History of Thomas Harward

 (NOTE: These remembrances do not reflect actual dates and family history.  For example, Sabrina was divorced from her first husband, who did not die crossing the plans as this account states.  Until  further research and editing can be done it should be assumed that the following are the kind memories of a great-grandaughter. - Rhonda Pace)

HISTORY OF THOMAS HARWARD

BORN 6TH FEB. 1826 AT WORCHESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND

SON OF THOMAS HARWARD AND MARY HARRIS

by Louise Durfee Rooney

Thomas Harward Jr. was born 6th, Feb. 1826 at Chadwick, Hartlebury, Worcestershire, England. He was the third of six children born to Thomas Harward Sr. and Mary Harris

Thomas Harward Sr., the father, owned a large wooded estate, and was quite wealthy.

On this estate, young Thomas Jr. learned to cut and carve wood. His father also owned a string of fancy race horses, and followed the arena.

In the year 1840, the Mormon Missionaries were laboring in England, and visited the Thomas Harward home. Young Thomas Jr. was fourteen years old. He was impressed by the Gospel, along with his mother, Mary, his brother, William, and sisters, Ellen and Sarah. Thomas Harward Jr. was baptized into the Church in the year 1843 by Elder William Hawkins. His father, and two other sisters, Ann and Eliza. were bitter against the Church. This caused much unhappiness and grief, especially for his mother. Thomas Sr. became very prej­udiced against the missionaries, as many families were broken up over this religion. When young Thomas Jr. expressed his desire to go to America to join the Church and Saints there, his mother, Mary, gave him her blessing to do so, as she believed in the Gospel.

At the age of twenty one, Thomas Harward Jr. made preparation, and secured passage on a sailing vessel for America. As the vessel drifted south, they suffered from intense heat being directly under the Equator. On landing in St. Louis_, he contacted cholera, which with previous suffering of the Equator heat caused him to lose his beautiful medium light curly hair. Thomas was a large man, six feet tall, and weighing over two hundred pounds. He was a young man with courage and faith, and was determined to complete the adventure he had started. It was hard for him, as he had fond memories of a large wooded estate, of comfort and plenty. He had left a bitter disappointed father and a tearful mother. He was alone without a family, and suffered many hardships while crossing the Plains.

Thomas was sent to Winter Quarters in Nebraska, where they organized a company on the 17th, June 1847 to cross the Plains. Under Captain Jediah Grant, with three hundred in the company, they started their long journey to Salt Lake Valley.  Being a man of large stature and much endurance, Thomas carried his load, and helped ease the burdens of others. Not only with his physical strength did he help them, but also by his strong testimony of the Gospel did he encourage people on their way. At night, after a hard days work, he would join the pioneers around the campfire, worshiping God in prayer, singing and dancing.

Arriving in Utah, he was hired as a farm hand by John W. Young, a brother of President Brigham Young. Thomas was always looked upon as a man with great strength. In digging irrigation ditches, it was said of him, he always did the work of two men.

One day he was sent to the home of Lorenzo Young, another brother of President Young.

As he knocked on the door, it was answered by a young woman, Sabrina Curtis King. She had lost her husband while crossing the Plains, and had a small son, David King to support. She was helping the Young Family with their homework

As Thomas stood at the door, he spoke with an old English accent; of course it was hard for Sabrina to understand him. She called to Mrs. Young to come see what this big dunce wanted. This was the beginning of their courtship, and they were married by Brigham Young on 6th, April 1851. They were endowed and sealed for time and eternity Mar. 20, 1857

Thomas held the office of Seventy in the year 1850, and the office of High Priest, ordained by Apostle Francis M. Lyman, May 25th, 1891.  He had a fairly good education, obtained before he left England.  He was a good reader, wrote a beautiful hand, and was an expert in mathematics

Thomas and Sabrina's first child was born to them Feb. 5th, 1852 in  Springville, Utah.  Then named him Thomas Franklin.  When their baby was one year old, Brigham Young set them apart, with six other families, including the Jabez Durfee Family, (Jabez Durfee is my grandfather on my father's side.) to move on to Cedar City to settle that area.

Arriving in Cedar City, they found plenty of land, and plenty of water supplied with good fishing. Also, many large trees three to five feet in diameter which was available timber for building houses. Grass grew all around where many small springs and streams were found. This was cut and used for hay to feed their horses. Cedar City was subjected to great floods; high boulders as large as wagon wheels were brought down in the rushing flood water and mud. Water had to be settled in large barrels and tubs before it could be used for drinking or house use. A lot of hard work was ahead of these people, grubbing out sagebrush and rabbit brush that was large enough to cover a yard square.

The men had what they called a (raising bee.) Four or five would club together to build and finish a house, first for one, then for another, till they all had homes and moved in. This was the first job this small group of men had to do. As Thomas and Sabrina were expecting another child, their house was finished first. The logs were cut, hued on both sides, and flattened, then put together with pieces of split poles, and dabbed over on both sides with mud. The way the cabins were built made them warm in the winter and cool in the Summer.

Thomas's cabin was completed, and they moved in by the time their second baby was born; another boy, on Jan. 29th, 1851. They named him William Henry.

Blueberry bushes grew along the streams ten feet high. The berries were good when ripe, and were the only fruit they had, other than wild serviceberries and chokecherries that grew. high up in the mountains. They would gather all they could of these, and make jelly, jam, and berry cobblers. The Indians that lived in the mountains and in the Mormon Settlement were friendly, but tricky. The people were counseled to treat them kindly, yet they could not depend on them or trust them.

