Person:Ann Loughton (1)

From the History of granddaughter Reba Munns Hendricks:

Ann Loughton was born 6 March, 1854, at Shingay, Cambridgeshire, England, a daughter of William Loughton, born 1 March, 1819, and Mary Ann Matthews, born 29 May, 1821. William was born in Wendy, Cambridgeshire, and Mary Ann was born in Ladlow, Cambridgeshire; both little farming villages with a population of about 100 persons each and just a very few miles apart.

Ten children were born to this couple in Shingay, Cambridgeshire, England. Ann was the sixth child in this family.

The family moved to Leeds, Yorkshire, England, where there was a very active branch of the L.D.S. Church. Ann and two grown sisters were each baptized at the same time, 30 July, 1873, in Leeds, Yorkshire.

Her father died of jaundice 19 September, 1873, having been baptized in June, 1873. Her two married sisters, Dessima and Louisa, both died in 1874 of smallpox, each leaving a husband and a little son. The mother died the next year, 1875. She was baptized 5 May, 1873. All were of Leeds.

With all these tragic happenings in the family in a year's time, the thought of coming to Zion was uppermost in their minds. Ann worked in a lace factory and prided herself on being the fastest worker in the factory. She assisted her sisters, Susan and Martha, to come to Zion, and she herself came over in October 1879. Ann and Susan for some time worked in the home of President Joseph F. Smith. They were not treated as servants, but ate at the table with the rest of the family.

Later Ann worked in the home of Nicholas G. Groesbeck, where she was treated as one of the family. Ann loved this family and named her firstborn son Scott after one of the Groesbeck children. Mrs. Groesbeck's name was Ann so they called mother Annie. She lived in the 17th Ward at that time. She and her sister were both re-baptized as was often a custom then.

                  Re-baptized: 1 June, 1880, by J.Y. Smith.
                  Re-confirmed: 30 June, 1880, by N. Hawk.
                  Book 6296, P., 45, Line 1069. Reference Book 3180, P. 107, line 51.

Ann was 18 years old at the time of this baptism. Ann was 24 years old when she emigrated. Ann was 29 years old when married. Ann was 68 years old when she passed away.

She received a patriarchal blessing about this time which must have been a great comfort to her being so far from home, and the recent loss of parents and sisters. This blessing was given by Patriarch John Smith, recorded in book 313. Aunt Susan had a blessing at the same time.

On July 17, 1901, in Magrath, Alberta, Canada, Patriarch John A. Woolf also gave Ann a blessing in which she was promised her last days would be her best days. She had craved fruit in Canada, and it was almost impossible to obtain. She said she prayed the craving for fruit would be taken from her, and she said it seemed a table was placed before her laden with fruit, and she ate until she was sufficed.

Ann met and married George Collis Munns whom she had heard of before leaving Leeds. Someone prophesied she would marry him when she arrived in Zion. George's family were all converts from Cambridge and Leeds, and were living in Lehi, Utah, at that time. They were married in the Endowment House 27 December, l883.

They made their first home in Lehi, later on moving to Highland Bench and homesteaded there.

It was here at this time this pioneed couple lost four of their chidren to childhood diseases and they were buried in Lehi City Cemetery.

In 1901 George and Ann and three daughters left by team for Magrath, Canada, being six weeks on the way. There were several Lehi families living there, as well as in Raymond, in later years.

We moved to Raymond in a few weeks, being the first family in Raymond. We lived in a tent while the house was built. We had to haul water in barrels from springs several miles away.

So many workmen came, the Allreds from Lehi, the Gibbs, the Becks. Mother did their laundry and baked their bread and furnished vegetables and flowers for them for we always had the best garden in town. People would stop at the gate and gaze at the sweet scanted flowers and Mother always shared her garden produce and flowers with neighbors. The neighbors always got the first new peas or radishes or potatoes out of our garden.

