Charles KIDGELL Sr. Life in England, Utah and Kansas.

Before continuing on with the life of Sarah Ann and Charles I decided this is a good time to write about father Kidgell, Charles Sr..   Charles Sr. was born 5 Aug 1806 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England to Joseph Kidgell Jr. and Ann Platts. He has one older brother, Henry.

  Charles Sr.'s ancestral  lines end at about  1732-35.  

This is not because of my efforts of research but, of a second cousin once removed, Lily Jane Miller, who lives in Manti, Utah.  Our common ancestor is Sarah Ann and Charles Jr., they are her first Great- grandparents and, as a reminder, they are my second Great-grandparents.  Lily Jane has done considerable  research on the Kidgell's for many years back when it wasn't so easy and has done a wonderful job of sourcing.  I am very grateful for her willingness 

to share information with me.

When father Charles Sr. came to Utah in 1859 at the age of fifty three he had

 been married twice. 

At age twenty one Charles married Marie Vale on 13 August 1827 in the parish of Wolverhampton, Stafford, England.  In my minds eye she was beautiful!  Marie died just a month before their third wedding anniversary. I do not know of any children.

  Charles met another beauty Caroline Loftus who was just eighteen years old when he married her on 31 May 1831 in Aston Juxta Parish, Birmingham, Warwick, England.  Six children were born to them, Charles Jr. being the oldest and only boy, Henrietta Elizabeth b 1835, Caroline b 1836, Ann Maria b 1838, Martha b 1841, and Helen b 1844.

Mother Caroline died just before baby Helen's first birthday, 2 Oct 1845 of Pleuropneumonia, Emphysema, at St. George, Birmingham, England.  

Baby Helen died at seventeen months of pneumonia at Aston, Warwick, England in 1846.

Charles joins the Church of Jesus Christ-of-latter-day-Saints in 1853.

Daughter Henrietta married William Procter in 1855 and sadly she died in 1857, no children.

Daughter Ann Maria marries after father Charles leaves England to a John Leigh in 1861.

They would have four children which I'm thinking never see's their grandfather Kidgell. 

The only information I have on daughter Martha Harriet is she died at age eighteen in 1859 and I'm guessing this happened before father Charles left for Zion in May 1859.

Daughter Caroline who married John Higson  is the one who traveled with her father Charles Sr. just eleven months after marriage (1858) and has her first baby just as they sail out of Liverpool for America. They had six boys and one girl!   They joined the LDS Church in 1854.

Researching the Newspaper I found this ad taken out by Charles Sr., of two stray cows that came visiting and wouldn't go home.    So simple so fun to find! 

Charles married again.  I only know her by her first name, Harriet and she is twelve years younger than Charles.   I am guessing that 1861 is the year they married.    A record on 

Utah Deaths and Burials, 1888-1946  https://www.familysearch.org/

gave me her birth year and place; Blockswitch, Stafford, England and of course

 the day she died.  The following article I found in the Newspaper explains her death. 

This says a lot.  At age sixty and forty eight, Charles Sr. and Harriet desire to adopt a child. An orphan boy.  Capt. Holladay had a stage line company and travels between Salt Lake City and Virginia City, Montana which carried much of the newly discovered gold from the Montana mines.  (Researched by me)  He would be the contact of any news about the boy.  I'm thinking she is walking down the street when she sees Capt. Holladay driving the stage coach and she is  anxious to get the latest information thinking she could climb onto the coach which is going very slow and falls.  She would be wearing a long dress and could very well catch

 her footing in the hem.

 Harriet suffered a week before she died from her injuries.  Just breaks your heart.

Deseret News  27 March 1868


It's now 1868 and Charles places an add in the Newspaper to sell two house
 in the ninth ward.
 Sounds like really nice places!
He has married again, to Ann Jenkinson (or Jennings) Barson.  Charles is now sixty two years old he is twenty eight years older than Ann who is a widow and has two children Martha age ten and John William age 7.
Ann lived in the ninth ward with  her husband Samuel Barson
 who died 25 Aug. 1865.
Charles Sr. and Ann were married on 24 Sep 1867. 
By 1870 Charles and Ann have moved to
 Pleasant View, Cherokee, Kansas.  (1870 US Census)
Charles has joined the Reorganized LDS Church and I'm guessing
 Ann is a member too. 
Five years later Charles dies on 23 March 1875.
He is buried next to Harriet in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Ann dies on 3 October 1875  and is buried in Pleasant View. 

