Daughter of Thomas Greenwood and Ellen Haslam
Married Joseph Fielding, 11 Jun 1838, Preston, Lancashire, England
Children - Ellen Fielding, Hyrum Thomas Fielding, Sarah Ann Fielding, Hannah Alice Fielding, Rachel Fielding, Joseph Greenwood Fielding, Heber Fielding
Sketch - Hannah Greenwood was born on the fourth of September, 1808 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. She was the youngest child of Thomas and Ellen Haslam Greenwood in a family of six children.
This family lived in a period of transition. For many generations people had cultivated the land to gain their livelihood, but now they learned to spin, weave, knit and make clothing and could make a better living with this new way of life. Companies were formed, manufacturing factories were built, and cities became industrialized. Many families moved to these cities to find employment. Where possible, some families began spinning, weaving etc. in their homes, adding space when they were able and employing a few other people to help with this work. The Greenwoods were skilled weavers. We have record of Hannah’s grandfather, Parson Greenwood being a weaver. Hannah’s family had a small manufacturing establishment.
Hannah was a woman of distinction and charm. She was of medium height, slender, with blue eyes, and a crown of beautiful dark red hair. There was a delicate, queenly bearing about her that greatly impressed those around her.
Her father died on the January 6, 1828, leaving Hannah, at the age of nineteen, the responsibility of caring for their invalid mother. Even though Hannah was rather delicate and frail physically, she was a woman of great courage. One night she was awakened by some prowlers in the house below. They were alone, but Hannah called loudly, “James, James, there’s a burglar in the house. She grabbed the fire shovel and banged it loudly and frightened the prowler away. She also woke her mother with the noise, and neither of them slept the rest of the night.
Ellen Haslem Greenwood passed away, August 15, 1833, so Hannah went to her brother, George’s home to keep house for his family. His wife had died sometime before their mother. George kept a grocery store and part of Hannah’s responsibility was to make the bread sold in this store. It was quite a task for Hannah to do this and to get the loaves all the same size so they could all be sold at the same price. She also had the care of his children.
One day some Mormon missionaries called at the door, and after explaining the gospel, they left Hannah some tracts to read. Much against her brother’s wishes, Hannah read this material and went to the next meeting that was held close by. When she got to the chapel she felt she was being observed by two of the missionaries. She became so self-conscious that she almost left the meeting. She later learned that previously Elder Heber C. Kimball had told Joseph Fielding that while on this mission he would baptize a wife for him. When Hannah had entered the meeting Elder Kimball told Joseph that she was the lady he was to marry.
In April 1838 Hannah was baptized into the church, by Heber C. Kimball who advised her and Joseph to get married as soon as possible. So they married June 11, 1838, in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was about 30 and he was 41. George was very bitter over his sister’s joining the church, and also for leaving him as his housekeeper. But later it appeared that he felt better about it.
Quoting from Joseph’s diary (dated 1 Jan 1839): “I feel thankful to God for all his goodness to me. Great responsibility rests upon me. May the Lord give me wisdom that I may know his will and have power to do it. The Lord had given me a truly kind and loving wife. One whose heart and affection are as firmly rooted as the roots of a sturdy oak. We are one.”
It was hard for Joseph to carry on with his mission responsibilities and those of his family too. He was gone from home much of the time, leaving his wife alone. There were two little daughters born to them in Preston; Rachel, born June 27, 1839, and Ellen, born February 9, 1841. They suffered many times for the bare necessities of life and George Greenwood was in a position to have given his sister much needed assistance but he refused to do so, telling Hannah, “You made your own bed, now lie in it.” George seemed to have had no appreciation for all his only sister had done for him after his wife’s death in caring for his home, family and helping in the store. His prejudice against the church was never broken down. But her brother James was not guilty of hard feelings, for he came to America in June 1842, but remained in Philadelphia where he died in a blind asylum.
Sometimes during Joseph’s absences he and Hannah did a little corresponding. The letters Hannah wrote were full of encouragement in his missionary work and information of what was happening in the lives of the Saints in Preston, as that meant much to them.
