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~ Deuteronomy 33:17 |
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~ Deuteronomy 33:17 |
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Mormon from Utah
Born at West Pennard sommersettshire Eng. 13th day of april 1851, when I was four years old my father, had a sale of all he had and made preprations to come to America. We set sail from Liverpool Engl. Oct 1855, came in a sailing vessel. I have heard my father say it took three months to cross the Ocean. I was only a little girl but I remember all about our trip and of the terrible times at sea. We was bound for my uncle's place in America at Sterling, Iowa. We lived with my uncle and aunt for two years. My father rented a farm of a Mr. Audy, a gentleman we got aquainted with who was on the same boat we was on. He and father became fast friends. His home was in Canada. He had a farm in Jackson co. Iowa near where we was going. He had our address so he wrote to father wanting him to go on his farm, which we did.
In 1866 I married to a Mr. Peter Seeman and in 1870 my dear mother passed away leaving father and ten of us children, a little baby sister that was only three hours old when mother died was adopted by a dear friend of my mother. The baby was named Kate Meriom. My husband and I took two other of the younger children, Will Jr. who was 2 years and one month old and Laura Elizabeth May who would be 4 years old 22 July. We raised and educated them and both was married from our home without any help or compensation from father in any way. The 2nd year after mother's death father took the rest of the family, 4 girls and 1 boy to a farm he had bought in western Iowa in Adams co., had three wagon loads of household stuff. Drove horses, cows, pigs, it took them three weeks to cross the state. The first summer they lived in the covered wagon boxes and by winter father had built a dugout in the side of a hill. As fast as they could they got the lumber for a house, but the material had to be hauled 18 miles taking two days. My sister Lydia who was only 14 years old when mother died went out to work leaving four little ones to get along the best they could. I was living just one half mile from them so a great deal of the burden fell on me. My sisters as fast as they was able one after another had to go out to work in someones kitchen. I felt sorry for the stories they would write me of what they had to do. So my husband (who was a good generous man) and myself proposed we would have the girls come and live with us and attend school until such time they could secure certificates to teach. Rachel was the first one to come and in due time she became a very efficient teacher and taught our home school and earned money enough to clothe herself and to return home, but fate had planned something else for her beside teaching school for there was a bright young scotchman waiting for her and they was married that fall. She became the mother of 6 children, 2 girls, four boys. She has passed to the great beyond a true christian woman and children can truly arise and call her blessed.
The next we sent for was sister Martha. We gave her the same chance as we did Rachel and she became an efficient teacher too, and could earn more money and could be more Independent then working in anyone's kitchen and this has been some of the goodwork my husband and I have done.
In 1892 came my first great sorrow that of the death of my beloved husband. After several months of illness we had spent 25 years on our farm, but owing to ill health we retired and moved to town.
Early in life, in fact when a child of seven years I bacame a member of the M.E. Church and immediately I was elected a teacher and given a class in the S.S. As I grew in years I was elected to all the activities of the church choir, organist and for 7 years Supt of S.S., President of all the entertainment social and otherwise.
In 1898 I married again a true man of god but, a Latter Day Saint commonly called Mormon and for that I was disowned as one of father's children and cut off without one cent of his property and against one who had always done what she could to help all in every way in sickness and health, joy and sorrow and all because she choose to stand by and uphold a loving husband and his faith and religion.Julia Ann Burton Cox was the source for imformation about her brother, Sidney and sisters, Rachel and Hester.
Pages from Julia A. Burton's autograph book, written by some of her brothers and sisters:
Dear Julia, Ever remember your absent but loving sister Rachel, Hayes Iowa Aug 31-1880
Dear Sister Julia, May the bright Sunshine of happiness ever surround your pathway through life, and heavens choicest blessing rest upon you. As the wish of Your Sister, Martha. Hayes, Iowa Aug 22d 1880.
