William Greenhalgh

1861 - 1943
Story
Timeline
Map
Crimean War
Lincoln Assassination
1865 Immigration to the United States
13th Amendment
Cholera Epidemic
Immigration to Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database
Living in Utah
Thomas and his family were called to the Cotton Mission
Transcontinental Railroad
The Long Depression
Telephone
Census
Thomas Greenhalgh
Bear Lake Earthquake
Thomas Greehalgh & Mary Moorecroft.
Manifesto
Utah Statehood
Census
Ford Motors
First Radio Broadcast
Enlarged Homestead Act
1910 Census
World War I
Flu Pandemic
Vernal, Duchesne, Utah
First Public Radio Broadcast
Penicillin
Neola, Utah
Workman Family
Great Depression
Pow Wow in Cashmere
Civilian Conservation Corps
Violent Windstorm
Keele Family Move
Grand Coulee Dam
Magnuson Act
Japanese Incendiary Balloons
Atomic Bomb
The Egg and I
First Wide-Audience TV Broadcast
McCarthyism
Korean War
Polio Vaccine
1840
1870
1900
1930
1960
  • Childbirth
  • Childhood in Cohoes, ("Spindle City, New York")
  • Clothing
  • Communication
  • Diet
  • Education
  • Household
  • Hygiene
  • Jim Crow Laws
  • Marriage
  • Medicine
  • Religion
  • Transportation
added:
X
  1. William born
  1. England
  1. Childbirth
  1. Lincoln Assassination
  1. 1865 Immigration to the United States
  1. Brother Francis dies
  1. 13th Amendment
  1. Cholera Epidemic
  1. Childhood in Cohoes, ("Spindle City, New York")
  1. Sister Ruth born
  1. Immigration to Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database
  1. Living in Utah
  1. Utah
  1. Thomas and his family were called to the Cotton Mission
  1. Education
  1. Transcontinental Railroad is completed
  1. Brother George born
  1. The Long Depression
  1. Hygiene
  1. Telephone
  1. Religion
  1. William's future wife, Sarah Emily Potter, is born 17 years after William.
  1. Census
  1. Thomas Greenhalgh
  1. Medicine
  1. Small earthquake felt in parts of Utah
  1. Thomas Greehalgh & Mary Moorecroft.
  1. Mother dies
  1. Father dies
  1. Household
  1. Manifesto
  1. Sister Sarah dies
  1. Marriage
  1. Marries Sarah Emily Potter
  1. Utah receives its statehood in 1896
  1. Census
  1. Daughter Elizabeth born
  1. Ford Motors
  1. The first radio broadcast is sent from Massachusetts
  1. 1910 Census
  1. Sister Margaret dies
  1. World War I
  1. Virus spreads around the world
  1. Vernal, Duchesne, Utah
  1. Listeners tune in to public radio
  1. Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin and revolutionizes the medical world
  1. Neola, Utah
  1. Workman Family
  1. The Great Depression sees U.S. unemployment rate hit 25%
  1. Pow Wow in Cashmere
  1. Civilian Conservation Corps
  1. Brother Thomas dies
  1. Violent Windstorm
  1. Sister Mary dies
  1. Wife Sarah dies
  1. Brother Abraham dies
  1. Keele Family Move
  1. Grand Coulee Dam
  1. William dies but his legacy lives on.
  1. Endnotes
William born, 1861
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William Greenhalgh 1861-1943
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Mary Ann Greenhalgh 1848-1934
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Sarah Elizabeth Greenhalgh 1850-1891
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Abraham Greenhalgh 1855-1937
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Thomas Greenhalgh Jr. 1857-1934
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Mary Alice Greenhalgh 1859-1912
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Ruth Elizabeth Greenhalgh 1866-1947
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George Downing Greenhalgh 1869-1949
A history of an individual cannot be written without reflecting upon where they came from, why they were here and how they lived. It is important to remember as you are reading that the events described may not have been about nor written by William Greenhalgh, but he was present in most situations, as a young child traveling on a crowded ship for weeks, or seeing his mother cry when his baby brother died, or walking alongside a covered wagon across the country.

William was born on 18 March 1861, in Whalley, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. His mother was Mary Moorcroft and was 34 years old when William was born. His father was Thomas Greenhalgh and was 40 years old at the time. William was the seventh child of ten children.

Much of the credit for the biographical information included here is from the diary of William's oldest sister, Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace. William was thirteen years younger than Mary.

It is likely because of his baby brother's illness and death after their arrival in America that during the voyage Mary Ann Greenhalgh would have had the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings.

Mary Moorcroft Greenhalgh had another child only thirteen months after the death of Frances Moorcroft Greenhalgh in 1866.

No known Photographs exist of these two children.
Martha Greenhalgh 1852–1856 Died in England
Francis Moorcroft Greenhalgh 1864–1865 Brother of William died one month after arriving in America.
England, 1861
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During the 1800s, England experienced growing pains brought on by rapid population expansion. In 1800, 75% of England's population lived in the countryside, but by 1900, that same percentage had moved into towns. Urban centers like London flooded with poor men and women looking to make a living, although unsanitary and harsh conditions constrained the benefits of living and working in the city. New technologies brought on by the Industrial Revolution popularized manufacturing jobs, but they paid little.

His father Thomas kept a faithful journal from 1846 to 1850 as he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thomas’s journal is of a missionary type with a lot of information about his travels and teachings. There is some reference to his personal experiences. His journal seems very humble and of a pleasant attitude, a man who seems to be without guile. He writes that he was born in Farmington of Worsley, Lancashire, England 15 January 1821.

“I was of a humble family brought up at the primitive school until about 9 or 10 years of age. I began to think about religion from time to time. I went to hear the different sects. I was rather inclined to the Methodist Society. In 1840 I heard of a strange sect called Latter-day Saints. . . I believed with all my heart. I was baptized by Thomas Lathrop 3 December 1840.”

Thomas continues his writing and describes attending various meetings and having “a day of rejoicing.” At times he mentions a Miss Mary Moorcroft accompanying him to meetings. Thomas married Mary Moorecroft 26 September 1847 Eccles, Lancashire, England.

It is recorded that Mary Moorcroft was baptized 24 October 1846 in England by Parley P. Pratt.

Autobiography of Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace, Father Thomas Greenhalgh.

"My father was a silk warper and worked at his trade in the city of Manchester in Lancashire. He learned this art when a very young man. I can not remember the time when he had any other trade than that of a silk warper. At the age of twelve years I started to work in a cloth factory where my father warped."

