Rosamond Watson Nuttall

Rosamond Watson Nuttall 1829-1916

George Gary Creer's Great Great Grandmother

Rosamond Watson was born 23 June 1829 in Lime Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Her parents were George Watson and Mary Dyson. When Rosamond met William Nuttall and wanted to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, her parents told her that she would have to renounce her new religion or leave home. She chose to leave and lived with her married sister, Caroline, until her marriage.

Rosamond was baptized 14 January 1851 and she and William were married 4 August 1851 in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Liverpool. Because their families were very hostile toward their new religion, William, Rosamond, his parents and two unmarried brothers left Liverpool 6 March 1852 on the ship “Rockaway” with the Elias Morris company of LDS converts to come to Utah.

This group of converts was known as the Sugar company, because on the same ship came the sugar refining machinery which John Taylor had purchased for the church in Europe. The voyage took eight weeks, during which time, in April 1852, Rosamond lost a baby, which was buried at sea.

Arriving in New Orleans about April 24, the company of approximately 30 saints was met by Elder John Taylor and the machinery was loaded on smaller boats for the trip to St. Louis and then on to Ft. Leavenworth. At Ft. Leavenworth many more Saints joined the group and it became the longest wagon train to cross the plains up to that time.

The journey was made doubly difficult, not only because of the heavy and cumbersome equipment, but the weather was very severe. The company encountered the first storm at the Sweetwater. The snow was two feet deep and the temperature extremely cold. Cattle were lost, and because supplies ran low, some had to be eaten. Later, in Wyoming, the pioneers were met by Joseph Horne and then at Fort Bridger by Abraham O. Smoot, each bringing supplies. At Bear River, more storms forced them to leave the heaviest wagons to be brought to Salt Lake the next spring. When they reached the Timpanogos River (later named the Provo River), the Nuttals camped for the winter next to the precious sugar-making machinery to guard it. It was here, in a wagon bed, surrounded by about four inches of snow, Rosamond gave birth to William George Nuttall on 4 March 1853. Later in the year the machinery was taken to what later became Sugar House, and William Ephraim and his family remained in Provo where he worked as a carpenter, blacksmith and farmer.

After living in Provo for a time, William was called as bishop of the Third Ward and was asked by church authorities to accept and live the law of plural marriage. On 16 March 1861 he married Martha Fenn. She and Rosamond got along very well. Martha never had children of her own, but she helped care for and was dearly loved by Rosamond’s children. She was a guiding influence among the children in Wallsburg, where she taught Sunday school and Primary for many years.

William was still bishop in 1866 when the family decided to move to Wallsburg to make their permanent home. William bought a farm of 60 acres near the center of Wallsburg. About 1870 he acquired a sawmill near Strawberry Peak, which provided employment for his family and many of his neighbors. Lumber from this mill was hauled to Wasatch County and to Springville. William built a road from the peak down the left-hand fork of Hobble Creek where it joined a road built by the farmers living in the canyon. Around 1880 he had an accident, which nearly cost him a hand, after which he turned over the responsibilities of the mill to his son William George. On 15 July1877, Wasatch County was organized as a stake and William Ephraim was called as the first bishop of the Wallsburg Ward.

William E. served as postmaster for many years in Wallsburg. He was also the town doctor and dentist. He was known as a kind and generous man who was hard working and became fairly well to do. Others enjoyed pieces of furniture he made for them and his grandchildren adored him for his stories, his rope tricks and the toys he made. William died 5 May, 1899 in Wallsburg. Rosamond died 22 October 1916 in Ogden, Utah.

Children: Infant b. April 1852 buried at sea

William George Nuttall b. 4 March 1853 Provo, Utah, Utah

John Horatio Nuttal b. 14 December 1854 Provo, Utah, Utah  
Joseph Brigham Nuttall b. 9 October 1856 Provo, Utah, Utah  
Richard James Nuttall b. 19 September 1858 Provo, Utah, Utah  
Mary Eleanor Nuttall b. 22 September 1860 Provo, Utah, Utah
Walter Henry Nuttall b. 5 July 1862 Provo, Utah, Utah  
Martha Agnes Nutall b. 8 September 1863 Provo, Utah, Utah 
 Rosamond Emily Nuttall b. 7 March 1865 Heber, Wasatch, Utah  
Ruth Caroline Nuttall b. 6 November 1866 Heber, Wasatch, Utah  
David Watson Nuttall b. 14 May 1869 Provo, Utah , Utah
Elizabeth Ann Nuttall b. 1 February 1871 Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah 
Laura Alice Nuttall b. 29 June 1873 Wallsburg, Wasatch, Utah

Sources: How Beautiful Upon the Mountains Wallsburg Biographies pp 972-973