Cartwright

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Sharp – Cartwright Wedding

Mary Ann (Bailey) and William Sharp — son of Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright

George and Ann (Matthews) Cartwright of Misson, Nottinghamshire, and Thomas and Anne (Stennett) Sharp of Misson, Nottinghamshire, announce the marriage of their daughter Elizabeth Cartwright to Thomas Sharp on 29 December 1823 at the parish church of St John the Baptist, Misson. The witnesses were Sarah Hunt and John Parkin.

The Cartwrights and the Sharps were both Misson families. The Cartwrights had been there for generations, Elizabeth’s grandfather John Cartwright (1730–1814) and grandmother Mary Amcoats (1742–1790) had married in Misson in 1761. Her father George Cartwright was baptized there on 3 February 1774. Her mother Ann Matthews was christened 14 September 1783 in Everton, Nottinghamshire, a village approximately eight miles southeast of Misson. Ann was the daughter of Edmund Matthews of Everton and his wife Hannah Broads, a widow who had previously been married to William Wilson of Everton. Edmund and Hannah had married in Everton on 21 May 1782. George Cartwright was nine years older than Ann Matthews. Their marriage banns were published on 23 January 1803 and they married on 1 February 1803, Elizabeth was born and baptized ten months later, on 20 December 1803. Ann Matthews Cartwright does not appear in subsequent census or other records. Her death date and burial place remain unknown.

Edmund Matthews’s will, made 27 November 1810 and proved 25 February 1820, names “Ann the wife of George Cartwright of Misson” as one of his two daughters and heirs. The estate included two tenements and dwellinghouses at Everton and a close called the Clay Field Close of approximately three acres. The will also left twenty pounds and a chest of drawers to Mary Brougham, Hannah’s daughter from her first marriage to William Wilson and Ann Matthews’s half-sister, just two years her senior. Mary Wilson had been a witness at Ann’s marriage to George Cartwright on 1 February 1803, and had married John Brougham in the years between that wedding and the writing of Edmund’s will in 1810. Under the will, Hannah received the life interest in the property. Only after Hannah’s death in September 1835 would Ann and her sister Elizabeth Matthews inherit their shares. Elizabeth Matthews had married William Brown in 1814. When William Brown died in 1846, Elizabeth returned to Everton, and her children maintained connections between Misson and Everton across the following generations. Annie Thompson records that George Beighton, whom Ann married in June 1823, gambled away her money at the Doncaster races. The timing is suggestive: Ann’s inheritance from the Matthews Everton estate would have arrived in 1835, twelve years after the Beighton marriage. If Beighton dissipated that inheritance at Doncaster, Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp, then 31 years old, would have witnessed it directly. The will is the source of the “wealth and refinement” tradition in Annie Thompson’s account, the Matthews family owned real property in Everton, modest but substantial for a labouring community.

Will of Edmund Matthews of Everton, Nottinghamshire, made 27 November 1810, proved 25 February 1820. Names “Ann the wife of George Cartwright of Misson” as heir.

The Sharps had traveled a longer road to Misson. Thomas Sharp’s father, Thomas Sharp Sr., was born on 18 September 1768 in Armthorpe, Yorkshire, a village three miles east of Doncaster. Thomas Sr was the son of John Edward Sharp (1730–1806) and Frances Fretwell (1733–1809). He married Anne Stennett on 3 November 1788 at Ewerby, Lincolnshire, approximately thirty-five miles southeast of Armthorpe. Anne had been born there on 30 July 1769, the daughter of John Barber Stennett and Lettice Housley. The family’s first children were born in Lincolnshire: Elizabeth at Ewerby on 9 July 1790, and Ann at Ewerby on 13 May 1792. By November 1794 they had moved to Stamford, in southern Lincolnshire, where a son Thomas was baptized on 1 November 1794, and then back to Ewerby, where Mary was baptized on 23 December 1794.

By approximately 1797 the family had returned northward toward Yorkshire. The Cantley parish register, held at Doncaster Archives, reference P12-1-A3, confirms Thomas Sharp Sr. and Anne in Cantley, Yorkshire by October 1799, when their daughter Mary was baptized there on 20 October 1799. Cantley lies five miles east of Doncaster, neighboring Armthorpe where Thomas Sharp Sr. had been born. George Sharp was born in Cantley on 9 May 1804 and baptized there on 22 July 1804. A Cantley christening of 5 March 1797 is almost certainly this Thomas. The family was in Cantley throughout this period, and the dates and geography align. By 1810 the family had settled in Misson, approximately ten miles south of Cantley, where Ann Sharp was baptized on 11 March 1810 and James Sharp on 7 March 1813.

Thomas Sharp Sr. died in Misson on 23 August 1847, age 78, found lying in the street by a neighbor named Elizabeth Orton. She thought he was having a fit, obtained the assistance of William Mason and John Hobson, but he died immediately. The inquest verdict was visitation of God. The inquest notice appeared in the Lincoln Rutland and Stamford Mercury on 3 September 1847.

Inquest notice for Thomas Sharpe, Lincoln Rutland and Stamford Mercury, 3 September 1847, p. 3
Death certificate for Thomas Sharp Sr., died 23 August 1847, Misson. GRO DYB565322.

His wife Anne died in Misson on 10 December 1849, age approximately 79, from a fall, and was buried three days later. Their death notices appeared in the same Lincolnshire newspaper, the family had maintained connections across sixty years and three counties.

Death certificate for Ann Sharp (née Stennett), widow of Thomas Sharp Sr., died 10 December 1849, Misson. GRO DYB565321.

Thomas Sharp’s younger brother James had died of Consumption on 5 June 1839, with Elizabeth as the informant at his death. Six months later, on 7 January 1840, Thomas and Elizabeth named their newborn son James. Whether the name was chosen in memory of the brother lost that summer is not known, but the timing is suggestive. Consumption, known colloquially as the white death, is the historical name for tuberculosis, a contagious airborne disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In a labouring family’s small home in Misson, the disease would have moved freely through the household. Thomas Sharp, born approximately 1797, probably in Cantley, was a Labourer, as recorded on his children’s birth certificates and his own death certificate. The death certificate gives his age at death as 43 years, the burial record as 45. This two-year spread likely reflects the imprecision natural to a family where neither parent could write and where exact ages were not always known. Thomas died of the same Consumption that had killed his brother just two years before, on 13 July 1841 at Misson, just weeks after the June 1841 Census recorded him in the household. His sister Ann Thickett, wife of Thomas Thickett of Blyth, Yorkshire, four miles north of Misson, was present at his death and registered it. He was buried at Misson on 15 July 1841.

Death certificate for Thomas Sharp, died 13 July 1841, Misson, of Consumption. GRO DYB541596.

Annie Thompson, writing from family tradition in 1957, describes Elizabeth as having grown up “a tall young lady, reared in an atmosphere of wealth and refinement.” Her father George Cartwright was buried at Misson on 27 February 1820, age 46, when Elizabeth was sixteen years old. Three years later, on 4 June 1823, her mother Ann remarried a widower named George Beighton at the Misson parish church, by banns, witnessed by John Robinson and John Cartwright, confirmed in the Bishop’s Transcripts in the Nottinghamshire Archives. Six months after her mother’s remarriage, Elizabeth married Thomas Sharp.

