Monday, July 18, 2011

Jane Walton Bickley by her daughter Agnes Isadore Bickley

Dear friends and family:   Good morning!  I have spent the last two days editing the life story of Jane Walton Hall and Job Pitcher Hall and children, and Jane Walton Bickley and William Green Bickley, our great-grandfather, which was typed into the computer by Jennie May Lee Adam, and though it is long, It won't take you more than 30 minutes to read it, even though it took me two days to prepare it to share with you.   It is a wonderful history, and one we all should be grateful for, because they are our great-grandparents, and parents of Agnes Isadore Bickley Woodbury who married Charles Robert Goddard Woodbury, parents of our mother, Jennie May Woodbury Lee, wife of James Horald Lee, our dad.  And though I have shared some of their histories with you in the past, this is more complete.    
 
When I think of all I have today, and perhaps want more, I think of poor Jane Walton Hall and weep for all she had to go through, and am so grateful for her faithfulness and devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to Heavenly Father as well.  And I feel to get on my knees and thank Heavenly Father for such wonderful faithful great-grandparents who truly endured to the end, and I strive to be worthy of meeting them when my life's mission is over, and God has called me home to report on my life and mission here. 
     
May God help us all to be worthy of being together as one great family someday, rejoicing in the wonderful heritage which our faithful ancestors passed down to us as their descendents, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.   Your friend and brother.   James Horald Lee Jr., son of James Horald Lee and Jennie May Woodbury Lee, and grandson of Charles Robert Goddard Woodbury and Agnes Isadore Bickley Woodbury, and great-grandson of William Green Bickley and Jane Walton Bickley.    heart_thoughtsbyjim@mstar2.net
 

 
 
JANE WALTON BICKLEY
A sketch of the life of my mother,
By her daughter Agnes Isadore Bickley

