Steven Fletcher--Robert Fletcher--Elmo Fletcher--Margaret Alston--Joseph Alston--Margaret Hall
Life of Margaret Hall Rushton Alston
Life of Margaret Hall Rushton Alston
Margaret Hall Rushton Alston was born at Blackburn, near
Manchester, Yorkshire, England. We know nothing of her early life as a girl,
but I believe her parents were in comfortable circumstances as they were
successful farmers. She had a brother named Albert Hall who was a successful
lawyer in London. In our photos we have of them they were nice looking and well
dressed.
Just when she came into the church I cannot say but
according to what I have learned of her life and in reading church history, I
believe she and her parents and husband and sister Jane Hall were among the
first to join the Latter Day Saints in England. It was when Wilford Woodruff,
Willard Richards, and Joseph Fielding were in their Shire, and whole congregations
were converted and baptized. I have understood they were among them.
The branch of the church was at Preston. I have heard many
of the English people speak of that time they heard the voice of the Shepherd
and came to his call. She and her husband and sons and sister Jane must have
immigrated about the same time as grandfather Alston did as I have heard him
speak of them in Nauvoo.
Margaret Hall and her first husband John Rushton were
married in Clithore, England and joined the church and immigrated to America. Three
children were born to them: A daughter, Isabella who died as a child in Nauvoo
and two sons William and John Willard. They were located in Sugar Creek, Iowa
when her husband went to St. Louis to work and get his outfit to come to Zion. He died in St. Louis and Margaret got
a driver and with her two sons came west in her wagon a team of oxen and a cow
in the year 1850. The death of her husband must have been a severe trial to her
and her sister left alone among strangers with two small boys to care for
without a father, but you know [that] wherever the saints are, friends are
raised to care for those in need. They had a very near and dear friend in
Willard Richards and his family (the same Willard Richards who was with the
Prophet Joseph when he was martyred).
I think this friendship began in England when Brother
Richards was a missionary there. She too must have suffered in the expulsion
from Nauvoo for as soon as the Richards family got to the valley of the Great
Salt Lake, Joseph Alston, their teamster was sent back for the widow Rushton
and her two boys and her sister Jane. Not knowing the year I cannot say whether
he went to Nauvoo or Winter Quarters, but I think the latter. Needless to say
on the way he courted the widow and soon after arriving in Salt Lake City they
were married at the Richard’s home.
In 1852 on the advice of Willard Richards, they went to
pioneer American Fork. They located on a lot in the center of town where all
their children were born and they both died. I have heard people say who knew
her that she had a most kind and lovable disposition. She was a member of the
first choir and also of the Relief Society.
She was the only person at that time
who kept on hand a shelf of medicine.
She was very sociable and generous in
her nature and I have heard my husband say she nearly always had pie on hand in
case someone should call. Though her son was only ten when she died he had a
very loving remembrance of her. She was industrious, a very good housekeeper,
and practiced economy to the very letter. She enjoyed very much going to Salt
Lake City to conference, for there again she would meet her friends who had
followed and also the Richard’s family.
Her sister [who] had married Dr.
Richards as a plural wife, used to come to American Fork and take care of her
when her babies were born. It was a great sorrow to her when her sister Jane
died a year after her marriage at the birth of her first child.
At the wedding of Libbie Mercer and
Warren B. Smith she sang the “Mistletoe Bough”. It was the story of a marriage
and after the ceremony the bride hid herself in a chest and it locked itself.
She was not found for the iak chest long lay hidden in the castle and nothing
was found but the skeleton when at last it was opened.
At October Conference in 1871 grandmother went to
Salt Lake with the Cromptons. She sat on a box in the wagon and she caught a
cold which resulted in kidney trouble. She was very ill for six months and on
April 29, 1872 she died. Dr. Heber, John Richards, Emma Rushton and Mrs. Parker
sat with her the night she died. I remember going to see her once when she was
ill and going to her funeral. My father and mother (Mr. & Mrs. William
Grant) thought a great deal of her and considered her one of their best friends
when they were strangers in a new land. I believe much more could be said if
this good woman if we only knew.
Six children were born to the union of Margaret Hall and
Joseph Alston:
Mary
Jane Alston Ingersoll, Ann Alston
Edwards, Susannah Alston Chamberlain, Eliza Alston Rumel, Joseph Alston,
Margaret Alice Alston Broderick
Margaret
Hall Rushton Alston
Born:
28 Jul 1822 at Chatburn, Lanchashire, England
Chr:
11 Aug 1822 at Dounham (nearest parish church)
Daughter
of William and Alice Hall
According to the records from Salt Lake she was endowed 3
Feb 1846 Nauvoo Temple. Sealed
to John Rushton for eternity 12 Aug 1851. Married Joseph Alston for time on the
same day. Later she was sealed again to John Rushton 21 Apr 1866. The second
sealing is rather confusing, perhaps the record was lost or some other
irregularity that we do not know, However we will have to accept it as being
official.
This
information was taken from a letter from Sadie Alston Lamb of Cardston,
Alberta, Canada May 15, 1958.