Elizabeth could not write. On both her daughter Ann’s birth certificate in 1838 and her son James’s birth certificate in 1840, she signed with an X mark.

Thomas and Elizabeth had eight children, all baptized in the Misson parish church and recorded in the Bishop’s Transcripts at the Nottinghamshire Archives. The dates below give the christening date from the Bishop’s Transcripts, the birth dates held in family tradition are noted separately where they differ, representing the difference between the event remembered by the family and the event recorded by the church.

George Sharp, christened 11 November 1824, died 15 November 1824, four days old.

Mary Sharp, baptized 27 November 1825, died in infancy and was buried approximately two days after her christening, as noted in the Misson Parish Register.

William Sharp, christened 7 January 1827, family tradition gives his birth as 10 December 1826. He would go on to help found Plain City, Utah. See Sharp-Bailey Wedding and the William Sharp Personal History.

George Sharp, baptized 13 May 1829, died 23 December 1833, age four years and seven months, buried at Misson. The Misson Parish Register notes his cause of death as burns. Burns were tragically common among small children in this period, when open hearths were the only source of heat and cooking in labouring family homes. Whether his clothing caught fire near an open flame or the death resulted from a structure fire is not known, and no newspaper account of the event has been located.

Isabella Sharp, christened 15 January 1832, family tradition gives her birth as 22 December 1831. She would emigrate with William to Utah and settle in Mill Creek, Salt Lake County. See Sons of Joseph and Isabella Carlisle.

Elizabeth Sharp, baptized 11 June 1834, she remained in St. Louis and married John Quayle. See John and Elizabeth Quayle.

Ann Sharp, born 8 July 1838, baptized 29 July 1838, died 2 September 1838, eight weeks old, of convulsions. Convulsions in infants of this period were typically caused by uncontrolled fever from bacterial or viral infections, untreatable before the development of antibiotics and fever-reducing medications. Elizabeth registered her birth with an X mark on 10 July 1838. A neighbor, Mary Laister, registered her death, Elizabeth was not the informant.

Birth certificate for Ann Sharpe, born 8 July 1838, Misson. Elizabeth signed with her X mark.
Death record for Ann Sharpe, died 2 September 1838, Misson, age 8 weeks, of Convulsions.

James Sharp, born 7 January 1840, confirmed by GRO birth certificate (BXCC548222), with Elizabeth signing as informant with her X mark on 22 January 1840. See James Sharp.

Birth certificate for James Sharp, born 7 January 1840, Misson. GRO BXCC548222. Elizabeth signed with her X mark.

By the time Thomas died in July 1841, the family had buried four children. George at four days, Mary in infancy, the second George at four and a half years, and Ann at eight weeks. The 1841 Census, taken just weeks before Thomas’s death, records the household: Thomas (40), Elizabeth (37), William (14), Isabella (9), Elizabeth (5), and James (1). Thomas Sharp Sr. was living just a few households away in the same village.

Milo Riley Sharp, grandson of Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright

Conversion and Emigration

William Sharp was the first family member baptized into the LDS Church, or formally The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on 20 June 1848. His mother Elizabeth followed on 11 August 1849, and Isabella on 16 September 1849. The Misson History Hub records that “In 1848 LDS Missionaries visited the village and several conversions apparently took place” and notes that the converted “travelled to the USA, crossed the continent and made new lives and families there.” Among the elders who lodged at Elizabeth’s home was Elder George Emery.

Elizabeth decided to emigrate with her family to Utah. Annie Thompson records the family’s resistance: “her folks tried hard to discourage her from taking the hazardous trip; they told her if you leave for the West, ‘A red Indian will eat ye.’” The ticket cost twenty-five pounds sterling. On 2 October 1850 Elizabeth (age 45), William (age 24), Isabella (age 19), Elizabeth (age 26), and James (age 10) sailed from Liverpool on the ship James Pennell, under the direction of Church leader Christopher Layton. There were 254 Latter-day Saint emigrants on board, the Fiftieth Company.

The voyage nearly ended in disaster. As the James Pennell approached the mouth of the Mississippi River, a terrible storm drove the ship back into the Gulf of Mexico, breaking the main and mizzen masts and washing part of the rigging overboard. The crippled vessel drifted for several days with provisions nearly exhausted before a pilot boat found it and guided it to the river mouth on 20 November. The Millennial Star reported simply that the James Pennell “had lost her main and mizen masts, which is all the information given of her.” The ship arrived in New Orleans on 22 November 1850, towed alongside the Joseph Badger, which had sailed from Liverpool two weeks after the Pennell. The full dramatic account is preserved in the William Sharp Personal History. The voyage is documented at Saints by Sea (BYU), where the Sharp family passengers are listed.

From New Orleans the family traveled by river to St. Louis, Missouri. Shortly after arriving, Elizabeth fell ill. She died on 17 February 1851 in St. Louis, never reaching Utah. She was 47 years old. Her burial place in St. Louis has not been located. Annie Thompson gives her death as “probably late in the year 1850.” The 17 February 1851 date comes from other sources and is consistent with a November 1850 arrival and a short illness through that winter. Her children were left on their own in an unfamiliar city. Elizabeth Sharp married John Quayle and remained in St. Louis. James, aged eleven, tried to arrange passage west but the company he was to travel with turned back; he stayed in St. Louis and eventually became a partner in a meat packing business. William married the widowed Mary Ann Bailey Padley in St. Louis, and in 1853 he and Isabella, now married to Joseph Carlisle, traveled west in the Moses Clawson Company, arriving in Salt Lake Valley between 15 and 20 September 1853.

Temple Work

In December 1881 Isabella Sharp Carlisle traveled from Mill Creek, Salt Lake County, to the St. George Utah Temple, at that time the only operating temple in the world, to perform proxy ordinances for her deceased daughter Elizabeth Ann Carlisle. While there, between 20 and 23 December 1881, ordinances were completed for her father Thomas Sharp and her paternal grandfather Thomas Sharp Sr., and the sealings of both men to their wives. Ordinances were also completed for her maternal grandmother Ann Matthews Cartwright, baptism, confirmation, and sealing to George Cartwright, with the St. George Temple record identifying Ann Matthews Cartwright by name and marriage details, confirming the family connection across three generations. Ordinances were completed for six people across four generations in four days.

Thomas Sharp’s sealing to Elizabeth Cartwright was completed 30 April 1920.

