John BOOTH

                   James lived at Halls cottages with his wife Margaret and their daughter Martha Annie.  Margaret's parents lived next door and ran a dying business using vegetable dyes.

When Margaret became pregnant with her second child Alice Jane, James deserted them and took up with another woman.  At this time around the early 1870's the Mormons were becoming very populr in England and were recruiting new members to their faith.  It's believed that James joined them and went out to Salt Lake City to live.  He was a photographer and sent many photographs over to my Grandmothers of his family and home.  After his Father's death, his Mother, Ruth and Sisters, Sarah & Hannah, went ove to America to join him.  They had an arduous journey overland which took several months.  About 1911 Sarah came over to Stockport on a Mission, lecturing at many Mormon meeting houses.  She brought with her a child Tiny Marie, whon it's believed, she had adopted.  They stayed at my Grandma's for several months.  The family heard no more news of them after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, and the last address they had was a box no. in Minersville, Beaver County, Utah.

James & Annie & the two children emigrated to America in March, 1873, arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah, in April.  They joined the Mormon Church & moved to Washington, Utah in the summer of 1873.  Soon after they moved to St. George where he made his home and took another wife.  Poligamy was of course allowed in the Mormon Religion until some States outlawed it.

During this period James' occupation was a photographer until the las few years of his life during which he kept a store.

James filled a two year mission to England leaving St. George on October 15th 1887.  During this visit he returned to Uppermiss and set out to find Alice Jane the child he had never known.  A friend of hers came to the house at the Halls to tell her a gentleman wished to see her by the station.  She went and spoke to him at some length.  Taking a train ride to Oldham with him he told her of life and home in America, and invited her to return there with him.  After listening she told him what she thought of him and his offer and left him in the train speechless.  He was never to return to Greenfield again, and Alice Jane hated him for what he had done to them.

James returned to St. George in the fall of 1889 and continued to live there till his death in April, 1897, at the age of 54.  His Obituary was recorded in the "Washington County News" as follows:

James Booth, Son of John and Ruth Gamble Booth, died in St. George, Utah, on the 11th April, 1897.  He was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England, on June 12th 1843, and with his wife and two children, emigrated to America in March, 1873, arriving in Salt Lake City, Utah, in April.  He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the 14th Ward in Salt Lake City.  The same summer he moved to Washington, Utah, and soon after to St. George, where he has made his home ever since.  He filled an honourable two year Mission to England leaving Salt Lake City on 15th Oct 1887, and returned in the fall of 1889.  He has been an honourable, useful, and consistant Latter-day Saint.  His occupation has been photography until the last few years of his life, during which time he has also kept a store and done a very creditable business in Merchandise.

He leaves two wives and six children living, while three children have preceeded him to the spirit workd, and a large circle of friends moun his loss.  The funeral services were held in St. George Tabernacle on the 12th April, and the speakers were as follows - Wm. Atkin, Jos Orton, Rd Morris, Bp James Andrus, and E. Pace, each of whom had been aquainted with the deceased a number of years and known his real testimony to the truth of the same.  Many times he has suffered a great deal of pain in his later years, and six days prior to his demise, he too with severe pain, but at times he seemed better, yet he gained no permanent relief.  A few minutes previous to his death, he walked out of one room into another and seemed better than he had been for several days.  He sat down and expired without any apparant warning.  He was in his own home surrounded by his family and friends.  All join in sympathy with his bereaved family.
                  

                   Anne was the only surviving child of four, three having died in infancy.
Her father, Joseph, was a fish monger at 59 Great Portwood St., Brinnington, at the time of her birth.  He had also been known to trade fish in the area of Greenfield and Saddleworth in the 1870's.  He became a heavy drinker and on several occasions would come home drunk and throw Anne and her mother out of the house.  Jane eventually left him for good taking Anne with her.  Anne was about seven years old and her mother went to work in the mill.  I don't know where they were living at this time, but Jane's mother, Mrs. Bailey, lived at 2 Withins Row, Brinnington.

In later years Anne met William Nolan Leah whilst working on a farm in Heaton Moor.  They were married and eventually made their home in Edgeley Park.

After they left him, Joseph never re-married, my grandma tried to re-unite her mother and father in later years but they did not stay together long, as they had become strangers.  He spent much of his time in lodging houses until his death in July, 1914.
                  

                   Mary Hannah was known as Aunt Polly.  When the family went to America she went to live with Mr. & Mrs. Richard Evans, who were relations.  We don't know the relationship, but we do know he was a cabinet maker and had a business at Islington Mill, High Street, Stockport.  They had no children of their own and they were in some way related to the Sanderson family who were Confectioners in Park Str. Stockport.  Polly was taught the trade of confectionary, and when Mr. Evans died we think whe must have inherited some money, as she moved to Baxendale in in Lancashire.  There she opened 2 confectionary shops, one in Baxendale and one in Haslingden.  She married a widower named Thomas Pilkington, who had a daughter, though she never lived with Tom & Polly.  Tom worked in an office and about 1896, he was granted 6 months leave in order to visit America with Polly to see the family.  They overstayed the six months as Polly was keen to stay in America, and on their return, Tom lost his job.

They retired to a house in Acrington, which was near to Haslingden and my visited them there as a child, she remembers it was built on a hill.  When Tom died Polly returned to Stockport, she seemed to have good means including sets of China, silver & furniture.  She came to Grandma Leah's house in Dale St., and lived in the front room for about 12 months.  She was strong-willed & at times interfered in family affairs, needless to say, whe outstayed her welcome.  During the latter years her belongings were steadily sold off, and she ended life in rooms at 58 Shaw Heath, where she died of Bronchitis 3rd Jan 1928.
                  

                   Sarah had gone out to America with her mother and sister Hannah in the 1800's to join their brother, James, who was a Mormon, in Utah.  It had taken them some time to get there, as they worked their way across America.  The story went that Sarah had become pregnant whilst working on a farm, and had a boy.  Due to her poor circumstances she left the child there to be brought up and adopted.  When they arrived in Utah they lived in Minersville and Sarah married a man named Tuss(he had been born aboard an emigrant ship and named after it).  Tuss's sister died and they adopted her five children, amongst them was Tiny Marie.  She became an active member of the Mormon Church and in 1911(approx) she came to staty at Grandma's house with Tiny Marie.  She was going round talking to various groups about the Mormon Religion, and whilst whe was here Grandad Leah spent many months tracing the family back for her, so she could have them all baptised and placed in the Mormon Register in Utah.  The last my grandmother heard from them was in 1913, at a Box No. in Minersville, but they did not correspond after the outbreak of the war in 1914.

She married Tuscarora Gillins(son of William Gillins) and had a child Albert Gillins in July, 1889, in Minersville, Beaver County, Utah.  Sarah died in Minersville in 1941.