Thomas Evans & Family

This was written by Aunt Mary E. Nalder Green, in Lethbridge, 1956. It should be noted that these people are the grandparents of our Grandma Harris, Eliza Ann Evans. This information has not been substantiated but is transcribed from documents that have been made available.

Thomas Evans, born on Sept 4, about 1818 in Cardiff, Wales Additional Information

Ann John (Evans) christened April 25, 1819 at St. Mellons, Monmouthshire, Wales

Married 1845 and were the parents of 3 children:

Thomas, born Feb. 17, 1846

Emma, born July 13, 1848

Hyrum (Grandma Harris’ father) born Jan. 19,1850

The mother died Sept 18, 1853 at the age of 34 years. They had joined the church and their grandmother lived at their home to care for the children, as she was a widow. The grandfather, Edward Evans, had passed away previously. Thomas Evans, two years later, married Mary Norris, who with her husband, and his mother and three children, emigrated to Utah in 1856.

They sailed from Liverpool, April 19, 1856 on the ship Samuel-Curling, arrived at Boston May 23^rd, traveled by rail to Iowa City, where they built handcarts and left Iowa City June 23^rd for Salt Lake City in the Edward Bunker handcart company. They arrived in Salt Lake City on October 2^nd and they were mostly converts from Wales in their company. They later moved to Kaysville and began building a home, as some of their Welsh friends were making their homes there too. In 1857 while grandfather was cutting wood at the foot of the mountain to procure supply for winter, he was seized by a heart attach and passed away. He was with a young man from Kaysville who summoned neighbors as soon as possible, although it was quite a distance for him. This was a great shock for his family as they had only been in this country one year. At this time the stepmother and grandmother and kind neighbors took care of the children who were taught to be helpful with chores and were ambitious to do what they were able.

Grandfather Evans and his last wife were the parents of two children who grew up in Kaysville and married, making their homes in Kaysville, now called Layton. Elisabeth married Wesley Gipson and raised a large family. Mary Ann married Frank Jacques and also raised a family.

My mother very early in life was taught spinning and was paid by the skein, was employed by neighbors in this vicinity a great deal.

My grandfather, Thomas Evans, was engaged in ship building in Cardiff, Wales but, I understand, that coal mining was the largest industry in Cardiff at the time when they immigrated to Utah. Recently I read in our paper Cardiff had been made the capital city of Wales and greatly improved in every way.

I was happy to hear of one of my nieces and husband who were with the Tabernacle Choir on their wonderful trip and were privileged to sing in Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. I believe they are the only ones of our family who have visited Cardiff, as far as I know, but mother always looked forward to someone to visit there. But I have always been grateful to the Elders who went to Wales more than one hundred years ago and converted my Grandparents in Wales and also for the blessings we have enjoyed as their descendants. I hope that we will all live worthy of these blessing and work for our ancestors in the temples, who never were able to hear the gospel message.