Ann acted as a Relief Society teacher* in Raymond, and also later on in Springville. Mother had the gift of discernment, and could often read one's mind, and it was said she talked in tongues during one of her confinements.

She often had a forewarning. One time in Raymond, Elsie and I ran to meet mother as she and Sister Fairbanks were coming home from church. The horse had come home saddled without Dad. We knew something was wrong. She hushed us up because she didn't want a neighbor to know that Dad had broken the Sabbath day. In her mind she had been warned.

Another time Lizzie and I were driving, to Chipman's store in American Fork to sell green onions and get groceries. We had a two wheel cart. Lizzie drove over a narrow ditch and spilled me out. The cart ran over my leg. Lizzie took me home. Mother again had been warned. (see Misc. above)

Another time while living in California, a group of us were in swimming in a large creek which passed through the property. In trying to help a younger child, I stepped into a deep hole and lost my balance and nearly drowned. After I was rescued I laid on the bank for some time until I recovered. When Elsie and I went home, Mother said, "My girl, what happened?" I tried to pass it off but she knew.

One time Dad lost his watch. Mother said, "George., did you sit on a log while eating your lunch?" "Yes," Dad answered. "Well, your watch fell out of your pocket there."

While living on the bench, Mother had a neighbor who used to borrow tea from her. Being English, Mother loved a cup of tea and cheese and crackers. Maggie, this neighbor, never paid back as much as she borrowed, which irked Mother. So she bought a package of tea just to loan to Maggie, and when she had used it all up, Mother told her. She was a stickler for facts and for honesty.

While living in Springville, we had a nice fruit orchard and Mother never put culls in her baskets and always gave what she called "scripture measure." She always heaped up the basket.

A peddler from Vernal came in with, honey, so mother exchanged fruit for honey, and oh, how pleased she was. We used to often make honey taffy candy. Mother liked her fruit cellar filled with the year's harvest. Bottled fruit, crocks of spiced crab-apples, red currant jelly, crocks of lard, head cheese, sausage and smoked bacon which she had preserved.

Father and mother at the harvest time, would sit around the supper table and plan for the winter: how much flour, sugar, coal, etc., they would need, and the tithing settlement was always made.

While studying Whittier's "Snowbound," in Relief Society this winter, it brought back so many memories of contentment at home, around the stove on cold snowy winter evenings.

We would put a pan of potatoes or apples or onions in the oven and then sit around and eat with our feet up on the oven door and spend a pleasant time.

We often used to go for walks. Mother would quote bits of verse such as "tell me not in mournful numbers …" "Serene I fold my arms and wait … or "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego …," or "Daniel in the Lion's Den."

Mother loved nature and the outdoors. Out in front of the house in Springville was a great big old yellow rosebush. Mother watched each spring for the canaries and hummingbirds to come back and build their nests there.

Mother passed away at her home in Springvillle 25 May, 1922, at the age of 68 years. She is buried in the family plot at Lehi beside her husband, four children and Grandpa and Grandma Munns.

Surely her blessing** was fulfilled when she was promised her table would be spread with the bounties of life, and her last days would be the best days.

Mother loved the gospel and studied the scriptures. She read the "Doctrine and Covenants, " so frequently . She was true to the faith and bore her testimony to the neighbors the day before she passed away . She said she was ready to go, and passed peacefully away in her sleep. Her favorite hymns were : "Come, Come Ye Saints," "I Know That My Redeemer Lives , "and "Oh, My Father. "

October 9, 1925, father and his brothers and sisters went to the Salt Lake Temple and sealed Mother and her brothers and sisters to her parents. He previously had written to the vicar's in different parishes in obtained certified copies of marriages, christenings, and deaths and burials of Mother's people. I have on hand 900 sealing sheets of completed work which I have searched for, and the work has been done. This makes 1,800 people. Numerous children's names are on the sheets and are not counted. I am still searching and trying to get the correct spelling of her grandmother's name which is "Piom," but it must be incorrect as only two have been found with such spelling. Research is still going on in England.

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