Upper Level: William Taylor 1844 Melina Smith 1844-1930

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

William Taylor 1844 Melina Smith 1844-1930

William Taylor

Parents Eli Taylor and Mary Ann Stringer
Christened 30 Sep 1844 Burton Upon Trent, Stafford, England

Occupation: Shoemaker (1871 census)

Married Melina Smith 3 Mar 1862 St Jude, Birmingham, Warwick, England (Divorced?)
Note: Her name in the record is misspelled as Melinar

William and Melina marriage record

Life note: William likely got remarried after Melina left him. I found 2 William's in the 1881 Birmingham census with spouses and children. One was a waiter and the other a RR guard.

Sources

1861 Census for Birmingham, Warwick, England (age 17 - living w/parents)

Marriage: England Marriages Film 918917 Batch M07360-2

1871 Census for Birmingham, Warwick, England (age 27)

Family Search

ancestry.com

Melina Smith
Parents William Smith and Hannah Rouse
Born 11 Sep 1843 Todenham, Gloucester, England
Christened 5 November 1843 Todenham, Gloucester, England
Note: Melina left England in Sep of 1872 with her three living sons aboard the ship Minnesota.

The ship Minnesota

Married 2) James Hepworth 14 Jul 1873 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
Children: James, Mary Jane, Samuel, Nephi, Alma, Randolph, Maud, and Melina
Died 6 Jul 1930 Woods Cross, Davis, Utah
Buried 9 Jul 1930 Bountiful Cemetery, Bountiful, Davis, Utah

Life Story

Melina Smith was born September 11, 1843, at Todenham, England, one of six children. (She was christened 5 November 1843 in Todenham)

Her father (William) was a cooper (built barrels) by trade and a pipe organ builder. At the time of his death, he had a partly-built organ in their home. Her father was the bandmaster of the village and he with his three sons could play 21 different musical instruments. After his death, they all had to go to work as they were left in poor circumstances.

When she was 8 years old, Melina went to work in the silk mills 5 miles away, and later she worked in a corset factory. She was always asked to start the evening hymn to close the work at the factory. This was Doxology.

Her people were Methodists, but at the age of 16 years she went with her sister Grace to a Mormon Missionary meeting and there they became converted and baptized into the Mormon religion.

In September 1863 (Correction: 3 Mar 1862) she married William Taylor. Four children were born to them, Eli, William, Heber, and Joseph. She buried their son William in England and left the children’s father. (Leaving England via Liverpool aboard the ship Minnesota) She and their 3 sons immigrated to America in September of 1872 (Addition: arriving the 17 of September in New York. Her son Eli was baptized into the LDS Church on the 29 September so they were in Utah by that time). Two of her three children (Heber and Joseph Edwin) died 2 months after she came to Utah. (Joseph Edwin reportedly died three days after she reached Utah and Heber died 9 Dec 1872 in Salt Lake City)

James Hepworth
her second husband

She came to Utah and lived with her sister, Lavinia Ann, until October conference when she moved to Salt Lake City where she lived with a family with the surname Lloyd.

On July 14, 1873, she married James Hepworth. They lived in Salt Lake until 1878 when they moved to Bountiful where they have since lived. She was a high soprano and her husband a deep basso and they, and her sister Grace who was a wonderful alto and her husband, Jack Holden, a good tenor, formed a quartet. These singers were welcomed at all religious gatherings for their splendid music.

To her second marriage was born eight children James, Mary Jane, Samuel, Nephi, Alma, Randolph, Maud, and Melina.

They were all taught to sing the different parts and spent many evenings at home singing the old English songs of their parents. The 4 children Nephi, Randolph, Maud, and Melina, formed a quartet, and sang a great deal, and at one time were one of the best-mixed quartets in Davis County.

Melina Smith Taylor Hepworth was a woman of strong character whose courage never failed. She was honest, faithful, and true to her religion. She was very industrious and up to the age of 84 years, she made piece quilts, braided rugs, and numerous articles of crochet work.