Sources

Primary documents: Thomas Sharp death certificate (GRO DYB541596, 13 July 1841); Thomas Sharp burial, Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives (15 July 1841); Elizabeth Cartwright baptism, Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives, FHL film #503793 (20 December 1803); Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright marriage, Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives, page 14 (29 December 1823); Ann Sharp birth certificate (GRO, 8 July 1838); Ann Sharp death record (GRO, 2 September 1838); James Sharp birth certificate (GRO BXCC548222, 7 January 1840); 1841 Census of England and Wales, Misson, household 1612123; children’s christenings confirmed in Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives, pages 34 (George 1824), 37 (Mary 1825), 42 (William 1827), 50 (second George 1829), 60 (Isabella 1832), 69 (Elizabeth 1834); second George Sharp burial, Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives, page 32 (23 December 1833); Thomas Sharp Sr. christening, Bishop’s Transcripts, Borthwick Institute for Archives (18 September 1768, Armthorpe); Thomas Sharp Sr. death certificate (GRO DYB565322, 23 August 1847); Ann Sharp Sr. death certificate (GRO DYB565321, 10 December 1849); George Cartwright baptism and burial, Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives; Ann Matthews christening, Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives (14 September 1783); Will of Edmund Matthews of Everton, proved 25 February 1820; Death Duty Register IR27/174, The National Archives; Ann Matthews and George Cartwright marriage, Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives (1 February 1803); Ann Matthews and George Beighton marriage, Bishop’s Transcripts, Nottinghamshire Archives, page 13 (4 June 1823); Thomas Sharp Sr. christening (Armthorpe) and Thomas Sharp Sr. and Anne Stennett marriage (Ewerby, Lincolnshire), Lincolnshire Parish Registers; James Sharp (brother) death record, Misson Parish Register (5 June 1839); Mary Sharp burial, Misson Parish Register (approximately 29 November 1825); George Sharp (1829) cause of death, Misson Parish Register (burns, 23 December 1833).

Secondary sources: Annie Thompson, Life History of Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp, 27 August 1957; William Sharp Personal History; Kent Nielsen (1931–2020), a descendant of Joseph and Isabella Sharp Carlisle and thus of Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright, contributed extensive primary source research to the FamilySearch Collaborate record for this family between 2011 and 2014. His careful documentation of the Cantley, Yorkshire connection, the GRO certificates, and the census evidence forms the foundation of the genealogical record presented here. FamilySearch Collaborate notes on Thomas Sharp (KWJ5-679) and Thomas Sharp Sr. (KP7V-4HL), 2011–2014; Saints by Sea, BYU, James Pennell voyage 2 October–23 November 1850; Misson History Hub, Written History.

For more on the Sharp family and Plain City’s founding generation, see:

Sharp-Bailey Wedding — William Sharp and Mary Ann Bailey
Sons of Joseph and Isabella Carlisle — Isabella Sharp and Joseph Carlisle
John and Elizabeth Quayle — Elizabeth Sharp and John Quayle
James Sharp — James Sharp in St. Louis
Early Settlers in Lehi, Utah, before Plain City, Utah — William Sharp (no. 68) on the Lehi consecration list
History of Plain City — the community William Sharp helped found
Sharp Family History Outreach — broader Sharp family connections

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Sharp – Bailey Wedding

Mary Ann and William Sharp

James and Sarah Goodlad Bailey are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter Mary Ann Bailey to William Sharp, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp. William and Mary Ann were married at Loup Fork, Howard, Nebraska on 10 July 1853. (Loup Fork appears to have been a crossing of the Loup River, somewhere between Fullerton and Palmer Nebraska, in order to go turn south to rejoin trail along the Platte River.)

William is mason and farmer. They will make their home wherever they are called to settle once they arrive in the Utah Territory.

Due to the circumstances of this family, it is pretty unlikely an announcement would have ever been written. Everything about these families was in motion. Family members on both sides were strewn all over two continents and their lives were still recovering from a number of personal blows. While this was probably a high point, they knew there was a long road still ahead of them. All four of their parents had passed before their marriage.

William was born the third of eight children born to Thomas and Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp 10 December 1826 in Misson, Nottinghamshire, England. His baptism is recorded on 7 January 1827 at Misson Anglican church, confirmed by the Bishop’s Transcripts at Nottinghamshire Archives. He spent his life as a mason but kept a farm. We do not know where or how he learned how to be a mason. His father, Thomas, is listed as “Ag Lab”, which is probably an agricultural laborer on the 1841 English Census. Thomas died in 1841 after the census was taken.

In 1848, the LDS missionaries came to visit in Misson. William was the first in his family, that we know, to join the church on 20 June 1848. His mother followed 11 August 1849 and his sister Isabella 16 September 1849. The records available do not show that William’s siblings, Elizabeth and James joined the church, but they came with the family to the United States on their way to Zion. The family story tells the family was friendly and open towards the missionaries. One of the missionaries was a George Emery (the only potential George Emery I could find appears to have lived 1792 – 1867).

Elizabeth Sharp was determined to emigrate with her family to Utah. Her family attempted to discourage her by warning her about the dangers of the American Indians. Nevertheless, she departed with William, Isabella, Elizabeth, and James. The other four children had died as infants before leaving England. The family purchased tickets at 25 pounds sterling in Liverpool. The family set sail on the “James Pennell” on 2 October 1850 commanded by Captain James Fullerton. The LDS leaders on board were Christopher Layton (1821–1898) and William Lathrop Cutler (1821–1851) leading the company all the way to Zion. Right before hitting the waters of the Mississippi the ship encountered a storm where the masts were broken and the ship drifted for a couple of days. Luckily, a pilot boat found them and another ship (that left two weeks later from Liverpool) tugged them to New Orleans, Louisiana. The ship arrived at dock on 22 November 1850. The family struggled with sea sickness and chills and fevers that beset them in New Orleans and St. Louis. From there the entire group boarded the “Pontiac” and continued to St. Louis, Missouri where they found work and spent the winter. Despite having crossed the Atlantic, Elizabeth, the mother of the family, died 17 February 1851 in St. Louis and was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Among the fellow passengers on the James Pennell were the Singleton family of Misson. The Singletons were neighbors in Nottinghamshire. William Singleton (1793–1850) sailed with his children, including Thomas Singleton (1825–1885) and Charles Singleton (1838–1907). Tragically, William Singleton died in St. Louis on 16 December 1850, just three weeks after the ship docked. His son Thomas pressed on, becoming one of Plain City’s 1859 founding pioneers, where he worked as a carpenter and band leader alongside William Sharp. Thomas Singleton is listed among those excommunicated alongside William Sharp on 31 January 1879. Generations later, Thomas’s grandson Bert Elmer Singleton (1918–1995), born and raised in Plain City, became one of Utah’s most celebrated baseball players, pitching in the major leagues over 28 seasons. The Sharps and Singletons, neighbors in Misson, remained neighbors in Plain City across the generations.

Elizabeth’s death left the four siblings to fend for themselves. William and Isabella both still desired to move on with the Saints to Utah. William became fast friends with Mary Ann Bailey Padley, a widow who had lost her husband before leaving England. They were such good friends that Anne Elizabeth Padley (she went by Sharp her whole life though) was born 31 October 1852. Isabella married Joseph Carlisle, who had arrived two years earlier, 18 May 1853, in St. Louis. That same day the Moses Clawson Company, “St. Louis Company,” departed from St. Louis. Joseph and Isabella Carlisle, along with William Sharp and Mary Padley (with her son Lorenzo Padley and new infant Anne), left with the company. Joseph and William were well respected because they were apparently very good athletes and challenged anyone to a wrestling match.