September 1841 Joseph, Hannah, and their two little daughters set sail from Liverpool, Lancashire, England for America in the ship “Tyrean.” Joseph was in charge of a company of more than 200 members of the church. They arrived in New Orleans in November 1841. They had a good passage but when Joseph went to charter a steam boat to continue their journey, he had the misfortune to fall from a bridge, broke two ribs and hurt his knee. He determined to make but little of it but it was long before he was able to rise from his bed. The master of the boat was very good to them and let him and his family occupy a stateroom. They landed at Warsaw. The weather had been fine. While they waited for some of the twelve, the weather broke and winter set in with a snow storm. In two or three days they came to Nauvoo.
It must have been a difficult time for Hannah and her family. Business was dull, they were poor, not having sufficient money to bring them there, new relatives to meet, having to accept help from them, when they themselves had so little, two little girls to care for, her husband suffering from two broken ribs a hurt knee, and discouragement.
But Nauvoo brought many blessings too. Association with many good friends, among them the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum who Joseph’s Sister, Mary had recently married. But the martyrdom of these two brothers brought much sadness to the family. The persecutions of the mob made life very difficult also.
Two more sons were born to this couple in Nauvoo—Heber & Joseph. On December 10, 1845, they were sealed as a family in this beautiful temple.
As the persecutions increased, they were driven from their beautiful city with the rest of the Saints, and their beloved Temple. President Young encouraged them to flee to the Rocky Mountains.
The journey to Utah was difficult. A covered wagon was all they had to shelter them from the elements and they had only rough roads on which to travel. Much of the journey was on foot. They stayed in Winter Quarters until the spring of 1848. It was here that their son Hiram Thomas was born, but he lived only 6 months. It was very difficult to loose this little spirit, but the couple’s faith helped them forge on to the Salt Lake Valley where they settled in East Mill Creek where Joseph took up farming.
As a pioneer, Hannah had to clean and card wool, spin and weave it into cloth from which clothes and bedding were made for the family. She made soap, dried fruit, and did endless tasks that living on a farm in pioneer times required. All of this was a drain on her limited strength.
Hannah had her last little daughter, Hannah Alice shortly after arriving in the Valley. Sadly she died when she was only 8 years old. The family lived in the East Mill Creek area for fifteen more years. Then Joseph started to build a new house on his farm. He never finished it however. He took ill very suddenly and died on December 19, 1863. Hannah was not too strong physically, and had also suffered and endured many hardships with her husband, and had given birth to seven children after the age of thirty years.
After her husband’s death, she felt greatly blessed to have two grown sons to lean on. But tragedy struck again when about three years later her son, Joseph died very suddenly on March 6, 1866, followed by his brother, Heber, who died just as suddenly on April 15, 1866. This left her and the youngest daughter, Sarah Ann, aged 15 years, alone on the farm. Hannah felt completely crushed and heart broken.
However, she was blessed with a wonderful son-in-law who as soon as possible, built another room on his house in Ogden and moved Sarah Ann and her mother to Ogden to live with her two older daughters. Living in the Burton home with Rachel made life much easier for her. Here she received the loving care she needed for the rest of her life.
Hannah had a wonderful memory and used to recite many poems and repeated epitaphs from old tombstones in an English church yard to entertain her grandchildren.
She passed peacefully away on September 8, 1877 and was buried beside her husband in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Married Joseph Fielding, 11 Jun 1838, Preston, Lancashire, England
Children - Ellen Fielding, Hyrum Thomas Fielding, Sarah Ann Fielding, Hannah Alice Fielding, Rachel Fielding, Joseph Greenwood Fielding, Heber Fielding
Sketch - Hannah Greenwood was born on the fourth of September, 1808 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. She was the youngest child of Thomas and Ellen Haslam Greenwood in a family of six children.
This family lived in a period of transition. For many generations people had cultivated the land to gain their livelihood, but now they learned to spin, weave, knit and make clothing and could make a better living with this new way of life. Companies were formed, manufacturing factories were built, and cities became industrialized. Many families moved to these cities to find employment. Where possible, some families began spinning, weaving etc. in their homes, adding space when they were able and employing a few other people to help with this work. The Greenwoods were skilled weavers. We have record of Hannah’s grandfather, Parson Greenwood being a weaver. Hannah’s family had a small manufacturing establishment.
