Sarah Ann Hulks was born in London, England,
in 1823 and received formal schooling as a child, and as she grew, the training
to be a seamstress. She married James Hennefer when she was twenty-three, in
Longson but Burmingham, England, was where their first
child, Lehi Hennefer, was born on July 5, 1847.
Sarah and James joined the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and yearned for the opportunity to come to
America and join the Saints
in Utah. For
several years they scrimped and saved then one day James came home with
depressing news, his brother William was going to America, now, without them.
Sarah volunteered to pawn a
precious wedding present, her silver spoons. James gratefully accepted the
gesture and received enough money to help pay for their six week journey on a
wind vessel to America.
James sent from America,
the money to retrieve the spoons and they became a talisman of security to the
couple, being pawned and retrieved several times during their marriage. The
spoons were an inheritance divided among their children.
Somewhere between St.
Louis, Missouri, and Kanesville, Iowa,
Sarah gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte Hennefer, who died shortly afterward
and was left in a grave beside the trail. James and Sara lived in Kanesville
for two years working to continue their journey.
In 1853, they completed their
sojourn and arrived in Utah
with the Hodgett Wagon Train. They lived in Salt
Lake for a while, and then with James'
brother, William and his family, moved to a beautiful valley on the banks of
the Weber River in what is now Summit
County, Utah. Summers
were spent in their mountain ranch and winters in Salt Lake City.
They took up 100 acres of land
right on the Mormon Trail and there they built a sturdy log house. The windows
were barred shutters, the door4s made of heavy planks, and the floors firmly
packed clay blocks laid as close together as possible, a heavy dried mud roof
completed the house.
They settled permanently in
Henefer, one of the two first families. Sarah was an expert glove maker and
seamstress. She taught school and she and another woman made the first American
flag to fly over Henefer.
Sarah died in her own home on
August 19, 1880, and is buried beside her husband in Henefer.
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I hope that this blog will be a resource for family and distant relatives seeking to learn more about our pioneer roots. Any additional information or pictures would be very welcome. Feel free to contact me at spanomegos@hotmail.com.