At this writing I have no idea what happened to Ann's children Martha age 15
and John age 12. 

   

Utah War 1857-1858

An artist's sketch of the army marching past the Lion House on its way through Salt Lake City  (DUP photo Collection)

     In two and a half years after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley Charles and Sarah Ann will have to evacuate  their home, moving south.
  My  second Great -Grandparents Thomas and Mary Hepworth who came into the Valley in 1852 would also be among the great evacuation in 1858.
   I am just realizing the significance of the Utah War or (aka) The Buchanan Blunder, (or in my mind should be titled The Utah War Stand-off)  had on my Great Great-Grandparents  lives; the sacrifices they would have to make but, there are no stories written or orally handed down by any of them.  Oh, how I would love to know their feelings about this event.
      In 1857 the Johnston Army was given orders by President Buchanan to go out west and "put down a supposed Mormon rebellion and replace Young as territorial governor"
  "President Young announced on March 23, 1858,  that all settlements in northern Utah must be abandoned and prepared for burning if the army came in.  The evacuation started immediately...........about 30,000 people moved to Provo and other towns in central and southern Utah.    There they remained in shared and improvised housing until the Utah War  was over."
   (Source; Encyclopedia of Mormonism,p 1500) 
Historians [Mr.] Allen and [Mr.] Leonard write:
     "It was an extraordinary operation.  As the Saints moved south they cached all the stone cut for the Salt Lake Temple and covered the foundations to make it resemble a plowed field.  They boxed and carried with them twenty thousand bushels of 'tithing' grain, as well as machinery, equipment, and all the Church records and books.  The sight of thirty thousand people moving south was awesome, and the amazed Governor Cummings did all he could to persuade them to return to their homes.  Bringham Young replied that if the troops were withdrawn from the territory, the people would stop moving......"
The history of this event is worth reading about.
Below is the link to more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_War#December_1857-March_1858:_winter_intermission

1855-1871 Sarah Ann and Charles's life in Salt Lake Territory.

     Not a day goes by that I'm not reminded of a  trial and challenge of one of my  ancestor.  Sarah Ann in the very beginning of her journey across the ocean and across the plains was pregnant with her first child.   She left her comfortable home in England To walk across the plains at a time when Indians threatened to massacre the whole wagon train.  Less than a month after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley her child was born under unfavorable circumstances.  Maybe, a midwife would attend Sarah or maybe it would be a friend or two or three.
Below is a picture of the Salt Lake Valley of how it would look like when the Kidgell's arrived. The wall was built for protection of any Indian invasion. 
The first few years they would live in the 11th ward which, looking at the map, was somewhere around Third South and 5th East. 

Soon after 1860 they built a house in the LDS 9th Ward.  See the purple 

dot on the map, the location is 5th East between 5th and 6th South right across from where Trolley Square is today.  This information is from a Salt Lake Directory, 1867.
(Taken from Charles's history)
"Charles Jr. was not able to work as an engineer in Salt Lake.  He would work hauling slabs of granite and marble with an ox team and wagon that was used to build the Salt Lake Temple.  He also helped to build the Salt Lake Theater, and Lion House, and Social Hall.  After the completion of the theater he became one of the doormen, and later acted as bodyguard for president Bringham Young and accompanied him on many trips  He and Sarah Ann danced an enjoyed many parties at the Social Hall.  Sarah Ann always felt honored when President Young asked her to dance with him." 
On the Utah US Federal Census lists Charles Jr. occupation as "runs job wagons" which I think means he was probably a foreman overseeing the wagons going to and fro in the neighboring canyons hauling granite.   In the 1867 City Directory he is listed as a 'farrier' which also makes sense. (Takes care of trimming and shoeing horses)  I would guess that being a doorman was a part time job. 

