SARAH EDWARD
Sarah Edward was born 5 May 1838 in Kilnbarth, Rudbaxton parish, (near
Haverfordwest) Pembrokeshire, Wales to Richard Edward and Mary Evan. (All of
these names are often listed in the plural; e.g. Edwards, Evans) Her father
was an agricultural laborer who had formerly worked as a weaver. She was 7th
in a family of 12 children. Of her six sisters only two married and had
children.
Just a year before Sarah's birth, Queen Victoria began her reign. This was a
time of some reformation of the government as well as the morals of the people.
In all the British Isles there was a great depression from 1838 thru about
1842. The great potato famine in Ireland occurred in 1845. So it is obvious
that Sarah had a very humble beginning. Most of the children of the poor had
to work, either in the fields or in the mines. Few of the children learned to
read or write. The land around her native area is quite hilly and a lot of it
is used for pasturing sheep. She may have spent some time herding sheep on the
hillsides.
How she became acquainted with John Lalliss is unknown. His family lived in
Haverfordwest, a distance of about 6 miles to the south. He and his mother,
Jane, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in March, 1857.
His mother emigrated to America in 1866, and he followed in October of 1867.
He apparently sent for her upon his arrival, as she sailed from Liverpool,
England, Tuesday, July 14, 1868, on the steamboat "Colorado". Before starting,
a meeting was held on deck. Apostle Franklin D. Richards, President of the
European Mission, addressed the Saints exhorting them to cleanliness, order,
forbearance, and obedience to proper authority. He explained that this was the
last company of Saints for the season emigrating to Zion, and it swelled the
number of emigrants for the year to about 3,170 souls. Elder William B.
Preston was appointed President of the Company. Elder Charles W. Penrose
dedicated the ship.
About 4 p.m. the noble vessel steamed out to sea, the sun shining brightly, the
sky without a cloud and no sadness appearing on a single countenance except on
those who returned to shore after bidding their friends farewell. Sarah never
saw her family again. Some of her family did come to America to see her, but
arrived a few days after her funeral.
After a safe and pleasant journey, the ship arrived in New York July 28th. It
should be noted that by this time the ships were powered by steam as well as by
sail and the crossing time had been cut from over a month to about two weeks.
They were detained only about one hour in New York, after which the emigrants
went to the Hudson River Railroad Station, where they remained over night. The
following day, July 29th, about 5 p.m. the railway journey was begun towards
Albany, New York. August 7th the company arrived safely at Benton, Wyoming.
Benton was the terminus where all passengers and goods were landed for the
West. Five pounds sterling per adult (about $8 USA in 2002) covered the
railway fare to the terminus, $8 per hundred for extra luggage. The company
left Benton August 13th with Captain Simpson A. Molen's ox-train of 61 wagons
and 300 Saints arriving in Ogden, UT, Sep 2, 1868.
John and Sarah were married in Malad, ID, on the 5th of Sep, 1868, 3 days after
her arrival in America. John was living with (or near) his mother and John
Price, whom she had married in polygamy nearly 2 years earlier. In July of
1869 their first child, a girl named Mary Jane, was born.
John had an aunt, Elizabeth Lalliss Thomas, who had come to America in 1863.
She lived over in Cache Valley in the small town of Paradise, Utah. Elizabeth
was only 5 years older than John so it assumed that they had been quite close
as children, having grown up together in the same house until Elizabeth
married. In May of 1870 Sarah was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and they moved to Paradise. They lived in Paradise for
several years, but in 1872 John bought a city lot in Mendon, a small village
about 15 miles west and north of Paradise.
While they lived in Paradise, 7 more children were born to them: Sarah Ann,
Martha Hannah, John Richard, Harriet Elizabeth, Charles James, Ellen Dinah, and
Evan George. Harriet died at 10 months of age and is buried in Paradise. All
of the other children grew to maturity and married.
Some time in the 1880's they moved to Mendon. Mendon was arranged around a
plan by Brigham Young where the people lived together in the town and their
farms were around the perimeter. John and Sarah had two small farms. They
raised grain and hay and had a few cattle and chickens.
Sarah Ann married Reeves Bird in 1890. Mary Jane, who was known as Molly,
married John Westover in 1895. Charles James (Charlie) married Ethel Davis in
1903. John Richard left home when he was only 14 years old and spent the next
25 years working in the mines in Montana. In 1912 he returned to Mendon and
married Ida Lemmon, who had lived just up the street from his parents. Evan
George (George) married Amy Briggs in 1915 and Ellen Dinah (Nellie) married
Francis Westover in 1917.
Sarah loved her children and was a very proud grandmother to Sarah, Molly and
Charlie's children. She was a widow for nearly 15 years, her husband having
died in October of 1899 at the age of 56. Even though she lived to be 76,
three of her children had yet to become parents. She is buried in Mendon
beside her husband.