Hannah was a woman of distinction and charm. She was of medium height, slender, with blue eyes, and a crown of beautiful dark red hair. There was a delicate, queenly bearing about her that greatly impressed those around her.
Her father died on the January 6, 1828, leaving Hannah, at the age of nineteen, the responsibility of caring for their invalid mother. Even though Hannah was rather delicate and frail physically, she was a woman of great courage. One night she was awakened by some prowlers in the house below. They were alone, but Hannah called loudly, “James, James, there’s a burglar in the house. She grabbed the fire shovel and banged it loudly and frightened the prowler away. She also woke her mother with the noise, and neither of them slept the rest of the night.
Ellen Haslem Greenwood passed away, August 15, 1833, so Hannah went to her brother, George’s home to keep house for his family. His wife had died sometime before their mother. George kept a grocery store and part of Hannah’s responsibility was to make the bread sold in this store. It was quite a task for Hannah to do this and to get the loaves all the same size so they could all be sold at the same price. She also had the care of his children.
One day some Mormon missionaries called at the door, and after explaining the gospel, they left Hannah some tracts to read. Much against her brother’s wishes, Hannah read this material and went to the next meeting that was held close by. When she got to the chapel she felt she was being observed by two of the missionaries. She became so self-conscious that she almost left the meeting. She later learned that previously Elder Heber C. Kimball had told Joseph Fielding that while on this mission he would baptize a wife for him. When Hannah had entered the meeting Elder Kimball told Joseph that she was the lady he was to marry.
In April 1838 Hannah was baptized into the church, by Heber C. Kimball who advised her and Joseph to get married as soon as possible. So they married June 11, 1838, in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was about 30 and he was 41. George was very bitter over his sister’s joining the church, and also for leaving him as his housekeeper. But later it appeared that he felt better about it.
Quoting from Joseph’s diary (dated 1 Jan 1839): “I feel thankful to God for all his goodness to me. Great responsibility rests upon me. May the Lord give me wisdom that I may know his will and have power to do it. The Lord had given me a truly kind and loving wife. One whose heart and affection are as firmly rooted as the roots of a sturdy oak. We are one.”
It was hard for Joseph to carry on with his mission responsibilities and those of his family too. He was gone from home much of the time, leaving his wife alone. There were two little daughters born to them in Preston; Rachel, born June 27, 1839, and Ellen, born February 9, 1841. They suffered many times for the bare necessities of life and George Greenwood was in a position to have given his sister much needed assistance but he refused to do so, telling Hannah, “You made your own bed, now lie in it.” George seemed to have had no appreciation for all his only sister had done for him after his wife’s death in caring for his home, family and helping in the store. His prejudice against the church was never broken down. But her brother James was not guilty of hard feelings, for he came to America in June 1842, but remained in Philadelphia where he died in a blind asylum.
Sometimes during Joseph’s absences he and Hannah did a little corresponding. The letters Hannah wrote were full of encouragement in his missionary work and information of what was happening in the lives of the Saints in Preston, as that meant much to them.
September 1841 Joseph, Hannah, and their two little daughters set sail from Liverpool, Lancashire, England for America in the ship “Tyrean.” Joseph was in charge of a company of more than 200 members of the church. They arrived in New Orleans in November 1841. They had a good passage but when Joseph went to charter a steam boat to continue their journey, he had the misfortune to fall from a bridge, broke two ribs and hurt his knee. He determined to make but little of it but it was long before he was able to rise from his bed. The master of the boat was very good to them and let him and his family occupy a stateroom. They landed at Warsaw. The weather had been fine. While they waited for some of the twelve, the weather broke and winter set in with a snow storm. In two or three days they came to Nauvoo.
It must have been a difficult time for Hannah and her family. Business was dull, they were poor, not having sufficient money to bring them there, new relatives to meet, having to accept help from them, when they themselves had so little, two little girls to care for, her husband suffering from two broken ribs a hurt knee, and discouragement.
But Nauvoo brought many blessings too. Association with many good friends, among them the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum who Joseph’s Sister, Mary had recently married. But the martyrdom of these two brothers brought much sadness to the family. The persecutions of the mob made life very difficult also.
Two more sons were born to this couple in Nauvoo—Heber & Joseph. On December 10, 1845, they were sealed as a family in this beautiful temple.