The Sharps and Carlisles drove a wagon for William Jennings, a Salt Lake City merchant and freighter. The outfitting was done in Keokuk, Iowa. The company for traveling over the plains was formally organized in Kanesville, Iowa. On the trail, William and Mary Ann Padley were married 10 July 1853 in Loup Fork, Nebraska. The company arrived in Salt Lake City between the 15th and 20th of September the same year.

Mary Ann was born the first of seven children born to James and Sarah Goodlad Bailey on 28 November 1828 in Mattersey, Nottinghamshire, England. Her baptism is recorded on 8 December 1828 at Mattersey Anglican church, confirmed by the Bishop’s Transcripts at Nottinghamshire Archives. James was a blacksmith. The Bailey family were practicing members of the Church of England, described by a later family history as “very sincere and devout in their religion.” Mary Ann attended school and obtained training in millinery and sewing. Sarah died in 1843 and James remarried to a lady named Harriet. We don’t have a death date for James at this time.

Shortly before her 18th birthday, Mary Ann met missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and converted. She was baptized 20 October 1846. Her father and Harriet dismissed her from the home for becoming a Mormon. She soon met William Padley, another LDS member and a tailor who lived on Allen Street in Sheffield, and married him on 4 February 1847 at the Church of St Peter and St Paul (now a cathedral) in Sheffield.

Padley – Bailey marriage record

William Padley was born 22 September 1826 in Morton, Lincolnshire, just across the River Trent from Mattersey, and they may well have known each other from their home area before both moved to Sheffield. They had a son, Lorenzo Joseph Padley, born in December 1847. William became ill when Lorenzo was born and died 22 February 1850 in Morton, Lincolnshire. Left alone with a new son, Mary Ann went back to her parents, who would have nothing to do with her unless she gave up her religion. She would not, and instead decided to join the Saints in Utah.

Mary Ann and Lorenzo sailed from Liverpool on 8 January 1851 on the “Ellen” with James Willard Cummings (1819–1883) as the leader of the company. The ship had a difficult passage with measles and what others thought was whooping cough. She arrived in New Orleans 14 March 1851. On the 19th they left for St. Louis on the “Alleck Scott” and arrived on the 26th. Mary Ann and Lorenzo stayed in St. Louis while the company moved on, and it was there that she met William Sharp and his family.

William and Mary Ann grew close during their time in St. Louis. A daughter, Anne Elizabeth, was born to them on 31 October 1852. Both were still determined to join the Saints in Utah. They arranged to drive a freight wagon west for William Jennings, a Salt Lake City merchant and freighter, as the means of joining the Moses Clawson Company. On the trail, William and Mary Ann were married on 10 July 1853 at the crossing of Loup Fork in present-day Howard County, Nebraska. The company arrived in Salt Lake City between the 15th and 20th of September that year.

They settled in Lehi, Utah, Utah for a couple of years but had a number of issues with range for the cattle and some other minor squabbles. Water was also not found to be very dependable in the Lehi area. During this time, William and Mary Ann gave birth to two children, William and Isabella in 1854 and 1856, but both died as infants. Milo Riley was born in Lehi 23 July 1857. I have written of Milo and his family previously at this link: Sharp-Stoker Wedding.

William learned of land north near Ogden, Weber, Utah that was going to be opened up from some of the Saints passing through Lehi (abandoning Salt Lake City before the arrival of Johnson’s Army). These Lehi Saints were told of ample land and good water that was available west of Ogden. A scouting expedition went to search out the area in the fall of 1858 and visited with Lorin Farr (1820–1909) who told them of the available plain to the west.

The Sharp family left with other Lehi Saints on 10 March 1859 to travel to this new area. The group of about 100 arrived 17 March 1859 at what is present day Plain City, Weber, Utah. The company arrived at about 5 PM during the middle of a snowstorm. The company lined up the wagons to protect them from the wind and dug a hole in the ground for the campfire. Reports indicate that snow was deep and conditions uncomfortable. Plain City apparently lived up to its name with sagebrush that rose over 4 feet tall from the high water table beneath the soil.

William Sharp put his carpentry and masonry skills to work making adobe brick and helping build the first homes in Plain City. William and Mary Ann lived in one of these homes. William served in the Plain City band, on the Plain City Z.C.M.I. board, acting as a builder, and also serving as a city leader. William and Mary Ann’s daughter, Evelyn, was the first girl born in Plain City, on 12 October 1859. Victorine Mary was born 8 April 1862 and was their last child. Mary Ann kept busy sewing and making suits, coats, and other jobs. Each of her daughters learned to become dressmakers.

William and Mary Ann each received their initiatory and endowment on 17 August 1861 at the Endowment House. On the same day, Mary Ann was sealed by proxy to her deceased first husband William Padley, with William Sharp himself standing proxy for the man Mary Ann had first married. As a woman already sealed to another man, she could not be sealed to William Sharp during their marriage, as the church did not permit women to be sealed to more than one husband at that time. The Sharp children’s sealing situation caused considerable family angst as all children born to Mary Ann after the 1861 sealing were born in the covenant to William Padley rather than William Sharp.

Lorenzo Joseph Padley died 24 July 1866 at Plain City, aged 18 years, 7 months and 11 days, putting his birth approximately 13 December 1847 in Mattersey, Nottinghamshire, England. He had grown up to become a valued member of the Plain City Music and Dramatic Association, which mourned him as a true friend and gifted musician. His remains were followed to their last resting place by a very large number of citizens, preceded by the brass band of the Association. The notice requested the Millennial Star in England to copy — a reminder that Mary Ann’s roots, and Lorenzo’s birthplace, lay in Nottinghamshire. The photo we have of him is pretty scratched, but here is a cleaned up photo, but it is not perfect. It is hard to tell what is his nose and what was deformities in the photo.

Anne Elizabeth married Daniel Claiborne Thomas Jr. on 29 January 1872 in Salt Lake City at the Endowment House, where they also received their initiatory, endowment, and sealing the same day. Daniel had been born 14 July 1850 on the Platte River in Nebraska on the trail to Utah. His father, Daniel Claiborne Thomas Sr., had been converted to the church by his brother Preston while on a mission to the Southern States, and the family had come to Utah in 1850, settling in Sulphur Springs (later named Lehi) among the earliest settlers there, before joining the Plain City founding group in March 1859. They settled in Plain City and had six children: Claiborne William (1872), Francis Milo (1875), LeRoy Bertrand (1878), Estella Inez (1884), Delbert (1888), and Elizabeth La Vieve (1889). Anne Elizabeth died 29 July 1891 in Plain City at thirty-eight, leaving six children ranging in age from two to nineteen. Daniel outlived her by thirty-eight years, dying in Ogden on 2 September 1929, and was buried beside her in Plain City Cemetery.

After several instances of desertion, Mary Ann moved out of their home on Christmas Eve 1875 and utterly refused to go back to William. William sued for divorce and Franklin Dewey Richards (1821–1899) granted the divorce (in probate court) on 19 May 1876.

