| Condensed from the book "A Journey Back in Time" by Mary Olson Almond | ||
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Children Grandchildren |
There have been Almonds in Hertfordshire, England for 400 years and in King's Walden for over 200 years. By searching, several families of Almonds have been found, but with no proof that they were relatives of our line. However many of them lived in the same towns, namely Hertfordshire and King's Walden, and probably were originally part of the same family. Joseph Almond, our line, was married to Elizabeth Pearman on February 9, 1867. They had the following children: Arthur 1867 James 1869 Lucy 1871 Eliza 1873 (a crib death when an infant) Mary Ellen 1875 Lorenzo 1878 Moroni Richard 1881 This information was taken from "Birth Registrations" of families from 1867 to 1881. Elizabeth had seven children by the time she was 34 years old. She and Joseph were very poor and humble people. Joseph was unable to earn enough to buy what was needed for the family. When he got his pay the landlord was always there to get the rent money, and the church minister was there to get a portion of his meager earnings. It was in these circumstances that the Elders (missionaries) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints found them. Grandfather Moroni's mother, Elizabeth Pearman Almond and father Joseph Almond heard the Gospel from the missionaries in 1881 in England. Elizabeth was baptized by Elder Miles that same year. Joseph hung back and was not converted. This same year (1881) Elizabeth's sister, Rhoda Pearman (also baptized) came to Utah with two of Joseph and Elizabeth's children in her charge--James and Lucy. James was their second child and Lucy was their third child. They arrived by train in Ogden November 10, 1882. The fare from London to New York was: for the children, 7 pounds, 12 shillings, and one pence; for adults, 15 pounds, 2 shillings and 4 pence. Rhoda found good families for James and Lucy to live within Salt Lake City, and shortly afterwards she married a Mr. Sears. He worked for Z.C.M.I. and was well enough off financially to help Elizabeth's family. Joseph Almond came to America May 6, 1883, on the ship "Nevada." When he arrived in Utah, he sought out two friends in Logan. They were Isaac Smith and a Brother Wilkenson both missionaries he had known in England, and who could provide him with the friendship he needed at that time. He worked hard to earn enough money to send for Elizabeth and the remaining children. However, Elizabeth was able to leave much sooner than expected when her sister Rhoda helped to pay for her fare. So in November of 1883, Elizabeth, at the age of thirty four, left England for Utah with three of her four remaining children--Arthur sixteen, Mary Ellen eight, and little Moroni age two years. Joseph came down from Logan to meet the train at Ogden that would reunite him with his wife and three of his children. Lorenzo, age five and three years older than Moroni, came later in 1884 with another of Elizabeth's sisters, Annie Groom Fayter. While Joseph was there in Ogden to meet the train, he heard of a job down by the Provo River at Moon's Saw Mill. He got the job there and Elizabeth got the job of cooking for the men at the mill. They thought they were very blessed that they both had a good job, but tragedy was soon to come. Having arrived in Utah in February, Elizabeth had only been at the Moon's Saw Mill about four months when in June, during the high-water season, she had her terrible mishap. Little Moroni was standing on a foot bridge watching his mother carry water from the river in two big buckets. Then once as she went to dip in again with her buckets, the bank where she was standing caved off into the river carrying his mother into the raging water. Mary Ellen was returning from taking her father's lunch to him when she found little Moroni crying his heart out that his Mommy was "in there." Mary Ellen sounded the alarm and all their friends and neighbors turned out to hunt for her down along the big stream but failed to find her. They hunted many hours, and found no trace of her. The following is from a newspaper clipping attached to a Book of Mormon that belonged to Elizabeth and kept by Lucy after her mother's death: " She was drowned on the 24th of June 1884, near Moon's Saw Mill, about 12 miles southeast of Kamas. Neighbors and friends searched for her body for one month, when on July 24th a fisherman found her two miles below the place where she fell in, her body having caught in the forks of a tree in the river. An inquest was held on Saturday the 25th of July by Summit County Coroner, James McCormick, Esq. of this place. The verdict was that the drowning was accidental, without any blame being attached to anyone. Though decomposition had commenced, she was placed in a nice coffin and buried the same day with respect to the dead and sympathy for the living who mourn her death." After this terrible tragedy Joseph felt strongly that he needed his two missionary friends in Logan again. (At the time that Grandfather Moroni Almond told this portion of his story to me, about 1944, Brother Wilkinson still had a book store in Logan.) So great-grandfather Joseph took his children and went back to Logan the summer of 1884. They had no housekeeper so the children shifted for themselves. The older ones worked all day. When Mr. and Mrs. Sandberg came down to see about it, Joseph gave little Moroni to stay with the Sandbergs. He had already arranged for Lorenzo, five years old, to live with a family by the name of Roundy. Joseph Almond, Moroni's father, some time later, married the second time to Martha Scott, a widow, and they had three children, namely Joseph, Martha (Matty), and William (Bill). |