As the persecutions increased, they were driven from their beautiful city with the rest of the Saints, and their beloved Temple. President Young encouraged them to flee to the Rocky Mountains.
The journey to Utah was difficult. A covered wagon was all they had to shelter them from the elements and they had only rough roads on which to travel. Much of the journey was on foot. They stayed in Winter Quarters until the spring of 1848. It was here that their son Hiram Thomas was born, but he lived only 6 months. It was very difficult to loose this little spirit, but the couple’s faith helped them forge on to the Salt Lake Valley where they settled in East Mill Creek where Joseph took up farming.
As a pioneer, Hannah had to clean and card wool, spin and weave it into cloth from which clothes and bedding were made for the family. She made soap, dried fruit, and did endless tasks that living on a farm in pioneer times required. All of this was a drain on her limited strength.
Hannah had her last little daughter, Hannah Alice shortly after arriving in the Valley. Sadly she died when she was only 8 years old. The family lived in the East Mill Creek area for fifteen more years. Then Joseph started to build a new house on his farm. He never finished it however. He took ill very suddenly and died on December 19, 1863. Hannah was not too strong physically, and had also suffered and endured many hardships with her husband, and had given birth to seven children after the age of thirty years.
After her husband’s death, she felt greatly blessed to have two grown sons to lean on. But tragedy struck again when about three years later her son, Joseph died very suddenly on March 6, 1866, followed by his brother, Heber, who died just as suddenly on April 15, 1866. This left her and the youngest daughter, Sarah Ann, aged 15 years, alone on the farm. Hannah felt completely crushed and heart broken.
However, she was blessed with a wonderful son-in-law who as soon as possible, built another room on his house in Ogden and moved Sarah Ann and her mother to Ogden to live with her two older daughters. Living in the Burton home with Rachel made life much easier for her. Here she received the loving care she needed for the rest of her life.
Hannah had a wonderful memory and used to recite many poems and repeated epitaphs from old tombstones in an English church yard to entertain her grandchildren.
She passed peacefully away on September 8, 1877 and was buried beside her husband in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Daughter of Thomas Greenwood and Ellen Haslam
Married Joseph Fielding, 11 Jun 1838, Preston, Lancashire, England
Children - Ellen Fielding, Hyrum Thomas Fielding, Sarah Ann Fielding, Hannah Alice Fielding, Rachel Fielding, Joseph Greenwood Fielding, Heber Fielding
Sketch - Hannah Greenwood was born on the fourth of September, 1808 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. She was the youngest child of Thomas and Ellen Haslam Greenwood in a family of six children.
This family lived in a period of transition. For many generations people had cultivated the land to gain their livelihood, but now they learned to spin, weave, knit and make clothing and could make a better living with this new way of life. Companies were formed, manufacturing factories were built, and cities became industrialized. Many families moved to these cities to find employment. Where possible, some families began spinning, weaving etc. in their homes, adding space when they were able and employing a few other people to help with this work. The Greenwoods were skilled weavers. We have record of Hannah’s grandfather, Parson Greenwood being a weaver. Hannah’s family had a small manufacturing establishment.
Hannah was a woman of distinction and charm. She was of medium height, slender, with blue eyes, and a crown of beautiful dark red hair. There was a delicate, queenly bearing about her that greatly impressed those around her.
Her father died on the January 6, 1828, leaving Hannah, at the age of nineteen, the responsibility of caring for their invalid mother. Even though Hannah was rather delicate and frail physically, she was a woman of great courage. One night she was awakened by some prowlers in the house below. They were alone, but Hannah called loudly, “James, James, there’s a burglar in the house. She grabbed the fire shovel and banged it loudly and frightened the prowler away. She also woke her mother with the noise, and neither of them slept the rest of the night.
Ellen Haslem Greenwood passed away, August 15, 1833, so Hannah went to her brother, George’s home to keep house for his family. His wife had died sometime before their mother. George kept a grocery store and part of Hannah’s responsibility was to make the bread sold in this store. It was quite a task for Hannah to do this and to get the loaves all the same size so they could all be sold at the same price. She also had the care of his children.
