CATHERINE ROBERTS ROBERTS
Catherine
was born 12 April 1839. Near the family home in Eglwysbach
was a spring used by the entire village for water for household use. Each day when Catherine went to the spring
for water, the minister of the church having learned that she and her family
had joined the Mormons would meet her at the spring. He made all kinds of wonderful offers to the
girl to induce her to forsake her religion.
He offered a fine education, beautiful clothes, and a good home. But she stood the test and remained true to
the cause she had espoused. She worked
at odd jobs until her parents were able to emigrate to
Zion.
The
family left their native village in the night time because of the persecution
there, fearing violence. Accordingly
after all necessary preparations were made, at about three o’clock in the
morning of May 16, 1864, they slipped away from their loved Eglwysbach
and its endearing ties, afoot to Abergele about 15
miles away. They remained over night at Abergele. Their
baggage had been sent ahead in a horse-drawn cart belonging to David
Davis. The next day they went to a small
seaport near Abergele, then by boat to Liverpool, arriving there in the
afternoon of May 17, 1864. They left Liverpool for America about 5
o’clock
in the afternoon of 21 May 1864, sailing on the sailing ship
“McClellan” after having endured much persecution for the Gospel’s sake in
their native land. It was with feelings
of mingled joy and sorrow that they took a last look at the British Isles, as the shadows of night
closed about them.
Hugh,
his wife Mary, and Catherine, Mary, Hannah and John left Wales together. They landed June
21, 1864, at New York, and passed inspection
without difficulty. There were 900
Saints on board the “McClellan.” Elders
Thomas Jeremy and George Bywater were in charge of
the whole company. During the course of
the sea voyage there was a very severe storm upon the sea lasting three days,
and it was thought the ship would go down.
One child was born during the voyage, and one child died and was buried
at sea. The boat touched Boston on a beautiful Sunday
morning and the ringing of the church bells of the city could be heard by the
passengers. This was their introduction
to America, the land of the free.
At New York they boarded a steamer in
the night time and next morning after passing up the Hudson River, landed in Albany, New York. From there they took a train to Erie, PA, where the train was put on
a boat bound for Canada. The Civil War was on, and some evidence of it
could be seen as they journeyed through the country. While transferring at Erie the mob spirit was very
manifest among the American on-lookers and those who attended the
transfer. One man with a timber in his
hand was told by a companion to “Hit that old gray-headed man,” (meaning Hugh)
“but don’t hit the girls,” (Meaning the daughters Catherine, Mary and
Hannah.) But Hugh was let to go
uninjured and unmolested. Some of the
Saints of the company however were very roughly handled.
The
spirit of the people in the United States seemed to be so hostile
toward them that when the company arrived on Canadian soil where the feeling
was so kindly and friendly, Hugh raised his hands high toward heaven and said,
“Thank God we are on British soil once more.”
The train preceded on its journey westward,
returning to the United States at Detroit, MI, then proceeded on to St. Joseph, Missouri, where they left it and
camped in a large warehouse. Here they
took a boat again for a trip up the Missouri River.
The
River was shallow in places, and the boat was over-loaded. It would sometimes run into the sand bars in
shallow water and stick in the sand and mud and the passengers would have to
get off and walk, sometimes for considerable distances. Finally after a day and half of such
traveling they came to a place called Wyoming, which was located on the West
bank of the Missouri River, and which was then the outfitting place for the
west-bound emigrant trains in preparation to cross the great plains. They hurriedly jumped out of the boat there
at midnight in a terrible storm and in thick
darkness. They could see only during the
vivid flashes of lightening. The family
made their way from the boat partly up the gradual sloping river bank to a
large chokecherry bush for partial shelter, drenched through, to wait for the
coming of day. To add to their miseries
and worries, some of their luggage was lost, but the most part of it was found
the next day.
No
bad effects were felt by any as a result of the drenching they had on
landing. There was no shelter whatsoever
at Wyoming, so they made a tent from some bed ticking they had
with them in which they lived for three weeks, patiently waiting until the
teams arrived from the valleys to take them to their future home. Upon arrival of the ox teams or train from
the west, the people and their baggage were loaded into the wagons. Two yoke of Oxen had brought a load of
provisions for them for the journey.