This history is very informative, but some of the
information is not accurate.
Margaret Hall married John Rushton in Nauvoo, not in
England.
Margaret Hall was born at Chatburn Lancashire
England, not at Blackburn.
Daughter, Isabella, died at Winter Quarters.
Margaret and Joseph Alston had eight children. The history omits Lydia and Sarah.
Timeline for Margaret Hall Rushton
Alston
28 July1822 Margaret Hall, daughter of William Hall and
Alice Veevers, is born at Chatburn, Lancashire, England
1838 LDS missionaries preach the Gospel in Lancashire, England. Margaret (age 16), her sister, Jane (age 12),
and their mother, Alice, accept the teachings.
8 March 1843 Margaret and Jane Hall sail from Liverpool,
England for America on board the ship, Yorkshire. The voyage was very difficult.
10 May1843 Margaret and Jane Hall arrive at New Orleans,
Louisiana.
May 1843 Margaret and Jane Hall travel up the
Mississippi River to St Louis, Missouri by the steamboat, Dove, and on to Nauvoo, Illinois aboard the Amaranth.
25 June1843 Margaret Hall marries John Rushton at Nauvoo,
Illinois.
(Marriages In the Nauvoo Region 1839-1945 by
Susan Ward Easton. Notes Hall, Margaret, married 25 June 1843 to John
Rushton at Nauvoo by Joseph Fielding pg 33.)
15
September 1845 Daughter,
Isabella Hannah Rushton, is born at Nauvoo, Illinois.
Winter
1845-1846 Expulsion
of Saints from Nauvoo.
3
December 1846 Daughter,
Isabella Hannah Rushton (age 14 months), dies at Winter Quarters, Nebraska.
16
March 1847 Son,
John Willard Rushton, is born at Iowa.
About
1849-1850 Margaret’s
husband, John Rushton, goes to St Louis, Missouri to seek employment. He contracts diphtheria and dies at St Louis.
2
December 1849 Margaret’s
son, William James Rushton, is born at Sugar Creek, Iowa.
29
June 1850 Margaret Hall Rushton, with her two
little boys, begins the trek to Utah in the Edward Hunter Company (1850). Financial aid came from the Perpetual
Emigration Fund.
13
October 1850 Margaret
Hall Rushton, John Willard Rushton, William James Rushton arrive safely in Salt
Lake City.
12
April 1851 Margaret
Hall Rushton marries Joseph Alston, a teamster whom she met while travelling to
Utah.
1852 On the advice of Willard Richards, Joseph
and Margaret Alston move to American Fork, Utah to pioneer the new community.
24
April 1853 Daughter,
Mary Jane Alston, is born at American Fork, Utah.
25
May 1854 Daughter, Ann Alston, is
born at American Fork, Utah.
1856 Daughter,
Susannah Alston, is born at American Fork, Utah.
31
May 1859 Daughter, Eliza Alston,
is born at American Fork, Utah.
22
September 1861 Son,
Joseph Alston, is born at American Fork, Utah.
1864 Daughter,
Margaret Alice Alston, is born at American Fork, Utah.
1865 Daughter,
Lydia Alston, is born at American Fork, Utah.
31
May 1866 Daughter, Sarah Alston,
is born at American Fork, Utah.
12
June 1866 Daughter,
Sarah Alston, dies at American Fork, Utah.
1
December 1868 Son,
John Willard Rushton, marries Annie Wood at Salt Lake City, Utah.
October
1871 Margaret Hall Rushton Alston attends
General Conference in Salt Lake City.
Margaret becomes ill with a cold.
March
1872 Son, William James
Rushton, marries Margaret Emma Crompton.
29 April 1872 Margaret Hall Rushton Alston dies at the age of
50 at American Fork, Utah after a lengthy Illness
Margaret Hall’s Emigration to America
The Yorkshire
Liverpool to New Orleans 8 Mar 1843 - 10 May 1843
Voyage Information
Ship Name
Yorkshire
Vessel Type
Bark
Departure
8 Mar 1843 from Liverpool
Arrival
10 May 1843 at New Orleans
Source
Customs
#184 (FHL #200,151); NSHP; AF (various families)
The
Bark Yorkshire, sailing from Liverpool to New Orleans
March,
April & May 1843
Taken from the
book Ships, Saints and
Mariners, by Conway B. Sonne, published 1987 by University of Utah Press,
Salt Lake City.
Bark: 658 tons:
134' x 29' x 23'
Built: 1842 by MacIntosh at Richibucto, New Brunswick, Canada
On 8 March 1843
the British bark Yorkshire sailed from Liverpool under the
command of Captain William Bache. Among her 122 passengers were 83 Mormons.
Elders Thomas Bullock and Richard Rushton presided over the Saints. Other
returning missionaries were John Needham, George Spilsbury, and John Gailey.