One day some Mormon missionaries called at the door, and after explaining the gospel, they left Hannah some tracts to read. Much against her brother’s wishes, Hannah read this material and went to the next meeting that was held close by. When she got to the chapel she felt she was being observed by two of the missionaries. She became so self-conscious that she almost left the meeting. She later learned that previously Elder Heber C. Kimball had told Joseph Fielding that while on this mission he would baptize a wife for him. When Hannah had entered the meeting Elder Kimball told Joseph that she was the lady he was to marry.
In April 1838 Hannah was baptized into the church, by Heber C. Kimball who advised her and Joseph to get married as soon as possible. So they married June 11, 1838, in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was about 30 and he was 41. George was very bitter over his sister’s joining the church, and also for leaving him as his housekeeper. But later it appeared that he felt better about it.
Quoting from Joseph’s diary (dated 1 Jan 1839): “I feel thankful to God for all his goodness to me. Great responsibility rests upon me. May the Lord give me wisdom that I may know his will and have power to do it. The Lord had given me a truly kind and loving wife. One whose heart and affection are as firmly rooted as the roots of a sturdy oak. We are one.”
It was hard for Joseph to carry on with his mission responsibilities and those of his family too. He was gone from home much of the time, leaving his wife alone. There were two little daughters born to them in Preston; Rachel, born June 27, 1839, and Ellen, born February 9, 1841. They suffered many times for the bare necessities of life and George Greenwood was in a position to have given his sister much needed assistance but he refused to do so, telling Hannah, “You made your own bed, now lie in it.” George seemed to have had no appreciation for all his only sister had done for him after his wife’s death in caring for his home, family and helping in the store. His prejudice against the church was never broken down. But her brother James was not guilty of hard feelings, for he came to America in June 1842, but remained in Philadelphia where he died in a blind asylum.
Sometimes during Joseph’s absences he and Hannah did a little corresponding. The letters Hannah wrote were full of encouragement in his missionary work and information of what was happening in the lives of the Saints in Preston, as that meant much to them.
September 1841 Joseph, Hannah, and their two little daughters set sail from Liverpool, Lancashire, England for America in the ship “Tyrean.” Joseph was in charge of a company of more than 200 members of the church. They arrived in New Orleans in November 1841. They had a good passage but when Joseph went to charter a steam boat to continue their journey, he had the misfortune to fall from a bridge, broke two ribs and hurt his knee. He determined to make but little of it but it was long before he was able to rise from his bed. The master of the boat was very good to them and let him and his family occupy a stateroom. They landed at Warsaw. The weather had been fine. While they waited for some of the twelve, the weather broke and winter set in with a snow storm. In two or three days they came to Nauvoo.
It must have been a difficult time for Hannah and her family. Business was dull, they were poor, not having sufficient money to bring them there, new relatives to meet, having to accept help from them, when they themselves had so little, two little girls to care for, her husband suffering from two broken ribs a hurt knee, and discouragement.
But Nauvoo brought many blessings too. Association with many good friends, among them the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum who Joseph’s Sister, Mary had recently married. But the martyrdom of these two brothers brought much sadness to the family. The persecutions of the mob made life very difficult also.
Two more sons were born to this couple in Nauvoo—Heber & Joseph. On December 10, 1845, they were sealed as a family in this beautiful temple.
As the persecutions increased, they were driven from their beautiful city with the rest of the Saints, and their beloved Temple. President Young encouraged them to flee to the Rocky Mountains.
The journey to Utah was difficult. A covered wagon was all they had to shelter them from the elements and they had only rough roads on which to travel. Much of the journey was on foot. They stayed in Winter Quarters until the spring of 1848. It was here that their son Hiram Thomas was born, but he lived only 6 months. It was very difficult to loose this little spirit, but the couple’s faith helped them forge on to the Salt Lake Valley where they settled in East Mill Creek where Joseph took up farming.
As a pioneer, Hannah had to clean and card wool, spin and weave it into cloth from which clothes and bedding were made for the family. She made soap, dried fruit, and did endless tasks that living on a farm in pioneer times required. All of this was a drain on her limited strength.