Julia: "Heavens peace upon thee even as thou hast over this souls [?] of sunshine cast. A few lines by your Sister Laura. January 10th 1880
Dear Sister Julia. The lord is our shepherd. Remember me when I am far away. Becca. Aug 29. 1880
Reno Iowa, August 23 1880. To sister Julia, Let us live here as the Lord would have us and then we shall live hereafter and wear a crown of life that will not fade. Sincerely Yours Bro. Sidney
Katie Snyder
Julia when you have gone from us. Upon these lines your eyes may fall. Life may be too short for another meeting in the world, but at the Lords call around his throne may we meet with loved ones all. Is the sincere wish of your sister, Mary E. Burton, Aug 30, 1880. (wife of Bro. Sydney) Dear Sister Julia that now you are going from among us again it makes us sad to think How many years may part us ere we shall meet again, but if we never on earth may meet we will try and be faith-full so each other in Heaven may greet. is the prayer of your Sister. Lydia E. Johnston. Aug 31st 1880.THIS LETTER WAS FOUND IN LAURA BURTON CRAWFORD'S THINGS. IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE BOOK MADE BY ELIZABETH MILLS. WRITTEN BY HER SISTER, JULIA Sabula, Iowa, August 21, 1904
My dear Sister Becca,
Your last letter of June 26 is before me still unanswered nearly two months ago. I feel I have been neglecting you by not writing and answering your nice letter and to acknowledge the photos you sent. I enjoyed studying them out but could not tell who all the men were standing around. I named all the younger children. I suppose Laura was up on the high hill out of sight.
The house looked natural and like it did last summer at this time for I was with you and enjoying our visit and filling in every minute of our time chattering. It seems longer ago than a year. I hope that you are real well again. You are near the time of life when you must be very careful of yourself.
You spoke of threatening storms. We have not had nearly so many this year, had a bad one yesterday though. Up at Dubuque and St. Paul a great deal of property destroyed and lives lost. It looked terrible here but there was no harm done more than a heavy down pour for several hours. I do not enjoy storms.
I felt quite nervous yesterday.--
How is Laura now? Better, I hope. Did the doctor help her? Is Josa's sister still with her? And are they living at the same as when I was there? Did any of you take advantage of the rosebud boom? Did Martha and John get an opportunity of selling their place? It has been a long time since I heard from Martha. In fact you and Laura are the only ones that I have heard from for a long time. I think all of my brothers with father has taken very decided stands against us, and maybe my sisters ar more or less prejudiced likewise. Why? What is the matter? Simply that I chose to endorse my husband's faith and belief and be one with him in the home. Hence all this disturbance. Father came back here to Sabula in May but I have not seen him but a few times. He came down one evening shortly after he came (he was staying at George Bryant's) and got Maggie Tyndall to come down with him. I had a talk one evening with him at Mr. Bryant's and I wanted to know his reasons for treating us in the way he was doing, but you know how father can talk when he wants to. He had been around town telling things that were not so and I told him of them. It was reported that I had joined the Mormon Church and it had got half of my property both of which are deliberate falsehoods, then he told me that he had heard a man lecture against the Latter Day Saints out in Julesburg last summer and he told them all about that people. I said yes father you will sit down and listen to a stranger who has been hired to go out and tell all those lies against that people but let Edwin or I tell you what we know and Edwin who has been living among them for 24 years working with and for them in workshop and farm in all religious work, sickness and health, joy and sorrow, life and death. I say let him attempt to tell you anything about them and you will not believe one word. Then he said I was unreasonable. Then I said father what do or what are you all trying to do, separate Edwin and me, if so I will tell ou right here and now that nothing but death will part us. He said, "Oh, no, but what they were feeling so bad about was that I had left the church of my childhood and gone back on him." I said, no father I have not gone back on you and have nothing to say agaisnt our religion but becuase I saw fit to change my belief then all the talk we certainly did not expect to persuade one of them to our point of view in any way. But we do claim the right to serve God according to the dictates of our own conscience and respect the right of every person to do the same.
