Elizabeth Stewart Marriott — Biography

Elizabeth Stewart was born in Colmworth, Bedfordshire, England April 12, 1829, the daughter of Charles Stewart, a miller by trade, and Sophia Tingey. Sophia Tingey died when Elizabeth was five years old and Elizabeth grieved over her mother's death for many years, wishing she had someone to comfort her. She often sat under the weeping willow trees praying for help. Her only sister married shortly after her mother's death and moved twenty-five miles away. Her father was working his mill most of the time and her brother, who was five years her senior, attended to all her needs. Later her father remarried; Elizabeth felt that Sarah Kempton, Charles Stewart's second wife, was not kind to her, so she left home and hired out.

In November, 1846, Charles Stewart died. At his deathbed, his sister, Caroline, was blessed with the “gift of tongues". She later blessed all of Elizabeth's brothers and sisters and told them that Mormonism was the true Church of God; that this was their father's testimony to them, but that he had been too weak to tell them. After his death, Elizabeth lived with her uncle for a short period, but left to live with two old maid aunts because she felt her uncle treated her badly. She was later employed at a gentleman's house, where she learned to read and to cook.

On October 11, 1848, Elizabeth was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Bedford, England, by William Burbage. She was employed doing domestic work and only had four hours off on Sunday to attend Church, which was five miles away. She would run most of the way and she was so sincere in her Church that it was a pleasure for her to attend.
In 1852, her brother told her he intended to go to the Valley of the Mountains in Utah. She did not wish to stay be­hind, but she did not have enough money to make the trip. She prayed to the Lord for help and by working until the last day before sailing and by selling her black silk dress and a good shawl, she found enough money to buy her fare. She had one shilling left when she sailed. Elizabeth Stewart and her brother, William, were the only members of that family who joined the Church and came to Utah.
They left Liverpool, England and crossed the ocean on the James Pennel, along with two hundred thirty-six Saints. The crossing took two months and the weather was so bad that the sails were torn from the masts. All, however, landed safely at New Orleans on October 22, 1849. From there, they went up the Mississippi River, arriving in St. Louis on December 3, 1851. William Stewart, in the spring of 1852, traveled on to Zion, while Elizabeth remained in St. Louis and found work.

In April of that year, Elizabeth, while carrying a kero­sene lamp, was badly burned when the lamp exploded. Scaharo­lette Swife, a native of England, took care of Elizabeth after the accident. She later migrated to Utah and married William Matthews of Tooele County, by whom she had eight children.

In 1853, Elizabeth immigrated to Utah in the Hyrum Clawson Company, consisting of fifty wagons and ox teams; she had to walk the fifteen hundred miles from Kirkland to Salt Lake City. She was penniless when she arrived and found that most people were too poor to hire help, but she was finally able to hire out as a domestic in return for room and board.

Shortly after she arrived in Utah, while looking out the window, she saw a man coming toward the house and the Spirit said to her, "This man is to be your husband". A few days later, he came again to the house and asked her to be­come his wife. She was thoroughly convinced that he was the man the Lord wanted her to marry and so on February 26, 1854, Elizabeth Stewart and John Marriott were married in the en­dowment house in Salt Lake City. She was a polygamy wife and had many trials to endure, but she did not regret her marriage. They lived in Kaysville, Utah, until June 4, 1855, when they moved to a place in Weber County which had not been settled yet; it was named Marriott, after Elizabeth's husband.

In the year 1858, they went south with the Saints at the time of Johnson's army. On the way, they stopped in Salt Lake City for three weeks. While there, John Marriott's wives succeeded in weaving a sort of wagon cover which protected them while traveling in the hot sun. The Saints were promised that they would be provided with food if they would go south and meet Johnson's army. When they returned, they found a volunteer crop of barley. This they lived on until their crops were ready.

In 1855, Elizabeth was chosen Relief Society teacher. Sister Bigington was put in the same time. They visited Marriott, Linn, Mt. Fort and reported their visits to Ogden. The first meetings were held in the old council house of Ogden. Sister Palmer was President at the time. On April 27, 1880, Elizabeth was chosen President of the Primary Association in the Ward by Bishop James Ritchie, who fasted and prayed before choosing her. She remained President for twenty years, resigning in 1903 of her own will because she felt younger people could carryon better; she was seventy­-five at the time. She also taught Sunday School for ten years and served as counselor in the Relief Society. In addition, she was blessed with the "gift of tongues".

When Susannah Folk (Susan Fox), John Marriott's first wife, died, Elizabeth raised her eight children. She also bore the following children to John Marriott: Elizabeth , born April 22, 1855, married David S. Tracy on November 13, 1872; Moroni Stewart, born October 31, 1857, married Rose W. Parry on January 29, l879; Ann Treazer, born August 7, 1859, married Bernard Parry in 1873; Louise, born October 28, 1862; Esther Amelia, born December 6, 1863, married Frederick Brown in 1881; Hyrum Willard, born December 6, 1863, married Ellen Morris on December 1, 1897; Caroline Emma, born April 8, 1866, married James Hewett on October 12, 1898; Ellen Maria, born March 6, 1868, married James B. Morris on February 21, 1900; paviq Charles, born May 13, 1872, married Maude Kimball in October, 1894; and Frances Sophia, born February 26,1861, married Caleb Parry on February 18, 1878.

Elizabeth Stewart Marriott died on February 10, 1914 at Marriott, Utah.