Hannah had her last little daughter, Hannah Alice shortly after arriving in the Valley. Sadly she died when she was only 8 years old. The family lived in the East Mill Creek area for fifteen more years. Then Joseph started to build a new house on his farm. He never finished it however. He took ill very suddenly and died on December 19, 1863. Hannah was not too strong physically, and had also suffered and endured many hardships with her husband, and had given birth to seven children after the age of thirty years.
After her husband’s death, she felt greatly blessed to have two grown sons to lean on. But tragedy struck again when about three years later her son, Joseph died very suddenly on March 6, 1866, followed by his brother, Heber, who died just as suddenly on April 15, 1866. This left her and the youngest daughter, Sarah Ann, aged 15 years, alone on the farm. Hannah felt completely crushed and heart broken.
However, she was blessed with a wonderful son-in-law who as soon as possible, built another room on his house in Ogden and moved Sarah Ann and her mother to Ogden to live with her two older daughters. Living in the Burton home with Rachel made life much easier for her. Here she received the loving care she needed for the rest of her life.
Hannah had a wonderful memory and used to recite many poems and repeated epitaphs from old tombstones in an English church yard to entertain her grandchildren.
She passed peacefully away on September 8, 1877 and was buried beside her husband in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Married Joseph Fielding, 11 Jun 1838, Preston, Lancashire, England
Children - Ellen Fielding, Hyrum Thomas Fielding, Sarah Ann Fielding, Hannah Alice Fielding, Rachel Fielding, Joseph Greenwood Fielding, Heber Fielding
Sketch - Hannah Greenwood was born on the fourth of September, 1808 in Bolton, Lancashire, England. She was the youngest child of Thomas and Ellen Haslam Greenwood in a family of six children.
This family lived in a period of transition. For many generations people had cultivated the land to gain their livelihood, but now they learned to spin, weave, knit and make clothing and could make a better living with this new way of life. Companies were formed, manufacturing factories were built, and cities became industrialized. Many families moved to these cities to find employment. Where possible, some families began spinning, weaving etc. in their homes, adding space when they were able and employing a few other people to help with this work. The Greenwoods were skilled weavers. We have record of Hannah’s grandfather, Parson Greenwood being a weaver. Hannah’s family had a small manufacturing establishment.
Hannah was a woman of distinction and charm. She was of medium height, slender, with blue eyes, and a crown of beautiful dark red hair. There was a delicate, queenly bearing about her that greatly impressed those around her.
Her father died on the January 6, 1828, leaving Hannah, at the age of nineteen, the responsibility of caring for their invalid mother. Even though Hannah was rather delicate and frail physically, she was a woman of great courage. One night she was awakened by some prowlers in the house below. They were alone, but Hannah called loudly, “James, James, there’s a burglar in the house. She grabbed the fire shovel and banged it loudly and frightened the prowler away. She also woke her mother with the noise, and neither of them slept the rest of the night.
Ellen Haslem Greenwood passed away, August 15, 1833, so Hannah went to her brother, George’s home to keep house for his family. His wife had died sometime before their mother. George kept a grocery store and part of Hannah’s responsibility was to make the bread sold in this store. It was quite a task for Hannah to do this and to get the loaves all the same size so they could all be sold at the same price. She also had the care of his children.
One day some Mormon missionaries called at the door, and after explaining the gospel, they left Hannah some tracts to read. Much against her brother’s wishes, Hannah read this material and went to the next meeting that was held close by. When she got to the chapel she felt she was being observed by two of the missionaries. She became so self-conscious that she almost left the meeting. She later learned that previously Elder Heber C. Kimball had told Joseph Fielding that while on this mission he would baptize a wife for him. When Hannah had entered the meeting Elder Kimball told Joseph that she was the lady he was to marry.
In April 1838 Hannah was baptized into the church, by Heber C. Kimball who advised her and Joseph to get married as soon as possible. So they married June 11, 1838, in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was about 30 and he was 41. George was very bitter over his sister’s joining the church, and also for leaving him as his housekeeper. But later it appeared that he felt better about it.
Quoting from Joseph’s diary (dated 1 Jan 1839): “I feel thankful to God for all his goodness to me. Great responsibility rests upon me. May the Lord give me wisdom that I may know his will and have power to do it. The Lord had given me a truly kind and loving wife. One whose heart and affection are as firmly rooted as the roots of a sturdy oak. We are one.”
