GEORGE THOMAS PRICE &
REBECCA SEARLE & ADELIZA ALGER
Adeliza
(Pictures of George Thomas Price and Rebecca Searle are not yet available)
Adeliza
(Pictures of George Thomas Price and Rebecca Searle are not yet available)
Thank you for visiting - I do hope that you will find something/someone of interest to you in your search for family history within my great-grandparents family.This page will be added to for a long time, as I suspect it will take that long to gather histories and pictures of Grandpa and Grandma Price and their children, as well as who all of their descendants are. But I'm going to update it as I get information. Any mistakes, or errors are not intentional and may be in the original data or in my entering that data, so be patient and write to me and let me know about any that you see and I'll correct them.
Contents:
Ancestors Descendants Photo Album
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -
HEADSTONE PROJECT FOR GEORGE THOMAS PRICE, SR.
We replaced the headstone with a new one in 2004. It cost about $1845. Money was collected from family members. To every one who contributed, your donation was greatly appreciated.
This is a picture of his head stone in 2002
This was the condition of it in 2004, broken and laying down
.
These are pictures of the newly installed headstone - front and back
Following is an account written by Kenneth Price Staheli Nov. 13, 1955. Most of it was given him by Joseph Adelbert Price (his grandfather). This account is about the events leading up to George's death, and is also found on Joseph Adelbert's page.
(Soon after Bert's mother, Rebecca, died in 1885,) My father decided to move back to St. George. He put Don and me in a covered wagon it was in January and cold. It took us ten hard days of traveling to get there. After we reached St. George we moved in with Uncle Joe Price and Aunt Ann. (Joe Price was Tom Price’s youngest brother) She was a sister to Uncle Bill Alger. Aunt Addie, my stepmother was also a sister to Bill. After my father married Aunt Addie they had three children, Lawrence, Erma and Andrew who always went by the name of Biz Price.My Father had a lot of horses and cattle and ran them in the Washington Fields. He was always busy working at something. He was one of the best cowboys in those days and was not afraid of any horse. From what old timers say he could ride any horse, bareback or any way. One time he walked from Hebron over to Holt‘s ranch, about six miles east of where Enterprise now is to get an unbroke horse that they had correlled for him. He started to walk home and lead it, but he decided that was too far to walk across that old long desert. He had a hackamore and a rope, and he took his jumper and tied it on for a blind, then climbed on and pulled the blind up. Later he said the horse took turns bucking and running, but along late in the afternoon he rode into Hebron on him. He spent most of his time alone in the mountains working and breaking horses. We hauled all our wood from the Bunkerville Summit, so called the Indian Farm Summit. Up next to the top of the Summit was where my father was killed.
We left St. George Friday morning and after traveling most of the day we reached the top of the Summit. We made our camp in the bottom of the canyon. Dad left me in camp while he went up the top to see if he could find some wood for the next days load. I can remember just as plain as if it was yesterday seeing my Dad as he walked up that hill from camp.
Early the next morning we hitched up our team to go get our load of wood. We left our camp stuff there as it was only about one mile to the top where we would get our load. I can remember just the way my Dad stood as he cut down those big trees to load the wagon. He was a real ax-man. After a lot of hard work we finally had our load of wood. As we left the top of the hill it was so steep we had to rough lock the left hind wheel. We just got started down when the front wheel lodged against a large rock. As we were unable to get over it, dad got off the wagon to cut a small tree to pry the rock away from the wheel. He had me stand in front and hold the horses. I can remember how nervous they acted as he was trying to get the rock away from the wheel. Dad just got back on the wagon when the horses took off like a flash down the steep grade.
Dad had told me to walk because it was so rough and steep. As they ran down the hill Dad was thrown off the wagon. When he was thrown he held on to the lines and as they went through the brush and rocks he was pulled under the wagon. He was dragged and forced to let loose the lines. The rough locked wheel ran over his chest. After a short distance the wagon tipped over and away went the horses with the neck yoke and double trees. I hurried down to see what had happened to Dad. He told me he felt like he was crushed to jelly. I ran to camp to get some quilts to make Dad as comfortable as possible. He told me to go catch the horses and take the harness off. He said to get on old Mack and go to St. George and get Dr. Ashby. This was a distance of about 20 miles and I was a boy 14 years old.
One of the horses had fallen down and couldn’t get up or I probably wouldn’t have been able to have caught them. I jumped on Old Mack and started running as Dad told me he didn’t think he would be alive when I got back. I ran that horse as fast as he could go. As we came up the grade out of Santa Clara my horse was winded. As we reached the top he got his second wind. We barely made it to St. George. The lather was pushed up in front of my legs like a saddle when I got to Dr. Ashby’s he was out of town. So Dr. Higgins and Aunt Addie went back to get Dad in a one horse buggy. Most of the people in town came out too. As I was coming in to St. George, shortly after leaving Dad, I met some other wood haulers. They said they would go see about him. Dr. Higgins and Aunt Addie met them coming in with dad. They met near the Indian reservation. They said he died just as they put him into their wagon. This was Nov. 13, 1896. He was taken to St. George and buried there.
