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#M14j Sarah GREENWOOD (AFN:1788-CB)
Born: 14 Nov 1844 Burnley, Lanchester,
England
Died: 13 Jan 1887 Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Buried: 15 Jan 1887 Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Father: William GREENWOOD (AFN:1BGK:ZH)
(4 Mar 1819-11 Oct 1899)
Mother: Anne HARTLEY (AFN:25TX-26) (26 Jul 1821-18 Jul 1897)
Married: Isaac Turley,
Sr. 11 Mar 1861 San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California. They had 12 children. See
Isaac Turley, Sr. site for names of children. See biography below questioning the place of
marriage.
Biography. The following information comes to us courtesy of Ella Mae (Turley) Judd who obtained it from a 1976 Turley Family
Newsletter. Ella Mae's comments are in brackets. The article was written by Olive K.
Turley. (Following this account there is a transcription of a letter written
by Isaac Turley to Sarah Greenwood's parents regarding the death of Sarah.)
From Ella Mae Judd: [While exploring an old Theodore Turley Family
Newsletter, dated 1976 (probably Spring), I came upon an interesting letter written by
Olive K. Turley about Sarah Greenwood. I then looked up the marriage of Isaac and Sarah on
the FamilySearch Ancestral File, and sure enough, the marriage is dated 11 March 1861, in
San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California. If anything further has been learned about
this marriage, please contact the present editor of the Newsletter. Surely we want this
information to be correct. Thanks to Olive for the following information, dated May 29,
1976, Woodruff, Arizona]:
From Olive K. Turley:
FROM THE PAST
MARRIAGE OF SARAH GREENWOOD AND ISAAC TURLEY
We have histories of William Greenwood and Ann Hartley Greenwood, also sketches of members
of the Greenwood family prepared by Luela White Storrs, a granddaughter of Sarah
Greenwood. I also have used the biography written by Hyrum Turley and the letter written
by Isaac Turley to Sarah's parents after her death. [This is the letter which has appeared
in the last two issues of the Turley Newsletter; back in 1976 Olive had also translated
the letter.] We have the letter here (how we rated it, I don't know). Perhaps I should
quote the letter on the bottom of this page. I also used the book "Unflinching
Courage" about the settling of Joseph City by Adele B. Westover and J. Norris
Richards. The stories about the wet sheet and also about the blind midwife I have included
on my own. I recall for certain that Pearl Turley Frost, sister of Fred, told me about the
midwife but I am not certain if I heard the other story from her or read it-possibly in
the history of Lehi, Arizona (we should have a copy but I couldn't find it).
There is another thing I must comment about. I have been disturbed about the sheet we have
for Isaac Turley and Sarah Greenwood which says they were married in San Bernardino,
Calif. I have wondered and wondered why she went to California. I believe Della gave us a
sheet for this family. I had checked on some birth dates and ordinance dates, but nothing
about the marriage. The story about Sarah put out by the Greenwoods says nothing at all
about her going to California. I DON'T BELIEVE SHE EVER WENT TO SAN BERNARDINO and was
likely married in Utah. And we have put this sheet in our books for years and years! [Now,
many more years!] I suppose I have tried to check on more things than I was able to keep
up with. I looked at an encyclopedia and found that San Bernardino was settled in 1852 by
Mormons under Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich. Sarah Greenwood wasn't 8 years of age
until November, 1852 and I don't think she went along with the company. Isaac and Sarah
were married 11 March, 1861. We have here a copy of Church Chronology by Andrew Jensen.
Page 63 of this book says that Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, Commander of the "Utah
Army" left Camp Floyd (camp of Johnston's Army near Utah Lake) 1 March, 1860 for
Washington, D.C. This, then, was after the soldiers marched through Salt Lake City.
Brigham Young called the settlers back from San Bernardino during the Utah War, so I doubt
that Isaac was still in San Bernardino in 1861 when he married. Also, the same page in
this book says that on 7 April, 1860, the Saints who had settled on lower Beaver Creek,
Beaver Co., Utah were organized into a Ward named Minersville, by Apostles Amasa M. Lyman
and Charles C. Rich. So they weren't in San Bernardino in 1861. It appears that they may
have helped some of the returning Saints to settle in Minersville AND THIS IS WHERE THE
TWO OLDEST SONS OF ISAAC AND SARAH WERE BORN. I imagine they were married in Utah, likely
in Beaver. I am going to read the 1860 census for Beaver County to see if Sarah Greenwood
is listed. I may later write to Beaver County Court House to see if they happen to have a
marriage record.
[The Isaac Turley letter follows, and then this additional genealogy about Sarah
Greenwood's ancestors.]
Ann Hartley Greenwood was baptized into the LDS Church in September, 1840 and her husband,
William Greenwood, was baptized June, 1841. William and Ann arrived at New Orleans
November 24, 1841 after a seven to nine week trip in the ship Tyrene. They settled in
Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois. Before they could adjust to the new climate, they all
came down with the "ague" and were very, very sick for a long time. Ann decided
she wanted to go back to England; her parents had promised to send her the necessary money
if she ever wanted to go back. William didn't want to return to England but finally
consented to go with her and their small daughter, Martha.