Most of the outfits of the camp were provided with four yoke of oxen,
with three families to each wagon. The
westward move of the company is characteristic style, still under the same
George Bywater, began with John Warren as the
immediate Captain and leader of the Hugh Roberts family.
After
proceeding westward about three days from Wyoming, the dreaded Cholera broke
out in the camp and continued until over 50 souls were left in unmarked graves
on the plains. Some of the train were dying daily.
The babe that was born at sea, its mother and father and all of a family
of 7 children except one girl 18 years of age succumbed to the disease. The father of George Bywater
died and was buried near Green River but the body was later taken
to Salt Lake City. None
of Hugh’s family had the dreaded disease and acknowledged God’s kind preserving
care over them.
When
about half-way over the plains they were over taken by 7 men with mule team
outfits loaded with merchandise for the valleys. They traveled with the ox train a few
days. Then, on account of the slow
movement of the ox train, they went on ahead.
About two days later the oxtrain came upon the
camping place of the mule-team freighters.
The 7 men were slain, their bodies lying about and some soldiers were
digging a trench in which to bury them.
The Indians were bad in that section of the country at that time and
had, that morning, attacked the mule team outfit, killing the men, taking their
mules and what they wanted of the merchandise and burning the rest. Shortly after this some soldiers had found
them and were caring for the bodies.
What remained of the wagons was smoking when the ox train came up to
them. Whenever Indians were around, the
women and children of the ox train were ordered into the wagons and were
instructed not to peek out of the wagon covers.
At
the first crossing of the Platte River there was a heavy flow of
ice, the river was high and the water was very cold. It was neck deep and some who were walking
and were compelled to ford the stream nearly drowned. The family all passed over safely.
Hugh
did some trading at the store at Fort Laramie, a Trading Post. There he obtained some medicine for Mary, his
wife. The daughter, Mary, went with him
to the post, and the storekeeper was very anxious to have her remain to help
his wife but Hugh, of course, would never consent to such an arrangement, nor
did Mary desire to remain. Later on and
after leaving Fort Bridger, their wagon broke down and
it was necessary to stop to make repairs and the train went on and left
them. Finally after repairs were
completed they followed and were met by Elizabeth (Betsy) in the mountains
about six miles east of Echo. She was in
a wagon driven by a boy named Mich Harris. It was a joyous family meeting after the
years of separation and many changing scenes.
Betsy led them to Henefer, below Echo on the Weber River, where she then lived.
Catherine
met her future husband, Christopher Roberts, on the long trip across the
plains. He was driving a six-mule team,
and many a ride on the back of the wagon was given by him to the charming Welsh
girl. They arrived in Henefer on 4 Oct. 1864 and she was married to
Christopher in August, 1865. They
received their endowments in the Salt Lake Endowment House, 24 May 1869. Five children were born to
them.
Catherine
was very quiet and reserved and therefore rather backward at making
friends. She seldom visited outside of
her family. After her marriage she lived
in a little home beside her mother.
Together they spent many happy hours visiting and working. She was a very industrious woman and she
spent her time in the interests of her family.
She was very adept with her needle.
Her children were always well clothed, neat and clean. She was very desirous that her children learn
the Welsh language. At the time of her
death the English language was an almost unknown tongue to them.
She
was a lover of nature. Her flower garden
was a delight to her and to all who beheld it.
There could be found all the garden flowers common to that day,
especially did she love hollyhocks. This
flower grew in her garden profusely, in every color, both double and single
varieties. Everything good and beautiful
was dear to her heart.
To
recognize her industry, one need but look in her chest. It was filled with clothes—ready-made, others
cut and basted, and after her death, they were finished for her children.
Following
the birth of her fifth child, baby Catherine, she died in Smithfield, Utah, 5
August 1874. She was beloved by all who
knew her, a noble character and a splendid wife and mother. She was buried in the Smithfield cemetery. The babe Catherine died and was buried beside
her mother on 15 August 1874.
