Sunday, October 27, 2013

Eleanor Turner Willden-3rd Great-Grandmother

Eleanor Turner (Willden)
3rd Great-Grandmother
 
Birth Date: 9 Apr 1810
 Birth Place: Laughton En, Yorkshire, England
Parents: Thomas Turner and AnnWhiteman
  Death Date: 30 Apr 1893
Death Place:  Beaver, Beaver, Utah
 
Spouse: Charles William Willden
Marriage Date: 21 Jan 1833
Marriage Place: Laughton, Yorkshire, England

 
 
 
ELEANOR TURNER
1810 -1893
Excerpts from the Biography of Charles Willden,
1806 - 1883
Material gathered and compiled by his great grand-daughter,
Jennie Jensen Hancock
 
PATRIARCHAL BLESSING OF ELEANOR TURNER WILLDEN
Patriarchal Blessing given by Patriarch John Albiston on the 12th of June 1845 at Sheffield, Yorkshire upon the head of Sister Eleanor Willden who was born on the 9th of April 1810 at Laughton, Yorkshire, England.
 
My beloved sister, I lay my hands upon they head in the name of Jesus Christ and by the authority of the Holy Priesthood pronounce upon they head the blessing of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In as much as thou hast given thyself unto the Lord and has obeyed his gospel by baptism and authority of the holy priesthood thou hast entered the everlasting covenant with Abraham and the family ------(part missing)
 
Thou shalt join with the admiring saints in the temple worship and be delighted with the assembly of the ancient work of patriarchs and prophets of old and see the ancient of days sit and the gory of the Lord and his holy angels with him come to reign in righteousness and thou shalt join the triumphant Church with thy blessed redeemer in the great Millenium. Thou art of the faithful seed of Abraham and I seal these blessing upon thy head in the name of Jesus Christ even so Amen and Amen.
Charles Smith, Scribe
 
OBITUARY OF ELEANOR TURNER WILLDEN
Willden - At Beaver, Utah, 30 April 1893, Eleanor Turner Willden, wife of the late Charles Willden.
Deceased joined the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day-Saints in sheffield, England, in the year 1843, Emigrated in 1849, has lived in Utah nearly 40 years. She leaves 4 sons and 2 daughters living, 52 grandchildren and 66 great-grandchildren. She lived and died a faithful Latter-Day-Saint, honored by a wide circle of sorrowing friends.
-Deseret News Weekly
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Our dead are greater and more truly alive than we are. When we forget them, it is our whole future that we lose sight of; and when we fail in respect to them it is our own immortal soul that we are trampling under our feet.
--Maurice Maeterlinck
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ELEANOR TURNER WILLDEN 1810 - 1893
Eleanor Turner Willden, wife of Charles Willden, was the third daughter and fourth child of Thomas Turner and Ann Whitman. She was born 9 April 1810 in Laughton, Yorkshire, England.
She was baptized into the Mormon church 15 October 1843 and remained true and faithful to the teachings of this Church throughout her life. In the fall of 1849 she bade farewell to her loved ones and came to America with her husband, 4 sons and 2 daughters. An account of their voyage and crossing the plains is given in her husband's biography. Sorrow came to them with the death of their little daughter, Maria, not quite two as they came up the Mississippi River. It must have been hard for Eleanor to leave her baby by the river side in a strange land.
 
Her sister, Caroline, also joined the Church and came to Utah, settling in Beaver where she died. Her brother, George, also has descendants in the Church in Utah. Edna Alley Maughan is a descendant of George, and Ruby Valantine is a descendant of Caroline. Both are mentioned as researchers on the Pedigree Chart accompanying these histories.
 
Eleanor was thoughtful and unselfish as shown by these incidents taken from her daughter, Ann's, autobiography.
 
When Ann married, her mother made them a straw bed, (a tick filled with straw, and two small pillows, taking the feathers from them from her own feather bed. She also shared her few cooking pans with Ann.
 
She traded some of her cloth to another lady for some of hers to make Ann's husband a pair of trousers as she feared Charles might recognize the material and object if she used her own. In Cedar City the winter the ditch froze so the flour mill couldn't operate many families were left without even bran to eat. The Willdens were fortunate in having their wheat ground early before the freeze.
 
Eleanor being tender and free-hearted, could not enjoy her nice bread knowing her neighbors and the sick were suffering so she kept sharing her flour, a little at time, hoping the thaw would come before she ran out, but the thaw came too late. Her own family were forced to eat salt-rising bread made of bran.
 
