Chestnut, Sarah Mary
SARAH CHESTNUT appears in a list of the ERASTUS BINGHAM children recorded in a journal of ERASTUS BINGHAM. There have been a few who, therefore, list her as a BINGHAM. Since she is not a BINGHAM, this report is to better clarify who she is.
www.softcom.net/users/paulandsteph/tjadair/samuelsforgottenchildren.html:
EDNA IRVINE in the July 22, 1931 edition of the Deseret News newspaper of Salt Lake City, entered a writing competition of pioneer stories presumably for the upcoming Pioneer Day Celebration with the following entry:
"Picture three terrified children, the oldest only eight years of age, brutally bereft of parents and left on a lonely mountain in a perfectly strange locality! Just a few hours before they had been, perhaps wearily, but nevertheless happily, jogging along in a big covered wagon under the care of loving parents. No doubt, somewhere, friends and relatives often wondered why no word ever came from the little family that started for the California gold fields in 1849 [1852].
All that can be told of the story is what has been gleaned from the older children. They were able to tell that their parents were WILLIAM ALBERT and JOHANNAH CHESNUT. At any rate, before they entered Salt Lake Valley, the parents were murdered by teamsters and a like fate was about to be inflicted upon the children, but the oldest pleaded so hard that their lives were spared. They were tied to a cow and headed toward the settlement of the "Mormon" pioneers with threats of death if they told anyone of what had occurred. All day the forlorn tots trudged behind cows down the rugged mountain. By nightfall they had reached the settlement and were found and cared for by the hospitable pioneers. When their story finally became known, too much time had elapsed for any attempt to be made to trace the murderers and with the meager information obtainable it was impossible to trace relatives of the little orphans. The children were given permanent homes, in good pioneer families and grew to be respected citizens in the community." (Out of the Unknown by Edna Irvine; 1931; Deseret News 22 July 1931 B.Y.U. Film # D45d # 184; page 7/14)
The story is correct in its essence; however, we now know the event occurred in 1852 and not 1849. We do not know if the family was traveling to either California or the Oregon Territory. By using burial records, LDS temple ordinance information, and censuses, we can reasonably assume the CHESNUT (or CHESTNUT) family was from Missouri. The fact that they were traveling alone from Missouri probably means they were not LDS since most Mormon pioneers traveled from Iowa in larger organized groups.
We also know from the same records that ANN CATHERINE was age 8, born April 11, 1844, SARAH MARY was age 6, born Sept. 1, 1846, and WILLIAM ALFRED was about four being born about 1847. According to ADAIR and MALAN family traditions, we know two men murdered their parents that their father had hired as teamsters to take them west. The three children were spared but the cruel men tied them to a cow and sent it on its way towards possibly the Mormon settlement Coalville. At this time they were outside Echo Canyon. The confused cow and the frightened children were left to wander, until they were rescued by SAMUEL JEFFERSON ADAIR, widower with eight children, on his way to Zion. Being shocked and amazed when he found them, he released them from the cow, took them in his arms and did his best to comfort the distressed children. He brought them on to the Salt Lake Valley, arriving around September 24, 1852.
When they arrived, the CHESTNUT children recognized the fine wagon that belonged to their parents. They started to shout, but were quickly silenced when two rough men told SAMUEL to shut them up or they would be shut up for good. The men were soon gone and the children were raised in Utah. At least SAMUEL ADAIR raised ANN as if she were her own.
(Typescript received Dec. 23, 2001 from J. Malan Heslop, 80 Edgecombe Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84103-2220 from the Malan Book of Remembrance by John Daniel Malan, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, 1993
We next see ANN with her husband in the 1860 U.S. census in Fort Washington, Washington Co., Utah. Their ages are shown as twenty-three and sixteen with no children yet. Her sister SARAH shows up as a third member of the household at age fourteen. Both girls report their birthplace as Missouri. This is the first public record found thus far for SARAH MARY CHESTNUT. GEORGE in this census reports the value of their real estate at $200 and their personal property at $200. Most of the neighbors related as extended family including a first cousin named VALENTINE CARSON. The census was conducted July 27, 1860 which would make her about two months pregnant with their first child, GEORGE WASHINGTON ADAIR, Jr., who would be born Jan. 26, 1861 in neighboring Santa Clara. (Utah, Washington, Roll 1314 Book 1, Page 1043, US Census 1860.)
As for SARAH MARY CHESTNUT we know more. We are not sure if SAMUEL ADAIR also raised her or not. Besides being with her sister ANN in Washington, Utah at age fourteen as shown in the 1860 U.S. census, she also lived with Bishop and Sister ERASTUS BINGHAM in Riverdale, Utah. She essentially was a foster child of the BINGHAMs at this point.
SARAH MARY CHESTNUT married JEFFERSON SLADE on November 20, 1860 [Per Ordinance Index 1.02 FHL film 1553767, sheet 49, batch 5017985]; she had just turned 15 years old. Following a quarrel, he told her to go back to her former home with the BINGHAM’s. She did, and after some time passed, she tried to reconcile with JEFFERSON, but he would have no part of it, she was no longer his wife. SARAH left without telling JEFFERSON that she was pregnant with his child. He was not notified of the birth, which occurred on April 11, 1862, some 16 months following their marriage. SARAH was living with the BINGHAM family. The son born was JEFFERSON CHESTNUT SLADE (1862-1936). JEFFERSON SLADE’s father was WASHINGTON SLOACUM, who changed his name to WILLIAM RUFUS SLADE when a teenager. Mother was PHOEBE
He was born 25 Sep 1836 in Opelousa, LA and died 29 Dec 1915
Census data concerning JEFFERSON SLADE’s life.