Rebecca Searle - still gathering history
Sketch of the Life of Adeliza Alger.
Written by Mr. & Mrs. Albert E. Miller for the Daughters of Utah PioneersAdeliza Alger was born August 9,1851 not long after her father, mother and two sisters arrived in Salt Lake Valley. Her parents, John and Sarah Pulsipher Alger, were converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John Alger was a mechanic and after the Saints were driven from Nauvoo, Illinois he remained at Winter Quarters building wagons for the trip across the plains.
When Addie, as she was known, was a young girl the family moved to the “Cotton Mission” locating at St. George. Here she grew to womanhood. Her schooling was limited but she learned to work and save.
In 1869 she was married to Andrew B. (Bird) McArthur, who was the son of Daniel D. McArthur. He was born December 23, 1842 at Nauvoo, Illinois. Due to disease or misfortune one leg was shorter than the other. He was compelled to use a crutch with a foot rest on it about three inches from the ground but he was a fine teamster.
The year they were married the railroad had been finished reaching to the Pacific by way of Ogden, Utah and Brigham Young desired that the Territory of Utah be provided with this means of transportation. The people were urged to help in extending the railroad down as far south as York, Juab County 240 miles from St. George.
Andrew had been freighting from California but now he changed his route to the northern supply center. The mines of Pioche, Nevada and Silver Reef, Utah opened up and there was a call for the freighting of great supplies of goods and machinery to these camps.
Addie had no children so she went with Andrew, Joseph Price (her brother-in-law), A.D. (Dan) Miller, Orson Foster and others, she driving one team while Andrew drove another. They spent most of the time on the road. In this way they prospered and were able to purchase a farm in the Washington fields. In this way they raised hay and grain to help feed their fine freight teams. They procured a ranch in Dameron Valley which they stocked with cattle. They brought the home of her father and mother and built a large addition to it. They then secured a piece of land across the Diagonal street from the house (the SE corner of Diagonal & 200 W), where they built a barn and feed stalls to care for their own stock and others.
On March 25, 1882 Andrew died leaving Addie a young widow, after thirteen years of thrift and prosperity, to manage the affairs.
The next year, a mother in the neighborhood died leaving a family of small children in destitute conditions. Addie took one of the little girls and raised her as her own tho she never adopted her. The little girl, Emma Rhoner, was a pretty child and had a good home.
Soon after the death of Andrew, Mother Alger came to make her home with her daughter. The farm had to be rented and Addie’s sister, Ann, and (Ann’s) husband, Joe Price, took over the ranch at Dameron Valley, living on it, milking cows, making butter and cheese, as well as caring for travelers. Addie was a good horse-woman. She had a fine spirited horse called “Toke” on which she put her side saddle to ride around her possessions, overseeing them.
After four years of widowhood she was married to George Thomas Price, (Tom) a brother of Joe’s, a widower with two small boys seven and nine years of age. George T. Price was born at Pisgah, Iowa, July 8, 1847. Now the farm and other interests could be turned over to Tom and the boys. The millinery shop Addie had been building up could have more of her time.
When she wanted new stock she would drive her fine black team and carriage to the railroad put them in good hands, take the train for Salt Lake, do her ordering, then take the train back, get her team and return home. When there wasn't visitors at home, which was seldom, mother Alger directed the hired help.
Tom was a steady, hard worker and the farm was well cared for. The water was a big problem. Many dams had been built at a big cost to be washed out by sweeping floods leaving the crops to dry up before the water could be gotten in again.
In 1890-91 the Washington Field Board of Directors decided to put in a dam and spillway. Addie was much in favor of the project no matter what the cost she was anxious to stand her share. Tom spent weeks working on the huge undertaking while Addie and the boys took care of the feed yard they maintained as well as horses, cows and hogs belonging to the family.
When Silver Reef became a ghost town Addie bought a store over there and had it moved over on her lot. She now put in a line of groceries and dry goods along with her millinery. She now had a big business. She kept a hired girl in the house and one part time in the store. She was usually able to get good reliable girls Martha Baker at one time stayed for three years.
At one time during the operating of the Apex mine she contracted to furnish the boarding house. This required the purchasing of great amounts of food, then packing it to be hauled by team and wagon the twenty-five miles to the mine. Much of this was taken into the store for merchandise. She also furnished Preston Nutter supplies for his employees on his cattle ranch at Parashant. She was on the alert for business. Any new enterprise interested her.
