Written by granddaughter, SARAH ALICE ALDOUS (HALGREN), with added information compiled by MYRTLE S. HYDE, 1960
My grandfather, ROBERT FREDRICK ALDOUS, was born 17 July 1812 in Kelsale, Suffolk, England, one of fourteen children of JAMES ALDOUS and MARY PAGE, his father being a carpenter by trade. ROBERT received such an education as the common schools of his vicinity could afford, and at the age of seventeen moved with his parents to FenStanton, Huntingdonshire, England. There he learned carpentering, and assisted his father on the estate of Rev. L. R. BROWN. (History of Utah, by ORSON F. WHITNEY, Vol. 4, p. 433.)
At the age of twenty-four he apparently had achieved some measure of economic independence, at least sufficient to marry. On 24 Dec. 1835 he was wed to MARY ANNE PARKIN, the daughter of LUKE PARKIN and ANN HANCOCK. His wife was 21 years old at the time, having been born 9 Nov. 1814.
He and his wife subsequently resided at FenStanton, and all of their six children (GEORGE, GEORGIANA, CHARLES, FREDRICK, ANGELINA, and HENRY) were born there. HENRY died at the age of nine months, but the rest were seemingly healthy and hardy.
ROBERT first heard the gospel preached by a Mormon Elder in front of his father's house. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on 23 Dec. 1849. Six months later he was ordained an Elder, and soon after was appointed president of the FenStanton Branch. The duties of that office he faithfully discharged as long as he remained in his native land. (History of Utah, ibid.)
He and his wife and their children sailed from Liverpool, England on the ship James Pennell 2 Oct. 1850. They were members of a company of 254 saints under the direction of Elder CHRISTOPHER LAYTON.
The following is an excerpt from the Millennial Star, describing their passage: "After an ordinary passage, the ship arrived near the mouth of the Mississippi River, and the passengers were quite jubilant at the prospects of soon landing on the shores of the 'promised land;' when a terrible storm met the vessel and drove it back into the gulf, breaking her main and mizzen masts, and washing part of her rigging overboard. In this disabled condition; the emigrants, exposed to wave and wind drifted about for several days until their provisions on board were nearly consumed, and starvation commenced to stare the emigrants in the face. But finally the crippled boat was found by a pilot boat and conducted to the mouth of the river; where, on the 20th of November she sailed up alongside the 'Joseph Badger' which and sailed from Liverpool with another company of saints over two weeks later than the 'James Pennell.' The two ships were now towed up, together, to New Orleans, where they arrived the 22nd of November. The next day the emigrants from the James Pennell continued their journey up the river to St. Louis, Missouri. There, and in the surrounding country they found employment for the winter.
The family lived in St. Louis for two and one half years. Then in the spring of 1853, they joined the CLAUDIUS V. SPENCER company, which left Council Bluffs, and crossed the Missouri River on the 3rd day of June. ROBERT's outfit consisted of a wagon, a yoke of oxen and a cow. The only exciting incident of the journey was when the travelers met a band of five hundred Indians, whom they placated with gifts of sugar and tobacco, and were allowed to pass on unmolested. The date of arrival in Salt Lake City was 14 September 1853. After a month's stay in the city he moved to Ogden, and there went to Bingham's Fort (the name of that place being changed to Lynne, and later incorporated into Ogden City). There he remained seven years (History of Utah, ibid.)
In the summer of 1861, according to available information, he together with a group of other men (among whom was DAVID O. McKAY, father of President DAVID O. McKAY) spent considerable time harvesting and putting up wild hay growing in the valley. He was also among a group of seven men who in 1861 assisted one DAVID JENKINS (presumably a government surveyor) in laying out the town site of Huntsville. In 1862 he moved his family to Huntsville, where he was a prominent citizen, and did much in a quiet unassuming way to help build the community.
Because he was a skilled carpenter and builder, his services were in demand. He labored at various employments - first upon the public works at Salt Lake City, then upon the Ogden Tabernacle, and in opening Ogden Canyon, where he superintended the building of three bridges. He helped build the first log school house in Huntsville, and superintended the building of a rock school house in the same place. The latter was constructed with a dome ceiling, and was considered a "wonderful piece of work" (JOHN HENRY ALDOUS wrote this in a letter to SARAH ALICE ALDOUS HALGREN, in 1955.) He also assisted with his means in the erection of the meeting house and other edifices. He helped lay out the Huntsville irrigation system, as well as the mountain anal on the north side of the valley; JOHN HENRY ALDOUS, in the letter referred to above says he did "it with [a] common spirit level it must be about 13 miles long and is as true as if it had been done with a up to date surveying instrument."
ROBERT ALDOUS was one of the first school teachers in Huntsville, and for five years was water master, serving in both positions without compensation. In the Church he held successively the offices of Elder, Seventy, and High Priest.
Those who knew ROBERT ALDOUS remember him as being a tall man (over six feet) with a very short wife. He was relatively deaf, and carved an ear trumpet, asking people to talk into it to enable him to hear them. He always went to church, and took his foot long trumpet with him. ADRIANA ALDOUS (the wife of ROBERT's great grandson) wrote the following about ROBERT ALDOUS.
His dry wit was much appreciated by his fellow townsmen. After the rock school house was completed, it often was cold there during the severe winter months; it was decided they should put the stove on the opposite side of the building from where the chimney was, by the next winter, and put the stove pipe along the ceiling (or close to it) so more heat would stay in the building instead of going up the chimney. ROBERT ALDOUS gave a load of barley to buy the stove pipe with. Bishop HAMMOND took the barley to Ogden and traded it for the stove pipes which were installed. Upon completion, Bishop HAMMOND in Sacrament Meeting drew the attention of the ones present, to the beautiful new stove pipes he had gone to Ogden for and bought, giving the impression that he was the donor. The elderly sister whom related the story to me said, "ROBERT ALDOUS stood up and in his dignified way, yet with a roguish smile on his face, said, 'Well Bishop, you did go to Ogden and bought the stove pipes, that is very commendable, but just remember, my barley (he pronounced it bearly) paid for it.' and sat down." She also said it pleased the people and many a chuckle could be heard. As a rule, ROBERT ALDOUS went along not letting the right hand know what the left one did; he was kind hearted and generous.
ROBERT ALDOUS lived to the age of 84, dying in Huntsville 24 Aug. 1896.
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