Daughter of William Evans and Elizabeth Bowering

Married Ebenezer Albert Williams, 19 Jan 1856, Kaysville, Davis, Utah

History - Ada Evans Williams was born May 5, 1838 at Whitchurch, Glamorganshire (now Cardiff), Wales. She was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Bowering Evans. Her parents were middle class. Shortly after her birth, her father died and a year or two later, her mother died. This left the three Evans children, Henry, Elizabeth, and Ada, orphans. The children were taken into their maternal grandmother's home, Hannah Ridden Bowering, and showered with love. Grandmother Bowering owned a large estate near Cardiff. The estate was very beautiful and the children had a good education and gracious living in 1849 the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shared their message. The family accepted the teachings and were baptized. Ada was eleven years old at that time. Soon after their baptism the family made plans to sell the property in Wales to emigrate to America. Living on the estate was a young gardener, Ebenezer Albert Williams who also was baptized and he joined the family on their journey. They arrived in Liverpool and Mrs. Bowering purchased tickets for fourteen people: Hannah Bowering, Esther Harris and her husband, the five Harris children, Henry Evans, Elizabeth Evans, Ada Evans, Thomas Howels, Thomas Jones and Ebenezer Williams. Thomas and Ebenezer were employed on the estate. On February 5, 1853 they boarded the ship, the "Jersey", for America. Six weeks later they landed in New York City but stayed on the ship to New Orleans, then took a steamer up the Mississippi River to Keokuk, Iowa. They arranged to join a wagon train to Utah Territory in the Claudius V. Spencer Company. They arrived in Salt Lake Valley in September of 1853. They were met by missionary friends and stayed in Salt Lake for a short period and then moved to Provo for the winter to stay with the David Vincent family. While in Provo, Ada's sister, Elizabeth, died of "mountain fever." In the spring of 1854 Mrs. Bowering purchased a farm in Kaysville but lived in the fort for a time because of the threat of Indians. In 1856 Ada Evans and Ebenezer Williams were married. They lived in Kaysville, then in Provo during unrest. They purchased an adobe home in Kaysville from Bishop Alan Taylor. Ada helped her husband start the first mercantile store in Kaysville. Ada ran a small hat shop. Ada served in the Relief Society, the first Mutual Improvement Association, taught Sunday School. Ada championed individual rights. She was president of the Columbian Club (to serve the interests of citizenship). She worked for the right to vote, Women's Suffrage, She was a Democrat and never missed a good, intelligent political argument. Ada was the mother of ten children.