Jane Walton,daughter of Henry Walton & Mary Ann Harwood born 6 oct 1839 at Rugby, Warwickshire, England, 9th of a family of 12 children.
The parents were very pious Wesleyan Methodists and very strict with their children & strict observers of the sabbath day. At the age of 17 she went to Coventry, England to take care of her oldest sister who had married and lived there and had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was while she was here she heard the doctrines of this church taught by L.D.S. missionaries & was converted. She emigrated to Utah on the ship called"Underwriter," leaving Liverpool on 23 April 1861. One day she was standing on the deck holding to a rope,looking out over the ocean, when a big wave came & took the ship out from under her & she hung out over the water 'til the ship came back & caught her.she arrived safe in New York 22 May 1861. She stayed in New York a few days then started across the plains in the Horace S.Eldridge company assigned to the wagon of Job Hall
She was young & strong & walked all the way across the plains to arrive in Salt Lake City 15 Sept 1861,& was sealed to Job Hall in the Endowment House 20 Sept 1861 as 3rd wife, being thoroughly converted to the principle of polygamy which was then practised and taught. They journeyed to Pine Valley where she was met by his other families very cooly. Life began anew under very hard & trying circumstances. Not only terrible poverty but jealousy & hatred of his other families. She was the mother of three children from this union.
The two little daughters died in infancy & were laid away in their little worn night gowns. The oldest, a boy she named Henry Walton after her father Henry Walton,being more sturdy,lived through all the poverty.
She often longed to have a calico dress & he had heard her say so & one day she was crying as she was so tired of living any place she could get shelter,mostly in dugouts & he was trying to comfort her & said "never mind,ma,when I get big I'll build you a calico house." Her bed was a pile of straw on the floor with a buffalo robe under her & one over her. She wove cloth & carpets for a living & I've often heard her say her husband never furnished the wrapping of a finger toward her support. One time she wove a carpet & took a fat pig for pay & when she asked him to kill it for her he said he would for half & he killed,dressed & cut it in halves & took one to his other families but thru all her hardships & trials her faith in the gospel never wavered.
One morning as she was in her dugout taking up the ashes from the fireplace, she heard a noise & on looking up the steps,she saw the bushy head of a very mean indian known as old bush head (it seems her dugout was outside of the square & she was not protected as the other people were. They had to keep guards night & day as the indians were so bad) she didn't know what to do. But just then she heard the guards & they captured him & locked him up in the school house. The bishop sent out & told the indians they had him & if they would come in they'd give them blankets.
It wasn't long til there were lots of indians,& the bishop gave them blankets & asked them what they should do with bush head. They were glad he was caught as he was a killer & they wanted to hang him to a tree so the bishop called all the people & they all went to the hanging. After he was dead, the indians cut locks of his hair off & were glad to get rid of him.
Mother & little Henry went with the rest. She moved around & lived any place she could get shelter & one cold day a young man stopped at her hut to get warm. There were neither doors nor windows & she had but very little fuel so the next day he procured a team & wagon & brought her a load of wood & from that kind act a great & holy love arose.
She had had such a terrible life in dixie she had made up her mind long before this that if she could get free from the terrible man she had put her trust in she would marry the first man that came alone let him be lame,halt or blind. This young man was 2 years her junior & blind in one eye having lost it in infancy but he showed such interest & was so kind & helpful & was such a fine poet & musician that she fell deeply in love & he was devoted to her.
When the president of the church came down there she told him her plight & he told her if Job Hall would give up all claim to her & give her to this young man whose name was William Green Bickley she could be as free as she had ever been. He was sought & asked & was glad to do this & she was set free.
William was devoted to her & wrote many beautiful songs & poems to her both before & after they were married. They were married the 21 of March 1867 & moved to Eagle Valley. While there & other places in Dixie he led the choirs of which she was always a member & loved to sing the praises of her Heavenly Father.
Although they were poor & times were hard & they had to wear homemade & patched clothing & she went barefoot a lot, they were not alone as all the Saints were the same, they lived & loved their religion & went to their meetings & did their duty at any event, I have often heard her say they all went to dances barefoot & she had had one child in her arms & another hanging to her dress many times & went barefoot in the choir but it wasn't strange as there was plenty of company. She was jolly & full of life & they had many delightful times.
They moved to Minersville, Beaver County as he had work there,then to Beaver City,Utah where he purchased some land (I think about 9 acres) & built a brick house. This was in the northwest part of town 10 blocks out from the business district.
As a child her most delightful hours were spent playing store where she would sell bits of lace,ribbon,pretty glass & anything she could get together to the neighborhood children for pins & this longing hadn't left her.
So when she was settled in her new brick home & stores (what few there were) were so far away she had glass doors put in the big south room also a counter & a few shelves & with a very meager stock of needles, pins, shoe laces & a number of other useful articles opened up a small store but as it grew she got more & more goods & finally had a nice business but finally her business out grew this little room & she rented a large rock building north of the court house & moved her stock there. She had a large sign made "The Novelty Bazaar" & placed across the front. She put in a stock of every kind of useful articles & trinkets & novelties. 
She was a lover of beautiful things & as the business grew & the years passed by she added dishes, tinware & all kinds of beautiful vases & ornaments & beautiful glassware & pictures & was very useful to the public as she carried frames & at that time enlarged pictures were a fad & she framed them & gilded frames over for people & was very busy & very happy.
She was always so cheerful & many a person came into her store sad & discouraged & went away with a new lease on life & looking on the bright side of life.
She drove back & forth from home to the store with a horse & buggy. Also to all the meetings & Sunday School.
She had a good cement coop built at home & took care of her chickens with the help of the children.
She was a great hand to go out & sit up with the sick & helped to take care of the bodies of people that had passed away.
She labored in the Relief Society as President 12 years & Councilor 8 years. She was President when they were called upon to gather wheat & store it & as they didn't have a good place to put it she had a large pink rock granary built,& the sisters labored faithfully to gather grain & take care of it.
When we girls were old enough to take care of the store she would fill large trunks with useful articles & my father or oldest brother Will, would load them in the big white top buggy,& they would go through the county peddling these useful things to their ever ready & willing customers who were always anxious for them to come. 
Wherever they stayed for the night if father was along they always invited in a houseful of neighbors to enjoy an evening of music & singing & she always paid well for their lodging.
When her family were all married & as it was so hard for her to get into her buggy,as she was getting so lame, they decided to sell the home & move to town. She got permission to fix up the old granary behind the store to the northwest & pay for it & take it out in rent. So they made a very comfortable home by putting more rooms on & a nice porch & moved there & were very comfortable & happy.  She got a few chickens for diversion from her store work. I forgot to say that in 1889, father was called on a mission to England & she was more than anxious that he should go & she stayed & with the help of the Lord & we children she was able to send him the means he needed.
Her faith & trust in her Heavenly Father had never changed since she had gone down into the waters of baptism & had made a covenant to serve God & keep His commandments & she faithfully tried to live up to them all.
All our lives we had been taught to pray & as usual we never neglected our family prayers in his absence. she was a strict tithe & fast offering observer,never letting the last of the month pass without strictly attending to this duty & privilege.
One day,she read a letter from father asking her to send him some money immediately.  She only had enough to pay the tithing that was due & she was bewildered as what was the best thing to do with that money as it would go for a good cause either way. But the still small voice whispered to pay her tithing & God would help her. Before she could be tempted to do the other way she gathered every cent from the till of the drawer she kept her money in & sent it to the tithing office & got her receipt. She felt glad she had obeyed & went to bed happy.  On opening her drawer the next morning she was surprised to find a gold piece in the till she had so carefully emptied the night before. And that was a great testimony to all of us she had obeyed & Lord had provided for her missionary. 
