(Contributed by the Thomas Tolman Family Organization. The following excerpt is taken from Benjamin Hewitt Tolman: Brother, Pioneer, Husband, Father by Dawnine T Mills Johnson, First Edition, 2014, pages 2-1 to 2-20).
[Author’s Note: In order to accurately share Sarah Jane Angell Tolman Johnson’s history, many histories of those close to her were used. The different histories used were her father’s Truman Osborn Angell, her mother’s Polly Ann Johnson Angell, her grandmother’s Phoebe (sometimes spelled Phebe) Morton Angell, and her sister’s Mariah (sometimes spelled Maria) Angell Woolley, and several progenitors’ from the Tolman and Johnson families. I am so grateful that much of this information has been put down in written form and available(Contributed by the Thomas Tolman Family Organization. The following excerpt is taken from Benjamin Hewitt Tolman: Brother, Pioneer, Husband, Father by Dawnine T Mills Johnson, First Edition, 2014, pages 2-1 to 2-20).
[Author’s Note: In order to accurately share Sarah Jane Angell Tolman Johnson’s history, many histories of those close to her were used. The different histories used were her father’s Truman Osborn Angell, her mother’s Polly Ann Johnson Angell, her grandmother’s Phoebe (sometimes spelled Phebe) Morton Angell, and her sister’s Mariah (sometimes spelled Maria) Angell Woolley, and several progenitors’ from the Tolman and Johnson families. I am so grateful that much of this information has been put down in written form and available to those who could search and find it.]
Sarah Jane Angell was born to Truman Osborn Angell and Polly Ann Johnson in Lima, Livingston County, New York on the 28th of May in the year 1834. Sarah Jane descended from sturdy, honest, God-fearing New England stock.
Angell and Morton Ancestors
The first of the Morton family to immigrate to American were George Morton and his wife, Julianna Carpenter Morton. George was born in Austerfield, York, England in the late 1500s. Julianna, who was born in 1584, in Bath, Somerset, England, married George on July 23, 1612. They had a son, George, born in England in 1615; and sometime between 1615 and 1624, they sailed to America. It is most likely that they came on the ship Anne, which arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, July 31, 1623, as this is the only ship between 1620 and 1624 sailing to Plymouth which recorded families among the 60 passengers. At any rate, they settled among the Pilgrims. What tragedy befell George, we don’t know, but in June 1624, he died in Plymouth. He was probably in his forties. His wife Julianna remained in Plymouth and lived to be 80 years of age before she died in 1665. (“Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, written by Marilyn Erickson Ray, March 1992, unnumbered).
Not long after the Mortons immigrated, young Thomas Angell came. Thomas was born in Liverpool, Lancaster, England, on May 1, 1618. At the age of 12, he set out for London to be on his own. Since Thomas was distantly related to Roger Williams’ good friend Richard Waterman, it is thought that he became apprenticed to Mr. Williams there, for he sailed with Mr. Williams and wife on the ship Lyon at the age of 12-1/2, setting sail from Bristol, England, in December 1630 and arriving in Nantasket, Massachusetts, February 5, 1631. A few days later they disembarked in Boston. Mr. Williams was a clergyman of the Church of England, having aligned himself with the Puritans, had left England seeking religious freedom. His main contention was that the church and state should be separate—that government should not have power to impose its will upon the religion of its citizens. Thomas was still with Rogers Williams in 1636 when Rhode Island and the site was selected for Providence. When the town was laid out, Mr. Williams allocated to himself Lot 1 and to Thomas Angell Lot 2. (“Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, written by Marilyn Erickson Ray, March 1992, unnumbered).
Through the eyes of the Morton and Angell families, and others of our ancestors who came to America, we can watch the rest of the American Dream unfold. Later on we acknowledge those who served in the fight for independence from British rule, in the Revolutionary War; and still later, we realize the magnitude of the Western movement and the faith and courage of the Pioneers. (“Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, written by Marilyn Erickson Ray, March 1992, unnumbered).
James William and Phoebe Ann Morton and Truman’s Early Life
It is in these two first families, the Mortons and the Angells, that our story continues. In North Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, on October 15, 1776, James William(s) Angell was born to Solomon and Mary Tripp Angell, just three months after the Declaration of Independence was signed, and in the midst of the Revolutionary War. He grew up on his father’s farm, but as a young man went to New York State to live. While there he met and married Phoebe [also spelled Phebe] Ann Morton daughter of Abraham and Phoebe Langford Morton. Phoebe Ann, born March 28, 1786, and being ten years younger than her husband, was about 18 when they married, and James, about 28. James took Phoebe back to North Providence to live on a farm just east of Fruit Hill on the Powder Mill turnpike. There she bore him 10 children–six boys and four girls. (“Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, written by Marilyn Erickson Ray, March 1992, unnumbered).
Truman O. Angell was born on June 5, 1810 in Providence, Rhode Island, the fifth child born to James W. Angell and Phoebe Morton. When he was just a small boy, family difficulties arose which caused his father to leave the family for several years. It was difficult during this time for Phoebe to support her family, but they all did what they could, learning to work long, hard hours. She kept the family together on their farm. Although they struggled much, they also had a great faith in God’s help, strengthened in that way by their trials. Truman was nine when his father returned to the family, but Truman, having been left without a father’s guidance or discipline, did things he shouldn’t have, and although we don’t know the reason, Truman was sent from home, returning only at “distant intervals.” (“Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, written by Marilyn Erickson Ray, March 1992, unnumbered).
Between the ages of 17 and 19, he made the acquaintance of a carpenter and joiner from the neighborhood in North Providence, Rhode Island. Truman continued as an apprentice to him for several years there until 1830 when he turned twenty. The Providence area provided a stimulating environment for an ambitious young man in the building trade. Truman had ample opportunity to see fine examples of architecture and craftsmanship while learning his trade in this prosperous bustling city. (Truman O. Angell, Journal 1857, 8 April 1867-1868, MSS, Library Archives, Historical
Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, hereafter cited as LDS Church Archives, 24 September 1867. p. 133-173).
