History of
Thomas Brough and Jane Paterson

by the
Brough Family Organization
www.broughfamily.org
2012

Thomas Brough was born on 22 October 1832 to Richard Brough and Mary Horleston in Longton, Lane End, Staffordshire, England. He was christened on 11 November 1832 at St. John Parish Church (of England) in Lane End, Longton.

In 1840, Thomas Brough's father, Richard Brough, had joined the L.D.S. Church, and about nine years later Thomas also joined the L.D.S. Church, being baptized on 7 January 1849 by Elder Wesley Meigh of the L.D.S. Longton Branch.

As a young man, Thomas worked in the coal mines around Longton and practiced the trades of masonry and carpentry. In fact, British Census records state that Thomas was working as a "App. Potter" when he was only "9" years old and as a "Coal Miner" when he was "18" years of age.

On 9 November 1851, Thomas Brough married Jean (Jane) Paterson (who was born on 12 April 1830 in Barony, Lanarshire, Scotland) at St. Peters Church, Stoke-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire. At the time of their marriage Jane was not a member of the L.D.S. Church, but she later joined the L.D.S. Church in January 1855. During the first four years of their marriage, Jane gave birth to three children: Thomas (who died shortly after his birth), Martha Jane, who was born on 21 July 1851, and William George, who was born 2 July 1855.

In the latter part of 1855, Thomas, Jane and their two children, along with Thomas's younger sister Elizabeth (born 1834) and her husband Samuel Cartlidge, prepared to leave their native England to emigrate to America, where they wanted to join the rest of the L.D.S. "Saints" in Utah.

On 25 May 1856, Thomas and Jane and their two children, along with Elizabeth and Samuel Cartlidge, left on the ship Horizon, from Liverpool, England. The Horizon was commanded by a Captain Reid, and the "Mormon company" aboard this vessel was under the direction of Elder Edward Martin. Aboard the Horizon there were 692 adults, 136 children and 26 infants, totaling 854 passengers. Thomas, Jane and their children paid their own fares and were therefore booked as ordinary passengers, while the majority of the other Mormon immigrants aboard were funded by the Perpetual Emigration Fund of the L.D.S. Church. The ship Horizon reached Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, on 30 June 1856.

Shortly after arriving in the northeastern United States, Thomas's money ran out, and he and Jane were forced to stop in Pennsylvania where Thomas then worked just long enough in the surrounding coal mines to obtain enough money to get him and his family to Madison County, Illinois.

By the middle of 1857, Thomas and Jane Brough had settled in the area of Bethalto, Madison County, Illinois. There Thomas rented a farm, and for the next seven years, from 1857 to 1864, he grew corn and raised hogs and other farm animals. (The 1860 Census shows Thomas and Jane and their four children--Martha Jane, William George, Samuel Richard and Adria Elizabeth-residing in the area of Bethalto "Madison [County], Illinois," and the "value of [their] personal estate" at about "$50".) While in Madison County, Thomas's wife Jane gave birth to four more children, with their first child born on American soil being Samuel Richard Brough, born on 20 August 1857. Three other children followed the birth of Samuel: Adria Elizabeth, born 13 October 1859; Mary Ann, born 17 March 1862; and Emily Ellen, born 23 March 1864.

By the year 1864, which was in the midst of the U.S. Civil War, Thomas had secured enough money to purchase a wagon and team of oxen in which he could take his growing family from Illinois to Utah. His means of transportation included a lumber wagon, two yoke of oxen and a cow. Thomas, Jane and their six children started out toward Utah on about 15 June 1864 in a wagon train of approximately one hundred wagons. Three months later, on 18 September 1864, Thomas, Jane and their children arrived in Porterville, Morgan County, Utah. (The town of Porterville was first settled by Sanford Porter in 1860.)

Before leaving Illinois, Thomas sold nearly all of his family's furniture and instructed Jane to pack only their clothing and food, including some wheat, in their wagon for their trip westward. However, Jane took the liberty to pack an old clock between some clothing which Thomas never knew about until they arrived in Utah. This timekeeper later proved to be the only functioning clock in the pioneer settlement of Porterville during the first year after their arrival in Utah.

After traveling about five hundred miles from Illinois, one of Thomas's oxen took sick and died. Thomas had a cow which he had brought along for his children to have milk, so one of his emigrant friends who also had a cow helped him yoke their two cows together to Thomas's wagon so the Broughs could continue their journey westward. Thomas eventually made a single yoke for the mate of the ox who had died and put him along on the lead of the wagon to guide the two cows. During their journey westward, Jane placed the milk from their cow in a crock jar in their wagon, whereupon the shake of the wagon churned a little pat of butter which the family enjoyed each day as they traveled towards Utah.

When Thomas and Jane arrived in Utah in September 1864, fall had already set in and Thomas was not able to build his family a home before winter set it. So he made a 12' by 14' dugout in the hillside near Porterville and placed his family within this shelter for their first winter in Utah. During this first winter, Thomas was not able to get any flour for his family, so until spring arrived his family utilized the wheat they had brought from Illinois, and the children took turns grinding the wheat through a small coffee mill for their bread.