I might add another faith promoting incident that happened to her & us children.  Her oldest daughter May had been to Provo Academy 2 years & had taught one year at Monroe & she had to go to summer school before teaching the next Winter as all teachers did & as it was to be held at Fish Lake, Sevier County, we went too,as it was only for a week.
Our brother Will took us in the big white top buggy & we got there safe & made our camp & surely enjoyed the vacation. Of course he had to hobble the horses out to graze (as others did) but when the time came to go home & everybody was pulling out & getting ready too, Will having been all forenoon hunting the horses returned to tell us he couldn't find the horses anywhere, that they must have gone home.
We were packed to start & that was a great disappointment to us as we would soon be the last ones left. But mother's faith never failed her, she got a large blanket & we fastened it around some trees & set the spring seat in the middle & we all knelt down & each one petitioned our Heavenly Father to hear our prayers.  Mother poured out her soul to him & when we got through & went out there just a little way off, were the horses, quietly grazing.Will got them & lost no time getting off after thanking God for our speedy deliverance.
These circumstances & many other delightful & faith promoting instances occured before she sold the home & moved down town but I forgot to relate them. 
She also had two fires in the store but although a great deal of damage was done, kind hands & loving hearts were so diligent & the first one was soon extinguished.
Everyone was so anxious to help in the second one that the remaining merchandise was removed to another building across the way & that building was restored as before & the goods returned. But as she was getting so crippled after she had lived in the cottage behind the store, many years later she decided to fix up the back of the store so they could be comfortable & she had a large cupboard built, as a protection from the view & had this filled with all kinds of beautiful things she could find to make it attractive & had a table & folding bed put in, also a couch to lay down on when she was tired.
They had a box heater & she could prepare them something to eat & they were very comfortable. But she often wondered what they would do if the Relief Society decided to sell this property & they talked it over & decided they would buy a lot & build a cottage so this was done. But they never did live in the lovely little cottage just a block East.
One day the Relief Society President came & told her they were going to put all their property up for bids for sale & her heart sank within her as she lay on the couch wondering what on earth she would ever do with herself when she didn't have her store & all the beautiful things she had in it to comfort her for she was so happy & contented there & what would she do without all her devoted friends that had grown so dear & came in to talk with her so often but as she lay wondering a voice clear & plain said "why don't you buy it yourself." 
She jumped up as quickly as she could & found father & told him & they put a bid on the store building which had a large room up stairs & the Relief Society hall joining it on the north & they got the property & once more were thankful for the help of the Lord & His blessings.
They immediately started remodeling & put in partitions & papered & painted & put a nice porch on the front & back & transformed the wasted front yard into a flower garden & lawn & made a beautiful home out of it.  Father moved his office upstairs & had plenty of room & light as there was so many windows. They had a door cut between the store & home but as mother was so lame they put handles on each side of the door jam for her to pull up by.
For many years she had not been able to get up from a chair alone & father was so devoted to always try to be near to help her. She had rollers on the bottom of the legs of her arm chairs which she pushed from place to place & pulled herself around her counters & sat in the corner.
She knew exactly where every article was for she had all her life had a place for everything & everything in its place. When a customer wanted anything she directed them to where they could find it & they brought it back to the counter where she wrapped it up & received the pay. 
She borrowed $50 when she was trying to get started but it worried her so much she said she'd never borrow again & she kept her word. What she couldn't pay for she didn't get & she was blessed for it. She didn't lose many bills for she didn't do much trusting.  She often remarked how beautiful her store looked to her & how happy she was that she owed no man a dollar.
In her younger days she worked quite a lot in the temple for her friends & ancestors in England & when she was too old & lame to go she sent a great many names & the money to pay for others to do it for her.
She used to close up the store & take us children & father would go too, if he was home, to the General Conference at least once a year.  Also to the carnival & the jubilee & dedication of the Salt Lake L.D.S. Temple.  If there was anything special we all went by team 33 miles to the railroad station at Milford then took the train.
She was a Sunday School teacher for a number of years but her happiest hours were when she organized a number of faithful sisters & asked Patriarch Mumford & Patriarch Reese to come with them every Sunday morning & hold a meeting & administer the sacrament to some shut-ins who didn't have the privilege of that holy ordinance.  They held testimony meetings & it was a real joy & inspiration for them to bear their testimonies of the goodness of God to them. This was carried on for many years & many a sad heart was made to rejoice.  Many of these shut-ins had crossed the plains on foot leaving comfortable homes for their testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel & others had not only walked but pulled all their belongings across the barren plains up hill & down but would rather die than give up their convictions.  Their only vehicles being hand carts made with a box on two wheels & a handle put crosswise To pull it by, & their testimonies burning within their bosoms. These were inspiring & glorious times that they all enjoyed.
She was a strict observer of the word of wisdom, having always used tea & coffee in England, but it being contrary to the teachings of the Church she gave it up & I have heard her say many times that although the aroma filled every fiber of her body when she smelled it anywhere, she wouldn't touch a drop if gold were piled from the floor to the ceiling.  That was just a sample of her faith in every principle & ordinance of the gospel.
The other children were scattered, May in Draper, Bessie in Delta, & Henry in Minersville, Will having died & left a wife & three sons & James Harwood dying at the age of 3 & her three little daughters Mary Ann, Ida Matilda, & Jane Dyson dying in infancy. We had a comfortable home & they spent what time they could with us on Sunday usually having dinner or supper or both with us & we always enjoyed their visits.
Mother spent many, many happy afternoons with me as it was hard for her to climb into her buggy & she could lie down where she was comfortable & sing the lovely hymns she loved so much.  I always accompanied her on our organ we bought new to have music in the home & she enjoyed it so much.  There was one blessing, she didn't suffer pain while she was sitting or lying down.
They had been happy in their new home for a number of years & when their golden wedding day came 21 March 1917 they prepared for a grand celebration.  Father moved his office equipment & put long tables up in the large office room & they invited their old friends & loved ones to come & celebrate with them.
The room was filled & we had a lovely program & wedding dinner. We children purchased a gold headed cane for her & a gold handled umbrella for father.
The afternoon was spent very pleasantly & although she had to be carried in an armchair up & down the stairs she was cheerful & very happy.  They had their picture taken & lovely announcements printed & that was the best picture they ever had.
In August of the same year, they were finishing a little remodeling & father lifted a stove & must have hurt himself for on the 8th he took sick & mother sent for me.  I went down & he was in terrible pain.  The doctor gave instructions what to do & I carried them out til after midnight then he went to sleep & mother thought I had better go home as I had a baby.  he slept good.  I called in the morning on the phone & she said he was lots better & I neednn't come. 
After dinner I sent Jennie down to see how he was & she told her to tell me he had just ate a big bowl of gruel & had dismissed & paid his doctor saying he wouldn't need him again, & also paid the painter who had got through with the remodeling.
He went to sleep in his chair down in the store by the stove where she made him comfortable & to keep him quiet.  She went up the 2 steps into the kitchen where she loved to sit, as it was so light to look over the mail & as there was a letter from Bessie & he had been asleep quite awhile, she called to him to hear the letter but he didn't answer, so she looked at the paper & let him rest awhile longer.  Finally she went down to wake him, thinking he wouldn't sleep at night & when she put her hand on his head she found he had passed quietly away.  This shock was terrible.  She hurried to the phone & called both doctors, but it was too late. He had gone to reap his reward & was happy.  But, she, poor soul was so shocked & dazed she didn't know anything that went on around her. She never did get over that tragedy.  She sat like one in a trance.  But kind hands & loving hearts once more came to her aid & after he was laid to rest she got a little girl (Alice Gail) to come & stay with her day & night.  I think she let her go to school but all the time she had to spare she was faithful to mother.  She gave her horse & buggy to Haler Gale, the girl's father if he would see that she got to Church & her meetings.
