The Hadwen Family of Lancashire

Jane Hacking had four husbands. The next section will explain more of the details for them.
Her son, James N. O'Brien did not know much about her first husband, and, apparently, was
not even aware of her second husband. There are reasons for that, but they will not be
explicitly stated her. Perhaps you can read between the lines if it matters to you. Many have
mistaken information about how early Jane was married. She was not married until after
she came to the Salt Lake Valley. She traveled overland along with her stepfather, John
Fisher with the James W. Cummings Company in 1851. About 150 individuals and 100
wagons were in the company when it began its journey from the outfitting post at
Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs). The 4th Ten in the 2nd Fifty separated from
the company and traveled independently on 12 July. The Fisher/Hacking family traveled
with the 2nd. Fifty First Hundred of O. Pratts Company, Alfred Cordon, Captain, in the 3rd
Ten. There were 7 traveling in the Fisher family: John, Jane, Alice, and Moroni Fisher,
Harriet, Jane and John Hacking; 2 Wagons, 6 Oxen, and 1 Cow. They left Kanesville on 1
July and arrived in Salt Lake City between 30 Sep and 7 Oct 1851. Several trail excerpts
are available to give more of the story of the trail at the following URL:
http://www.lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompanysources/0,16272,4019-1-97,00.html
Jane did not meet Enoch Marvin King until after 1851 because Enoch traveled overland and
arrived in Salt Lake City in September 1849, which was before Jane came to the United
States in October 1949. According to the IGI on Family Search, Enoch and Jane were
married and sealed on 2 Feb 1852 in Salt Lake City. Their son David Franklin King was
born 3 Jan 1853 in Salt Lake City. However, something happened that upset Jane and the
Church leaders because Jane obtained a divorce with the approval of the First Presidency
and was later married and sealed to Enoch's older brother, John Morris King on 12 Aug
1855 in the President's Office in Salt Lake City. A few month's later, 18 Nov 1855, John
died, leaving Jane a young widow with a young son. They moved to Cedar Fort to be close
to her mother and her brother's family.
Since Camp Floyd became important in the next chapters in Jane's life, the short history of
Camp Floyd written by Audrey Godfrey is included below. You will note that Camp Floyd
was only active for a short time, so the window of time for Jane's next two marriages and
children born to them could only occur in a small range between 1858 and the start of the
Civil War. Since John Sampson Hacking did business with the soldiers at Camp Floyd, it is
not surprising that his sister and young widow, Jane, would have an opportunity to come in
contact with the them as well. Before too long, a government scout, Mr. McNeil, became
smitten with Jane, and asked her to become his wife sometime in 1858. Their happiness did
not last long, however, because Mr. McNeil was shot in the back and killed. The union left
Jane as a young widow again, this time with two young children: David King and Josephine
McNeil, her little daughter only living about two years, about 1859 to about 1861.
About this time, another soldier, James Hanley O'Brien, came into the picture. He had great
empathy for Jane's plight. He had experienced heartache himself with the loss of his
beloved brother, William, and he had seen many of his close friends become casualties of
war as he fought in the Crimean War and Florida Wars (see information below). It did not
take him long to see the strength of character she demonstrated, and he wanted to have her
standing by his side and becoming the mother of his children. They were married about
1860 and their first child, Mary was born 19 April 1861 at either Cedar Fort or Camp
Floyd. When the Civil War broke out and her husband was ordered to return to the East,
you can imagine why Jane decided to take her children and follow him to Washington D.C.
and the Baltimore, Maryland area. I am sure she thought she could help care for those in
need as she stayed closer to her new husband. There second child together, James Hanley or
N. O'Brien was born in Washington D. C. 29 Dec 1863. Soon after in the early spring of
1864, Jane's fourth husband died, a casualty of the Civil War.
In 1864, Jane was only 31 years old. She had been widowed three times and had an
unsatisfactory first marriage. She had lost a daughter, her father and stepfather, five of her
siblings and stepsiblings, and several of her nieces. Her oldest son was only 11 and she had
a 3 year-old and an infant. She was a continent away from her loved ones in Utah, and the
strength of fellow church members around her. She must have taken a moment or two to
grieve for all that she had lost. But she did not wallow in her grief. She strapped on the
courage and strength she had learned from her adversities and followed the example of her
fore bearers. She returned to the strength of her family and friends in Cedar Fort and
continued to flourish as best she could with optimism and faith lighting her way.
There is more research that must be done to learn about who Mr. McNeil and James Hanley
O’Brien are. I am anxious to get to know Jane's last two husbands. James Hanley O'Brien
must have been a very intelligent and learned person to be able to speak seven languages
and read and write in four of those seven. I am hopeful that we will be able to obtain at least
military records for both O'Brien and McNeil and learn of some of their character and other
family connection. When we learn more, I will add it to this history.