Truman desiring greater understanding of God and wanting to have a better life, prayed earnestly for help and changed himself to what he felt God required. He joined the Free-Will-Baptist Church and was in good standing.
His parents’ marital difficulties had persisted during the years Truman was growing up away from home. The trouble at home continued, however, and Phoebe finally left also, living for a time with her parents.
When Truman was twenty-one, he brought his mother to live with him “in consequence of the conduct of my father toward her.” (LDS Church Archives, 24 September 1867. p. 134). They lived together in North Providence until the next fall when they decided to move to China, Genessee County, New York, to be near Phoebe’s father and brothers and sisters. One factor in their decision to move may have been a visit from Truman’s cousin, Joseph Holbrook, whose family had moved to upstate New York a few years earlier. Joseph gave the Angells a glowing report of opportunities in that booming area along the Erie Canal. The Angell family’s move was completed in September 1832. On 7 October of the same year Truman married Polly Ann Johnson, a native of Genessee County.
One day Phoebe, who had yearned for peace and greater direction in her life, heard two Mormon missionaries teaching of a church with a living Prophet and authority from God, and she recognized with great joy that this was the true Church of Jesus Christ that the family had been waiting for through six generations. Phoebe Morton Angell was baptized January 6, 1833, becoming our first direct ancestor to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Truman and Polly joined eight days later, being baptized on January 14, 1833. Truman’s brother Solomon had joined, and Mary Ann also joined the Church and met and married Brigham Young, then a widower. Mary Ann and Brigham left for Kirtland, Ohio, to be with the Prophet Joseph Smith shortly after they were married in February 1834. Phoebe remained faithful to the church throughout the remainder of her life. She followed wherever the Church went, and traveled with Truman and Polly to Kirkland, Ohio. James, having a desire to be again united with Phoebe and his family, also traveled to Ohio where he was baptized, but Phoebe couldn’t bring herself to try again. She continued on when the Saints went to Far West, Missouri. James remained behind in Ohio where he died broken-hearted in 1850. (Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell).
Joseph Holbrook recorded that during the summer of 1832, before the Angell’s arrival in New York State, “many vague reports were circulated about a certain set of people who were called Mormonites.”( Joseph Holbrook, “The Life of Joseph Holbrook Written by His Own Hand,” typescript, LDS Church Archives, p. 8). Not long after the Angells’ arrival, Mormon missionaries held a meeting in the China schoolhouse which Joseph Holbrook and Mary Ann Angell attended. [As a reminder, Mary Ann Angell was Truman’s older sister and Joseph was Mary Ann and Truman’s cousin.] Mary Ann had previously acquired a copy of the Book of Mormon and had circulated it among her family and friends. Another missionary visited the Angells a few weeks later. Both Phoebe’s father and her brother were alarmed at the family’s interest in this new religion and tried to discourage them from investigating further. However, Mary Ann joined the Mormons in December 1832. The next month Joseph and Phoebe accompanied her to a Mormon Meeting in Warsaw about twelve miles away, and both were baptized by the missionaries before returning home. Truman and Polly Angell met the same missionaries later that month and were also baptized. Five weeks later, Truman was ordained an elder.
Phoebe went with Truman and Polly to Nauvoo when they were driven out of Far West. She stayed most of the remainder of her life with Truman and Polly and other members of the family. On Christmas Eve, 1845, she received her endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. On January 28, 1946, she was sealed to Brigham Young. (After her death she was sealed to James.) We owe a great debt to her for recognizing truth in the words of the missionaries, Elders Aaron Lyons and Leonard Rich, and for her courage to be baptized and to following the Church to the valley of the mountains. It was an eternal decision with eternal consequences and has enabled us many blessings. (Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell).
On family group sheets filed at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, it is recorded that:
Phebe Morton Angell was spoken as of “Mother Angell,” because of her service as a midwife and nurse among the early pioneers. She attended Mary Fielding Smith when Joseph F. Smith was born, November 13, 1838. This was in Far West, Missouri, while his father, Hyrum Smith, was in jail because of his religious convictions. Hyrum’s father had sent word to his son that he was the father of a baby boy and asked Hyrum what name his child should be given. Hyrum sent back word that when the baby was eight days of age his grandfather was to bless him and give him the name of Joseph
Fielding Smith. This was done and it was Mother Angell who dressed the baby for the occasion and placed him in his grandfather’s arms to receive his blessing. She attended the mother until she was well. (Heart Throbs of the West by Kate Carter, Volume 3 p 67, 123, Vol 4 p 66 Vol 6 p 334, Published in 1948).
Thomas and Abigail Johnson and Polly Ann Johnson Angell
Much has been written about Truman O. Angell, architect of the Salt Lake Temple and many other edifices. Perhaps the most unsung heroine in the family, the one we know the least about, is his wife, Polly Ann Johnson Angell. One thing that history teaches us as we study is that those who are in the background, who are seldom in the limelight, are often the ones who make the achievements of the rest possible, and who have equal value in the total scheme of things. Truman’s story is also Polly’s.
Polly Ann Johnson was born June 4, 1813, to Thomas and Abigail Johnson on their farm in Riga, Genesee County, New York. Her mother was in her late teens when Polly was born, her father was a little older. When Polly was seven, her family consisted of her parents and one brother near her age. Some records have listed her father’s surname as Johnston, and it is said that they were related to Peter H. Johnson, father of Jarvis [who later married Sarah Jane Angell Tolman after her husband Benjamin Hewitt Tolman died.] Peter had dropped the “T” from the Johnston name, so perhaps Thomas did the same. Although Polly was given the middle name of Ann, she seldom used it herself. Polly’s father was a farmer, and Riga was just west-southwest of where Rochester now is. When she was seven, boundaries were changed, and Riga became part of Monroe County, so Polly herself always listed Monroe County as the place of her birth. It is possible that family moved to China, Genesee County, which is about 40 miles or so south-southwest of Riga. Riga no longer exists. Nothing is known of her grandparents as well as any other part of her family.
