The Whittaker Family of Cheshire

Brief History of James & Sarah Swainston Ramsbottom

Contributed by Mark Cox from his Book of Remembrance

Author Unknown

James Ramsbottom was born October 4, 1861 at Oldham, Lancashire, England, the son of Henry Ramsbottom and Martha Whitehead. He was the youngest living child of the family. While in Oldham, the family attended the meetings held by the LDS missionaries, and the elders visited their home many times. His mother was baptized a member of the Church in 1847. James had two sisters, Jane and Elizabeth, who grew to womanhood in Oldham.

In Oldham, there was a large woolen mill and many coal mines, and it was at this woolen mill that Martha Whitehead (James’ mother) worked to help support her father’s family. After her marriage to Henry Ramsbottom, she continued to work at the woolen mill for about thirty years. During this time, she reared her family. When her children were born, she would take off from her work for a few weeks, and then return to her work at the woolen mill. By her thrift and hard work, she accumulated enough funds to migrate to America.

James was eight years old when he came to America with his father and mother, and his two sisters, Jane and Elizabeth. They landed in New York in 1869. They traveled by train to Ogden, Utah, and from there by team and wagon to Franklin, Idaho. At that time Franklin, Idaho was the only settlement north of Richmond, Utah. Soon after coming to Franklin, the land was surveyed and then homesteaded. His father did not join the Church until after they came to America. He was baptized on November 4, 1872.

The family endured many hardships and privations along with the other pioneers. His father had a hand loom which they used. His father weeded city lots during the summer and worked in a flour mill in the winter. His mother took in washings, and also worked for the Morrison family. She churned their butter and did their housework; in return they gave her butter and buttermilk.

At one time, James’ mother took very sick and an Indian lady came to their house for some bread. The Indian lady said she would be back in a few minutes with some roots for medicine. She returned and gave Mrs. Ramsbottom the tea from the roots. Mrs. Ramsbottom soon recovered from the sickness.

When the railroad from Franklin to Battle Creek was started, James carried water and spikes for 25 cents per day. The first man that he worked for was John Biggs.

During the grasshopper plague, he helped fight the menace. They used many methods to try to exterminate these pests. They put sacks into a ditch and drove the hoppers into them and then buried them. They also hauled straw and put it along the fence lines and at night, they would drive the hoppers into the straw and then burn it. The hoppers were so thick at times that when they were flying, it would look like an eclipse of the sun.

Many times, James was chased by the Indians while he was driving the cows to and from the pasture on the river bottoms. The old Indian Trail was northeast of Franklin, and many times as the Indians were traveling in single file, they would extend a mile long.

James helped haul logs and lumber from the Franklin Basin to build the Nashville Meeting House, which was built before the Whitney Ward was organized. James Packer was the presiding elder at the time. James also hauled rock for the Logan Temple and the tabernacle, which came from a point of the mountain known as Rattlesnake Point, east of Franklin. Some of the first families that homesteaded north of Nashville were the Ramsbottoms, Swainstons, Hulls, Handys, Chadwicks, Ellsworths, and the Hughes families. This place was later called Whitney. It was here that James met Sarah Swainston.

Sarah Swainston came to America from England with some of her family in 1882. She went to live with her older brother, Albert, in 1884. She met James Ramsbottom who was farming with Albert. After a short courtship, they were married December 17, 1884 in the Logan Temple, seven months after it had been dedicated. It took them three days to drive to Logan and back.

James homesteaded a farm of his own adjoining Albert Swainston’s. In 1885, he built a two-room log home on his farm close to the road. The first team that James owned was a team of oxen which he used to haul his firewood from the canyon. He also sold firewood to other people. He hauled lumber from the Franklin Basin making three trips per week, and sold the lumber for $10.00 per thousand. His first cow was bought from the money he made hauling poles and lumber. He did a great deal of canyon work and was a lover of fine horses. Sometimes during the winter months, there would be snow slides in the canyons, yet he always drove a good team which he took great pride in. They traded in Franklin, and had to walk and carry their eggs and butter, or ride the running gears of a wagon.