At this time, it is possible that Bishop Lewis Warren Shurtleff (1835–1922), branch president 1870–1877, bishop 1877–1883, extended himself beyond what the members felt was right — going so far as to dictate how much everyone should pay in tithing — and some families were very vocal in expressing their discontent. William Sharp began construction on St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in 1877, and many disaffected members found a religious haven in this new faith. The building still stands today, owned by the Lions Club in Plain City. A significant group of members were excommunicated on 31 January 1879, including William Sharp, Mary Ann Sharp (listed separately because of the divorce), William Skeen, Edwin Dix, George Musgrave (father of their future daughter-in-law), Thomas Musgrave, Thomas Singleton, Thomas Davis, George W Harris, Jonathan Moyes, John Moyes, Winfield Spiers, James Wadman, Robert Davis, John Davis, and Thomas Robson. These lists also have “and wife” as well as “and family” which seems to indicate that spouses and families were included. Many of these families returned to the church after time away, some individuals never did. Milo Ross’s 1997 oral history interview offers one family perspective on the causes of the split.

This same year, William remarried to the widow of Charles McGary, Charlotte Elizabeth Earl, about 1879. We do not know exactly when or where.

Milo Riley married Mary Ann Stoker (aka Lillian or Lilly Musgrave) 11 May 1879 in Plain City in the little church William built. He died in 1916 in Plain City. Read about them here.

Evelyn Carlisle married James Henry Taylor 16 January 1881 in Plain City. She died in 1941 in Oregon.

Victorine Mary married Robert Edward Maw on 8 April 1883 in Plain City, her twenty-first birthday. Robert had been born in Plain City on 15 October 1859, the son of Robert Maw, one of Plain City’s founding pioneers who had consecrated his Lehi property in January 1857 and arrived in Plain City on 17 March 1859, the same day as the Sharp family. William Sharp had built the elder Robert Maw’s adobe house in those early Plain City years and had played cornet alongside Abraham Maw in Plain City’s first band. The marriage of Victorine Sharp and Robert Edward Maw united two of Plain City’s founding families. They had seven children: Ruby Ada (1884), Alice (1885), Jessie (1886), Florence Eveline (1888), Grace (1890), Edith Louise (1893), and Edward Clyde (1896). On the morning of 23 April 1897, a snow slide struck the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company’s Garfield Mine in Gibbs Canyon, four miles north of Brigham City. Robert was killed. The Brigham City Bugler reported the disaster that week, noting that he was a married man who left a widow and seven children. Victorine was thirty-four years old. Her youngest child, Edward Clyde, was barely a year old. She did not remarry, living in Plain City and later Ogden until her death on 18 March 1945. She is buried in Plain City Cemetery.

Mary Ann Bailey Sharp

Mary Ann continued to work as a dressmaker until she could not do so any more due to age. She lived with her Granddaughter Elizabeth Taylor from before 1900 and even moved with her to Baker City, Baker, Oregon. Mary Ann moved back to Plain City not long after Beth married.

Evelyn & Victorine Sharp

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Evelyn and Victorine Sharp

William died at 950 Washington Ave in Ogden on 22 December 1900 at 74 years and was buried two days later in the Ogden cemetery. Mary Ann died 30 October 1913 in Plain City at 84 years and was buried there three days later.

Mary Ann Bailey Sharp death certificate

William and Mary Ann both died outside the church.

In December 1933, fifty-four years after the excommunication, three of Isabella Sharp Carlisle’s sons — Joseph Carlisle, James Carlisle, and Harvey Carlisle — wrote to LDS Church President Heber J. Grant requesting proxy reinstatement for their Uncle William and his former wife Mary Ann. Their letter described William as “honest, virtuous and kind” and was addressed care of Mrs. James S. Thompson — Annie Thompson, who would later write the 1957 history of Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp, and who was the daughter of James Carlisle. The letter explicitly identified William as “born 10 Dec. 1826, Misson, Notts., England, and later settled in Plain City, Utah.”

President Grant responded on 16 December 1933, consenting to proxy baptism for both William and Mary Ann. He noted that since they had previously received their endowments on 17 August 1861, those ordinances would need to be restored by proxy as well, and authorized Elder George F. Richards, President of the Salt Lake Temple, to officiate. On 3 February 1934, proxy baptism and confirmation were performed for both William and Mary Ann at the Salt Lake Temple, with William’s sealing to parents following on 2 July 1934. The restoration of William Sharp and his wife to the church, by the hands of his sister Isabella’s sons, closed that chapter.

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John and Elizabeth Quayle

John & Elizabeth Quayle

Above is a photograph of John Quayle and Elizabeth Sharp, presumably with one of their children.

Elizabeth Sharp was born on Christmas Day in 1834, in Misson, Nottinghamshire, England to Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp. She is the sister of William Sharp (my ancestor), James Sharp, and Isabella Carlisle.

Elizabeth married John Quayle, a shoemaker born circa 1825–1828 on the Isle of Man, as consistently recorded in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses. His specific parish of origin has not been confirmed. Elizabeth and her family arrived in St. Louis in late November 1850 aboard the ship James Pennell, which sailed from Liverpool on 2 October 1850 and arrived at New Orleans on 23 November 1850. The passengers continued up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where they found employment and shelter. Elizabeth and John were married by 1852. Their eldest child Emily Emma was born in January 1853 in St. Louis. The 1860 Census has the family living in Meramec, St. Louis, Missouri. 1870 places them in Central, St. Louis, Missouri. 1880 places the family in St. Louis, where both of them died. By the 1880 Census, John had become a foreman in a pork house, probably the pork house of his brother-in-law James. The family seemed to have some difficulty accurately informing the census takers, their ages jump pretty wildly from the right year to up to nine years in difference.

Emily Emma Quayle was born January 1853 in St. Louis. She married Gustavus Crause on 16 March 1887 in St. Louis. He was born 1853 and died 1917. They had no children. Emily Emma died 1 February 1928 in St. Louis and was buried 3 February 1928 in New St. Marcus Cemetery, Affton.

John W Quayle was born 5 November 1855 in Illinois and died 12 May 1910 in St. Louis. He was buried on 15 May 1910 in New St. Marcus Cemetery, Affton. He married Laura Breitenstein on 19 June 1883 in St. Louis.

James H Quayle was born 15 February 1858 in St. Louis and died 6 September 1864 in St. Louis. He is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Isabella Quayle was born October 1861 in St. Louis and died 12 September 1864 in St. Louis, just six days after her brother James. She is also buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Margaret Quayle was born July 1864 in St. Louis and died 25 April 1866 in St. Louis. She is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery. Margaret was born the same summer James and Isabella died, and died before her second birthday. Elizabeth lost three children in less than two years.

Ida Quayle was born 29 June 1868 in St. Louis and died 13 November 1888 in St. Louis at age 20. She did not marry. She is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, Public Lot G, Grave 5.