It was hard for Joseph to carry on with his mission responsibilities and those of his family too. He was gone from home much of the time, leaving his wife alone. There were two little daughters born to them in Preston; Rachel, born June 27, 1839, and Ellen, born February 9, 1841. They suffered many times for the bare necessities of life and George Greenwood was in a position to have given his sister much needed assistance but he refused to do so, telling Hannah, “You made your own bed, now lie in it.” George seemed to have had no appreciation for all his only sister had done for him after his wife’s death in caring for his home, family and helping in the store. His prejudice against the church was never broken down. But her brother James was not guilty of hard feelings, for he came to America in June 1842, but remained in Philadelphia where he died in a blind asylum.
Sometimes during Joseph’s absences he and Hannah did a little corresponding. The letters Hannah wrote were full of encouragement in his missionary work and information of what was happening in the lives of the Saints in Preston, as that meant much to them.
September 1841 Joseph, Hannah, and their two little daughters set sail from Liverpool, Lancashire, England for America in the ship “Tyrean.” Joseph was in charge of a company of more than 200 members of the church. They arrived in New Orleans in November 1841. They had a good passage but when Joseph went to charter a steam boat to continue their journey, he had the misfortune to fall from a bridge, broke two ribs and hurt his knee. He determined to make but little of it but it was long before he was able to rise from his bed. The master of the boat was very good to them and let him and his family occupy a stateroom. They landed at Warsaw. The weather had been fine. While they waited for some of the twelve, the weather broke and winter set in with a snow storm. In two or three days they came to Nauvoo.
It must have been a difficult time for Hannah and her family. Business was dull, they were poor, not having sufficient money to bring them there, new relatives to meet, having to accept help from them, when they themselves had so little, two little girls to care for, her husband suffering from two broken ribs a hurt knee, and discouragement.
But Nauvoo brought many blessings too. Association with many good friends, among them the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum who Joseph’s Sister, Mary had recently married. But the martyrdom of these two brothers brought much sadness to the family. The persecutions of the mob made life very difficult also.
Two more sons were born to this couple in Nauvoo—Heber & Joseph. On December 10, 1845, they were sealed as a family in this beautiful temple.
As the persecutions increased, they were driven from their beautiful city with the rest of the Saints, and their beloved Temple. President Young encouraged them to flee to the Rocky Mountains.
The journey to Utah was difficult. A covered wagon was all they had to shelter them from the elements and they had only rough roads on which to travel. Much of the journey was on foot. They stayed in Winter Quarters until the spring of 1848. It was here that their son Hiram Thomas was born, but he lived only 6 months. It was very difficult to loose this little spirit, but the couple’s faith helped them forge on to the Salt Lake Valley where they settled in East Mill Creek where Joseph took up farming.
As a pioneer, Hannah had to clean and card wool, spin and weave it into cloth from which clothes and bedding were made for the family. She made soap, dried fruit, and did endless tasks that living on a farm in pioneer times required. All of this was a drain on her limited strength.
Hannah had her last little daughter, Hannah Alice shortly after arriving in the Valley. Sadly she died when she was only 8 years old. The family lived in the East Mill Creek area for fifteen more years. Then Joseph started to build a new house on his farm. He never finished it however. He took ill very suddenly and died on December 19, 1863. Hannah was not too strong physically, and had also suffered and endured many hardships with her husband, and had given birth to seven children after the age of thirty years.
After her husband’s death, she felt greatly blessed to have two grown sons to lean on. But tragedy struck again when about three years later her son, Joseph died very suddenly on March 6, 1866, followed by his brother, Heber, who died just as suddenly on April 15, 1866. This left her and the youngest daughter, Sarah Ann, aged 15 years, alone on the farm. Hannah felt completely crushed and heart broken.
However, she was blessed with a wonderful son-in-law who as soon as possible, built another room on his house in Ogden and moved Sarah Ann and her mother to Ogden to live with her two older daughters. Living in the Burton home with Rachel made life much easier for her. Here she received the loving care she needed for the rest of her life.
Hannah had a wonderful memory and used to recite many poems and repeated epitaphs from old tombstones in an English church yard to entertain her grandchildren.
She passed peacefully away on September 8, 1877 and was buried beside her husband in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
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