Early
Life
Joseph was born on
December 9, 1824 at Douglas, Isle of Man. His parents were Edward and
Margaret.[2] Ruth was born on December 6, 1826, in Llanbadarn-y-Garreg,
Wales. Her parents were John and Elizabeth Greenway. She had eight siblings.
Her “father was a tailor, and Ruth grew up to be an excellent seamstress.” She
“was the only one in her family to convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. She was baptized on October 7, 1851. She became engaged to a
young man who had been a missionary in Wales. He had gone ahead for her to Utah
to get a job and find a place to live. He sent word for her to come and said
they would be married as soon as she arrived in Salt Lake City. On March 31,
1855, Ruth embarked on the large sailing ship Juventa, bound for Philadelphia
with more than 500 Mormon on board....”[9]
Joseph attended school in Douglas.
His “father was a miller and wholesaler in grain, flour, etc., and was the
proprietor of a large corn exchange. He did an extensive business on the island
and elsewhere.” Joseph “was for a number of years his father's right hand
man. He kept the books and conducted the entire business of the establishment,
and thus relieved his father of much care and responsibility."[3] As
a teenager, Joseph started investigating the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Joseph earnestly and attentively studied the restored
gospel.[3] He was baptized on February 27, 1844,[9] by John
Muncaster.[3] His parents immediately disowned him.[2]
First
Marriage
He married Eleanor Garnett
on December 9, 1845, which was his twenty first birthday. In 1846, she was
baptized in England by Joseph Hall.[3[9] “Joseph and Elanor wanted to be with
the saints in Utah. Joseph sailed from Liverpool 4 Mar 1851 on the ship Olympus
to New Orleans, LA. He worked there to earn money for Eleanor's passage and to
cross the plains. Eleanor sailed 15 Feb 1853 on the Elvira Owen.”[9] He was a
dock worker and likely unloaded and loaded ships.[2] The year 1853 marked
the worst yellow fever epidemic ever in New Orleans, during which more than
7,500 people died.[4] Eleanor contracted the disease and became severely
weakened. She died on July 27, 1853.[3]
Returning
to the Isle of Man
After Eleanor's death,
Joseph returned to the Isle of Man. In May of 1854, he became an Elder in his
hometown of Douglas. He stayed for about a year, doing missionary work among
his neighbors and friends. He served in the Church locally until he returned
to America in 1855. He sailed on board the ship Juventa with over 500
other saints.[3]
Trip
to America
The company traveled to
Pittsburgh and then took a steamboat to St. Louis. While there, they heard from
Elder Erastus Snow. Joseph wrote, "I felt to be refreshed by hearing the
voice of Brother Erastus Snow, one of the 12 Apostles, speak concerning the
rolling forth of the Kingdom of God on the earth in this age and
dispensation. After having journeyed so far and endured the privations and
comforts of the same, I felt to be refreshed."[1]
The
Trek West
The company
eventually made it to Mormon Grove in Kansas. Not long after they arrived, they
started for the Salt LakeValley. Joseph traveled in the John Hindley
Company.[3] During the journey, Joseph wrote, "I feel in the company
of Saints to praise the Lord and thank Him for His goodness in preserving me in
commission with His people.... I hope the Lord will remember me
continuously in mercy and that not only my own prayer but the prayers of all
the faithful may become effectual. May the Lord roll forth His work in its time
and enable me in connection with His people to improve and endeavor to do His
will in righteousness on the earth, even all things according to the order of
His Kingdom. May it roll forth; oh Lord, roll it forth until all shall become
obedient to its laws and precepts."
The company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on September 4,
1855.[3] To read more about the journey, see
Appendix I.
Marriage
and
Settling
in Ogden
During the journey,
Joseph met a Welsh lady named Ruth Margaret Greenway. She was emigrating to
Utah to be married to a member there. [2][9] When they arrived in Salt
Lake City, she learned that her fiance was accidentally killed while mining.
She was now “alone in a strange land.”[9] Joseph proposed to Ruth, she
accepted, and they were married five days after they had arrived in Salt Lake
City.[2][3] Bishop Abraham Hoagland married them.[3]
Joseph and Ruth moved from Salt Lake
in November. They settled in Ogden, which became their permanent
home.[3] Joseph “was prominent in the early development of
Utah.[2] Joseph and Ruth had seven children. They were all baptized in the
4th Ward in Ogden. On June 7, 1856, Joseph and Ruth received their endowments
at the Endowment House. They were also sealed to one another.[9] On October 15th,
1856, Ruth received a patriarchal blessing. Joseph likely received a patriarchal blessing, but it was unable to be located.