1850 Census, Harris Texas
William Slade 39 NY
Julianne 35 Geo
William 16 LA
Jefferson 14 LA
Albert 12 LA
Clara 10 Tex
John 7 Tex
Henry 3 Tex
Alice 1 Tex
!860 Census Pine Valley, Washington, Utah
Jefferson Slade 24 LA
1870 Census, Eagleville, Iron, Utah
Jefferson Slade 32 LA
Hannah 23 Tx
Sarah 3 Utah
Clara 1 Utah
1880 Census
Jefferson 42 LA NY LA
Wife 1) Sarah J. 32 Tx Miss Ala
Wife 2) Mary Jane 28 Eng Eng Eng
1) Sarah A. 13 Ut LA Tx
1) Jefferson A. 9 Ut LA Tx
2) Elizabeth E. 9 Ut LA Eng
2) James M 4 Ut LA Eng
1) William F. 6 Ut LA Tx
2) Samuel J. 5 Ut LA Eng
2) Ada A 4 Ut LA Eng
1) Joseph H 1 Ut LA Tx
2) Benjamin 11 mo Ut LA Eng
1900 Census, Alpine, Apache, Ariz
Jefferson 62, Sep 1837 LA NY NY
Joanna B 55, Jan 1845 Tx
Jesse m 19, Apr 1881 Ut LA Tx
Erastus 16, Feb 1884 NM LA Tx
George 13, Aug 1887 Ut LA Tx
Fanny D. 11, Nov 1888 Ut LA Tx
Pioneer Immigrant lists wives as
Sarah Chestnut 20 Nov 1860
Sarah Joanne Barron 29 Apr 1865
Mary Jan Western 20 Jun 1870
She later married JOHN MORONI FOY in the Salt Lake Endowment House on Dec. 13, 1862 in Salt Lake City [Index card to Endowment House records, no. 3898, book D, page 187 -- also per Ordinance Index 1.02, FHL film 183395]. Her son was eight months old at the time. The marriage lasted only two years and there were no children. Further information on JOHN M FOY:
1850 Census, Salt Lake Roll M432_919; p 73A; Image 149
Household Members: Name Age
Thomas B Foy 49y Farmer, born in Penn.
Catharine Foy 42y born in Penn.
Susan Foy 20y born in Penn
John M Foy 15y born in Penn
William Foy 13y born in Penn
Sarah Foy 11y born in Ill.
Elizabeth Foy 8y born in Ill.
Emma Foy 7y born in Ill.
Frederick Foy 6y born in Ill.
Catharine Foy 4y born in Iowa
Thomas Foy 1y born in Ind. Ter.
1900 Census, 7 Jun Kalispell, Flathead, Montana
John M Foy 64 Birth: Nov 1835 place: PA Male Head PA PA
Alice L 60 birth Jul 1834 Nova Scotia
Marriage Year: 1856 years married: 44
Ida P Brown 24 Feb 1876 Idaho daughter
Andy A.Foy 18 Feb 1882 Montana son
JOHN FOY was buried Demerville Cemetery in Kalispell Montana Nov 1900. His parents were THOMAS BIRK FOY (1802-1873) and CATHERINE REBECCA FINK (1804- 1870)
In Nov. 1865, SARAH MARY married Dr. AQUILLA TRULOCK [per Ordinance Index 1.02 FHL film 1903756]; Shortly after the birth of their first child, Dr. TRULOCK passed away 29 May 1869 in Ogden, Utah and was buried in Ogden City cemetery. Their child was ACQUILA C. TRULOCK (1866-1914)
On December 20, 1869, in the Logan Temple, SARAH married STEPHEN (JEAN ETIENNE) MALAN [per Ordinance Index 1.02, FHL film 183396], one of the first Mormon converts from Italy. He was born 8 Jan 1835 in Latour, Piedmont, Italy. They became the parents of four children: STEPHEN EUGENE MALAN (1874-1931); WILFORD AUGUSTUS MALAN (1877-1948); CORA MAUDE MALAN (1880-1934); and ADA L. MALAN (1883-1883). STEPHEN died 15 Aug 1926 in Salt Lake and was buried in 18 Aug 1926 in Ogden. STEPHEN’s parents were JOHN DANIEL MALAN (1804-1886) and PAULINE COMBE (1805-1864), (death record states mother is MARY PONS)
1900 Census 3 Jun Ogden, Utah
Stephen Malan 65 b. Jan 1835 Italy Italy Italy immig 1855 md 11 years
MA Malan 70 b. May 1830 Georgia
1910 Census 20 Apr Ogden Ward 3, Weber, Roll T624_1611; P 9B, Dist 228; Image 491
Stephen Malan 75 ~1835 Italy Italy Italy
Martha A. 79
1920 Census 8 Jan , Salt Lake Ward 2, roll Y625_1866; p. 6B,Dist 113, image 889
Eugene Hileman 44 head
Cora Hileman 39 wife
Stephen Malan 84 father in law widowed
Three years after the birth of their last child, SARAH MARY passed away at the age of forty-one on July 4, 1886 due to "heart paralysis." She was buried the next day, 5 Jul 1886, in Ogden City Cemetery in Ogden, Utah. [Obituary: Ogden Daily Herald, Tues., 6 Jul 1886.]
It is reported that the CHESTNUT family was really from Kentucky and Missouri was more of a stop over point that the young children remembered. An older sister, [name?], to SARAH and her siblings was identified who remained in Kentucky. We are looking for some more specific references concerning this early part of SARAH’s life. New.familysearch has entries for the family going into Kentucky.
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