Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Submitted by Colleen Simmons
SARAH JANE SANDERS
Sarah Jane Sanders, born September 13, 1859, was the oldest child of David Walker Sanders and Sarah Jane Vance. Shortly after their marriage, her parents were called by the Mormon Church to establish the new community of Fairview Sanpete County, Utah. Sarah Jane was born while her mother was living in Mt. Pleasant while her father helped to build the Fort and Church at Fairview.
During the first few years of her life, Sarah Jane and her parents moved back and forth between Fairview and Mt Pleasant whenever the hostile Indians were in the area. Greater protection was found at the Mt. Pleasant Fort. Sarah Jane was only twelve years old when her mother died June 27, 1873, and for a year she took care of her brothers, David and George, and her sister Martha. Her two-year-old sister, Amanda, had died in 1869. Her father remarried Louisa Cheney Smith and she got a new sister, Rosalia Smith.
Sarah Jane began school at the age of 5 years under the tuition method practiced at that time and attended school until she was about fifteen years of age. At the age of 19, she married Aaron Elijah Cheney, son of Elam Cheney and Margaret Wimmer Cheney and also the younger brother of her stepmother, Louisa. They were married January 30, 1878 at her home in Fairview. The first year after their marriage, Aaron run his father’s Grist Mill in Fairview. After the birth of their first child, Sarah Frances, they moved to Huntington, Emery County, Utah, where they lived for two years on a farm.
Not having much success with the crops, they sold their interests for teams and wagons. Aaron worked a the sawmill in Fairview where daughter Louisa was born in 1881. He was working in Payson, Utah. In 1883 where his son, Aaron Elijah was born, in 1885. The Sanders family moved by teams and wagons to Pinedale, Navajo County, Arizona, where Aarons father, Elem Cheney was living. They were accompanied by David Walker Jr and Pete Hansen with their families and also by sister, Martha, who was unmarried.
In 1879, Sarah Jane’s father had been called with some of his brothers to move to Arizona and find a good place to raise cattle. They moved some of the cattle in 1880 but the families did not move until the January of 1881. Because of the herd of cattle they were bringing to Arizona, the trip took about three months. They crossed the Colorado River at Pierce'’ Ferry near the Nevada/Arizona border. The company of approximately 50 people arrived at Gisela in the upper Tonto Basin in March of 1881.
During the year of 1885, Aaron and Sarah Jane moved to Gisela in the Tonto Basin with their family where they farmed with her father. While living in Tonto Basin, They had two more children, Rozilpha born 1886 and David Wimmer born 1888. They had lived in the Tonto Basin for about four years when all of the Mormon families were advised by Church authorities to move elsewhere because of the Indian problems and the Tewksbury Feud which was going on at that time.
In September 18889, most of the families moved to Concho, Arizona, where they lived for the next 10 years. While living in Concho, Sarah Jane gave birth to five babies all born prematurely. Only William Franklin lived and Sarah Jane said they kept him alive in the warming oven over the top of the wood stove in the kitchen. It was a very said time for Sarah Jan, Aaron farmed but he and the other Mormons had problems with the Spanish farmers (who were there first) over water rights. It was decided that one group would buy out the other group. Sine the Spanish settlers had more money, they purchased all of the farming property and water rights of the Mormon group whom then left the community.
Aaron and Sarah Jane moved their family to Thatcher Arizona during the winter of 1899/1900. Soon Afterwards, Sarah Jane gave birth to and buried another baby making 5 deaths in succession in a few short years. They purchased a forty-acre farm at the edge of Thatcher and engaged in agriculture and carpenter work. The two older boys were old enough to assist their father. In 1901 Vada was born at full term and healthy, Sarah finally had a baby that lived.
On July 25, 1903, after a severe illness, Aaron passed away leaving Sarah Jane alone with her six unmarried children including one year old Vada. Not being in a position to run the farm, she purchased a lot and house in town where she continued to live for the rest of her life. Twenty four year old Sarah Frances helped support the family by teaching school and the two boys, Aaron and David, helped by doing farm and carpenter work.
Sarah Jane was the mother of twelve children and lived a life of hardship and struggle with poverty. She was a capable, efficient and cheerful homemaker and tried to present a cheerful front at all times no matter how discouraged she may have been. Everyone enjoyed going to her home to visit and she always had a cookie treat for the younger children. Her son, William, never married and lived with her.
At the age of 87 years, Sarah Jane passed away in Thatcher, Arizona on August 6, 1946. She was buried in the Thatcher cemetery.
The living children of Sarah Jane Sanders and Aaron Cheney were Sarah Frances who married Charles McRae, Louisa Ellen who married Jacob Pulsipher, Aaron Elijah who married Sarah Ellen Blazzard, Rozilpha who married John Allen, David Wimmer who married Pearl Montierth, William , and Vada who married Willard Smith.
