Samuel Francis and Esther Charlotte Emily Wiesbrodt Francis Samuel Francis was born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, on July 3, 1830, being the eldest son of William and Ann philips Francis. There were six children of the family: Samuel, Amelia, Lydia, Emma, William and John. The family had but little of this world's goods and all of them had to work to sustain the family. The humble position of the parents did not allow them to give their children a liberal education. when Samuel had learned to read and write and work a little in arithmetic, he prevailed on his parents to take him out of school and put him to work in the cloth factory. He had two motives in leaving school, one was to help support the family, the other, he didn't like the title "school boy." in later years he regretted this course of leav¬ing school so early in life. Samuel Francis did not spend his time like many other boys, running the streets night, but spend his leisure time reading good books—among which was the Bible. between the ages of sixteen and seventeen he had deep religious meditations and felt that he ought to join some church. Having attended the Unitarian Sunday school, he thought he should ally him¬self with that church. But before doing so he decided to make it a matter prayer. Up to this time he had not been in the habit of praying, but on retiring to bed one evening, he decided to appeal to the Lord for guidance. He did not receive any immediate answer to his prayer so continued to pray each even¬ing, believing that he would receive an answer although he did not know in what way it would come. About this time, in company with a companion, William Stevens, he was induced to attend a meeting of the Latter-day Saints. Elder John Haliday from Utah was the speaker. Samuel was convinaed that what the speaker had said was true and from that time on he was a convert to Mormonism. He continued to attend the meetings of the Latter-day Saints and to study the Gospel from the Bible. everything seemed so reasonable and true to him that he resolved to pre¬sent this new doctrine to his family, but upon doing so he received nothing but dire opposition. He was later forbidden to speak of his religions views in the home and was told by his father that if he joined the Mormon church he would have to leave home. He writes the following in his journal: "All the remonstrances of my affectionate father and the prayers of my loving mother could not remove the light God had caused to shine on my understanding. " "I was sure I was right and nothing could turn me from this course." He continued attending the Latter-dat saint meetings with the continued opposition of his parents until the eighth of February, 1847, when, with some other companions, he was baptised and on the following evening was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John Haliday. We give an account of his coming Into the church as recorded by himself in his diary: "No language can express my sensations that permeated my soul that day. I loved everything and everybody around me. I felt heavenly and as a little child, just born, that I had been translated into a new world." From this time, Mr. Francis threw his whole soul into the work of the Lord, bearing testimony to the truth he had received. About this time--1849—his father died and he did all he could to comfort his mother and the family, but he had not let them know that he had joined the church. Shortly after this, his sister Amelia died in her eighteenth year. On the 6th of August, 1850, Mr. Francis was ordained an elder by George Haliday and appointed to take charge of the missionary work at Sherborne. He was now compelled to leave home and for the first time reveled to his mother his identity with the Mormon Church. This was a struggle in his life never to be forgotten. The following is from his diary: "I knew that she was my mother and had bestowed upon me all the love and affection a mother could do, and my affection for her was all that a son could bestow, yet I knew I had been called of God to labor for the salvation of the sould of men. My duty to Him was even greater than my duty to my mother. I decided to serve the Lord believing that he could do more for my mother than I could do." Mr. Francis, now having made the sacrifice of leaving his mother, brothers and sisters, decided to throw all the energy of his soul into the work of the Lord. On the 3rd of October he bid good-bye to his family and the saints in his home town and entered the field as a real traveling elder. By June, 1851, he had baptised twenty souls. He also labored in Cornwall and kent, converting a large number of souls. On June 27, 1854, he was called to London to attend the conference of the British Mission. At this conference he received a call from president F. D. Richards of the European Mission to accompany Elder Daniel Tyler to the Swiss and Italian