Rachel Evans Rowland
Robertson Harris
Rachel was born 30 August 1830 at Hirwaun,
Glamorganshire, South Wales
to David and Mary Jones Evans. David Evans was the son of David and Rachel
Morgan Evans. Rachel’s mother Mary Jones Evans died when Rachel was five years
old, and she spent much time with her father’s sister Mary Evans Rowland who
had married William Rowland.
When Rachel was 15 years old she accepted the LDS gospel as
proclaimed by Capt. Dan Jones, a missionary to Wales. Is this same Dan Jones mentioned
in the sketch of Thomas Jones? Thomas traveled from Iowa
to Utah in
1851 with an Elder Dan Jones.
Mary Evans Rowland, the sister to Rachel’s father, died 18
December 1848 in Wales.
She left her widower William Rowland with at least five children. One was an
infant. William Rowland then married Rachel Evans on 18 December 1848. Rachel
was a niece by marriage and a cousin to the Rowland children. Just a few short
days after the marriage in December 1848 the infant died in Wales. The four
known living children were: Mary (b. 1838), Rachel Rowland (b. 1841), Ann
Rowland (b. 1843), David Rowland (b. 1845 – a twin).
William and Rachel Evans Rowland sailed from Liverpool, England,
on 25 February 1849 on the ship Buena
Vista and landed in New Orleans.
They journeyed on to Council Bluffs,
Iowa, and arrived there 17 May
1849. This is surely the same ship that brought Sage Treharne
to America; the sketch about
her says that her ship arrived at New
Orleans 18 April 1849.
It has been said that Rachel and William Rowland purchased a
home in Iowa
from a member of the Ezra Taft Benson family. The 1850 census for Pottawattamie County, Iowa, 30 September 1850 shows William in
District 21. There is a Rebecca Daniel, age 31, born Wales, in the household. This
person is unknown, but Rachel was expecting her first child, and this may
explain the reason for settling in Iowa.
Edward Evans, a brother to Rachel’s father, also came to America with
Rachel and William. Edward would be Rachel’s uncle, and he would have also been
a brother to Mary Evans, William Rowland’s first wife. I have no record of
Edward before his death in Arizona
later. He was the ancestor of George R. Hunter who married the daughter of
Henry Lunt in Cedar City
years later.
William and Rachel Rowland’s first child was born in Council Bluffs. He was
William R. E. Rowland, born 18 December 1849.
It is not known why or when William and Rachel went to St. Louis, Missouri.
Some say William had relatives there. It is not known if they were permanent
residents of St. Louis
or occasional visitors. Their second child was born in St. Louis, 15 October 1851. She was Sarah J.
E. Rowland.
In April 1852 William and Rachel boarded the river boat Saluda to make the trip up the Missouri
River to Council Bluffs.
This boat had picked up many of the LDS converts who had just arrived from
overseas. The boat was loaded to more than full capacity. It is not known if
William and Rachel had been to St. Louis to
visit or if they were returning home to Council
Bluffs or what the exact circumstances were, but the
river was full of big ice chunks and very treacherous traveling. When they got
to Lexington
the travel was so hazardous the boat was docked.
It gave the account of the Captain as a man who was very
impatient and a man who had spent his time drinking. He became incensed with
the urge to continue the trip and he gave orders for the men to fire up the
boilers to full steam. He was going to make the trip or blow up the boat. On 2
April 1852 the boat was moving out into the river and backing away from the
others docked. The boat exploded and an estimated 150 or more people killed.
The news descriptions were a terrible tragedy and that bodies were blown into
the river and onto the shore. William Rowland and four of his six children
perished.
His wife Rachel was crippled and maimed. She was crippled
the rest of her life. A daughter Mary was burned badly and a daughter Ann also
survived. Ann and Mary were children of William and his first wife and were
Rachel’s cousins as well as her stepdaughters.
Rachel and Mary were taken to the household of Mr. Huntsberry and were cared for. Ann was in the household of
a Mr. John George.
It is most certain they went on to Council Bluffs to be among their own people
as soon as Rachel was able to travel. Rachel was 21. Mary was 13, and Ann was
9.
I do not know the date, but Mary went on to Utah with the family of
Abel Evans. The sketch of his life said he was the son of Samuel Evans and was
born in Carmarthenshire in 1813. He came to Utah
in 1850 and spent two years in Council Bluffs
and went to Utah
in 1852. He settled in Lehi, Utah.
This is surely the missionary mentioned in the sketch of Sage Treharne Jones.
It is not known when or with whom Rachel and Ann left Council Bluffs. It is
known that she arrived in Salt Lake City in 1852
and went to Cedar
City in 1853.
It is known that Rachel married again to a man named
Robertson. All records say “William” Robertson, but no one seems to be sure.
Family legend says that Rachel left him when she discovered he had a wife in
the old country.
When Rachel left Council
Bluffs I am sure her physical condition was such that
she needed much care. I had assumed she may have been married in Council Bluffs in order to have someone responsible for
her well being on the trip from Iowa to Utah.
On 10 January 1853 Rachel Rowland and Ann Rowland were rebaptized in Palmyra,
Utah. Listed also as being rebaptized was Sage Jones. All three of these persons were
also confirmed 13 January 1853.
Sage Treharne had arrived in Salt Lake City on 12
October 1852. She married Thomas Jones on 28 October 1852. Thomas had come from
Council Bluffs
in 1851 with Elder Dan Jones.
Sage had traveled to Utah
with the Evans M. Greene family in the Allen Weeks Company. It seems possible
that Sage, Rachel and Ann came to Salt
Lake City at the same time.