I will build a timeline for Sarah Ann and Charles starting with 1855.

First child Ellen Maria 

• 1855 October 19 - first child born; Ellen Maria
• 1857  April 1 - second child born; Charles Edward
• 1857 May 7 - Charles Edward dies at four weeks.
• 1859 July 11 - third child born; William Henry 
• 1859 September 15 - arrival of Charles Sr. and daughter Caroline with husband John Higson and five month old  son Charles James. 
• 1861 November 1 - fourth child born; Joseph James
• 1864 March 1 - fifth child born; Sarah Ann - my great-grandmother
• 1866 February 8 - sixth child born; Caroline Loftus  
• 1866 June 9 - Charles and Sarah Ann take out their endowments and are sealed for eternity in the Endowment House. 
• 1867 September 15 - Caroline Loftus dies at nineteen months. 
• 1868 February 18 - seventh child born; Albert Thomas
• 1869 July 14 - Albert Thomas dies at seventeen months. 
• 1869 July 28 - Parents of Sarah Ann; Edward and Maria Cashmore arrive.  They would travel from New York City to Ogden, Utah by train or aka the Iron Horse. 
• 1869  November 27 - eighth child born; George Daniel 
• 1870 October 13 - George Daniel dies at ten months. 
• 1871 December 20 - ninth child born; Fredrick Cashmore

                                                                                                                                            

                                                         
          

1859 - Charles Sr. - Caroline Kidgell and John Higson arrive in Zion

     It would be four years later when Charles Sr. Kidgell and his daughter Caroline her husband John Higson would join Charles and Sarah Ann in Salt Lake City.   Caroline would have her first child born on the ship William Tapscott while in port at Liverpool, England just days before it set sail for New York City.  Which is more of a challenge, being pregnant for the first time the whole journey or having a newborn to fret over?  

Father Charles joined the LDS Church in England in 1852.  Caroline and John joined in 1854 at age eighteen but, were married at age twenty two in 1858. 

This family would be in the Robert F. Neslen Company leaving Florence, Nebraska (now Omaha) on 23-26 June 1859 and arrive in Salt Lake 15 September 1859.  Can you imagine the happiness of having family with so much to talk about, catching up on the news from home and comparing their voyages's across the Atlantic Ocean and trek across the plains?!    

 Father Charles lived with Charles Jr.'s family until he marries again about 1864.  He is a jeweler by trade and opens a store on Main St. in Salt Lake City.   In the late 1860's he will join the Reorganized LDS Church and by 1870 is a resident of Pleasant View, Cherokee, Kansas where he dies in 1875.  He is buried in Kansas.  

John Higson is pictured in the book of Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah.  He and Caroline live just a couple of doors down from Charles and Sarah Ann. 

John's occupation is minor.  I don't have much information on this family, yet.  They had seven children all lived to adulthood.  

Sarah Ann's Parents arrive from England

    This is Sarah Ann's parents

 Edward Cashmore and Maria Tomlinson.  This picture was taken in Salt Lake City sometime between 1869 and 1875.    

They would be sixty eight and sixty four years old in 1869.

They came with 365 other Saints on the ship Colorado and arrived in New York City thirteen days later; a trip that took Sarah Ann and Charles thirty four days - fourteen years earlier.  On the ninth of May 1869 the transcontinental Railroad would connect the East to the West so from New York Edward and Maria would take the train (aka Iron Horse) to Ogden, Utah arriving 20 August.  They lived in the house next door to Sarah Ann that the Kidgell's had built for them.  

I can imagine the joy of the reunion after so long a separation. 

Edward and Maria would see their four grand-children for the first time sadly, one grandson Albert Thomas died just a month before their arrival.  However, Sarah Ann is six month's pregnant with her eighth child, George Daniel who  dies at ten months. 

On  3 October 1869 Edward and Maria were baptized into the LDS Church.   On 5 January 1874 they would take out their endowments and be sealed for Eternity. This would take place in the Endowment House since the Salt Lake Temple is not finished until 1893.  

They would return to England sometime between 1874 and 1880.  They became homesick for their mother land and three children and many grand-children they left behind.  In my possession I have two letters written by Edward one dated 1864, one dated 1888.

