COURAGEOUS ELIZABETH
By Elaine Olds Hagelberg
Treasures of Pioneer History
Treasures of Pioneer History: Vol. 6
South Africa's Contribution to Utah
Courageous Elizabeth
Elizabeth was the daughter of Thomas Uren and Mary Rowe. She was born at St. Kervin, Cornwall, England on August 22, 1829. When Elizabeth was twenty years of age she met a dashing young man by the name of Emanuel Ould and in due time they were married. As they had little to begin their married life with they decided to emigrate to South Africa along with other English colonists and, therefore, set sail for the Cape of Good Hope, in 1850.
After their arrival in Africa a home was secured and on February 24, 1851, little Mary Jane arrived. On December 28, 1854 Thomas was born in Newland, Africa. It was during this time that Elizabeth heard the gospel preached by Elder Jesse Haven and in February 1855 she was baptized by Elder Nicholas Paul. Emanuel did not share her desire to join the Church but did not object to her doing so. On April 14, 1856 another daughter, Susan, was born and Elizabeth felt that she was truly blessed with three lovely children. Another child, Eliza, was born two years later but passed away.
On the 7th of March 1860, Elizabeth and her children made preparations to come to Utah with the help of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund. She had left her husband and felt that it would be best for her and the children to join with the Saints in Utah. After the arrival of the family in New York they traveled on to St. Louis where Elizabeth hoped to obtain means of transporting herself and children[p.262] across the plains. Not being able to afford oxen and a wagon, but with a determination that could move mountains, Elizabeth put her few possessions and four-year-old Susan in a handcart and with the help of Mary Jane, who was nine, and Thomas, six, started on her way to Utah. At Council Bluffs she was assigned to Captain Oscar O. Stoddard's company which left on the 6th of July 1860 for the Valley.
It is not hard to imagine the worry and responsibility that was Elizabeth's. She had outstanding courage as she calmly tied her two older children to her so they would not be washed downstream, when wading and pulling the handcart across the rivers. Usually little Susan was permitted to ride across in the wagons. Elizabeth is known to have said that whenever she felt she couldn't go another step, she would start to tell her children they would have to drop out, and the look of trust and faith in their eyes gave her the extra strength to trudge on.
On the 24th of September 1860, they arrived in Salt Lake City, and now Elizabeth was faced with the problem of supporting her children. Applying for the position of housekeeper she was sent to the home of William Theobald, a widower with seven children. Inasmuch as the pioneers had to be practical people, it was soon decided that Elizabeth needed a father for her children and William needed a mother for his children, so they decided to get married, which they did in the Council House on November 24, 1860. William had purchased some land in the First Ward in Salt Lake City for $300.00 and was working at his trade of carpenter. Elizabeth's days were complete caring for the ten children.
Shortly after this they received a call to go to Duncan's Retreat on the Rio Virgin River along with six other families. It had been settled by Chapman Duncan who was driven away by the treacherous Rio Virgin. William put in crops and fruit trees and supplied a home for his family, but it was a continual struggle to keep the terrible floods, which came down so often, from washing everything away. After spending ten years in this place they were advised to move to Toquerville, Washington County. Four children were born to Elizabeth while at Duncan's Retreat, and Charles, who lived only three weeks, was buried there.
In 1871 the family moved to Toquerville, where William built another house which was located on the Main Street, and started at once to raise food for his large family. But William became restless and decided to return to England to visit his friends and relatives. Making Elizabeth as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, William left his wife with fourteen children knowing that in a few months their fifteenth child was due.
Once again Elizabeth had the responsibility of supplying food for her family, which, with the help of the older children she did, taking care of the crops and animals and working right up to the day[p.263] her baby was born. A few months later William returned from England and together they raised their children in a home of spiritual environment and harmony.
Elaine Olds Hagelberg
(The name of Ould was changed to Olds about 1910)
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