She often sighed & said (putting her hand on her chest or heart)" I don't know what's the matter I have such a funny sinking feeling in here".  But everyone could tell it was that terrible void lonesome feeling that must always accompany the separation of two loving hearts that had passed 50 years together on the ocean of life but her faith & knowledge that they had complied with the ordinance that bound them together for time & all eternity buoyed her up.  She still tried to do all the good she could.
The short time that would elapse 'til she would be called to join him over on the other side where death nor anything could ever separate them again.  That was the very thing they had looked forward to ever since they had heard & obeyed the gospel.  Eternal life & a crown of glory awaited her on the other shore.  She still tried to attend her meetings & keep up with everything & come & visit us on Sunday & keep as cheerful as possible & always had a smile & kind word for everyone.
In 1918 when the world war was raging & President Wilson, the President of the United States, asked people to buy war saving stamps & liverty bonds to help finance the nation she did her share. The following excerpt is copied from the Beaver Press dated Oct 28,1918, entitled "A Patriotic Pioneer."
Mrs. Jane Bickley in the hearts of the people "Aunt Jane" widow of our late friend & townsman William Green Bickley is today the largest owner of second liberty bonds in Beaver. When the campaign for 2nd liberty bonds came on, Mrs. Bickley came forward with the purchase of a $1,000 bond & as the campaign became more active & more intense,she surprised the committee & community by subscribing for another $1,000 bond. She is a native of England having been born in Rugby Oct.6 1839 & was married to William Green Bickley in Pine Valley 1867.  They celebrated their Golden Wedding a few months before his death.
Mrs. Bickley, in spite of her crippled condition is still active in her social & charitable work of the community of which she was President of the Relief Society for a number of years.  She still conducts her own business at the store on the corner opposite the court house "The Novelty Bazaar" giving it her personal attention.  Although her personal wealth isn't great, she is so loyal & patriotic that she is willng to give a larger amount & far larger percentage of what she possesses than anyone in the community.  It is such mothers as this that make for the good of mankind & should put to shame, who younger in years & more liberally supplied with this world's goods think we cannot subscribe  to assist the cause of the world's freedom.  Would there were more mrs.Bickleys in the land."
After father's death, she still came & spent many pleasant Sunday afternoons with us & it was another blow to her when my husband bought a store in Hinckley & moved the last living child away but she came to all the farewell parties given us & was cheerful & realized I had to go where we could do better for our family.
She came up here to Hinckley for a visit & had a nice visit with us & I went back with her to help her on the train & stage which was an automobile.
We enjoyed a few days together then I returned.  She got along fine as the girl she had with her was a good girl & was so much company for her as well as doing all the work until April 1919.  When she awoke one morning, she could not move & when she tried to call the girl she couldn't talk but when she could say anything she called for Bessie & wanted her to tell me.  Bessie wanted to catch the first train but her husband said "if your mother is sick enough to send for you she needs you & you can't wait for a train".  She called me on the phone & asked if I would go down.  
I hurried & got ready & Mr. Law hired a car & they came & got me & when we got there she was in an awful condition.  The doctor was there he said she had suffered a stroke of motor power ,but not the nerve & she was suffering intense pain. she was down in the store in her folding bed so we immediately put her bed in her lovely parlor where it was light & cheerful & where she had so many pretty things. We moved her in there where she could be as comfortable as possible. Henry came from Minersville,& May from Draper & we were with her to the end. 
One day she found she could talk a little so she gave each of us a pretty present from her household articles.  She gave me a lovely oval mirror & a tall stand with a tall palm which I prize very much.
Several times she felt so much better we would lift her into her wheelchair & she wanted Bessie to play on the piano & she often entertained her for hours playing & singing & it passed off many pleasant hours. 
When she was bad it took all of us to handle her as she was a large,heavy woman & helpless.  We had to turn her often & turned her on a sheet. Sometimes she could talk a little, & other times she couldn't say a word but her mind was still as clear & alert as ever.
She prayed often when she was suffering so much for the Lord to take her out of her suffering but she always said she wanted to suffer for every mistake of her life that when she got over on the other side she would be free to receive the blessings that awaited her.
The townspeople were so helpful as well as the nurse that we hired. One day she could talk & she said: "send for Sam White, an abstractor.  I must get my property fixed up.
"He came & sat down by her bed & she explained to him, what she wanted & she deeded all the property to Henry, May, Agnes, Bessie & Will's children as he was dead. She said she didn't want the lawyers to get the property she had worked so hard to accumulate. 
She had suffered so much that she often asked fot the two Patriarchs, Brother Reese, & Brother Mumford to come & plead for the lord to take her home & they came many times but her heart was so strong it seemed she had to wear it out.
At last she sank into a coma & rested peacefully for three days days & it was a relief to see her suffering cease for she had been so bad for weeks that she couldn't eat or drink & suffering every minute.  The only peace she got was from hypos & they caused a terrible itch all over her body that was almost worse than the pain. 
On the 21st of June, she quietly & peacefully passed away about 11 o'clock. 
Before she passed into the coma she said she was  thankful for every trial she had been caused to bear & I'm sure she went to a good reward.
The funeral was lovely & inspiring & she was laid away in her beautiful temple robes in the Mountain View Cemetary at Beaver City, Beaver County Utah, 23 June 1919.
At the funeral service the following resolution was read by a member of the Relief Society: "We the officers & members of Beaver East Ward Relief Society do mourn the departure of our beloved sister & co-laborer Sister Jane Bickley whose life has been a noble example to us.  We will miss her but her ever-ready testimony will live in our hearts. Surely her works will follow her.  During the 20 years she served as an officer in the Relief Society, she exercised her calling with an unselfish devotion.  She was fearlessly Faithful to every trust, strong & decided in her views, & what seemed most noticeable was her beautiful & abiding faith in the life hereafter.
She taught us the great lesson of cheerfulness, optimism & honest integrity, that has characterized her life & labors.  Her loyalty to her church & country is evidence of her confidence in the authority over her.  We know her to be courageous in the performance of any duty imposed upon her.  She did not shirk, nor tire but her course was well defined.
She was so much the master of herself that her dearest possession was the joy of a tranquil mind. Her example was always in harmony with precept especially in the strict obedience to the word of wisdom, tithing, temple & Ward donation,& every principle of the gospel. 
She lived the gospel impressively & in the devotion to principles she has laid up treasures in heaven, where, with a heart full of calm assurance, she has gone to enjoy. We now appreciate her worth in that she has performed her labors to the best of her ability.  Even in her afflictions she was uncomplaining & submissive to the will of the lord.
Whereas in his wisdom God has seen fit to remove our beloved sister from our midst, make it befitting that we record our appreciation of her.  Therefore resolved that we honor & cherish her memory as one of God's noble women & strive to emulate her example. 
Resolved that we extend our heartfelt sympathy to her family in the loss of their beloved mother & may they realize she has gone to reap the reward of a well spent life. Resolved that a copy of these reesolutions be presented to her sons & daughters, published in our local paper & placed upon the records of the society.
She was the mother of the following families: parents: Job Pitcher Hall & Jane Walton sealed in the endowment house Sept 120 1861, sealing cancelled 13 March 1867, children Henry Walton Hall, born 12 June 1862, Jane Dyson Hall born 12 Jan 1864, Ida Matilda Hall born 8 oct 1865, and parents William Green Bickley & Jane Walton married 21 March 1867, sealed oct 1869, children, William Green Bickley, 3 Jan 1868, Mary Ann Bickley, 24 April 1870, Christiana May Bickley, 21 Jan 1872, James Harwood Bickley, 12 Apr 1874, Agnes Isadore Bickley, 28 Feb 1876, Bessie Isabell Bickley, 18 dec 1878.