Marriage of Polly Ann Johnson and Truman Osborn Angell
At the age of 19 Polly met Truman Osborn Angell. After a brief courtship, she and Truman were married October 7, 1832, in China. Polly supported him fully in everything from the beginning, which was particularly important to Truman, he having grown up in a home where there was frequent conflict. Polly learned early that Truman’s devotion to the Church often meant a devotion of another sort for her as well. She was left to rear their children and care for herself and Truman’s mother many times during Truman’s missionary journeys and other Church responsibilities.
Truman’s and Joseph Holbrook’ Mission
In April 1833, Truman and Joseph Holbrook, still enthusiastic about their new faith, left on a mission of their own. Holbrook’s detailed account described their travels in which they visited relatives and friends across New York and Massachusetts.( (Heart Throbs of the West pp. 13). According to Holbrook’s account, he and Truman traveled twelve hundred miles in seven weeks, “held fourteen meetings, baptized three besides bearing testimony to hundreds in family.” (Heart Throbs of the West pp. 13).
In Truman’s own words, “The following January, being nearly 23 years old, I, with my mother and wife embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Latter-day Saints, through instrumentality of Elders Aaron Lyons and Leonard Rich. And five weeks thereafter, I was ordained an Elder under the hands of Elder Lyons. The spring following I went on a mission in company with Elder Joseph Holbrook; we were absent about 9 weeks; traveled about five hundred miles, preaching daily; and went as far east as Rhode Island. In the month of July following, I, in company with my wife, moved to a place about 45 miles eastward called Lima; my mother preferred to stay behind. At this last place our first child was born, being a daughter; and but a short time after, the mournful intelligence burnt upon us of the persecutions against the brethren in the state of Missouri; and their extermination from Jackson County of that state.” (Truman’s journal).
In July, just a few weeks after Truman’s arrival home, he and Polly moved about forty-five miles east to Lima in Livingston County, New York. Truman’s mother remained behind in China with the rest of the family. The winter news of the expulsion of the Saints from Jackson County, Missouri, reached the Angell family. In March 1834 Orson Pratt and others passed through recruiting volunteers to go to Missouri as part of Zion’s camp. Truman’s brother, Solomon, and cousin, Joseph Holbrook volunteered. Truman considered going, but he was preparing for his first full season on his new farm and Polly was expecting their first child in May. Truman remained on his farm, where his daughter, Sarah Jane, was born on 28 May 1834. He worked the farm two full seasons and then in the fall of 1835, took his family to gather with the Saints in Kirkland.
Kirkland Era
In the autumn of 1835, Truman and Polly arrived in Kirtland with their baby daughter, Sarah Jane. After arriving late one Saturday afternoon, they probably stayed with Truman’s sister and brother-in-law, Mary Ann and Brigham Young. Phoebe Ann Angell also moved to Kirtland. As a carpenter, Truman Angell could hardly have come to Kirtland at a better time. They arrived on Saturday and he attended a meeting in the unfinished temple the next morning. Most of the exterior masonry work was finished, but the inside carpentry was just beginning. He went to work with the team of carpenters and continued working through the temple dedication in 1836. On July 6, 1836 Truman and Polly welcomed their second daughter, Martha Ann. Although Truman was a late arrival, his skills were recognized. For the Angell family, however, the Kirtland Temple was more than an architectural achievement. His autobiography records several spiritual events that made a deep impression on the young carpenter.
Truman and Polly, and also his mother and father, had their patriarchal blessings from Patriarch Joseph Smith, Sr. They had witnessed outpourings of the spirit and countless miracles and testimonies related to the temple.
Truman O. Angell (who was architect of the Salt Lake Temple), recorded in his journal President Williams’ description of how the temple plan was revealed: “Joseph received the word of the Lord for him to take his two counselors Williams and Rigdon and come before the Lord, and He would show them the plan or model of the House to be built. We went upon our knees, called on the Lord, and the building appeared within viewing distance: I being the first to discover it. Then all of us viewed it together. After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us, and the makeup of this Hall seemed to coincide with what I there saw to a minutia.” [Truman O. Angell, Journal, MS., Special Collections, Lee Library, Brigham Young University, 4] (Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, by Karl Ricks Anderson, on June 7, 2012, Page 157).
“In a letter to John Taylor in 1885, Truman O. Angell confirmed the fact that temple had been seen in a vision;” F.G. Williams came into the Temple about the time the main hall 1st floor was ready for dedication. He was asked, “How does the house look to you.” He answered that it looked to him like the model he had seen. He said President Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and himself were called to come before the Lord and the model was shown them. He said the vision of the Temple was thus shown them and he could not see the difference between it and House as build.” [Truman O. Angell to John Taylor, March 11, 1885, LDS Archives] ((Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, by Karl Ricks Anderson, on June 7, 2012, Page 157).
He further stated in his journal that “the leading mechanic” recommended to Joseph Smith that the seats in the building be rearranged. The Prophet responded by saying he had seen then in vision and insisted that the original plans be carried out. [Angell, Journal, LDS Archives, 5] (Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, by Karl Ricks Anderson, on June 7, 2012, Page 157).
Working on this important construction project had given Angell the opportunity to become well acquainted with most of the leaders of the young Church, including Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Angell’s most important connection with the presiding quorums of the Church was through Brigham Young, the brother of one of the missionaries who had first brought the new religion to the Angell family. In February 1832, the Angels had moved to Ohio, and the widowed Brigham Young married Truman’s older sister, Mary Ann. The marriage was a long and happy one, and Truman came to regard Brigham more as a father than as a brother-in-law. Typical of Saints who faced the uncertainties of the exodus from Kirtland with little or no money or means was Truman O. Angell, the skilled temple carpenter. He and his wife, Polly, and their two small children left in a one-horse wagon. Their first day out of Kirtland, he had to spend his last money to repair the wagon, leaving him with “a rickety wagon, a balky horse, not a penny in my pocket, a family to feed and a thousand miles to go.” [Truman, Journal, 5] (Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, by Karl Ricks Anderson, on June 7, 2012, Page 238).