In 1863, tragedy stuck twice in the
Lawson home. By this time, they had four children. On January 30th,
their oldest child, Joseph, was drowned. On September 12th, their
10-month-old baby Benjamin died of brain fever.[9]
Joseph was a farmer[2][3][12].
Joseph “was a hard worker and often carried a hundred pound bag of wheat on his
shoulders to deliver to people. He preferred to be paid cash but if they
couldn’t pay cash he would barter for something they didn’t need. He once came
home with a black, 8 day Ingraham Clock. This clock set on the mantle in
Joseph’s home and then in David’s home.” The clock still works today.[14]
Joseph was also a colonizer.[12] He helped build canyon
roads.[2][3] His life was miraculously preserved one day while doing so. While
helping to build the Ogden Canyon road, the mountain side collapsed where he
was working. He was buried all the way up to his chest. A worker next to him
was killed.[9] Joseph also helped build canals and “other water courses for
irrigation and mill purposes."[2][3] He was “secretary and treasurer of
Ogden Bench Canal” from 1858-1866”[12] and held stock in it.[3] He was also
secretary and treasurer of the Davis and Weber Canal Company between
1873-1889.[12][13] Joseph fought in the Black Hawk War.[12]
Joseph became a
Seventy in 1857. He was a member of the 53rd Quorum. He faithfully magnified
his calling.[3] He was a secretary of seventies for 20 years and secretary of
high priests for 15 years.[12]
He “was in much demand as a speaker
at church meetings, and he always took Ruth with him. A few of the places he
preached were the Ogden Tabernacle, Slaterville, Riverdale, and South
Weber.”[9] He was a missionary “in the Weber Stake for several years, preaching
the gospel in the various settlements as well as in the Ogden city."[3]
“According to William
Henry Lawson as related by his Father, Joseph spent all his hours helping other
people, many times bringing people home to stay with them. It seemed like so
many other people at their house, there was hardly room for his own children.
David Cottier Lawson said that if someone died and didn’t have a place to be
buried, they were put in the Lawson family plot Joseph had set aside. Buried in
the Lawson Family Plot are two such people, Grandma Bloom and John Winter.
Joseph, although, struggling with a busy pioneer life as a farmer, serving on
the water project, and serving in the Church; always had time to help anyone in
need. In some ways his son David Cottier Lawson felt neglected as a youth
growing up because of all the time his father spent. He seemed to feel he
hadn’t spent any quality time with his father and missed any closeness with his
father. William Henry Lawson used to tell his children that his favorite
Grandma was Ruth Lawson. When he was small he had bad dreams and woke up
crying. Ruth took him on her lap and said all you need to do to keep from
having bad dreams is to ALWAYS crawl into bed and lay immediately on your left
side and go to sleep that way. She told him he would never have anymore bad
dreams. So he did that from then until he died. He said he never woke up crying
again having pure faith in Grandma Ruth’s cure.”[14]
At the April General Conference of
1866, he received a call to serve a mission in Great Britain. Ten days
later, "he was set apart by President John Taylor and others." He
left a week later.[3]
Missions
to Great Britain
First Mission
Elder Lawson
"traveled on foot, 'being without purse or script'. He suffered many
hardships and often made the cold ground his bed at night. He reached Chicago,
Ill. on June 21st, where, for lack of funds, he slept out of doors four nights.
