William H. Bone history by Alberta Streeper

A Story of the life of WIlliam H. Bone 

Written with love and respect, and with gratitude for a good heritage

His loving granddaughter Alberta May Blamires Streeper July 7, 1976

William Henry Bone, son of Richard and Elizabeth Anstey Bone, was born September 1828 or 1829 at Exeter, Devonshire, England, and was christened at Kennford, Devonshire, England, the 21st of September 1828 or 1829.

Little is know of his early life except that when he was about eight years old he was playing on teeter-totter with a friend who jumped off while William was "up" and the board fell, breaking his knee. It was set, but healed out of place. It was broken and re-set, but this was unsuccessful, leaving him a life-long cripple. It is not known how much schooling he had but he did have some and later became an apprentice in a shoe shop and became an expert in making fine boots and shoes.


William met Ellen Carter and on the 12th or 13th of August, 1854, they were married.

In October of that year, 1854, they accepted the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and were baptized. By 1856 they had saved enough to take them to America and with their baby daughter, Mary Ellen, they left their home in England and set sail for Zion as many other Saints were doing. They arrived in Castle Gardens in New York State where they remained for about four years, where a daughter, Rhoda Jane and a son, William James, were born.

Ellen's Mother, Mary Ann Stockdale Carter Martin and her son James, and Ellen's two sisters, Mary Ann and Jane had preceded them to New York and the two young women had gone on to Utah. In 1861, William and Ellen, with her Mother and brother, James left New York to continue their journey to Utah. By this time the railroad had been extended to Florence, Nebraska. They traveled by rail that far, then purchased oxen, a wagon and a hand cart and left for Utah in a company led by Milo Andrus. William, being crippled, was not able to walk the entire distance, so he and the small children alternated riding and walking, while Ellen, Mary Ann and James pulled the hand cart loaded with eighty pounds of provisions into Salt lake City, reaching there September 12, 1861. They immediately went to Kaysville, Utah, where Ellen's two sisters were living.

William and Ellen's first home had a roof made of boughs with sod over them and a dirt floor, but they stayed there just a short time until they found a better place. In 1865 William purchased some property on what is now Main Street and First North from Jesse Dredge and built a four room brick home with one large attic room. That house was still occupied and in good condition in 1976, over one hundred eleven years later. He also built a small shop on the southeast corner of the property where he plied his trade. He cured the hides and tanned the leather, gathering sumac from the foothills and oak brush from which he made wooden pegs to fasten the soles of the shoes as there were no shoe nails at that time. Rhoda loved to go with him and after he had split the oak into thin strips, she cut the small pegs. Men came from most of Davis County to have him make their boots. He would measure their feet and when they came back to get their boots or shoes, they would put the new ones on and leave the old, the fit was perfect.

A fireplace was built in one end of the large living room, providing both heat and light, and Ellen did her baking there, a Dutch Oven being placed on the coals and embers heaped over the top and around the sides. In the evening a saucer with grease and a small piece of cloth to form a wick was lighted. This, William placed between himself and a book or paper, and read to the family when candles were not available.

He was very meticulous in his work and around their home. Boardwalks ran between all buildings. Flowerbeds and dooryards were edged with two by fours or bricks with the points up above the ground. They homesteaded a section of land on Gentile Street in Layton, Utah, bought a farm east of Kaysville and another north and west from Farmington. He was industrious and worked as his crippled condition allowed, being Postmaster from 1869 until 1875 and was on duty when the news of the assassination of President Lincoln was brought in.

William was of medium height, had blue eyes and brown hair and fair complexion and a very happy and cheerful disposition. He whistled and sang while he worked and always had time to talk and laugh with his grandchildren and all who came his way.

He and Ellen were re-baptized in October of 1861, and endowed on the 24th of March, 1865 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, being sealed at the same time.