John Kirkham and Elizabeth Ward are my 4x great grandparents. The Kirkham family lived in Lincolnshire England until they emigrated to America in 1850. The family entered the United States through New Orleans, LA rather than the more popular way through New York City.
In a twist of coincidence, my Briggs line also emigrated from England and entered the United States through New Orleans - less than 6 months later and the 2 later merged when Ann Kirkham married Thomas Briggs.
The Briggs emigrated after joining the Mormon church and were headed for Utah. I had assumed that was also the case with the Kirkham's.
Much of this story comes from the book: Reuben Kirkham, Pioneer Artist by Donna L. Poulton, published in 2011, and by a short family history written by Ida Kirkham which can be found in several places - I accessed it through Family Search.
On September 4, 1850 The Kirkham's boarded a ship named "North Atlantic" in Liverpool, England - destined to New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States. Based on the account of Reuben Kirkham's life in the book Reuben Kirkham Pioneer Artist, the family was not part of the Mormon church at that time - however aboard were many Mormon Immigrants headed to Utah.
Within a week of arriving'in New Orleans, the family took the Mississippi Steamer Salt Anna to St. Louis. Once in St. Louis, John, who was a carpenter by trade found work, 2 daughters went to work sewing at a local shirt factory, and 2 sons - George and Jonathan went to work as ships' mates on the Mississippi river.
A year or so after arriving in St. Louis, the family moved again. This time to a farm about 10 miles away near a railroad construction site. John set up a store that catered to the workman and railroad needs. Reuben recounts a story that his father, John, would sell liquor to the railroad workers. He did not have a license. The police arrested him and he was sentenced to 2 hours in prison.
A year later - in 1852, the family moved back to St. Louis, and by this time the eldest daughter, Ann was being courted by Thomas Briggs. It was Thomas who introduced the Kirkham's to the Mormon church which they later joined, and as a result eventually made their way many years later to Utah.
Ann and Thomas Briggs married in March of 1853. Thomas became the head of both families. In October 1853 both families left St. Louis to head to Barbadoo, Wisconsin. Anne's brother George - who by then had been married and later separated was to go with the family on the next boat. George never arrived and nobody saw him again. It is assumed he drowned in the Mississippi River.
Barbadoo was disappointing - it was not the farming community Tomas Briggs had hoped for. Both families quickly left and headed 100 miles south to Hebron, Wisconsin to settle. They arrived in winter with little money and got by with shooting partridges and squirrels, cutting trees for firewood and spending what little money they had left on potatoes. The families began to dream of moving to Utah during this time. In the following years, the family farm did well and they began to put some money away, but in the winter of 1855 Thomas was injured and not able to work and their savings was soon used up. They soon lost the farm and were forced to move to Whitewater.
By 1856 - Thomas' health had improved and the family once again rented a farm in Janesville where both families shared a house and barn. Once again - they were able to start saving for the move to Utah. By 1862 the families were ready to move to Utah. Ultimately the Thomas and Ann Briggs headed out, but the Kirkham's stayed behind in Wisconsin.
Not much information is available about the Kirkhams between 1862 and 1868. In 1868 the Kirkham's decided to head to Utah - via wagon. They headed to Laramie City, Wyoming and joined a wagon train headed to Utah led by Captain Chester Loveland. The group consisted of 40 wagons and 320 people. They were provided with 1.5 lbs flour and 1 lb bacon per adult per day, and sugar, molasses,coffee and dried fruit. The Kirkham's arrived in Utah on August 20, 1868, just under a month after leaving Laramie. Thomas and Ann, who by then had 6 children of their own, greeted the Kirkham's upon their arrival. It had been 6 years since Ann had seen her mother.
Not long after arriving in Utah, the Kirkham's received word that one of their sons, Jonathan had been found murdered - his throat slit - in the Snake River in Idaho. Why he was in Idaho and what happened were never discovered.
The Kirkham's settled near Thomas and Ann Briggs in Bountiful, Utah where they remained for the rest of their lives.
Sources:
Reuben Kirkham Pioneer Artist by Donna L. Poulton, 2011
Mormon Migration Web Site: https://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/mii/voyage/306
Personal History Account by Ida Kirkham - Accessed on Family Search: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KWV9-MYJ
No comments:
Post a Comment