Hannah Booth Greenhalgh
Not much is known about the life of Hannah Booth Greenhalgh. Hannah was born January 16, 1848 (#1), in Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, England to Joseph Booth and Ann Pennington. Her father was born October 24, 1806, in Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, England. Joseph was the son of William Booth and Betty Jenkinson. Ann was born March 19, 1806 in Cynderhill, Tottington, Lancashire, England. She was the daughter of John Pennington and Ann Schofield.
Joseph and Ann Pennington Booth were married January 11, 1836, in Bury, Lancashire, England. They were the parents of five children all born in Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, England. Eliza was born June 15, 1836, and died October 18, 1856, in East Wyoming en route to Utah. Sarah was born August 18, 1839, and died October 12, 1912 in Fountain Green, Sanpete, Utah. Thomas was born June 2, 1842 and died November 20, 1845 in Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire, England. Jane was born June 25, 1844, and died June 18, 1928, in Provo, Utah. Hannah was the youngest child.
Joseph is listed as some kind of loom weaver of cotton on the English 1851 Census. He is listed as a Twister and another unreadable task on the 1861 English Census. “A TWISTER or TWISTERER is a person who joined the ends of a fresh beam of threads onto the warp already on the loom. A sitting-down job, sometimes done by people who were crippled.”(#2)
Eliza and Sarah are listed on the English 1851 Census as being Power Loom Weavers; ages 14 and 13 respectfully. Sarah, Jane and Hannah are listed as Power Loom Weavers on the 1861 English census; ages 22, 16 and 13 respectfully. “The power loom was a steam-powered, mechanically operated version of a regular loom, an invention that combined threads to make cloth.”(#3) This was toward the end of the Industrial Revolution.
Hannah, her parents and sisters, Eliza, Sarah and Jane, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England. Five members of the Booth household, Joseph, Ann, Sarah, Jane and Hannah, boarded the General McClellan and sailed for America on May 21, 1864. They arrived in New York 32 days later on June 23, 1864. They came to America with about 900 passengers. Eliza had married Roger William Openshaw in 1854. Roger and his father William left about a month after their marriage to prepare the way for the family. Two years later they sent for their families. Eliza and her mother-in-law, Ann Walmsley Greenhalgh Openshaw were members of the Martin Handcart company. Eliza died on October 18, 1856 in Eastern Wyoming. (#4)
1864 found the United States of America in a Civil War. One account relates that the Captain of the General McClellan “sailed a great way out of his course so as not to meet confederates.”(#5) “One night, in a dense fog, their ship struck a monstrous iceberg and was
nearly wrecked, but was miraculously saved. During the voyage there was one birth, one death and one marriage.” (#6)
“It was impossible for us to get passenger cars all the way as the United States was involved in the midst of the Civil War and the government was using most of the railroads for the movement of war supplies and troops; but we, with four hundred and fifty other immigrants bound for Zion, were finally fortunate enough to secure transportation in cattle cars. Arriving thus at St. Louis, we took a small river boat up the Missouri River to Omaha, arriving there July 11th.
“We were several days making our tents, getting our wagons loaded and preparing for the long, hazardous journey across the plains…
“Our company was known as the Captain Rawlins Company which consisted of sixty-six wagons drawn by oxen, three or four yoke to each wagon. At night when we stopped for camp, the captain would give orders to form a circle with the wagons as a protection against the Indians. We met many on the long journey and the captain would always give them a little sugar to keep peace with them.”(#7)
On July 15, 1864, Joseph, Ann, and their 3 daughters began their migration west with the Joseph S. Rawlins Company. There were between 400-700 individuals and 50-60 wagons. There were 2 births and 19 deaths, one of which was Hannah’s mother, Ann Pennington Booth. She died somewhere near Devil’s Gate in Wyoming.
An 11 year old boy traveling with the Joseph S. Rawlins company describes using buffalo chips for wood. “Crossing the prarrie [prairie] there was no fuel other than "Buffalo chips" with which to cook our little meals, of bread and meat, think of cooking your supper (after a long days walk) over a fire of "chips" with the wind blowing over the great plains, and some times rain to put the fires out, and go to bed with out any supper, get up in the morning at day light, every thing soaking wet, nothing to burn to cook your breakfast with, hook up the oxen and travel till noon, try to find some dry "chipps" to make a fire to cook dinner, in this way, before we reached the Mountain country, where we procured some sticks to use with the "chips.”(#8)
The Joseph S. Rawlins company arrived in Salt Lake City on September 19 and 20, 1864. This is a transcribed copy of the telegraph declaring the arrival into the Salt Lake Valley.
“Immigrants Arrived," Salt Lake Daily Telegraph, 21 Sep. 1864, 3.
