History of Elizabeth Ann Evans Spackman

Elizabeth Ann, daughter of Catherine Perkins and William Evans was born July 15, 1859 at Combach, Glamorganshire, Wales. "I was the fourth child in a family of sixteen and as my parents had joined the Latter-Day Saint Church, I was baptized and confirmed when I was ten years old by Elder Rhees Davis. As my father had a very good paying position, I was not required to go out to work as so many girls were compelled to do to earn their living. I went to school all that I could, but the educational facilities at that time and place were very limited. When I was eleven years of age the first great sorrow entered my life. On my father's forty-fifth birthday he was accidently drowned in one of the large canals used to transport coal from the mines to the market in the cities. Four month's after my father's death my youngest sister, Ruth, was born. Mother decided to come to Utah with her seven children. We sailed from Liverpool, September 6, 1871 on the ship,"Nevada", together with a company of 263 saints under the direction of John I Hart, arriving in New York September 18, 1871.

We arrived in North Ogden September 27, 1871 and settled in the part later known as Pleasant View. My schooling was very limited after arriving in Utah. Later we moved to Brigham City to live for a year, I, living with my mother's sister, Eliza Evans. Returning from Brigham City I procured work in a bakery in, Ogden, operated by Fred C Keisel. I worked here two years and eight months.

At the age of seventeen on April 10, 1876 I was married to John Spackman in the Salt Lake Endowment House by Daniel H. Wells. We moved to Dayton, Oneida County, Idaho where our first two children, William and Sarah were born. We endured many hardships here. John had to go away from home to get work to keep his family in food and then the grasshoppers, a terrible scourge, came. They ate everything which we planted. Although we had cows, the milk was unfit for food because it tasted so much of the grasshoppers. The eggs were in the same condition.

We returned to North Ogden in 1887 where we lived with my husband's parents, William and Sarah Ward Spackman for one year. We then moved to Pleasant View where five children were born. It was while residing here that I first joined the Relief Society, working as a visiting teacher with Annie Rice, the blind woman. My mother was living with us at the time and her health was failing. My two brothers, Will and Joseph were killed in a coal mine explosion at Alma, Wyoming, January 11, 1888. It was November 11th of the same year that my sister, Ruth, passed on, leaving a baby girl ten days old. After this serious trouble, mother did not seem to regain the health and spirit she always had with her. She passed on January 11, 1889. We lived in Liberty, Weber County, three years during which time I continued to work as a teacher in the Relief t Society, also as a Counselor in the Primary Association to President Annie Burt. We returned to North Ogden where my youngest child, Kate, was born.

For the past forty-two years I have resided in North Ogden. When home responsibilities were lessened by the growing up of my family, my health being fair, I turned to the thing I had longed to do, that of taking care of the sick and unfortunate. My main work seemed to take to the expectant mother. I would help the doctor, then be left to care for the mother and baby. I have enjoyed this work very much, having made many true friends.

My husband died March 8, 1921. My brother, Tom was living with us and continued to stay after John's death. I took care of mother's two sisters during their last sickness and death, Aunt Eliza and her husband, David Evans and Aunt Ruth Walker. I feel that God blessed me in raising all of my nine children to maturity. Jacob was called November 20, 1928, leaving a wife, Atta Perry and two daughters, Shirley and Carol. David followed April 21, 1937 leaving a wife, Jean Earl and three children, Berma, Earl and Kay.

I have done much work for my dead ancestors in the Latter-Day Saint Temple at Salt Lake City. I am a member of Camp 32 of the Daughters of the Pioneers, but was released as a Relief Society teacher, after serving for over fifty years.

July 15, 1939, my eightieth birth, my children held open house for the occasion. About 200 relatives and friends called. It was a wonderful day, one that I shall always remember. My health will not permit me to go away from home, but I do enjoy my friends and relatives calling on me, they are always welcome. Note: Elizabeth Ann (Lizzie) Evans Spackman died 23 May 1957, at the age of 97 in Santa Barbara, California at the home of her daughter, Emma Sargent. Her body was shipped home and she was buried beside her husband in the North Ogden Cemetery.