From Chicago he went to New York arriving there August 4th, still without
money. Here he was compelled to sleep out nine nights. He walked in and around
New York for some considerable time to earn means to enable him to further
prosecute his journey to his destination."[3]
"On September
26th he took passage on the steamship Palmyra, bound for Liverpool, England,
where he arrived October 8th, and reported at the headquarters of the British
mission. He labored in the ministry in Liverpool until the 16th, when he was
appointed to preach the Gospel on the Isle of Man."[3] Here, Joseph
visited his brother Thomas and his sister Jane.[9] They didn't accept the
gospel.[find source] Despite this, he found family history information during
his time there.[5] The people "were excited about his being there from
Salt Lake City, his 'mountain home,' but were not as interested in the Church
at first."[5]
"There he
continued doing missionary work until November 27th when he received another
appointment to labor in the Welsh district, under the direction of Elder Abel
Evans.”[3] Elder Evans died three days later.[10] “Again, on December 21st of
the same year, he was sent to travel and preach in the Pembrokeshire conference
under the presidency of Elder William White.”[3] While in Wales, Joseph “met
Ruth's brothers John and William and sisters Jane and Mary Ann. This was the
first time any of Ruth's family had seen her husband. He preached the gospel to
both families without success.”[9]
At Pembrokeshire, “his ministry was
continued until June 10th, 1868, at which date he was appointed to preside over
the Norwich conference. In addition to the above named places Elder Lawson did
a great deal of effective missionary work in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and
many other towns and villages in England, and wherever he went he made a host
of kind friends."[3] While on this mission, Joseph wrote Heber J. Grant a
note about visiting a priest at his church.[15]
Ruth wrote Joseph “as often as she
could with all she had to do, and he was always glad to hear from 'home.'”
Toward the beginning the mission, Ruth wrote and told him that she had another
son. Joseph wrote back and told her to name him John. Because the mail was so
slow, Ruth had already named their baby David Cottier Lawson by the time she
received Joseph's letter. Joseph likely told Ruth “to send him a list of things
she needed that were more available in England.” He sent her all kinds of
things, including sewing supplies, clothing, hats, and a picture of him.[9]
On the way home, Joseph was in
charge of 239 saints. They sailed on the steamship Manhattan.[6] On the ship
Joseph wrote, "The Saints generally remember their songs of Zion, which
helps to cheer. We also have some musicians in our company, with musical instruments,
and when our seasickness is over we shall endeavor to make our time agreeable
and interesting.”[8] The group arrived in New York on October 7.[6] The
Joseph Lawson company “was one of the first groups to take the railroad all the
way from New York to Salt Lake.”[7] To read from a letter that Joseph wrote in
New York see Appendix II.
After converts from Great Britain
had moved to Utah, Joseph and Ruth would visit many of them “to see if they
were getting along alright and to have gospel discussions with them.”[9] While
Joseph was serving, Ruth “had to manage the best she could. In July of 1868,
Ruth sold two of their city lots to a man who altered the agreed upon amount on
the memorandum to a smaller figure and refused to pay her the rest of the money.
This created a great hardship for Ruth and her children.” She told Joseph when
he returned. Despite their efforts, the money was never returned.[9]
On February 25th, 1870, Ruth
traveled to Farmington and visited a convert named Mary Bloom. She had no
family in Utah and was pretty sick. Ruth brought her home and lovingly cared
for her. Ruth had her children call Mary “Grandma.” After several days, Mary
was near death. On March 15, 1870, Joseph bought “some burial plots in the
Ogden City Cemetery next to those where Joseph Edward and Benjamin Greenway
Lawson were buried.” Mary died that night “in full faith in the gospel.” She
was buried the following day in the Lawson plot. The monument at the cemetery
“bears her name as 'Grandma Bloom.'”[9]
Ruth's last child was
born on May 18, 1871. She named him John after her father. “As the boys grew
up, it was evident that the family farm was not large enough to sustain all
four living sons when they married and had families. Joseph acquired farm land
in Menan, Idaho, and Brigham (Brig) and Ephraim (Eph) moved up there. They kept
in touch with letters and occasional visits. In one letter in 1885, Joseph
“mentions the good peach crop they had that year and how busy he and Ruth had
been drying peaches. Ruth also kept busy with apples from their apple trees,
grapes, and a large vegetable garden.”[9]
On January 23, 1889,
Ruth received another patriarchal blessing.[11]
Second Mission
On May 25, 1889, Joseph and Ruth
were called on a mission to Great Britain. They arrived in Liverpool on June 18th.