Following his first winter in Utah, Thomas located some good farm land, and by the fall of 1865, he and his younger brother Samuel had built a small adobe one-room home for Thomas's family in Porterville. Within two more years, he utilized the brickmaking skills he had learned and practiced in his native England, and had built two brick rooms adjoining his adobe home. These were the first bricks made in Porterville, and Thomas, along with his brother Samuel, manufactured other bricks which were used in constructing a number of buildings in the Porterville area. In fact, the first LDS Chapel in West Porterville was built in 1870 from bricks made by Thomas Brough. This brick Chapel--which existed from 1870 to 1899--measured "20 x 30 feet, and 12 feet to the square" and served as both a "meeting house and school" for people living in West Porterville.

In addition to manufacturing bricks in Porterville, Thomas, and his brother Samuel, also operated a brickyard in east Kaysville between about 1867 and 1881. This large brickyard was known as the "Brough Brick Yard on Cemetery Street." Today, the ground on which the Brough Brick Yard was once located is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is occupied by the LDS Kaysville Crestwood Wardhouse--located at 1039 East Crestwood Road, Kaysville, Utah.

Thomas was a very industrious and honest man. After moving to Porterville, he cultivated his land with the aid of oxen and harvested his crops with a scythe and a grain cradle. He was a true leader and lived the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the best of his ability. He never touched liquor or tobacco and kept the Sabbath Day as a holy day. He was first ordained a Branch President in 1875 and later as the first Bishop of the new West Porterville Ward when the Morgan Stake was organized in 1877. He held this position as Bishop of the West Porterville Ward until his death in 1882.

Thomas was a devoted husband and a kind father. He loved and cherished his wife, and the two of them righteously raised seven children. Their last child, Alice Eliza, was born on 18 June 1866 in Porterville.

At the age of almost 50, and in the first week of May 1882, Thomas was suddenly struck by appendicitis. Two days later he died on 6 May 1882. However, before passing away, he called all his children to his bedside, except his son William George who was then on a mission, and, like Jacob of Old, gave each of his children a dying father's patriarchal blessing.

Following the death of Thomas, his wife Jane resigned herself to her position and determined to make the best of it. Prior to her husband's death, Jane had practiced midwifery and nursing in Porterville for ten years, and after her husband died she continued to practice frontier medicine in the community for the next 21 years. She received her certificate to practice obstetrics from the State Medical Board of Utah and proved very successful in this specific profession, bringing scores of babies into the world. She was a real pioneer doctor, using herbs, bark and roots she gathered from the surrounding mountains and plains to treat the various illnesses of her patients. She often treated her patients without asking for or receiving remuneration of any kind. She was truly loved by everyone in her community. Jane was also an excellent seamstress, homemaker and diligent temple worker. She taught all of her children the Gospel and the importance of living a righteous life, and all of her children remained faithful Latter-day Saints to the end of their lives.

Jane died 21 years after her husband's death, at the age of 73 on 6 August 1903 in Porterville, Utah, and is buried alongside her husband in the Porterville Cemetery.


Obituary of Thomas Brough, taken from the Millenial Star of May 24, 1882:

Died at West Porterville, Morgan County, Utah, May 6th, 1882, Bishop Thomas Brough. He was born in Longton, Staffordshire, England, October 22nd, 1831; joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in an early day; was married to Miss Jane Patterson, of the above named place November 9th; 1851; emigrated to America in 1856; resided in Madison County, Illinois, eight years; came to Utah in 1864, and located at Porterville, Morgan County; was called to preside over the West Porterville Branch in 1873, and when the Morgan Stake was organied, was ordanined a Bishop to preside over the West Porterville Ward, which position he honorably filled until he was called to pass behind the vail. He was the father of nine children-four sons and five daughters-of whom seven are still living and in good standing in the Church. His eldest son William G., is now on a mission in Pennsylvania.

Brother Brough was a man of sterling integrity, upright in his dealings with his fellow-man, honest in his purpose, unwavering in his faith, and zealous for the cause he had espoused, faithfully performing the duties of his office according to the wisdom and ability he possessed, ever striving to keep within counsel. Was a faithful husband and a kind father. He called all of his family together, with the exception of one on a mission and blessed them one by one, like unto Jacob of old, charging them to be honest and virtuous, seeking the things of righteousness, and not to set their hearts too much on the things of this world, and when asked a day or two previous to his death if they should send for William, his answer was no; he is doing a good work, let him stay at his post until he is honorably released. He remarked, we fear death, but Oh, how sweet. I am going with the armor of righteousness on, and will soon take up my labors again; gave instructions as to the funeral services and burial, and retained his reasoning faculties until he fell asleep to await the resurrection of the just. Thus passed away a good man surrounded by his family and friends.-