Caroline Derricott - Grandmother to my Grandmother
Caroline Derricott, was born October 1, 1843 at Oakengates, Shropshire, England. She was from a family of 12 children. Her father was
Charles Derricott who was born in England in 1806.
Caroline was baptized into the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was a young girl. Those who
joined the Mormon church at that time were baptized at night because the
people were so bitter against those who joined.
The family moved to Neuslain, Willinghall, England due to persecution.
She met her intended husband
Richard Hoar, when she was about 18 years old.
Richard was considering going to America to Zion so he got consent of
Caroline's parents
to go with them and they would be married in Zion. At this point in
time it was not possible to marry anyone outside of your own class or
title and so he would not have been able to marry
Caroline in England.
My grandmother-
Caroline McMurray
Her mother -
Sarah Ann Orr (my great-grandmother)
Her grandmother -
Caroline Derricott (my great-great grandmother)
The "Monarch of the Sea" and beyond...
Caroline's parents wanted their children to
go to Zion as they already had one daughter in Zion who had gone across
the plains with a handcart company.
In May 1861,
Richard and Caroline set sail
for America on a sailing vessel called the "Monarch of the Sea". They
were married June 18, 1861 the day before they landed in New York
Harbor. they were married by Elder Jabus Woodward; he had presided over
the group on this voyage. they stayed a year in New York to make some
money for their journey to Zion. In spring 1862, they made their way to
Winter Quarters, Florence, Nebraska. In May 1862, they hired out to
Wagon Master John R. Young.
Richard
was to act as teamster to four yoke of cattle wagons of merchandise
from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake city for the John R. Murdoch Company.
Caroline also had to drive a team.
more to come....
Caroline Orr's parents -
Charles Derricott 1803-1885
Mary Ashley 1805-1885
Richard Charles Orr's parents -
Charles Hoar 1813-1887
Elizabeth Webb 1816-1841
Sailing on "The Monarch of the Sea"
In 1861,
Richard Orr and
Caroline Derricott
sailed from England to the New York harbor. They were married on board
the ship in the harbor, June 18, the day before they docked.
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| A ship similar to "The Monarch of the Sea" |
There are several first-hand accounts from other
passengers on "The Monarch of the Sea". When I read them I try to
visualize what it was like for them as they traveled.
"At Liverpool we
embarked on the Monarch of the Sea, a very old and rickety ship and
entirely unseaworthy. The sea was so rough and stormy that the waves
washed over the top of the deck. When the people were frightened the
captain said. "We'll land in New York all right. We've got Mormons on
board and we always get through when we have Mormons." On its return
voyage The Monarch of the Sea, loaded with cargo, sank, but the captain
and the crew were saved.
We
were on the ocean six weeks. All of the Mormon families traveled in
the steerage. the voyage was very rough. I can remember the chest
sliding and banging from side to side across the wooden floor and all of
the other chests and trunks with it. I can also remember my mother
sitting and clasping her hands, praying that we would get to America in
safety. She was a very devout and courageous woman. We slept in bunks
on the sides of the boat. In the center we children played during the
daytime and ate our meals. Our food consisted of hard tack and a little
bacon and coffee. We used our chests and trunks as tables when we ate
our food. Sometimes the captain would be kinder than usual and send down a little soup."
From -
Alma Elizabeth Miner Felt. Journal, An Enduring Legacy. Volume 7. Salt Lake City: Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, 1984
Sanpete County and the Sanpete Valley Railroad
 |
| Circa 1877 |
Richard and Caroline Orr
moved their family to Sanpete county. They homesteaded two miles east
of Moroni and the boys ran the farm while Richard ran a freight train on
the Sanpete Valley Railroad.
three more children were born here:
Oliver, January 1, 1875,
Joseph, January 8, 1877, and
Bertrand Oscar, April 28, 1880.
At this time the nearest church was at Moroni, Utah, and the
family didn't get there too often.Caroline began to worry about the
children growing up without the benefit of the gospel which she and her
husband had left England to keep. They began to make active plans to
get the family closer to church activities and family relations.
When the 10th child arrived,
Arthur, born
July 13, 1882, they sent a letter of announcement to one of Caroline's
brothers (Charles Derricott) in Liberty, Idaho. He wrote and advised
them to come to this area as there were several church in the area as
the church had been colonizing this part of Idaho along the Bear River.
Salt Lake City, November 1862
Richard Orr and
Caroline Derricott Orr
arrived in Salt Lake City in November 1862. After a year they moved to
Morgan county in Weber Valley and rented a farm and went into farming.
By now, they had 2 children.
Thomas Charles Orr, January 16, 1863 and
Elizabeth Caroline born on June 1, 1865. Three more children were born in Morgan;
Sarah Ann Orr, December 29, 1867 (my great-grandmother),
Rosa Lee Orr, January 28, 1869, and
Josiah Orr, September 11, 1870. He worked for Union Pacific Railroad, and then the Utah Southern Railroad.
Richard
was the engineer on the train that hauled rock from the quarry into
Salt Lake City to help build the temple. They moved into Salt Lake again
where the sixth child was born,
Richard Orr on September 30, 1872.
President Brigham Young called him to go down to Kanab. It was about this time that their surname was changed from
Hoar to Orr by Utah Legislation for the good of his daughters growing up.
Sarah Ann Orr, born December 29, 1867 was my great-grandmother.
The Move to Canada
Richard Orr and Caroline Derricott Orr
After 8 years of farming and railroading in Sanpete County they
moved to a farm at Liberty, Bear Lake Country, Idaho, located on a land
later called Sharon. While they were here, two more children were
borne:
Mary Rebecca, born November 9, 1883 and
William Ernest born April 19, 1886.
While in Liberty, Idaho they became more active in the church and had 5
of their children baptized on the same day - June 3, 1883.
In the 23 years they lived in this area they raised sheep and cattle, grew some grain and lots of hay.
Then they moved to Canada where some of their sons had moved a few years previously.