Elizabeth Quayle, known as Lizzie, was born December 1870 in St. Louis and died 25 June 1903 in St. Louis at age 32. She married William Dugan in 1892 in St. Louis. They had two children: William Dugan (born 1894) and Isabella Dugan (born 1897, died 1900). Elizabeth is buried in Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis.

John Quayle died in St. Louis. The date has not been confirmed but he predeceased Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Sharp Quayle died on Thursday, 6 November 1908, at the family residence at 4825 Gravois Avenue, St. Louis. The death notice described her as the beloved mother of John Quayle, Mrs. Elizabeth Dugan, and Mrs. Krause, and the sister of James Sharp. Funeral services were held Friday, 7 November 1908, at 1:30 p.m. from the family residence. Elizabeth and James Sharp, according to records, did not join the LDS Church. They died within eight months of each other: James killed by a streetcar on 24 February 1908, Elizabeth passing on 6 November 1908. Elizabeth Sharp Quayle is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, Section Fischer, Block 292, Lot 3742.

Death notice of Elizabeth Sharp Quayle, St. Louis, November 1908.
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James Sharp

James Sharp

James Sharp was born 7 January 1840 in Misson, Nottinghamshire, England to Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp. His birth is confirmed by a certified copy of his birth certificate from the General Register Office (BXCC548222). It records his birth on 7 January 1840 in Misson, Sub-district of Bawtry, Doncaster. His father is listed as Thomas Sharp, Labourer, and his mother as Elizabeth Sharp, formerly Cartwright — who was herself the informant, registering the birth on 22 January 1840. I wrote about James’ parents, the family’s conversion to the LDS faith, and the trip to America in his brother William’s biography, Sharp-Bailey Wedding.

Birth certificate of James Sharp, GRO certified copy, BXCC548222, Misson, 7 January 1840.

The Sharp family emigrated to America aboard the ship James Pennell, which sailed from Liverpool on 2 October 1850 under the direction of Christopher Layton and William L. Cutler, carrying 291 Latter-day Saint passengers. After a difficult voyage that included a severe storm near the mouth of the Mississippi that disabled the ship and nearly exhausted the provisions on board, the James Pennell arrived at New Orleans on 23 November 1850. The passengers continued up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where they found employment and shelter. The passenger manifest lists James Sharp, age 10, traveling with his mother Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp (age 45), brother William (age 24), and sisters Isabella (age 19) and Elizabeth (age 26). Their mother died in St. Louis on 17 February 1851, just months after their arrival. The account of the voyage is preserved at Saints by Sea.

Siblings William and Isabella eventually continued west with the Moses Clawson Company in May 1853, while James stayed behind with his sister Elizabeth in St. Louis. (Read more about Elizabeth here.) James and Elizabeth did not join the LDS faith with their mother (Elizabeth), William, and Isabella.

James married Eudora Elvira Mann 3 March 1863 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee. Eudora “Dora” was born 1 May 1845 in Nashville. We do not know much of the life story, so how he met Dora and married her in Nashville we may never know. The two made their home in St. Louis though. James worked as a pork packer and initially started out in business with Patrick Muldoon around 1870. Here is the run down of the St. Louis directories.

1869 [FHL #980635] James Sharp with Muldoon and Sharp at 1612 Biddle.
1870 [Gould’s p. 797] shows the same.
1871 [Gould’s p. 601] the same, but also lists Sharp, James pork packer r[esident?] at 1119 N 17th. {FHL #980,636]
1872 shows Muldoon and Sharp at 1015 N 17th [N 17th goes from 1701 Market North to Angelica.]
1875 [p. 1171] Muldoon and Sharp, Pork Packers and Provision Dealers, 904 B’way.
1885 Sharp, James, Muldoon and Sharp 904 to 912 S 2d, r 2715 Mills. [There are now 7 pork packers listed, only 1 in 1875.]
1887, James C. Sharp is listed as a clerk at Muldoon and Sharp.
1888 is Sharp, James and Co., same address, te no. 2208.
1890 James Sharp and Co. now includes Sharp, James C. as cashier and Sharp, George as Clerk. All 3 at 3641 Finney Ave.
1895 Shows both James Sharp and James C. Sharp as packers, George W. Sharp as Manager and William M. Sharp as Clerk at James Sharp and Co., 904 S 2d. James C. now resides at 4354 Morgan, the other 3 still at 3641 Finney.
1896 and 1897 now show William M. as manager and George W. as supt.; James and James C. simply identified as with Co. 1898 directory is missing.
1899 Company not listed. James C. (same address) is broker; George W. is just listed, at 1811 Laflin; William M. and James are just listed, still living at 3641 Finney.
1900 James C. at Sharp and Westcott; George W., clerk at Manewal Lange Bakery, 3204 Morgan; William M. litho., at home.
1901 James Sharp now resident at 4573 Page boul; James C. com. mer. 736 Bayard av; George W. still clerk at Manewal-Lange Bakery, resident at 3009 Easton. [William M. not listed]
1902 James C. mngr. Sharp Mnfg Co., 411 Fullerton bldg., r. 736 Bayard av; George W. and William M. are both clerks, residing at 3156 Easton av.
1903 James still at 4573 Page boulevard; James C., ins., 721 Olive, r. 3732 Washington Boul.

Death notice of James Sharp, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 24 February 1908.

As you can probably tell from the information above, James put his children to work and included them in the business. James retired at 55 and turned the business over to his boys. By 1898 they had run the business in the ground, supposedly because of their like for being horsey (horse-racing).

James and Dora had 5 children.

Eudora Mann Sharp born 13 January 1864 and died 11 January 1938, both in St. Louis. She married Alexander A Bryden, who worked in the coal business.

Ida Lee Sharp born 8 October 1866 and died 23 December 1946, both in St. Louis. She was unmarried. She worked as a school teacher.

James Carlisle Sharp born 26 December 1868 in St. Louis and died 4 November 1952 in Valley Park, St. Louis, Missouri. He married Emma Manewal (and divorced) and Madeline C Grimm. He had a department store. Emma was the daughter of August Manewal, one of the confederation of bakers who formed the National Biscuit Company (NABISCO).

George W Sharp born 10 March 1871 in St. Louis and died in 1964 in Sand Springs, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Apparently he married a lady named Effie Olive, but we know nothing more about his life or her. He was badly disfigured after being kicked in the head by a horse at 3 years old.

William Muldoon Sharp born 4 October 1874 and died 24 March 1915, both in St. Louis. He also remained unmarried.

Eudora died 3 March 1894 of cerebral meningitis. She was listed as living at 3641 Finney Avenue. She was buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery 5 March 1894.

James died suddenly on Monday morning, 24 February 1908, at the residence of his son-in-law Alexander A. Bryden at 4573 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, at the age of 68. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that he was a retired pork packer who was killed by a street car on Saturday night, 22 February 1908, at Page Boulevard and West End Avenue. He died two days later from his injuries. The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon from his late residence at 4582 Page Boulevard, conducted by Rev. Dr. William Elmer of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church — a further confirmation, alongside Annie Thompson’s account, that James never joined the LDS Church. He was interred at Bellefontaine Cemetery on 26 February 1908. The death notice in the same paper, published 24 February, gave his age as 68 years, consistent with his 1840 birth year confirmed by the birth certificate.

