Solitude

​Solitude is the theme this week for #52Ancestors and I thought I would look at my tree to see if I could find any sole surviving children.  The first one I came to has an interesting story to tell.  Nephi Vincent was born in 1867 in Salt Lake City, USA.  He was the sole surviving child of my Great x 3 great uncle, Jesse Vincent and his second wife Ellen Holt. 
Jesse was born in Cuckfield in Sussex, 1830 and he married Sarah Nicholas 1852 in Cuckfield.  They moved to Battersea and then Chelsea in London where they had four children; Naomi born 1852, Brigham born 1858, Jemima born 1859 and Sarah born late 1861, she died and was buried at 11 weeks old in March 1862 and it looks like Jesse’s wife Sarah died shortly after.  I’ve ordered the death certificates to find out what they both died from.

Jesse and Nephi Vincent

​Jesse and his three remaining children emigrated to Salt Lake City in 1863 arriving at Castle Garden, New York on 20 July 1863.  According to his naturalisation record he made the application to become a citizen of the USA on 4 January 1862 and reading between the lines his intention was always to go to Salt Lake City.  I presume he belonged to a Mormon Temple in London which may explain why he was in London, the fact he had a son called Brigham, an unusual name in England is a clue.  Plus not an original record but there is also a record in Utah, U.S., Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Records, 1847-1868 records on Ancestry stating he arrived in Salt Lake City and returned from there in 1847 at the age of 17.  His birth date and death date on this record match.  That needs checking out further to see if I can find the original record.
In 1865 he married Ellen Holt and together they had three children, Robert born 1864 but only lived for 7 months, Ellen born 1865 and died in 1866 and Nephi who born in 1867 by which time Jesse had become a citizen of the USA.  There don’t appear to be anymore children born to this couple.  This all needs further investigation because at least 1 child was born before they married in 1865.  

Jesse and Ellen and l - r (back) Naomi, Brigham, Jemina and Nephi in the front

Nephi married Sarah Jane Stocking in 1885 and together they had 9 children and they and his parents remained in Salt Lake City. 
A contact back in 2015 sent me the photos that accompany this blog and some story about the family.  But it is only now that I am researching them a bit more thoroughly.  Some family trees have added another marriage to Jesse which I have not found before, unfortunately as is so often the case, there are no sources so I have no idea if this is real or not.  It was said to have been in 1881, but Ellen didn’t die until 1911 after Jesse.  However the Mormons were known to take more than one wife so it is a possibility I need to research.  Her name was Harriet.  All three of his wives were said to have been born in England suggesting they were all converts to the Mormon religion.  This is proving to be an interesting family that requires more research.