A HISTORY OF ELIAS LEWIS AND ELEANOR ROBERTS
Leah V. Holt Nelson, a granddaughter
My grandfather Elias Lewis was born near Swansea, South Wales, on October 3,
1834. His parents were John Lewis and Martha Evans Lewis. The family consisted
of seven boys and two girls as follows: John, Enoch; David, Thomas, William,
Elias and Daniel who were twins. The girls died in infancy. All the boys
joined the Church except John. When Grandfather was five years old, his mother
died and his father died some years later.
Owing to conditions prevalent at that time. Grandfather received very little
education and what he did receive was in Sunday School.
Grandfather was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
when he was 14 years of age. Some time later he was ordained an Elder and did
local missionary work in his hometown, and also in North Wales.
When Grandfather was real young, he went to work in the coal mines. He also
worked in the coal mines in North Wales. Grandfather's brother Thomas was
killed while working in the coal mines in 1851.
Not having the privilege of going to school, he did much studying at home. The
Book of Mormon was published in pamphlet form in the Welsh language and
he received this pamphlet every two weeks. By the time the last copy came out,
he would have had nearly memorized the entire book. After coming to Utah, he
studied the Book of Mormon in the English language and at the time of
his death was considered one of the best authorities on that book.
In a small place near Conway, North Wales, known as Black and Blue, my
grandmother, Eleanor Roberts Lewis, was born on March 4, 1833. Her parents
were John Roberts and Susannah Williams Roberts. The family consisted of eight
children, of whom Eleanor was the oldest. The other children were Robert, John,
Eliza, William, Thomas, Lewis, and Mary. Her father worked for a gentleman,
driving him about in his coach and attending to some of the duties of the
estate. My grandmother has told me about her father, what a refined man he was,
a real gentleman, and how he loved music, having a lot of musical ability. Her
mother, Susannah William Roberts, was a very industrious woman and kept a nice,
clean home. She was an expert at making bread, and made bread and candy to
sell at the shops.
When Grandmother was a young girl she worked in a hotel a short distance from
her home. When she would get lonesome, she would climb to the top of the hotel
and could see her mother's chimney. She worked here for seven years. She has
told us the many beautiful places near her home: the large bridge that she used
to cross and the beautiful castle that wasn't far from her home. She did love
her native land of Wales.
In September 1851 Grandmother was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Her mother and father were both members of the Church, but
none of her brothers or sisters ever joined.
In the spring of 1856 Grandfather and Grandmother prepared to come to Utah. It
must have been hard for her to leave her loved ones and come so far away to a
strange land and people, not knowing when she would ever see any of her people
again. But her parents were willing to have her come, and her father said,
"Go, my girl, and before the year is gone, I will be with you in Zion." But he
died not so long after this and she never saw her parents nor any of her
brothers or sisters again. She has told me of the leave taking, how her father
and mother went to see her off. Her brother Lewis wanted to go also, but
Grandmother gave him some money to buy candy with if he would stay home and
tend her sister Mary who was a baby in the cradle.
With Grandfather, the leave taking was a little different. His parents, two
brothers and two sisters were dead, and all the rest of the family, except one
brother, were leaving for Zion with him.
They sailed from Liverpool on April 17, 1856, sailing on the ship ÒDan Curlin"
[Samuel Curling]. The company consisted of around 300 people, most of them
Welsh. The voyage was a difficult one but, after tossing on the ocean for five
weeks, they landed at Boston on May 23 and then traveled by railroad to Iowa
City, Iowa, where they waited for three weeks for handcarts to be made. It
was during this stop that Elias Lewis and Eleanor Roberts were married on June
4, 1856. They went to the Endowment House in Salt Lake City in 1856. I have
heard Grandmother tell of being married under a large tree in Iowa Camp. I
have often contrasted that marriage with one of today.
When the handcarts were ready they started on the 1850 mile walk to Salt Lake
City. They were allowed to bring only 17 pounds of luggage, which was
disappointing for many who had brought personal belongings over the sea only to
discard them when the journey was continued from Iowa City. It was truly a
hard journey, but they tried to be cheerful and happy and sing as they walked
along. On they journey and, with the consuming of food, it was discovered that
rations must be meted out to men, women and children. They were given a
certain amount of food each day and later on this was again divided and before
they reached Salt Lake City they were down to one handful of flour to each
person a day. Grandfather had charge of rationing the food out Co the members
of their company and both Grandfather and Grandmother have told us how hard it
was to see the people so hungry and to have so little to give them.
