JOHN FOWLKE AND HARRIET RAYNOR


 
 



John Fowlke was born 26 December 1803, in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. He was the son of John Fowlke and Hannah Mee. A history of John Fowlke states: "John Fowlke was the son of John Fowlke and Hannah Mee, the eighth child in a family of twelve children. He was a wood turner by trade while residing in England. He married Harriet Raynor June 14, 1823 in Nottingham, England." (Life History of John Fowlke, II; www.fowlkefamily.org)


John married Harriet Raynor in 1823 in Nottingham. Harriet Raynor was born in Nottingham on 10 September 1803, the daughter of Catherine Frost Raynor. Eleven children were born to John and Harriet in Nottingham: Catherine, John, Harriet, Drucilla, Eliza, Emma, William, Louisa, Frederick, Sarah, and Clara. Harriet and Emma died before becoming adults. 


 

1851 English census, Nottingham


The Fowlke family are found at 34 Island Street in St. Mary's parish, Nottingham in the 1851 census. The census shows:

John Fowlke, head, married, 50, Engeneer, born in Nottingham
Harriett Fowlke, wife, married, 49, born in Nottingham
Elizabeth Fowlke, daughter, 26, Lace mender, born in Nottingham
Drucilla Fowlke, daughter, 20, Lace mender, born in Nottingham
William Fowlke, son, 15, Coach builder, born in Nottingham
Loisa Fowlke, daughter 11, Lace mender, born in Nottingham
Fredrick Fowlke, son, 8, scholar, born in Nottingham
Sarah Fowlke, daughter, 6, scholar, born in Nottingham
Clara Fowlke, daughter, 3, scholar, born in Nottingham


A history of John Fowlke describes how the family was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: The gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was brought to the attention of John and Harriet by their daughter Louisa. Several members of the family joined the church. Louisa joined the church on Dec 7, 1854. John and three other children were baptized on February 24, 1855." (Life History of John Fowlke, II; www.fowlkefamily.org) This caused some division in the family: "Three other children, Catherine Elizabeth, John, and William remained in England. John and William were engineers. They refused to have anything to do with the family after they joined the church. They were both strong and powerful men. One of them whipped the wrestling champ in a fight in a public house." (Life History of John Fowlke, II; www.fowlkefamily.org)


The Latter-Day Saint missionaries contacted the family. John and Harriet, and five of their children embraced the gospel. Louisa was the first to be baptized in 1854. She was only fourteen years old at the time. Her father John was baptized in 1855. It is not known when Harriet was baptized. Of the other children, Eliza and her husband, Elias Aston, were baptized in 1856; Frederick, Sarah, and Clara were also baptized. Like thousands of other British converts, the family was "waiting for the missionaries to find them, and when they heard the message, they believed, were baptized, told their friends, adored and cared for those who had brought the message. and prepared to leave the Babylon of the world for the kingdom of God being built in America...Beside being willing to accept the missionaries' testimonies about the restoration of the original Church of Christ spoken of in the Bible, these British Saints also obeyed the counsel to gather to Zion. Before the end of the century, some fifty-five thousand had crossed the ocean and the continental U.S. to make their homes in the West. Not all were enthusiastic to come, but most, perhaps the most converted, scrimped and saved until they had enough to pay passage for a family." ("Truth Prevailing"; Douglas F. Tobler; Ensign, July 1987)

 

To aid the immigrants in their desire to join the Saints in Zion, the Church in 1849 created the Perpetual Emigration Fund. The fund helped the costs of the trip, but the family was expected to reimburse the fund after settling in Utah. John and Harriet, and the younger children immigrated to America on the ship Underwriter. The European Emigration Card Index shows:
 

Foulkes, John     (57)   Turner

              Harriet (57)    Wife

              Frederick (18) Joiner

              Sarah Ann (15)Spinster

              Clara    (13)

              Louise  (20)

              Arthur* (2)   *Louise's son
 

The ship sailed from Liverpool on April 23, 1861. On board ship "the agent appointed a president and two counselors (usually missionaries returning to America) to preside over the company. After receiving the sustaining vote of the group, the presidency divided the company into wards or branches, usually along the lines of the travelers's home districts. Each ward or branch was then provided with presiding officers and assigned a separate portion of the ship...Once underway, the emigrants were expected to rise at an early hour, clean their quarters, assemble for prayer, and then eat breakfast. Contemporary observers were impressed by the prevailing order, cleanliness, and decency aboard Mormon ships. Charles Dickens described the Mormon emigrants in a chapter of The Uncommon Traveler:
 
