Sarah Yarnell Evans was born 14 February 1821 in Dudley, Wocestershire, England to Willliam Yarnell and Elizabeth Haden. She was the oldest of four children, her only brother, died shortly after his birth. William Yarnell, her father, died just a few months before the youngest daughter, Martha, was born; he was only 37 years old. Sarah's mother also passed away, leaving the three girls to be cared for by an uncle and his good wife. She learned the trade of corset making, but this not being agreeable to her, she took up tailoring, which she did for seven years. In one census she is found to be a 'nailor', which might have just been bad handwriting or it could have been a part of the corset construction.
When Sarah was 22, she married Richard Evans of Albrighton, Shropshire, England on 23 September 1844 in the Sedgley Parish, Sedgley, Staffordshire. Together, they joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With five children, the two daughters died young; one of measles, the other of Smallpox, leaving them with three sons.
In 1854 they left England to join with the main body of the church, sailing on the Windmere, the trip lasted from 22 February 1854 to 23 April 1854 due to them being lost at one time, arriving in New Orleans just as the last of the rationed food and water ran out; however, while crossing the Atlantic ocean, Sarah gave birth to another son, who also survived. When they arrived in St Louis, Sarah was so ill they couldn't carry on much further.
Richard had been a vise maker and coal miner in England, with his experience, he was able to obtain work as a shift boss in a coal mine to support the family. In 1855, he was injured by falling timbers inside the mine; suffering greatly, he died just a few agonizing weeks later. Sara kept a little store of notions to make ends meet, and to save enough money to continue the trip across the plains to Utah. Along the way, her son Hyrum could not keep up; he kept getting lost, causing Sarah and a few others to search for him after the company had stopped, fearful of never finding him again.
After settling in Provo, Utah County, Utah, she met and married William Fenn in 1859, together they had a son who was born in 1860. Six weeks after his birth, in July, William did not come home as scheduled from attending his stock and land in Wallsburg, Wasatch County, Utah
which worried her for hours. While waiting, she thought she saw him; only to have this apparition of him, without his usual hat, fall away into a ditch. Even more worried, she was able to get help in searching for him up and down the river banks, only finding his hat floating on the water. William's body was recovered three weeks later and buried on the bank of the Provo River where they found him; quite possibly at what is known as the Christmas Tree cemetery near the mouth of the canyon from Provo.
Widowed a second time, Sarah opened her own business in her tiny home located at 286 East 200 South in Provo, educating her children and sewing. Then, in 1864, she married William Stradling; third marriages for both, yet this time she was a polygamous wife, such were the times of these early days of the Church. They had one son.
After her daughter-in-law died, Sarah raised her granddaughter, Emma Evans, loving that she finally had a little girl in her home again, that she could share her womanly skills with, such as fine needlework, knitting and sewing.
Sarah passed away 10 January 1881.* She was one of the many pioneer women who faced more hardship than most, who developed strength of spirit, love and faith, with each event of adversity.

Children of Sarah and Richard Evans:
George Evans (1845 - 1913)
Elizabeth Evans (1846 - 1851)
Joseph Evans (1848 - 1905)
Rebecca Evans (1850 - 1851)
Hyrum Evans (1852 - 1935)
Ephriam Evans (1854 - 1939)
-Child of Sarah and William Fenn:
Richard Ephriam Fenn (1860 - 1938)
-Child of Sarah and William Stradling:
Thomas Stradling (1865 - 1918)

*Death date is taken from the original cemetery burial records. The engraved date on her headstone is wrong.