And Will took me to task the day I returned from laura's. He began on me by asking what I thought about the Smoot case now. I said I don't know. He said what do you mean to say you don't know anything about it? then he began to tell me all the newspaper reports. I said you cannot believe all the papers say and that you know. But he said they would not dare to publish such things. But I said they did anyway. Then he told me I had disgraced the family by doing as I had done in leaving the Methodist church and unless I went back in it or something to that effect and quit the Morman faith he nor his family would have anything more to do with me. I did not reply to anything he said. He said in a letter that he understood with the circle letter that he had told Marshll (his son) all about it and he understood. And now he should teach him to curse the Mormans with his latest breath for taking so good an aunt away from him. Then he accused Edwin of appropriating my property for the Morman church and that I shall be fleeced by the Mormans until I am a broken down old woman both of which are deliberate falsehoods for the Morman church has never had one cent of my property in any shape or form. Neither do they want it, for that is contrary to their teachings. On the other hand the facts prove that they are ever working for the prosperity of their people and teaching them to be independent, instead of reducing them to poverty. There are much more that I could say but this is such a disagreeable subject, and while it is known all over town we cannot see that we have lost any friends by it excepting my own family.
Have you heard anything from the circle letter? As I am not looking for it to come here anymore. Father told Wills not send it to me the last time it went its rounds but to send it to Laura and so Sister Becca if you still want to hear from me write independent of the C.L. and I shall always welcome your letters. There will be time in the future when all wrongs will be made right and this little life of a few years is too short to be spent in telling people the what and where of their life. And when we get on the other side I think it will not be asked us, were you a Methodist or a Morman. This come with much love to you all. Please write soon.
Your sister Julia
Edwin joins me in sending love.
The Western Daily Press of Saturday 10 January, 1998, carried a short illustrated article about tunnels at Cranmore near Shepton Mallet, just ten miles from Frome.
Apparently a cow grazing near the croquet lawn of an 18th century grade 1 listed building, Southill House, fell through the turf into a forgotten passage way. The tunnel was 200 yards long and four feet high, leading back to the cellars of the house, but sealed by a stone at each end. Two seven feet high vaulted tunnels leading from the cellars were already known, so it was beginning to look as though stories of a labyrinth of tunnels might be true. The stories are that tunnels run from the house to Doutling, a hamlet, a mile and a half away.
Edwin Charles Cox, a Victorian servant at the house, wrote about life there and described how workmen digging in the grounds uncovered a vault big enough to drive a hay waggon along. Legend had it that the ghost of a previous owner had been banished by twelve exorcists to live in vaults beneath the house and no one would venture in. Mr Cox was persuaded to explore it with the offer of a half a crown reward. It only contained old furniture and bottles.
Born at West Pennard sommersettshire Eng. 13th day of april 1851, when I was four years old my father, had a sale of all he had and made preprations to come to America. We set sail from Liverpool Engl. Oct 1855, came in a sailing vessel. I have heard my father say it took three months to cross the Ocean. I was only a little girl but I remember all about our trip and of the terrible times at sea. We was bound for my uncle's place in America at Sterling, Iowa. We lived with my uncle and aunt for two years. My father rented a farm of a Mr. Audy, a gentleman we got aquainted with who was on the same boat we was on. He and father became fast friends. His home was in Canada. He had a farm in Jackson co. Iowa near where we was going. He had our address so he wrote to father wanting him to go on his farm, which we did.