 

"They had not been a couple of hours on board when they established their own police, made their own regulations, and set their own watches at all the hatchways. Before nine o'clock the ship was as orderly and quiet as a man-of-war...there was no disorder, hurry, or difficulty...I afterwards learned that a Despatch was sent home by the captain, before he struck out into the wide Atlantic, highly extolling the behavior of these Emigrants and the perfect order and propriety of all their social arrangements."
 
 

Converts often arrived on the American frontier with only a short time to prepare for the trek to Utah...To economize, emigrants were expected to purchase cotton fabric for the wagon covers in England and stitch it during the voyage." (The Mormon Experience; Leonard J. Arrington). The Fowlkes's ship took six weeks to cross the ocean. Another passenger on the Underwriter, Charles W. Penrose awoke one morning to find that a mother rat had given birth in his shoe during the night. (Life on Board a Mormon Emigrant Ship; David H. Pratt and Paul F. Smart). Sometimes the ship made no progress because of the lack of wind to fill the sails.. They rejoiced when they arrived in New York on May 22.
 
 

From the Millennial Star: “The clipper ship Underwriter cleared on the 22nd instant, and sailed on the evening of the 23rd, from this port for New York, having 624 Saints on board, under the presidency of Elder Milo Andrus, assisted by Elders Homer Duncan and C.W. Penrose as counselors. Presidents Lyman, Rich, and Cannon visited the ship on Sunday, the 21st, as she lay in the river, and held a meeting, giving the Saints their parting blessing and many choice instructions relative to their journey. The unanimity and good feeling which pervaded the deliverance having arrived, tended to make a fine and intelligent looking company double interesting; and we have no doubt that, under the wise direction of President Andrus their ocean trip will prove both agreeable and instructive. May God bless them in their journeyings onwards to the home of the Saints in the valley of the mountains!” (Millennial Star, May 4, 1861)
 
 

“The clipper ship Underwriter sailed from Liverpool, with 624 Saints, under the presidency of Milo Andrus, Homer Duncan and Charles William Penrose. The company arrived at New York May 22nd, and at Florence (Nebraska) June 2nd.” (Millennial Star, Apr 23, 1861)
 

The family then proceeded to the outfitting station at Council Bluffs, Iowa. At the outfitting station the immigrants were provided with "one wagon, two yoke of oxen, two cows, and a tent." (The Mormon Experience; Arrington). The Journal History of the Church shows "John Foulke and family" joined Capt. Ira Eldredge's ox train to travel over the plains to Salt Lake City. (Journal History, Sept. 15, 1861). The Fowlkes family was unaccustomed to the hardships and way of life that lay before them. They were city people and used to city life. They cared for and drove an ox team across the plains. The family walked alongside the wagon most of the 1500 miles. When at Florence, Nebraska, the Saints suffered much from the severe rain and thunder storms. They arrived at Salt Lake City on 15 September 1861.
 

It was with relief and joy that the family found that "whether they arrived by wagon, handcart, or railroad, the immigrants were greeted warmly in Utah...The already established Saints were under instructions to take the new arrivals into their homes, care for them, and provide employment until they could begin to farm or practice their own occupations. The sense of gathering was confirmed by the food and festivities that welcomed immigrants in Emigration Square. Soon afterward they dispersed to the colonies scattered throughout the Great Basin. The dispersal began with a "placement meeting" attended by all local bishops. Each was asked how many families could be absorbed into his ward for the winter and what special skill were desirable." (The Mormon Experience; Arrington).
 

