Charles and Sarah Ann Kidgell leave England for Zion

St. Thomas Church of England

Taken from the history of Charles and Sarah Ann,

 'their united thought was'

 "First, last, and all time the Kingdom of God"

 'which was their greatest love, 

and for their growth and development

 they dedicated their lives and talents.' 

 Charles and Sarah Ann are married fifteen months when they traveled to Liverpool to board the ship Juventa for the voyage to America.  Sarah is three month pregnant and I'm sure her emotions are all over the place from one moment to the next.  Excited that this is Charles's dream come true to very sad to leave her close knit family - her parents, a married sister and two unmarried brothers. 1n 1869 thirteen years later Sarah Ann will convince her parents to come to Utah only to return to England after a few years.  Charles will be leaving his widowed father and four sisters, one married.  In 1859 just four years later his father Charles Sr. and his sister Caroline and husband John Higson will make the voyage across the sea and trek across the plains to Utah.  

Did you know that during the 1800's over nine million Britons emigrated from Liverpool alone to New Zealand, Australia, Canada and America?   Forty five thousand new converts to the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day-Saints from Britain and Scandinavia emigrated to Zion by 1900.  At least twenty of my ancestors emigrated to Zion from England before 1869.  http://lib.byu.edu/mormonmigration/  

The earliest English ancestor of mine was the Hepworth family who made the voyage/trek in 1852.  I mention this because Thomas and Mary Hepworth had a son who married a daughter of Charles and Sarah Ann Kidgell, my Great-grandparents.  

On the Mormon Migration site (link above) you can see the LDS passenger list and journals. 

I have read many accounts of the voyage's across the sea and this sea experience of Charles and Sarah in 1855 was a mild one in comparison.  I will be writing about their experience on the ship from other people's journals who were abroad and a brief history written by my Grandmother Ethel. 

Looking over the passenger list of 573 Mormons I was surprised to see the name's George and Ann Tomlinson.  Yes, to those who know about our 'surname story' this is the step-gg- grandfather and his first wife that our surname comes through.  Just a short explanation: My father's name is Vern Wherrett Tominson - after two years of researching a very puzzling family record sheet, I found the problem was our biological surname was Wherrett not Tomlinson.  Dad died not knowing the real truth. I am sure Charles and Sarah Ann knew George and Ann very well and probably in some way related to Sarah Ann's mother Maria Tomlinson.  I have not been able to make the connection, YET! 

 Charles and Sarah Ann were registered as ordinary steerage passengers Charles as an engine fitter. They paid two pounds and ten shillings for the trip across the ocean and at the end of their journey paid ten pounds and ten shillings more to complete the total cost of their passage. 

 "This was a remarkably successful passage-no deaths, one birth of a child who was named Juventa, and no issues, except seasickness and a few cases of measles among the children."  

 Their was one severe storm and the passengers were kept below without much air and very poor water.  Charles's experience as an engine fitter came in very handy when the attendant fell asleep. "Charles discovered the trouble and due to his knowledge as an engineer was able to alleviate the trouble without injury to anyone on board, or the vessel, and thus saved the lives on all on the ship."

GENEALOGY

Preserve the Past- Inspire the Future 

Coming Soon - Trek across the Plains