Their daughter Sarah was born at Burnley, Lancashire, England 14 November, 1844 after
their return to England. William Greenwood returned to the U.S.A. in 1846 or 1847 and Ann,
his wife, finally returned in 1848, bringing Sarah with her. [Little Martha, referred to
above, died in England in 1844.] The family crossed the plains in 1852, arriving in Utah 5
November, 1852. They resided in Salt Lake City about three weeks, then were called to go
to Cedar City, Utah. Conditions here were very discouraging, so the family left and
settled in Beaver City, Utah. It was here that Sarah spent most of her early life.
Sarah married Isaac Turley 11 March, 1861. She had black hair, blue eyes, and a swarthy
skin. She was very industrious. She knitted a carpet of rags for their home, with much
help as her mother could spare from her own household labors.
Isaac and Sarah had two sons born in Minersville, Beaver County, Utah, then six sons born
in Beaver City. In early 1877 the family was called to settle in the Salt River Valley of
Arizona in the company of Daniel Jones which founded Lehi, near Mesa. They arrived at
Hayden Ferry in July of 1877. Sarah was a large woman, weighing 240 pounds, and the
Arizona heat, living in a covered wagon without trees to shade it, was more than she could
take. The story is that neighbor women wet sheets to put over Sarah to try to alleviate
her suffering. Isaac returned to Beaver, Utah in September, 1877 and made a trip to Salt
Lake City to confer with President John Taylor. He [Isaac] was released from the Jones
Camp and allowed to go to St. Joseph (now Joseph City) on the Little Colorado in northern
Arizona. The family stayed here until 7 May, 1881, when they moved to Snowflake. One son,
George Albert, was born in St. Joseph.
Three more children were born in Snowflake, the second one being a little girl. Pearl
Turley Frost said that a blind midwife assisted at the birth of this only daughter and
Sarah felt that this woman tried to assist in the birth more than she should have done
which resulted in the death of the baby. Sarah grieved very much that her only daughter
did not live.
Because of the persecution of those living in polygamy, Isaac Turley took his wife, Sarah,
and her family to Mexico in the spring of 1885. The next spring he returned to Snowflake
to get his second wife, Clara Ann, and family. [See Colonia
Juarez Chihuahua Temple]
Isaac Turley with his sons Alma and Edward left for Snowflake 10 November, 1886 to get the
rest of their property. They returned to Mexico as soon as they could, and arrived there
on the 14th of January, 1887. Sarah had died the day before. She had a tumor which burst,
causing her death. Death came to her 13 January, 1887 at Casa Grande, Mexico, at the early
age of forty-three. [All emphasis contained in original.]
From Ella Mae Judd: [I WAS VERY HAPPY TO READ THIS ACCOUNT,
BECAUSE IT CONFIRMS TO ME THAT THERE EXISTS A MORE DETAILED ACCOUNT OF SARAH'S
SUFFERING AT LEHI, ARIZONA. I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER READING SUCH AN ACCOUNT, BUT
HAVE SEARCHED FOR IT FOR MANY YEARS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FIND IT. IF
ANYONE HAS A MORE COMPLETE ACCOUNT, PLEASE CONTACT ME, OR SUBMIT IT FOR
INCLUSION IN THE TURLEY NEWSLETTER. THANKS SO MUCH. IT WOULD ALSO BE SIGNIFICANT
TO KNOW FOR SURE WHERE ISAAC TURLEY AND SARAH GREENWOOD WERE MARRIED, IF ANYONE
HAS SUCH DOCUMENTATION. Ella Mae Judd, 6615 West Lupine, Glendale, Arizona
85304.
2. Transcription of Letter from Isaac Turley, Sr., Written February 20, 1887,
regarding the death of Sarah.
A copy of a letter written from "Casas grandus, Mexico," on Febuary 20,
1887, by Isaac Turley to "William, Greenwood and Ann or Father and Mother
Greenwood" was published in the May 1999 Theodore Turley Family Newsletter
on page 5. A partial transcription was made of it with several omissions because of the
illegibility of the handwritten letter. Ella Mae Judd has looked
the letter over and has filled in a lot of the blanks that were published as the
transcription. Here is Ella Mae's version of the letter:
Feb. 20th 1887 Casas grandus, Mexico
William, Greenwood and Ann or Father and Mother Greenwood,
I have written and I Suppose you did not get it as the Mail is so uncertain. Sarah your
Daughter and my Wife departed this Life on the 13 of January. I and Alma and Edward went
back to Snowflake to get the Rest of our Property and I started in 10 of [November or
December and] I returned as Soon as I could and I got back on the 14 of January the day
after her death. That Tumor burst and it caused her death. She Suffered. She took Sick at
8 o'clock one Evening. She died at 3 the next day. She Suffered a great deal. Still at the
last She passed off Easy and without a Struggle.
Sarah was a True Wife to me and has left Some good children. There is 7 here: William,
Alma, Joseph, Hyrum, George, Charles and John is 2 years in next April 12th. He the Baby
is as large as any child Sarah Ever had. It Seems that the children Sensed all about their
Mother's death. Johnny So young Still he has never cried for his Mother. He is So attached
to Hyrum as nurse and Sleeps with him. This is a hard Country for to get clothing.
We all Send our love to you. All the Boys send their love to you all, from
Isaac, Turley
[Slight editing by Ella Mae Judd, June 1999 and August 1999.]
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The Theodore Turley Family
Biography and Autobiography of Theodore Turley
Theodore Turley
Colonia Juarez Chihuahua Temple | Clara
Ann Tolton
Turley, Charlotte #M15 (Mrs. Jacob Bushman) (Photo)
The Value of Genealogical Stories
More on Isaac Turley
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