When the need for a bank was seen she was ready to take stock and was a stockholder for as long as she lived. Would Addie help organize an ice manufacturing plant? Certainly, she was ready to take stock, and did. Someone with finance was needed to take stock in the building of the telephone system. Surely Addie would help with such an enterprise, and she did.
William and Ernest Nelson, two progressive young business men saw the need of an up-to-date meat and grocery business. They interested Addie, who financed the young men. They purchased the Henry Riding carpenter shop on East Tabernacle street and carried on a thriving business. Ernest added a lunch counter and confectionary for the benefit of the traveling, as well as the local people. In 1912 they installed a cooling system, by using water from the city water system. This was the first such improvement in this section. They were now able to supply ice to their customers. When Addie was retiring from so much business responsibility she sold, her interest to Wallace B. Mathis who acquired all the stock and operated the store as the Mathis Market. To Addie is due the originating of this thriving business for St. George.
The city was badly in need of a hospital. George Morris and wife, Mame, Addie’s sister, had a large home and had been running a hotel in it. They felt if they sold it they could do a more paying business elsewhere. Addie purchased the building and gave it for a hospital, taking stock to the amount she had paid.
November 13, 1896 Tom was out for a load of wood, the wheel of his wagon struck a large rock the team could not pull over. He got off the load and moved the rock. The team started and before he could move he was crashed to death. What a blow. Addie was again left a widow, this time with six children, and her aged mother, who, when her husband had married other wives and was raising young families, had come to live with Addie the remainder of her life. Mother Alger served as an ordinance worker in the temple for many years. She died January 1, 1909.
At the time of Tom's death the children were Emma Rhoner, stepchildren - Don (Carlos) and Bert (Joseph Adelbert) Price, her own children - Andrew (Bird McArthur), Lawrence, and Sarah Erma. Some time after the sad accident a man came to the house and asked if he might cut wood or do some other work for a meal. He was broke and was disappointed in getting work he had expected. Could she give him work? His name was William Barkhurst. Addie could not turn him away. Don had married and Bert was accepting jobs so she really needed some one who could take care of the farm. He proved to be a pleasant steady fellow, willing to do any thing she asked of him. Many evenings she filled a basket or sack with food and clothing and sent William to take it to some needy person. He was always told to place it where it would be picked up then say nothing about it. Often he ask why, always receiving the assurance the receiver was in need and the giver, happy to give. For nine years he had a home where he was known as Addie’s Friday, or handy man. After a time away he came back for another 3 years. At one time an Indian had been bitten on the arm by a rattlesnake and was rushed to her for bitters from the store. She at once got a prescription for liquor and treated the suffering Indian, his companions remaining to care for him while the liquor counteracted the poison.
It made no difference to her who it was if a person in distress came to her, she ministered to their need. Many people brought wood, lumber, rock salt, or produce of different kinds, telling her their families were in need, she would buy it. Though she might not have use for it she took it and paid well for it.
In the early 1900’s the people of Hebron and others decided to build the Enterprise reservoir. It was a huge undertaking for a people of such limited finances to try to build. But Addie would help by taking stock. This reservoir was constructed and many farms are watered, raising thousand of tons of hay and potatoes and vegetables because of the aid given by such public minded people as Addie Price.
After being a widow for twelve years she married James Bennett Bracken. His wife had died and he needed a companion. They were married June 30, 1908 and for ten years lived a quiet, pleasant life. Bennett was born September 4, 1845 at Madison County, Illinois. His family were pioneers to Utah and The Dixie Cotton Mission. They settled at Pine Valley where Bennett was a prosperous farmer and cattle man. In his middle life he filled a successful mission in Great Britain after which he toured part of Europe. With this experience he was a very interesting talker and companion.
Addie had offers of marriage from wealthy cattle men not of her religious faith but she refused. Though she was not very active in church affairs she always paid an honest tithing. She helped a number of young people through school with finance. As her family married she gave each a home. Don, Andrew and Erma each were given a home at St. George, Bert and Lawrence at Enterprise and Emma Rhoner at Salt Lake City.
After she married Bennett she closed out her store. She had struggled with finances long enough. She always said if one would take care of the nickels and dimes the dollars would take care of themselves. All Addie’s married life she had helped one or another of her family and relatives. Many friends came spending days or even weeks on her hospitality.
After Bennett’s death January 19, 1918 Addie felt she had endured enough and wanted to get away. She bought a home next to her sister, Ann, in Salt Lake where she spent her last years. She died there on July 7,1925 and was buried in Provo, next to her son, Andrew Bird McArthur Price. We say of her she was one who loved her fellow man.
Updated 15 Sep 07
Site owned and maintained by Paul Price