After she had been laid peacefully away it fell to our lot as the heirs to take care of the division & disposal of the property & so there would be no feelings we got together & organized with a President & Secretary.
The cash bonds & sheep were divided equally between Henry, May, Agnes, Bessie, & the 3 boys, sons of William who had passed away, they getting his share. Stock was taken of the goods in the store with a liberal allowance made for the older stock.  When a fair estimate was made then stock was sold to May & the building rented to her till she could dispose of the stock, which she did mostly & finally moved the rest to her home in Draper, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, Utah.  The furniture was divided by each member putting a price they thought it was worth on a paper & putting it in the hat & the Secretary would average it & all drew for a number & whoever got it paid the averaged price & took the Article.  The bedding & small articles were put in 5 piles as equal as could be made then a number placed on the piles & one to correspond placed in the hat & each drew a number & took what they got or exchanged it for what they wanted.  The books were put out & each drew in turn a book from the pile but the volumes of Church History & state history were drawn for.
We got along lovely & there was even more love among us for our visit together.
The property was put up for sale later & sold & as the money came in it was divided. The very first thing we did, however, was to order a beautiful tombstone & have both father's & mother's inscriptions engraved on it & placed at the head of their graves.
After everything was disposed of that we could all attend to we bade each other goodbye & departed to our homes.
The pictures & keepsakes were drawn for & I got father's gold headed cane which I prize very much.
The children that grew to maturity all married & had families. Henry Walton 11, William Green Bickley 3, May 9, Agnes 9, Bessie 10.
A few of the hymns & songs she sang & loved were "Sweet Hour of Prayer", "How Firm a Foundation," "Home, Sweet Home", "Come, Come Ye Saints", "The Trials of the Road Will Be Nothing, When We Get to the End of the Way," "Down in a Green & Shady Bed, a Modest Violet Grew, & a number of others, she wrote all of father's poems & some of his songs in books so we could each have one.
In 1897 her brother Tom Walton & his wife came to visit his two sisters. Elizabeth Russell the oldest of the family who lived in cottonwood, Salt Lake County, Utah,& Jane Bickley who lived in Beaver City.  They were all together at Elizabeth's & had this picture taken together. He spent several weeks with us & we all learned to love him, then they returned to England.
Picture of Henry Walton Hall & family born at Toquerville 12 June 1862, taken with his wife & children still living.  Three having died.  Idonna Steel(childbirth)Theresa in infancy & the others after performing an honorable mission is standing. Irene, Warren, Henry, wife Lucy, Lorin, Herbert seated, Ione, Douglas, Fay & Reed, Henry died at 84 in Lynwood, California, June 2 born June 12,1862 in a covered wagon with a buffalo robe for a bed.  He was active in Minersville Civic & social affairs. Warren Hall, Minersville, picture of Will & Linda. He was born in Eagle Valley, Nevada 3 Jan 1858, married in Manti 31 Jan 1808 to Malinda Griffin. Had 3 sons,died 3 Aug 1899.
Typed into computer by great grand daughter Jennie May Lee Adam,1986 Wildwood Drive Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 (801) 278-5929 corrected from the original manuscript 14 July 1992.  Life sketch of William Green Bickley born at Smalley Hill Shropshire,Salop England 1 may 1842. Son of Samuel Bickley & Mary Green.
While a baby he had the misfortune of getting infection in one of his eyes & everything was done to save it, but he suffered for some time but it couldn't be saved. I have often heard him tell of how he could remember even though he was only about 4 years old when he sat without anything to deaden the pain while the doctor cut the cord & removed the eye. He said every time he thinks of it he could still feel the pain. He was paid in a way as the other eye had double strength & he became a great reader & a well educated man all his life able to converse on any subject. 
On Nov.13,1849 his only full sister was born. She grew & married George Watterson & raised a large family & lived to the ripe old age of 82. She died 15 June 1931 in England.  We don't know much about his life in England but he must have been fortunate enough to hear the gospel preached & was converted for at the age of 16 he was baptized & confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 24 Jul 1858. Although his mother pleaded with him not to come to utah, the Spirit of immigration was so great that he had to obey the call & at the age of 19 he came to America & arrived in Salt Lake City 1862 where he remained for sometime,working at whatever he could get to do, for a livelihood.
I have often heard him tell of how he walked over fences delivering the mail from house to house the snow covering the fences. He must have been born with natural musical & poetical ability. When he Arrived in Utah, he composed the following poem for his mother to show her he still remembered her tender love & care of him during his terrible suffering with his eye & two broken wrists, he received when he fell on the ice as a child.
"Dear Mother" by William Green Bickley  "When to this earth I helpless came, an infant blessed with life's sweet frame, tho'loved & cherished by my friends there's none whose love could e'er contend like yours, dear mother. When sickness made my body weak who in ny ears did comfort speak & when my head was wracked with pain who watched me til 'twas well again. 'Twas you, dear mother. As year by year, I grew, whose care protected me from every snare whose council did my young mind lead to call on God in times of need 'twas thou, dear mother. Though now divided by the sea I still will always think of thee. I pray that God will always bless, protect & guard thee by His grace. My dearest mother.
The next we hear of him is in Santa Clara, Washington County as a very young man.  Brother Staley had organized a Swiss choir & when Brother Bickley came, he organized a choir of Englisn speaking people. He stayed there about a year & had an excellent choir.
He must have traveled around the Dixie country quite a bit for the next we hear of him was in Pine Valley where on a cold day he stopped at a hut to get warm & found there a woman & a little boy.  They had but very little fuel & no doors or windows to keep the cold out.  The next day he procured a team & wagon & brought her a load of wood.  His kindness & cheerful disposition won her love.
She was married to a man who didn't appreciate her love & sacrifice. She hadn't had any kindness shown her since she reached this country & had had such a hard struggle for existence for herself & little son Henry Walton Hall, she longed to be free to marry this kind young man who had expressed his love for her.
When President Brigham Young came down there she told him of her plight & the trouble she had had.  She wanted to know if she could be free & he told her if Job Hall, her husband, would give her to this young man whose name was William Green Bickley, she could be as free as she ever was.  After she gained her freedom he wrote an acrostic to her name as follows.
Pine Valley Feb 2 1867. William Green Bickley
My own dear love, Jane Walton.
My thoughts are centered on the one I love, ye muses aid me from thy throne above, oh, thou whose spirit haunts my every hour whose voice to me is like a silver shower neath thy enrapturing glance, I bow I own thy power. Despite the dangers that beset my path Each one of which might hurry me to death Assisted by thy smile I'd brave their wrath, Regardless of the frowns of men or hell beneath. Loving & kind thou art my dearest one on my dark path thou art a beacon light vested in thee,thou hast a benison ever reminding one of woman's might. Just be thy life & may the peace of God attend thy sleeping or awakening hours Nor let the temptor lure thee from the road Each one must take to gain celestial bowers. When these few lines you read from him who sues a heart & hand of her to him most dear. Love,if you can,for if you thus refuse, this world to him will be most dark & drear. Oh, then if in your breast you feel love's dart. Not hide but bring it forth to cheer my heart.
They were married in Pine Valley 21 March 1867 & moved to a number of places.
Eagle valley & Clover Valley in Nevada is mentioned, going through the hardships incident to pioneer life.
While in Eagle Valley on 1 Jan 1868 he wrote the following lines to mother."To My Wife: "The seasons of another year have rolled away with rapid stride, What changes have we seen my dear since last we spent the xmas tide. Let us review our deeds & see what progress we have made in truth Where e'er we've erred let`s try to be humble in future as was Ruth. As for myself I love what's right & wish to walk in wisdom`s path. That I may live in virtue's light & in the end escape God's wrath. My love for you has stronger grown as day by day I see your face. The deeds of kindness you have shown have helped to make my happiness. I pray that we may ever be united in the bonds of love And may contending spirits flee, that we may taste of joys above. What e'er occurs let us be one come weal come woe let us rejoice And always be subservient unto the glorious priesthood's voice. 
On the 3 Jan 1868 their first child was born.  He was named after father William Green.  They also had a little daughter Mary Ann born & died before we hear of them again.
