Person:Rachel Wiltbank (1)

RACHEL ELLEN WILTBANK LAY

                         written by Jane Roundy

Rachel Ellen Wiltbank was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, 3 August 1852, in a wagon box. Her parents were Spencer Watson Wiltbank and Annie Sanders Wiltbank.

Her father was left an orphan very young and was adopted by Newel K. Whitney and came to Utah in Heber C. Kimball's company in 1848.

Her mother was the oldest child in the Sanders family and drove an ox team across the plains. Her grandfather, Ellis Sanders, was raised by Heber C. Kimball and he always addressed Ellis as son.

The Wiltbank family experienced all the hardships incident to the Saints in the Valley, where they tried farming in the district between Salt Lake and Ogden, at Centerville, for Shadrach Roundy and others. They were with the Saints at the time of the war when Johnston's Army passed through. The Army left the Mormons homes unharmed and the families returned to them.

Later her parents and grandparents were called to settle Dixie. Here, she grew to womanhood in a home where there was unity and brotherly love. Courtesy for each other and friends were always welcome. Her mother died of TB, 22 June 1879, leaving a family of ten children. Her husband was away in Arizona looking for a place large enough and with enough land for his family of boys to have horses. In 1880, all the family, except Rachel Ellen and Ida, moved to Eagar, Arizona.

Rachel was married 8 October 1870, to John Taylor Lay. She lived with his parents and gave them loving care until death.

She was always being privileged to measure off the clothing from the bolts of cloth, which was purchased for the family once a year by grandfather for his children and their children. In those days, nearly all the men's clothing, as well as the women's and children's were made at home. Her sister-in-law, Emma Emmett said that many a time they have seen her spread the cloth out on the stainless mopped floor and cut clothing for the old folks, with three small children climbing over her back. When her children were ill, she was doctor, nurse and all.

The third child, little Rachel, took very seriously ill with chills and fever and died 9 October 1884 and was buried at Santa Clara. Four months after burying the two Lay grandparents in Santa Clara nearby little Rachel, Rachel, her husband and family located in Escalante, Utah. Their seventh child, Wilhelmina was born 9 August 1886. Like many others from Dixie, she never cared to move back. Always referred to it as the land of chills and fever, or where their main diet was grease and 'lasses.

Her home was on the south side of the Escalante River. It was two city lots for her to plant with some of the most delicious fruits and vegetables that ever grew. Beautiful flowers surrounded the three-room house that was built of sawed logs. She whitewashed her walls twice a year with lime, and the floor was covered with homemade carpet. John Bailey, an old friend, who passed the house twice daily, mornings coming into town and evenings returning home, remarked "Every seed she planted brought forth five."

She took her family into the mountains and dairied many summers. The cheese and butter were hauled north to Salina and Nephi and sold for food and clothing for the family. The three older children were married and in their own homes. The fourth, Joseph Coleman, had been working in Idaho for the summer of 1901.

She wove thousands of yards of carpet for people in the neighborhood. Her carpet loom, spin ning wheel, and one bed were housed under a dirt-roofed granary built over an underground room that had been occupied by the Warney Campbell family, who were among the first settlers in Escalante.

She longed to go to Eagar, Arizona, to see her father, who had been afflicted with St. Citus Dance. Her husband had gone to Lee's Ferry to live with his sister Emma Emmett, that winter. He had said it was impossible for her to make the trip, but her son Joe, said that he would be responsible for things at home. So the three kept work horses, namely, Seal, Snipe, and Reno, were shod and the covered wagon made ready. Rachel and the four youngest children, Mina, Charles, Jane, and Frank started on the long trip of about 800 miles. Charley was 18 years old, so he made a good teamster. Two horses were hitched to the wagon and a third horse trotted along behind.

They went out through the upper valley through Cannonville and down the Pah-Reah Canyon. The canyon walls were deep ad rocky on each side of a river they crossed 87 times while traveling through the canyon that day. It took us five days to get to Lee's Ferry. There we stayed with the Emmett family a few days while our wagon was repaired. A 20-gallon barrel was wired onto one side of the wagon for needed water. They put a hayrack on the back of the wagon where the hay, and sometimes the kids, rode. They gave us a gun to shoot off as a signal when we returned to the ferry. Father looked upon this trip as a very dangerous and long journey. He was afraid we would never return.

On December 2, 1901, Uncle Jim Emmertt, his sons, John and George, and Father took us to the ferry with another family who were going a short distance in Arizona. They ran the wagons on the big cable boat, thus we had our first thrilling ride on the water. But this was not the only thrill. After we crossed the Colorado River, we had to travel up a narrow dug way on the mountainside. Mother and some of the crew walked a short distance up the dug way. Our barrel that was wired onto the side of the wagon struck the mountainside bank. Our wagon skidded within a few inches of going off sideways into the river, which was miles and miles below. Mother's cause was just and her earnest prayers that she might again associate with her father and family were answered. Not a thing every marred our peace the rest of the journey, though it was in barren desert country where only a few Indian trading posts were built miles apart. As we traveled along the Colorado River, the wind blew so hard that many times the road was completely erased from view. Mother would get out and hunt the road while Charley peeked through a hole in the wagon box, in which we slept. Mother said that as long as she could hear the horses munching their hay, she knew we were safe from the Indians.

