A Box of Peaches picture book
During WWII, Mary Williams remembered the family receiving a box of peaches lined with straw, and some clothes, from Utah. [1]
The family lived in Briton Ferry, Glamorgan, South Wales, at the time. She knew they were communicating with relatives in Utah, but she was too young to ask who they were. [2]
Eventually there was no one left to ask, and the communciations had ceased. [3]
Her grandfather, John, was raised by his paternal grandparents, William and Alice. In 1841, William and Alice lived on High Street, Aberavon, Glamorgan. [4]
Also present was William's father -- Mary's great-great-great grandfather -- similarly named John Williams. [5]
In 1851, William and Alice had moved to Mountain Road (aka Mountain Row), Aberavon. [6]
In 1871, they lived on the Causeway (aka Cawsy Road), Aberavon. With them was their grandson, John Williams, Mary's grandfather. [7]
Living next door to them in 1871 were John's mother (Ann) and his step-father (John Richards). [8]
In 1881, John was with his mother and step-father, living on Water Street, because this was also the year they converted to the Mormon faith and emigrated. [9]
John Richards left for Utah on the Wyoming at the end of 1881. [10]
Ann Richards left with her two daughters (but not John) five months later, in April 1882, on the Nevada. [11]
The parents of John Richards had emigrated 20 years before (in 1862). At that time, the railroad didn't extend to Utah and it was necessary to complete the journey with covered wagons or two-wheeled handcarts. [12]
Salt Lake City was their first destination, before settling in North Ogden, Weber County. [13]
John Richards and his wife Ann (Williams) Richards. [14]
The eldest daughter of John and Ann: Elizabeth Ann Richards. [15]
"Journey's End" sculpture by Stanley J. Watts in This Is The Place Heritage Park, Utah. [16]
Original 1921 This Is The Place monument overlooking Salt Lake Valley, Utah. [17]
Dave Martin Hellewell and his wife Alice Etta (Daniels) Hellewell, family historians, and the likely senders of those peaches. Alice was the granddaughter of John and Ann Richards. [18]
Image sources
[1] Mary Williams, 1946 aged 15; image provided by the Williams family, and displayed by kind permission of Mary.
[2] Briton Ferry, 1950; image © The Francis Frith Collection, ref: B398006 (http://www.francisfrith.com/us/briton-ferry/briton-ferry-the-town-c1950_b398006 : accessed 23 Jul 2016).
[3] Briton Ferry, 1959; image © The Francis Frith Collection, ref: B398020 (http://www.francisfrith.com/us/briton-ferry/briton-ferry-1959_b398020 : accessed 23 Jul 2016).
[4] High Street, Aberavon; image credit: Port Talbot Historical Society (http://www.historicalporttalbot.com.html); displayed by permission of Damian Owen.
[5] High Street, Aberavon; image credit: Port Talbot Historical Society.
[6] Mountain Road, Aberavon; image credit: Port Talbot Historical Society.
[7] Causeway, Aberavon; image credit: Port Talbot Historical Society.
[8] Causeway, Aberavon; image credit: Port Talbot Historical Society.
[9] Water Street, Aberavon; image credit: Port Talbot Historical Society.
[10] Guion line Wisconsin and Wyoming; image credit: Courtesy of the Norway Heritage Collection - www.norwayheritage.com. Source: www.heritage-ships.com.
[11] Guion line Nevada; image credit: Courtesy of the Norway Heritage Collection - www.norwayheritage.com. Source: www.heritage-ships.com.
[12] The Handcart Pioneer Monument, a statue commemorating Mormon handcart pioneers, found on Temple Square in Salt Lake City; image credit: CDGentry, 27 Aug 2011, [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mormon_Pioneer_handcart_statue.jpg : accessed 23 Jul 2016).
[13] The east side of Main Street (also known as East Temple Street) in Salt Lake City, Utah, 1890s; image credit: Charles Roscoe Savage [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASalt_lake_city_main_street_c1890_ug.jpg : accessed 23 Jul 2016).
[14] John Richards and Ann (Williams) Richards; image credit: FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=KWVQ-3KL§ion=memories and https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=KWVQ-3KK§ion=memories : accessed 15 Jul 2016); contributors Tim D Anderson and JanetMAnderson1, respectively.
[15] Elizabeth Ann (Richards) Daniels; image credit; FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/tree/#view=ancestor&person=KWZC-WGJ§ion=memories : accessed 15 Jul 2016); contributors SmithLindaSue1 and Tim D Anderson.
[16] "Journey's End" sculpture by Stanley J. Watts in This Is The Place Heritage Park, Utah; image credit: InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, CA (This Is the Place Heritage Park) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AThis_Is_the_Place_Heritage_Park_(6882555632).jpg : accessed 23 Jul 2016).
[17] Original 1921 This Is The Place monument overlooking Salt Lake Valley, Utah; image credit: Tricia Simpson (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AThis_Is_The_Place_Valley_View.jpeg : accessed 23 Jul 2016).
[18] Dave Martin Hellewell and Alice Etta (Daniels) Hellewell; image credit: FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/3631849 : accessed 23 Jul 2016); contributor SmithLindaSue1.