SUSANNAH SMITH ROPER
(by Oather Roper)
Susannah Smith was the daughter of George Smith and Ann Hutchinson Smith. She was born 23 March 1804 in Cambridgeshire, England. In her early years she was taught to do fancy needle work and excelled in this art. She married John William Roper on October 18, 1831, in March, Cambridgeshire, England. To them were born five children.
SUSANNAH SMITH ROPER
(by Oather Roper)
Susannah Smith was the daughter of George Smith and Ann Hutchinson Smith. She was born 23 March 1804 in Cambridgeshire, England. In her early years she was taught to do fancy needle work and excelled in this art. She married John William Roper on October 18, 1831, in March, Cambridgeshire, England. To them were born five children.
Susannah”s husband John William left the farnily when the children were still young. One Sunday evening he offered to stay with the children while Susannah attended church. While she was away he packed his belongings and left early the next morning for Yorkshire. Two years later Susannah received a letter from a minister who was an old acquaintance telling her he had seen John and he had married another woman, but denied his name when the minister spoke to him. It was later reported that he had left his second wife and small son, and no one knew where he had gone.
Being left with small children to support Susannah made fancy work to sell and also taught the art to others. When she heard the Gospel she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was baptized 5 June 1845 in England.
On the second day of January, 1848 she was counciled to take her children and gather to the land of Zion. She was instructed to be in Liverpool by January 9th, 1848 because a ship would be sailing that day. When they arrived the ship was not ready, so they had to wait until the 17th of January before leaving England. They boarded a ship named “Ringfield” and after nine weeks and three days they landed at New Orleans, having experienced two extremes of the weather. For two weeks the ship lay near motionless during a great calm when there was no wind. They then had to battle a strong storm for several days.
While on board the steam ship one of the deck hands asked Joseph Benson if his name was Roper. The lad replied it was. Later Joseph reported this incident to his mother and Susannah sought out the man and asked him what connection he had with that name. He said he knew John and that he had been living in New Brunswick, Canada, but had died two years previous.
After arriving in New Orleans, they took a steamer up the river to Council Bluffs. When they were about 150 miles up the river the steamer struck a rock in the river and they were grounded on the rock for a day and two nights. The steamer was damaged by the accident so the passengers were unloaded and the ship returned to St. Louis for repairs. While they waited for the return of the ship they took refuge in the woods at a place called Fishers Landing. It was two weeks before the steamer returned for the passengers.
When they arrived at Council Bluffs they lived for a week in a house built of sod. Susannah had sent money ahead to buy cattle for the journey across the plains, so there were two yoke of cattle and a cow ready for them. They left Winter Quarters, Nebraska (which was the outfitting station) on May 29, 1848 in a company headed by Heber C. Kimball. There were 662 souls in this company. They arrived in Salt Lake Valley September 23, 1848, having taken almost four months to complete the journey. It had been only 14 months since the first Mormon company arrived in the valley.
The first winter they were in the valley food was so scarce it had to be rationed. Each person received four ounces a day. In the spring the children gathered greens and roots to eat. The first summer they were in Salt Lake the corn froze before it ripened. In order to save the crop, the corn was dried in the oven. The summer of 1849 the crickets came and nearly destroyed their crops. Many of them were larger than a mans thumb. They also saw the seagulls save the crops. Later the grasshoppers came.
In 1852 the Roper family left Salt Lake and went to Provo. In 1857 both of Susannah’s sons were married. On February 4, 1857 John Henry married Charlotte Elizabeth Mellor and on February 26, 1857 Joseph Benson married Hannah Elizabeth Molen. Mary Elizabeth married Henry White on December 12, 1864. Eventually Susannah remarried.
Susannah’s father was a silversmith and she brought with her to Utah several beautiful pieces that he had made. She had a nice singing voice and enjoyed singing, and would drink raw eggs to dear her throat before going to church. She moved to Lehi and her last days were spent there. She died in 1868 at Lehi, Utah and was buried there.
CHILDREN OF JOHN WILLIAM AND SUSANNAH SMITH ROPER
George William Roper Born 23 October 1832, Toynton Bridge, Lincolnshire, England.
Died in infancy
Joseph Benson Roper Born 2 November 1834, Toynton Bridge, Lincolnshire, England
Married Hannah Elizabeth Molen on 26 February, 1857.
Died 8 November 1910
John Henry Roper Born 9 February 1836, Toynton Bridge, Lincolnshire, England
Married Charlotte Elizabeth Mellor, February 4, 1857
Died November 27, 1928, Fayette, Utah
Ann Marie Roper Born 2 April 1837, Toynton Bridge, Lincolnshire, England
Ann Marie died as a child
Mary Elizabeth Roper Born 12 August 1840 at Louth, Lincolnshire, England
Married Henry White, 12 December 1864
Died 2 February 1870
PATRIARCHAL BLESSING FOR SUSANNAH SMITH ROPER
Blessing given in Provo, Utah, July 23, 1858 by Patriarch Charles W. Hyde
Blessing given on the head of Susannah Ewing, daughter of George and Ann Smith, bom in March, Cambridgeshire, England September 23, 1804.
Susannah, I lay my hands upon your head to seal upon you a patriarchal blessin Thou shalt have great wisdom to govern thy household in the ways of life and salvation. Thou shalt have the gift of prophecy anTr*evelation to guide thyself, for no good thing shall be withheld from you for visions and dreams shall comfort you. Thou shalt live long upon the earth to help roU on this kingdom for you are an heir with Joseph and have a right to the Priesthood with your companion and posterity after you. Thou shalt help to redeem the living and the dead with your companion and if desire thou shall redeem the pure seed and the heavenly host will rejoice over you and great will be your joy when they come up in the morn of the first resurrection and your joy shall be great and you shall sit in council with the Ancient of Days and thou hast been healed by the powers of God from time to time, thou shalt have angels dine at thy table and they shall call you blessed. Thou shalt converse with Peter, James and John and with Joseph and Hyrum, thou shalt go forth in heaven with all the redeemed and hear the teachings of Joseph about the order of heaven and the order of the celestial law. Converse with Adam your father for the veil of heaven shall be rent before you and the glories with the father shaH reveal to you from time to time for thou shall redeem the House of Ephraim and they shall rise up and bless you in their own mother tongue in a pure language which the father will give to them and thee in due time and you shall receive a blessing from the hand of your Redeemer and he will say unto thee, come thou blessed, inherit the glories which I have prepared before the’ world was and no one shall take the crown from you for thou didst sit in council with Elizabeth and Mary in heaven and thou shall have the riches of the earth and the riches of eternity and sing the song of Zion in a pure language and inasmuch as you continue to .-be faithful as thou hast then thou shalt be crowned with immortality and eternal lives in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.