In 1866 I married to a Mr. Peter Seeman and in 1870 my dear mother passed away leaving father and ten of us children, a little baby sister that was only three hours old when mother died was adopted by a dear friend of my mother. The baby was named Kate Meriom. My husband and I took two other of the younger children, Will Jr. who was 2 years and one month old and Laura Elizabeth May who would be 4 years old 22 July. We raised and educated them and both was married from our home without any help or compensation from father in any way. The 2nd year after mother's death father took the rest of the family, 4 girls and 1 boy to a farm he had bought in western Iowa in Adams co., had three wagon loads of household stuff. Drove horses, cows, pigs, it took them three weeks to cross the state. The first summer they lived in the covered wagon boxes and by winter father had built a dugout in the side of a hill. As fast as they could they got the lumber for a house, but the material had to be hauled 18 miles taking two days. My sister Lydia who was only 14 years old when mother died went out to work leaving four little ones to get along the best they could. I was living just one half mile from them so a great deal of the burden fell on me. My sisters as fast as they was able one after another had to go out to work in someones kitchen. I felt sorry for the stories they would write me of what they had to do. So my husband (who was a good generous man) and myself proposed we would have the girls come and live with us and attend school until such time they could secure certificates to teach. Rachel was the first one to come and in due time she became a very efficient teacher and taught our home school and earned money enough to clothe herself and to return home, but fate had planned something else for her beside teaching school for there was a bright young scotchman waiting for her and they was married that fall. She became the mother of 6 children, 2 girls, four boys. She has passed to the great beyond a true christian woman and children can truly arise and call her blessed.
The next we sent for was sister Martha. We gave her the same chance as we did Rachel and she became an efficient teacher too, and could earn more money and could be more Independent then working in anyone's kitchen and this has been some of the goodwork my husband and I have done.
In 1892 came my first great sorrow that of the death of my beloved husband. After several months of illness we had spent 25 years on our farm, but owing to ill health we retired and moved to town.
Early in life, in fact when a child of seven years I bacame a member of the M.E. Church and immediately I was elected a teacher and given a class in the S.S. As I grew in years I was elected to all the activities of the church choir, organist and for 7 years Supt of S.S., President of all the entertainment social and otherwise.
In 1898 I married again a true man of god but, a Latter Day Saint commonly called Mormon and for that I was disowned as one of father's children and cut off without one cent of his property and against one who had always done what she could to help all in every way in sickness and health, joy and sorrow and all because she choose to stand by and uphold a loving husband and his faith and religion.Julia Ann Burton Cox was the source for imformation about her brother, Sidney and sisters, Rachel and Hester.
Pages from Julia A. Burton's autograph book, written by some of her brothers and sisters:
Dear Julia, Ever remember your absent but loving sister Rachel, Hayes Iowa Aug 31-1880
Dear Sister Julia, May the bright Sunshine of happiness ever surround your pathway through life, and heavens choicest blessing rest upon you. As the wish of Your Sister, Martha. Hayes, Iowa Aug 22d 1880.
Julia: "Heavens peace upon thee even as thou hast over this souls [?] of sunshine cast. A few lines by your Sister Laura. January 10th 1880
Dear Sister Julia. The lord is our shepherd. Remember me when I am far away. Becca. Aug 29. 1880
Reno Iowa, August 23 1880. To sister Julia, Let us live here as the Lord would have us and then we shall live hereafter and wear a crown of life that will not fade. Sincerely Yours Bro. Sidney
Katie Snyder
Julia when you have gone from us. Upon these lines your eyes may fall. Life may be too short for another meeting in the world, but at the Lords call around his throne may we meet with loved ones all. Is the sincere wish of your sister, Mary E. Burton, Aug 30, 1880. (wife of Bro. Sydney) Dear Sister Julia that now you are going from among us again it makes us sad to think How many years may part us ere we shall meet again, but if we never on earth may meet we will try and be faith-full so each other in Heaven may greet. is the prayer of your Sister. Lydia E. Johnston. Aug 31st 1880.THIS LETTER WAS FOUND IN LAURA BURTON CRAWFORD'S THINGS. IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE BOOK MADE BY ELIZABETH MILLS. WRITTEN BY HER SISTER, JULIA Sabula, Iowa, August 21, 1904
My dear Sister Becca,
Your last letter of June 26 is before me still unanswered nearly two months ago. I feel I have been neglecting you by not writing and answering your nice letter and to acknowledge the photos you sent. I enjoyed studying them out but could not tell who all the men were standing around. I named all the younger children. I suppose Laura was up on the high hill out of sight.
The house looked natural and like it did last summer at this time for I was with you and enjoying our visit and filling in every minute of our time chattering. It seems longer ago than a year. I hope that you are real well again. You are near the time of life when you must be very careful of yourself.