Throughout his life Thomas labored in the textile industry. He is listed as a silk warper while working in a factory in England. Apparently he was very good at his trade because it became his lifelong occupation. He helped to set up several textile mills in the Utah Territory and was called to serve in the "Cotton Mission." He helped provide a valuable resource to the church and to the community.
Childbirth
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A post-childbirth scene
Giving birth presented a number of risks to the mother and her child during William's era. With limited medical technology, complications occurred frequently, such as the child becoming stuck in the birth canal or the mother hemorrhaging at life-threatening levels. A midwife was sometimes called to the home when a woman began labor, though very often the woman's own mother or other female relatives were the only ones present to assist.

A lack of sanitation and anesthesia still made birth a painful, dangerous endeavor. While the mortality rate for children remained high—ranging from ten to thirty percent depending on the location.
Lincoln Assassination, 1865
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Ford's Theater, where President Lincoln was assassinated
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The train from Lincoln's funeral procession
On April 15, 1865, when William was 3, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford's Theatre. Americans learned about the President's death quickly as flags were at half-staff and businesses were closed by the next day. Millions of William's fellow countrymen attended open-casket viewings as a train carried Lincoln's body on a winding journey from Washington DC to Illinois, passing through Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and several other states. The end of the bloody and destructive war, which had been a time of rejoicing for many Americans, had now become a time to mourn.

From the autobiography of Mary Greenhalgh Mace we read.
"We landed at Castle Gardens, New York, June 2, 1865, and found the country in deep mourning over the tragic death of Abraham Lincoln. Everywhere we saw soldiers who were returning home from the Civil War. I remember one troop carrying what remained of a huge American Flag. The center had been taken out by a cannon ball, and soldiers were carrying it down the street by its corners. They looked ragged, tired and sick as they dragged themselves down the street to their quarters amid the shout of cheers and martial music."

What a sight this must have been for young William after traveling so far on a difficult journey.
1865 Immigration to the United States, 1865
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The Belle Wood was an American clipper ship built by George Greenman and company at Mystic, Connecticut. She operated for a time in the Brigham line, but during the Civil War, when Yankee shipping lines were in jeopardy, the Belle Wood was sold to the British firm Williams and Guion of Liverpool.
1854 from the diary of Thomas Greenhalgh, England.

"My mother was at the house today Ellen my sister and daughter. She asked by (my) wife if she should go to America if our Abraham sent. She said yes."

1865, William immigrated to Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States.

Since the trip usually cost one-third of a person's annual income for an average sized family, many immigrants only had enough money to ride below deck and bring a few essential items. These people often slept in narrow, close bunks with little fresh air. During storms, the door to the deck was closed, leaving these passengers with no light and stale air, which made the stench of vomit and chamber pots even worse. Fortunately, thanks to the British Passenger Act in the early 1800s, ships had to bring along food items such as biscuits, wheat flour, oatmeal, rice, tea, sugar and molasses, along with fresh water to combat starvation. Steamships forced poor Brits to live in these conditions for around 12-14 days, which was mercifully shorter than the sailing ships of previous decades.

After they arrived in the United States, immigrants were processed and given a quick medical examination and questionnaire to determine if they would be able to stay in the country. Those with communicable diseases or mental disabilities were considered unfit for entry, but those that passed were free to leave and start their new lives.

There are many detailed accounts of the voyage of the ship Belle Wood. The ship records states that there were six hundred eighty six souls aboard. Accounts vary from “a pleasant journey,” to very crowded with “several deaths” and burials at sea. The Captain’s version is a very positive but it is described very differently by some of the passengers. The passengers were required to pass through the Castle Gardens arrival gate for health checks before being allowed to travel on this took several miserable “hot humid days.”

Autobiography of Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace.

"In April 29, 1865, our family of nine children with Father and Mother, left Liverpool for America on a sailing vessel called the Belle Wood. This ship was in charge of Captain Freeman, a large red-headed Yankee, who said he had crossed the ocean six times. Our trip on the ocean lasted five weeks and two days. The captain said it was the nicest trip he had ever taken across the Atlantic Ocean. We landed at Castle Garden, New York, June 2, 1865."

"Letter of William H. Shearman - June 17, 1865 – Wyoming, N.T., June 17, 1865.President Wells.

Dear Brother,—As I informed you by previous letter, we anchored in New York Harbor on May 31st, and were landed at Castle Garden, with our luggage, on the following day. We experienced no difficulty in passing the doctor and custom house officers, who were very courteous and accommodating. Of course we did not fail to show our appreciation of their kindness in enabling us to pass our effects without going through all the tedious formalities of the custom house regulations. In consequence of unwillingness on the part of railway contractors to fulfil their engagements with Elder Thomas Taylor, we were detained in Castle Garden between five and six days. The weather was intensely hot, the Saints suffered much from various sources of annoyance, and disease made its appearance and began to spread rapidly. I am thankful, however, to be able to say that, by the blessing of the Lord, we escaped with the loss of but one child, who died of the croup. (Frances Moorcroft Greenhalgh) Under these circumstances Brother Taylor had no alternative but to take steps to obtain legal redress; which, when the contractors found he was determined to do, they concluded to fulfill their agreement."

The child that passed away was William's little brother Francis Greenhalgh.
Brother Francis dies, 1865
William's brother Francis Moorcroft Greenhalgh passed away in Kings, New York, United States at the age of 1. William was 4.

Autobiography of Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace.
"My baby brother, who had been sick on voyage, died one month after we landed in New York and was buried in the Green Wood Cemetery. A short service was held at the grave. The undertaker's name was John Mace."
13th Amendment, 1865
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Celebration erupts after the amendment is passed
After the Civil War ended in 1865, when William was 4, the 13th Amendment was passed, freeing all slaves within the United States. Black citizens and white Americans celebrated across the United States.
Cholera Epidemic, 1866
A year after the devastating Civil War ended, a deadly cholera epidemic hit the streets of New York City. When William was 4, the first ship containing people infected with cholera docked in New York, and the disease began its rapid spread throughout the city of more than 1.2 million people. In a matter of months, 1,137 of William's fellow New Yorkers had died from the disease. With the exception of Manhattan, where better hygienic conditions limited the spread of the disease, poor neighborhoods in the city—home to most of the immigrant population—were hit especially hard. Fortunately, new medical advances enabled officials to recognize and contain the outbreak, limiting the death toll and saving countless lives over the next few years.