Elizabeth's great grandparents, grandparents, and parents on her mother's side are all of Welch descent. Grandfather Perkins family embraced the Gospel in Wales. After his death, grandmother Perkins and her two children, William and Eliza, who had married David Evans in Wales, sailed from Liverpool April 19, 1856 in the Ship "Samuel Curling" with a Company of 707 Saints under the direction of Captain Dan Jones. Arriving at Boston May 23 1856, they proceeded by rail to Iowa City where they outfitted for the trip across the plains, leaving June 23, 1856. After what seemed to them a long endless journey across the plains, drawing a hand cart, they arrived in Salt Lake City Oct. 2 1856, where she met the son, Joseph and Daughter, Ruth Trehern, later Ruth Walter, who had come the year before.

The next year she and her family came to North Ogden and endured the hardships along with other settlers here. She participating in the general "Move South" in 1858, returning when the other saints came back. They built a log house, where Arthur G. Berrett house now stands. She had left two children in Wales, Margerite, who married John Nash and died there, and Catherine, who married William Evans and came to North Ogden after her husbands death, years later.

In the southern part of Wales, in the busy town of Comback, lived the Perkins family. They were hard working honest people, who had joined the Mormon Church when it was an unpopular religion. There daughter, Catherine, was a very beautiful girl. She sang well and seemed to have a quick eye and ear for all the fine arts.

William Evans a young man from the North part of Wales, came to Comback to be a foreman of one of the large coal mines. He was the son of a well to do family. Going to a concert one evening, he saw Catherine with her arms full of flowers, singing. He at once fell in love with her and they were soon married. In spite of the opposition of his people they went about building their little home.

Three children had come into their lives and then one morning July 15, 1859, was born to them a sweet brown eyed baby girl, they named her Elizabeth Ann.

When Elizabeth was ten years old, she was Baptized by Elder Reese Davis. She was given all the education that was possible at that time and place but that was very limited. She well remembers her brother taking her to school on a wooden barge down one of the big canals. When she was a little more than eleven years old, her first real sorrow came. It was her father's forty first birthday. The family had been over to the village and were on their way home. As they crossed one of the big canals her father accidently fell into the water. Although he was an excellent swimmer, he hit his head on a rock, and by the time they got him out, he was dead.

Four months after his death, Elizabeth's youngest sister, Ruth was born. For sometime the little family had wondered about coming to Zion. Now the father was gone, it was so lonely. Grandmother Perkins, with two of her married children had already emigrated in 1856.

It ment a lot to Mrs. Evans, a widow with seven children, to leave the home land, the house that she and her husband had lived in for twenty five years, and the little graves of seven babies, but the spirit of gathering was there, so that on September 6, 1871, they sailed from Liverpool, on the steamship Nevada. There were 263 other Saints under the direction of John I. Hart. The journey was a pleasant one, at night there was dancing on deck, singing and all kinds of games. As they left the ship at New York, 12 days later one of Elizabeth's brothers waved his hand and in his native tongue said, "well, good-by little Nevada, you have brought us safely over the sea," They boarded the train, and on September 27, 1871, arrived in that part of North Ogden, now called Pleasant View. Her first day at school she wore a silk taffeta dress. This was something new to the children in Utah. They would run up and pinch the sleeves to hear it rattle. This was very embarrassing to Elizabeth.

The first winter here, Elizabeth lived with her mother's sister, Aunt Eliza Evans, her mother's family having moved on to Brigham City. By now, she felt as many girls did that she was to old to go to school and wanted to work to earn pretty clothes and help with the family's support. After the family moved back to North Ogden she procured work in a bakery run by Fred J. Keisel, she worked there for 2 years and 8 months. Then she fell in love with a young man named John Spackman and on April 10, 1876, was married in the Salt Lake Endowment house by Daniel H. Wells. As a bride she was taken to the little town of Dayton, in Oneido county, Idaho.

Elizabeth had always felt that she had no education, because, she had so little formal schooling or book learning, but as we all know, that is only a small part of real education. It is the way we overcome obstacles, the love we show our fellow men and the service we render to others, that really speaks for us.