Eleanor was a beautiful singer and gave dramatic readings. I read where she sang in a Relief Society meeting. Her children and many of her descendants are musically inclined. Her four boys all played the violin.
 
When the rock fort was built at Cove Creek she lived in her old home there and cooked for some of the workmen besides her own sons and husband who were called to help build the fort.
When she was seventy-three years old her daughter, Louisa Burt, died at the young age of 29, leaving six small children motherless. Three of the children went to live with their Uncle Willard Burt in Cedar City and the other three, Louisa, 7; Thomas, 4; and the baby, Willie, 8 1/2 months old, went to live with their grandmother, Eleanor. She kept Willie until he was past 3. She loved the children so very much, especially the baby, that she was very sad and lonely after their father took them home.
She refers to Willie and her loneliness in a letter given later in her history.
 
Less than three months after the death of Louisa, her own life's companion was taken from her, leaving her still more lonely.
 
During her life she was actively engaged in temple work, traveling many hundreds of miles by team and wagon to the temples to do the work for her loved ones who had gone before. One of her letters shows that she was quite concerned about her sister, Rachel's work being done.
 
She spent the last 15 months of her life in the home of her son, Ellott. His wife, Christiana, was very good to her and Eleanor expressed her appreciation to her. She died 30 April 1893 and was laid to rest by the side of her husband in the Mountain View Cemetery in Beaver.
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COPIES OF LETTERS WRITTEN BY ELEANOR TURNER WILLDEN
The following letters written by Eleanor have been copied exactly as written. Considering conditions in England in the early 1800's it is remarkable that our pioneers wrote as well as they did. Because the diary of Charles Willden had been copied 3 or 4 times in the process of getting it ready to publish and many errors in spelling could have occurred I did not use his spelling.
 
Continuation of letter reproduced on page 30. Dated Feb 7, 1886
i have tried to get someone to fetch me to manti but cannot suckseede it would be all of two months before feargus could fetch me & i thought if you could get the chance to send louisa wiley & rasy if you choose I would pay the man what would fetch them a good new quilt & som socks & bro burt it would set you more at liberty for you would do beter with one girl for thay one depend on another I think I tould you sam Adams and Ellott gpt thrown ot of a vecile Ellott has got a back set that strted friday with a bed for him to lie down now bro burt think of my lonly condishon & do be sure let wiley come so i can hug him once more thare is not one of them wil let thare girls come stay with me thingking to force me to live with them oh that lord may work it in my favour is my prayer kiss the children for me and receve my best wishes in your behalf mother in law Eleanor Willden
________________________________________
The following letter had no date but must have been sritten between May 28th, date of Louisa's death, and 22 Aaugust, 1883, about three months later. Written to William Burt, Louisa's husband.
father wants to see you and ave a takl with you bro burt dont greave the spirit of Louisa with freting but think of her exaltation & how it is going to be accomplished br burt may the god of Abram, Isac & Jacob rest doun upon you & that you may be comforted uner your trieng sercumstances is the prayer of your aged paretns
Charles and Eleanor Willden
________________________________________
 
This letter written to Louisa's daughter, Eleanor.
Beaver Utah
March 20, 1891
My DEar beloved grandaughter
I rite a few lines to you and I hope you are wel as it leaves me much beter that when I rote last Cary befor your aunt went was trying to through her korsets over my head Instead hit me over my head I never had such a hurt in my life She was sorry when she done it and her father was vext at it when I tould him it nealy Drove me out of my mind I am now using somthing to my head that is doing me good Dont mention it inyour next letter because she did not mean to do it Your aunt reached home on the sixth of march making them nine Days on the road instead of 18 Days she rote to me on the eventh I got it on the twelvth I aint going home for a few months til I get beter abel to travel wel I felt for you all when poor rasy was missing & for your self to take good care of the children & your self & I hope you are al wel i cannot rite as long a leter as you be kind to your ma & pa & all your brothers & sisters & be good to your self & Dont jump in the Ditch again it might be bad for you wel with many thanks for your kinkness I remain your loving gramma in the covnant.
Eleanor Willden
farewell my Dearest children tho so far away
my prayers are ofered for you yes ofered Day by Day
& before I close my eyes in sleep I deicate you to the Lord
whe Died an ignominous Death & will give you your reward
________________________________________
Rachel turner Born Laught yorkshire engladn one thousand eight hundred and fourteen on the fourth of may Died twenty seventh Day of nevember Eighteen hundred and Eighty five making her seventy two years and Six months and twenty treee days ould when wh Died not you want anything plainer that this I dont under stand
(In a letter by Eleanor Willden to same as above (her granddaughter Eleanor Willden Burt) dated 5 April 1892 she asked her granddaughter whether she had been baptized for her sister yet - to let her know.
 