Although Frances Greenhalgh was ill at this time it was noted that one month later died of "the croup." During the entry inspections they were allowed to enter the United States.
Childhood in Cohoes, ("Spindle City, New York")
Work and education shaped William's childhood. Society expected children between four and eight years old to help with basic cooking, cleaning, farming, or any other task that needed doing. Many forsook education in order to contribute more to the family farm or business. With many fathers lost to war and mothers lost to illness or in childbirth, eldest children often had great responsibilities cast upon them at a young age.

Autobiography of Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace

"Our family stayed in New York City until the middle of September, where my sister Sarah and I obtained work in a silk factory. We were dissatisfied here because Father could not find work and we did not like living in a city either, but we were obliged to stay until we could do better. In a short time we heard of a manufacturing town called Cohoes, ("Spindle City" )which was eleven miles from Albany, so we moved there. Here we obtained a comfortable house in which to live, and secured work for us all; that was, for my sister Sarah, Father, and myself. It was while we were living here that I attended one quarter of night school, the only school I ever attended in my life. We lived here until July 10th or 12th, 1866, when Father decided to move west to Utah."
Sister Ruth born, 1866
William's sister, Ruth, was born when William was 5 years old in Albany, New York.
Immigration to Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1866
Autobiography of Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace

"When all was ready we sailed down the Hudson River for about three hundred miles from Albany to New York. Here we waited for more people whom we learned were also going to Utah. We were obliged to take a round about way to come west as a satisfactory agreement could not be made with the company which had been handling the immigrant traffic. Our route took us into Canada by way of the Great Lakes of Huron and Michigan, then to Chicago, from here to a place called Wyoming."

Over 400 individuals and 65 wagons were in the company when it began its journey from the outfitting post at Wyoming, Nebraska (the west bank of the Missouri River about 40 miles south of Omaha) The company arrived over a period of 2 days, the 1st and 2nd of October.

Autobiography, Ruth Elizabeth Greenhalgh Cram sister of William Greenhalgh

"We started our journey across the plains July 24, 1866, in the Joseph S. Rawlins Company when I was about six weeks old. During the early part of our journey, I was christened by Horace S. Eldredge, a returned missionary from England, and named for his mother. There were ten persons in our wagon, Father, Mother, myself, brothers and sisters, and the driver of our ox team, Cicen Chase.
About a month and a half after leaving Cohoes, a group of Indians rode into our camp. They traded back and forth with the pioneers in our company. I was about two months old at the time, and I suppose the only young baby in the company for when the Indians saw me, they wanted to trade a pony for the little white baby. When they left our camp, they circled it, yelling, whooping, and waving their arms. They made three complete circles in this manner and then rode away in a cloud of dust. This was the only encounter we had with the Indians in our journey across the plains. Our hot and dusty journey ended on the fourth of October, 1866, when we drove into the peaceful Salt Lake Valley."

Thomas Greenhalgh, Journal

"August 2nd. This morning we got ready to commence to cross the plains [from Wyoming, Nebraska]. We went about five miles the first day. We continued to increase till some days we went twenty miles or over. I was sick about one month. Our Mary was sick about a week. Margret Alice was sick for some time but all got well again. There were about twelve died on the way. A man was sick in the wagon next to us. He got killed. The wagon wheels ran over his body and burst him.
[Note: Thomas Greenhalgh’s journal is too fragmented to follow so this account of his daughter, Mary Ann Greenhalgh, is used to describe the entry of the Greenhalgh family into Utah]

Mary Ann GreenHalgh Mace, Journal

"We rested a few days and left [Wyoming, Nebraska] on July 24, 1866, about noon after we had cooked our dinner around a campfire. We were met by a company of eighty-two covered wagons which had been sent out from Utah by Brigham Young to meet the immigrants. Two families were assigned to travel in each wagon on the journey to Salt Lake City. This arrangement did not meet with my mother's approval, as she did not like the looks of some of the immigrants. She thought they might have vermin, or that we children might contract some disease from them. After talking with several of the drivers, we were assigned to ride in a wagon that carried some freight. It consisted of two large flat wooden boxes which just fit into the bottom of the wagon box and completely covered the floor. Packed into these boxes were the materials for the Great Salt Lake Tabernacle organ."

"During the journey we had delightful weather. It was warm with a few gentle rains. When we grew tired of riding we walked to rest ourselves. At night we camped in a half circle. The oxen were put in a corral made by the wagons, and we slept in the corral made by the wagons or in the wagon boxes. Every night guards stood at the opening of the circle, the men in the party together with the drivers acted as guards. We passed over hundred of miles of prairie country. One morning a girl friend and I were standing, perhaps within a stone's throw of the wagons, washing our faces and combing our hair by a small stream. Suddenly almost before we had finished, we decided to run back to the wagons. We had no more than reached them when fifteen or twenty big Indians rode into our camp. The captain of the company gave them sugar, flour, and other things to eat. I remember how they stood and looked at mother's baby, which was only a month old, and then offered to trade her a horse for it.

"After reaching Utah, the first settlement we came to was Coalville at Silver Creek, a small village with a few buildings. We did not stop here, however, as our destination was Salt Lake City, where we arrived October 4, 1866. Here we camped in the lot just east of the Tabernacle, grounds in the tithing office sheds."

The family of Thomas Greenhalgh arrived in Salt Lake 4 October 1866. They later moved South to Western Utah in Washington County. There Thomas set up the first water powered textile looms west of the Mississippi. He worked and lived in Washington County the rest of his life.
Living in Utah, 1867
In 1867, William was living in Utah, United States.
Utah, 1867
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During the 1800s, many Americans and European immigrants crossed the Oregon Trail to enjoy the religious and economic freedoms that a largely unsettled Utah provided. William's family arrived with the region's Mormon settlers on the cross-country handcart and wagon excursions to escape religious persecution in the East. Others simply sought their fortune in a land rich with resources, as Utah's mountains and rivers made it a great location for both agriculture and mining. Because of all these factors, the overall population of Utah grew from just over 10,000 settlers in 1850 to more than 250,000 by the beginning of the 1900s.

". . . we arrived Oct. 4, 1866. Here we camped in the lot east of the Tabernacle grounds in the tithing office sheds. The roof had been put on the tabernacle and the foundation for the temple was just laid. Not far from these was the old Salt Lake Theater, which was completed and had been in use for four years. We were to stay in the sheds until we could find another place. . . . " *Autobiography of Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace
Thomas and his family were called to the Cotton Mission, 1867
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Thomas set up water-power looms in the Washington County, Utah factory.

"We arrived in the little town of Washington on November 7, 1867," recalled his daughter Mary Ann. "Here we found a factory operating Mendenhall hand looms.
Father now started to set up power looms immediately, and I began to weave cloth as soon as he got the first loom set up."