missions. On the 28th of September, in company with Elder William Budge, he left Great Britain for Switzerland, arriving At Geneva, the headquarters of the mission. Here he met Elders Chislett, Savage, Tyler, Stenhouse and Keaton. At a conference meeting of the Elders the following day, Elder Francis was appointed to preside over the Italian Mission. He traveled twenty miles, crossing the Alps mountains, arriving at his new field on October 6, 1854. Not long after arriving at his new field he received a visit from President Richards, John S. Smith, william Kimball and Daniel Tyler. Elder Francis described this as a very joyous meeting. Elder Francis was delighted to have Elder John Chislett come into the mission to labor with him. In November, 1855, Elder Francis was appointed to take charge of an emgration from Turin, Italy, to London, England. He took charge of the company, arriving in London in December, 1855. He spent some time in London and also visited his family before return¬ing. On returning, he spent some time working in the office at Geneva; taking charge of the mission in the absence of President S. Smith, who was on a visit to England for three months. Right here enters the second member of the subject of this sketch. In June, 1856, Elder Francis, while doing missionary work, met his future life's companion in the person of a young German school teacher-- Esther Charlotte Emily Wiesorodt. Their acquaintance commenced by exchanging lessons in English for lessons in French and vice versa. Elder Francis taught the gospel to Miss Wiesbrodt and she became converted to it, and was baptised into the church on July 26th, 1856. Miss Weisbrodt was of German parentage--the daughter of William and Emily Schroeder Wiesbrodt, who had come from Saxony, Germany, to Turin, Italy, as attendants to the German Consul. Miss Wiesbrodt had High School education and was teaching in a young ladies seminary. She could speak and write four languages--German, French, Italian and English. In February, 1857, Elder Francis was called from the Italian mission to work the offices at Geneva. Miss Wiesbrodt met the fate that did nearly all Mormon converts, she received intense persecution and finally had her school taken from her and was left to drift as best she could. In correspondence with Elder Francis, she made known her condition. He interceded for her with the President Smith. The President sent for her to come to Geneva, where he gave her a position in the offices translating English tracts, hymns, etc., into French and German. while Elder Francis spent the major part of his time traveling through¬out the mission. Elder Francis and Miss Wiesbrodt's associations together gave rise to talk and some criticism. For this reason it was deemed advisible for them to get married, they having become affectionately attached to each other. Thus on July 1, 1857, Elder Samuel Francis and Esther Emily Charlotte Wiesbrodt were united in marriage by the British consul at Geneva, Switzerland. Elder Francis continued his missionary labors in the Swiss and Italian Missions until April 1,1858, when he was transferred to the British mission, in the Birmingham conference. On April 17th, Elder Francis and wife bid good-bye to the saints and elders and Geneva and left for England, arriving there on the 24th. Here Elder Francis continued his missionary labors. On May 9th, Mrs. Francis gave birth to a son, Samuel Francis, Jr. A few months after their arrival in England, Elder Francis took his wife and babe to visit his mother and family at Trowbridge. This was a very happy meeting. Elder Francis continued his missionary labors in various parts of England until December 31, 1860, when he was released to emigrate to Zion. Prior to this time he had another son arrive on the scene--Joseph Enoch. In May, 1861, Elder Francis with his wife and two children sailed for America on the "Monarch of the Sea," arriving there on the 19th of June, being six weeks on the ocean. They left Florence, Nebraska, with ox-team crossing the plains and arriving in Salt Lake City September 16th. On arriving in Utah, Elder Francis turned his hand to any kind of work he could get. He drove teams, sawed wood, taught school, and ran a carding machine. In 1863, he went to Weber Valley where he purchased a farm of twenty-five acres, paying fo it with a soldier coat and a rifle. In 1864, he moved his famil to Morgan, County and began farming, though for several years he rented his farm and went to run a carding machine in ogden to earn means to build a home. In 1864, he built a log cabin with dirt roof, no floor or windows. previous to this for a time they lived in a tent where his fourth son William W. was born. During the winter of 1864 they were very poor and all hid to sleep in one bed to keep warm. In the spring of 1865, they made a cellar to live in while they moved their log house to the east end of his