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