From: Tartan, sage and history : the story of Robert William Rowe Campbell and Sarah Newton

At this time William Greenhalgh was six years old.
Education
HistoryLines
During the 1800s, formal education opportunities for William and other children expanded greatly throughout the United States. One-room schoolhouses (with one teacher for all grades) were still common in small towns, with roughly 200,000 in use during William's life. But with many states beginning to offer free public education, children in more densely populated regions were attending new, large-scale school buildings, as well.
Transcontinental Railroad, 1869
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Finishing the railroad
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Promontory Summit
Beginning in 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act granted land and bonds to railroad companies based on how many miles of track they laid. Because of this, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroad companies battled the elements and terrain in order to lay as much track as possible, as fast as they could. Exhausted workers finally drove the "Last Spike" at Promontory Summit in 1869, connecting the East to the West in ceremonious fashion. Many Utahans like 7 year-old William benefited from this, including the Mormons who were now able to quickly bring in goods and supplies to finish building the Salt Lake Temple.
Brother George born, 1869
William's brother, George, was born when William was 8 years old.
The Long Depression, 1873 - 1878
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Burning of the Union Depot at Pittsburg during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877
When William was 11 years old, one of the worst financial crises in the history of the United States struck the nation. This has gone down in history as the "Long Depression" and, in many ways, it was a worse disaster than the Great Depression of the 1930s.

As the crisis worsened, there was a downturn in many industries that helped supply the railroads, such as the steel industry, and factories began closing their doors.

Many members of William's community would have been affected by the economic downturn. Those working in industrial cities found themselves part of the growing mass of the unemployed, while rural farmers suddenly found the banks trying to collect their debts and being unable to pay. Many workers began to wander the countryside, searching for work wherever it could be found, while the employed faced slashed wages as companies sought to save money.

The Long Depression would last until 1878, but the economy remained shaky, and another downturn would occur in the early 1890s. Throughout this time, nearly every member of William's community would have felt the impact of this catastrophic event.
Hygiene
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Colgate toothpaste, sold since 1873
During the 1800s, bathing started to become more commonplace for those around William. The arrival of how water heaters later in the century certainly made the prospect even more appealing. William's friends and neighbors used soap made from animal fat and wood ashes to bathe, as well as to wash clothes and clean the house. A greater appreciation for personal cleanliness, coupled with a wider array of perfumes and odor maskers, drastically reduced the stench of heavily trafficked streets.

In terms of oral hygiene, the average American was still unlikely to brush his or her teeth on a regular basis, let alone floss. Toothbrushes and toothpaste existed, but weren't being mass produced in the U.S. until the 1880s. Brush bristles of the time were often made from rather coarse boar's hair—not always the most gentle feeling on the gums. For feminine hygiene, women continued using cotton cloths until manufactured cloth pads became available in the mid-1800s.
Clothing
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An example of Victorian fashion for women
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Fashion trends in the United States went through many variations during William's life, but there were some consistencies that spanned economic classes, with both frontier men and wealthy urban businessmen often favoring a formal look, with long wool frock coats and trousers, vests, large bow ties, and sturdy leather boots. Women on a wagon train might wear a long, one-piece cotton or wool dress in a flower print or plaid pattern, with a bonnet, an apron, and/or a shawl as accessories. Victorian styles influenced American women, too, with many sporting elaborate, frilled ankle-length skirts, camisoles, petticoats, form fitting jackets, and highly restrictive corsets. Hats were worn by most of the men William knew, be it a Lincoln style silk top hat, a simple straw cap, or a western cowboy hat. Long beards and mustaches, well coiffed, were also common.
Telephone, 1876
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Alexander Graham Bell
When William was 14, Americans and people around the world were excited by the emergence of an incredible new communication technology: the telephone. Scottish-born, Boston-based inventor Alexander Graham Bell patented what was widely reported in newspapers as the first functioning telephone. He showcased his device for the first by calling his assistant and announcing the famous line, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."
Religion
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Thomas Nast cartoon illustrates the anti-Catholic sentiments held by many Americans at the time
Religion played a large role in local and national governments in the 1800s. Almost 70% of religious Americans in the 19th century identified as some denomination of Christian, including Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, and, after a wave of German immigration, Lutheran. While many denominations harbored ill feelings towards one another, new sects of Christianity, and increased immigration that spread other religions such as Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, promoted greater religious diversity in America—particular in its larger cities. Many attended religious services regularly and practiced fervently, bringing church communities closer together. Much of the fervor of the Second Great Awakening had died out by this time.
Sarah Emily Potter born, 1878
William's future wife, Sarah Emily Potter, was born 17 years after William. Sarah was born in Kanab, Kane, Utah Territory, United States.
Jim Crow Laws
HistoryLines
Jim Crow laws in action: a segregated water fountain
In the wake of the Civil War, segregation legislation known as "Jim Crow" laws arose in William's state and others throughout the South. Nicknamed the "Jim Crow" laws after the stage name of a white minstrel performer who appeared in blackface, the legislation was intended to keep newly freed slaves separate from established white society. As a result, African Americans in William's community were forced to use separate bathrooms, drink from designated water fountains, follow strict rules of etiquette, eat at different restaurants, and, perhaps most critically, attend separate — and severely underfunded — schools. Controversial legislation and rampant racism also inhibited many African Americans from fully participating in the political sphere through a variety of means, including poll taxes and literacy tests; this was done despite the granting of suffrage to African American men through the 14th and 15th Amendments. Although some people in William's community felt that these laws were unconstitutional or unfair, they would remain in place until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and '60s.
Census, 1880
HistoryLines
Family and home of Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace, Kane, Utah
In 1880 William lived with his married sister Mary and her husband George Mace in Kane, Utah. At 19 years old, single and is employed as a cloth finisher.
Thomas Greenhalgh, 1880
Father Thomas Greenhalgh is found living in the same county not far away with his wife Mary Moorecroft Greenhalgh and his plural wife Harriet Wardle Greenhalgh.

It is interesting to note at this point that only the President of the Church held the keys authorizing the performance of new plural marriages. Only those that were worthy and able to provide were given this blessing. Harriet and Thomas were sealed/married in Salt Lake in 1874. Thomas and Harriet had six additional children for a total of sixteen children fathered by Thomas Greenhalgh.
Diet
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Potatoes were a dietary staple in Utah
Many of William's neighbors were less concerned with which foods they were eating than whether or not they had food to eat at all. Plagues of grasshoppers frequently devastated crops across Utah, destroying vital food sources for both people and livestock. Native American families also depended on uncertain environmental conditions for their meals: wild deer, antelope, fish, roots, berries, and nuts were all essential ingredients, but could easily disappear during droughts or hard winters.