farm, where they built a large one room log house with shingle roof, floor and windows, getting it furnished to move into just a few days before Christmas. In 1866, Mr. Francis came nearly losing his wife. He left her to look after the carding machine a few days while he went to look after his farming interests at Morgan. She took suddenly ill with typhoid fever and fell unconscious on the floor where she lay for two days before neighbors found her. She lay for six weeks between life and death. During the winter of 1867 and 1868 Mr. Francis again resumed his missionary work, traveling through Morgan and Summit counties. In 1868 Morgan City was organised and Mr. Francis was elected Justice of the peace. When the County was organised, he was elected County Clerk and Recorder. He studied and qualified himself for these positions and later filled the office of Probate Judge and County attorney. He took up the study of law and in 1888 at the age of 58, he was admitted to the bar and did most of the legal business of Morgan County for many years. Mr. Francis was elected to the Territorial legislature for four terms and was a member of the constit¬utional convention when Utah was admitted to the Union. In the religious affairs of Morgan Stake, Mr. Franais was also active. In 1877, when the stake was organised, he was chosen a member of the Stake Presidency. After long years of service he was released from this position and ordained a patriarch. Mr. Francis was also identified with the educational interests of the State and County. He worked in the early history of the County, to have the schools ran by taxation and later in the State legislature to extablish the free school system now in operation. Mr. Francis by industry and economy acquired sufficient property to leave each of his sons a farm and his daughters a like amount of other property before his death. On May 26, 1906, he passed to his final reward, after having spent nearly sixty years of faithful service in the Charch and for his fellow men. Having written this much about father's life, we feel we ought to give a little of mother's as well. When father first met her in Turin, Italy, she was a small frail girl weighing from ninety to a hundred pounds. When quite a young girl in her teens, she had a severe sickness and lay in a trance as it were for four days. Her family thinking she was dead. During this time she saw in vision the rise of the church and the exodus of the people from the Missouri river to Utah. Just prior to father's arrival in Italy as a missionary, she was shown in a dream the coming of the Mormon missionaries to Italy. That a young man with dark hair, carrying three books under his arm would approach her with a message of truth, that she should treat him kindly and listen to what he had to say. She accepted the gospel readily and soon joined the church. At this time her father and one sister were the only members of her family living. They turned against her as well as her friends and she was so persecuted that she was obliged to leave her home. As previously stated, mother was a frail girl and subject to lung trouble. She was advised by her physician never to marry as she could not raise a family. But the Lord saw otherwise. He had a mission for Esther Charlotte Emily Wiesbrodt and prepared her for it. She became the mother of ten children anD lived to see them all raised to manhood and womanhood. As before stated she came to Utah in 1861 and passed through all the early trials and hardships incident to pioneer life. Her hospitality extended to the poor and needy as readily as to any one. For twenty years she entertained the brethren coming to stake conferences. She will live to hear this from the master, "I was hungry and ye fed me, I was without shelter and ye took me in, I was sick and ye min¬istered unto me: Inasmuch aa ye did it unto the least of these ye did it also unto me." We consider the early history and biography of father and mother among the most unique in the early history of the Church. Father having filled a continuous ten years' mission in the British, Italian and Swiss missions. In being sent to Italy as a foreign missionary of the Church there meeting his life's companion who was prepared before hand to greet him. Converting her to the gospel and then both continuing missionary work and entering the sacred bonds of wedlock while in the missionfield. Then continuing missionary work for four years after their marriage until after two children were born in the family. We consider this a rare occurrence in early missionary experiences. We well now conclude this all too brief sketch with a closing extract from father's diary: "Well, mother, we might have--and should have done more in this world of ours--than we have, but if our posterity do no better than we have done they will still leave the world better for their having lived in it." Number of descendants 116.