parents of Christina Comb Sim Donaldson b 1851
grandparents of James Rowan Donaldson, b 1877
great-grandparents of Karl Maeser Donaldson, b 1897
great-great grandparents of Chad Klaron Donaldson, b 1943
A Sketch of the Life of my Grandparents,
WILLIAM SIM AND JANET EDDIE
by Janet Sim
(with some additions by Karl M Donaldson, Jr. at her request)
1956, revised 1997
My grandfather, William Sim, son of John Sim and Elizabeth Sim (first cousins), was born 4 July 1817 in Elie, Fife, Scotland. He was a mason by trade.
My grandmother, Janet Eddie, daughter of William Eddie and Christian Comb, was born 30 January 1822 at Aberlady, East Lothian, Scotland. (This date is from the Aberlady Parish Register).
Janet’s father, a farmer, was employed on the estate of the Earl of Wemyss, which gave his children some educational advantages not enjoyed by the children of the average working man of that day. She could read and write fluently, could mend beautifully, and had received some training in practical nursing.
William could also read and write and had been taught the trade of mason by his father. It was while following his trade that he came to the village of Aberlady, and straightway he began to court the vivacious Janet of the sparkling black eyes and raven hair. He married her the 8th of June 1846. He seems to have been a man of few words, but direct action.
In due course of time eight children came to bless their home. Two of the boys died in their “teens,” and a daughter in infancy. Janet passed through this bereavement with the same faith, courage and fortitude that was so evident in the many trials through which she passed, both before and after she reached the valleys of the mountains.
One evening in 1851, while they were living in Glasgow, William was walking down the street with some male companions on their way to a cockfight (a popular sport in those days), when he was attracted by the singing of two Mormon Elders who were holding a street meeting. It seems that he greatly enjoyed singing, as in later years he often sang in duets with his daughter Christina.
The sincerity of the prayer which followed the singing caused him to remain, while his companions continued on to the cockfight. Seeds of truth were planted in his soul that night through the short sermons given by the two Elders, which changed the course of his whole future life. Until that night he had not responded to any religious service he had heard, so was not affiliated with any church organization. Now his heart was pricked; he investigated and soon joined this unpopular religion. He was baptized the 8th of March 1851 by G. Pringle, and was confirmed the next day.
Janet, a devout member of the Presbyterian Church, was greatly distressed, but as usual went to the Holy Book for inspiration and counsel. The first passage to meet her eyes on this occasion was: “This is the way, walk ye therein.” Ever a person of action, she began at once to investigate. Later being fully convinced of the truth of “Mormonism” she was baptized; the date being the 15th of March, 1851. She was baptized by J. Henderson, and was confirmed the following day.
Being a very capable and faithful saint, she was chosen to take charge of the conference house (as the mission home was called at that time), first for about four years in Edinburg (to about May 1866), then for two years in Liverpool, England, where many homesick missionaries from Zion received a mother’s loving and thoughtful attention after the weary weeks crossing the plains and the ocean.
After much planning and saving, the great day arrived for them to emigrate to Zion. With over 700 saints and missionaries they set sail on Thursday the 4th of June 1868 on the good ship John Bright, a sailing vessel of 1,440 tons. John Bailey was captain.
The members of the family who embarked at this time were William and Janet and their children Christina, Sarah, Alexander and James. (The oldest son, William, had already crossed on a steamship, about May 1867.)
For five weeks and four days they were tossed by the mighty waves before they reached “Castle Gardens,” as it was then called. It is now known as Ellis Island. The date of their arrival was July 13th.
After crossing the Hudson River on a ferryboat, they next loaded into cattle cars and rode as far as Laramie City, Wyoming arriving there July 23rd. This was as far west as the railroad had been completed at that time. At Laramie their bedding, provisions and other articles were loaded onto wagons drawn by mules. The trains of about fifty wagons, which had been sent from Salt Lake City to meet the immigrants, left Laramie July 27th. William and Janet walked most of the way.
Under the able direction of Captain John R. Murdock they arrived in Salt Lake City, Wednesday, the 19th of August 1868, all in good spirits and thankful that their lives had been spared. Several persons died on the journey.
After spending the winter in Salt Lake City with some friends they had made while living in the conference house, William and his family settled in South Morgan, Utah, living for a time in a dugout in the side of a hill just south of town.
William worked on the railroad then being built across the continent, assisting in laying the sandstone rock pillars which still support the railroad bridges in Weber Canyon (if I have been correctly informed). After a lingering illness (it seems he suffered with dusted lungs, a result of his following the trade of stonemason), William died on the 23rd of March 1870. This left Janet a widow with five children (one of whom was an invalid all through childhood), a one-room log house with a sod roof which leaked when they had a heavy rainstorm, and three city lots, not yet paid for.
With the same courage and enduring faith which had sustained her on other like occasions, she proceeded to gain a livelihood by going out nursing, having received some training before her marriage, as mentioned before. She also did fancy mending, at which she was an expert. For some time she and her daughters Christina and Sarah obtained employment in Salt Lake City. When the daughters married and her son Alexander had managed to provide her with a two-room concrete house with a shingle roof, he sent for her as he had promised when his father died. From that time on she lived in Morgan.
It seems evident early in her life that it was her mission to serve, rather than to be served, and so faithful did she do this that she endeared herself to all with whom she came in contact, and the name of “Grannie Sim” was lovingly given her as a fitting tribute of love and respect by all those who knew her.
Considering that part of her life was one of hard work and privation, it is surprising that at the age of eighty-one years she still retained her mental faculties undimmed. She could see to read without her glasses, if necessary, and walk without the aid of her cane. At an old folks’ party in the year 1903 she recited (by special request) the Articles of Faith in the Scotch dialect, which was considered remarkable in the early 1900’s.
After a short illness she passed away the 12th of May 1904, at the home of her son Alexander at Morgan, with whom she had made her home for many years. She was mourned as a mother by her daughter-in-law Mary, and as a kind and understanding “Friend” by her grandchildren.
No comments:
Post a Comment