She died July 6, 1930, at the age of 86 years leaving a posterity of 8 children, 52 grandchildren, and 33 great-grandchildren.
Sources
1851 Census for Gloucester, England (age 7 - living w/parents)
1871 Census for Birmingham, Warwick, England (age 27 - as William's wife)
Note: name spelled Malind in record
1872 Passenger list for the ship Minnesota.
1880 US Census for Bountiful, Davis, Utah
1900 US Census For Bountiful, Davis, Utah (no age given)
1910 US Census for Bountiful, Davis, Utah page 6 (age not given)
1920 US Census for Bountiful, Davis, Utah sheet 2 (age 75)
1930 US Census for Bountiful, Davis, Utah Sheet 3A (age 85)
Utah Death Register 1847-1966
Note: more about the ship: history.sur-name.info/index.php?title=Ship/Minnesota/History
Life Story: https://www.frankhistory.com/pedigrees/getperson.php?personID=I395&tree=frank

Note: link is active as of 2024

Family Search

ancestry.com

CHILDREN

*Eli Taylor
Born 27 Dec 1862 Birmingham, Warwick, England
Married Maria Telford 23 Dec 1889 Bountiful, Davis, Utah
Children: John, George, Evan, Lurena, Witt, Beatrice, Unity, Charles, Clifford, Ora

Died 20 Jul 1931 Bountiful, Davis, Utah
Buried 23 Jul 1931 Bountiful Cemetery, Bountiful, Davis, Utah
Sources
1871 Census for Birmingham, Warwick, England (age 8)
Passenger list for the ship Minnesota (age 7)
1900 US Census for Bountiful Davis, Utah page 12B (Head of house)
1910 US Census for Bountiful, Davis, Utah page 5 (age 47)
1920 US Census for Bountiful, Davis, Utah sheet 2 (age 57)

Family Search

ancestry.com

William Taylor
Born 7 Nov 1865 Birmingham, Warwick, England
Christened 14 Jan 1866 Birmingham, Warwick, England
Died and Buried pre-1872 England
Sources

Family Search

ancestry.com

Heber Taylor
Born 1868 Birmingham, Warwick, England
Died 9 December 1872 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
Sources
Birth and Death: Utah Deaths and Burials Film 26553 Batch B54933-3 p 139 #5530
1871 Census for Birmingham, Warwick, England (age 2)

Family Search

ancestry.com

(Joseph) Edwin Taylor
Born Jun 1871 Birmingham, Warwick, England
Died 1872 Utah I did not find a death record for him in Utah
Sources
1871 Census for Birmingham, Warwick, England (age 2m)
Note: On the Census, his name is listed as Joseph E
Passenger list for the ship Minnesota (infant)
Death: comes from James Hepworth's life story by Iris Hepworth Moon written in 1974

Family Search

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From a Funeral Program

When I come to the end of the road

And the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little - but not for too long

And not with your head bowed low

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take

And each must go alone

It's all part of the Master's plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart

Go to the hills we know

And bury your sorrow among the trees

Miss me, but let me go.

The Line

Every minute someone leaves this world behind.
We are all in “the line” without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.

So while we wait in line -

Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready.

I'm My Own Grandpa

Many, many years ago when I was 23,
I got married to a widow
who was as pretty as could be.
She had a grown up daughter
who had a hair of red.
My father fell in love with her
and soon the two were wed.
This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life.
My daughter was my mother,
for she was my father's wife.
To complicate the matters worse,
although it brought me joy,
I soon became the father
of a bouncing baby boy.
My little baby then became a brother -in-law to dad
and so became my uncle though it made me very sad.
For if he was my uncle,
then that also made him brother to the widow's grown-up- daughter,
who of course, was my stepmother.
Father's wife then had a son,
who kept them on the run.
And he became my grandson, for he was my daughter's son.
My wife is now my mother's mother
and it makes me blue.
Because, although she is my wife,
she's my grandma too.
If my wife is my grandmother,
then I am her grandchild.
and every time I think of it,
it simply makes me wild.
For now I have become the strangest case you ever saw.
As the husband of my grandmother,
I am my own grandpa!

Quotes from the Prophets

President Gordon B Hinckley: "It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all, for each of us is a pioneer in his own life."

President Spencer W Kimball: "I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogical work, because it is the same great redemptive work!"

President Joseph Fielding Smith: " The responsibility on behalf of our kindred dead rests with equal force on all, according to our individual ability and opportunities...the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead."

The Passing of the Pot (Chamber Pot)

As far back in childhood
As memory may go
One household vessel greets me
That wasn't made for show
Beneath the bed twas anchored
Where only few could see
But served the entire family
With equal privacy
Some called the critter Peggy
And some the thundermug
And others called it badger
A few called it jug
To bring it in at evening
Was bad enough no doubt
But heaven help the person
Who had to take it out
Our big one was enormous
And would accomodate
A watermelon party
Composed of six or eight
When nights were dark and rainy
It was a useful urn
On icy winter mornings
The cold rim seemed to burn
At times when things were rushing
And business extra good
Each took his turn a waiting
Or did the best he could
Sometimes when in a hurry
To our disgust and shame
We fumbled in the darkness
And slightly missed our aim
The special one for company
Was decorated well
But just the same it rendered
That old familiar smell
Today this modernism
Relieves me a lot
And only in my vision
I see that homely pot.
(author unknown)

Poem about ancestors

Though steep is the path I follow today,
The footprints of time will show me the way.
For many have traveled a smiliar road,
And carried an equal of heavier load.