Christopher
Roberts
Christopher
Roberts was the son of John and Ann Pool Roberts, born 9 Mar 1838, at Serin, Flintshire,
North Wales. He joined the Church in his
native land, was baptized in Kello, Durham County, England, in Jan. 1857 by his
brother, Peter Roberts, and confirmed by William Jones. Christopher and his eldest brother Peter were
the only ones of their family to join the Church. They remained true and faithful Latter-day
Saints to the end of their days. He was
left without a mother at a very early age.
His father was a poor man and when Christopher was but nine years of
age, he started to earn himself a livelihood.
He had a hard life; some of his task masters were hard and cruel to him
and expected more of him than a small boy of his age was able to do.
He
finally drifted over into England. There he heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and
was convinced that it was the Gospel spoken by the Apostle John in the 14th
Chapter of Revelations. He continued to
work in England until he had saved money
enough to take him to Zion. Before he left for America, he had a great desire to
visit his father in Wales. He also had a sister, Jane and two brothers,
John and Nicholas. He had a desire that
they too should hear the Gospel. He went
to his old home arriving there early on a Sunday morning. It was a custom of his father’s family to
read a chapter from the Bible on Sunday morning, then
leave the Bible open at the chapter he had just read while he offered up a
prayer.
When
Christopher came to the door very quietly, he hesitated and listened. He could hear his father reading from the
Bible. He waited until the reading
ceased and the prayer was ended, then he knocked timidly on the door. His father came to the door. When he saw who was there he said “Be gone
with you. I have been informed that you
have joined those despised Mormons. I
want nothing to do with you.”
Christopher felt very sorrowful.
He lingered around the neighborhood that day. He was on one side of the street and saw his
father and sister go up the other side to church and
return. That was the last he ever saw of
his family in Wales. He left that evening and in a few days set
sail for America.
He
sailed from Liverpool early in Dec. 1863, touching at New York on 24 Dec. 1863 and landing at Philadelphia, PA, 1
Jan. 1864 where he labored on a farm until about the month of June 1864. He then proceeded to the frontiers. He drove six mules in a freight train across
the plains and landed in Salt Lake City, 1
Oct. 1864. On this journey he met and
traveled with the family of his future wife.
In
the fall of 1865 they moved to Smithfield, Utah. Five children were born to them. At the birth of the last one, Catherine, the
beloved wife and mother passed away. On 9 November 1875 he married Katherine Kunz in the Endowment House at
Salt Lake City. One
child, Rachel, was born to them.
In
the winter of 1869, while coming down the Smithfield canyon with a load of wood,
the load tipped over on him and he lay pinned underneath until he was almost
frozen to death. While in this position,
not being able to move and in terrible pain, he breathed a prayer for
deliverance, and through the miracle of a vision he saw a searching party
organized and coming to his aid. The
party that rescued him from being crushed and frozen to death consisted of
David Heaps and Nathan Smith. At this
time his feet were badly frozen and for a time it looked as though they would
have to be amputated. But by the help of
the Lord and Katherine’s skillful treatment, only three toes had to be
amputated.
Christopher
had the gift of healing. While he lived
in Smithfield, he was sent for from one end of town to the other
to administer to the sick. He always was
kind and sympathetic—always much concerned for those in distress. He continued to live in Smithfield with only an interval of a
few years when he tried dairying in Bear Lake County. He assisted in building the Sale Lake and Logan Temples and the Logan
Tabernacle. He was ordained an Elder 16
May 1868 by Robert Meikle at Smithfield and a High Priest 27 Oct. 1895 by Bishop George L. Farrell also at Smithfield. He received a patriarchal blessing from
Patriarch C. W. Hyde 2 June 1867 in which he received remarkable promises. He died 26 Mar 1909 at the age of 73. His second wife preceded him in death, having
died 7 July 1907. His life was characterized by public service,
good habits, faithfulness to his family, his God and
his religion. He was blessed with the
qualities that make a consistent Latter-day Saint, a good neighbor and a good
citizen.
