In 1851 Lizzie lived with her parents, three siblings and a fourteen year old domestic servant named Ann Mears lived in Reigate, Surrey, England. Her father was a stone mason.
Lizzie's mother died in childbirth on August 26th, 1851 in Sterling, England at the age of thirty four. The baby also died. Lizzie was nearly three years old.
On March 7th, 1852 Sarah was Christened in Sterling, Sussex, England at the age of three.
Her father married Lizzie's stepmother some time before the beginning of 1855.
On May 26th, 1856 Lizzie, her father, stepmother, baby half brother and two sisters sailed on the Horizon from Liverpool to Boston, MA. There were 856 Mormons on board headed to join "the saints" in Utah. You can read more about this crossing in the diary of a passenger here.
An excerpt from "Our Pioneer Heritage, vol 6,p. 457-458"*
Elizabeth Farmer Butterfield was born 17 October 1848at Reigate, Surrey,England.
She was the daughter of James MorrisFarmer and SarahTrussler.
In 1846, the parents heard the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in 1848 were converted and baptized. Sarah (the mother) died 22 August 1851, leaving her husband with five children to rear, two sons and three daughters. Elizabeth, not yet three, with her two sisters were cared for by her maternal grandmother but the boys remained with their father. In1856, James with his new wife, MaryAnn Biddle, and his five children made arrangements to emigrate to Utah, but the two sons, not wishing to leave England, returned to their mother's people, who were very bitter against the Mormons.
The story of Elizabeth Ann "Lizzie" Farmer as written by her niece** which I found on the Hamblin-Huggins blog here:
As the Horizon sailed from Liverpool May 26th, 1856 it carried among its passengers little Lizzie, her father and stepmother, her baby brother Willard and her two sisters Emma Jane and Agnes. Also her grandmother Elizabeth Morris Farmer, her two uncles John Edwin and Richard Farmer together with their wives, and their younger sister Aunt Mary Fisher.
Their voyage was a long six weeks of rocking and tossing about in a small sailing vessel. Three of the group became very sea sick. Little Lizzie, baby Willard and grandmother Farmer who suffered greatly in her mind as well as physically, fearing she would die while on the water in which case must be thrown overboard to become prey of the fishes. She prayed with all her faith and strength to live until they were once again on land. The Lord did grant her prayer and she lived to reach America. However, on the way to Utah she died as did baby Willard and Uncle Edwin’s wife. Uncle Richard stayed back to bury his mother in Iowa.
They crossed the plains in Captain John Hunt’s company. However little Lizzie remained so weak from the ocean trip and the sorrow of leaving her grandmother that she had to be carried the 1st part of the long trek. But she soon was able to take her place beside the others and she walked the rest of the way.
At Laramie, her father left $1500 worth of goods, because it was unwise to try to bring along more than bare necessities, as winter was about to overtake them. Thus lightening their load they could hasten their travel.
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| Devil's Gate, WY |
Again at Devil’s gate they left their clothing except that which they were wearing. Even then the snow storms overtook them and it seemed they would all perish from hunger, cold and fatigue. Gratitude again filled their hearts when the company was met by men with food and teams to help bring them in to Salt Lake City. They arrived December 23, 1856.
How many of us today realize what our dear grandparents went through at that time. Think of the seven months of severe trials; the breaking up of homes and home ties; six wary weeks on the raging waters with the knowledge, too, that when they landed they would be strangers in a strange land with few of the necessities and none of the comforts of life. Then too, think of the sickness and suffering, three of their number having died and been left in strange places. The giving up of their worldly possessions that represented their life’s savings up to that time. The silk clothes and the family heirlooms and treasures. The cold and hunger had left its marks on them also. With all these trials fresh in our minds, perhaps maybe we can appreciate just a little their joy and thanksgiving at arriving where they had food, shelter, friends and rest.
James had a sister, Emma Arnold, living in Herriman, so naturally they went to her house, later they located in Rose Canyon.
Lizzie had her eighth birthday on the plains, but was not baptized and confirmed a member of the church until 1857.
The family later moved to Salt Lake where her father, James, worked for several years on the Salt Lake Temple, as a stone mason. His wife, Mary Ann Biddle, passed away leaving him with three small children, a baby boy six weeks old, who in a few months passed away and two little girls, Sarah and Mary Ann whom Lizzie helped care for and loved very dearly.
Lizzie often reminisced to her children about the time she was sent down into the village of Herriman for help when her sister, Mary Ann, was born up in Rose Canyon. She couldn’t get the lady she was sent for so she ran back home to tell her folks. She was then dispatched back again for someone else whom she followed back up to her home. Then her folks told her she should have stayed down in town awhile, so she returned to Herriman. Running most of the way all the times, you can imagine how tired she must have been.
