ANN ROBERTS PARRY

1860 MORMON PIONEER

Born: 5 July 1803   St. George, Denbighshire, North Wales

Parents:  David and Elizabeth Roberts

Died:  28 January 1882 Salt Lake City, Utah

Married:  Thomas Robert Parry,   8 June 1824

Born: 1 November 1801  St. George Denbighshire, North Wales

Parents: Edward Parry and Mary Jones Parry

Died: 19 October 1886  Salt Lake City, Utah

Ann Roberts was born 5 July 1803, in St. George, Denbighshire, North Wales, to David Roberts and Elizabeth Roberts Roberts.  Her mother died when she was a young child.  She had one sister, named Margaret, and they lived with their father who was the Squire at Kinmel Hall Estates.  Ann was called Lady Ann and lived a very sheltered life   not having to do much housework or hard work.  When Ann was 21 she married the son of the head stonemason on the estate, Thomas Robert Parry, in June 8, 1824.   They were blessed with 14 children.

Thomas learned the trade of stonemason from his father, and after his father?s death he became the head stonemason.  In time Thomas R. Parry was given his own land from the estate to farm.

The Gospel came to North Wales and the Parry?s believed and joined the church and prepared to come to America.  By 1857 five of their children had died and they had already sent five of their other children to America to join the Saints.  Ann had a very strong testimony and was determined to come and be with the rest of her family. 

Thomas and Ann sold their farm and home and everything that they had, and came to America with the other 4 children:  Joseph, age 17; Leah, age 15; David, age 12; and Emma, age 9.  They departed Liverpool 23 April 1860 aboard the ship Underwriter with Captain J.H. Roberts, arriving in New York 22 May 1860.  They crossed the plains with a team and a covered wagon in the Captain James D. Ross Wagon Company, arriving in Salt Lake September 3, 1860.

On the boat coming across the waters, Ann had an infection in her hands, which took a long, long time to heal.  Leah, who turned 16 years old on the trip, was left with the responsibility of much of the manual work.  She made yeast from a start and would mix bread in the morning and put it in the wagon during the day?s travel to be baked in the evening over the campfire.

When Thomas R. Parry arrived in Salt Lake, he bought property with the money from the sale of his farm in Wales.  Then he and his sons continued their mason work.  Their firm on contractors did some of the mason work on such famous buildings in Salt Lake City as Auerbachs, ZCMI, Walker Bank and Jennings building.  They also worked as masons on the Manti, St. George and Salt Lake Temples.  They were active in the 15^th. Ward in Salt Lake City.

Ann died 28 January 1882, at the age of 78, after suffering a stroke and being quite ill.  Thomas died 4 years later 19 Oct. 1886, at the age of 85.  They are both buried in Salt Lake City.

[Courtesy of Marcia Daugherty, Hyrum, Utah]