This is my new Family History Series, where I share the stories of my ancestors. Past posts of a genealogical nature have connected me with people in ways I never thought possible, and I’d like to see who else might get in touch with me as I post about those who are part of my family tree.

THOMAS HENRY CARTWRIGHT

December 23, 1814…..January 9, 1873

Written by Elizabeth Baldwin Dean

His Great Granddaughter

My Great Grandfather Thomas Henry Cartwright was born 23 December 1814 in Upholland, Wigan, England.  He was the son of Joseph Cartwright and Jane Glover.  As a young man he learned the trade of Blacksmithing and worked at that trade and other odd jobs that were available.  He married Sarah Yates, his first wife, 25 Sept. 1836 in the Parish of Standish, Lancaster, England.  They had 3 Children.  Thomas was baptized without telling his wife.  She became very upset and used some bad language.  Some of her non-Mormon friends advised her not to speak too much against the L.D.S. saints, for she might become herself.  She replied, “I hope to God, if ever I am such a fool, that I’ll be drowned in the attempt.”  A short time after, her husband talked to her about the truths of the Gospel, she consented to go to some meetings and hear for herself.  She was very sorry about her conduct in front of everyone and she requested to be baptized privately.  The creek that was usually used had been overflowing its banks, but her husband and elder Pugmire thought everything would be all right.  After the ordinances were performed and they were walking out.  The bank gave way and the Elder and Mrs. Cartwright went under the water.  Thomas tried to rescue her but she slipped away and her body was not found until the next day.  After Mrs. Cartwright was buried, Thomas and Elder Pugmire were arrested and confined for six weeks and three days before their trial.  The judge remarked to the jury that Baptism was an ordinance of our Religion that it was a sad accident that had occurred.  They were then set free.

Thomas Cartwright married his second wife, Jane Allen, 4 June 1844 in St. Nicholas Church in the parish of Liverpool, Lancaster, England.  She was the Daughter of Robert Allen and Julia and was his second wife and was my Great Grandmother.  On June 3, 1850 they joined the Milo Andrus wagon train co for Salt Lake City.  This was for the immigrating Saints for the season of 1850.  They left the Missouri River on June 3, 1850.  The company consisted of 266 persons and 51 wagons with Captain Milo Andrus in Charge.  The company made good time and the Captain wrote that the company was in good shape.  They got along pretty well until they got to Salt Creek.  Here the stream was swollen so high that the bridges had been carried away and they had to go to work and build a raft to carry the wagons across safely to the other side.  They arrived in Salt Lake 30 Aug. 1850.  They were sealed in the endowment house in Salt Lake City, Utah 15 Nov 1852.  They were blessed with six children.  Two of their children being born after they moved to Cedar City, Iron County, Utah.  Cedaressa was supposed to be the first white Girl to be born in Cedar City.

In the fall of this same year, Thomas was called to help settle Iron Co. Utah.  There were so many hardships encountered in the settling of a new territory that any man with a family was not allowed to take them with him.  For this reason Mrs. Cartwright remained in Salt Lake City with her family for sometime.  During the winter she and her family suffered for want of food and clothing.  One by one, the treasures she had brought with her from Ireland and England went to purchase these things for her family while the father was laboring to make a safe place for them to have a home.  The settlers traveled as far as the present site of Parowan.  Here they shopped to build the first house.  While in the Parowan canyon, Thomas severed one toe and part of another while cutting logs.  For the next two months, until the company moved to Cedar, he was unable to work.  It was in April of 1852 that he moved his family from Salt Lake City.  During the seven or eight years the family lived in Cedar, they suffered the hardships common to Pioneer life.  They were without bread sometimes for days.  Their only food was roots and grass that could be found.  The little bit of wheat that they could obtain was ground into flour in a coffee mill.  This flour was a carefully guarded and hoarded possession.  My Great Grandmother was an excellent seamstress and a fine knitter.  All of the stockings her grandchildren wore were made by her.  When the iron works built by the Church started to operate, Thomas went tow work as a blacksmith once a week, he would get a small amount of black flour.  Times were difficult and when work was scarce, he left his family again and went to California.  Here he stayed for 18 months.  After getting the money he had earned and buying clothes for his family, he returned to Cedar.  He remained there until he moved to Beaver in 1858.  After coming to Beaver, he and the Gillies Brothers erected the first woolen carding machine in Southern Utah.  They did very well with this machine.  Sometime later the woolen mill burned to the ground and they built another one.  They also built two threshing machines.  Thomas Cartwright made the first rollers for a sugar cane machine.  People in Dixie were raising a great deal of sugar cane and converting it into molasses, he built the first plows in Iron County.  He was one of the early singers in Cedar City and was in the first brass band in Beaver.  Thomas was a member of the Beaver Minute Men.  Thomas Cartwright died in 1888 in Beaver, Beaver County, Utah.

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Isn’t that baptism story crazy? (In a funny and very sad kind of way.)

 

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