First married to James Duckworth 24 Dec 1864 in Preston, England (Divorced). Immigrated to the United States on the 'Wisconsin' and arrived on 3 Nov 1880 from England with her four children. Married William Beardshall 24 Mar 1881 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had three children.

James Duckworth born 4 Oct 1844 in Preston, Lancashire, England. Later after their divorce he moved to Auckland, New Zealand where he died 17 Jan 1927. Read the story below of when James and their son, James, met again in New Zealand in 1906.

Children of James and Alice: James, Annie, Alice, William (died as infant - see link), and William Chippendale.

Children of William and Alice: Hannah, David, Bertha

Note: The family portrait shown here was taken about 1908 after William died. It includes Alice with all of her seven children, their spouses and grandchilden as of that date. Click on photo to see explanation and names.

STORY:
(This is an excerpt from the autobiography of the grandson of James. He relates a story told to him by his grandfather, James Duckworth (Jr.) 1865-1947, about meeting his own father again. He was on his way home with his wife from serving as L.D.S. Mission President of Australia.)

"I must tell you about something that happened to Grandpa Duckworth in New Zealand on their way home. Grandpa was born in England to a very poor working class family. When he was eight years old he began working in the woolen mills full time, with no opportunity to go to school nor to learn to read or write. Can you imagine what it was like for an eight year old boy having to work 10 hours a day, six days a week? One day two Mormon missionaries knocked at their door and talked to Grandpa's mother. She was very impressed with their message. But when her husband got home that night he was furious that she had let them in because of the terrible things that people were saying about the Mormons. Because the church was practicing polygamy he had been told all kinds of wild stories about the Church in Utah where there was a huge block surrounded with a high wall. Women who joined the Church were brought there and then the men would get to come and choose a new plural wife. So Grandpa's father thought the missionaries were after his wife.

When the missionaries came back for a second visit, mother told them that her husband did not want her to talk to them anymore. They said they understood and would honor his request but that they would like to give her a Book of Mormon. To make a long story short, she read the book and was converted. Unable to deny the witness from God that she had received that the Book of Mormon was true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, she told her husband she wanted to be baptized. He was so angry that he demanded that she choose between him and the blanketyblank Church. But she had found her "Pearl of Great Price" and could not give it up! She had found something more precious than life itself. So she left her husband and divorced him and took her children to Utah. It was a difficult choice to make and a terrible price to pay.

In Utah she met a man [William Beardshall] and they were married. Grandpa became a sheepherder when he was in his teens. He learned to read and write without ever attending school and would read voraciously while tending his sheep. He received his pay in sheep instead of money and eventually became a very successful sheep man with several large herds of his own. He also had become a very well educated man through his reading. He was called on a mission to England but could never find his father. After he married Grandma, the Church called him as the mission president over all of Australia. When he got home he was asked by the Church to sell his sheep and move to Blackfoot, Idaho, where they were organizing a stake and where he would be the new Stake President.

After their mission, on their way home at a stopover in New Zealand, we learn the "rest of the story". While they were in port they attended church. Grandpa introduced himself and the Branch President said, "We have an elderly brother in our branch named Duckworth." Having some time to spare after church, Grandpa and Grandma were able to find him. He was in poor health but the amazing thing was....it was Grandpa's father!!! Several years after the divorce, his father had moved to New Zealand. At some point he had become curious about the Church and what there was about it that would mean so much to his former wife that she would leave him for it. So he looked up the missionaries and listened to their message and was baptized, learning too late the worth of the Restored Gospel."

Note added by granddaughter: It has been found that James Sr. was baptised and confirmed 25 Nov 1917. This would have taken place after the meeting of father and son. 10/1/2013 sj