Here she was, a girl of seventeen, in a part of country strange to her, away form her family. Her husband had to go away form home to work, so she was alone most of the time. It was at the time of the terrible grass-hopper scourge. The hoppers ate every-thing the people planted as soon as the green leaves showed. They had cows but couldn't drink the milk as it tasted so bad, and the eggs that their chicken laid were unfit for table use. It was while living in Dayton that her first two children, Will and Sarah were born. After enduring the hardships for five years they moved back to North Ogden and lived there with grandfather and grandmother Spackman for a year, then moved to Pleasant View. It was while living here that Elizabeth first joined the Relief Society, working as a visiting teacher with Annie Rice, a kindly woman who had been blind since a child, but who had been married, worked hard, and raised a family.

Elizabeth's mother now came to make her home with them, she had spent much of her time nursing, often going on horse back to care for maturity cases, day or night, in all sorts of weather wherever she was needed. Her two married sons, Will and Joseph were killed the same day, in a coal mine explosion, in Alma, Wyoming, January 11, 1888. Then on November 11, of the same year her youngest daughter Ruth died, leaving a baby girl 11 days old. After all her trouble she never seemed to well, she passed away January 11, 1889. In many ways showed her appreciation of her daughters loving care, just on hour before she died, she said to Bishop Edward Wade, "God will see that Lizzie (as she called her) will always have friends both in joy and sorrow and that she will never want." how true that is. For few women have such a wide circle of friends as Aunt Lizzie, old and young alike find her a jolly campion and a true friend. Her keen interest in people and her great service in sickness and her hospitality in her home has won for her the love and gratitude of all who know her.

After her mothers death, the John Spackman family moved to the little town of Liberty in Ogden Valley. While living here, Lizzie still did her work as visiting teacher in the relief society and also served as a counselor in the Primary Association, with Annie Burt as president.

Three years later they moved back to North Ogden, here their youngest child, Kate was born. She now had a family of nine children, Aunt Eliza Evans and her husband, David had never been blessed with children, so in their old age they came to their niece Lizzie for care. She cared for them as though they were her parents. Uncle David passed away in 1901 and in less than a year Aunt Eliza followed him in death. Soon after, aunt Ruth Walker, her mother's other sister became ill and Lizzie nursed her until death came. Her family now is growing up, most of them were married, so she began her work of kindness and love. She was helped and encouraged in this by her husband who was very hospitable. He was always bringing home a friend or some one in need to dinner, he'd say, "Oh Lizzie will make them welcome".

On March 8, 1921 her husband, or Uncle Jack as we all called him, died, and had it not been for her brother, Tom, who had come to live with she and her husband after the death of his wife, Aunt Emma, Lizzie would have been very lonely.

She now spent most of her time with the sick, especially the expectant mother. She was the doctors helper in so many homes that she often laughed and said she felt like most of the babies in North Ogden belonged to her. In July 1925, thirty of those mothers went to her home to show their appreciation. They bought her a gift of table silver ware. She feels that God has greatly blessed her. She was permitted to raise to maturity her nine children and to see them all married and make homes of their own. It was on November 20, 1928, that her youngest son, Jacob, was called by death, leaving a wife, Atta, and two small daughters. Then 9 years later, April 21, 1937, David, her second son died, leaving his wife with three children.

Aunt Lizzie firmly believes that what comes to each one of us in life is God's will, so goes quietly along doing her part without questions. She has done a great deal of temple work for her dead ancestors. She served as visiting teacher in the Relief Society for 50 years. July 15, 1939 was her eightieth birthday, her children held open house for her. More than 200 friends and relatives called on her that day. She will always remember it as a wonderful day in her life. Next July, Aunt Lizzie will be 84 years old. In every way she is young for her years. She is the mother of nine children, two of whom she has buried, she has 22 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth Ann Evans Spackman was 95 on July 15, 1954 she now lives with her daughter Emma in Santa Barbara California. She has 29 great- grandchildren 2 great-great grandchildren.

