James Burton and Isabella Walton Burton

As near as I can tell, a lot of this article was copied from William Walton Burton's story, 'Little Willie'.  As I was typing it in, there were many random quotation marks that had no place in the story, so I left them out and I think we can all just realize that a lot of the story is copied from his story - also I changed some of her spelling and punctuation.  There are footnotes that list the sources of dates and such and at a later date, I will figure out a way to include them.

STORY OF OUR GRANDPARENTS

JAMES BURTON AND ISABELLA WALTON BURTON

(Material collected and compiled by Josephine Burton Bagley, Family Representative)

Our Grandfather, James Burton, youngest son of Great Grandparent's James Burton and Rosemond Clarkson, was born 6th of June 1800 in Gayle of Hawes, Yorkshire, England. Gayle is a small hamlet near Hawes, which is a Chapelry in Parish of Aysgarth. The Gayle records were kept in Hawes.

Isabella Walton was born 7 April 1802. The Quaker Records gave Buttersett of Hawes as the place of her birth, but her Patriarchal Blessing gives Dent, Yorkshire, England. They were Quakers. They were probably able financially to give their two children some educational opportunities. Her brother, four years her senior, was head booker of a large firm operating coal mines in the vicinity of town, Bishop Auckland, Durham, England. He had an income of 400 pounds sterling, and was able to give his three living children good educations. This uncle and his family was probably the inspiration that made nephew, William Walton Burton, so determined to get a good education in spite of poverty and difficulties.

Since we find in Gayle and Hawes, both our Burton and Walton families, it seems reasonable that James Burton and Isabella Walton knew one another as children. Later in Hawes Parish Register, -----"Marriage of James Burton of Bradford Moor in Parish of Bradford, and Isabella Walton of Gayle in this Chapelry, married by license 5 March 1825." Her brother, Christopher, was one of the witnesses to their marriage.

In his autobiography titled, 'Little Willie', William Walton Burton on the occasion of a visit with his father to his Aunt Mable Metcalfe's when he was 14 years of age, (probably by cart) describes the country side of the part of England best known to the Burtons:

"As his native town grew dim in the distance, fine old farm houses appeared in view, with fields of waving grain and gentlemen's summer residences, surrounded by beautiful parks, interspersed with very large trees, where deer were seen resting themselves under the wide spreading branches of those ancient oaks.----they gained the top of a high hill, where an open valley lay before them in which there were three or four lovely villages; and in those villages resided many of their relatives, ---- one was the birth place of his father. After descending into the valley they drew up before a very ancient farm house, where his father said, "Willie, your Aunt Mabel lives here." They entered and received a warm welcome. ----the scenery around Aunt Mabel's, rural home was far different from Bradford, his native village. The village in which stood her residence was a beautiful little settlement, occupied chiefly by wealthy farmers, and bounded on every side by rich pastures and beautiful meadows. Close to the village ran a clear stream of water, the bed of this stream was solid limestone rock."

While living in Bradford, some of their children learned vocations. Robert became a blacksmith, also learned to play the violin; William became a wool comber (some of his older children remember seeing his wool combs); James worked with wood and became a Joiner, Isabella and Rose learned to spin and weave cloth.

Here in Bradford, there was a congregation, who had left the Methodist New Connection Church, that met together every Sabbath, worshipped God as well as they knew how, and prayed that he would send them the pure gospel. It was while meeting with this group, that James and Isabella Burton and their family heard the Latter-day Saint Missionaries preach the gospel. They believed that they taught the same gospel that Jesus Christ and his apostles taught, so on June 4, 1842 they were baptized. Their children were baptized later.

James Burton died of cholera 18th of July 1849, at the age of 49 years and 12 days, leaving nine children for his widow to look after, the youngest only 2 years old. His early death was a great shock to his wife and family. The oldest son, Robert, had emigrated to Utah some time before with his Uncle Robert, for whom he had been named. So sixteen year old William had to do all he could to help his mother support the family.

