Item Detail
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Thomson, Alice Thomlinson
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1829-1895
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MSS SC 269
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Biography
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Alice was born November 28, 1829 at Waddington, Lancashire, England to Richard and Margaret Wilson Thomlinson. The family consisted of six children: Richard, Joseph, Alice, Margaret, Winifred, and a baby girl named Ann who died very young from burn wounds. The children received little schooling, but worked on the family farm. Alice's father died, and Richard, the oldest, took over the duties of the father. When they were a bit older, Joseph and Alice left their home for the city of Clithero to find work to help support the family. While living there, Alice and Joseph learned of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and were converted to the Gospel. Alice was baptized May 14, 1849. The siblings set sail to America on the 'Ellen' January 6, 1851 along with 464 other passengers. They landed in New Orleans on March 22, 1851. Joseph, who had been very ill the entire voyage, could not make the journey to Utah with the other Saints aboard, so he and Alice stayed in New Orleans. Alice worked as a maid while Joseph tried to recover in a hospital. Joseph died while Alice was away, and was buried without her even knowing he had passed away. She had to work for another year before she could afford to go west. Finally, she was able to make the journey with John Ellis and his family, helping to cook and clean for her passage. They arrived in Salt Lake City, where Alice worked many different jobs, cooking, cleaning, and tending children. She did this for several years before meeting George Thomson. They married in November of 1860 and moved to Richmond, Utah. In 1864, the family moved to lots that had been assigned to them by the Church. Jesse W. Fox, from Salt Lake City, had been assigned to make equal blocks of land for each family. Larger families received two or three plots of ground, each receiving what was needed. Alice and George had eight children: Margaret, George, Alice, Richard, Agnes, Joseph, Isabella, and Mary, and so the family probably received more than just one plot of land. The family later bought a lot in River Heights, southeast of Logan. They moved so they would be able to do temple work as much as possible, often going two or three times a week. They were able to finish the work of 1200 names in their genealogy. Alice died December 26, 1895 at the age of 66.
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This collection contains three pieces of writing: the first and second are biographies of George Thomson, and the third is the biography of Alice Tomlinson Thomson. All three pieces are type-written and easy to read. Alice's biography does not share many of her thoughts or feelings, but her devotion to her religion, husband, and family is apparent. After she and Joseph were baptized they saved all their money so they could join the Saints in Utah. They worked for two years to earn the money, then returned home to tell their family that they were leaving. Richard, the oldest brother, despised the Mormons and tried to get his brother and sister to stay. They wouldn't, so he disowned them and said he hoped they would die while crossing the sea. When her brother Joseph died in New Orleans, Alice felt very alone in the world and had to work hard so she could achieve her goal of getting to Utah to live with the Saints.
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