Story of John Pitcher and his wife, Rebecca Brown

By their grandson Walter M. Everton. Written in 1932, revised in 1942.

Note from Gary Lee Walker: In the Genealogical Library, Salt Lake City, the book that contains this story can be found. The call No. is: A 2 Bll. This is the only story that pertained to the direct line of Rebecca Boman Walker.

John Pitcher was born in Shipdham, Norfolk, England, in March 1816. His parents, Edward Pitcher and Elizabeth Germany (or Jermyn) were of the poorer farming class and at that time it was considered unnecessary for farm children to have any education. For that reason, John was not given a chance to learn to read or write. In his young manhood he was in service. His particular job was to tend to the livestock on the farm – the cows, horses, etc.

While he was working on a farm with the livestock, a young lady named Rebecca Brown was employed as a helper in the dairy department. When John carried the milk to the dairy, he often had a chance to speak a word to Rebecca. It was not long until a word or two was not enough, and he sought opportunity to speak many words. The mistress was quite strict and insisted that Rebecca be in bed at an early hour. She refused permission for parties, or other association with young John. The mistress was old. Her eyesight was faulty. Young John decided not to be driven away by any command of hers, so on one occasion, when the pair wanted to attend a party, they made a dummy to put in the bed. Then he sallied forth with Rebecca to the party. When the mistress went her rounds to see that all the servants were in, she found Rebecca in bed and asleep.     The next morning, the mistress remarked that Rebecca slept very soundly, for she was unable to awaken her. Not long afterwards, Rebecca and John were married.

In their early married life, they lived for a time in Yorkshire. Rebecca told of having witnessed the celebration in honor of the coronation of Queen Victoria, when she had her first baby in arms. Residence in Yorkshire was not for long. They soon moved back to their old home and Grandfather worked on the same farm where he had worked as a boy.

When the Gospel was preached to them, they joined the Church, though we do not know the exact date this occurred. After they had held membership in the Church for some time, they became dissatisfied and lukewarm, and finally withdrew. During the time that they were out of the Church, they visited other churches with the idea of joining one of them. But they found nothing in any of them that satisfied their longing for religion. When the daughter, Elizabeth, was six or seven years old, the missionaries again came into their neighborhood. Elizabeth had been afflicted with fits for some time, and other members of the family had various afflictions also. When the Elders came back into the neighborhood, they were welcomed again into the home of the Pitcher’s, and the members of the family were re-baptized. From that time on, Elizabeth never had another fit. They considered this a special blessing from the Lord that she was healed of this serious affliction.

After this, their home became the headquarters for the Mormons in Shipdham. The Mormon meetings were held at their home. Missionaries, when they came to town, came to the Pitcher’s first, and were always made welcome. Many a missionary was made to rejoice in the splendid cooking of Sister Pitcher.

In 1869, preparations were made to emigrate to Utah. Grandfather was not financially able to pay his way and was only able to emigrate by getting a loan from the Perpetual Emigration Fund. This was a fund set up by the Mormon Church from which money was loaned to faithful Saints who desired to gather with the Saints. It was supposed that the Saints would repay the money when they got to Zion and thus make it a perpetual fund for assisting the worthy poor.

I examined the entries made in the ledger kept in Liverpool, showing loans made to immigrants.  This book is now in the Church Historian’s Office in Salt Lake City. This record showed that the money was loaned to Grandfather in a lump sum to pay the fare for himself and wife, and his family, including two daughters-in-law, with their babies.

Passage on ship was charged – 47 pounds 5 shillings.

Railroad fare – 61 pounds 10 shillings.

Additional cash advanced – 7 pounds 10 shillings.

The last item may have been to pay for food on the train, or to pay railroad fare to Liverpool. In American money, the total equals about $580.00.

The list of those in his family is thus recorded:

John Pitcher  Age 53

Rebecca Pitcher Age 53

Edward Ted Pitcher Age 27

Martha Pitcher Age 21

Elizabeth Pitcher Age 7

John Pitcher Age  24

Rebecca Pitcher Age 22 (Wife)

Infant (Uncle Henry)

Susan Age 22 (Ted’s wife)

Infant (Their girl)

This record makes no mention of James D. whom we know was in the group, and it does mention Martha, 21, who was not a member of the Pitcher family. It lists Elizabeth, age 7. Her real age was 14. They apparently came for half fare. (Full fare for one person was 13 pounds 16 shillings.)

There is a tradition that the Elders “took their money away from them” in New York. Some have interpreted this to mean that the Elders misused the money. However, we must remember the food for the journey across the country was bought in bulk by the Elders, and, since Grandfather had borrowed Church money to pay his expenses, he very likely had no surplus. It took all he had to pay the bill and it is unlikely that the Elders profited by the deal. Walter E. Pitcher, who lived with Grandfather for fifteen years, said he never heard either Grandfather or Grandmother say anything about the Elders taking their money wrongfully. He says that Grandfather paid back his immigration money before he went through the Temple in 1885.

They sold their furniture and took passage on the steamship Manhattan, which carried them over the ocean. If not the first, they were among the very first emigrants to arrive in Utah who came by railroad. (They left England September 22, arriving in Ogden, October 22, 1869. They came to Utah on the first train to come to Ogden.) When they came to Ogden, there was no depot as of yet. Their trunks were dumped out on the river bank and they got their first glimpse of Utah and the Mormons in Utah. It was late October when they came, and they went immediately to Farmington. During the first winter they made their home with the Ladle family.  Mrs. Ladle and Mrs. Pitcher were sisters. The following spring, they moved to Smithfield, in Cache Valley. Before leaving, however, they returned to Salt Lake City and went through the Endowment House. Their first home was a little log hut which belonged to John Peacock, situated on Second West Street, a little more than a block north of the creek which runs down the middle of town. After spending a year in this place, they built a log house of their own, one block north and one block east of the O.S.L. depot, on the south-west corner of the block.  Grandfather pre-empted some government land west of Smithfield and continued in the business of farming and stock raising until he retired a few years before his death.

Grandfather Pitcher was small in stature, probably about 5 ½ feet tall and medium built. He always wore a full beard. Sometime in middle life, he had injured one of his legs by falling off a wagon and having the wheel pass over his leg. This caused him to walk with a slight limp.

The knowledge he had gained on the farm in England in tending the livestock was put to good service when he came to America, for he was the horse doctor in Smithfield for many years.  He did not have the scientific knowledge of a trained veterinary. He did have a lot of practical information as to what to do and how to do it when a horse or cow became sick. He always raised a splendid garden, priding himself on having potatoes first.

In his later life, he spent most of his time in going around among the sick. He was a favorite, being called upon to administer to the sick, and many there were who claimed that they were healed under the hands of Grandfather Pitcher.

Although he lived in America for thirty years, he never copied the American ways of speech.  He always spoke the broad England Brogue, just as he did in the old country. Although he lived until he was nearly eighty years of age, his death occuring May 3, 1896, he was not baldheaded, and was not very grey. His beard at the last became a very dark iron gray.

He was respected by all those who knew him and looked upon as a thorough Latter-day Saint, as an honest man, and as a good neighbor.

January 2014 by Susan Carey:

from Mormon Migration (the link includes images of ship manifest and other accounts)