William's neighbors did their best to conserve the resources they did have. Vegetable peelings could be used as mulch for kitchen gardens, and other leftover food could be donated to neighbors in need.

Milk, eggs, wheat flour, beef, potatoes, sugar, butter, and cheese were key ingredients in William's kitchen. Even those who did not own a farm often owned a cow or pig. In 1849, a family not fortunate enough to have its own milk cow could buy a quart of milk for 10 cents. A family of five usually spent about $20 each week for basic food and cooking fuel. In the second half of the 19th century, the arrival of the railroad brought a greater variety of new foods from across the country to William's region.
Medicine
William lived during a time of great medical progress, as increased understanding of human anatomy was helping doctors and scientists come up with better solutions for many of the diseases, infections, and unsanitary conditions plaguing American life. The stethoscope was invented around this time, along with blood transfusions, cholera vaccines, laughing gas, and a number of new anesthetics. Those that lived in or near large towns or cities benefited much sooner from these advances than those that lived in more rural areas.

As a further issue, only a handful of medical colleges and hospitals existed in the United States during William's life, and high infant mortality rates— along with often devastating outbreaks of chicken pox, measles, mumps, and whooping cough— kept the average lifespan barely above 40. Death, to put it bluntly, was a very common part of life.

In another morbid part of 19th century life, some of William's deceased friends or family may have actually been buried with a shovel or pickaxe in their coffin. Why? Because with many doctors still not able to diagnose whether a patient was in a coma, relatives wanted to be sure the dearly departed had a fighting chance just in case he woke up after his funeral!
Bear Lake Earthquake, 1884
Many people across Utah were woken up in the middle of the night when an earthquake struck at 1:50 a.m. on November 10th, 1884, when William was 23. "Did you feel the earthquake?" was a common question in conversations between friends and neighbors in the aftermath. Although the damage was minimal, many witnessed the shaking of windows and furniture, while also worrying about the possibility of more dangerous aftershocks.
Thomas Greehalgh & Mary Moorecroft., 1885
HistoryLines
Photo of William Greenhalgh's parents. Thomas Greenhalgh & Mary Moorcroft
Mother dies, 1885
William's mother Mary Moorcroft passed away in Washington, Washington, Utah Territory, United States at the age of 58.

The following article Appears in the Deseret News follows:

"SAD DEATH OF A DEMENTED WOMAN.

She wanders from Home and Dies in the Hills. Washington, Washington Co., Utah, July 29th, 1885.

"It becomes our painful duty to inform the public through the columns of the News of a sad occurrence that has lately befallen one of our citizens, Mary Greenhalgh, who came to this place some 18 years since with her husband, Thomas Greenhalgh, and their little family. "Some time after their arrival Mary Greenhalgh began to manifest unmistakable signs of mental derangement. She gradually grew worse, but never grew violent. She was clean and neat in her person, and attended to her household affairs as a general thing, she having a place to herself in the suburbs of the city to live in. "At times she would take a notion to pack up some articles of clothing and leave home, sometimes going in one direction, and at other times in an opposite course, so that it was hard to keep track of her at all times. "Two weeks ago last Monday or Tuesday she left home, this time two dogs accompanying her, which she had trained for this purpose. The dogs returned on the Thursday following without their mistress. Strange to say her husband did not make the fact publicly known, either to the Church or city authorities, for more than a week after the return of the dogs, assigning as a reason that she was accustomed to leave home and come back again. As soon as it reached the ears of the Bishop he immediately took steps to get horsemen started in search of her. And almost if by magic from 15 to 20 young men were at the rallying point, ready to start. "They succeeded in finding the dead body of the unfortunate woman some five or six miles from her home in the hills, in an advanced stage of decomposition, supposed to have been dead some eight or ten days.

Apparently there was a coroner's inquest:
DIED IN THE HILLS
The Fate of a Demented Woman of Washington, Utah
A demented woman named Mary Greenhalgh, 58 years of age, wandered away from her home in Washington, Utah, about three weeks ago, and nothing was heard from her until a search was instituted, which resulted in the discovery of her body in an advanced stage of decomposition in the hills, seven or eight miles from her home.
The following is the verdict of the coroner’s jury for which we are indebted to a southern correspondent.
TERRITORY OF UTAH, COUNTY OF WASHINGTON
An inquest holden in Washington Precinct, Washington County, on the 27th day of July,, 1885, before J. H. Crawford, Justice of the Peace in Washington Precinct, upon the body of Mary Greenhalgh, there lying dead by the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed. The said jurors upon oath do say, that during a state of insanity, to which she has been given for some time, and probably neglect of her husband, she wandered from home and perished for water on or about the 16th of July, 1885.
Virgil Helly,
Hyrum S. Miller,
Simeon A. Dunn
Jurors.

Salt Lake Tribune https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=10712964
Father dies, 1886
HistoryLines
William's father Thomas Greenhalgh passed away in Washington, Washington, Utah Territory, United States at the age of 65. William was just 25 years old.

Thomas survived his wife Mary by less than a year.

The following article appeared in the Deseret News for May 19, 1886:

"Washington, Washington County, Utah May 20, 1886. "Thomas Greenhalgh, son of William and Margaret Greenhalgh, born Jan. 15, 1821, at Tyldesley, Leigh Parish, Lancashire, England. Baptized at Pendlebury, Manchester Conference, December 3rd, 1840, by Thomas Lythgoe.

"Deceased died as he had lived, a firm believer in the Gospel. In his younger days in his native land he was a zealous advocate and defender of the truth."
Buried in Burial:
Washington City Cemetery
Washington
Washington County
Utah, USA
Household
HistoryLines
Kitchen
HistoryLines
19th century house
HistoryLines
Parlor
Throughout William's life, housing was changing and evolving as Americans were pushing toward a distinct identity. Since settlers came from Germany, France, Spain, and England, housing was dictated by wealth and varied architecturally—but framed timber or rock was generally used. For William beds were usually made individually with no standard size and held mattresses stuffed with either straw or feathers. To heat the house, a chimney was placed in the middle of the home, doubling as a stove.