I will post them at a later date.     

Charles Kidgell applies for 'Brand' 1871

http://archives.utah.gov/research/indexes/index.html on this link I have found so much information on my Ancestors, mostly death certificate that have been digitalized and ready to print.  This find is a Book of Recorded MARKS AND BRANDS   Finds like this give a more personal touch about great great-grandfather Charles.  It gives the date his 'Brand' was recorded and that he indeed lived in the 9th Ward.  This also confirms he owned animals.

Aunt Louise Wherrett Tomlinson Morris Hicks 1918-1998

Louise Wherrett Tomlinson abt. 1940

Dad had one sibling.   Aunt Louise was born on this day in 1918, five and a half years after Dad.  She is my name sake, Louise Renée however, I have always gone by the latter name.  She shares this day with her first born, Ardyth Ann, who is my only living first cousin on my dad's side.  Ardyth is nine months younger than me and she is my greatest cheerleader when it comes to my passion of Family Search. Happy Birthday Ardyth! I am grateful for her encouragement and enthusiasm that she expresses to me often.  It  helps me keep on keeping on in doing this work.  


I will be writing Louise's 'life history' at a later time.   Aunt Louise had two children Ardyth, and Lee Vern Morris who is deceased.
 (b 1945-d 1990)   
Louise taught school for over thirty years. Her first teaching assignment after getting her 'teacher's certificate' from Albion State Normal School  was in Howell, Idaho near Arco, Idaho.  It was there she met and married a local cow boy Delbert Osker Morris on 17 February 1941.   She became a 'single mother' soon after Lee was born.  She continued with her education and  specialized in the field of special education moving to Fremont, California where she was very well respected by her peers.  She was a successful 'head of the household' when that was uncommon.  Not only were her children in her sole care financially but, her mother, Ethel Hepworth Tomlinson also, (my grandmother) starting from when the children were very young.  I remember Aunt Louise  as a fun 'let's do it' type of person; someone my father loved and was very proud of her professional achievements and as a single mother in a very difficult time. She was very bright and preserved through many adversity's. She did marry again to Gearin Hicks on 6 November 1972.(More about this at a later date)    Aunt Louise, we will never forget you! 

Trek across the plains/Sarah Ann & Charles Kidgell

Where do I get the 'stories', the information?  Let me explain; some information has been handed down from grandparents, one generation to the next.   Most information I have researched other's journal's that are available on the Internet.  I will put quotes around what I have found from others but, will not source it here (on the Blog) it just takes up too much space.  However, if you want to know exactly where I got something I have posted please e-mail me, I will willingly give you my source.  One way of finding the sources is through this link then follow the directions.

http://lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompanysearch/1,15773,3966-1,00.html

  

 After one month and four days at sea, the coast of America came into view on the morning of 4 May, 1855.  "The ship would be towed by a tug-boat up the Delaware River, finally anchoring the Juventa in Philadelphia on the evening of 5 May 1855."

I would like to mention that most of the Saints on board were participants in The Perpetual Emigrating Fund (P.E. F.) which was organized in 1849 under the direction of Brigham Young to assist the poor in emigrating however, it is my understanding from  Charles and Sarah's history they paid their own way. 

From Philadelphia Charles and Sarah traveled by train to Pittsburgh.  On the way they experienced a jarring train wreck, resulting in a "great bewailing among the women."  "Several of the trains car's had to be left behind, but the rest of the train moved ahead."  In Pittsburgh, they boarded a steamboat and the next stop was Atchinson, Kansas. 

From Atchinson they traveled a short distance to Mormon Grove.  It is here that they would experience their first 'pioneer life.'  At the first site of Mormon Grove Sarah and Charles would see the "appearance of a city of tents and wagons beautifully arranged in the open woodland...."  They will wait five weeks for their wagon and 'outfit' to take them across the plains to the Salt Lake Territory. 

I'm sure the five weeks went by quickly; for the men "completed a ditch, and a log fence and ploughed and planted about 40 acres."  "Cattle had to be broken and teamsters had to be trained."  This Charles would learn to do by having to yoke the oxen and drag logs around the camp.   

