Life Sketches of George H. Draper and Eliza Alice West

Life Sketches of George H. Draper and Eliza Alice West

Written by Zilnorah Draper

My Father, George Henry Draper, was the son of William and Jane Bryant Draper. He was born 10 March 1862 in Easterton, Wiltshire, England, four days after the death of his 26 month old brother Phillip Hyrum.

His parents were members of the L. D. S. Church and though in humble circumstances they were full of faith and had a desire to gather to Zion. When George was three years old, thirteen months after the birth of sister, Sarah Elizabeth, they left England 29 April 1865, on the sailing vessel "Bell of Wood."

They arrived in New York City, New York, 1 June 1865, and his sister died seven weeks later.


They lived in New York one year, leaving for Utah 25 June 1866. They journeyed to Quebec via the Hudson River; to St Joseph Missouri by train, and to Nebraska City, Nebraska by boat. They crossed the plains from Nebraska to Utah by oxteam in Captain Henry Chipmans' Company and arrived in Salt Lake City 15 September 1866. Their journey had been hard but they had made the trip in good time, not withstanding the loss of about 1000 head of their cattle which had been driven off by the Indians at La Bonte.

George moved with his parents to Heber City where another sister Martha Jane was born 11 April 1867. The family then moved to Herriman, Utah and was received as members of that Branch 11 February 1868.

His schooling was of short duration being able to attend only until he was in the fifth reader. But he was well read and could do any problem ever offered him in arithmetic. He was also a very good speller.

His Father had a daughter, Mrs. Annie Draper Vine, by a former marriage, and it was at a party at her home in Salt Lake City that Father met my Mother who was to be his future wife. They began a friendship which grew into love and they were married 25 November 1880, which was also Thanksgiving Day.

We can glean but little from his diary written at the time of their courtship other than that he made regular trips to Salt Lake City; also that he hauled adobes and helped build them a home to live in.

His wife, my Mother Eliza Alice West, was born in London, St. Luke's Parish, London, Middlesex, England. She was the sixth child of Charles Henry John West and Eliza Dangerfield. Her parents joined the L. D. S. Church in England and left England on the Ship Amazon 1 June 1863. When Mother was just a baby they had sent two daughters, 10 and 6 years old, with some saints who were immigrating to Utah fourteen months before.

My Grandparents West were 42 days on the Ocean, arrived in New York and left next day by train and traveled for seven days and nights, then took a steamer up the Missouri River as far as St. Joseph, Missouri. Because of the Civil War going on at that time they had to ride on sheep cars part of the time they were travelling by train. They went to Florence, Nebraska where they were met by the brethren from Salt Lake to take them to Utah by ox team. They were ten weeks on the plains, arriving in Salt Lake City 4 October 1863.

My Mother moved with her Parents to Heber City, Utah not too long after they came. (They first lived in Prove City for a short time.) In 1867 they moved to Salt Lake City; here she grew up as a neighbor of Annie Draper Vine, my Father's Sister.

After my Parents were married, both only eighteen years old, they moved to Herriman where they lived until the following summer when they moved to Riverton Branch. Here their first child Eliza Jane was born 8 June 1882. Eleven months later they moved to North Morgan, where Mother's Brother'Thomas lived. He had suggested that Father might get work on the railroad.

All of their travels were by team and wagon all during these years. On one occasion, Mother nearly froze to death, but through Father's quick thinking, and acting to revive her she recovered. He could see that she was becoming very sleepy suddenly, and knowing that was a dangerous sign he started to lash the horses. Mother was very disgusted and started to scold him for being so cruel to the horses, but he knew he would have to hurry as well as to make her excited enough to keep her awake until they could reach a house and get her warm.

Their first son, George William was born 6 July 1884, while they lived in Morgan. They moved back to Riverton Ward and were members of that Ward from 25 November 1884 to 1 September 1886. Here Charles Henry was born 15 July 1886. They then moved to Castle Dale, Emery Stake, Aug 1886, because Joseph Draper, Father's half brother, suggested that there would be work on a new canal, and farms to be homesteaded. While in Castle Dale, Father homesteaded a piece of land and built a log cabin on it, and worked on the canal.
When They were moving to :Castle Dale with team and wagon, they had with them Eliza four years old, George W. two years old, and Charles just a baby six weeks old. Mother and the two oldest children walked and Mother , carrying the baby over the most dangerous places going over mountains from Ephraim. The roads were muddy and driving hazardous. At one time the wagon struck a stump of a tree and Father was thrown over the horses heads. Mother called frantically, "George have you broken your neck?" In anger my Father replied, nit makes no difference if I have, it's long enough to tie" which though ridiculous sounded mighty good to my Mother.