John Fowlke's skills as a machinist and engineer were needed in Zion. Leonard Arrington in The Mormon Experience tells us, "Suffused with a desire to promote economic independence, the church became involved in nearly every important industrial development during the first two decades of settlement...Most American-born Mormons were lifelong farmers possessing few industrial skills. Foreign converts, on the other hand, tended to be craftsmen and mechanics, reflecting in the variety of their skills the higher stage of industrialization Europe had achieved. Quick to recognize the importance of this expertise to his dream of building an independent commonwealth, Brigham Young instructed church agents and missionaries in Great Britain to seek out skilled workers, especially iron manufacturers, metal workers, textile manufacturers, and potters. Such persons were to be encourage to "emigrate immediately...in preference to anyone else." Each of the major industrial enterprises attempted by the church during the first decade drew upon European converts for technical expertise."
 

The family settled in Pleasant Grove in 1861. It was a peaceful farming community in the Utah Valley, founded in 1850, with groves of cottonwood trees, and sparkling streams of fresh water. It appears that John married a plural wife, Elizabeth Carlin in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City on 8 July 1865.
 

In the 1870 census of Pleasant Grove, John and Harriet are found living next to their son Frederick and his family, along with Elizabeth Fowlke, age 57:
 
 

1870 census, Pleasant Grove, Utah County, Utah



In the 1880 census of Pleasant Grove, John and Harriet Fowlke are shown living in Pleasant Grove next to their son, Frederick and his family, and their daughter Clara, now married to James Cullimore. Elizabeth is shown as a boarder and is using her maiden name.
 
 

1880 census, Pleasant Grove


James and Clara’s daughter, Elizabeth, remembers that when just a small girl she loved to go to her grandmother’s house and wash off all the chairs with a rag. Daughter Eliza and her husband Elias Aston were near neighbors. John worked as a machinist and engineer, and a farmer. John and Harriet, like other British Saints, "most of whom gained no fame except that chiseled into the lives of a grateful and expanding posterity, became part of the bedrock of the growing kingdom." (The Mormon Experience; Arrington). John was active in the priesthood, and was ordained a High Priest. His photograph in Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah shows a man of determination and courage. The description which accompanies the photo states:
 

"FOWLKE, JOHN (son of John Fowlke and Anna May, both of Nottingham, Eng.). Born Dec. 26, 1803. Came to Utah Sept. 17, 1861, Horace S. Eldredge company.
 

Married Harriet Raynor about 1823 at Nottingham, Eng. (daughter of Mr. Raynor and Catherine Frost, of Nottingham, pioneers Sept. 17, 1861, Horace S. Eldredge company). Their children: Catherine Elizabeth b. Sept. 24, 1824, m. Thomas Windle; John b. April 20, 1826, m. Susannah Bonner; Harriet b. Sept. 20, 1828, died; Drucilla b. Dec. 22, 1830, m. William Aston; Eliza b. April 20, 1832, m. Elias Aston; Emma b. Aug. 4, 1836, died; William b. Nov. 11, 1837; Lueza b. May 26, 1840, m. William Marrott; Frederick b. July 21, 1842, m. Elizabeth Cook; Sarah Ann b. Feb. 15, 1845, m. John Truscott; Clara b. Dec. 28, 1847, m. James Cullimore. Family home Lindon, Utah.
 

High priest. Machinist and engineer; farmer. Died at Lindon." (Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah; Frank Esshom).
 

He died 9 March 1886, at his home in Lindon, and was buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery. Harriet lived two more years, and died in Mt. Pleasant on 13 September 1888. She was buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery with her husband.


 

ANCESTRY OF JOHN FOWLKE

From "Genealogy of William Marrott and Louisa Fowlke, LDS Pioneers"
By Kenneth C. Bullock


JOHN FOWLKE, son of John Fowlke and Hannah Mee (May), was b. 26 Dec. 1803, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 1823, HARRIET RAYNOR, at St. Mary's, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; d. 9 Mar. 1886, Pleasant Grove, Utah, Utah; bur. Pleasant Grove, Utah, Utah. Harriet was b. 10 Sept. 1803, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; chr. 25 Sept. 1803, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; dau. of Samuel Raynor and Catherine Frost; d. 13 Sept. 1888, Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah; bur. Pleasant Grove, Utah, Utah. John and Harriet had the following children:
 

1. Catherine Elizabeth Fowlke, b. 24 Sept. 1824, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. Thomas Windell; d. 1912.

2. John Fowlke, Jr., b. 20 Apr. 1826, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. Susannah Bonner; d. Apr. 1901.