No troubles I face are new to this earth,
That man has not faced from time of his birth.
The route has been charted and roads have been paved
By legions before me who were stalwart and brave.

Their steps never faltered nor courage grew dim,
For they trusted the Lord and let Him led them.
If my faith and my trust remain steadfast and true,
God will guide and protect me in all that I do.
- Dolores Karides

The Elusive Ancestor

I went searching for an ancestor.
I cannot find him still.
He moved around from place to place
and did not leave a will.
He married where a courthouse burned.
He mended all his fences.
He avoided any man who came to
take the US census

He always kept his luggage packed,
This man who had no fame,
and every 20 years or so,
This rascal changed his name.
No one else inthis world is
searching for this elusive man,
so I play "Gene-solitaire"
To find him, if I can!

I'm told he's buried in a plot,
with tombstone he was blessed;
but the weather took engravings,
and some vandals took the rest.
He died before the county clerks
were appointed to keep records
No family Bible has emerged -
In spite of all my efforts.

To top it off, this elusive ancestor
who has caused me many groans -
left me even one more challenge:
He brothed a lady,
by the name of "Jones"!
(Got this from a publication
put out by the DUP organization
that names the author: Merrell Kenworthy)

Poem: Heaven's Door

If I should go before you,

If life on earth were through;

I'll stop just inside Heaven's door,

and there I'll wait for you.

You've but to look 'cross star filled skies,

Past the moon and then beyond;

To know my leaving could never break,

This heart's undying bond.

And if you should go before me,

If your journey on earth were through;

You know I will be close behind,

I'll never be far from you.

Across the span of time and space,

This love will reach this far;

For you'll always carry a bit of my heart,

No matter where you are.

Allison Chambers Coxsey©1995 ~ All Rights Reserved

Which Shall It Be? by Adelaide Proctor

Which shall it be?

"Which shall it be? Which shall it be?
I looked at John and John looked at me,
And when I found that I must speak,
My voice seemed strangely low and weak:
˜Tell me again what Robert said,"
And then I, listening, bent my head.
This is his letter:˜I will give
A house and land while you shall live,
If, in return, from out your seven,
One child to me for aye is given."

I looked at John's old garments worn;
I thought of all that he had borne
Of poverty, and work, and care,
Which I, though willing, could not share;
I thought of seven young mouths to feed,
Of seven little children's need,
And then of this.

˜Come, John,said I,
We'll choose among them as they lie
Asleep. So, walking hand in hand,
Dear John and I surveyed our band:
First to the cradle lightly stepped,
Where Lilian, the baby, slept.
Softly the father stooped to lay
His rough hand down in a loving way,
When dream or whisper made her stir,
And huskily he said: ˜Not her!"

We stooped beside the trundle bed,
And one long ray of twilight shed
Athwart the boyish faces there,
In sleep so beautiful and fair;
I saw on James rough, red cheek
A tear undried. E'er John could speak,
He's but a baby, too," said I,
And kissed him as we hurried by.

Pale, patient, Robbie's angel face
Still in his sleep bore suffering's trace.
˜No, for a thousand crowns, not him!"
He whispered, while our eyes were dim.
Poor Dick! bad Dick! our wayward son”
Turbulent, restless, idle one”
Could he be spared?
Nay, He who gave
Bade us befriend him to the grave;
Only a mother's heart could be
Patient enough for such as he;
˜And so," said John, ˜I would not dare
To take him from her bedside prayer."

Then stole we softly up above,
And knelt by Mary, child of love;
˜Perhaps for her ˜twould better be,"
I said to John. Quite silently
He lifted up a curl that lay
Across her cheek in a wilful way,
And shook his head: ˜Nay, love, not thee,
The while my heart beat audibly.

Only one more, our eldest lad,
Trusty and truthful, good and glad,
So like his father. ˜No, John, no!
I cannot, will not, let him go."

And so we wrote, in courteous way,
We could not give one child away;
And afterward toil lighter seemed,
Thinking of that of which we dreamed,
Happy in truth that not one face
Was missed from its accustomed place;
Thankful to work for all the seven,
Trusting the rest to One in heaven."

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

William Taylor 1844 Melina Smith 1844-1930

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