HISTORY OF GEORGE HOLYOAK Jr.
George Holyoak Jr. was born at Solihull,
Warwickshire, England, September 1, 1829, son of George and
Sarah Green Holyoak. His chances for education during his
boyhood days were very limited. He was taught the gospel by
the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. He was converted and was baptized and confirmed at
Warwickshire, England, August 28, 1843, by Robert Denham.
He was ordained a teacher by James Bailey, about 1848 in the
Branch of Birmingham, England. He belonged to this branch
until he left England. It was here that he learned how to
tan leather and to make boots and shoes.
George Jr. set sail for the United
States on Sunday February 2, 1851, on the ship Ellen Marie
in the company of 378 saints. The company arrived in New
Orleans, April 6, 1851. Here George Jr. took a steamer up
the Mississippi River and arrived in St. Louis April 16,
1851. He stayed three months with his brother William and
sister-in-law Sarah. He was sick ten weeks with a bad form
of chills and fever known as the ague. While George Jr. was
still sick, William and Sarah, went into town for supplies
early in the morning so they would be back home before
George's chill came on. They had no sooner left when the
chills came on so hard that he thought it would kill him.
All of a sudden a stranger came into the room, and up to the
bed. He seemed to know George and called him by name,
asking what he was taking for the chills. He told the
stranger the number of grains of quinine.. and the man told
him to double the grains of quinine and it would cure him.
The stranger then fixed George a double dose of the quinine,
which he took and the fever left him, and he never had
another chill. He always seemed to think that this stranger
was one of the three Nephites.
From St. Louis, he moved to St. Joseph,
Missouri. It was here he met and married Eliza Moore, May
29, 1853. The following year on March 26, 1854 a son,
William Henry was born.
Leaving St. Joseph, Missouri in June of
1854 in the Captain Camp Company, the Holyoak family crossed
the plains. George Jr. drove a team of two yoke of oxen to
pay the fare for his wife, child and himself. They arrived
in Salt Lake on, September 21, 1854, after a long and
difficult journey across the plains having lost his mother
Sarah and sister Ann enroute.
They were in Salt Lake but a short
time, when they were called to settle in Parowan, Utah,
arriving there October 26, 1854. He was ordained an Elder
in 1856, by William H. Dame and acted as counselor to
President Joseph K. Parramore in the Elders Quorum until
February 22, 1856, when he was ordained a Seventy by Horace
Thorton, being a member of the 69th Quorum.
He built an adobe house on the East side of
town for his little family. In 1866 he was called to go East as
far as the Missouri River and assist Latter-Day Saints
immigrating to Utah. Bidding his wife and family good-bye, and
with a promise to bring back another wife, he left for the
East. He was a member of the Daniel Thompson Company. While on
this trip he met Elizabeth Ann Ferguson, and when they reached
Salt Lake they were married in the Endowment House, October 9,
1866.
When George and Elizabeth arrived in
Parowan, the little adobe house was shared by both wives and a
very happy home it was. It was here that Eliza gave birth to
three children, George Peter, Harriet Eliza, and Eliza Ann; the
first two died in infancy. Elizabeth Ann had six children; Emma
Elizabeth, George James, Sarah Jane, Thomas Knott, Joseph
Ferguson and Mary Esther Mariah.
George took up some farm land two miles
west of town and when the Indians became less hostile, he built
a home there for his first wife and children.
He was ordained a High Priest March 3,
1877, by William H. Dame, at which time he was chosen first
counselor to Bishop Samuel H. Rodgers of the Second Ward of
Parowan. He remained counselor until January 3, 1879, when
Bishop Rodgers moved to Arizona. He served as high counselor in
Parowan Stake for many years. He also was a member of the City
Council.
He ran the Parowan Tannery for many years,
making boots and shoes. He then had a shoe shop in his home.
George and two other men, discovered gold
near Parowan and George was told that if he would leave the gold
alone, neither he or his children would ever want for bread.
Being a very religious man, the mine was never touched.
He was a staunch believer in the United
Order as it was practiced in Parowan. He was a man of great
faith and was called upon by people all around to administer to
the sick. Having believed in and lived the law of plural
marriage, for which George spent about six months in the Utah
State Penitentiary.
George passed away March 15, 1921. He
lived a faithful and good life. He was a friend of everyone
that knew him.
Written by
Thomas Knott Holyoak