Samuel Brough and Elizabeth Bott (couple 4)

[Dad's paternal grandmother's maternal Grandparents]
[Ada Estella Rex > Mary Elizabeth Brough > Brough/Bott]


History of Samuel Brough and Elizabeth Bott. 
From the sources on FamilySearch.org. More information at the Brough Family Organization. 

Also listed on the AncestralTies blog:
Samuel Brough (1839-1911)
Elizabeth Bott Brough (1838-1921)
Biography Part 1, Part 2
Nov 8, 2014 picture family members identified

Edited by Ronald Dee Rex, R. Clayton Brough and John M. Brough, June 2004. Edited from material that originally appeared in the 1999 book by Ronald Dee Rex (pp. 65-69): "History, Descendants, & Ancestry of William Rex & Mary Elizabeth Brough of Randolph, Utah". Samuel Brough was born 16 September 1839 to Richard Brough and Mary Horleston in Lane End, Longton, Staffordshire, England. He was christened on 19 October 1839 in St. John's Parish (Church of England), Lane End, Longton. As a young man, Samuel worked in the coal mines around Longton and practiced the trades of masonry and carpentry. In fact, British census records state that Samuel was working as a "Coal Miner" when he was only "11" years of age. As a young man, Samuel also gained a good education through extensive reading.

Staffordshire Coal Mines, unknown.  From here.

On 7 February 1858, Samuel Brough married Elizabeth Bott in Edensor, Staffordshire. Elizabeth was born on 9 March 1838 in Lane End, Longton, Staffordshire, the oldest of nine children born to Benjamin Bott and Elizabeth Abbott. Prior to their marriage, Elizabeth had worked in the Staffordshire potteries in the china-painting department. (Interesting page here.) When Elizabeth started keeping company with Samuel, her parents bitterly opposed it because they belonged to the Church of England and Samuel's father, Richard Brough, was a "Mormon"--having joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or "L.D.S." or "Mormon" Church) in 1840--and Samuel and Elizabeth were actively investigating the L.D.S. Church. Samuel and Elizabeth joined the L.D.S. Church on the same day, both being baptized on 1 May 1857 by Thomas Orgill of the L.D.S. Longton Branch. After Elizabeth joined the L.D.S. Church, her parents turned her away from their home, but in later years she and her siblings often communicated by letters which she sent from Utah or they sent from England. Samuel was made an "Elder" in the L.D.S. Priesthood on 24 February 1861 in the L.D.S. Longton Branch. After Samuel and Elizabeth were married in February 1858, Samuel built one room onto his father's house. They lived in this one room until they came to America. Four children were born to them in England: Mary Elizabeth (born 20 December 1858), Jane (born 22 February 1860), Samuel (born 9 September 1861) and Eliza (born 3 March 1863). Samuel and Elizabeth and their four children left Liverpool on 30 May 1863 on the ship "Cynosure" and came with a company of 754 Saints under the direction of David M. Stewart. They arrived in New York Harbor on July 19. While on board ship there was an epidemic of measles. Their little son, Samuel, became very sick with the measles. Several times they were afraid he would die and be buried at sea. He finally improved, but never was very healthy after this. Soon after arriving in New York, Samuel and Elizabeth and their four children started westward, traveling part of the way to Florence, Nebraska in cattle cars. They crossed the Missouri River near Florence on the ferry. Shortly after arriving in Nebraska, Samuel died on 7 August 1863 with complications from the measles. He was buried in the Mormon cemetery in a dry-goods box at Florence, Nebraska. He was dressed in a little colored nightgown. Elizabeth took the crepe from her bonnet (that she had worn to her father's funeral the year before) to stuff the cracks in the box. They remained in Florence until 15 August 1863, waiting for the pipes for the Salt Lake Tabernacle organ to arrive. They then started across the plains in the Samuel D. White Company. Several families were allotted to each wagon. A bedridden woman rode in their wagon. Elizabeth walked much of the way and carried her baby, 5 month old Liza. Mary walked part way but Jane rode because she was a cripple.

Samuel walked and drove a team all the way to Utah. Every morning and evening they had company prayers and everyone was supposed to attend. The company stopped one-half day each week for the women to wash. They washed their clothes in the creek (without soap) and hung them on bushes to dry. Snow had fallen before they reached Salt Lake City on 15 October 1863, making it cold and miserable. They lived in Bountiful the first winter and in the spring, moved to Porterville in Morgan County. They lived in a dugout in the hillside. It was lined with adobes, and there was a fireplace in one end. In the spring when the snow started to melt, the frost came out of the ground and the water washed down the chimney and part of the wall caved in. A little daughter, Emma, was born in this dugout 25 March 1865. Mother and baby had to move to the Thomas Brough home. This same year (1865) little Eliza died. They watched her all night before she died in the light of the fireplace. During her illness, Eliza had cried for a potato but there were none available. Later in the time of plenty, this death grieved Elizabeth because she felt her little girl had died of starvation. The family was able to move into a two-room house and it was here their son, William Thomas, was born on 11 December 1866. The following February, they went to Salt Lake City, to the old Endowment House and took out their endowments. In February 1867, the Union Pacific Railroad was starting down the Weber Canyon. They moved to Henefer and found employment. Prudence was born in Henefer on 24 September 1868. Samuel then moved his family back to Porterville and another son, George Henry, was born on 9 July 1870. 

