The Utah Trail
(An American Connection )
This page is dedicated to the late Ina H Day and her Family
Our story begins in Croston in 1686 a small mainly farming village in the west of Lancashire England .
Croston
John Hough born 1686 and died 1785 married Ann Riding born 1686,John was a farmer and worked his own land
John and Ann had ten children of which the middle Son William born 1722-1785 is the direct ancestor of the Hough's of this website , However his elder Brother John Hough 1715 - 1776 is where this trail begins .John married Alice Thornton 1722-1795 at Euxton Lancashire in April 1738 . John spent his working life as a farmer like his Father and later a sadler and an innkeeper . He and Alice had had ten children john died in 1776 aged 61 years and Alice in 1772 aged 72 . Amongst his children was Ellen Hough she was second youngest born 1760 she met and married James Bond of Tarleton born 1757 in 1777. Tarleton was another farming village neighbouring Croston .
James Bond was again a farmer He and Ellen had nine children three were born in the Tarleton area , now it was about this time that James and Ellen decided to leave the tight knit farming community and move to Manchester and James probably drawn by the growing cotton industry to become a weaver , this would prove to be one of a pair of major decisions that would change the destiny of this family line .
Cotton Mill
James would have probably been a foreman looking after a cotton shed as illustrated above .
James and Ellen had six more children all born in Manchester, Ellen Hough died in 1829 and James Bond in 1831.
Their 2nd eldest Son John Bond born 1780 married Ann Holme or Holmes born 1780 in 1815 and was also a weaver like his Father , He and Ann had one child , William Bond born 1817 in Manchester his Father John died nineteen day's later aged only 37 years , his MotherAnn remarried a John Ramsbottom in 1819 but died herself in 1824 aged 44 years . William Bond was then placed in a Hospital school at age seven where he stayed for five years .
William later married Mary Ann Barker born in Manchester 1821 in 1838.
William Bond and Mary Ann Barker
William took up the trade of Tailor and had thirteen children four born in Manchester the last of which was in 1847.It was about this time that William and Mary Ann heard Elder , Parler P Pratt preach the gospel of the Latter Day Saints and were converted , This brought about the second Major decision of this family line . At the end of May 1848 they set to sea from Liverpool on the sailing vessel "Ark Wright " for America arriving in Boston Harbour on 15th July 1848.
On The River Mersy Out Of Liverpool
William Bond rented a house in Fall River and took up work as a tailor , at this period two more children were born . In 1856 the family left Fall River by steamboat to New York Harbour and then train to Iowa City to join camp with other Latter Day Saints converts on their journey west .
Their journey west started in July 1856 by wagon train and at this time with a family of nine . There were thirty wagons pulled by oxen in this group lead by William Benjamin Hodgetts.
The 1000 mile journey was hard and food was in short supply , the weather was harsh with frost and snow . A Son of Brigham Young Joseph broke through the snow to bring aide to the suffering travellers with warm clothing and food , and at 4pm on the 30th of November 1856 the Bond family arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley all alive and some with bleeding feet , and this is where their descendants still live today .
Mary Ann died in Utah in 1895 and William died in 1898
A fantastic journey touching many generations .
A Wagon Train like the one used by the Bond Family.
Information for this story from the late Ina H. Day ,Great Granddaughter of William Bond and Mary Ann Barker.
And composed for this website by Richard Hough Ina's 6th cousin once removed .
