Robert Easton was born the 27th of
July, 1821 in Dykehead Oldmonkland, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was the 3rd child
of 10 children born to Robert and Elizabeth Laird Easton.
It would have been nice if Robert Easton had
left some written record of his own life. But, because he didn't, it
is my purpose to piece together as much as I can from the few facts
that we do have.
Few of us are renowned enough to have our name on a monument. But,
Robert Easton has his on a monument in Greenville, Beaver County, Utah.
On the 22nd of October 1842, Robert married his first wife, Margaret Lindsay.
To this marriage was born a daughter, Jennette, on the 7th of December 1842.
From his obituary, we learn of two other children that he and Margaret Lindsey
had. But, who are they? John Miller mentions that Robert only had Jennette when
they started across the plains to Utah.
We hear no more about Margaret. Could it be that she died in child birth?
We find that Robert was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints on the 24th of March 1842. Other members of Robert's family
accepted the Gospel: John and his twin sisters, Margaret and Jane. They also
immigrated to Utah.
Robert left Scotland and immigrated to the United States on September 24, 1848,
arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 20, 1848. From there he sailed
up the Mississippi river
ending in the St. Louis, Missouri area. His future wife, Mary,
and her family were there. The men were working in the coal mines
just outside of St. Louis. Robert might have worked there
also.
Sometime in 1850, he married Mary Miller. Mary was the oldest child
of the Miller family. Her parents had died just a few months before of
cholera, leaving Mary and her older siblings as guardians of the younger
siblings.
Robert's obituary gives a good overview and a few more facts of his
life.
Robert Easton Obituary
Robert Easton died in Greenville, Beaver County, Utah on May 25,
1887, after a protracted attack of asthma. He suffered greatly the
last six weeks of his life. He was a native of Scotland and was
born on the 27th of July, 1822. He embraced the Gospel in his youth.
In the year of 1850, he arrived in Salt Lake City and the following
year went with others to build up the Southern settlements. He settled
in Cedar City where he labored hard with others to establish the Iron
Works. During this time he met with a serious accident, breaking his
back, from which he lay helpless for many months, suffering greatly.
He moved from Cedar City to what was then called lower Beaver, having
taken up some land four miles west of Beaver. He and others located
there and founded the town of Greenville. In 1872, he was chosen and
set apart by the Stake Presidency, as the Bishop of the Greenville
Ward, which position he held for many years. In 1873 he performed a
mission to his native land but on account of ill health, was obliged
to return home the following year. In 1886, Brother Easton was arrested
under the Edmund's law. He pleaded not guilty and stood trial. Strange
to say the jury acquitted him. He was a staunch defender of the principles
of the Gospel. Full of integrity and faith. He leaves two wives and 7
children, 3 sons and 4 daughters, to mourn his loss, with many
grandchildren, friends and acquaintances.
He had 3 children by his first wife.
1 child by his second wife
9 children by his third wife
13 children all together
Robert Easton Jr’s confusion to clean up- Robert Easton, age 1, birthplace
"Indian Territory", was listed in the 1850 census in Salt Lake City with his
sister Jennette, 3, his father Robert Easton, 28, and Mary Easton, 25. However,
on the passenger list for the ship "Sailor Prince", which sailed from Liverpool
24 September 1848 and arrived in New Orleans 20 November 1848, was Robert Easton, "infant",
with Janet Easton, 7, Elizabeth Easton, 5, and their mother Margaret Easton, 28
(Robert Easton Sr.'s first wife). I'm not sure whether the Robert listed in the
1850 census in Salt Lake City is the same Robert who was an infant in 1848; if so,
his age and birthplace was wrong in the 1850 census. I am assuming instead that
the first (infant) Robert died, and that after Robert Easton Sr. married Mary
Miller in 1849, they had another Robert.
Note: Robert Easton Sr’s obituary states that he had 13 children. One by his second
wife. Therefore, the confusion as to whether Mary Miller also had a Robert Jr. could
be dismissed if this obituary is correct—which I tend to think it is.
26 August 2013 by Karen Bray Keeley
1848-possible immigration. Lived in Misouri. Why is the father, Robert not
mentioned? Did he come earlier? Only the infant son, Robert is on the manifest.
They lived in Missouri for a while, so maybe traveled to Utah in 1850. Margaret
died in Missouri in 1849 from the Choloria Epidemic.
Margaret Lindsey or Lindsay was born in 1820 or 1821 in Scotland. She married
Robert Easton on October 22, 1842 in Old Monkland, Lanarkshire, Scotland. They joined
the LDS (Mormon) Church in the late 1840's, and immigrated to America in 1848.
The passenger list for the ship "Sailor Prince", which sailed from Liverpool September
24, 1848, and arrived in New Orleans November 20, 1848, shows Margaret Easton, 28, Janet Easton,
7, Elizabeth Easton, 5, and Robert Easton, infant. The father, Robert, apparently traveled
separately.
Margaret died in the cholera epidemic in St. Louis, Missouri, before they could earn
enough money to cross the plains to Utah. "A Mournful Elegy on the Unfortunate Victims,
Who Fell Sacrifices to the Ravages of That Fell Destroyer, the Asiatic Cholera, at the
Gravois Coal Diggings, Near St. Louis, Mo., June and July, 1849", by John Russel,
"teacher in the doomed district", shows that "Margaret Easton, 30, wife of Robert,
and child" were among the victims. She was buried in the old German Cemetery (Picker's)
on Gravois Road, where her name was recorded German-style: Margaretha Easton, age 28,
died June 29, 1849.
Daughter who died with her:
Elizabeth Easton
Birth: April 4, 1844
Coatbridge, Scotland
Death: July, 1849
St. Louis County
Missouri, USA
Elizabeth was born at Coatbridge, a small village just outside of Glasgow, near Old Monkland
in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her parents, Robert and Margaret Lindsey Easton, joined the LDS
(Mormon) Church in 1846 and immigrated to America in 1848. The passenger list for the ship
"Sailor Prince", which sailed from Liverpool September 24, 1848 and arrived in New Orleans
November 20, 1848, includes Margaret Easton, age 28, Janet Easton, age 7, Elizabeth Easton,
age 5, and Robert Easton, infant. The father, Robert Easton, apparently traveled separately.
They were staying in St. Louis, Missouri to earn money to cross the plains to Utah, when a
cholera epidemic struck the area in the summer of 1849.
A poem written in 1849 entitled "A Mournful Elegy on the Unfortunate Victims, Who Fell
Sacrifices to the Ravages of That Fell Destroyer, the Asiatic Cholera, at the Gravois Coal
Diggings, Near St. Louis, Mo., June and July, 1849" contains a list of those who died,
including "Margaret Easton, age 30, wife of Robert, and child" [Elizabeth].
At the present time no one knows the burial site of Robert Easton
He died in Greenville, Beaver County, Utah on May 25, 1887.