Lizzie grew to understand the gospel, she loved and respected her father and was ever grateful to him for the faith, courage and foresight he possessed in leaving his native land to become a stranger in a strange land for the gospel’s sake. She grew to realize that she received blessings through the gospel and through growing up amidst the members of the church inn the valleys of the mountains that otherwise never could have come to her. She thanked her father and Heavenly Father many times for these blessings.
It was no doubt on some of the visits to Herriman that she met the young man whom she later married. Almon Butterfield was the oldest son of Thomas Butterfield who was the first settler of Herriman. She was very happy that she was to be married to an honest young man with whom she was in love. He held the priesthood, and she would be married not only for time, but for eternity. She was deeply religious and to her understanding nature, that meant happiness and contentment. She was always prayerful and she felt she needed guidance from her Heavenly Father.
They were married on January 27, 1866 in the Old Endowment House. Her trousseau consisted of two calico dresses. To get them she picked wool from fences. She then brushed, washed, carded and spun it into yarn then knit socks and sold them.
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| Almon and Lizzie |
They settled in their own little home which consisted of one room with a dirt floor and roof and was built just east of the Old Fort. They were very happy until sorrow came into their lives by losing their first two babies, little girls. One almost a year old the other a few hours old. Both were buried within a month, leaving them alone again. Their third child and oldest son was born just before Lizzie was twenty-one years old.
They had six children in this humble little home which was a real home, made by Lizzie’s excellent qualities of home making. Later they moved into their new rock home that was located in the Herriman plot, which was laid out by President Brigham Young. That same summer 1876 her two brothers who had stayed in England came to Utah with their families, so it was a happy reunion, indeed. They had been parted for twenty years.
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| Lizzie and her daughters |
In 1868, the first Relief Society was organized in Herriman with Sarah Stroch as president. Lizzie then a young mother was appointed as one of its officers, known then as an “Appriaser”. Later she was called to be a visiting teacher which job she held for many years.
In 1872 she received her blessing under the hands of Patriarch John Smith. She was promised if she lived faithfully her life would be lengthened according to her desires. Her children would grow up around her, and call her blessed: bear her name in honor from generation to generation. That she would have the gift of healing the sick and of holding the Adversary at bay.
Her family and all who knew her can testify to the literal fulfilment of these promises. It seemed to be her lot to work with the sick. She had no training but just a natural ability or gift. She testified that many times when she went into a home where there was serious illness it just came to her what she should do. She knew that came from a higher power. She had a natural ability but she also knew the Lord had a hand in directing her. The following instances may help to show this:
Francis Bodell tells of one time when her baby, Chester, was extremely ill. Nothing they did seemed to help. Even the Doctor failed to find trouble. The little baby was swollen up and abo**in convulsions. They called for Lizzie, she took the baby in her arms and felt gently over its body. Then she told them to ring cloths of warm solution of water and nitre. These she wrapped about the body which she had previously anointed with oil and nitre. In a short time the little kidneys began to function and soon the child was well again.
Lyle B. Freeman remembered how as a child she grew up to feel just a natural thing in her life to turn to her Aunt Lizzie in sickness and death; she felt no other person she knew could come in the home in severe illness and bring such a wonderful spirit of confidence, peace, and faith. They looked to her for help and comfort. She always told of Lizzie’s calling on George Miller as he lay ill. Brother Miller told her how grateful he felt for someone like Aunt Lizzie; that it seemed to him no one else he knew brought the peaceful influence of healing and courage to him as she did. If ever they had sickness while raising their families, he always felt secure that all would be well as soon as she entered the home. She helped many babies into this world and many a mother felt their courage and strength bolstered up by her presence. Her gentle hands ministered to the comfort, soothed the pain, cooled the fevered brow, gave sympathy, confidence and cheer to the sick and suffering all through the long years.
She came to be looked on as the town nurse, and in many cases, town doctor. Her services were never rendered for money, but always for love. She was never too tired to go, day or night where ever she was needed. She brought a baby out of a severe case of pneumonia, by applying flaxseed meal poultices to chest and shoulders.
Clifton Butterfield when a small child fell in a bucket of scalding water and was severely burned over most of his body, she applied grated potato packs. As soon as one started to dry another was applied. This drew the fire out and there was no seriousness. A number of ladies peeled and grated potatoes all day to keep the packs going.
Elizabeth Butterfield Forman burned her whole arm with hot grease. By the time Aunt Lizzie got there the arm was a solid blister. She pricked the blisters, drained cups of water from it then covered it with a pack of flour and caster oil. The girl never had a sign of a scar on her arms.
Before there were undertakers she was always called to help with the dead. It would be interesting to know the number of bodies she prepared for burial, but no record was kept.