Charles and Sarah Ann were assigned to the Richard Ballantyne Company. 

Elder Ballantyne was returning from a Mormon mission in India. 

          

Richard Ballantyne

The Ballantyne company left Mormon Grove 2 July 1855. "Each morning the company rose to the sound of the bugle, gathered together for prayer, and sang a hymn. They would cover on average from twelve to fifteen miles a day," never traveling on Sunday. 


"During their journey the company supplemented their meals with fresh meat--usually buffalo--and fish when they could, and they also saw many wolves, bears, snakes, hares, and other desert wildlife, including on one occasion snapping turtle, which made for a tasty soup for the group." 
 However, food supplies did run low after a couple of months and some of the Saints began "to feel a little blue about it."   Nothing discouraged Charles and Sarah Ann. They pressed on without even a thought of complaint and with one thought in mind, as Charles told Sarah Ann over and over, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and these things shall be added unto you."  ( History of Charles)  
With in a few days the company was met by wagons from Salt Lake to supplement their food supplies. "That night the Saints celebrated by dancing and singing until late in the evening." 

Like the ocean voyage with no deaths (I have read several account of 'crossing the ocean' and most voyages had many, many deaths) this company of Saints  fell far below the average death rate for emigrants on the plains.  Their were a total of eleven accidents, "eight were run over by wagons and three were shot." [Accidently]

For example; a sister from Switzerland "stepped on her dress while climbing out of a wagon and fell.  The wagon wheel ran over her, 'cutting across her groin and breast'.  It took her three days to die, becoming the first of several Swiss travelers  to die

 en-route."   

Another example; "One woman was making a bed and while dragging her husband's shotgun across the bed, accidently set it off.  It 'mangled her arm in a shocking manner.'  She ran out into the camp with her arm swinging by a piece of flesh. They tried to take her to Fort Laramie to see a surgeon, but she died on the way."

On another occasion, "while camped in Laverne.  We were surrounded by[many] Indians, they were dressed up with paints and feathers"  [Going to some great meeting]

Mr. Ballantyne "exercised all caution and instructed the men to keep their guns with them --loaded.  While the Indians were in the camp, one young Saint accidently shot off his gun, shooting a Sister in the knee.  The gunshot alarmed the Indians; they scattered and were almost instantly mounted and 'prepared for battle.'  But as soon as the Indians  learned of what happened, they returned to the camp and 'seemed very sorry for the sister.'  She was taken to Fort Laramie where her leg was cut off above the knee, but they had to cut above again and again and she finally died.  This caused a sad feeling in the company as she was a beautiful singer and the life of the camp."

After two months and twenty four days on the plains the company entered Salt Lake City and were met by a brass band.  There would be a reunion of families and friends that had entered the valley before them, President Young and Kimball visited, bidding the travelers welcome. Women and some men wept for joy. 

Charles and Sarah Ann's clothes were well worn and shoes worn off their feet.  It would be twenty four days after their arrival that Sarah Ann would give birth to her first baby, Ellen Maria in a hut that had a dirt roof and leaked quite badly.  The bed had to be raised up on stumps of trees to keep it up out of the water, and an umbrella was held over the bed to keep the mother and child dry during the birth.  (History of Charles and Sarah Ann Kidgell) 

Next post:  Life in Salt Lake City and many more children. 

Just so you know!

Dear Family and Friends,
As I have said before this is a work in progress and I have learned much since I started this genealogy blog. 
A very busy mother of three young boys Juliet helped me in redesigning my blog.  Thank You Juliet and don't you agree it is much better?   Oh, so much better I think. 
The bee theme has great personal meaning in my life!  And the life and symbol of a bee has great meaning!  
Those of you that are alerted by e-mail that a new post has been posted only to find it's a post you have already read, I apologize, this is because I have been going back and editing older post, cleaning them up, correcting sentence structure, just fixing. 

Renée 1 May  2010 Hepworth House Salt Lake City

Thanks for your patience. 


Next post:  Sarah Ann and & Charles cross the plains.