Missouri Era
If Truman Angell and his family had come to Kirtland at the best possible time, they arrived in Missouri at the worst. Sarah Jane Angell, with her parents, suffered many hardships in Missouri and Illinois. Sarah Jane was a child throughout the persecutions and hardships. Her father, being almost penniless when they left Ohio, had to borrow $5.00 from a Saint and sell some of Sarah Jane’s Sunday clothes to purchase a horse to carry what belongings they had left to the persecuted land of Missouri. Their stay in Missouri was very short. Just three days after this arrival, Truman was driven from his land. They and other Saints were driven from the state. Like many other Latter-day Saint men whose lives were threatened, Truman fled to Illinois during the winter of 1838-39 leaving his family, who were in immediate danger to make the trip as best they could. About five miles west of Quincy, Truman found work framing a barn for a Mormon famer named Hail Travis. He agreed to receive his pay in provisions so that he would have food for his family when they arrived. Sarah Jane’s father had to flee for his life and he left his small family and sick wife to make their own way across Missouri to the banks of the Mississippi River. Polly, ill from exposure, had two small children at this time. In March 1838 Polly had given birth to a little daughter Elizabeth Frances, but she died in Kirtland two weeks later. They had had to leave Kirtland scarcely a few weeks later. Polly left with Truman, Sarah Jane and their other daughter Martha Ann, with only their needful clothing. Truman had only a 50-cent piece. The very first day out the singletree broke, and Truman had to pay a part of the 50 cents to have it repaired. The landlord challenged the genuineness of the piece of silver, and struck it with a hammer expecting to see it fly to pieces. After seeing that he ruined the coin, he refused to give Truman the change due. Also the horse proved balky; so with a rickety wagon, a balky horse, not a penny in his pocket, a family to feed and a thousand miles to go, times looked bad enough. Fortunately they were en route with Brother James Holdman who loaned them $5.00 which they used to pay a man with whom they exchanged horses. This horse proved to be a good one, and by selling off some of the children’ Sunday suits they were enabled to proceed about 200 miles. They then stopped and Truman worked three weeks and then went on again; and in this manner, after many severe trials and difficulties, they arrived in Missouri in the fall, having dodged the mob in sundry places in order to do so. Truman exchanged the horse for 10 acres of land. Brigham, Mary Ann and Phoebe were already there, and work had already begun on the footings for the temple in Far West. But only three days after they arrived, Truman was forced “on the march” by the extermination order to flee for his life, having no horse or means to take his family. In order to avoid the mob he retreated to Illinois and had to remain on the run until mid-winter. Once again Polly was left to fend for herself and their two little girls. After suffering much, she traveled with others in similar straits to the banks of the Mississippi River, across from Illinois. Polly had been extremely ill before starting for Illinois, yet she ventured on the journey. But taking cold upon cold, she was reduced so low that little hope was entertained of her living to see her beloved Truman again. After seven anxious weeks without a word, a late-night visit by Joseph Holbrook reassured Truman that both of their families had arrived on the other side of the river, but that Polly, who was pregnant, was seriously ill. The two set off early the next morning to find their families. They walked to Quincy and crossed the river with a boat, wading half-knee deep in mud, about five miles. Altogether they traveled eleven miles over difficult terrain before finding the camp where a hundred Latter-day Saints were waiting for the completion of a new ferry to replace the old one that had been washed away. Truman found his wife and two children under a makeshift tent composed of several blankets. The pitiful scene was one he remembered vividly the rest of his life: “There lay my poor sick wife; her bed upon the melting snow, very ill; my two little ones—the last was born in Ohio, were by her side, their clothes almost burned off, from standing by log campfires. No one to care for them; all the brethren and sisters having cares enough for their own; through they were kind beyond what could be expected.” (Angell , Biography, p. 5). The next day, the ferry was completed, and the family crossed to Illinois. Truman took his wife and children to the farm, where the owner treated them kindly. Even with good care, Polly Angell’s recovery was slow. Six years later Truman writes that her health was not fully restored and that “she has never been able to work much since.” (Angell , Biography, p. 5). The Angells remained on the Travis farm for two years before gathering with the Saints in Nauvoo in 1841.
Nauvoo Era
Truman Angell again worked with his might on the Temple. Their time in Nauvoo was choice and filled once more with happy times. Another daughter, Mariah, was born in Nauvoo and the family lived up away from the river on a little knoll where the Nauvoo State Park is now. Polly and Phoebe participated in the Female Relief Society. To assist the workmen with the temple “Mrs. Angell said she was willing to repair old clothes if necessary, when materials cannot be obtain’d.” We don’t know which Mrs. Angell these Relief Society minutes refer to, but we do know that both gave their all. (Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell).
Polly Angell, wife of the Church architect, said that the Prophet told them: “Well, sisters, you are always on hand. The sisters are always first and foremost in all good works. Mary was first at the resurrection and the sisters now are the first to work on the inside of the temple.” [Tullidge, Women of Mormondom, 76] (Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, page 163).
In January 1845, a son, Truman Carlos, was born. In October 1845, Truman and Polly received their endowments in the attic of the Nauvoo Temple, and afterward their “sealing and second anointing.” They received them again December 12, 1845. He, with Orson Hyde and a few others, gathered in the Temple on April 30, 1846 and privately dedicated it. The mobs had driven most of the Saints from Nauvoo by this time. Such heights of joy and spiritual experiences kept them going, but one can imagine Polly’s feelings as she realized that the horror heaped upon the families of the Church’s leaders could at any time turn upon her own family. This undoubtedly made it easier for her to support yet another move. Truman was asked to be in the first company to go to the Salt Lake Valley. He took his family to Winter Quarters and left them there as he went with Brigham Young in 1847. Polly had about a year to get ready for her husband’s departure with the scouting party, but nothing would have prepared her for the time they and their children spent in Winter Quarters.
