Item Detail
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Robertston, Elizabeth Edwards
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1802-1850
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MSS SC 1691
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Book
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Elizabeth Edwards was born August 29, 1802 to Thomas and Agnes Lindsay Edwards in Scotland. Her father had a difficult time providing a living, and the family learned the value of money at a young age. Her family belonged to the Presbyterian Church at the time, and Elizabeth Edwards married John Robertson in this church. They had several children together, but he died in 1833 leaving Elizabeth to support a young family. Elizabeth and her husband has been in the wool trading business but this job was too difficult for her alone. As a result she began operating an inn, so that she could send her sons to school. After hearing the gospel, Elizabeth joined and moved her family to America. She died at the age of 48 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
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This manuscript was written by her grandchild Jessie R. Wadely, based on the stories he heard from his father. The manuscript is in a storybook form, and contains great detail of life in Scotland and the difficult journey west. Wadely describes Scotland as beautiful and green but a difficult country to support a family in. After marring John Robertson, Elizabeth and her new family moved to a larger city to begin a wool trading business. They business was rather successful, until John died in 1833. To support her young children, Elizabeth operated an inn. Elizabeth Robertson valued education, and used the spare funds to send her sons to school. One of her sons came into contact with missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The family joined the Church, and traveled by boat to America with about fifty other saints. The journey was rather difficult and they were unable to take many of their belongings. In 1850, Robertson died in Council Bluffs Iowa. While the manuscript contains no photos, Wadely illustrates many pictures of Scotland, America, Elizabeth, and her children. The manuscript contains dozens of stories of perseverance and hard work. Wadely says, The only picture we have of our grandmother is a word picturethat of a widowed mother striving to develop honesty in her sons, and bring them to live with other members who had received the restored gospel in the land of Zion.