William Davis Gibby and Catherine Stevenson (couple 6)

[Dad's maternal grandfather's maternal Grandparents]
[Albert Leland Wagstaff > Catharine Stevenson Gibby > Gibby/Stevenson]

From FamilySearch.org

            

William Gibby was born on December 18, 1835 in Slebech, near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, the son of Thomas Gibby and Catherine Davies. He had four brothers and two sisters: James, Martha, Elizabeth, John, Thomas, and Richard. William's family was very poor. He and his brothers and sisters did not have the opportunity of education. As some records point out, the only school in the town of Slebech was held in an old blacksmith's shop converted into a schoolroom by the Baron de Rutzen, chief supporter of the school. William and his brothers were apprenticed as drapers to "Commerce House" (Haverfordwest) known then as "Grennish and Sawterns," (founders of the firm). William, along with his brother John, gained a testimony of the gospel and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 6, 1853 by John Griffiths. The Mormons were so hated and persecuted at that time that their mother was broken-hearted over their conversions. The blow was especially heavy when she learned that they planned to sail to America to join the Saints in Zion. William crossed the ocean the following year in the Seventy-eighth Company on the sailing vessel Clara Wheeler, which cleared port at Liverpool on November 24, 1854 bound for New Orleans.

Read 13 accounts of this particular voyage of other passengers with William Gibby HERE

There were 442 souls on board, including John and William Gibby, who were listed as passengers on the ship. Elder Henry E. Philip was appointed president of the company, with John Parson and James Crossley as counselors. After a rough experience in the Irish Channel, being unable to proceed against incessant head winds and rough weather, the Clara Wheeler was obligated to return to port on the 30th of November. During the extraordinary experience, the Saints suffered considerable with sea sickness. After receiving further supplies of water and provisions, the ship again put out to sea on the 7th of December with a favorable wind. On the 10th she cleared the Irish Channel, after which she had a very quick trip to New Orleans, where she arrived on the 11th of January, 1855. Soon after leaving Liverpool, the measles broke out in the company, resulting in the death of twenty children and two adults. On the 12th of January, James McGraw, the church emigrant agent to New Orleans, contracted with the Captain on the steamboat Oceana to take the passengers to St. Louis at the rate of $3.50 for each adult and half that for children ages 3 to 12 years of age. Twenty-four hours after their arrival in New Orleans, the immigrants were on their way up the river. Nearly one half of the company did not have the means to pay their passage to St. Louis, but the more well-to-do Saints loaned the money to all who desired to continue the journey to St. Louis, where they arrived safely. They were met by Apostle Erastus Snow and others, who gave the new arrivals a hearty welcome and conducted them to comfortable quarters which had been secured for their accommodations. This company, although leaving England in the latter part of 1854, really belonged to the emigration of 1855, in connection with which the Saints who crossed the Atlantic in the Clara Wheeler continued the journey to the valley.

William and John Gibby went as far as Kansas. They found work on a government farm for $25.00 a month. They worked there for two years, then came to Utah by ox team, driving across the plains for board and keep with the Canute Peterson's company of 52 wagons. They had a great deal of trouble crossing the plains with tens of thousands of Buffalo stampeding the cattle. They finally arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in September of 1856 and took odd jobs until they could get settled. William and Catherine Stevenson were married on May 26, 1857 in Salt Lake City by Bishop Edwin Woolley of the 13th Ward. They were later sealed in the Endowment House on December 3, 1859. They were the parents of ten children, five boys and five girls. They were William Stevenson, Marion Stevenson, Anna Eliza Stevenson, Ada Stevenson, Richard Stevenson, Catherine Stevenson, Arthur Stevenson, Raymond Stevenson, James Stevenson, and Elizabeth Stevenson Gibby . On July 24, 1857, William and John were attending the celebration held on the banks of Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon, when Abraham Smoot brought word to President Brigham Young that an Army led by Albert Sidney Johnston was headed for Utah. The Saints were determined to defend themselves this time and prevent this army from entering the Salt Lake Valley. The celebration was broken up, and volunteers were placed under General Wells with William Gibby among the volunteers. They marched to defend Echo Canyon. Here they built rock fortifications on the high ledges above the road and the creek bed. They dug trenches and built dams to flood the pass and force the army to come under the ledges where they piled rock and boulders to roll down on the invaders should they attempt to pass. They often marched the men around the hill to make Johnston's Army think they had a large army of men.

From The resources and attractions of Utah as they exist today, Culmer, 1894

William followed the trade of cabinetmaker for several years in Utah, and then turned his attention for a number of years hauling tan bark under contract with William Jennings and Philip Pugsley for their tannery. After this, William went to work in agriculture, at which he was a great success. He was best known as the man who captured the $500 cash prize (link from 1894 book recording 80 bushels per acre!  Typical yields in 2013 were 65 bushels per acre.) offered by the American Agriculturist for the largest yield of wheat on one acre, they yield being 80 bushels and 6 pounds. He also won a $25.00 prize for raising the best potatoes. He recieved $5.00 a quart for the largest gooseberries. To his associates and intimate friends, however he was esteemed as an unostentatious man, quiet and unassuming. William Gibby died at his residence, 2909 South Main Street, at 7:30 Monday evening, August 29th, after five days' illness of pneumonia, and was buried August 31st, 1910.