Winter Quarters
In the spring of 1846 a striking incident happened, showing the preserving day of the Lord. Some Indian braves had come to the home and being much pleased with little Mariah, asked her father to trade her to them for some horses. He, not realizing for a moment that one cannot joke with an Indian, laughingly answered, “Why yes, I guess we can make a trade.” The Indians took it seriously and the next day, when both Father and Mother had gone to work preparing to move west, and the children of the neighborhood were playing “hide-and-go-seek,” the Indians came with their horses to make the trade. They were moving camp that day. Mariah was hiding under the bed, which, according to the custom of those days, was draped around with valances that hung to the floor. The space thus enclosed served as a storage space. The Indian raised the valance and looked under the bed as he angrily searched for the child who was only partly concealed by the bags and bundles stored away there. An unseen power blinded his eyes so that he saw not the little girl who lay there breathless with fright. He went his way, defeated and angry, and the girl was saved. (“History of Maria Angell Woolley Wickersham” by Viola Woolley, written in 1928, submitted by Elva Sommerfeldt, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, December 1, 1997, p. 3).
Mariah, Sarah’s sister, remembered many things about Winter Quarters. How her mother used to go out to work each day to earn bread for the children while her father was away with the pioneers. She remembered their neighbors and how their houses were built; how Santa Claus visited the children there, coming to their homes and filling stockings. Santa, of course, a kindly neighbor, more blessed with this world’s good than they. (“History of Maria Angell Woolley Wickersham” by Viola Woolley, written in 1928, submitted by Elva Sommerfeldt, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, December 1, 1997, p. 3).
At the end of October 1846, Polly gave birth to their sixth child, another girl, Almirah, at Winter Quarters, now Florence, Douglas County, Nebraska. The baby lived only three days, dying on November 1. Polly and Truman grieved together at this loss of their newborn. Two months later it was Martha Ann, ten years old, who died along with many others sick with chills and fever. By the time Truman left for the West in April 1847, Polly herself was ill with the terrible sickness that had taken her daughter, and with the grief of losing two so close together. Nevertheless, she bade her husband good-bye, hoping that the West would provide some relief, faith perhaps wavering that she would survive to see it.
That fall, as Truman and the others were making plans and preparations in the Salt Lake Valley, Polly laid to rest the third of their children to die at Winter Quarters, their only son, Truman Carlos, stricken with measles and only 2-1/2 years old, leaving only two of their six children, Sarah Jane, age 13, and Mariah, age 6. Is it any wonder that by Truman’s return she was too sick to sit up? With a heavy heart but a burning faith, he gathered his Mother, Phoebe Ann, and his two remaining daughters, placed his wife Polly on a bed in the wagon and began with Brigham Young’s first company the journey west, which Polly traveled the whole way flat on her back.
When the time came for the saints to leave Nauvoo, Phoebe Ann Angell was 61 years old and traveled with her large family to Winter Quarters in 1847. The family stayed there until the next year when the large families of Angells and Youngs would immigrate to Utah under the leadership of Brigham Young. In the Angell family there were three generations who crossed the plains in this company.
Trek Westward
Seven-year-old Mariah remembers how her father had crossed the plains with the original band of Pioneers in 1847 and had now returned for his family. He drove an ox team from the “Missouri River to the valley,” the wagon containing all their earthly possessions as well as the mother’s sick bed. (“History of Maria Angell Woolley Wickersham” by Viola Woolley, written in 1928, submitted by Elva Sommerfeldt, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, December 1, 1997, p. 3). Sister [Polly] Angell was ill all the way across the plains, not able to sit up at all.
Sarah Jane, who was seven years older than Mariah, might have remembered similar things; however, we don’t have any of her recollections. But since it was just the two sisters, their experiences would have been very similar. Mariah was now seven years old and she remembers well many incidents of the journey; the walking beside the wagon part of the way (most of every day); the gathering of wild flowers along the trail and sometimes getting cactus thorns in her feet; and the helping to gather buffalo chips when wood was scarce. There was one cow in their team and they used to milk her and hang the milk in a bucket under the wagon, when the day’s journey was finished, they had fresh butter for their supper, for the milk had churned while they were jogging along. She remembers sitting on the wagon seat, some days of the journey, beside a good brother and helping him by holding the tiny baby in her lap, for the little one’s mother had died on the way. (“History of Maria Angell Woolley Wickersham” by Viola Woolley, written in 1928, submitted by Elva Sommerfeldt, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, December 1, 1997, p. 3).
Mariah remembers the herd of buffalo and a stampede that occurred one day. All was fear and excitement in the company. The herd had galloped past, in front of the wagon train except one big fellow who got cut off from the herd. The people knew full well a stampeding buffalo never stops for any obstacle in his path, and never turns aside but goes straight through to the herd, and he was headed directly for the wagon where Sister Angell lay sick. As he came wildly bellowing on, several rifles were fired upon the buffalo and it dropped dead, just one leap from the wagon. Another version of the story talks about, “The pioneers feared that she (Sister Angell) would be tramped to death beneath the hoofs of the buffalo, because she could not get out of their way, and they could not get to her. They prayed frantically for her safety. Brigham Young had ordered the brethren to use their guns and fire…. The brethren fired, hit him, and he dropped dead, thus furnishing meat for the company, as they were short of food.” (“Biography of Samuel Wickersham Woolley, Pioneer for 1848”, written by Lucy Woolley Brown, his daughter, Daughters of Utah Pioneers of Utah County, undated and unnumbered).
