WHITE, BETSY POLLOW WARN 1862 HISTORY OF BETSY POLLOW WARN WHITE My mother, Betsy (Elizabeth) Pollow Warn White, was born June 30, 1829 at St. Heliers, Isle of Jersey. She was converted to Mormonism and baptized when quite a young woman, between the age of 14 and 15. She learned the trade of dressmaking ana millinery, which was a means of supporting her family later in life, after she came to Utah. She was married quite young to a sea-faring man by the name of Kemp, who was lost at sea, not long after their marriage. After his death she gave birth to a daughter, Rhoda. Finding it necessary to support herself and child she secured a spoition as teacher in a private school leaving the baby with her mother. One day when the baby was one and one-half years old the grandmother was preparing a meal. She placed a cup of tea on the table and returned to the stove for another dish when the baby pulled the cup of hot tea over onto her scalding her so badly she died a day or two later. At the time of her bereavement she met my father, William White, and they were married when she was about 22. They lived in London, England, where four children were born. Three boys and one girl, Fredric William, Alfred George, Betsy Amelia and William Edward. My father, William White, later became a seafaring man. He would take long voyages that lasted from one to tow years. During one of the voyages, mother was counseled to emegrate to America. So she came to Utah alone with her four little children. The oldest boy being ten years of age. The baby two. During the Iong journey mother endured many trying experiences. .While crossing the ocean a very contageous disease broke out on the ship and her baby contracted it, and for days lay at the point of death. Every day there was at least one burial at sea, and every morning the stewart would knock at mother's door and ask if the baby had died during the night, and 3 seemed surprased when told that he was still alive. But mother's faith was undaunted. She had been given a blessing by Lorenzo Snow before leaving England, and had been promised that if she would be faithful to her duties that she and her family would all reach Utah in safety and mother never lost faith in that promise. After reaching america she purchased a good cow to supply her children with milk, but in crossing the sand-hills one yoke of cattle was rendered useless which made it necessary for her to yoke her cow up to complete her team. She risked the dangers of crossing high rivers and coming in contact with wild buffalo stampeding, but with her constant care, her wise judgement, her faith and prayers they all reached Utah safely. She was met by her brother-in-law, Thomas Stenhouse. He was the missionary who converted her in England. Father joined her the following year. Father had twice saved money enough to come to Utah, but on account of his long voyages he postponed their emigration and turned the money into the church to be used for the poor. Being an engineer on a sailing vessel he made good money and provided a very good home for his family, both of which they left to come to Utah. Mother came in 1862 and father in 1863. They received their endowments and sealing April 12, I864, They secured a little home in Salt Lake City in the 16th ward. One child was born here, Ellen Mariah,(called Nellie). Being unable to find work in the line he was trained for, father decided to go where he could take up land, with this in mind he walked to Cache Valley, While there he started to build a little house before returning for his family, then left means to have it finished by the time he returned, but he was disappointed upon returning to find it not 4 completed and they were forced to move into one corner of the meeting house until it could be made fit to live in. Like most of the houses it had a thatched roof, and when the first heavy rain c ame much of the dirt came down on their furniture and clean beds. Next summer a shingle roof was put on the house. Two children were born here, Thomas Washington, on the 4th of July and Clara Fannie. Father was offered the opportunity to engineer a saw mill in the mountains, so he moved his family into the canyon. Some time later the canyon caught on fire on both sides and mother and her family came very near to being trapped. Mother was ill and not able to walk far and her sons carried her part of the way in a rocking chair. At times they had to go through places where the fire had burned and the men got their hair and whiskers burned but the women and children were covered with coats and quilts and escaped the burning. After they had gone a distance down the canyon, evening came on and they made beds on a pile of logs for the little ones to sleep on. That was the only thing I can remember, sleeping on the logs, because it was such a pleasure to me and quite a thrill. They then settled in Morgan County, not long after my brother Walter Henry was born. While there another opportunity was given father to work in a canyon known as Hardscrabble. The family then moved again. Mother was a good financier and business womean and made a palace of a log cabin and was full of hope and courage. She held school for her