There are women that time but mellows as it ever on ward goes, there are hearts that carry fragrances as the fragrance of the rose. There are greetings that are warmer for the snowy frosted head. There are faces time has furroughed where are joy and sorrow blent. There are feet that ne're grow weary when on deeds of kindness bent. There are souls that bid defiance to each worldly selfish creed. There are those who are as sunbeams as they go their daily round. They are worthy of remembrance for but seldom are they found. So I write this humble tribute though it needs a worthier pen to a prince of nature's moulding, one who loves her fellow men. Oh that I had the power to tell the work she has done and done so will. She has spent her life as the Bridge builder did, always building for others. She firmly believes that the common tasks of life are beautiful if we but have the eyes to see their shining ministry. She gave the world the best she had and the best will come back to her. She has written her name in kindness, love, and mercy on the hearts of all she come in contact with year by year. Her smile has cheered the sad, soothed the heart that was crushed and sore. Why to those who really know her. She is beautiful and more.

Her great-grand-parents, and her parents, are all of Welsh descent, she herself being born in Wales, her grandfather Perkins, (the Welsh spelling is Peregrine) died, the widow had of her children, Joseph and Ruth, already in Utah, as the family had all embraced the Gospel and the desire for gathering seemed intensified after the death of the father, the Dau. Ruth evidently had married as she is given as Ruth Perkins Walker. They arrived sometime in 1855.

She md 1st Stephen Trehorne who came with her md 2nd in North Ogden....Walker.

The 19 April 1856 the mother, Ann Perkins, Mathews, with two more of the family. William and Eliza, who had married David Evans sailed form Liverpool, in the ship "Samuel Curling", in company with 707 Saints under the direction of Captain Dan Jones. They arrived in Boston 23 May 1856, and proceeded by railroad to Iowa City, where they outfitted for the long trip across the plains.

They left Iowa City 23 June 1856, for Utah in Edward Bunker's Hand-Cart Company. We know little of her feelings and the incidents which must have happened to her on the long hard trip. But she drew her handcart all across the plains, in the middle of the summer, arriving in Salt Lake City 2 Oct. 1856, where she met her son and daughter who had come the year before. She continued on to North Ogden where she made her home for her little family with her, and endured the hardships with the rest of the pioneers who settled North Ogden.

She participated in the "move south' of 1858, and returned with the rest of the Saints to her home, which was a log house located on the corner where the house of Arthur Berrett now stands, she lived the rest of her life here, with her daughter, Eliza taking care of her in her old age.

She had left two children, both daughters, in Wales. Of these one Margaret (md John Nash) died. The other Catherine, (the Mother of Elizabeth) married William Evans, this family is said to be the same one which gave to us our own well-beloved Thomas Evans Mckay and David Mckay, William Evans was born in North Wales, he was a foreman of a coal mine or was to be placed in this position, and for this reason came to South Wales. Not long after his arrival he went to a concert of some sort, here he saw a very beautiful girl who with her arms full of flowers was singing as if she dearly loved to sing. He promptly fell in love with this girl, who was Catherine Peregrine, or Perkins, in England. They were soon married and lived for twenty-five years in the same house where all the children, sixteen in number were born. Nine of these children died in early youth.

In Wales there were (perhaps still are) canals not as we use canals, to distribute water to our fields, but these were used to take the coal from the mines down to the city to sell and to re-load. Most of this coal was floated on barges. A very cheap method of transportation.

Elizabeth was the fourth child in this family of sixteen. When she was eleven years of age her first sorrow entered her life. Her father and mother, together with herself and some of the other children had been to the village for some reason. It was her father's forty-fifth birthday. Coming home late in the evening they carried a light to light up the way. A young lady who sometimes worked for the family, snatched the light from the father's hand and ran with it in fun. He promptly gave chase, running after her in play. In some manner he stumbled on the bridge of the canal and fell in, striking in his head on a rock, he was helped out as soon a possible, and although he was a splendid swimmer, in falling he had suffered such a blow that it evidently made him unconscious, and he had drowned, here close to his home and among his own children, after having an evening of enjoyment.

Elizabeth was born in 1859 in South Wales, and her parents having embraced the Gospel, she was baptized at the age of eight by elder Rhees Davis, and conformed by the same Elder, her father had a very good paying position, so Elizabeth was not required to go out to work in her early youth as was the custom in may homes. She went to school all she could, but the opportunities for education at that time was very limited. She remembers going to school on the canal in a boat, her brother taking her. As she was much older when she arrived in Utah, her opportunities for formal schooling were very limited, but she is very intelligent and is rich in love and understanding of her fellow men.