For the first few days all of the passengers were seasick, for the winds were
"very contrary" and delayed passage in the Irish Sea. On 4 April
favorable trade winds bore the Yorkshire at a faster rate southward. All was
not harmonious with the passengers, for those who were not Mormons opposed the
holding of religious services. As the three-master passed the West Indies,
between Cuba and Jamaica, the heat was oppressive. Under the date of 2 May
Joseph Smith recorded in his history:Built: 1842 by MacIntosh at Richibucto, New Brunswick, Canada
"About one p.m., the mate of the ship Yorkshire opened the testament at the 27th chapter of Acts, and asked the passengers how they would fed to be shipwrecked like Paul? Elder Thomas Bullock replied instantly, "It is very likely we shall be shipwrecked; but the hull of this old vessel has got to Carry us safe into New Orleans." The mate was then called away to hoist the fore-top-royal sail.
"Between one and two next morning, when off Cape St. Antonio, Cuba, there was much vivid lightning, when a white squall caught the fore-top-royal sail, which careened the vessel, when the foremast, mainmast, and mizzenmast snapped asunder with an awful crash: The whole of the masts above, with the jib and spanker, and sixteen sails and studding poles, were carried overboard with a tremendous splash and surge, when the vessel righted. Daybreak, found the deck all in confusion and a complete wreck. During the day, hoisted a sail from the stump of the mainmast to the bow of the vessel, thus leaving nothing but the hull of the vessel to carry the Saints into New Orleans."
On 10 May 1843 the Yorkshire arrived at New Orleans. It was a sixty-three-day passage, longer than most voyages to the Louisiana port. Two children died at sea. The Mormons continued their journey up the Mississippi to St. Louis on the steamboat Dove and from St. Louis to Nauvoo, Illinois, aboard the Amaranth.
The Yorkshire, which is easily confused with the more famous American ship of the same name, was owned by Cross & Co., and her home port was Bristol, England. Records also show her tonnage at 808 and at times indicate she was ship-rigged. She had a billethead. After 1856 her fate is unknown.
Mormon Pioneer
Overland Travel
In early 1850, Church
leaders advised emigrants that pioneer companies would travel on a new route on
the south side of the Platte River. By taking this new route they avoided some
river crossings on the north side which had proved dangerous because of high
water in the previous year. They also expected to receive additional military
protection on a new army supply road. This was a factor in their decision
because they wanted to avoid conflict with the Plains Indians, who had been
agitated during the 1849 California gold rush. The 200-mile long army road
connected "Old Fort Kearny," located 50 miles below Kanesville on the
Missouri River, to "New Fort Kearny" following the south side of the
Platte River to the west.
Near the end of June they began crossing the river. By July 1, they had all crossed. They went a few miles from the ferry to 12-Mile Creek where they washed, cooked, and prepared the company for a real start. On 5 July they left their camp and followed the Plattsmouth-Fort Kearny trail south. They were at the rear of all the emigrant companies en route for Utah. There were 261 people and 67 wagons (some sources place the number of wagons at 42) in the company.
After crossing Weeping Water Creek on June 18 they followed a new trail west where they connected with the northward-arching new military road, which became known as the Ox-Bow Trail. After leaving Salt Creek they turned west on a cutoff trail near present-day Swedesburg, Nebraska. All of the companies except Andrus used this cutoff, which passed near present-day David City and Bellwood, Nebraska. This cutoff trail, which bypassed the Cottonwood/Wahoo Creek drainage, saved them 12 miles. On this shortcut route, they arrived at the Platte at a point about 20 miles west of the regular route taken earlier by Andrus.
They then followed the south bank of the Platte River a hundred miles west past Grand Island, where they joined with the Oregon Trail coming north from Missouri. At this juncture they continued 15 more miles to New Fort Kearny, which they reached on July 24. The army reserved grazing rights and companies weren't permitted to camp within a mile of the fort. So they camped there for two days while they lightened the wagons. They then continued up the south side of the river until they reached the Upper Crossing of the South Platte (located about three miles west of present-day Brule, Nebraska). They crossed and from here they followed a long dry ridge for twenty miles to Ash Hollow on the south bank of the North Platte. They arrived there on 9 August. They continued on and reached Fort Laramie on 25 August. They traveled through the Black Hills, crossed the Platte for the last time, and reached Independence Rock and Devil's Gate on September 8. Throughout the journey there had been two "divisions of Fifty" in the Hunter company-one headed by Lewis Wight and the other by Edwin D. Woolley. Often the two divisions were separated by as much as South Pass, and the leading Fifty (Woolley's) overtook Wilford Woodruff's company two days later. Woolley's Fifty reached Fort Bridger on September 25 and arrived in Salt Lake on October 2.
Wight's Fifty with Captain Hunter were days behind them and didn't get to Salt Lake until October 13-14, having a difficult time traveling through snow that was hub deep. Four people died in Hunter's company-only one a victim of cholera. The company also transported almost 5,000 pounds of freight destined for Brigham Young and Newel K. Whitney. In keeping with the PEF plan, the Hunter company sold its livestock upon reaching the valley and the money realized from the sale was put back in the fund to be used the following year.
Margaret Rushton and her children are in the list of
individuals in the Edward Hunter (1850) Company:
Rushton,
John Willard, 3, 16 March
1847-18 May 1911
Rushton,
Margaret Hall, 27, 28 July 1822-29 April 1872