Typical houses had two rooms. Families generally had tables where they would sit to eat their meals. Most furniture was custom-made, but later in the 1800s, it became easier to purchase affordable, mass-produced goods with which to furnish a home.
Manifesto, 1890
HistoryLines
A polygamous family in Utah around the time of the Manifesto
When William was 28, Mormon prophet Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto of 1890, banning the practice of polygamy within the Church. This major announcement shook William's community deeply, as many of his neighbors were currently engaging in the practice. President Woodruff issued the manifesto for the "temporal salvation of the Church," since the U.S. government had threatened to seize Church temples and land if it continued to allow polygamy. As a result of the Manifesto, Church members were asked to stop forming new plural marriages, but the majority of plural marriages already in place continued to exist.

The Manifesto helped ease tensions between the U.S. government and the Mormons in the Utah Territory, opening the door to Utah statehood. Many of people strongly supported the Manifesto, recognizing both moral and political benefits to the change. However, some local Mormons were disappointed by the ruling, believing that the Church was sacrificing its doctrine for political gain.

Interestingly Thomas Greenhalgh and Mary Moorecroft were sealed for time and all eternity by Wilford Woodruff on 19 October 1867 in Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Sister Sarah dies, 1891
William's sister Sarah Elizabeth Greenhalgh passed away in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Territory, United States at the age of 41. William was 30.
Marriage
As America expanded west and became more of a melting pot back east, views of marriage slowly evolved. Rather than having marriages arranged or negotiated ahead of time, love became the guiding principle for most relationships in William's community. During the Colonial days, Puritans had largely left marriage as a civic matter rather than a religious one, but as people brought their faiths to the States throughout the 19th century, the types of religious wedding ceremonies practiced in the country became more and more varied. Women were also having greater say in marriages, thanks in part to the added responsibility cast upon them during several wars. In cases of divorce, a woman could now claim custody of her children. With more people settling in smaller homes in cities, couples also had fewer children on average. Society still viewed traditional family roles as the mother raising the children and keeping a good home while the father worked and provided food. Women's rights advocates, however, were beginning to fight against this simplified view.
Marries Sarah Emily Potter, 1892
William Greenhalgh married Sarah Emily Potter from Kanab, Utah
2 November 1892. She was just fourteen years of age and he was thirty one.

One can only imagine why the two would marry at her young age. She was from a strong LDS family and her grandfather William Washington Potter was with a surveying company when killed by the Indians. It is known as the Gunnison Massacre and can be read about in his biography.
Transportation
HistoryLines
Steamboat
HistoryLines
Wagon train
As more of William's friends and family traveled west during American expansion, technology made some significant leaps to help them get there. What started with river boats and wagon trains quickly evolved into canals and railroads, as both people and goods were transported with a speed and efficiency never before possible. A century that started with Lewis and Clark's slow journey into the unknown eventually led to the first coast-to-coast railroad by the late 1860s. For day to day life, though, most people around William still relied on traveling by foot—with only the occasional horse, buggy, or wagon for longer trips.
Utah Statehood, 1896
William was 34 when Utah finally transitioned from a longstanding territory into a state in 1896. After years of political conflicts with the U.S. government, the dominant Mormon population in Utah had embraced new Church guidelines that outlawed polygamy and other practices that had stirred much of the controversy preventing statehood. Now, Utah was officially part of the Union—the 45th state—completing a long journey towards acceptance by the rest of the nation.
Communication
HistoryLines
A telegraph machine
Many public libraries began to pop up across the United States during William's lifetime, giving the general public unprecedented access to books once only available to the wealthy. Newspapers gained in popularity, but in much of the country, word of mouth was still the trusted way of spreading vital information. Eventually, the development of the telegraph, railroads, and steam-powered ships helped information spread faster than ever. With these technologies, William and his friends were able to stay better connected to local, national, and world news, alike.
As for communicating with friends and loved ones, the United States Postal Service was expanded and refined during these years, giving William a simple, reliable way to stay in touch with people anywhere in the country.
Census, 1900
By 1900 William and Sarah Emily had moved to Garfield County, Hillsdale, just North of Washington County. He owned a farm free and clear and is shown working as a farmer.

He had five children, including Grandmother Elizabeth Ruth Greenhalgh. During this time two more children were born, George and Eva Greenhalgh which died during the same year that they were born.
Daughter Elizabeth born, 1900
On 3 January 1900, William's daughter, Elizabeth Ruth Greenhalgh, was born near Kanab, Kane County, Utah.

She married Chester Reynald Keele on 2 Nov 1918 Duchesne, Utah.
Ford Motors, 1903
HistoryLines
Ford Motor Company
In June of 1903, when William was 42, Henry Ford changed transportation forever by founding the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. In its early years, the company revolutionized manufacturing with its improved version of the assembly line, which had been patented by Ransom Olds of the Oldsmobile company a few years prior. Ford also set a precedent by providing a decent wage for his workers—$5 for a 9-hour day. The introduction of the Model T a few years later allowed millions of middle-class Americans to affordable automobiles.
First Radio Broadcast, 1906
HistoryLines
Reginald Fessenden
On Christmas Eve of 1906, the Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden successfully executed the first radio broadcast—a Christmas concert sent out from a radio tower in Massachusetts to crews aboard United Fruit Company ships in the Atlantic Ocean. This was a major milestone in communication, and made news around the world. Soon, people like 44 year-old William would be able to enjoy this new technology for communication, news, and entertainment.
Enlarged Homestead Act, 1909
HistoryLines
Advertising for the Homestead Act
The Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909 promoted western migration to William's region by increasing the maximum permissible homestead to 320 acres of non-irrigable land in dry land areas. This was attractive to those who wanted to try their hand at dry land farming, which had recently become popular as technology improved the harvests.

To take advantage of the new act, land owners were required to have five years of continuous residence on their property. They also had to be U.S. citizens, or in the process of earning their citizenship.

While homesteading on dry land still presented challenges, the convenience of new rail lines and the emergence of new towns in the Northwest made it easier to sell crops far and wide. Unfortunately, a shortage of proper investigators also made it easy for some homesteaders to make false claims and grab more land unlawfully.
1910 Census, 1910
By 1910 William and his family had moved North about three hundred miles to Packard, Wasatch County, Utah. Here he again works and owns his farm and has added a son William Wallace to his family. The Wasatch Valley is described as, “Heber Valley, one of several back valleys in the Wasatch Mountains, is often called Utah's Switzerland because of the rugged beauty of Mount Timpanogos located to the west, its climate, and a large population of Swiss that settled in the area. . ."

William is now 49 years old and wife Sarah Emily Potter is 32.