own children in the canyon to get them started. At intervals through her entire life, she worked at dressmaking and millinery, which was the means of securing many little necessities and comforts. While in Hardscrabble canyon, early in the spring a very serious thing happened to my oldest brother, then a young man, He went into 5 the mountains to cut down a dry tree for fire wood. While in the act a tremendous snow-slide came down the mountain rolling him over and covering him deep in the snow. I think they said that the vibration caused another slide from the opposite side burying him still deeper. One of the men happened to be coming down the canyon ans saw these snow slides and having seen Fred before, figured that he was under the snow. He immediately made his way to the mill and notified my father of the accident. I was only a 3 year old child and the first thing I remember was my father with his sleeves rolled up and his head bare just as he left his work running up the canyon to the rescue. And I noted the distress of my mother and the two older children. There was only one broken shovel available but plenty of men assembled to work had they had tools, of course some were sent go obtain more, but that took time. They appealed to my father to designate the place to dig. He was at a loss and appeared to be bewildered but in a few seconds designated the spot, after they had dug a few feet there, he changed the place just about the length of the boy's body. They continued in that place until they struck his heel, they would have struck his head had they continued in the other place. The man useing the shovel fainted and father jumped in and dug with his hands. It was two and one-half hours that he was under the snow and everyone thought he would be dead. Mother said he would be alive she could not be persuaded that he was dead. When he was brought in he was so dreadfully dark that he frightened me terribly. The next day he was able to sit at the table and eat with us which was quite marvelous. It was a severe shock to my mother's nerves but she showed her strength of mind in remaining calm to some extent. There was little to be made at the mill so another move took place. Father then took up a homestead not far from the mouth of 6 the canyon and built a pretty two room house. The following spring I had another childish joy going with my sister to cook for father while while he worked on the home, and we slept under a big service-berry bush. Several mornings we found a light fall of snow on our bed which was quite thrilling to me. About two years after, the family moved into that home, another baby was born, a little girl Pearl Mable, She died when 9 months old. Father was unable to adapt himself to farming it was almost impossible for him to get along in that line. Mother had a severe illness of plura pneumonia, and we all feared that shw would pass away. My father was then in Coalville, Utah and had a very good job running an engine which was more in his line. One evening she called the older children to her bed as she thought sue was going to die. She asked for the Elders and that father be sent for. Fred went for the Elders and Alf went for the Doctor and Father. The Elders came soon in body and exercised great faith in her behalf and the next morning father came and had telegraphed a doctor, who came later in the day. The Doctor said that she was in a very dangerous condition, but that the crisis had passed and we all felt that it was through the faith of the priesthood that she was spared. The Doctor said when he came that the change had taken place the night before. A few years later father took his family to Coalville where he had his work. As far as financial conditions were concerned we were very comfortable until father's health broke, due to exposure in his work. The most of the family had then married, and the break in father's health made it necessary for mother to take up her trade again, so we moved to Salt Lake City as mother felt that it would be a better field for her trade. Only myself and my younger brother Walter came with mother. Father felt he could do light work 7 and took a position with a company of men. Mother immediately got work in shops in Salt Lake, decorating windows and re-trimming hats and what dressmaking she could get. I helped as best I could at the age of 15. Father became worse until he was unable to do anything. He became an invalid for 4 years, and at that time he died. Many trying circumstances and hardships filled her life during her widow-hood. And in a few years we were in Logan, Utah doing millinery work and dressmaking. In the course of time all her family married and she met a very kind considerate companion in Alfred Swinyard. They were married about 10 years when she passed away at the age of seventy-seven. Mother was dark, medium height, had a rounded form, but was very straight. She had black curly hair and large dark eyes. My mother was a strong self sustaining character, had a high sense of honor, was truly religious and charitable, a friend to the poor and afflicted, a wise conucelor to her family, and was true to the gospel she had embraced in her youth. By Clara Sparks