James was a founder of St. George’s Society and served as treasurer for several years. He was also a member of the Merchants’ Exchange and a veteran member of the St. Louis Lodge No. 5, I.O.O.F.

Funeral notice of James Sharp, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 1908.

For more on the Sharp family, see:

Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp — James’s mother, written by Annie Thompson
Sharp-Bailey Wedding — James’s brother William and Mary Ann Bailey
John and Elizabeth Quayle — James’s sister Elizabeth who also remained in St. Louis
Sons of Joseph and Isabella Carlisle — James’s sister Isabella who went on to Utah

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Sons of Joseph and Isabella Carlisle

Standing (l-r): Frank Carlisle, Harve Carlisle. Sitting: Fred Carlisle, Joe Carlisle, Jim Carlisle.

I thought I would share this photo because I have it and do not know how many others do. This is the five sons of Isabella Sharp and Joseph Carlisle. Isabella is the sister to my William Sharp, who I have written about previously at this link: Sharp-Bailey Wedding. Here are some of the details of the family, but I do not really know much more. They have a pretty large family with plenty of family historians so I will let them write the Carlisle history (which I know they have probably already done).

Joseph Carlisle was born 21 July 1826 in Sherwood on the Hill, Nottinghamshire, England and died 17 March 1912 in Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah.

Isabella Sharp was born in December 1831 in Misson, Nottinghamshire, England and died 29 March 1904 in Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah. Her christening record, dated January 1832, establishes 1831 as her birth year. Both her Deseret News obituary and the In Memoriam published at the time of her death recorded her birth date as 21 December 1832 — the year is contradicted by the christening record, and whether the day was the 21st or 22nd remains to be confirmed by further research. Her parents were Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp. If you search her brother, mentioned above, you can read more about her parents and family.

Misson is a small village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England, situated on the River Idle approximately one and a half miles from the Yorkshire boundary and three miles east-northeast of Bawtry. The village’s ancient name appears in historical records as “Mysen” or “Misne,” both of Danish origin, suggesting the area was first settled by Danes who came up the Trent valley to Gainsborough and then followed the River Idle inland. Until 1886 the parish straddled the Nottinghamshire-Lincolnshire boundary, when it was ordered placed entirely within the Bassetlaw division of Nottinghamshire. It was in this quiet fenland village, near the meeting point of three counties, that Isabella Sharp was born.

The Sharp family emigrated to America aboard the ship James Pennell, which sailed from Liverpool on 2 October 1850 under the direction of Christopher Layton and William L. Cutler, carrying 291 Latter-day Saint passengers. After a difficult voyage that included a severe storm near the mouth of the Mississippi that disabled the ship and nearly exhausted the provisions on board, the James Pennell arrived at New Orleans on 23 November 1850. The passengers then continued up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where they found employment and shelter for the winter. The passenger manifest confirms Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp (age 45), William Sharp (age 24), Isabella Sharp (age 19), Elizabeth Sharp (age 26), and James Sharp (age 10) all traveled together on this voyage. The account of the voyage is preserved at Saints by Sea.

Isabella’s mother, Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp, died in St. Louis on 17 February 1851, just months after their arrival. Isabella remained in St. Louis, was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and married Joseph Carlisle there on 18 May 1853. That same month her brother William departed St. Louis with the Moses Clawson Company, arriving in Salt Lake Valley in September 1853. Joseph and Isabella followed, also traveling with the Moses Clawson Company, and settled first in Millcreek, Salt Lake County.

The Deseret News of 31 March 1904 reported her passing under the headline “Early Settler Dead: Mrs. Isabella S. Carlisle Goes the Way of All the Just.” The notice recorded that she was born in Misson, England, 21 December 1832, emigrated to Utah in 1851 [she arrived in America in November 1850 but did not reach Utah until September 1853], and passed away at her home in Mill Creek on Tuesday last after a well-spent life of nearly 72 years. She became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1850 and endured with patience and fortitude all the hardships incident to the settlement of these valleys. The funeral was held from the Mill Creek Ward house on Friday at 12 o’clock noon.

An In Memoriam published at the same time recorded that Sister Carlisle was one of the first to join the Relief Society when it was organized in the ward in 1863, and was a great support to it financially. She served as presiding teacher in the third district for twenty-one years, and as first counselor in the Primary Association, third district. She was honorably released by Bishop James C. Hamilton. The funeral was held at the Mill Creek Ward house, where a large concourse of friends met to pay their last respects, Bishop Hamilton presiding. She was interred in the Mill Creek Cemetery.

In December 1933, three of Isabella’s sons — Joseph R. Carlisle, James S. Carlisle, and Harvey C. Carlisle — wrote to LDS Church President Heber J. Grant requesting reinstatement by proxy of their Uncle William Sharp and his wife Mary Ann Sharp, who had been excommunicated from the Church on 31 January 1879. President Grant consented by letter dated 16 December 1933, authorizing proxy baptism and, if applicable, restoration of endowments and sealing through Elder George F. Richards, President of the Salt Lake Temple. The letter was addressed care of Mrs. James S. Thompson — confirming that Annie Thompson, whose 1957 history of Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp appears elsewhere on Sagacity, was the daughter of James S. Carlisle.

Joseph and Isabella were married 18 May 1853 in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.

Joseph Richard Carlisle was born 19 December 1854 in Millcreek and died 2 April 1935 in Salt Lake City. He married Lily Naomi Titcomb 29 November 1883 in Salt Lake City in the Endowment House.

Isabella Jane Carlisle was born 12 April 1857 in Salt Lake City and died 1 April 1928 in Salt Lake City. She married Joseph William Walters 3 January 1875 in the Endowment House.

Thomas Matthew Carlisle was born 12 April 1857 in Salt Lake City and died 10 March 1869 in Millcreek.

James Sharp Carlisle was born 4 September 1859 in Millcreek and died 2 December 1938 in Millcreek. He married Keturah White 11 February 1885 in Logan, Cache, Utah in the Logan Temple.

Ezra Taylor Carlisle was born 14 August 1861 in Millcreek and died 12 February 1862 in Millcreek.

Elizabeth Ann Carlisle was born 24 November 1862 in Millcreek and died 6 November 1881 in Millcreek. She was engaged to marry John Calder Mackay and obviously died before that marriage could take place. On 21 December 1881 in St. George, Washington, Utah Isabella performed Elizabeth’s eternal ordinances in the St. George Temple. Isabella also stood in as proxy as Elizabeth was sealed to John Mackay, who accompanied Isabella to St. George.

William Frederick Carlisle was born 14 November 1864 in Millcreek and died 5 January 1922 in Millcreek. He married Sarah Ann Rogers 23 December 1897 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Harvey Cartwright Carlisle was born 22 September 1866 in Millcreek and died 3 July 1935 in Holladay, Salt Lake, Utah. He married Lucy Carline Cahoon 21 January 1891 in the Logan Temple. After her death he married Amelia Annie Towler 16 January 1901 in the Salt Lake Temple. After her death he married Emily Steven McDonald 19 July 1923 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Herbert Towle Carlisle was born 23 August 1868 in Millcreek and died 25 October 1870 in Millcreek.