Mariah remembered how the wagon train used to stop its travel on Saturday afternoon so the sisters could do a bit of cooking, washing, etc. and make ready for the Sabbath day. They never travelled on Sunday, but on that day the children, after making themselves as presentable as possible and wearing their shoes with stockings, too precious to be worn on other days, gathered with their parents and, seated on the wagon to hold a meeting and sang the song of Zion. Pres. Young taught and encouraged the people to bear up under their hardships and hopefully, faithfully journey on. She remembers that the meetings were held by their wagon because of their mother’s illness. (“History of Maria Angell Woolley Wickersham”, pg. 4).
The organized emigration from the Missouri River to Great Salt Lake in 1848 was divided into three divisions under the charge of the First Presidency of the Church. The First Division was in the charge of President Brigham Young, the Second Division in the charge of President Heber C. Kimball, and the Third Division in the charge of President Willard Richards. In July 8, 1846, Truman O. Angell and his family joined Brigham Young’s company. Brigham Young’s division of which Sarah Jane and her family were members, consisted of 1229 souls. They had with them 397 wagons, 74 horses, 19 mules, 1275 oxen, 699 cows, 184 loose cattle, 411 sheep, 141 pigs, 605 chickens, 37 cats, 82 dogs, 3 goats, 8 doves, 10 geese, 2 hives of bees, and one crow.
Sarah Jane Angell’s aunt—Mary Ann Angell (Truman’s sister) married Brigham Young. She was his second wife (his first wife having died before he joined the church) and was a favorite wife in guiding the destiny of this great man. Mary Ann Angell Young and her family were also in the Brigham Young’s division, which could have been of great help and comfort for this family whose mother was bedridden.
Sarah Jane’s grandmother Phoebe Ann Morton Angell at the age of 62, also traveled in the Brigham Young Company on the trek west. Even though she assisted her daughter, Mary Ann in driving one of Brigham Young’s team and wagon across the plains and into the Salt Lake Valley, she probably helped when she could with Truman and his little family. Phoebe had another son, Solomon, and his family were on the trek west also. Phoebe made her home with her children. Solomon was put in charge of the granite stone quarried in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Truman was called by President Young to be the church architect. Many beautiful buildings of Salt Lake City were erected under her sons’ supervision.
Arrival in the Salt Lake Valley
These pioneers, including the Angell, Young, Holbrook, and Tolman families, arrived in the Salt Lake Valley September 21, 1848, which was soon after the Seagull Miracle in 1848. The mother, Polly, was sick and bedridden the whole journey. “The first thing that impressed the little girl (Mariah) on their safe arrival in the Great Salt Lake Valley was the sight of the Indians harvesting the buckwheat on her father’s lot. They were using flails and catching the grain in baskets hung to their shoulders. The strange site impressed the child in a way never to be forgotten. Soon after their arrival, logs were brought from the canyon, hewn and pinned into position and chinked so that by Christmas time of that year, the Angell family were housed in a comfortable house of one large room, that let in the light, in the new found mountain home.” (“History of Maria Angell Woolley Wickersham”, pg. 5).
Life in the Salt Lake Valley
Mariah’s and Sarah Jane’s childhood were spent in such schools as they had, and in the usual sports, activities, and associations of frontier life. Their school life was brief. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, Mariah spent much time in her mother’s room, for company, as her mother was bed-ridden for some years again. (“History of Maria Angell Woolley Wickersham”, pg. 4). Sarah Jane could have been married by this time.
With the Angell family settled in Salt Lake City, Truman resumed his carpentry work. He was busy and the family was near his work. President Brigham Young asked Truman to give up his carpentry and spend all his time on sketches and drawings, which changed the course of life for the Angells. He did the drawings for a Council House, the first public building for the new city. It was staggering what he made drawings for: a bowery, houses and barns by the dozen, a store, schoolhouses, meetinghouses, the Endowment House, office buildings, forts, a theatre, an arsenal, a penitentiary, a wall around Temple Square, the Salt Lake Temple, the St. George Temple, the governor’s mansion (the Beehive house), the Lion House, Eagle Gate, the Statehouse in Fillmore, Social Hall, a sugar factory, and on and on. But the love and labor of his life was the Salt Lake Temple. (“Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, unnumbered).
Through all the work, family life went on. Their beloved daughter Sarah Jane married Benjamin Hewitt Tolman on January 2, 1851 and moved to Brigham City, Box Elder County.
In 1851 Polly gave her consent and Truman took another wife in polygamy. Her name was Susan Eliza Savage. They were sealed in the Endowment House and had five children born to them. In the year 1855 Truman was advised by the brethren to take still another wife, and after talking it over with Polly and Susan Eliza, was married and sealed to Mary Ann Johnson. She bore him eight children. It is said that even though there were many in his family, when Truman would come home, he’d call out, “Where’s everybody?” and when others in the household asked “Who”, he’d reply, “Why Polly, of course!” (“Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, unnumbered).
Polly remained in their home on 1st South and State Street with Mariah. Sarah Jane had three children but Sarah and her husband lived in Brigham City, so it was seldom Polly got to see them.
Sarah Jane’s grandmother, Polly’s mother-in-law and Truman’s mother, Phoebe Morton Angell, died November 15, 1854, just six years after her arrival in Utah. Polly grieved at the death of Phoebe. She continued to encourage Truman in his efforts. He assembled wagon loads of parts for a sugar factory. With the death of his mother, the pressure of work, and the difficulty of getting the machinery, Truman felt ill most of the time.
An interesting story in connection with a burial on a private lot is that of the disposition of the remains of Phoebe Morton Angell, mother of Mary Ann Angell Young. She died in 1854, just six years after her arrival in Utah, and was buried on the property of her son, Truman O. Angell, Sr., whose home spot at that time was situated on the northeast corner of 1st South and State Streets, extending north near Motor Avenue. A few years ago as workmen were excavating at this site, some bones were unearthed. Some said there was a murder mystery to be solved, but Richard W. Young, a grandson of Brigham Young came forward with the information that his great-grandmother, Phoebe Morton Angell had been buried there. The bones were collected and placed in the Ensign family burial plot in the City Cemetery. (Heart Throbs of the West).