While at Castle Dale, hail damaged crops, and floods washed out the canal. The little boy George William took sick with whooping cough and pneumonia about February 1888 and died 8 March 1888. He was buried in Castle Dale Cemetery.' Soon after they went back over the mountains and canyons to Herriman, and were received as members of that Ward 4 November 1888.

Then they moved to South Jordan Ward 15 April 1889, where Louisa May was born 13 May 1889. She died of Spinal Meningitis 21 October of that same year. She was buried in the South Jordan Cemetery. Eight days later they were received as members of the Salt Lake City 1st Ward.

Soon after they went back to Castle Dale to collect money due them. Mother's longing to see the grave of her little boy George perhaps was her motive for taking so hazardous a trip with Father at this time. They went with Covered wagon and team through Spanish Fork Canyon and Aunt Annie Vine went with them. The wagon mired to the hubs the roads were so muddy.

It was on this trip that Charles H. took sick with near pneumonia and Mother and Aunt Annie Vine cared for him as no Doctor nor medicine was to be had. They made poultices of Salt Bacon and black pepper, and put them on his chest which broke up the congestion on his lungs and his life was spared.

They lived in Salt Lake City during the winter of 1889 where Father worked for the street car company when they were pulled by horses or mules. While in Salt Lake City father was a member of the Salt Lake Band, he playing the Piccolo. In the Spring of 1890 they moved to Kaysville, Utah. Father was hired by Knight and Company to run their farm and cattle ranch.

Father's work was to feed the cattle and dress veal, beef and hogs for the company's butcher shop in Salt Lake City. He also drove cattle to and from the company's ranch in Mountain Green, Morgan County, Utah, for pasture during the summer months. During branding season the family would move to a log cabin in the mountains so that mother could cook for the hired men as well as the family.

Our bedsteads in the log cabin were of roughly sawed lumber with slats across to hold up a mattress made of straw commonly called a "straw tick"

One Spring the roads were very bad through Weber Canyon, heavy storms making travel difficult. One late afternoon Father and Mother received word that they were badly needed at the Kaysville home because of sickness there. They were tempted to remain in Mountain Green until morning but felt the urge to go that night even though the night be stormy and dark. Mother's Parents were with them and they all felt that they must go that night. They traveled through the canyon to Devil's Gate where flood waters were high, and had just crossed the Old Strawberry Bridge when suddenly the bridge burst into pieces and was carried down stream. They were thankful that they were safe and knowing that it would have been many days before they could have come back to Kaysville if they had waited until morning.

During the ten years they lived in Kaysville, four more children were born to them; Jesse H. born 24 December 1890; Zilnorah, 28 September 1893; Jabez Miland born 31 January 1896; and Caroline Edith, born 16 July 1898.

For a number of years Father's aged Parents lived with us at Kaysville. Grandmother was an invalid almost helpless and had to even be fed for weeks before her death. My Parents also gave a home to a little girl of thirteen years who had come from England as a convert to the Church. She lived with us about two and one half years until her Sister came from England. Time enough to form a tie to bind her to my Parents as long as they lived. Her name was Lillie Holmes.

The family moved to Clearfield, Davis County, Utah, 2nd May 1900, Where they were among the first six families living there. Father helped to build four rooms on to the two already owned by the company who had transferred Father to be the foreman of a 60 acre hay ranch, and go on with the same work as he had done in Kaysville. I can never forget the large stacks of dishes to wash, and so much bread, cakes and pies to be made, sometimes requiring two hired girls to help Mother with this strenuous long table with white oilcloth covering instead of table linen. One hired girl remarked one day, "I would just as leave mop the floor as this table", but it saved a lot of laundry work just the same.

It was also amusing to know that several successful love matches were made between the hires help, while they were working for Father and Mother. My Parents always treated the hired help like their own family, and after the evening meal was cleared away, everyone would gather in the front room around the organ and sing and play for hours. Father and Mother would join in with the young people, Father playing the piccolo, Mother singing and my oldest Sister playing the organ accompaniment. After my sister Eliza married and moved away then my sister Edith learned to play the Organ. My brother Charles and one of the hired men, John Cooper, became professional harmonica players and I went to sleep as a youngster, many times to the strains of sweet music.

About 1907 Knight and Company went bankrupt which threw my Father out of a job. The large farm was cut up and part of it sold. Father rented the house and forty acres of the place and went on farming for himself.