“IMMIGRANTS ARRIVED.—Capt. Joseph S. Rawlins' train of 60 wagons, about 500 souls total, English and Scotch, arrived yesterday. They left Wyoming July 15th. Two births and 19 deaths occurred during the journey. The company had a good trip, meeting with no serious accidents, excepting the loss of about 30 oxen by disease on this side of Laramie.
“The following are the names of the deceased, most of them of dysentery:—Mary Ann Knighton, Jesse Galliers, James W. Price, Mary Ann and Elizabeth [Bowker] Groenhalgh [Greenhalgh], Ann Farson [Fawson], George Levy, Thomas Payne, W. B. Speris [William B. Spens], Jonathan Hogin, Agnes Pendleton, Rachael [Kilner Harrop] and Peter Sharples, Charlotte Drable, Sarah Lynn [Limb], Ann [Pennington] Booth, Eleanor Anderson, Joseph Greenwood, and James Hod[son.](#9)
Joseph and his three daughters settled in Santaquin, Utah, a small farming community at the south end of Utah county. Hannah's father died sometime in 1865 and was buried in Santaquin, Utah. Her sisters left Santaquin and went to Sanpete County to live.
Hannah became the second polygamous wife of William Greenhalgh. They were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake on November 10, 1865. His first wife, Mary Clough was born March 18, 1814 to John and Susan Clough. She died December 16, 1851, in St. Joseph, Missouri. His second wife was Sarah Jarvis. She was born January 22, 1820 in Little Hutton, near Tyldsbury, England.(#10)
William Greenhalgh was born July 29, 1811, to Robert and Ellen Walmsley Greenhalgh. He was born in Breightmet (near Bolton), Lancashire, England. He and his first wife, Mary, joined the church in England. William immigrated to America April 15, 1842. When he arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, he went to work for the prophet Joseph Smith. Mary followed him in 1844; arriving just before the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. He, a widower, migrated to Utah in 1852 in the James Jepson company, with three sons—John, Ezekiel and Joseph.
Hannah and William became the parents of seven children. James Henry Greenhalgh born February 28, 1867. He died December 7, 1917 in Santaquin, Utah. William Robert Greenhalgh was born March 7, 1869. He died April 7, 1942 and is buried in Santaquin. Nephi Greenhalgh born December 28, 1871. He died October 10, 1872. Sarah Ann Greenhalgh born January 22, 1874. She died August 17, 1954 in Payson, Utah. Mary Eliza Greenhalgh born November 16, 1876. She died September 21, 1955, in Eureka, Utah. Jacob Joseph Greenhalgh born February 12, 1879. He died September 8, 1880. Martha Jane Greenhalgh born September 12, 1880. She died March 12, 1963 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The first six were born in Santaquin, Utah. Martha Jane was born in Spring Lake, Utah and four days after her brother died.
Sometime in 1880 William and his two wives moved to Spring Lake, Utah. They are listed on the 1880 Census as living in Santaquin, Utah on June 1, 1880. However, the youngest daughter was born in Spring Lake on September 12, 1880. Hannah and her children lived in their own home and William and Sarah, his second wife, occupied another home.
Hannah and her sister wife, Sarah, became widows on April 2, 1882 when William Greenhalgh died of paralysis. Hannah had five living children at the time of William's death. James Henry 15; William Robert 14; Sarah Ann 8; Mary Eliza 5; and Martha Jane 18 months.
Hannah died in Spring Lake, Utah on March 20, 1896. She was buried next to her husband in the Santaquin City Cemetery in Santaquin, Utah.
Hannah Booth Greenhalgh was a daughter, sister, weaver, polygamous wife, mother and grandmother. She was an example to all of us.
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Author’s note:
I made a wonderful discovery today, March 11, 2013. I have had a copy of a record of Ann Walmsley Greenhalgh Openshaw in my files for years. I did not know the connection, nor if there was one, but felt that I should keep the record. Today I found the connection. Ann Walsmsley Greenhalgh Openshaw is the sister to William Greenhalgh. He had immigrated to Utah and 1852, and was probably why the Openshaw family, Roger and William, settled in Santaquin, Utah. So, an Uncle and Nephew married sisters. William Greenhalgh, the uncle to Roger William Greenhalgh, married Hannah Booth. Roger William Greenhalgh married Hannah’s sister Eliza.
Written for Daughters of the Utah Pioneers by Kari Lyn Crook Mitchell
Footnote Links
(#1) Birth certificate in possession of L. Glade Greenhalgh. Picture of Hannah’s birth certificate on blog
(#2)
(#3)
(#4)
(#5) "Journal of David Coombs | Mormon Migration." Journal of David Coombs | Mormon Migration. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
(#6) ibid
(#7) "Autobiography of Jane L. Sprunt Warner Garner | Mormon Migration." Autobiography of Jane L. Sprunt Warner Garner | Mormon Migration. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
(#8) Alston, Christopher, Reminiscences, 5-7, Trail Excerpts
(#9) ibid
(#10) The History of William Greenhalgh, as written by himself
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