Her brother and nephew came out to meet us and what a happy meeting! Early in the morning as we were packing the wagon to start on, a wagon drove up close to ours. Childlike, three of us hid, but Ted said, "Oh! Rachel, when last I saw you I was about five and my hair was so white it was blue. HA! HA! Now he was an old bachelor. They brought us Aunt Mina's newly prepared food and though we drove two more days, the time passed quickly. We reached Amity a week before Christmas. We left home 27 November 1901. That winter we visited at Amity, now called Colter, Eagar, Springerville, Nutrioso, and Greer with her loved ones.

Grandfather was thin and gray; but when any of the families came in to spend the evening, he was the jolliest one of the crowd. If he were in bed, up he came and stayed as long as anyone. He always saw to it that the family, which was a mixed and large one at that time, knelt in family prayer, both night and morning. Calling on even the most bashful one, Charley, who always expressed his regret if ever he refused. Everyone honored and respected dear, old Spencer Watson Wiltbank. We started home on March 9 1902 and he died May 7,1902.

Mother was always working and saving for something more than a mere living. As two of her sons, John William and Charley, had moved to Lewisville, Idaho, she and her two youngest children, Jane and Frank, in a wagon box driven by Harry Cowles, stated out on a trip to pay them a visit. We left home on 27 April 1907, and on 1 May took the train at Marysvale. We went to Salt Lake City and waited over one night and day. While walking and waiting for an eating place, we met a friend, Charles O. Holiday, who had taught school two winters in Escalante. He took us to many interesting and noted places in the city, then rode on to Ogden and showed us around until the right train carried us to Idaho Falls where we met the boys the next day. We visited six months in Lewisville, Shelly, Idaho Falls and neighboring towns. We gained good experience, besides which we earned more money as young folks than ever before.

All the children were married by 14 Ap;April 1909. That was Frank's wedding day.

Her husband, John Taylor Lay; died 15 March 1913 of quick pneumonia.

In the fall of 1913, her son Charley, brought his wife and two small children home for a visit. He was very anxious to help in every way; helping screen sand for plastering; in a storm, and killed pigs over steam. He caught a bad cold which turned to pneumonia. His mother requested the Relief Society Sisters to use poultices on him after the doctor had given him up and said "I wouldn't give the fat off a paper for his life." His life was spared and he took up a homestead in the Upper VAlley. He was farming two farms, raising a garden, but on 2 July 1914 died very suddenly.

Mother soon left the hard work of weaving so much carpet and had more time to go out among the public, though her health was failing. She suffered many years with eczema and now it was causing bad lameness in her back.

She was a Relief Society teacher until 1918. Mother always attended Church, paid her tithes and offerings, and helped the missionaries. She gave all her children a wedding, witnessing them all married by Bishop Andrew P. Schow and all endowed in Manti Temple. She was always the first one sent for when any of them or their children were sick as long as her health would permit.

Mother had never been to the Holy Temple, only to be sealed to her parents in 1870. In September she needed to go with Hyrum Roundy's family to Panguitch for an appendicitis operation. She sent word to Bud and Joe in Oregon to meet her at Manti where she was to receive her own endowments and Father's done by proxy, and to have all the children sealed. Sade, Mina, Frank, and families met her and Jane at Marysvale. From there they went by train to Manti. Frank received his own endowments and was proxy for his father. Rachel and her husband were sealed and the children were then sealed to them, but the boys from Oregon came on to Escalante. Ann, Bud, Joe and Mother went back to Manti to finish the sealing of her children. Her health was rapidly failing and it was hard for her to take care of the garden and chores. She had several light strokes. When she least expected it, she would fall to the ground and was unable to arise without help. At times her feet just seemed to stick to the ground. The muscles of her eyelids wouldn't stay open, but still she sat in her wheelchair, sent to as a gift from the sons in Oregon and Mina in Ogden for her comfort. She still worked on in her mind. The streets of Escalate, which are sandy; can well be called corduroy streets, over which she has been wheeled many blocks to visit with her loved ones.

Her husband was an Indian War Veteran and eligible for a pension. In his life, he didn't try to prove his eligibility; but after his death, Frank took her to Saint George to meet James Andrus and many others with whom Dad had gone on many expeditions. After much writing and time, she was awarded the back money from the time the pension law was passed until the time she had her papers signed, and then $12.00 a month until the year 1925 or 1926 when it was raised to $30.00 per month. She never wanted for the necessities of life unless it was to sacrifice for others.

Mina, who was always very kind and considerate of Mother, moved to Ogden in 1920 to get her children under a doctor's care as Leora and Cecil had been ill six weeks with rheumatism caused by bad tonsils. Mother helped to pay for the bill for Leora's hospital care. She stayed winters with Jane in the Roundy home, but when spring came she must go home and have the lot planted, so Jane and family must go with her. We did this until 1923 when she prevailed on us to give up our home and build onto her house as the place was large enough to raise vegetables for a family, pasture cows, and feed hogs and chickens. This meant much work for one with four small children, an invalid Mother, her own lot eight blocks away, and her husband away in Ogden working for wages.

In 1925, Mina died very suddenly in childbirth on Christmas Eve, leaving eight small children, nine with the baby which was buried with her. On March 9, Jane and her family moved to Ogden and lived next door to Mina's family for five years. Mother lived with Annie, Frank, and Sade until her death 21 January 1931. She was buried 23 January 1931 in Escalante, Garfield, Utah.