They were sent to the Isle of Man.[3][9] As a consequence of the Ogden Canyon
accident that Joseph had experienced years earlier, he “wasn't able to do all
the walking he had done on the earlier mission.” Therefore, “firesides were
held in the homes of the saints for investigators. Joseph preached and Ruth
bore her testimony. Jospeh's health deteriorated, probably due to the damp
weather, which cut their mission short.[9][3]
After being released,
Joseph and Ruth “boarded the steamship Wisconsin and sailed from Liverpool for
New York.” From New York, they traveled by train. During the trip, “they had a
narrow escape from death. The train was wrecked, several passenger were
severely injured, but Elder Lawson and wife escaped uninjured. On September
23rd they arrived at Ogden again safely. For seven years previous to his death
Joseph Lawson was confined to his house with palsy. He was completely paralyzed
and unable to help himself in any manner. In his sad affliction his faithful
wife nursed him until his death affectionately. He passed peacefully away early
New Year's morning, 1896, and was interred in the Ogden cemetery."[3][9]
Later, “Ruth fell and broke her hip
and the bone never mended. She suffered very much from this injury.” On March
9, 1909, Ruth's son David went to check on her in the afternoon. Ruth “had
passed away earlier that day”[9] of old age.[16] She was buried next to
Joseph.[9]
Conclusion
Joseph and Ruth
were faithful members of the Church. Joseph "was a man in whom veneration
for the Deity was strongly developed. He was a devout worshiper, and had the
most implicit faith in the justice, truth and mercy of God. He was himself a
just and upright man, beloved, honored and esteemed by all who knew him. He was
true to his God, to his country and its institutions. He was devotedly attached
to his family and was clearly beloved by them. He died in full faith that he
would rise again on the morning of the first resurrection."[3]
One of Ruth's granddaughters “remembered the beautiful doll
quilts Ruth made by hand...for each of her younger granddaughters.” Ruth
lovingly cared for her family and friends.[9] Ruth
“was a faithful and earnest worker in the Relief Society and other Church
circles and was esteemed by a wide circle of friends.”[16]
Appendix I
John Hindley Company
Sister Stookey, wrote, "I think
I never so much admired prayer as I did on the plains. When our Captain of the
Company called to prayers in the morning, we all collected together in the open
air on the plain, 'where never Christian voice was heard in prayer to God
before' and we all kneeled reverently while one of the brethren called upon the
Lord."[a]
She also wrote, "The people
stood the journey very well, and Bro. John Hindley was a good
captain.... About the time we were about to start, there was considerable
talk of the Indians being bad on the plains, but the Saints were not deterred
by these rumors, and the companies of saints started out all the same, and
traveled unmolested. We saw a good many Sioux, but they were all civil.... The
Devil's back bone was dreadful rough for the cattle's feet, but it was not so
very steep. "[a]
Another pioneer,
Brother Miles, wrote, "The arrangements of the camp are as follows: get up
at half-past three o'clock; all cows to be milked at four o'clock. The guard
over the herd...take the cattle out for feed and water at six or seven o'clock;
the herd is driven inside the corral and yoked up, and we prepare to start....
[A]t noon we halt for a couple of hours to get dinner and let our cattle rest
and drink. We usually hold up at half-past six o'clock." [c]
Brother Miles continued,
"Persons belonging to the camp kill one or more rattlesnakes every day;
... they rattle when they hear anyone approaching, and generally endeavor
to move out of the way. The moccasin snakes are just as deadly as rattlesnakes;
I have seen two, but both got away; they are very large." He also spoke of
getting hit by lightning while he was on guard. He wrote, "During the
evening a thunder storm hung over our heads, ... and whilst the lightning
seemed to rend the heavens, as it were into huge fragments, I happened to be
about fifty yards from the outside of the corral, when a dazzling flame played
around my rifle barrel which projected groundward from under an India rubber
cape,... at the same time forked streaks of lightning crossed each other in
every direction, and run along the ground within a foot of me; this was
accompanied by thunder, which seemed to burst all around me, and I felt
something like a bullet crashing into my brain.... I gave one shriek, and
unconsciously wheeled around several times, every idea being driven from my
brain except the one melancholy though that I had been struck by lightning and
must die; ...all this occupied but a moment of time. When I had reeled around
several minutes, with nerves unstrung, the guard who was nearly behind me came
towards me, supposing I had been killed. For two days I felt a stupidity, as if
one-half of my life was driven out of me."[c]
Brother Miles wrote about
the kind of food they ate. He wrote, "[W]e have bread and biscuit every
day, sometimes pancakes, butter, molasses, sugar, ...with applesauce and
preserved grapes, for supper, and whenever eggs can be had at the trading
posts; cakes, beans, peas, rice, mush, and pusley for greens.... Ham and
buffalo meat—the latter does not taste unlike beef, but is sweeter and juicier.