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Catherine Stevenson was born on born April 1, 1839 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, at her parents’ home on 57 St. Philips Road. Her parents were James Stuart Stevenson and Marian Douglas of Scotland, who were both converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Catherine was baptized by her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Samuel James Lees, on July 8, 1849 in Sheffield. She joined Samuel and Abigail Lees on their voyage to America in January of 1851 on the Ellen. The English author, Charles Dickens, came and spoke to the passengers before they departed. We have a somewhat detailed story of this trip and I will quote it here: “The ship Ellen (read more accounts) sailed from Liverpool on Monday, January 6, 1851, having on board a company of Saints consisting of 466 souls, under the presidential care of Elders James W. Cummings, Crandall Dunn and William Moss. The ship remained anchored in the river opposite Liverpool until the 8th, about 11 o'clock A.M. when anchor was weighed and the Saints were soon under way with a fair wind. The good Ellen ran a rate of 7 miles an hour till about 11 o'clock at night when she struck a schooner thereby breaking her jib boom and main and fore-yards. The following day the Captain put into Cardigan Bay, North Wales, to repair, and in a few days the ship was ready for sea again; but as the wind on the very day the vessel put into port changed to an unfavorable quarter and remained there in port for three weeks, and the Saints considered the accident that had happened a blessing to them, as they were comfortable in port while hundreds of people were being tumbled about on the face of the troubled seas. During the storm many vessels were also wrecked, and hundreds of human beings consigned to a watery grave. The Ellen again weighed anchor of the 23rd of January and put to sea, the wind blew a strong gale from the direction the ship wanted to sail, and consequently only a little progress was made for several days. On February 1st, however, the wind changed to a favorable quarter, the Ellen stood fairly out to sea, and the passengers soon lost sight of the Irish Coast. From that time they enjoyed pleasant weather and fair winds and on the night of the 14th of March the Ellen anchored in the Mississippi River, off New Orleans, making the passage from Cardigan Bay (which is 12 hours sail from Liverpool) in 7 weeks. During the voyage 10 deaths occurred, two adults and eight children (one of the children being the baby daughter of Abigail and Samuel). Measles broke out among the emigrants the day they left the dock, and nearly every child on board had them, besides several adults. Others were afflicted with consumption, inflammation of the chest and tropical cough, which is something similar to whooping cough. At New Orleans the Company chartered the steamer Alexander Scott to take the emigrants to St. Louis, Missouri. They paid $2.50 per head for adults, all luggage included, and half-price for children. The Company left New Orleans on the morning of March 19th, and landed in St. Louis on the 26th after good passage. Two children died coming up the river and one child was born. A number of the migrants who were not prepared to continue the journey right away found employment in St. Louis, while the others proceeded on their way to the Bluffs.”

Catherine remained in St. Louis with Samuel and Abigail (Lees), and was joined by her parents and siblings the following year. In 1856, in company with her sister Abigail's family, Catherine made the wagon trek with Canute Petersen's Company across the plains to Salt Lake City, Utah, having had a great deal of trouble with the tens of thousands of buffalo that year stampeding their cattle while they crossed the plains. On this trek she met a young Welshman, William Gibby, and they fell in love. A story told of this courtship tells the tale of the two young sisters (Abigail and Catherine) who had flaming red hair. One day as the party camped and cleaned themselves and their clothes, prepared the meals and performed their other chores, Catherine sat on the tongue of the wagon brushing and drying her hair in the breeze. Samuel Lees (who had his idea of taking Catherine as a second wife when reaching Utah) approached her from behind. Thinking that she was his wife Abigail, Samuel said, “Abbie, I don't like this Will Gibby showing so much attention to Kate.” Catherine turned toward Lees, asking “And what are you going to do about it?” That ended his polygamous plans toward his sister-in-law. They arrived in Salt Lake City in September of 1856, and Catherine and William Gibby were married there on May 26, 1857 by Bishop Edwin Wooley of the 13th Ward. They were later sealed for Time and all Eternity in the Endowment House on December 3, 1859. They were the parents of ten children, five boys and five girls. They were William Stevenson, Marion Stevenson, Anna Eliza Stevenson, Ada Stevenson, Richard Stevenson, Catherine Stevenson, Arthur Stevenson, Raymond Stevenson, James Stevenson, and Elizabeth Stevenson Gibby. She died on August 29th and buried on August 31st, 1919 in Salt Lake City, Utah, exactly nine years to the day from the death of her husband William.