EASTHOPE

Thomas was born in 1798 in Lancashire, England. On the 22nd of August, 1831, he wed Eliza Bowker, a woman 13 years his junior, and the two had 5 children. Once a member of the Church of England, it seems likely that he at some point converted to Mormonism, as only he and Eliza would join their son John in Utah - the rest of the family remained in England. Thomas passed away in 1873. 

Thomas and Eliza's children:

Joseph Easthope, 1833 - 1842

John Easthope, 1835 - 1908

James Easthope, 1837 - 

Mary Easthope, 1840 - 

Elizabeth Easthope, 1843 -

John was born in 1835 in Lancashire, marrying his first wife, Sarah Taylor there in 1856. The two moved to Utah sometime between 1861 and 1871; they were still living in England when the 1861 census was taken, but were occupying the same house as Sarah's mother, sister, several in-laws, and nieces and nephews, most of whom ended up in Utah at the same time, so it seems likely they were all living together as they prepared for their journey to the United States. Their first known child was born in 1871, which further indicates they traveled to the U.S. during this time - it's unlikely they were married for 15 years before having a child, so we can guess that they perhaps had and lost children during their journey like many other Mormon migrants. John apparently worked in many industries during his life - he is listed variously as a sawyer, a bleacher, and railroad labourer on census records. John was also a well-known polygamist (even being arrested once); in 1873, he married the confusingly similarly named, and much younger, Sarah Naylor - on at least two occasions, his wives gave birth the same year, making this family a nightmare for new genealogists. Sometime near the end of his life, John and his first wife moved to Alberta, again as part of a Mormon settling. He passed away in 1908, and is buried in Claresholm. 

John and Sarah (Taylor)'s children:

• Eliza Easthope, 1871 - 1935
• Sarah Ellen Easthope, 1872 - 1939
• Amelia Easthope, 1874 - 
• Hannah Sarah Easthope, 1875 - 
• John Taylor Easthope, 1877 - 1960

John and Sarah (Naylor)'s children:

• Hannah Elizabeth Easthope, 1874 - 1907
• Joseph Hyrum Easthope, 1877 - 1947
• Mary Easthope, 1880 - 1941
• Thomas William Easthope, 1882 - 1938
• Samuel Easthope, 1885 - 1937
• Martha Alice Easthope, 1887 - 1933
• Edith Easthope, 1889 - 1948
• Walter Harry Easthope, 1892 - 1908
• Emma Myrtle Easthope, 1894 - 

Sarah's year of birth is up for debate. While numerous sources list is as 1871, several census records claim that her older sister Eliza was born in 1871. It appears that she was likely born in late December, which may add to the confusion. In any case, we know that Sarah was born in Bountiful, Utah, the second of the 5 known children born to John and Sarah. On the 6th of April, 1891, Sarah married William Scott, and the couple had two daughters: Alice Scott (1892 - 1921) and Eva Scott (1895 - 1965). It is unknown whether William passed away or the two got divorced, but by 1897, Sarah was married to, and had birthed a child with, George Stalker. They would go on to have 7 children in total, and would move from Utah to Idaho and finally to Alberta, Canada as part of a Mormon settlement. It's interesting for me to ponder that the religiously motivated decisions made by Sarah and George contributed directly to my being born in southern Alberta. 

For more information about Sarah and George's family, please visit the Stalker page, and if you happen to have a photograph of Sarah or George, please reach out to me, as they are the only set of great-great-grandparents that I have yet to see the faces of.