s/o Rowland Braithwaite (1798-1852) & Hannah Askew (1804-1875)

m. 7/8/1857 to Hannah Ormandy (1839-1898) at Kendal, Cumbria, England

Children:
1. Mary Agnes Braithwaite (1858-1937) m. Hans Denison (1856-1926)

2. Hannah Elizabeth Braithwaite (1862-1953) m. Bernard Barnson (1857-1933)

3. John Rowland Braithwaite (1864-1939). m. Annie Keller (1871-1954)

4. Thomas William Braithwaite (1867-1939). m1. Ida Christina Crawford (1872-1895). m2. Nora Alveretta Crawford (1874-1952)

5. Joseph Braithwaite (1869-1960). m. Marie Hansena Simonson (1882-1938)

6. James Ormandy Braithwaite (1872-1937). m. Marianne Hansen (1875-1961)

7. George Riley Braithwaite (1874-1916). m1. Laura Day Buchanan (1876-1900). m2. Mary Wilhelmina (Minnie) Alstrom (1878-1951)

8. Robert Martin Braithwaite (1878-1957). m. Mabel Clair Buchanan (1878-1947)

9. Margaret May Braithwaite (1880-1963). m. Raphiel Simms Buchanan (1875-1948)

--Submitted by John Warnke

* * * * *

Sterling, Utah
Feb. 10, 1925

MARY AGNES BRAITHWAITE DENISON, by request I here give what I have of my beloved father's pioneer life. My father Rowland Braithwaite was born in Kendal, Westmoreland, England, May 11, 1836. He was visited by the Mormon missionaries laboring in England. Especially Warren S. Snow and Judge Peacock of Manti. As near as I have learned it were them two elders who converted him, his father, mother and five brothers and one sister to the gospel in 1848. At that time they all belonged to the Church of England. He was only twelve years old when he was baptized.

His father was a shoemaker by trade and my father and all his brothers learned the trade under him.

He married Hannah Amanda of Butte Cumberland, England, the 12th of July 1857, and I, Mary Agnes Braithwaite, was born Nov. 9, 1858 in England. My sister Elizabeth Hannah was born in England in 1862. I was 4 years and six months old when my parents left England to come to Utah.

Grandfather Braithwaite died shortly before they were to leave England for Utah. His sons were left to make money to pay for the voyage across to Utah. This they did by shoemaking. It took them six years to save enough money. Father and mother, with grandmother Braithwaite, three brothers and a sister, left England, May 22, 1863, and arrived in Salt Lake City Oct. 31, 1863.

They come across the plains with an ox team company of sixty wagons under Capt. Daniel McArthy and Jim Traxton of Fillmore, Utah, as teamster.

Father was ill most of the way. Mothers' constant prayer was that he would live at least until they could reach Salt Lake City where they knew they would meet their host of friends. She could not bear to think of having him out on the lonely plains, though such a thing was becoming quite common especially with other companies. Our company losing only three or four members during the whole journey. It was necessary for father to remain in Salt Lake City for sometime, but mother, with the rest of his family, continued on to Manti which they reached sometime in October of the same year. They purchased a lot with a small one-room adobe house on it. About eight years after that, my father started to build another room which me and my sister younger than me carried about all the mud and adobe for that room. After that, father kept adding one room after another on until we had a home of eight rooms where father and mother lived the rest of their lives. They were living there at the time of the Grasshopper War, when every green leaf and stem was eaten up by the grasshoppers.

Father was a veteran of the Black Hawk War. Stood guard and served as a minuteman to take messages from one town to another. Father was a member of the Manti Choir several years and for years sang,"Columbia The Gem of The Ocean" on the Fourth of July Celebrations. Even up until the last Fourth of July before his death which occurred Feb. 16, 1913.

They have raised a family of nine children, six boys and three girls.

Mother died Feb 23, 1898, leaving a family of nine children, four of who were not married. All of fathers' children are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He proved faithful to the very end. He was laid to rest beside his wife in the Manti Cemetery, Feb. 18, 1913.

Since this was written, it was learned from Francis M. Cox of Manti when the Braithwaite family were getting on the ship to come to America, Apostle George Q. Cannon told them to wait and go on the next ship. This they did and, after they landed in America, the other ship that left first had not yet reached America.

--Submitted by Ecclesiastes 3:1-8