About two years later, the president of the mission asked her if she was willing for her son William to go on a mission, and stated that he had been impressed to call upon him to go and preach the gospel. "Her eyes filled with tears, realizing that it would deprive her of her son's much needed help," but her answer was positive. "If the Lord wants him, I am willing for him to go."

When the appointed time came for him to start on his mission, from the little money he had saved, he purchased a dress for his mother, and an entire suit of clothes for himself. The remainder of the money he left at home, as the elders were required to preach the gospel without purse or script.

We do not have a complete record of how she met her problems. Her daughters, Isabella and Rose, got work in the factory weaving cloth. They had to be at work at 6 o'clock in the morning and had to walk 3 miles there and 3 miles back, after having stood at their looms all day. Margaret, the next daughter, had to do all she could to help for her mother had to work to get a little money, where she could.

One of Isabella Walton Burton's outstanding skills was knitting. She used a sheath or shield in which to hold her knitting needles, and worked so rapidly that her needles could not be seen only the clicking of the needles could be heard. In an evening, she could make a pair of socks.

After William returned from his mission, they decided it was best for him to go to America, find his brother Robert, and the two of them prepare a home and send for their mother and the family. He went on to Utah and met his brother Robert, and together they were able to send for their mother and the family.

The family sailed for America on the 22 of April 1855 on Ship Samuel Curling. They were listed on the ship's records as follows:

Age: 52 Isabella Burton
        22 Isabella Burton
        19 Rosemond Burton
        17 James Burton - Joiner Occupation
        15 Margaret (Margrete) Burton
        12 Christopher Burton
        10 Mary Burton
         8 Thomas Burton

They arrived in New York the 22nd of May 1855, where they traveled by train to St. Louis and then on to Kansas. Isabella and her seven children crossed the plains in 8th Company of Captain Milo Andrus, and arrived in Salt Lake City the 24th of October 1855.

"Andrus was not a very kind man.----He was a hard taskmaster. Grandmother was not very strong, being of slight figure. ----It was hard for her to walk so much, so sometimes she stole a ride to help her along. One day as she was climbing in a wagon she fell. The wheel passed over her leg and broke the bone. It was set and bandaged and doctored by plasters of cow manure."

They walked about 20 miles a day, crossed many rivers on foot and would be very weary at night. When they camped at night after eating their scanty meal, they would have prayers and sing, "Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard, tis not so, all is well." Food was scarce, their flour was weighed out to them, and many times they had very little to eat.

At Fort Bridger they were met by her two oldest sons, Robert Walton Burton and William Walton Burton with provisions. They settled in Kaysville, Utah, and for a while stayed at Robert's home located on what is now known as the Greener Farm.

The winter of 1855 was known as the "hard winter." They had very little food. For six weeks they did not taste bread. What little wheat flour they used for thickening soup, which was made from an old cow that was so thin it couldn't stand up, so was killed and the meat used for soup. In the spring of that year, their food consisted mainly of greens, being made from nettles or other kinds of weeds.

Isabella Walton Burton was given a Patriarchal Blessing by Isaac Morley in Kaysville, Utah on 7 September 1857. It states that she was the daughter of William and Isabella Walton and was born at Dent, Yorkshire, England. She was promised that her children would bless and honor her, that she would have peace of mind, would enjoy health and her last days would be her best days. Because of her integrity, she was beloved by the Lord.

The latter part of her life she lived in Kaysville with William and Rachel Burton. They had been away from home and upon returning asked her how she was feeling. She said, "Oh, I feel so fine I could jump over the moon." But that very night, she took sick and died the 31st of March 1863. She had an egg and a cup of tea for her supper. They thought it was the egg that caused it, for she had had one for breakfast, and her stomach could never digest eggs very well. It was too much for her.

She was buried in a homemade coffin made out of a pine log by her son-in-law, Samuel Rushforth.

Grandmother was buried in Kaysville before the lots had been properly laid out. For a time her grave was lost. Later another grave was being dug and her coffin was found, identified and a marker erected. The family planned to replace the marker as the inscription (in 1967) was almost unreadable and it had fallen over. On the marker, her name is spelled Isabel.