Fish are not plentiful in the streams, but we capture one once in a
while."[c]
Brother Skidmore
wrote, "It fell to my lot to provide the fuel with which to cook our food.
Since no wood grew on the plains, I would take a sack and gather up dry buffalo
chips to fry our bacon and bake our bread. Often the wind would blow the lid
off the pan, and some of our food would be seasoned with sand and ashes. This
annoyed the women until all of us would have to laugh."[b]
He continued,
"We had no fresh meat except when someone killed a buffalo. What was not
eaten immediately was cut into strips and dried in the sun. At one time we saw
a band of Indians coming toward us, and the captain gave orders for the train
to stop. All who had guns were ready to defend us. When the Indians saw that we
were ready for them, they became friendly and wanted to trade buckskins and
moccasins for sugar and salt."[b]
At one point, the
pioneers traveled over a more treacherous road. Brother Skidmore wrote,
"At a place called Ash Hollow, the road was very steep. Mother with two
girls had to walk and were left behind. Darkness came on, and they thought they
were lost and were about to give up when they saw our camp fires. They were
very tired and hungry when they reached camp, but no trouble came to them."[b]
Another company tried to the
persuade the Hindley Company to turn back. Brother Skidmore wrote, "When
we neared the Rocky Mountains, we met a company from Utah on their way east.
They advised us to go back with them, saying that the grasshoppers were so bad
in the Salt Lake Valley that they had eaten everything up and we would starve.
We were not convinced by what they told us, and so we continued our
journey."[b]
Appendix II
Joseph Lawson Letter
"After a tedious and for the
most part rather a rough passage, we arrived here last night, all well.... The
company have got along tolerably cheerfully, notwithstanding seasickness has
been experienced more or less by a great many during our sojourn on the bosom
of the great deep, and we have realized the hand of the Lord over us for good.
Morning and evening, our songs and prayers have ascended up unto Him. With the
aid of a violin and bass horn...our singing has been pleasant and
harmonious....
On Sunday last,
Oct. 3, at 2 p.m., we had a public meeting on deck, and we invited all on
board, passengers and crew. Several hundreds, besides our company, were
privileged to hear preaching from Brother Hyde and Dye, myself bearing
testimony."
"Accept of my love to yourself and all associates.
Joseph Lawson."[8]
References
2. Lawson, B. (2005). Joseph Lawson,
1824-1896. Family History(2).
3. Elder Joseph Lawson. (8 Feb
1896). Desert Newspaper. Grammar editing and editing by Devin
McFarlane.
6. Migration from Norwich England to
Ogden Utah. Retrieved from Ancestry.com
7. Personal histories. Retrieved
from Utah Pioneers from Cleve and Anita RaymondHYPERLINK
"http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~raymondfamily/UtahPioneers.html"'HYPERLINK
"http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~raymondfamily/UtahPioneers.html"s Progenitors
9. Salisbury, L. G. and Garner, R.
B. Ruth Margaret Greenway Lawson. Editing and grammar editing by Devin
McFarlane.
10. Abel Evans. Retrieved from http://emoryandverlandsmithfamily.blogspot.com/2010/02/abel-evans.html
11. LDS Church Historical
Department. Grammar editing and editing by Devin McFarlane. Retrieved from https://familysearch.org/photos/stories/360282?returnLabel=Joseph%20Lawson%20(KWJ1-Y9N)andreturnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Ftree%2F%23view%3Dancestor%26person%3DKWJ1-Y9N%26spouse%3DKWJ1-Y9J%26section%3Dstories
13. Notices. (1 Jun 1889). Ogden
Standard.
14. Joseph Lawson and Ruth Margaret
Greenway Life Stories. Retrieved from https://familysearch.org/photos/stories/360282?returnLabel=Joseph%20Lawson%20(KWJ1-Y9N)andreturnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Ftree%2F%23view%3Dancestor%26person%3DKWJ1-Y9N%26spouse%3DKWJ1-Y9J%26section%3Dstories. Grammar editing by Devin McFarlane.
15. Joseph Lawson Note. In
possession of Paul McFarlane.
16. Ruth Margaret Greenway Lawson
Obituary. (20 Mar 1909). Deseret News. Grammar editing by Devin McFarlane.
Edited by Devin McFarlane.
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