Rachel was baptized at Palmyra
as Rachel Rowland, indicating she had not yet married Robertson. Thomas Jones,
husband of Sage, paid $40 tithing in April 1853, and their first child was born
21 August 1853 at Palmyra.
The sketch on the life of Thomas and Sage says they went to Cedar City
soon after August 1853. Again the 1853 date seems to coincide with the date of
Rachel’s arrival in Cedar
City. Thomas and Sage’s
second child was born 15 November 1854 at Cedar City.
Rachel had a son born in Cedar City
(William Robertson) in April 1854. Counting back on my fingers like the old
wives I have determined this child was probably conceived about July 1853. This
would indicate Rachel was still a Rowland in January 1853. So she probably
married Robertson sometime between 10 January 1852 and July 1853.
The records of the Palmyra Ward has
the following persons listed (date of record not available):
Wm Robertson born 3 July 1824 Scotland
Eliza “ 1 May 1831 England
John W. “ 6
Oct 1852 SLC
Chas. O. 21
Dec 1837 Scotland
James 22
Sep 1827 “
1860 Census for Utah
County, 25 Aug 1860, Spanish Fork
City, p. 231:
2051/1639 James
Robertson 33 Scotland
Matilda “ 23 “
Christina “ 55 “
Matilda “ 4 Utah
Christina
“ 2 “
Lucy
“ 3/12 “
2054/1642 Wm
Robertson 37 Scotland
Eliza
“ 28 England
John
W. “ 7 Utah
Emma
E. “ 6 “
Jane “ 4 “
Heber
F. “ 2 “
Tyra “ 9/12 “
1966/1569 Andrew
Robertson 61 Scotland
Elizth “ 42 Denmark
1990/1584 Thomas
Robertson 33 Scotland
Sarah
Ann “ 22 England
Agnes
“ 17 Scotland
Sarah
Ann “ 3 Utah
Seth
C. “ 1 “
1990/1584 John
Robertson 29 Scotland
Mary
“ 21 “
Mary
“ 2 “
1870 Utah
County, Springville, 6
Aug 1870
24/21 Alexander
Robertson 36 Scotland
Abigail
“ 25 Illinois
Enoch
A. Clarke 6 Utah
The above census records do not enlighten me. William
Robertson had a child born October 1852 in Salt Lake City. This was about the time of
Rachel’s arrival. If she married after January 1853 she surely was aware of
this wife and child, but perhaps this is the reason Ann was taken from her, but
by whom? Rachel would have been 22 or 23 years old and still a young woman.
The 1850 census, Utah
County, p. 125:
85/85 John
Rowland 42 England
Mary
“ 41 “
Henry
“ 20 “
Ann
“ 7 “
Thos
“ 13 “
Wm
“ 10 “
Elizabeth “ 8 Iowa
Alma “ 6 Illinois
Mary
“ 1 Iowa
Eleanor
Martin 60 New York
This family may relate to Wm Rowland in some way. Apparently
he had come to Utah
prior to when Rachel came.
My researcher did not find John Rowland listed 1850 but
found Johnb Roylance 1860
who appears to be the same person. He is also listed 1870, Springville, but Ann
is not on the census with them.
No one seems interested in dragging the skeleton out of the
closet about the marriage of Rachel to _____(?)
Robertson, but I believe this is the period in her life when Ann disappeared,
and it is important to find what became of her.
Some of my notes are rather abstract, as I have taken them
at odd times and didn’t give sources. Someone has mentioned Rachel probably
came to Cedar City
with a Williams family from Palmyra.
I have no ideas except it may pertain to some of the Kanarraville families. I do not have any information on any
Williams family in Palmyra at this time.
It seems the group of people in Palmyra in 1853 were people who had been organized
in a group at Comsville,
Iowa, and had probably all come together from
that place and reorganized at Palmyra.
With the sketchy information available on Rachel, I feel she must have left Iowa with the same group
as Sage Treharne Jones.
When Thomas and Sage went to Palmyra these were probably old firneds to Rachel.
It seems certain that Rachel and Sage came to America on the same ship and traveled to Council Bluffs together.
They probably left Palmyra for Cedar City
in the same group.
Maybe some day I can get Rachel’s problem figured out. I
feel Ann was taken against Rachel’s wishes, but why? Maybe she married the
Robertson so Ann would have a home. Whatever it was, it was not acceptable by
whoever took Ann. I do not know where Rachel and Ann separated. She may have
gone to Cedar City
with Rachel, but I believe they must have separated at Palmyra. When Rachel moved to Cedar City
and Mary moved from Lehi to Beaver, then Ann lost
track of them. Both ladies married again and if Ann ever tried to contact them
again she was unsuccessful.
It seems very possible that Ann came on to California with some of the people being
sent out into new territories. Possibly she could be found in a household in
the 1860 census as a 17-year-old, but by 1870 surely she was married and to
whom unknown. Possibly she could be found in the marriages of 1860 to 1870. I
have never researched any California
records. I don’t know what is available. It would be super if the census for
1860 were indexed. I think 1870 would be too late without knowing Ann’s married
name.
She may be listed in naturalization papers. I have never
tried those. I am sure there are several sources that have not been checked. I
am sure now that she did exist, but I need to know where she went after January
1853. She could be in a Rowland household and passed unnoticed. She would have
been ten years old in 1853.
10 January 1984. I just copied my notes I scratched out last
night. It may save you some time. Rula D. Cach. Rula
Davenport, born 1922, Parowan, married (1) Donald Marie, (2) Sidney E. Cach, daughter of Horace M. Davenport and Cora Bryant. Cora
was the daughter of Joseph Thomas Bryant and Rachel Ann Harris. Rachel was the
daughter of John Harris and Rachel Evans Rowland Robertson Harris.