Lizzie was of a pleasant and cheerful disposition. She was of small stature, dark complexion, neat and dressy. Many of her grandchildren will remember her long skirts and long half aprons.
She loved to entertain and her home was always open to her friends and friends of her children. Many have enjoyed her delicious cooking. For several years in the later part of her life she boarded the school teachers. She enjoyed this very much and they looked to her as a Mother.
As was mentioned at the beginning of this history she had a natural aptitude with her needle. She knit socks and stockings, becoming so expert at it she could knit a stocking a day. She not only knit the yarn into jackets, gloves, mittens, little bootees and what-nots, she also had to go with her basket or bag and gather the bits of wool from the barbwire fences where the sheep had left bits of it as they passed under, then she would wash it, card it, and spin it before she could make it into clothing. Another use she put her needles to was the making of yards and yards of beautiful lace. Her baby clothes were adorned with it and the lace on her pillow slips fell almost to the floor.
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| Almon and Lizzie |
She lived a long useful life. She reared a large family, twelve of her sixteen children grew to manhood and womanhood. Her posterity numbers well over seven hundred who has born her name in honor from generation to generation. Thus another promise was fulfilled.
She passed away February 5,1931 five years to the day after her husband had passed away, and was buried in the Herriman Cemetery.
On January 27th, 1866 Almon married Elizabeth Ann "Lizzie" Farmer in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City when he was twenty one years old and she was seventeen. They had sixteen children together.
They had sixteen children together, all were born in Herrimann ,UT.
Their first child, Elizabeth Emma, was born on November 5th ,1866. She died on September 12th, 1867 at ten months old, only seventeen days before Agnes was born.
Their second child, Agnes Ann, was born on September 29th, 1867, and died the same day.
Their third child, Almon Thomas, was born on July 5th, 1868.
Copied from Our Pioneer Heritage , vol 6, p. 457 -458
Their first home consisted of one room with dirt floor and roof, but they were very happy until their first two babies died rather suddenly. Their third child and oldest son was born just before "Lizzie" was twenty years of age.
In 1870 the family lived in West Jordan, UT with two year old Almon Thomas on their farm in the one room cabin.
Their fourth child, Joseph James, was born on November 14th, 1870.
Their fifth child, Sarah Jane, was born on March 24th, 1872.
Their sixth child, Olive Jeanette, was born on November 14th, 1873.
Their seventh child, George Samuel, was born on March 16th, 1876.
In 1876 Almon and Lizzie moved with their six children from the one room cabin to a stone house in Herriman***.
Their eighth child, Mary Emily, was born on June 12th, 1877.
Their ninth child, Frederick Richard, was born on April 14th, 1879.
In 1880 they lived in Fort Herriman, UT on their farm with seven children.
Their tenth child, John Edward, was born on September 23rd, 1880.
Their eleventh child, Willard Franklin, was born on December 29th, 1882.
Their twelfth child, Zachariah Trussler, was born on December 24th, 1885. He died on October 26th, 1886 at ten months old.
Their thirteenth child, Mahonri, was born on October 19th, 1887.
On March 9th, 1888 at the age of forty three, Almon took a second (plural) wife, Sarah Mitchell. She was twenty four years old. They married in Logan UT, and had two children together, both born in Herriman.
Almon and Lizzie's fourteenth child, Parley Parker, was born on December 27th, 1889.
Almon and Lizzie's fifteenth child, Hannah Persylvia, was born on April 17th, 1891.
Almon and Sarah's first child, Alice Elizabeth, was born on May 6th, 1891.
Almon and Lizzie's sixteenth and last child, Lyman, was born on June 15th, 1893. He died the same day.
Almon and Sarah's second and last child, William Henry was born on August 3rd, 1895.
On the 1900 federal census, Almon is shown to live with Lizzie and eight of their children on their farm. Sarah and their two children were listed in a separate household nearby.
In 1920 Almon lived with Lizzie, one daughter and two grandsons in Precinct 9 of Salt Lake City, UT.
Almon died on February 5th, 1926.
In 1930 Lizzie lived in Herriman with her daughter Sylvia and two grand-daughters.
Lizzie died on February 5th, 1931 in Herriman, UT and was buried in the Herriman Cemetery next to Almon.
*This seems to have been taken directly from her niece's story and contains the missing information from the 1st page of that document.
**This is page two through five of the story. Page one has gone missing. I've left all spelling and punctuation as it was written.
***If they had six living children when they moved in to the stone house, it may have been 1877 or 1878.
Do you know anything about Lizzie? Do you have any memories, photos or information to add? I would absolutely love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below to add your information. If you have photos to share, please send them to me along with any other information at tomebug (at) gmail (dot) com.
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