He must have come to Minersville, Beaver County, Utah as the following lines were composed & sent to mother 18 may 1868 from Minersville.
To my dear wife.  I'm lonely since I've left thy side, thou dearest one my only love, there is no woe can me betide, so hard as from thee to remove I miss thy kind & genial smile though others strive to make me gay no pleasure can my thoughts beguile, I long to see thee every day. I'm lonely since I've left thy side I feel as if I had no life I could have set me down & cried the morn I left thee, my dear wife. but soon I hope to meet again and clasp thee to my heart once more and hear thy lips pronounce my name more sweet 'twill be than e'er before.
He finally moved his family to Minersville & made the adobes for a home.  He traded his span of tricky mules for a yoke of oxen.  He dug by hand the mill race located in the eastern part of Minersville & helped dig the canals often taking nothing to eat but dry bread to dip in water. They had two more children born to them, Christianna May in Minersville,Jan 21 1872,& James Harwood either there or in Beaver b.12 April 1874.
Where ever they located he used his talent for the uplifting of the community.  He was an excellent musician playing the violin, flute, accordion, brass instruments, organ,& when the piano came on the market he played that perfectly.
They moved to Beaver City, Beaver County, Utah,& lived in a little log room 'til he could do better. He purchased a 4 acre tract of land in the north east part of town & built a brick home, raised hay & potatoes & planted fruit trees & had a garden to help support his family.
Later he purchased another 4 or 5 acre tract joining on the north which he planted to hay.
He moved his family into the new home before it was finished.
On Feb 28 1876 I was born. They had to tack up carpets & quilts to the doors & windows to keep out the cold.
When I was still a baby, James Harwood, who was about 3 years old, woke up with membranous croup. They did everything possible for him, but he died. That was a terrible blow to them, as he was talking so cute & was father's little man. On the 18th of December 1868, Bessie Isabell came to bless their home.  She was their little flaxen haired lassie & the joy of the family, musically inclined from the first.
Father was a very influential, self-educated man & had many responsibilities placed on him in the community. He also made himself useful in social circles.  For a number of years, he with his son William,& daughter May furnished the music for the soldiers at Fort Camson to dance till the wee small hours of the morning.  He played the violin, Will,the base viol,& May, the little organ which they always took with them.  He also furnished an orchestra to furnish music between the acts of the theatrical plays put on in the old field's hall. That made many happy hours for the rest of the family as he always got tickets for us.
Many very pleasant evenings were spent in the home in musical socials with a room full of relatives & friends.  Everyone loved to hear him sing the soul inspiring songs & delighted to hear his comic songs.  He could sing the laughing songs,"The Little Gray Fat Man" "When I was a Baby, They Tickled Me So".  also."The Charming Young Woman I Met on the Train."&"The Crocodile" "They All Come Home to Roost",& many others so well, they never grew old.
He & mother often sang together. For several years he traveled up & down the state as agent for the Kimball Organ Company & sold many instruments.  Wherever he was,the evening was spent by inviting neighbors in to enjoy a musical entertainment.
He was called to fill a mission for the Church, to England, his native country & left home Oct.16 1889. When he received a blessing in Salt Lake City before his departure from there,he was promised he would go in peace & return in safety.  The promise was soon filled as he missed his train by a small margin,& got one an hour later.  They passed the train he should have taken, wrecked. He humbly acknowledged the hand of the Lord in his behalf. 
On the voyage,he entertained his fellow passengers with music & songs which were well received.  His parents had separated & his mother had married a Mr.Brown & had had another family & had passed to the great beyond. 
His father whom he couldn't find, but he was welcomed by his 2 half sisters, Sarah Brown Makinson & her little daughter Lillie,& a maiden about 30 years old, Christiana Brown, who had been faithful to his mother till the last.
He converted & baptized them & with mother's financial help,they emigrated to Utah & they lived with us in our home in Beaver till they both married.  Sarah died in 1899 & Lillie several years Later,& Christiana.  They are all laid away in the Mountain View Cemetary.  He Filled an honorable mission & returned home in 1891. 
When he came to Beaver to make his home, he was ushered into service & loved to be kept in the harness.
He worked with Robert Stoney,probably as organist for the choir.  The following is taken from the history of Beaver by J.F.Tolton, published on 75th  anniversary of the founding of Beaver City 1856 to the admittance of statehood, 6th of Jan.1896.
"The dedication of the St.George Temple was an event of great moment to the people of Beaver.  The Stake had contributed liberally to its erection & now felt that it had joint ownership in the structure.  The Beaver choir was invited as a body, to be present in common with other choirs in the Temple district to furnish music for the services. Some 40 members of the choir under the leadership of Robert Stoney & William Green Bickley, attended.during this period.
Beaver not only had a choir of fame but also a fine brass band consisted of 14 members of which father was one, playing the cornet.  They furnished fine music for all national programs & celebrations as well as many other occasions.  The instruments he played best & loved most were the violin, cornet,  accordion, flute, organ,& when the piano came on the market,he played that perfectly & taught both the organ & piano having many students.
When he returned from his mission,he took up his labors again,both in civic & religious duties.  He was appointed chorister, which position he held for a great many years, his daughters May & Bessie,acting as organists for his choir for a number of those years.  He put his heart & soul into his work.  He composed many of his anthems preparing words & music for the different voices in manuscript form.  He composed the music & arranged the hymn "Sons of Michael", into a beautiful anthem.  Also set his own music to many of the hymns in the Hymn book,"Haste to the Sunday School "&"Call & Answer", arrangements were his contributions to the Sunday School song book."Invocation" in the blue Relief Society song book he wrote also. but as only one verse was published,I will write it in full.
"Invocation." words & music, William G. Bickley. "As we are here assembled to sing thy praise, oh Lord, and from thy holy priesthood (sisters in their book) to hear thy sacred word.  We ask thee now to grant us the unction of thy love so that our heart & voices shall reach thy throne above. 2. We love to sing thy praises,& come to thee in prayer. While from our hearts we thank thee for tender love & care and while we bow before thee,oh wilt thou deign to lend thine ear,while we adore thee,our father & our friend.  3.  Preserve thy chosen servants,be thou their constant shield, fill thou their souls with wisdom & give them grace to wield The sword of gospel freedom, to urge its saving power among thy sons & daughters in sorrow's trying hour. 4.  And when our task is finished,on earth,& we are free, may we all be found worthy,to ever dwell with thee. In thy celestial kingdom,among the ransomed blessed, where thou has said,"the faithful shall enter into rest."
Here are two of his best loved & enjoyed love songs.
 Darling, I Love Thee "When the balmy spring returns breathing fragrance fresh & sweet from the buds & mossy ferns then my darling, we shall meet.  Yes, and sweet shall be our meeting, loving be our words of greeting, while our lips & hearts repeating, darling, I Love Thee.  Darling I Love Thee  Though our fate should be to part,there is comfort in the thought, that I'm reigning in your heart, and you love me as you ought, love, me oh, how sweet the pleasure. That we are each other's treasure, and can sing in joyful measure,  darling, I Love Thee.  Darling I Love Thee.  And should sorrow cross our path, and misfortune gather 'round. So, we may escape God's wrath, may our trust in him be found, and when earthly life is ended and our souls to heaven ascended. We will sing sweet music blended."Darling, I Love Thee."
"Clara Bell" 
Near a sparkling rippling brooklet, a pleasant shady dell dwelt a fair & dainty maiden, darling little Clara Bell. Fawn like was her form in neatness, from her eyes soft radiance fell, on my heart was holy sweetness, and I loved sweet Clara bell.
Chorus
Though she left me sad & lonely yet I cannot say farewell, for when this short life is ended, I shall see my Clara Bell. On a balmy summer`s evening, we were straying side,by side.  When my tale of love I whispered and she said she'd be my bride. Stars were twinkling,moonlight gleaming, what my joy was, none can tell, as her eyes with love were beaming, and I kissed sweet Clara Bell.  Now alas, the grave has hidden her I loved, from mortal view, and her soul has gone to heaven, with the angels, good & true. Though she's left me sad & lonely, yet I cannot say farewell, for when this short life is ended, I shall see my Clara Bell.