After the death of the husband and father, the widow with her seven remaining children, emigrated to Utah. They set sail from Liverpool 6 Sept.1871 on the ship "Nevada" (as they left the ship one of the little boys said in Welsh; Good-bye little Nevada you have brought us safely over the sea") in a company of 263 Saints under the direction of John I Hart, arriving in New Your 18 Sept. 1871 and came on to North Ogden arriving 27 Sept.1871 they located in the portion which was later Pleasant View. She tells of the first day of school which she attended after she came here. She had a very pretty brown silk dress. Silk was very scarce still in this part of the country, and the children at school had never seen very much. So all day long the children would come up to Elizabeth and feel her dress sleeves to hear the rattle. This was very embarrassing to the girl, and on going home with her pretty dress all dirty on the sleeves, was rather scolder by her mother who did not understand how it could have happened.

Later the family went to Brigham City to live for a year, Elizabeth having lived with her Aunt Eliza for the first winter here. Returning form Brigham city she procured work in a bakery run by Fred J. Keisel, in Ogden, she worked here for two years and eight months.

11 April 1876, at the age of seventeen she was married in the Salt Lake Endowment House to John Spackman, by Daniel H. Wells. They moved to Dayton, Oneida Co. Idaho and lived there for five years, then moved back to North Ogden. They had two children born to them while living in Dayton. They endured many hardships in Dayton; the grasshoppers eating everything they had, the father had to go away from home to get work. They had cows, but the mild and butter tasted so much of the grass-hoppers they could not use either. The chickens ate so many of them that eggs were of the same grass-hopper flavor. This was the case with the family when Sarah was born, in 1879.

Her mother lived with Elizabeth when they came back to North Ogden. She spent much of her time nursing, and caring for women in confinement cases, which she was always willing to do. Sometimes she went on horseback, fording streams, any time of night or day and in all sorts of weather, when it was necessary. She died 11 Jan. 1889. She showed her appreciation of her daughter's loving care in many ways. Just an hour before she died she said to Bishop Edward Wade, "God will see that Lizzie always has friends, both in sickness and trouble, and that she will never want, for she has earned it". A strange and sad life for a woman. Her husband's accidental drowning, and two of her son's were killed in mine explosion at Alma Wyoming 11 Jan. 1888 one yr to the day before she died) both leaving widows with families. Her grandson, Joseph Evans was killed in Canada in Oct. 192....

Elizabeth Evans Spackman, all through her many changes of residence, the rearing of a large family, and helping all she could had endeared herself to many, wherever she has lived. She has always endeavored to be active in the alleviation of suffering and distress. She has helped bring many many children in North Ogden. In appreciation of this fact on the 9 of July 1925 a group of mothers clubbed together and bought her a nice gift of table silver, bringing it to her on her birthday and having a party which she has always appreciated.

Mrs Spackman still owns Certificate of Citizenship papers which her husband took out upon his arrival. In one of these his name is mis-spelled _______, but is correctly spelled in the other two.

July 9, 1925

Dear Mrs. Spackman

We, the mothers of your neighborhood, have joined together in out thanks, and our appreciation for the tender care which you were so able to give, at a time when we were in most need.

You have watched over us when death may have been at our doors. Your kind hands have performed many acts of relief, and now we are here to join with you in a few moments of relaxation, and enjoyment, in remembrance of your birthday.

We hope the stork will continue to fly to our homes, and that you may be able to accompany him for years to come, with the same vigor and tenderness that you have shown in the past. May the years come and go, but may you remain the same cheerful mother to us all.

(Signed) Inez Bailey Myrtle Barker Beatrice Campbell Malinda Mathews Florence Snooks Mrs. Thos. Norris Sophia Shupe Inez Spackman Rosella Rickford Atta Spackman Mabel Campbell Virtue Spackman Emma Clark Harriett Spackman Sarah Brigham Olive Phillips Ruth Hall Lettie Campbell Kate Williams Alice Warren Nellie Shupe Margaret Metcalf Bertha Daniels Lucinda Campbell Elizabeth Jones Lizzie Fields Edith Judkins Etta Storey Rhoda Shaw Hannah Barrett