A letter to William Burt, her son-in-law, Louisa's husband.
"Beaver City
Dec 29th
selected
1 Rest in sweet and peaceful slumber
  til the trujp of god shal sound
  til the earth with joyous echoes
  Wakeing millions all around
 
2 Then arise with joy to meet him
  crowned as queen among the guests
  having on the wedding garment
  entering into promised rest
 
3 Though thy labors here were shrtned
  and tho wert called from us away
  Tho are laboring with the faithful
  with those that trod the narrow way
 
4 And we shal again behold thee
  Blooming with immortal life
  farewel sister mother dearest
  noble loving wife
 
bro burt I thought you would like those verses so I rote them down for you to ponder in your ind before ever I new of wily leving me I ave to keep liveing af to ave a boling (crying) I never want to take another child for it is kiling me by inches he is young & wil soon forget me but I never can forget him Im all alone freting as tho my heart would break farewell bro burt if I never see you again on this earth be kind to the children I now thay are a heap of trubel but thay are a cmfort brother fotheringam is with him I beleve thay wil take care of my litel wily bles is litel heart if I had nown I would not ave spen on myself I paid a dolar for the nuby* I ave given it wiley
* nubia is a soft light scarf or covering for the head.
 
NOTE: The history of the William Burt family states,"In 1885 when the Manti Temple was ready to be plastered, William took the five older children to Manti, where he was the head plasterer on that temple. later he sent for Willie, who by this time was three years old."

Some verses wsent with the letter which is given on page 29 and starts "father wants to see you & ave a talk with you"
1 verce
  a brite sirit as flown a loved one departd
  a weary one gon to her rest
  wile frends are left desclate (disconsolate) bound & sad       
  hearted
  yet feeling that father knows best

2 verce
  Could (cold) death often visits the most perfect household
  Selecting the dearest of all
  non purer not beter from out of the threshold
  ere answered the sorrohful call
3 ver
  than Louisa so lovly in face mind & spirit
  inteligent gentel and true
  her council so wise that all paused to hear it
  like wisdon is given to few

4 verse
  we know that our loved is free from all sorch
  she knoweth no more mortal pain
  will try to look forth with hope to the morrow
  when all meet & near part from our Louisa again
I hope these few verses will comfort you
mother Willden

Letter from Eleanor to her daugher, Ann Johnson, just twelve days before her own death, probably the last letter she wrote.
Beaver Utah
April 18, 1893

the girl promised to rite you for me but she went a gading to miset yours was gladly receved but there was one thing she omited to tel you that is my thyes is so large that my boules ave had to lay on my thyes til it raised a lump as big as a hen's eg cant you pity me. I ave took to washing with as hot as my hands can bare it I think it is doing wel then I anoint them with sweet oil & that does them good. jane brunston Ellotts daughter was confined 22nd 9 o'clock at night Jodys wife a girl of the 23 William and lucy flake paid the shamefulest price you ever herd talk of Charley did not come to see me the rail company put on such a tremen price thay could not rais the meas Jon's daughter confined of a son Charley's daughter a girl, Ellott is the justic of the peace it keeps him buse all time. Love to all espechly your dear self from your loving mother.
Eleanor Willden
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A letter sent to Eleanor's son, Charles in Colorado by Ellott telling him of their mother's death.
Beaver, Utah
To Charles Willden-
May 3, 1893

Dear brother, our mother died April 30th. She had a great desire to have seen you before she died. She passed away just like she was going to sleep. A few minutes before she called many times for her mother. She called my wife to her side about 3 hours before & she said, "Crissie, you have been good to me".

She died with dropsy. We had a beautiful coffin & clothes. We took her to the meeting house. She had many friends.

I was in Salt Lake City when she was taken worse when they telegraphed me twice. I got home Saturday morning about day light. She wanted me at home. She was 83 years & 21 days old so she had lived her full time.

Will write you more next time. We are all well. Hope you are all the same.

From your affectionate brother, E. Willden

P.S. Enclosed find a lock of mother's hair & a piece of robe.


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