Eliza R. Snow wrote the following in 1854 at the death of Phebe Ann Morton Angell:
ELERGY
“Blessed are the dead
Who die in the Lord.”
Long, long will Zion’s daughters
And Zion’s mothers, too,
Her dear fond memory cherish
And blessing o’re it strew.
She served the God of Israel
In faith and faithfulness,
Her life on earth abounded
In works of righteousness.
She soothed the heart of sorrow
And calmed the breast of woe,
What God to her imparted
She freely did bestow.
She sought the poor and lowly,
And while her hand bestowed,
Her lips were richly vocal,
Directing up to God.
Her mind was decked with knowledge,
From long experience gained—
Her heart was stored with wisdom,
By faith and prayer obtained.
Though from the cup of sorrow,
Which falls to mortal lot,
Hers was an ample portion
She drank and murmured not.
She’s gone—and while we mourn her,
Our loss to her is gain;
And we would not recall her
To this low world of pain.
She filled her earthly mission
In faithfulness and love;
And now has joined the assemblies
Of holy ones above.
Shortly after Truman came back from serving a 13-month mission in Europe, Sarah Jane’s husband, Benjamin Tolman, died in December 1857, and in the spring of 1858 Mariah married Samuel W. Woolley, so Polly was filled with nurturing emotions of a mother, and it was with mixed emotions that she and Truman went through these times of sadness and joy, their oldest daughter grieving and their last child leaving home.
Truman was sustained as Church Architect in 1852, the position he held until 1883. In April 1867, after spending two years on a farm about three miles southeast of the Temple block, Truman again went to work on the Temple and he gathered up a bed and needed furniture and he and Polly moved to a little room between the sandstone pillars supporting the roof. Here he drew the plans for the Temple. Polly endured the freezing cold and blistering heat to be near him and watch him make his dreams come true.
In 1869 their lovely Sarah Jane died giving birth to twins. Death was no stranger to them.
Sarah Jane’s mother Polly died April 1, 1878. She had lived through a life of
hardships but passed away with scarcely a struggle. Truman himself did not live to see the completion of the Great Salt Lake Temple, but at his death, Sunday, October 16, 1887, the work had reached into the spires. Friends have commented that the Salt Lake Temple stands as a tribute to Truman Angell and Polly, his wife. (“Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, submitted to Daughters of Utah Pioneers by Gloria N. Jensen, undated and unnumbered).
Sarah Jane saw the wonderful work of her father’s drawing board completed as church landmarks in Kirkland, Nauvoo, and Salt Lake City. She took part in the exodus of the saint to the promised land, a haven in the desert in Utah, which blossomed as a rose by the Saints’ labor and love. (“Race Alphalus Johnson and Charlotte Marie Whiteworth & Family,” written by George Russell Johnson, Vere Hodges Johnson, 23 May 2005).
Sarah Jane’s Marriage to Benjamin Hewitt Tolman
Refer to the previous chapter on Benjamin Hewitt Tolman for possible ways that he and Sarah Jane met, married January 2, 1851. On December 20, 1851, both Benjamin and Sarah Jane took out their own endowments in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, before they moved to Brigham City at the request of President Brigham Young in the spring of 1852.
Refer again to the previous chapter on Benjamin Hewitt Tolman for information on their life near Davis Fort, about their home there in Brigham City and their family. During this time, Benjamin and Sarah Jane started their family—all three of the children were born in Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah. Their son, Benjamin Hewitt Tolman II, was born March 15, 1853. Next was their daughter, Polly Jane Tolman who was born January 19, 1855. She was followed by another daughter, Emma Mariah Tolman, who was born November 10, 1856.
For some reason, records show that Sarah Jane Angell Tolman wasn’t baptized until she was 22 years old on January 14, 1857.
On December 14, 1857, Benjamin Hewitt Tolman died in Box Elder County, Utah, leaving his wife and three children, the oldest of which was only 4 years old. He was buried December 1857 in the Brigham City Cemetery, Box Elder County, Utah.
In the words of their son, Benjamin Hewitt Tolman II in his Journal #3: “In 1857 my father died (aged 28) leaving mother and the three children, namely Benjamin H., Polly Jane and Emma Maria (I being the oldest). To support us my mother was obligated to work hard and her health was delicate.” (Journals of Benjamin Hewitt Tolman II).
Marriage to Jarvis Johnson
[Author’s note: Refer to Jarvis Johnson’s narrative regarding possible connections that show Sarah Jane and Jarvis Johnson possibly knew each other.]
Per history of Sarah Jane Angell Johnson written by Lucile Bateman Johnson: “Sarah Jane met Jarvis Johnson, who was widowed by a previous marriage and was buying milk from Sarah Jane to feed his five motherless children. Sarah Jane was selling milk to help supporther young family. Sarah Jane and Jarvis fell in love and were married on the 16th of September 1861 in Utah. She loved his family as her own.” (“History of Sarah Jane Angell Johnson” written by Lucile Bateman Johnson, “Race Alphalus Johnson and Charlotte Marie Whiteworth & Family,” written by George Russell Johnson, Vere Hodges Johnson, 23 May 2005. Pg. 42). [Author’s note: per family group records, the date is listed as September 16, 1860 and place is Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah.]
After Sarah Jane and Jarvis Johnson married civilly on September 16, 1860, there is a very interesting and faith-promoting incident involving Judson Tolman that took place. The family story “tells us that Judson was sleeping in the mountains east of Bountiful (probably in one of his several lumber camps, although the story says that he was doing some prospecting.) The date was March 8, 1861 and, as Judson slept, Benjamin appeared to him in a dream and said: “Judson, my wife, Sarah Jane, is going to Salt Lake tomorrow with her present husband, Jarvis Johnson, to be sealed to him. I want you to meet them and help them to understand that Sarah Jane is to be sealed to me. You must act without delay.” Judson arose from his bed, dressed and walked to Bountiful, arriving early in the morning. He changed his clothes and walked to Salt Lake City, where he met Sarah Jane and Jarvis in the Endowment House and explained the purpose for his being there. They apparently listened to him, Sarah Jane was sealed to Benjamin Hewitt Tolman on March 9, 1861, with Jarvis Johnson acting as proxy for Benjamin.” [“A Short History of the life of Benjamin Hewitt Tolman,” published in Thomas Tolman Family Magazine, Volume I, First Quarter 1965, pages 33 and 34. This story reiterated by Judson in his testimony to his family at the time they founded the Tolman Family Genealogical Organization.] Then the same day, Jarvis was sealed to his first wife, Hester Ann Jackson, with Sarah Jane as proxy.