He could pick up a song anywhere & sing it right off by sight.  He carried a little tuning fork in his pocket by which he got the pitch.  He organized a large music class & taught them sight reading from charts.  I have told in mother's history how they sold the old home & moved to town & lived in the cottage behind the store, years later.  How they purchased the store & Relief Society hall & remodeled it & made a very happy & comfortable home & his office over the store where he had his typewriter & books & where he carried on his work as secretary for a number of corporations & canals. 
He held the position of City Treasurer for many years, a member of the Stake Sunday School Union for more than 20 years. Also worked in the Ward Sunday School & put on many lovely cantatas & musical programs usually having appropriate services on Easter Sunday & Christmas.  He was Stake Clerk for 15 years & traveled through the Stake getting the reports direct so he could always have the reports in to Headquarters on time. He traveled with a team & buggy.
On april the 15 of 1915, he was guest of honor at a social gathering with a program of songs & speeches & readings. & A fine luncheon was served. He was presented with a beautiful gold headed cane costing $25.00 as a mark of esteem & appreciation.  The following speech was given by Honorable J. F. Tolton.
Dear Brother Bickley.  The committee has expressed a desire that I voice their sentiments in bidding you a welcome to this gathering with Stake & Ward officers. 
On the occasion of paying our respects to our fellow & guest of honor, Elder W. G. Bickley.  Our purpose is to do honor to Brother Bickley, & by our meeting together in fraternal friendship, remind him of the fact that we appreciate his long faithful service in the cause of the Master, for though he has passed beyond the allotted days of man & his body bows with the weight of years, as the sturdy Oak bends before the wintry blast, yet his heart is warm in the work of the Lord.
We seldom recognize the worth of one with whom we come in daily contact until distance, or change or environment severs the relationship:
"A prophet is not without honor save in his own country".  This saying is just as true of & applies with equal force to the earnest servant as to one who foretells future events.  For many years,our guest of honor, has served as Chorister, as Music Organizer & Director & as Clerk of several organizations.  His peculiar fitness to the latter calling has been fully demonstrated during the last 15 years while he has served as the Clerk of the Stake & of the High Council.  For this service,he has received on numerous occasions, the econiums of the Presiding Bishopric as well as the appreciation of the Stake authorities for promptness in submitting reports, for painstaking effort & responsive action to the call of duty.  For these valuable traits of character, we hold the subject of kind  remembrance & wish him continued success in life & peace & contentment of mind in release from the burdens of business & official activities. 
As a token of appreciation & momento of his association & service with the Presidents & High Council.  We have resolved to present to our Brother Bickley this beautiful ebony cane, surmounted with a handle of gold, engraved with the following inscription: "Presented to W. G. Bickley, April 15,1915, by High Council of Beaver Stake. 
In the selection of this cane, the committee had in mind the choosing of an article which would be symbolical of the character of the beneficiary.  We selected ebony, to represent durability, strength of character, permanency, gold to denote singleness of purpose, endurance, freedom from dross. Its malleability for plastic thought, ductibility, for capability of being wrought to a tension of utility & service as enduring as time.
This momento is fitted to bear the weight of infirmity of man.  In case Brother Bickley needs to lean upon it for support in the future "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me, thy rod & thy staff, they comfort me" so wrote David of old. 
May the appropriateness to David's thought follow Brother Bickley through life, & this momento be a staff that will add to his comfort, in peace, is the wish of the donor & his fellow servants."
The other children having moved to make homes elsewhere left only me & our family & Will's boys & Aunt Christianna Willdon for them to visit so they spent many afternoons at our home and father came very often to make a call on his rounds about town on different collections or other business for his Corporations & we always enjoyed his company.
They made a trip once a year to visit Bessie & May & in 1917 on their way back from Salt Lake from April Conference as usual they stopped off at Delta to visit Bessie. 
He was always a strong advocate of the organ for sacred music & was concerned that Bessie (she was an organist) had to play a piano for Ward services.  He suggested that he had a little time to spare & with the consent of the Bishop Maxfield & Chorister Avery Bishop he would be willing to come & give his services in some way to help get an organ in the ward.  The offer was accepted & arrangements made for his return. 
They went home to arrange his affairs & through correspondence with Bessie, a letter dated 3 May 1917, giving instructions, also 15 may 1917, in answer to her response of his letter, stated that he & mother would arrive in Delta 26 May. 
They arrived safe & stayed for a few weeks presenting a sacred oratorio "King in Zion" which was very well done & the neat sum of $66.65 was realized.  This was to be used as first payment on an organ for the church.  They purchased the organ & it furnishes beautiful music for all church gatherings in the First Ward hall.
Some years before this as he was getting up in years he was released as chorister of the Beaver Ward & given a lovely testimonial & social.  As many of his Choir members as possible being present.  They presented him with a comfortable rocker. 
On the 8th of Aug mother sent for me as father was sick.  I hurried down & found him in awful pain.  They had been doing some remodeling & painting & he had lifted a stove & must have hurt himself.  The doctor was there & gave me orders just what to do & I went to work.  I followed his instructions to the letter & a little after midnight he got easy & went to sleep.  As I had a small baby mother insisted on me going home.  So i went & in the morning I went to the phone & called her & she said he had a good night's rest & was feeling lots better.
After dinner I sent Jennie down to see how he was & she said he had just eaten a bowl of gruel & felt fine.  He had dismissed his doctors & paid the painter & was feeling pretty well again.  He was sitting down in the store & had gone to sleep. 
So mother got her mail & went up the two steps into her kitchen to look it over & there was a letter from Bessie who had been to the hospital with Elsie for an operation after having pneumonia.  Mother called to him to listen to the letter but he didn't answer so she looked at the paper & soon called to him again but still no answer so she took the letter & went down, thinking she had better wake him or he wouldn't sleep at night, but when she put her hand on his head, he had quietly passed away. 
That was a great shock for us all but a grand way for him to go, for he never could stand to sit around idle & a long sick spell would have been unbearable to him. All his life he had been a very busy man & I'm sure he has been busy on the other side.
He passed away without having heard about the fine organ the Delta Ward had purchased through his help & suggestions. 
They had celebrated their Golden Wedding on 21 March & the memory of the occasion was still fresh in the people's minds.  He had waited patiently on mother for a number of years in her crippled condition.  I wrote in her history the details of the Golden Wedding.
He was well respected in the community & as he was a stockholder in the First National Bank, they draped the bank door with black crepe for 30 days.
The following resolutions of respect were written & published in the press:
"Whereas the great ruler of the universe has seen fit to call Brother Bickley from our midst, that he might continue his labors on the other side, & whereas Brother Bickley was a man among men, a man worthy of every trust, & whereas Brother Bickley will be missed at our council table because of his faithfulness, honesty & industry, therefore be it resolved that while we regret his passing to his work on the other side, we are satisfied that he was well prepared for the work & ready to proceed at the call of his Master.
Be it further resolved that the charter of this bank be draped in mourning for the period of 30 days & that we express to his widow & children our sympathy & that a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to Mrs. Bickley."
Signed, Directors of the First National Bank.
William Bickley was endowed 3 June 1863 at the Endowment House, Salt Lake City, Utah. The funeral was held at the opera house which was filled to capacity with sympathetic friends & relatives.  The floral offerings were profuse & lovely. The services were peaceful & inspiring.  
A number of his best loved songs were rendered by the members of his choirs he had led in Beaver.  Our number being "Only remembered by what we have done".  The speakers were Elders George Parkinson, George Mumford & Bishop F.D.Farnsworth. 
He was laid away in his beautiful Temple robes in the Mountain View Cemetary til the morning of the first resurrection. 
Poem on his death remembrance card.  "Gone but not forgotten" Weep not that his toils are over, weep not that his race is run,  God grant we may rest as calmly when our work, like his, is done. 'Til then, we yield with gladness, ƒor our father to him to keep, and rejoice in the sweet assurance, he giveth his loved one sleep'
Typed into computer by Jennie May Lee Adam, great granddaughter ,1986 Wildwood Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121,(801) 278-5929, July 6 1992.
 