After clearing the land, they found the soil very fertile, and worked hard to put the crops in. Together they worked to help build a thriving community. Always, pioneering in a wilderness has its hardships and heartaches. Thomas and Sabrina with her son, David, and two small sons of their own went through many hardships and heartaches. Sorrow came to them when their small two year old first son, Thomas Franklin, became ill and died on May 18th, 1854. This little boy was the first to die in Cedar City. His was the first grave, and can be found in the northeast corner of the cemetery.

Thomas's courage and faith still made him work  harder to go on and make a home and a living for his family. They were blessed with a lovely daughter, Sarah Ellen, born on the 11th June 1856. (Sarah Ellen was my mother's mother.)

Then one of our saddest chapters of all the Mormon experiences took place. It is the only real blot in an other wise proud and glorious history of our Church, but it is there,

  and Thomas and his family found themselves in the center of it. In September 1857 at Moun­tain Meadows, about forty miles south west of Cedar City, a group of Arkansas emigrants (about one hundred twenty men, women, and children) were massacred by Indians and a few white men. They were under the direction and misguided leadership of John D. Lee. When the Mountain Meadow decree, as it was called took place, Thoms was ordered to take part

in it, but he would have nothing to do with murder. He took his family and fled to the White Mountains area across into Nevada. The order from Brigham Young not to harm the emii­grants came too late.

After they returned to their home in Cedar City, Thomas and Sabrina took two of the small orphan children into their home to care for them until they could contact members of their families back East, then sent them back to their relatives.

After this, Thomas asked for a release from his mission, and was allowed to return to Springville, Utah. Thomas again built a house for their little family and continued to struggle for a living. Here they had trouble with the Indians.

In Springville, six more children were born to them, Celestia Ann born 13, March 1858, Sabrina Eliza born 25, June 1860, Ozias Strong born 13 Nov. 1862, Heber born 5, Aug. 1865, Mary Alfretta born 30 Jan_. 1868, Sarilla born 13 Sept. 1870.

Later Thomas, along with many others was ordained to move his family to Willow Bend on the Sevier River to pioneer and develop the area.  Here he homesteaded land along the river, also a ranch at Lost Creek.  They were among the first families to settle there, and

had to dig a dugout to live in until they could build their home, which was at first a log

  cabin, then later a two story log house.                                                                                                   

Here again they dug a well, and cleared sagebrush in a frontier country. They worked hard at building a home, a democracy, and a religion, but they were happy in their faith and hope for the future. for eleven years they were happy here, the longest Sabrina had ever lived in anyone place in her life.

They watched as they worked to make this little village grow, and when Willow Bend was large enough, the people asked for a Post Office. The government required that they change the name of the t,own. My Uncle Newman Van Leuven, the first school teacher in this area, and married to my father's oldest sister, Marta Durfee, suggested the name (Aurora,) and on Feb. 11, 1881 gave bond as postmaster. Now the people receive their mail in Aurora, instead of Richfield, 15 miles south of Aurora.

Sabrina stood faithfully by her husband in all this undertaking, but had to be taken away from her family in death. She passed away 27th June 1890, and was buried in Aurora's new cemetary. After her death, Thomas was very lonely, and spent most of his time doing temple work at Manti Temple. lie died 26th Dec. 1901, and was buried beside his beloved wife in Aurora cemetary.

May their family and all that knew them keep their memories always dear to their hearts. Their sacrifices, hardships, courage, and kindness forever serve as an inspiration to strength and faith in our lives. May we never forget the things they did to help make our lives so pleasant. May it help us as a family, to unite in brotherly love

In Eng1an.d, Thomas Harward Sr. remained bitter against the Mormon Church, through which he believed he had lost his son Thomas Jr. He left a will, stating that if ever his son, Thomas Jr., or any of his direct descendents would deny the Mormon Church, and return to England, they would inherit a fortune which was set aside for them.

Thomas Jr. 's grandson, Frank Harward, while a young man in about 1890 left Aurora for New York City, where he planned on taking a boat to England to receive this fortune. As Frank was walking up the gangplank to the boat, he slipped and broke his leg. He spent some time in the hospital in New York before returning to his home in Aurora. Frank worked for two years and saved money, hoping to still make the trip to England. So once again he was in New York, and on his way to take the boat, when he was involved in a second accident which put him back in the hospital, and left him broke again. A month later, Frank returned to Aurora announcing that he had no desire to go to England.

Many grandsons and great grandsons of Thomas Sr. served missions in England, Wales, and Europe, but never with a desire for the fortune that still is unclaimed

My great grandmother, Sabrina Curtis, first married David King in the East. Their son, David King Jr. was born before they ,joined c. company of pioneers to cross the plains and Rocky Mountains for Utah

David Kill&; Jr. is the grandfather of the now famous King Family. In 1928 or 1929 I drove my grandmother, Sarah Ellen Harward Draper, to see her half brother, David King Jr.  and Family, then living in Pleasant Grove, Utah.  As I recall, they lived in a large two story brick or stone house, set back among large shade trees.  To my amazement, in a large loving room was only a large piano with many musical instruments, a bare floor, and many straight backed chairs.  This room was where they daily practiced religiously.  I well remember the large windows , as someone drew back the heavy drapes to let in the sunshine. There were several girls. The younger ones wore their lovely thick hair in braids which hung down their backs. The two older girls wore their hair in large braids wrapped around their heads.

They treated us warmly, and told us of their great ambition to become good musicians and dancers" As we left, David, then in his late eighties, and failing in health, em­braced my grandmother, and thanked me for bringing her to see him. With tears in his eyes, he expressed his love and hope for his ta1ented family.