James and Albert Swainston surveyed the Whitney canal, using a spirit level and bench to determine how high the water would rise in the canal. James helped cradle the first wheat that was grown in Whitney. He helped take the first sawmill into the Franklin Basin that was brought by Brigham Young.

The Whitney Ward was organized in June 1889, with James Chadwick as the first bishop. He helped build the first meeting house and school house, which was used jointly and is now part of the Fred Rallison home. When the church was under construction, the men in the ward were asked to take turns going with a crew to get lumber from the canyon. James and some of the other men had been working for some time in the canyon, and had just returned home to care for their farms. The new crew preparing to leave went to Bishop Benson and asked if James could go back to the canyon with them because he was so well qualified and experience in lumbering. The bishop hesitated to ask him to return when he knew his farm needed his attention. The other men insisted, and when the bishop asked, James replied without hesitation that if he was needed, he would go. He willingly went again and put in double time to get the lumber for the church. Later he helped build the old Rock Church House that was used for many years, and was replaced by a brick structure that James also helped to erect. He was on the building committee for this chapel. Because he was not well educated, he was shy about taking part in church services, but was always willing to lead out in doing the heavy work that needed to be done.

His mother, being very spiritually inclined, started doing temple work for her father’s family in the Logan Temple in 1891. She was a kind and loving mother, a very good housekeeper, a good cook, and anyone found a welcome at her home.

James and Sarah were married almost eleven years before a child was born to them in 1895, a boy whom they named James Raymond. While still living in the log house, they took a little four-year-old girl (who had lost her mother) to raise. Her name was Lottie Eakin. They were very good to her and raised her as their own daughter. She lived with them for over sixteen years until she married Orion Jensen in 1919, and moved to Preston to live.

When Serge Benson had his store in Whitney, James loved to stop by for a visit. He often took chickens, calves for veal, and other produce from his farm to be sold in the store by Brother Benson. They were good friends and praised each other for their honesty in dealings.

James was a ward teacher for many years and he also filled a home mission. In order to do this, he had to ride horseback from Whitney to the Preston Sixth Ward. He was water master for the Whitney ditch for 20 years. James was an excellent farmer and his farm was an example of thrift and good management. About 15 or 16 years after building their first log home close to the road, they built a brick home which their son, Raymond, later lived in. This home is still standing on the hill above the road.

When James had young grandchildren, he would often take them into the fields to hoe long rows of sugar beets. He always carried a file for sharpening the hoes in the side pocket of his bib overalls. They enjoyed sitting down together in the fields while he sharpened the hoes. He would tell the children tales of the early days in the valley.

Sarah was frail and often had poor health, yet she had a sweet spirit and was very humble and unselfish. She was thoughtful of her neighbors and family and was always willing to help those in need. Some years later, Sarah took sick, and she and James were taken to the home of her foster daughter to be cared for. She died at Lottie’s home on February 27, 1944 and was buried in the Whitney Cemetery three days later. Sarah and James had lived in Whitney for over 59 years before Sarah died.

After the death of his wife, James lived with Raymond during the summer months and with Lottie during the winter months. In 1946, James had a very bad sick spell that caused him to lose his sight in one eye. All during this sickness, however, he was very patient and kind and full of faith. He had the elders come often and administer to him. He testified that it was through these blessings that he was healed. After his recovery, he was unable to read or pass his time listening to the radio. He found pleasure in reminiscing in the past and loved to relate his faith-promoting stories to those that came to visit him. During the late winter and early spring months of 1951 while living with Lottie, he became very ill. Each day he became weaker and quite helpless. He was nearly ninety years of age at this time, and the many years of hard work and pioneering had indeed made him humble and most faithful. He was truly prepared for the Kingdom of God and ready to be received by our Heavenly Father when he died April 23, 1951. He was buried in the Whitney Cemetery by his beloved wife, overlooking the little farming community he loved and had helped to pioneer.

He was survived by his son, Raymond, four grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren, his foster daughter, Lottie, and her three children, and thirteen foster great-grandchildren.

1 son called Raymond and 1 Foster daughter called Lottie who lived to 102.