You spoke of threatening storms. We have not had nearly so many this year, had a bad one yesterday though. Up at Dubuque and St. Paul a great deal of property destroyed and lives lost. It looked terrible here but there was no harm done more than a heavy down pour for several hours. I do not enjoy storms.
I felt quite nervous yesterday.--
How is Laura now? Better, I hope. Did the doctor help her? Is Josa's sister still with her? And are they living at the same as when I was there? Did any of you take advantage of the rosebud boom? Did Martha and John get an opportunity of selling their place? It has been a long time since I heard from Martha. In fact you and Laura are the only ones that I have heard from for a long time. I think all of my brothers with father has taken very decided stands against us, and maybe my sisters ar more or less prejudiced likewise. Why? What is the matter? Simply that I chose to endorse my husband's faith and belief and be one with him in the home. Hence all this disturbance. Father came back here to Sabula in May but I have not seen him but a few times. He came down one evening shortly after he came (he was staying at George Bryant's) and got Maggie Tyndall to come down with him. I had a talk one evening with him at Mr. Bryant's and I wanted to know his reasons for treating us in the way he was doing, but you know how father can talk when he wants to. He had been around town telling things that were not so and I told him of them. It was reported that I had joined the Mormon Church and it had got half of my property both of which are deliberate falsehoods, then he told me that he had heard a man lecture against the Latter Day Saints out in Julesburg last summer and he told them all about that people. I said yes father you will sit down and listen to a stranger who has been hired to go out and tell all those lies against that people but let Edwin or I tell you what we know and Edwin who has been living among them for 24 years working with and for them in workshop and farm in all religious work, sickness and health, joy and sorrow, life and death. I say let him attempt to tell you anything about them and you will not believe one word. Then he said I was unreasonable. Then I said father what do or what are you all trying to do, separate Edwin and me, if so I will tell ou right here and now that nothing but death will part us. He said, "Oh, no, but what they were feeling so bad about was that I had left the church of my childhood and gone back on him." I said, no father I have not gone back on you and have nothing to say agaisnt our religion but becuase I saw fit to change my belief then all the talk we certainly did not expect to persuade one of them to our point of view in any way. But we do claim the right to serve God according to the dictates of our own conscience and respect the right of every person to do the same.
And Will took me to task the day I returned from laura's. He began on me by asking what I thought about the Smoot case now. I said I don't know. He said what do you mean to say you don't know anything about it? then he began to tell me all the newspaper reports. I said you cannot believe all the papers say and that you know. But he said they would not dare to publish such things. But I said they did anyway. Then he told me I had disgraced the family by doing as I had done in leaving the Methodist church and unless I went back in it or something to that effect and quit the Morman faith he nor his family would have anything more to do with me. I did not reply to anything he said. He said in a letter that he understood with the circle letter that he had told Marshll (his son) all about it and he understood. And now he should teach him to curse the Mormans with his latest breath for taking so good an aunt away from him. Then he accused Edwin of appropriating my property for the Morman church and that I shall be fleeced by the Mormans until I am a broken down old woman both of which are deliberate falsehoods for the Morman church has never had one cent of my property in any shape or form. Neither do they want it, for that is contrary to their teachings. On the other hand the facts prove that they are ever working for the prosperity of their people and teaching them to be independent, instead of reducing them to poverty. There are much more that I could say but this is such a disagreeable subject, and while it is known all over town we cannot see that we have lost any friends by it excepting my own family.
Have you heard anything from the circle letter? As I am not looking for it to come here anymore. Father told Wills not send it to me the last time it went its rounds but to send it to Laura and so Sister Becca if you still want to hear from me write independent of the C.L. and I shall always welcome your letters. There will be time in the future when all wrongs will be made right and this little life of a few years is too short to be spent in telling people the what and where of their life. And when we get on the other side I think it will not be asked us, were you a Methodist or a Morman. This come with much love to you all. Please write soon.
Your sister Julia
Edwin joins me in sending love.