Orman Carlisle was born 8 May 1871 in Millcreek and died 9 May 1871 in Millcreek.

Carrie Brown Carlisle was born 18 November 1872 in Millcreek and died 15 July 1873 in Millcreek.

Ether Franklin Carlisle was born 11 September 1873 in Millcreek and died 4 May 1915 in Salt Lake City. He married Maude Miller Harman 10 November 1897 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Rosamond Pearl Carlisle was born 29 July 1875 in Millcreek and died 13 June 1921 in Murray, Salt Lake, Utah. She married Uriah George Miller 19 February 1902 in the Salt Lake Temple.

The family certainly lost quite a few children. But all those who lived to marry did so in an LDS temple, or its equivalent at the time.

For more on the Sharp family and Plain City’s founding generation, see:

Sharp-Bailey Wedding — William Sharp and Mary Ann Bailey
Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp — Isabella’s mother, written by Annie Thompson
James Sharp — Isabella’s brother who remained in St. Louis
Early Settlers in Lehi, Utah, before Plain City, Utah — Wayne E. Clark’s research including William Sharp (no. 68)
History of Plain City — Plain City’s founding families

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Minidoka’s newly elected

I previously wrote about a new Minidoka Mayor and Councilman in early 2025. I then wrote about another new Councilman sworn in due to the move and resignation of another. I mentioned the results of the election held 4 November 2025 and that more changes were coming.

Minidoka City 4 November 2025 election results

Minidoka swore in a new City Clerk on 9 December 2025.

Jennifer Walker sworn in by Mayor Peterson as the new Minidoka City Clerk

Then at the first meeting of 2026, all the newly elected officials were to be sworn into office. Clerk Walker first swore in reelected Mayor Julie Peterson.

Minidoka City Clerk Jennifer Walker swears in Mayor Julie Peterson

Mayor Julie Peterson then swore in newly elected Monique Hurst. Monique had been serving as an appointed Councilman, but now sits as an elected Councilman.

Councilman Monique Hurst sworn in by Mayor Julie Peterson, Clerk Jennifer Walker watches

Then Mayor Peterson swore in reelected Councilman Jim Cook.

Mayor Julie Peterson swears in Councilman Jim Cook, Clerk Jennifer Walker listens while water operator Cody Creek watches

Bulmaro Paz was out of the country visiting family, so he was not able to attend and be sworn in at the January meeting. Bonnie Hofmeister submitted a resignation for her position before the evening, she was not sworn in. With only two Councilmen present, no further business could be conducted. The meeting was adjourned until February.

At the 3 February 2026 meeting, reelected Councilman Bulmaro Paz was back in town and sworn in.

Bulmaro Paz being sworn in by Mayor Julie Peterson, Monique Hurst watches

Due to the resignation of Bonnie Hofmeister, Mayor had an opportunity to appoint a new Councilman. Mayor Peterson nominated Mark Cartwright and Council approved.

Mayor Julie Peterson swears in Mark Cartwright to Minidoka City Council after a resignation left a vacancy

With that reorganization, that will have Monique and Jim’s seats both up for a 4 year term in 2027. Mark was just appointed to fill a four year term, but will be up for election in 2027 for a 2 year term. Mayor and Bulmaro are both up for a 4 year term in 2029.

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New Minidoka Councilman

Mayor Julie Peterson swears in new Councilman Monique Hurst

Earlier this year, I wrote about the City of Minidoka having a new Mayor and Councilman sworn in to City service. At that time, Councilman Bridgett Frost was sworn in to service. She had to move out of Minidoka leaving a vacancy on the City Council. On 7 October 2025, Mayor Peterson appointed a new Councilman, Monique Hurst. Welcome Councilwoman Hurst! (State law calls it Councilman, state law also indicates that it is gender neutral)

The City has recently been in the news. The City has more work to do. The City Clerk and Treasurer positions are now open. The City has hired a new certified water operator, Cody Creek. The City is setting up a new accounting/budgeting/billing/utility software through Caselle. Updates and upgrades are being made to some of the electrical system. The City has achieved compliance with the Idaho Tax Commission and Idaho Controller Office in the past few months. Area of Impact has been assigned. Many more good things are moving forward for this little town. Hopefully the ball can keep rolling and gaining speed despite the odds against it. Many thanks to surrounding towns for their assistance: Burley, Heyburn, Paul, and Rupert.

So many things are moving that residents are becoming more awakened to their sleepy little town. The Mayor and all four Councilman positions were up for election in November. Two of the Councilman positions are for 2 years, the other two are 4 years. But every single seat was contested! Julie Peterson and Becky Ziebach were running for Mayor. Bulmaro Paz, Bonnie Hofmeister, and Mark Cartwright were running for the two 4-year seats. James Cook, Monique Hurst, and Jerry Tolivar are running for the two 2-year seats. That is 8 people running for 5 seats! Elections are healthy. Citizens are willing to work for the bettering of their community.

Julie Peterson will continue on as Mayor. Bulmaro Paz will retain his seat and Bonnie Hofmeister will join him for the 4 year seats. James Cook will retain his seat and Monique Hurst will continue on in her newly appointed seat.

Citizens are willing to work for the bettering of their community.

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New Minidoka Mayor and Councilman

Earlier this year, the City of Minidoka had some big changes in leadership. Last year, Mayor Matthew Schaefer resigned for health reasons. Minidoka doesn’t have many registered voters as residents who are also interested in being involved in city government. Further, there are often conflicts where one of the Council is not able to be present. To maintain a full City Council, no action was taken that might remove a member of the Council without a potential replacement. Fortunately, some citizens show interest in getting involved and to assist the work of the City. With a potential to serve on Council, the City was ready to move forward.

On January 7, 2025, the Minidoka City Council appointed a new Mayor. She was sworn in at that time. Welcome to Mayor Julie Peterson!

Clerk Cindy Hruza swears in new Mayor Julie Peterson

Julie Peterson formally resigned her seat on the City Council. That left a vacancy for which she then appointed a new councilman. With that, she appointed Bridget Frost as a new Councilwoman. She was sworn in at that time. Welcome Councilwoman Frost!

Bridget Frost is sworn in by Cindy Hruza. Councilmen Bulmaro Paz (blue hat), Jim Cook (red hat), Mark Cartwright (black coat), and Mayor Julie Peterson watch

I don’t know how many Mayors or Councilman Minidoka has had since its incorporation in 1905, or how many informal Mayors it had from when it was first settled about 1884. Obviously the name of Minidoka was used for the Bureau of Reclamation Project signed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 which brought the Minidoka Dam and water to the whole area (but not the City of Minidoka). Minidoka County was created from Lincoln County in 1913. Part of that Reclamation Project also had the later World War II Japanese internment camp, Minidoka Relocation Camp (while not in Minidoka County, it was within the Minidoka Reclamation Project).

There is a new Mayor in Minidoka City. A full City Council too! Time to get down to business.