They have six children:

Sarah Melissa Greenhalgh 1893
Mary Emily Greenhalgh 1895
Alice Fern Greenhalgh 1896
Myrtle Nellie Greenhalgh 1898
Elizabeth Ruth Greenhalgh 1900
William Wallace Greenhalgh 1903
Two children George Greenhalgh 1907, Eva Greenhalgh 1908 died in infancy.
Sister Margaret dies, 1912
William's sister Margaret Alice Greenhalgh passed away in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States at the age of 53. William was 51.
World War I, 1914 - 1918
HistoryLines
Soldiers prepare weapons from a trench
When William was 52 years old, the Great War (later known as World War I) began. In battle were the Central Powers (consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allied forces of Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, eventually, the United States. The combination of old military battle tactics and new elements like the machine gun and chemical weapons led to extremely brutal battles and death tolls the world had never seen. By the time the war ended in 1918, 21 million were wounded, and more than 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians had died as a direct result of the conflict.

America mobilized over 4,000,000 military personnel through both voluntary enlistment and the passage of the Selective Service Act; 110,000 of these combatants were killed. Military training camps opened up across the country, and William and members of his family and community may have seen military personnel, wagons, and trucks passing through on their way to set up camps.

On the home front, many helped the war efforts by buying Liberty bonds, war savings stamps, and contributing to other wartime organizations. Some farmers sectioned new space of their farms for food crops to aid in feeding soldiers. Others took part in food-conservation programs where citizens abstained from certain foods based on the day, such as wheatless Mondays and Wednesdays, to help conserve for the war effort.

An Allied victory was reached with an armistice on November 11, 1918, but as soldiers returned home with both visible and unseen battle wounds, the world would never be the same.
Flu Pandemic, 1918
HistoryLines
Soldiers with the Spanish Flu in a hospital ward
A terrible flu pandemic struck the United States and the entire world when William was 56. The Spanish Flu of 1918 infected over a third of the world's population and killed more than 650,000 Americans alone, as the medical community desperately searched for better treatments or a vaccine. (Although it became known as the "Spanish Flu," it is believed to have originated in Kansas, where it spread quickly through army facilities, and then around the globe.) Many public gathering spots like theaters, saloons, sports arenas, and shops were temporarily closed, and some people in William's community resorted to wearing masks any time they went into town. Hospitals and funeral parlors were overwhelmed, leaving many poor Americans to bury their own loved ones. With World War I raging at the same time, it made for a very challenging period for just about everyone.
Vernal, Duchesne, Utah, 1920
1920 ten years later William is now in Vernal, Duchesne with only the last three children living at home. William, John and Wanda just 5 years old.

At this time the five oldest daughters including children Sarah Melissa, Mary Emily, Alice Fern, Myrtle Nellie, and Elizabeth Ruth have all married and left the home. He is shown as operating as a farm labor on his “own account.” William’s obituary states he operated a large sheep and cattle farm. This may the location of his farm.
First Public Radio Broadcast, 1920
HistoryLines
Woman tuning a radio, 1923
William was 59 years old when the first public radio broadcast aired. Up to this point, radios had only been used for one-on-one communication, although a number of ham radio enthusiasts had organized groups for small transmissions. The equipment was often bulky and required constant attention in order to make sure that it ran correctly. Following WWI, technological advancement had made radio more practical, but it still remained a plaything in the eyes of much of the public.

In 1920, the Pittsburgh company Westinghouse (one of the largest radio manufacturers in the nation) devised a plan to sell more radios. They decided to make a broadcasting transmitter that would allow radio owners throughout the region to tune in for different programs. To make this dream a reality, they hired Dr. Frank Conrad — a local ham radio operator who often played records over the air for his friends and listeners — to set up a broadcasting channel, KDKA. November 2, 1920, the day of the presidential election, was to be the first day of programing.

Listeners in the area who tuned in that day heard a reading of the results of the presidential election, where Harding decisively defeated Cox. The broadcast, although heard by only a small group of people, was a stunning success and caused radio mania to grip the nation. Radio sales soon exploded throughout America, and there was a rush to open up and register commercial radio stations in most major cities. The Age of Radio had truly begun.
Penicillin, 1928
HistoryLines
Alexander Fleming
In 1928, when William was 66, scientist Alexander Fleming's petri dish started to grow mold, and a fortuitous lack of cleanliness led to the accidental discovery of the bacteria that facilitated the invention of Penicillin. Penicillin revolutionized the medical world by saving lives and reducing the number of amputations during World War II by halting infections. Fleming's invention meant that many of William's friends and neighbors, who would have otherwise died of infection, came home alive from World War II. During the first five months of 1943, citizens only had access to 400 million units of penicillin, but by the end of World War II, U.S. companies made 650 billion units a month.
Neola, Utah, 1930
In 1930 William is show living with his son William Wallace Greenhalgh in Neola, Duchesne, Utah. His wife Sarah is noticeably absent from the census and he listed as divorced.

A further search finds that she has remarried a Dennis Slack in about 1918 and is living in Green River, Sweetwater, Wyoming. She is 48 years old.

Her youngest daughter Wanda Greenhalgh is fifteen years old and living with her mother.
Workman Family, 1930
By 1930 the Workman family which included William's daughter Sarah Melissa Greenhalgh/Workman had moved to Wenatchee Washington and resided at 249 North Mission Street.
Great Depression, 1930 - 1942
HistoryLines
When William was 68 years old, the collapse of the stock market began a decade-long period of economic hardships in America known as the Great Depression. The unemployment rate for much of the 1930s reached above 25% across the U.S., as millions were forced out of their homes and into makeshift shanty towns dubbed "Hoovervilles." The hard times and bread lines continued into the early 1940s, when the outbreak of World War II and new policies instituted by President Franklin Roosevelt helped stimulate job growth and turn the economic tide.
Pow Wow in Cashmere, 1931
HistoryLines
A modern pow wow
Between August 20 and 22 of 1931, a large pow wow held in Cashmere drew both Native American and white celebrants from throughout William's home state.

The pow wow was also a chance to bring awareness to these issues while also boosting the economy of Cashmere, and local tribal leaders and the chamber of commerce were in favor.

Ten thousand people attended, raising enough money from ticket sales to allow for the restoration of a Native American cemetery. However, it is unlikely that many of William's friends and neighbors were aware of the treaty issues organizers had hoped to highlight, as local newspapers barely mentioned them at all.
Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933
HistoryLines
A CCC poster
The first Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps began to open in Washington in 1933, when William was 71. The camps were part of the New Deal response to the Great Depression. Under this plan, young men between the ages of 18 and 25 earned $30 a month ($25 of which was sent home to their families), had housing provided, and gave them a chance to learn new job skills.
Brother Thomas dies, 1934
William's brother Thomas Greenhalgh Jr. passed away in Kanab, Kane, Utah, United States at the age of 77. William was 73.
Violent Windstorm, 1934
HistoryLines
Seattle in 1934
On October 21, 1934 a massive windstorm swept through western Washington. Gusts of 90 miles per hour were recorded, and people throughout William's home state heard of the destruction.