Again, from the history by Lucile Bateman Johnson: “Sarah Jane and Jarvis were the parents of seven children: (1st) – Martha Ann – born 19 August 1962, (2nd) Jarvis Truman born – December 1, 1863 (who died one day before Rais Johnson’s birth, October 3, 1865), (3rd) Rais [sic] Alphalus born – October 4, 1865, (4th and 5th) Alice Alvaretta, and Alonzo Alvaro, twins born the December 17, 1866 and (6th and 7th) Sarah Jane and Peter, twins born the March 21, 1869. These second set of twins died in their youth. Sarah died the March 23, 1880, and Peter died the June 22, 1871. Their birth caused the death of their dear mother—the same day they were born, by hemorrhage, just 6 years after their marriage.” (“History of Sarah Jane Angell Johnson” written by Lucile Bateman Johnson, “Race Alphalus Johnson and Charlotte Marie Whiteworth & Family,” written by George Russell Johnson, Vere Hodges Johnson, 23 May 2005. Pg. 42).
Sarah Jane was a beautiful brunette with brown eyes and hair, and a dear mother to her children. Her life was one of joy in service, and though it lasted barely 39 years, it was rich in beauty of character and unselfish service to her loved ones.
She was a very “faithful daughter, wife and mother, lived the life of Saint and died in hopes of a glorious resurrection. She shall receive her reward.” (“History of Sarah Jane Angell Tolman Johnson”, written by Leonidas Devon Mecham. p. 262).
Thirty-three years after Sarah Jane died, her son, Benjamin Hewitt Tolman II, wrote the following in his journal: March 1913 It was 44 [sic] years ago today since my mother was laid to rest in the Brigham City Cemetery leaving a family of about 13 mostly small children. There were two pair twins, the oldest about 2 years and the youngest born 21st the day mother died. I was the oldest only 16 yrs. I remember how bad I felt about it. My only friend (I thought) on earth was gone. (Journals of Benjamin Hewitt Tolman II, pages 382-383).
Sarah Jane Angell Tolman Johnson was sealed via proxy to her parents 24 April 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple. Sarah Jane and Benjamin Hewitt Tolman’s three children were sealed to them on 29 July 1886 in the Logan Temple with Benjamin Hewitt II, Polly Jane Woolley, and Emma Mariah Hyde in attendance. (See the story written by Benjamin Hewitt Tolman II for the entry from Journals of Benjamin Hewitt Tolman II about this sealing.)
Sarah Jane Angell Tolman Johnson Bibliography
Paul L. Anderson, “Truman O. Angell: Architect and Saint,” in Supporting Saints: Life Stories of Nineteenth-Century Mormons, ed. Donald Q. Cannon and David J. Whittaker (Provo: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1985), 133-173. Most of what is know of the first half of Truman Angell’s life, the thirty-seven years from his birth to his arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, is contained in Short autobiographical sketch prepared in 1845 and revised and expanded in 1875 and 1884. The longest version fills only eleven pages of transcript, telling a story with elements common to the faithful ran-and-file who participated in the early scenes of the Mormon sage. The longer version is titled “Journal of Truman O. Angell”; hereafter cited as Angell, Journal. The shorter version is “Biography of Truman O. Angell, Sr.”; hereafter cited as Angell, Biography. Typescripts are preserved in the LDS Church Archives.
Truman O. Angell, Journal 1857, 8 April 1867-1868, MSS, Library Archives, Historical Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, hereafter cited as LDS Church Archives, 24 September 1867.
Truman O. Angell, Biography 1857, 8 April 1867-1868, MSS, Library Archives, Historical Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, hereafter cited as LDS Church Archives, 24 September 1867.
‘Pioneer History of Polly Ann Johnson Angell’, written by Marilyn Erickson Ray, March 1992, unnumbered.
“Polly Ann Johnson Angell”, submitted to Daughters of Utah Pioneers by Gloria N. Jensen, undated.
Joseph Holbrook, “The Life of Joseph Holbrook Written by His Own Hand,” typescript, LDS Church Archives. Joseph Smith’s Kirtland, by Karl Ricks Anderson, on June 7, 2012.
“History of Maria Angell Woolley Wickersham” by Viola Woolley, written in 1928, submitted by Elva Sommerfeldt, submitted to Daughters of Utah Pioneers, December 1, 1997.
“Biography of Samuel Wickersham Woolley, Pioneer for 1848”, written by Lucy Woolley Brown, his daughter, submitted to Daughters of Utah Pioneers of Utah County, undated and unnumbered.
“Race Alphalus Johnson and Charlotte Marie Whiteworth & Family,” written by George Russell Johnson, Vere Hudges Johnson, 23 May 2005.
“Journals of Benjamin Hewitt Tolman II” published by The Tolman Family Organization, 2007.)
“History of Sarah Jane Angell Johnson” written by Lucile Bateman Johnson, “Race Alphalus Johnson and Charlotte Marie Whiteworth & Family,” written by George Russell Johnson, Vere Hodges Johnson, 23 May 2005.
“History of Sarah Jane Angell Tolman Johnson,” written by Leonidas Devon Mecham.
Heart Throbs of the West by Kate Carter, Volume 3 p 67, 123, Vol 4 p 66 Vol 6 p 334, Published in 1948.