Sarah Jane Sanders, born September 13, 1859, was the oldest child of David Walker Sanders and Sarah Jane Vance. Shortly after their marriage, her parents were called by the Mormon Church to establish the new community of Fairview Sanpete County, Utah. Sarah Jane was born while her mother was living in Mt. Pleasant while her father helped to build the Fort and Church at Fairview.
During the first few years of her life, Sarah Jane and her parents moved back and forth between Fairview and Mt Pleasant whenever the hostile Indians were in the area. Greater protection was found at the Mt. Pleasant Fort. Sarah Jane was only twelve years old when her mother died June 27, 1873, and for a year she took care of her brothers, David and George, and her sister Martha. Her two-year-old sister, Amanda, had died in 1869. Her father remarried Louisa Cheney Smith and she got a new sister, Rosalia Smith.
Sarah Jane began school at the age of 5 years under the tuition method practiced at that time and attended school until she was about fifteen years of age. At the age of 19, she married Aaron Elijah Cheney, son of Elam Cheney and Margaret Wimmer Cheney and also the younger brother of her stepmother, Louisa. They were married January 30, 1878 at her home in Fairview. The first year after their marriage, Aaron run his father’s Grist Mill in Fairview. After the birth of their first child, Sarah Frances, they moved to Huntington, Emery County, Utah, where they lived for two years on a farm.
Not having much success with the crops, they sold their interests for teams and wagons. Aaron worked a the sawmill in Fairview where daughter Louisa was born in 1881. He was working in Payson, Utah. In 1883 where his son, Aaron Elijah was born, in 1885. The Sanders family moved by teams and wagons to Pinedale, Navajo County, Arizona, where Aarons father, Elem Cheney was living. They were accompanied by David Walker Jr and Pete Hansen with their families and also by sister, Martha, who was unmarried.
In 1879, Sarah Jane’s father had been called with some of his brothers to move to Arizona and find a good place to raise cattle. They moved some of the cattle in 1880 but the families did not move until the January of 1881. Because of the herd of cattle they were bringing to Arizona, the trip took about three months. They crossed the Colorado River at Pierce'’ Ferry near the Nevada/Arizona border. The company of approximately 50 people arrived at Gisela in the upper Tonto Basin in March of 1881.
During the year of 1885, Aaron and Sarah Jane moved to Gisela in the Tonto Basin with their family where they farmed with her father. While living in Tonto Basin, They had two more children, Rozilpha born 1886 and David Wimmer born 1888. They had lived in the Tonto Basin for about four years when all of the Mormon families were advised by Church authorities to move elsewhere because of the Indian problems and the Tewksbury Feud which was going on at that time.
In September 18889, most of the families moved to Concho, Arizona, where they lived for the next 10 years. While living in Concho, Sarah Jane gave birth to five babies all born prematurely. Only William Franklin lived and Sarah Jane said they kept him alive in the warming oven over the top of the wood stove in the kitchen. It was a very said time for Sarah Jan, Aaron farmed but he and the other Mormons had problems with the Spanish farmers (who were there first) over water rights. It was decided that one group would buy out the other group. Sine the Spanish settlers had more money, they purchased all of the farming property and water rights of the Mormon group whom then left the community.
Aaron and Sarah Jane moved their family to Thatcher Arizona during the winter of 1899/1900. Soon Afterwards, Sarah Jane gave birth to and buried another baby making 5 deaths in succession in a few short years. They purchased a forty-acre farm at the edge of Thatcher and engaged in agriculture and carpenter work. The two older boys were old enough to assist their father. In 1901 Vada was born at full term and healthy, Sarah finally had a baby that lived.
On July 25, 1903, after a severe illness, Aaron passed away leaving Sarah Jane alone with her six unmarried children including one year old Vada. Not being in a position to run the farm, she purchased a lot and house in town where she continued to live for the rest of her life. Twenty four year old Sarah Frances helped support the family by teaching school and the two boys, Aaron and David, helped by doing farm and carpenter work.
Sarah Jane was the mother of twelve children and lived a life of hardship and struggle with poverty. She was a capable, efficient and cheerful homemaker and tried to present a cheerful front at all times no matter how discouraged she may have been. Everyone enjoyed going to her home to visit and she always had a cookie treat for the younger children. Her son, William, never married and lived with her.
At the age of 87 years, Sarah Jane passed away in Thatcher, Arizona on August 6, 1946. She was buried in the Thatcher cemetery.
The living children of Sarah Jane Sanders and Aaron Cheney were Sarah Frances who married Charles McRae, Louisa Ellen who married Jacob Pulsipher, Aaron Elijah who married Sarah Ellen Blazzard, Rozilpha who married John Allen, David Wimmer who married Pearl Montierth, William , and Vada who married Willard Smith.
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