Jane Walton and Job Pitcher Hall,
and Jane Walton and William Green Bickley,
Our great-grandparents
22 March 2007
 
The life of Jane Walton is illustrious as can be,
Just read her life history and I think you will agree,
For though her trials were many, and challenges many, too,
She kept the faith, and did her best to be both good and true.
 
She joined the Church in England, and loved the things she'd heard,
And rejoiced in the Gospel, and accepted every word,
Then came to America to be with the Saints here,
Where she could follow the Prophet, who to her heart was dear.
 
She met and married Job Hall, who had two other wives,
And she was faithful to him, though they led separate lives,
And bore him three children, two daughters and a son,
And her daughters soon passed away, and life was not so fun.
 
Her husband, Job Pitcher Hall, was always gone away,
And wasn't a good husband, that's what her writings say,
And left her in an awful fix, providing not a thing,
So she had to fend for herself, and her heart was sorrowing.
 
Then one day a young gentleman happened to come by,
And saw her poor and needy plight, and stopped to find out why,
And then he chose to help her, by gathering some wood,
And doing things she needed done, because he understood.
 
And Jane's heart was truly touched by all she saw and heard,
And wished she could change things, though she said not a word
To William Green Bickley, her new helper here,
For she was still married to Job, yet William was more dear.
 
And so she talked to Brigham Young, and asked him what to do,
And he gave her his answer, and said, "It's up to you
To talk with Job, your husband, and see if he'd set you free,
And if he gives his own consent, you're free as you can be.
 
And so she talked to Job one day, who agreed on one condition,
That they would dig a basement for him, and that became their mission,
And when the deed was finished, he released her from her vows,
So she could marry William, and he could build her a house.
 
They went away rejoicing, and soon they came to be
Newlyweds, husband and wife, William and Jane Bickley,
Who truly loved each other, and vowed that they would do
All that God expected of them, each day, their whole life through.
 
Their children and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren now
Are numerous descendents, and we all take a bow,
And honor them for lives well lived, and faithful service here,
To neighbors, friends and family, and all God's children dear.
 
For they were faithful pioneers, who kept their faith alive,
And followed the living Prophet, and thus they did survive,
And they endured to the end so we could one day be
Their true living descendents, who've lived life faithfully.
 
Jim Lee

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