst Coon
1859-1942

by Carolyn Coon Dupuis, granddaughter
Shared with permission from Isabelle Dupuis, great granddaughter
Excerpt from The Lilac House, p. 15-17


She was my only grandparent I ever met and that she was my father’s moth e r amazed me. Amazed was a word that I, a tall and six-year-old girl, h a d recently learned about the time Grandma Coon came to visit us for a w hi le. Maybe it was for two weeks, maybe three. My only memory of he r aft er that time is that she retired into one of the bedrooms at Aunt B ertha’ s and died when I was eight. Aunt Bertha’s husband, my Uncle Roy , wa s a carpenter, and he could add an extra bedroom on to their house a s eas ily as some uncles could read the Sunday paper .

Grandma got to stay in my room, while I moved downstairs to the extra tw i n bed in the basement. But all of my waking moments, apart from schoo l , were spent beside her. I’d rush home at 3:30 and there she would b e i n a dark dress with her favorite brooch at the neck, the brooch a gen tl e oval edged with tiny winking lights, or else wearing her favorite ne ckl ace of shiny, black wooden beads. She wore dark stockings and blac k oxfo rds with chubby square heels. Some folks called them old lady sho es, bu t I thought of them as being quite pleasant. The laces were alway s neatl y tied. But that she was my father’s mother amazed me, as she wa s just s lightly taller than me, and my father was a strong and sturdy si x-footer . I wondered how in the world he ever managed to get out on th e day of hi s birth.

Grandma’s skin was like lovely soft and wrinkled silk, her smile was li k e my father’s smile that made me feel safe inside, and she wore eyeglas se s with delicate slender stems. Her hair was gathered into a shiny bu n o n top of her head.

I used to help her get ready for bed in my bedroom. She always manage d t o have already put on her warm white nightgown with the long sleeve s an d stand-up collar before I arrived. The sleeves ended with cuffs th at fa stened with little white pearl buttons and the same white buttons w ent pa rt way down the front. There were gentle tucks across the front a nd th e collar was bordered with lace and so were the cuffs. She would l et m e take two magnificent combs out of her hair, they were tortoise she ll an d a part of them stood up tall and straight above the teeth. Magni ficen t was also a new word for me that year and I was certain it was exa ctly r ight to describe my grandmother’s two combs. When her hair fell d own al l the way to her waist it was like a curtain of stars. Every even ing she ’d let me comb it, and it was exactly like combing starlight.

Then I would help her bundle it up again, patting it just so, and she wo u ld carefully place two large dark hair pins and a net for the night. T hi s was followed by a little white cap with lace on the edges, and mos t ama zing of all, two little booties for her feet, crocheted of a warm p ink ya rn and with chain-stitched laces to adjust them to the right tight ness . I was pretty good at tying bows, so she let me make the final adj ustme nt on her two booties each bedtime .

Sometimes my mother would come into the room and say that I was combin g G randma’s hair too hard and that I was hurting Grandma. Grandma alway s sa id that I was doing a good job, and would flash one of her smiles . My mo ther seemed to be saying that a child as lively as I was might o verwhel m Grandma. After all, she was 81. But I don’t remember that Gra ndma eve ry seemed overwhelmed, maybe because she had given birth to eigh t childre n, raised seven to adulthood, and had been co-manager of a larg e family f arm.

They say that out in Coonville [present day Magna], which was close to C o on Peak and to Coon Canyon, Grandma’s butter was the best to be had an d i t brought a higher price probably than anyone else’s in the Salt Lak e Val ley. She packed it to chill in special little metal molds that bor e he r initials. Grandma had run the farm a couple of years by herself ( wit h the help of her older sons) while her husband went on a mission fo r th e Mormon Church. And Grandma had walked across the great plains o f Ameri ca headed for the promised land of Utah when she was just a youn g girl . She carried a rag doll. And before that she and the same rag d oll pas sed through Ellis Island.

So I don’t think that I was too much for her to handle at all, even if s h e was 81.

I didn’t see too much of my grandma before she stayed with us, she ha d t o share herself with five other married children and about 28 grandch ildr en and I was number 26. But sometimes when I get scared in the nigh t , I think of the valentines my grandma used to mail me, red hearts an d la ce bursting to be unfolded, and remember the box of Sweet’s chocolat es , a single layer as big around as a bed pillow, that she’d give us eve r y Christmas and that my parents would always hide under the bed .

And I remember the little girl that I was, sitting cross-legged on the f l oor opening and smelling and then closing a bottle of lavender toilet w at er, then rubbing the lavender flowers on the label and the narrow lave nde r ribbon around the neck, and finally wrapping it carefully in whit e tiss ue paper, colored Christmas stickers and bright ribbon. I can sti ll se e myself gently tugging at the ribbons to make them just right, kno wing t hat Grandma would put the bottle in the very center of her dressin g table .












Inheritances
[From] Charlotte Hirst Coon
1859-1942

by Carolyn Coon Dupuis, granddaughter
Shared with permission from Isabelle Dupuis, great granddaughter
Excerpt from The Lilac House, p. 33-38


The Bedspread
When my grandma Coon died I felt that my heart dropped out of my chest , w iggled out of my body and somehow floated away. She was my dad’s mot he r and the only grandparent I had ever known. But my eight-year-old he ar t started returning, apparently in little bits and pieces beginning ab ou t a month later when I learned that I was to have an inheritance.

An inheritance! This was a completely new word for me, but one the re s t of my family used with a great deal of facility. I remember proudl y te lling my playmates that I was to have an inheritance and they weren’ t sur e what that was. But they were both envious and impressed.

It was white like fresh snow on the winter mountains, like clouds in a c a lm summer sky, like milk just separated from the cream, and like a baby ’ s first tooth and like the white lace doily on the homemade valentine . I t had been on my grandmother’s bed and was absolutely without blemis h . I felt almost overwhelmed to be given such a prize. Apparently hand -w oven the spread resembled a very heavy damask but had gentle ridges an d b umps which I enjoyed touching with very clean hands. I treated it a s car efully as my grandma would have me do. I never placed anything o n it exc ept my Teddy Bear and I made sure he was polite. I never sat o r slept o n it. At night I would carefully fold it back to the bottom o f the bed . In the morning I would perfectly smooth it when I made my be d…


The Down Pillow
It was covered in pale green polished cotton and was exceptionally comfo r table to sleep on. It meant more than a pillow to me, it meant my gran dm a’s presence. I slept on it almost very night of my life between th e age s of eight until three years after my marriage. At that point ther e real ly weren’t enough feathers left to plan on a second pillow. I hav e it i n my linen closet now, a deeply cherished souvenir of when I wa s a littl e girl and would talk to it, cry to it, and tell it my secret s .


The Black Beads
A long strand of wooden beads, each shaped like a ball, all the same siz e , all separated from each other by a black knot. I wasn’t supposed t o st art wearing these right away, according to my mother but I did. Th e bead s are still in excellent condition and I wear them often. And eve n now w hen I have them on I can sometimes feel my grandma’s presence .

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KW6C-7NQ
• Initiatory (LDS): 6 Feb 1846

John married Mary Tabitha York on 12 Mar 1854 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. Mary (daughter of Benjamin Franklin York and Elizabeth York) was born on 3 Mar 1833 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States; died on 25 Jan 1922 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States; was buried on 29 Jan 1922 in Pleasant Green, Salt Lake, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KW6C-7N7
• Initiatory (LDS): 11 Sep 1857, EHOUS

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