3. Harriet Fowlke, b. 20 Sept. 1828, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; d. 25 Mar. 1842; unmd.

4. Drucilla Fowlke, b. 22 Dec. 1830, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 22 June 1856, William Aston; d. 28 Jan. 1877.

5. Eliza Fowlke, b. 20 Apr. 1832, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 5 Jan 1851, Elias Aston; d. 31 Jan. 1917.

6. Emma Fowlke, b. 4 Aug. 1836, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; d. 10 Aug. 1839; unmd.

7. William Fowlke, b. 11 Nov. 1837, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 25 Mar. 1860, Rachel Chapman.

8. Louisa Fowlke, b. 26 May 1840, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. (1) 9 Feb. 1862, William Marrott; md. (2) 8 Feb 1901, Lorenzo Waldram; d. 29 Jan. 1913.

9. Frederick Fowlke, b. 21 July 1842, Nottingham, Nottingham, England, md. 17 Nov. 1866 Elizabeth Cook; d. 8 Apr. 1905.

10. Sarah Ann Fowlke, b. 14 Feb. 1844, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 22 Feb. 1862, John Truscott; d. 20 Aug. 1919.

11. Clara Fowlke, b. 28 Dec. 1847, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 10 Feb. 1864, James Cullimore; d. 13 Nov. 1927.
 
 
 
 

JOHN FOWLKE, son of William Fowlke and Lydia Cowley, was b. abt. 1767, Darley Abbey, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England; md. 5 Mar. 1792, Hannah Mee (May), at St. Alkmunds, Derby, England; d. 7 Sept. 1846, Nottingham, Nottingham, England, Hannah was b. abt 1770, Darley Abbey, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England; dau. of Jacob Mee and Catherine Abbot; d. 25 Jan. 1849, Nottingham, Nottingham, England. John and Hannah had the following children:

1. Mary Fowlke, b. 2 Oct. 1792, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. John Fry; d. 25 Jan. 1854.

2. Hannah Fowlke, b. 3 Dec. 1793, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 21 Dec. 1817, Griffin Cant.

3.Catherine Fowlke, b. 26 Apr. 1796, Nottingham, Nottingham, England.

4. William Fowlke, B. 26 Oct. 1797, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 17 July 1825, Catherine Wilkins.

5. Elizabeth Fowlke, b. 1 Sept. 1799, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 4 Feb. 1822, George Ellis.

6. Alice Fowlke, b. 3 Feb. 1801, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 14 Feb. 1819, John Hinton.

7. Sarah Fowlke, b. 14 Aug. 1802, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; d. in infancy.

8. (X) John Fowlke, b. 26 Dec. 1803, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 1823, Harriet Raynor; d. 9 Mar. 1886.

9. Sarah Fowlke, b. 17 May 1805, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. Mr. Bywater.

10. James Fowlke, b. 1 Nov. 1807, Nottingham, Nottingham, England.

11. Rebecca Fowlke, b. 18 July 1809, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 18 Aug. 1839, Griffin Cant.

12.Samuel Fowlke, b. 24 May 1811, Nottingham, Nottingham, England.
 
 
 

WILLIAM FOWLKE, was b. abt. 1726, of Quarn, Derby, England, md. 1751, LYDIA COWLEY, at Duffield, Derby, England. She was b. abt. 1730, of Quarn, Derby, England. William and Lydia had the following children:
 

1.(X) John Fowlke, b. abt 1767, Darley Abbey, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England; md. 5 Mar. 1792, Hannah Mee (May), d. 7 Sept. 1846.

2. Martha Fowlke, b. 26 Aug. 1769, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England.

3. Lydia Fowlke, b. 11 Sept. 1772, Quardon, Derby, England.
 
 
 

JACOB MEE, was b. abt. 1731, of St. Alkmunds, Derby, England; md. 1756, CATHERINE ABBOT, at St. Alkmunds, Derby, England. Jacob and Catherine had the following children:
 

1. Phoebe Mee, chr. 22 May 1758, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England.

2. John Mee, chr. 20 May 1763, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England.

3. (X) Hannah Mee (May), b. abt. 1770, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England; md. 5 Mar. 1792, John Fowlke; d. 25 Jan. 1849.

4.Jacob Mee, chr. 19 July 1772, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England.