 In May 1870, Samuel went to Randolph and built a two-room log house. It was located on the corner of Field Street and Second East. He went to Laketown, Utah, for a grist of flour and bran and then returned to Porterville to harvest his crops and move his family to Randolph. The trip to Randolph took Samuel quite some time and before he returned, Elizabeth feared for his life. She was sitting by the side of the house crying when she saw Samuel walking over the hill. When Samuel's family left Porterville, Samuel sold his farm to his older brother, Thomas Brough, and their house to Charles White. With a horse, a pair of oxen and a prairie schooner, Samuel, Elizabeth and their six children left for Randolph. Ducks, pigs, chickens and all their belongings were packed in the wagon, which also had a box on the back. Their three cows along with some other cattle were driven. It took a week to make the trip. It was after dark when they reached Big Creek. The wagon got stuck in the mud and they all walked into Randolph and stayed at Samuel Henderson's while Mr. Henderson went back to help Samuel get the wagon out. It was near midnight when they finally reached the little log house. Samuel had gathered the chips from the hewed logs and piled them in the center of the room. A fire was soon started in the fireplace in the west end of the room. At the time, it did not have any doors or windows in it. Elizabeth and the children stayed and milked and fed the cows, pigs, chickens and ducks while Samuel went to Almy, Wyoming to work in the coal mines during the winter. In the spring Samuel cleared a piece of land and planted grain and had a small vegetable garden. They gathered hay from the "bottoms" east of town for the cattle. They cut the hay with a sickle and raked it with a rake not much larger than a garden rake. They carried their water from "Little Creek" for household purposes until a well could be dug-they called it the "Old Windless." They still had hard times as their crops were not certain. Samuel was a very good farmer and worked at this in the summertime, and worked in the coal mines in Almy during the winter. Three more children, Hannah (born 27 May 1872), Benjamin Richard (born 6 July 1874) and Adria (born 17 July 1876) were born in Randolph. This made a total of eleven children, nine of which were living at the time. Elizabeth and her daughters, Mary Elizabeth and Jane, were among the first members of the L.D.S. Relief Society in Randolph. Samuel did much for the building of Randolph. He made the brick for most of the brick homes there-including the LDS Church and the old high school. He also had a lime kiln. They used lime in plaster. He also surveyed a water ditch without any instruments and in many ways helped conditions in Randolph. In addition to manufacturing bricks in Randolph, Samuel also assisted his brother, Thomas, in making bricks in Porterville. Also, Samuel and Thomas operated a brickyard in east Kaysville between about 1867 and 1881. However, Samuel moved to Randolph in 1870, and likely didn't have much to do with the Brough Brick Yard after he had moved to Randolph. This large brickyard was known as the "Brough Brick Yard on Cemetery Street," Today, the ground on which the Brough Brick Yard was once located is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is occupied by the LDS Kaysville Crestwood Wardhouse--located at 1039 East Crestwood Road, Kaysville, Utah. Elizabeth was always good to those in need and without mothers. She took Lena Hanney and Opal Brough into her home after their mothers died. Bessie Brough also lived with her for awhile. She was always clean and neatly dressed. She always had pretty bonnets that tied under her chin. The way she tied her aprons was to tie the bow in front so she could get the bows even and then slip the bow around to the back. She never regretted the sacrifices and hardships she went through to come to Zion.

Samuel was a long time building his new brick home. Money was scarce and he would have to stop for awhile, harvest his crops, and sell some to obtain more money. He made his own brick, lime, and did the mason work on his home-the first brick home to be built in Randolph. These bricks were packed in straw and hauled to the building site. The family was very proud of this new home. Samuel had a lot of grandsons and furnished employment for most of them while they grew up. He surveyed the canal that runs west of town-the one you cross on the way to the cemetery. He had only a spirit level and a foot board. Samuel experimented with all kinds of grass and hay seeds to find out which grew the best. He had a herd of cattle and many horses. Samuel Brough was a religious man and attended to his L.D.S. Church affairs with real dedication. He died on 29 May 1911 at the age of 71, leaving Elizabeth a widow for eleven years. Elizabeth was the only one of her family to join the L.D.S., but she always defended her faith and encouraged her children and other Latter-day Saints to remain faithful to their beliefs. She died on 23 November 1921 at the age of 83. Both are buried in the southeast corner of the Randolph City Cemetery.