In August 1911 the family was subjected to a heavy financial loss. After the years' crop consisting of several large stacks of grain ready to thresh 75 tons of hay, several fattened hogs ready to be sent to market, and coal enough to last through the winter had been collected, suddenly without warning on Sunday afternoon, all was destroyed by a huge fire which also destroyed the big barns and all other sheds around the place, leaving nothing but the house. The heavy leafed foliage of the big shade trees protected this house while men poured water on the roof until the danger was passed. My Parents met this loss with the same courage with which they had met all other trials with.

On Sundays the family drove a team or horse and buggy three miles to Syracuse to Church as there was no meetings held in Clearfield. The children also went to Syracuse to school. On 3 November 1907 the Clearfield Ward was organized and Father was appointed Ward Clerk, which position he held for twelve years .. While they lived in Clearfield four more children were born to them. Annie Alice born 6 August 1901; Ella May, born 9 May 1904; Thomas LeRoy, born 14 September 1907 and Leona, born 13 September 1909 making twelve in all.

My Parents were active L. D. S. members holding positions in all the Wards in which they lived. Father was most adapted to secretarial and genealogical work. Mother was Relief Society teacher for many years. They sent one son, Charles H. on a mission to the Samoan Islands for three years, besides supporting the other six children that were home at the time.

Their son Jabez was called into military service 3 November 1917. He was sent into action in the trenches of the first World War which was raging at that time about March 1918. Mother's health was very poor at this time, perhaps because of the sorrow of her son in battle and worry over the same.

She passed away 5 May 1918 leaving a large family to mourn her loss. Then on 21 July 1918 the family was subjected to another sorrow, as Jabez was killed in action in the great Asine-Marne offensive in France. His body was recovered and buried in the American cemetery of Ploisy, Aisne, France. Later his body was brought to U. S. A. and to his home in Clearfield, where services were held in the Clearfield Meetinghouse and afterwards taken to South Jordan where he was buried beside Mother and sister Louise and Grandparents Draper.

The service Star in the window was turned to gold.  Jabez had given his life for his country. His name is listed with other World War heroes.

In the Fall of 1918, Father built a home a five room brick dwelling in the extreme west part of Clearfield, on nineteen acre farm he had bought before Mother passed away. My Father gave me the privilege of designing
this home, because I was the oldest at home, so I drew up the plans for it and he and the carpenter worked out the necessary details to build it. My Parents always made us feel that our home was important to everyone of us.

The house was completed and the family moved there February 1919. I married and moved away before the family moved into this house, but Father lived here until his death.

After Annie, Edith, and Ella May were married and was left with just Thomas and Leona at home, he met and married Mrs. Pauline Dansie, a widow of Salt Lake City. They were married 10 May 1923. She had one unmarried daughter who came to live with them. This was fine for Leona, for she had been very lonely without her sisters. The two girls became very fond of each other.

During Father's life he helped build meetinghouses, school houses, canning factories and was always interested in public affairs, holding many offices of trust. He followed occupations of farmer, rancher, bookkeeper and did carpenter work, in fact he was useful at any trade. In early days he sheared sheep to earn money for a living and became very efficient at it.

He was timekeeper for Davis and Weber County Canal Co. during the time that they cemented the canal through Weber Canyon. We were among the first in Clearfield to have a telephone.

Father was a student of law. He had many books containing the laws of our state and enjoyed studying them far into the night.

He was also very well informed on the scriptures and could answer our questions on the gospel, always telling us where to find the scripture to prove what he told us. He served as Justice of the Peace and Notary Public for many years. My Father was also very interested in home dramatics and liked to see the young people perform in any manner that was for their improvement, he himself taking part with them.

My Parents were devoted to each other and to their children, teaching us the principles of the Gospel and living as examples themselves as faithful Latter-Day Saints. I will always remember the big table which we knelt around in family prayer, each one taking part in their turn. I will also remember the influence that it had on my life. My Fathers' keen interest in genealogy and the records he kept of his people, and the Temple work he did for his Ancestors has helped me more than I can express in words.

Nine of their children have married in the Temples, the others having died before marriage. My Parents have a large posterity to honor their name and follow their example.

My Father died at the wheel of his automobile of an acute heart attack 3 December 1924, while his car was standing in front of a Clearfield store. Funeral services were held in the Kaysville Stake Tabernacle on 7 December 1924 and he was buried in South Jordan Cemetery Salt Lake County, Utah, beside Mother and daughter Louisa May, and his Parents, and soldier son, Jabez Miland.