5. Josiah Mee, chr. 5 Feb. 1775, St. Alkmunds, Derby, England.
 
 
 

SAMUEL RAYNOR, b. abt. 1772, of Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. (1) Sarah; md. (2) 30 Oct. 1797, CATHERINE FROST, at Nottingham, Nottingham, England; d. abt. 1800. Catherine was chr. 2 Aug 1778, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; dau. of Thomas Frost and Sarah. Samuel and Catherine had one child, Elizabeth, then he died. Catherine had four children after his death. These children are as follows:
 

1. Elizabeth Raynor, chr. 1 Apr. 1798, Nottingham, Nottingham. England.

2. Samuel Raynor, chr. 11 Apr. 1802, Nottingham, Nottingham, England.

3. (X) Harriet Raynor, b. 10 Sept. 1803, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; chr. 25 Sept. 1803, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 1823, John Fowlke; d. 13 Sept. 1888.

4. William Raynor, b. 1804, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; bur. 14 Dec. 1804; unmd.

5. William Raynor, chr. 16 Feb. 1806, Nottingham, Nottingham, England.
 
 
 
 

THOMAS FROST, b. abt 1752, of Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. Sarah. She was b. abt 1756, of Nottingham, Nottingham, England. Thomas and Sarah had the following children:
 

1. (X) Catherine Frost, chr. 2 Aug. 1778, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; md. 30 Oct. 1797, Samuel Raynor.

2. Joseph Frost, chr. 20 Aug. 1782, Nottingham, Nottingham, England.

3. Hannah Frost, b. abt. 1784, Nottingham, Nottingham, England; bur. 9 Feb 1786.
 
 


 

FAMILY GROUP RECORD OF
JOHN FOWLKE
AND HARRIET RAYNOR




JOHN FOWLKE, son of John Fowlke and Hannah Mee, was b. 26 Dec. 1803, Nottingham, Nottingham, England He married 1) Harriet Raynor 14 July 1823 at Radford, Nottingham, England, and 2) Elizabeth Carlin 8 July 1865 in Salt Lake City, Utah. John died 9 Mar. 1886 in Pleasant Grove, Utah, Utah. Harriet was born 10 Sept. 1803, Nottingham, Nottingham, England, and christened 25 Sept. 1803, in Nottingham, Nottingham, England. She was the daughter of Catherine Frost. Her father is listed in family records, however she was born after the death of Samuel Raynor, and was listed as illegitimate on the parish records. Harriet died 13 Sept. 1888, in Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah. John and Harriet had the following children:
 

1. Catherine Elizabeth, born 24 September 1824, in Nottingham; married. Thomas Windell; died in 1912.

2. John, born 20 April 1826, in Nottingham; married Susannah Bonner; died in April of 1901.

3. Harriet, born 20 September 1828 in Nottingham; died 25 March 1842.

4. Drucilla, born 22 December 1830 in Nottingham; married William Aston 22 June 1856; died 28 January 1877.

5. Eliza, born 20 April 1832 in Nottingham; married Elias Aston 5 January 1851 in Nottingham; died 31 January 1917 in Lindon, Utah.

6. Emma, born 4 August 1836 in Nottingham; died 10 August 1839.

7. William, born 11 November 1837 in Nottingham; married Rachel Chapman 25 March 1860.

8. Louisa, born 26 May 1840 in Nottingham; married William Marrott 9 February 1862, then Lorenzo Waldram 8 February 1901; died 29 January 1913.

9. Frederick, born 21 July 1842 in Nottingham; married Elizabeth Cook 17 November 1866; died 8 April 1905.

10. Sarah Ann, born 14 February 1844 in Nottingham; married John Truscott 22 February 1862; died 20 August 1919.

11. Clara, born 28 December 1847 in Nottingham; married James Cullimore 10 February 1864; died 13 November 1927.
 

SOURCE: IGI, “Genealogy of William Marrott and Louisa Fowlke”, Kenneth Bullock, 929.273 M349b; 1841 English census, St. Mary, Nottingham; 1870 census, Pleasant Grove, Utah; 1880 census, Pleasant Grove, Utah; Life History of John Fowlke, II, on www.fowlkefamily.org.
 
 



If you have any additional information about this family, please contact me at alice@boydhouse.com.
 
 

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