The storm struck early in the morning of October 21 in southwest Washington. Surging tidal waters spilled into downtown Aberdeen and Hoquiam; low-lying parts in Aberdeen were submerged in six feet of water, while half the homes in Hoquiam were flooded. The storm struck Seattle at 10:10 am, shattering stained glass windows downtown and blowing down church steeples there and in Tacoma; three girls were severely injured when debris from a steeple fell on them.

The windstorm proved deadly, killing as many as 22 people.
Sister Mary dies, 1934
William's sister Mary Ann Greenhalgh passed away in Kanab, Kane, Utah, United States at the age of 86. William was 73.
Wife Sarah dies, 1936
HistoryLines
When William was 75, his wife Sarah Emily Potter passed away in Manila, Daggett, Utah, United States at the age of 58. They were married for 43 years. Even though they were divorced Sarah is mentioned in William's obituary.

It is worth noting that Sarah died of "Carcinoma breast, metastatic bilateral" at the young age of 58, and her granddaughter Velva Jean Keele died of breast cancer also. This appears to a family trait that needs to be monitored by her descendants.
Brother Abraham dies, 1937
William's brother Abraham Greenhalgh passed away in Price, Carbon, Utah, United States at the age of 82. William was 76.
Keele Family Move, 1938
During the Great Depression in about 1938 the family of Chester R. Keele and Elizabeth Ruth Greenhalgh Keele moved to Twisp, Washington. They probably moved to find employment and join Elizabeth’s sister Sarah Melissa Workman that had moved to the Wenatchee area sometime before 1930.

Sarah Melissa Greenhalgh 1893–1948, Lindsay Nathaniel Workman
1887–1936
Elizabeth Ruth Greenhalgh 1900-1971, Chester Reynald Keele 1897–1977.

Other children of William Greenhalgh and Sarah Emily Potter:

• Mary Emily Greenhalgh married Dumont Arbuckle and is buried in 27 April 1960, Roosevelt, Duchesne, Utah

• Alice Fern Greenhalgh married Denzil Rex Gardner and died 5 April 1922, Neola, Duchesne, Utah.

• Myrtle Nellie Greenhalgh married Keith Warby and died 15 June 1974, Manila, Daggett, Utah.

• William Wallace Greenhalgh married Anne Sevella Wilson and died 14 Mar 1962, Rock Springs, Sweetwater Co. Wyoming.

• George Greenhalgh born and died in 1907, Hayden, Uintah, Utah.

• Eva Greenhalgh born and died 1908, Neola, Wasatch, Utah.

• Elijah John Greenhalgh married Fern Marie Lamb and died 24 Apr 1972, Manila, Daggett, Utah.

• Wanda Greenhalgh married Charles Ambrose Potter and died in 13 June 1988, Ogden, Weber, Utah.
Grand Coulee Dam, 1941
HistoryLines
The Grand Coulee Dam today
The first electrical generators for the Grand Coulee Dam, located on the Upper Columbia River, went online on the 22nd of March, 1941, when William was 80.
William dies but his legacy lives on., 1943
HistoryLines
Obituary of William Greenhalgh
HistoryLines
It appears that William arrived in Wenatchee Washington only eighteen months before his death in June 1941 and lived with his daughter Elizabeth Greenhalgh Keele on Springwater Avenue. William died when he was 81 years old in Wenatchee, Chelan, Washington and is buried at the Wenatchee City Cemetery.

Obituary of William Greenhalgh for Wenatchee Daily World 25 January 1943:

"William Greenhalgh, 82 died at his home on Springwater Ave., early Sunday morning after a two day illness. He was born March 18, 1861 in Manchester England and came to the United States with his parent when four years of age. The family located in New York State and came to Utah when Mr. Greenhalgh was a young man, where he operated a large sheep and cattle ranch near Kanab, Utah. He married Sarah Potter Nov. 2, 1892. She died in 1936 and he came to Wenatchee to make his home with his daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Keel(e), in June 1941."
"Mr. Greenhalgh was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Surviving are his two sons, W.W. and A. J. Greenhalgh, both of Rock springs, Wyoming; five daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Keel and Mrs. Sadie Workman, both of Wenatchee, Mrs. Dumont Arbuckle of Roosevelt Utah, Mrs. Kenneth Reed of Manila, Utah and Mrs. Ted Potter of Rock Springs, Wyo. One sister Mrs. Elizabeth Cram of Kanab, Utah 33 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren, Funeral arrangements will be announced by Jones and Jones."

William Greenhalgh went through a lot of changes in his lifetime, from a small boy born in England traveling with his family across the Atlantic, to a covered wagon train crossing the mountains to Utah. He may have saw the passing of his baby brother. His family settled in Southern Utah as pioneers. They established and worked in textile mills and at farming.

He had married a girl young enough to be his daughter and began his own family. He toiled on his farm raising children through dust bowl and depression through two world wars and the invention of phones, electricity and automobiles. Three of his children and his wife died before his passing in 1943. We can only imagine the life he led and the things he experienced, his personality, his work ethic and his love as a father.

His life and legacy lives on in each descendant that remembers and looks forward to a glorious reunion in the eternities.
Endnotes, 2017
Thomas Greenhalgh journal (1846-1850) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Church History Library,
MS 17381 [15 May 2017] Thomas Greenhalgh Journal available for PDF download.

Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), “Castel Clinton (Castle Garden),” rev. 17:00, 7 May 2017.

Mary Ann Greenhalgh Mace, “ Liverpool to New York 29 Apr 1865 - 31 May 1865” Brigham Young University, Mormon Migration (https://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu): 2017

Familysearch, “Life Sketch of William Washington Potter,” FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : April 2013), contributed by Shannon Wilcox.

Utah’s Online Library, Wasatch County, onlinelibrary.utah.gov : 18 August 2017

1930 U.S. Census, Sweetwater County, Wyoming, population schedule, Greenriver Township, enumeration district, (ED) 19-13, p 1-b, dwelling 29, family 29, Dennis Slack: digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 May 2017); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T626, roll 2625.

Familysearch, “Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1964,” database, FamilySearch (www.famlysearch.org : 17 May 2017), Sarah Emily Slack.
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