Grandmother was always very particular about her shoes; she always liked to see
them look nice. When they came to one of the large rivers, she took off her
shoes in order to wade across but when she got on the other side she had
forgotten her shoes so she had to walk the balance of the way without them.
The captain of the company was Edward Bunker.
At night a tent would be their covering, an overcoat thrown on the ground their
bed, and a shawl over them their covers. They would walk twenty to twenty-five
miles a day. Finally they reached Salt Lake City on October 2, 1856.
Elias and Eleanor Lewis first settled in North Ogden and their first child,
Martha Susannah, was born there on October 9, 1857. They came to Spanish Fork
in 1858. They went as far south as Spanish Fork River and camped for the
night. Then Brother James Woodard came and brought them to his home in town
and they stayed there until Grandfather built a small home on the present lot
where Uncle Dan's home is. The home was of adobe with willows covered with
dirt for a roof.
The Indians were very troublesome. Many raids were carried out. Horses and
cattle were frequently stolen and sometimes more serious difficulties arose in
which some of the settlers lost their lives. Grandfather took an active part
in home guard work during all the years of Indian trouble. When the call came
for men to go to Sanpete to fight the Indians, Grandfather was called to go.
But the same day they came and asked him for his shoes so he sat down and took
them off and gave them to the ones that were going. When Albert Dimick was
killed by the Indians, Grandfather went up to the mouth of the canyon to meet
them and helped to carry him home.
Grandfather took part in making canals and building roads and he also worked
helping to build the railroad. He did his share in all the work of the entire
community. He lived a quiet life and was perhaps unknown to many, but he
always possessed a good name and that he handed down to his children. He was
very religious and very active in the different organizations of the Church,
especially in Sunday School. He taught the adult class for many years. He
filled two home missions. He was ordained a Seventy on June 21, 1859, and
became a High Priest some years later. He was very good to visit the sick,
often being called upon to administer to them and always ready to go, night or
day.
Grandfather studied a great deal, both church work and history, which schooled
him in the things of life and better prepared him for the future. Most of his
life's work was in and around Spanish Fork, where he acquired a homestead and,
like other pioneers, began early its development, clearing off and planting and
making his farm productive.
Grandmother was very industrious and neat and her home was always clean and
cheerful by the industry of her hands. She had a wonderful disposition, always
cheerful and happy, and she loved to have the young people come to her home for
an evening with her boys and girls and have a "cutting bee" or a "candy pull."
During the Indian trouble grandfather was usually on guard and she would be
alone with the little children. She has often told us how she would stand
under the trees by the house and listen for the Indians. She was a great hand
to go out for an evening to visit her friends or children and she always
carried a lantern, as it was very dark in those days without electric lights in
the homes nor on the streets. She liked to work of an evening, and after the
children had gone to bed on a Saturday night, she would clean and polish all
the shoes so they would be already to wear to Sunday School, although sometimes
the shoes would be badly worn. She was a good manager in the home and, although
money was scarce and it was hard to get many things, they always had enough to
eat and to wear. She was kind and thoughtful of the poor and the needy and the
sick. She was an expert at making bread and always took so much pains with the
care of her bread that it was a picture to see. The children and grandchildren
all liked to go to Grandma's. She always made them welcome and always had a
currant loaf or cookies for them. Grandmother Lewis worked in the Relief
Society from the time of the first organization in Spanish Fork until her
death. She was a staunch member of the Church and perhaps her greatest joy in
life was to see her children and grandchildren upholding the faith for which
she gave so much.
The following lines were written by a friend: "He was a man who united sense
with strong convictions and a candid, outspoken temper, eminently fitted to
mould the rude elements of a pioneer society, into form and consistency, and
aid in raising a high standard of citizenship in our State." Grandfather has
always been recognized by his numerous friends as a humble and meek man and may
be classed with those of whom the Master said "Blessed are the meek for they
shall inherit the earth." How much this community owes him and such as he, it
is impossible to estimate. He lived nobly and died peacefully February 21,
1913, at the age of 79 years.
Grandmother lived for four years after Grandfather. The last few years of her
life, she lived with my mother, Ellen Lewis Holt, passing away on February 16,
1917, at the age of 84 years.
