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Show • e • • J PEG-Bk13 TITLE PAG E PIONEER {full name) BIR TH (date and p lac e) DEA T H (d~te and place) PARE..N TS MARRIE D {who and dat e) ARRIVAL IN UTAH (date) ( Comp_any arrived with) HISTORY (who wrote) (date written) (who submitted) (address) CAMP & COUNTY SUBMITTING ,J Amagda Melvina France Rollins 3o,June 1839 Burns, Alleghany Co. New York 18 February 1916 at Centerville,Davis CO. Utah Joseph and Elizabeth Card France. ' Stueben Rollins---10 February 1855. Fall of 1849 Left Wintel/ ;Quarters with the William Hyde Co. Pearl Melvina Rollins Harding rewritten by -Tamara Harding !horpe about Nov. 1982 - l!Btma Mills Hareing 136 N 300 W --Morgan.Morgan CO. Utah·. --'S~o'"'u.. .t.=. h"---M=o=r.._.g=an=-C.c..aa=m=p"',.___ _____ Ca rn p --,---M_o_r_g_a_n_,_u_ta_h ________ CO 11 11 t y I • I (Camp Historian & addressl-,u-ci-ll-e -O.- W--ill-iam-s- - --------- - County Hist or ia n & a <ld res s ) __ B_a_r_b_a_r_a_C__._,_P_o_r_t_e_r _________ _ SOURCE OF INFORMATION & PAGE NUMBERS: Amanda MelvinaFrance Rollins own story., as told to her Grand Daughter Pearl M. Rollins Harding • HISTORY OF AMANDA MELVINA FRANCE ROLLINS By Pearl M. Rollins Harding My grandmother, Amanda Melvina France, was born in Alleghany County, Town of Burns, State of New York on June 30, 1839. She was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Card France . Her father was born in Pennsylvania, Sugar Loaf County. He was the third son of William France. Her mother, Betsy Card France, had three children. A boy was born first, then her daughter, Amanda, and then another boy. The younger boy died 28 days before his mother died. She was just 26 years of age and Amanda was only three years old. This left Amanda and her older brother in the care of relatives and friends until about one year later when her father married again. They lived in New York until Amanda was six years old . In 1842 her father was converted and baptized into the Latter-day Saints Church by the Mormon missionaries. They held meetings and conference in their home. The family then moved west to Dansville where they took a canal boat to Buffalo, and then by a steamboat to Chicago where her father bought a wagon and yoke of oxen. They then traveled to Garden Grove, Iowa. The family stayed there all winter and in the spring they went to Winter Quarters where the saints were located. They were there when the first company of saints started west. Amanda's father left his family a few days while he helped the pioneers cross the Elkhorn River by ferry and he helped to guard their possessions until they got started on their journey westward. Amanda was baptized while they lived at Winter Quarters when she was eight years old in the Missouri River by Brother Packard. While they lived in Winter Quarters, Martin Harris lived across the street from them and Amanda would carry milk to him every morning . They moved to Council Point, Iowa, and her father left again and went to Missouri to work for his outfit to come west. When they got ready to come west, they had three yoke of oxen, two cows and two wagons. The cows furnished them with plenty of milk and butter . In the morning they would strain the milk into the churn and when they camped for dinner, they would have butter churned by the jolting of the wagon. Amanda helped her brother milk the cows and gather wood and buffalo chips to make fires . She helped drive the oxen, walking nearly all the entire distance without shoes. When they got to the ferry to cross the Missouri River, they were organized into companies of tens and fifties with a captain over each. William Hyde was captain over all the company. He died on the plains of cholera, which was very bad, especially among the Indians. Many died and when they arrived at Fort Laramie, the company was stopped by Indians . They demanded a white scalp for every Indian which had died with cholera because they thought the white people had brought it to them. Amanda was terrified of the Indians. The dead and the sick were a sickening sight. The Indians would stand a little JPEG-Bk13 • • • way from the wagons and hold a bitter weed to their faces. They would not take any food the pioneers had touched, although they were starving. The United States soldiers called the Indians into a treaty and the company gave them sugar, flour, and ammunition to kill their meat. There were merchants in the company who gave them hats, shirts, and shoes. After two days the saints were allowed to continue on their way, very thankful to see the Indians satisfied and peaceful. They arrived in Salt Lake in the fall of 1849 where they lived a few months, then moved north about 12 miles and made a home in a small town called Centerville. Here Amanda helped her brothers and her father on the farm. She was ten years old when they arrived in Utah and she went to school until she was fifteen and then she married Stueben Rollins on February 10, 1855. She was the mother of twelve children, eight sons and four daughters. They were Stueben Oscar, born December 10, 1855; Joseph Henry, born May 15, 1857; Moroni, born February 14, 1859; Franklin, born April 9, 1860; William DeWilton, born March 6, 1861; Thomas Alonzo, born May 16, 1863; Charles Ora, born August 23, 1865; Elizabeth Alice, born November 21, 1867; George Wallace, born September 20, 1869, Amanda Melvina, born October 26, 1871; Eleanor Rhoda, born January 2, 1874; and Sarah Lovantia, born September 3, 1876. All of them were born in Centerville. Amanda liked to appear well-dressed and many times deprived herself the pleasure of the association with her friends in meetings and parties because with so many children to dress, she was usually the last to consider her own needs. She was happy to see her children take their place with other children in primary and sunday school. She walked to primary in the Elkhorn Hall to help a shy little daughter give a recitation. Her children were taught to do right and taught correct principles. She had them blessed and named in Fast Meeting and when eight years old, she saw that they were baptized and that it was recorded correctly. She was a member of the Relief Society and always welcomed her visiting teachers and helped her neighbors when in need. Amanda and her husband lived a long life together. They celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary with children and friends. Her husband died at Centerville on March 5, 1911 and she lived seven more years with her daughter . She passed away at the age of 76 at Centerville on February 18, 1916 . JPEG-Bk13 |
