A tale of Charles Sr and Sarah and Charles Jr and Sarah, or how the Stapley Family left England for Australia and then for Utah

Once upon a time there was a man by the name of Charles Stapley. His parents were named Henry and Elizabeth and he was born in Kent, England on March 15, 1800. He married Sarah Watson Bryant and they were married in the Rolvenden Church on 1 December 1822, just weeks after the marriage of his sister, Sarai Stapley to Sarah Bryant's brother Samuel Charles Bryant.

Charles Stapley Sr.

Sarah Bryant Stapley

Between 1837-1838, Charles, Sarah and their children traveled on the  ship "Westminster," to begin a new life in Australia.  It was there that the Stapley family met the Mormon missionaries and joined the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They, along with 63 others boarded the "Julia Ann" on Friday, 10 March 1854, leaving Australia for San Pedro, California (now Los Angeles). After 90 days at sea the Julia Ann docked at San Pedro, California, on 12 June 1854.

Many LDS people traveled on boats like this from Australia to California.

They stayed in California for some time, before eventually moving to Utah. They settled in Toquerville.  Charles planted the first very first alfalfa seed. He also planted the first grape vines and wheat in Dixie. When the prophet asked the members to stop growing grapes and making wine, Charles plowed under his vineyard. Both he and his wife has  handsome headstone in the Toquerville Cemetery with a Faith in Every Footstep Marker placed on it by a loving descendants.

Charles Stapley Jr

Sarah Parkinson

 As they traveled, their oldest son Charles Stapley Jr. met a beautiful divorcee by the name of Sarah Parkinson. Sarah Parkinson was born 24 May 1831 in Ramsey, Huntingdonshire, England, the oldest daughter of four children (two brothers older and a sister younger) to James Parkinson and Elizabeth Chattle. She already had two children named John and Sarah.  They fell in love and were married and had 9 more children. Their son, William Francis Stapley is my great-great Grandfather.

Charles and Sarah

Charles was a good man and made an effort to live the Golden Rule by being good to his neighbors but still he was concerned as to whether he was living an acceptable life according to the standards of the Church. As he was thinking very seriously about it one time, a vision came to him and his whole life was shown to him in a ‘panoramic view’. He was told that his life was acceptable except for the habit he had of swearing. He took immediate steps to correct this habit.

Life was not easy in Toquerville. One time Sarah took the wagon cover they used when coming from California, dye it and made dresses for her children. Sarah spent the rest of her life keeping her large family (12 children) well supplied with food, clothing and affection. She was noted for her fine cooking, dexterity with a needle and a gentle listening ear.

Charles Jr and Sarah with their Grandchildren

Mary Janet Stapley Bringhurst, a daughter of Sarah and Charles Jr. has written: “Our first home Toquerville was made of logs with a dirt floor and roof. The first church was also a log building with a dirt floor and roof. My Father danced barefoot on it. My uncle, Tom Stapley was the fiddler. When my people first came here, they were very poor. They had to make the lines for their harnesses out of factory (muslin).”

Another child remembered- “We use to raise beets and made beet molasses for a sweetner. Also, on special occasions, we had vinegar pies. We baked them with one crust and filling was made of vinegar, water, beet molasses and flour. In the early days you could live without cash. You raised things yourself or traded for things you needed. Many times you did without. Mother sold some butter to some soldiers who were passing through for seventy-five cents. That was all the cash we had for two and one-half years.”

The Stapley House

 “In the old days we were always afraid of the Indians. Father was even-tempered and would always feed the Indians and they generally liked him well. Father used to stand guard at night when they were bad. When we first came here, we used to raise cotton. Father hired one Indian to work for him. He worked for us so much that he became known as ‘Charlie’ in charge. He would scold us if we did not work fast enough. He could pick about three rows to my one.”

“One old Indian named ‘One Eye’ came to Mother one day when Father was down to LaVerkin Creek gathering wood. He had a pistol and threatened to kill all of Mother’s babies. She was so frightened, that she grabbed the pistol and twisted it out of his hands. Where she got her strength, she never knew, but she always believed the Lord helped her. When she got the pistol, she told ‘One Eye’ to go away because he wasn’t a good Indian. Days after, he came back and wanted to be forgiven as he was afraid he would be punished. After that, whenever ‘One Eye’ came to our home he always praised Mother for being so brave, as he said he would have killed them all if she had not been.”

Shortly before Sarah died, a rarity occurred. An automobile arrived in Toquerville. Everyone in the community was anxious to see the new contraption, but Sarah wanted more than that—she wanted a ride. The driver cheerfully complied and Sarah had her ride.