The Allan Family of Lanarkshire

We have very little information regarding Grandmother Watson's parents. She was born
September 30, 1825 in Fife, Scotland and was a cousin to the late John Duncan of
Heber, Utah. It is a fact, however, that in her girlhood days she worked in the coal mines
in Scotland. One day the mine caught on fire and she and another girl were the last ones
to be drawn up from the mine in a bucket. About this time Victoria became Queen of Great
Britain and she had a law passed to stop females from working in the mines. Grandmother
had great love and respect for the Queen on that account.
The reason given that we have no information as to her parents is that when she joined the
Mormon Church, they refused to answer her letters to have anything at all to do with her,
and of course she lost interest in them. She was married to Grandfather, James Watson,
when she joined the church. This shows what prejudice that existed against the Mormon
converts at this time.
Think of the terrible trying conditions she must have been a part of in leaving her parents
and home to cross the ocean with her husband and four small children. Her husband was
placed in the hold of the ship with little Agnes, who broke out with the small pox. She was
left with three little children among strangers, and the baby broke out with the terrible
disease and she hid her as well as she could to keep down the panic that would follow if
it were found out, but they all lived through it and no one took the small pox. The baby
James and Janet Campbell
Watson
died shortly after their arrival in the United States, among strange people that were very
hostile and had no sympathy for them or their religion. They had very little to live on as
there was not much work to be had and grandfather didn't always get paid for what he did
do. Under these conditions, their oldest son, Thomas, was run over by a coal car and
killed. During this time they were trying to get an outfit together to come to Utah.
Grandmother gave birth to two children, Sarah and Jessup. Through all of these
hardships, Janet was gentle, kind and never complained.
As had been told in Grandfather's history, they finally landed in Heber. They had been
here but a few days when a daughter was born to them on October 13, 1861. They named
her Christeana.
Grandmother was a very kind and unselfish person. She found the people very hard up
for clothing of all kinds. She had brought a bolt of sheeting across the plains, and let most
of it go to her neighbors. Much of it was used to bury the dead.
Her troubles were not over yet. Her son, Jessup, age seventeen left home July 5, 1873,
and a few days later he unexpectedly died of a heart attack. Then in 1886 her daughter
Margaret and husband Joseph Thomas died of pneumonia two weeks apart. They left nine
children. Grandmother did the best she could with them and with the help of Agnes and
Sarah Watson Oakes, who had just married, took care of them until they were old enough
to look after themselves. In January 1893 word came from Park City that her son William
had been killed in the mine. That made three young man that had been brought home
dead.
Then in February, just one month after her son's death, her dear old companion died after
a short illness. They had shared each others sorrows and joys for more than fifty years
and had been faithful and true to each other.
Grandmother lived three years after Grandfather's death.
Most of her time was spent at her daughter Agnes
Lindsay's home in Center and there she died February 15,
1899, loved and respected by everyone.