Priscilla Clark Pickett Wilford and her daughter,

Priscilla Clark Pickett Wilford and her daughter,

Maria Louisa Pickett

(A composite history compiling existing family resources)

Roger S. Porter This story is "in process," meaning we are adding to it and making corrections all the

time as information comes to light from various branches of the family. Don't be discouraged with conflicting versions! We'll sort it all out later! Please feel free to bring additional information or corrections to our attention as you see them and document them!

Please Note: The family expert on Priscilla Clark is Richard L. (Dick) Tolman who is writing her story from prolific resources he has gathered for years. We eagerly await his treatise! Until then, this skeletal composite history may have to suffice, with additions as they come to light. Roger Porter (updated May 2005)

Priscilla was born to James Clark 22 September 1826 in Buckland, England. (I do not have her maternal line. Roger) Richard says she was friends with Louisa Avelina Sleater, left home at 14, and perhaps worked at the Marchant taylor shop where she may have learned to sew. She sewed her own wedding dress when she married her last husband, William Wilford in 1862, and the dress is still in the possession of a descendant, Patricia Miller, and now featured on this website. Her friend, Louisa Avelina Sleater, married a mormon missionary, William Gill Mills, and Priscilla married George Pickett, 4 September 1853 in Newbury, Berkshire, England. George's first wife, Maria Jarvis, had passed away after six years of marriage, leaving him with three children: James, b: 1844; Mary, b: 1846; and Jane, b: 1848. Jane's autobiography is now on this web site! Three years after their marriage, (timing conflicts with Jane's memory, however) converts to the LDS faith, George and Priscilla, along with other Pickett brothers, migrated to the United States, sailing 30 November from Liverpool in the ship Emerald Isle, arriving in New York 29 December. They made their way to St. Louis but George became ill with Typhoid fever (Jane says Small Pox) in St. Louis while on the way west. Priscilla was pregnant with their

second child, the first, Louisa, having died in infancy, probably on the ocean while the family migrated (her name is on the ship manifest along with her parents, George and Priscilla, and half-siblings, Jane, James and Mary: "Pickett, Louisa, 1855, NA, Emerald Isle, Ship roster on microfilm(s) 175515 25691").

Priscilla remained in St. Louis to care for her husband while at least some of the other Pickett brothers/family continued their migration to Utah. (Jane says Mathew remained in St. Louis until 1862.) Maria Louisa (Probably named after George's first wife and Louisa Avelina Sleater) was born 26 November 1856. After George passed away on 2 April 1857, the brothers returned to assist Priscilla and her newborn Maria Louisa and other children (?) to their new home in Utah. (Jane says they stayed in St Louis until 1861, which conflicts with the following.) W.G. Mills, in his testimony at Priscilla's coroner's inquest in 1869, says she lived with him in 1859-60 for twelve months. Acting on what he supposed was his biblical duty to marry the widow of his

brother, William Armstrong Pickett married Priscilla on 3 March, 1860, and the same day sealed her to her first husband, George. In September of the same year, WG Mills was called to England for his last mission.

Meanwhile, William Gill Mills and Louisa Avelina had had no children from their own marriage, but William G. had a daughter, Avelina Mills, born 18 Oct 1859, in a plural marriage with Emily Hill, whom he rescued from the Willie Handcart disaster in 1856, just a few months after he and Louisa Avelina were endowed and sealed in the Endowment House 25 April 1856. Those stories are also on the web site.

From the Barker History: "The second mission William G. Mills was called to serve was to England and was set apart by Pres. John Taylor the 22nd September 1860. He was president of the Birmingham District, Comprising Birmingham conference, Co. Warwic, Stafford and Shropshire, during 1861, 1862, and part of 1863. The address was 86 Garbett St. Birmingham. His release came 16 May 1863 as follows:

'Notice: At a general conference of the priesthood of the Birmingham Conference at which were present several Elders from Zion, Elder William Gill Mills was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for adultery.' Millenial Star 16 May 1863.

William Gill Mills and his wife Louisa Avelina left Liverpool on the ship Great Eastern the 15 May 1863. They spent some time in Carthage, Illinois with her parents Robert and Mary Marchant Sleater and family. According to dates on published poems they lived in Austin and Havilah Nevada 1865, 1866, and 1867; Gilroy California 1868 to 1871; Then they returned to Utah and were at Alta till the big fire and the rest of the time in Salt Lake City."

One family version says Priscilla became disenchanted with polygny, and pregnant with William Pickett's child, fled to refuge in California or Nevada with old friends, perhaps Elizabeth, the wife of John Mills, half-brother of William Gill, where George was born in 1861. John had died in Sacramento in 1857. William Gill and Louisa Avelina were serving at this time on a mission in England.

Jane's version says Priscilla married Wm. Wilford and moved to Carson City. Our record says on the 30th of June 1862 in Carson City, Ormsby Co., Nevada, Priscilla married William Wilford, bringing her two young children, Maria Louisa and George, to live in a new marriage. In Carson City they increased the family by three with Sarah Wilford born on the 26 Sept. 1864, William Wilford born on 6 Sept. 1866, and Lily Isabel Wilford born 4 October 1868.

They moved four miles south of Carson City to Clear Creek to mine gold. In the la …… 此处隐藏：7006字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……