Neuman Brown & Lora Ann Taylor
By age 21, Neuman Brown was married to Gerlene Petty in 1851 by Isaac Morley, President of the Manti Branch. Young as Neuman was, he was already a member of the first city council of Manti, and a man of varied experience for his age. People who knew him said that he was a handsome man, and that he and his wife Gerlene were very compatible and happy.
During the following spring, when Gerlene was soon to bear her first child, a gloom of sadness was about their little home as she remarked to her husband with tears in her eyes: “Neuman, it has been made known to me that when our baby is born I shall die, I know it is true, so I wish you would get father and brother George to make a head stone for my grave and let me see it.” Her earnestness and sincerity convinced her husband that the premonition was true, and accordingly her wishes were carried out. On April 11, 1852, a daughter was born to Neuman and Gerlene. The baby was blessed and given the name of Sarah Catherine Brown.
Ten days later the young mother passed away at the age of nineteen years, and was buried among the pines in Manti Cemetery. Before her death she requested that her husband marry a close friend of theirs, Lora Ann Taylor, daughter of Stephen Taylor and Martha Turner. Lora Ann, my mother, was eleven years old when she and her parents arrived in Salt Lake City.
Neuman married Lora Ann Taylor 18 June 1852, and Lora Ann took the little new born Sarah Catherine and loved her and raised her as her own. In the Petty Book it was written: “And let it be said that the new wife was a perfect mother to the child.”
The first child born to Neuman and Lora Ann was James Albert born in 1853 and then Neuman Brown, Jr. born in 1855. Their third child was a little girl, Martha Ann, born in 1858. Shortly thereafter, Neuman and Lora Ann were called by President Brigham Young (along with 300 other families) to go to the “Dixie Cotton Mission” in Southern Utah. This trip of 250 miles required three weeks of travel with ox teams and clumsy wagons.
By December 1861, Neuman had married another wife, Jemima Bell Pectal, and had two good outfits and several head of livestock. With his two families, the wives took turns driving the extra yoke of oxen through the snow and high mountain passes. The party arrived in the dead of winter at Greasewood Flat -- later named St. George City. The family lived, or existed, in this far away spot for some time before moving to desolate Dameron Valley twenty miles north, where they established a ranch. How they ever survived is beyond comprehension. Here William Ferguson was born 1 September 1862. Stephen Alonzo was born two and one half years later in Springdale, Utah, 2 March 1865. When Stephen was about one year old, his father’s families moved to Rockville, some fifty miles east of St. George on the Virgin River. Here there was good soil and plenty of water for the gardens, orchards, and cotton fields. Here the families were not required to endure such hardships. The girls of the families worked in the gardens, helped pick cotton, did carding, spinning, and weaving of cloth for the families. Here is where Mary Agusta was born, 24 October 1868.
Three or four years later they moved to Kanab, Utah, where Jared Taylor was born on 25 July 1874, then about two and one half years later the youngest Joseph Samuel was born, 27 April 1877. In the spring of 1879 it was decided that Neuman & Lora Ann and their children should move to Arizona, while Jemima and her only child Jane should remain in Rockvile. They went with a company of Latter-day Saints and their leader was Jacob Hamblin. The Hamblins had a Jacob Jr. who was Stephen's age and the two became fast friends for life. He married Sadie Lythe when he was quite young. When it came time to start the journey Neuman was not very well, however, they made plans to leave Kanab about the first of April. Neuman grew worse as they traveled, and when they arrived at Lee’s Ferry, we found the Colorado River raging at flood tide -- too dangerous to cross. While we were waiting for the river to subside, Neuman grew steadily worse and passed away on 6 April 1879, at the age of 49. He was buried in a small roadside cemetery at Lee’s Ferry. (Many years later, Stephen's family placed a beautiful headstone at his grave at one of the family reunions held there.)
From their son, Stephen...
My mother had been living in a small house on my brother Will’s property for some time. We brought her back to Luna so she wouldn’t have to be alone. She lived with my brother Sam and his family for a time, but spent her remaining years with me and my family. She was a beautiful seamstress. Most of her sewing was done by hand and her stitches were small and even and very neat. She was slender and always looked neatly dressed. She was a courageous woman, never complaining. She got along well with my father’s other wives. They worked together and had real concern and affection for each other. The following letter my mother wrote to my father’s third wife:
“Well dear Minnie, I feel the last curtain in my life is about to be drawn, and I wanted to write to you once more and tell you how dearly I love you, no sister could be more dear to me than you are and have been through the years, and words do not express all the love I feel in my heart for you.
I have wanted to see you again these many years and always held out hope I would, but now I know it is too late, but Minnie I am sure our Heavenly Father will grant we will meet again in the here-after with our loving husband: we will once more be united as a family.” Her letter was answered in the same loving spirit and tone.
For the last year or so of my mother’s life she suffered with an open cancer on her cheek up near her right eye. My wife dressed it every day and cared for her. After much suffering the cancer finally caused her death, 21 December 1923. She was buried in the Luna Cemetery.
During the following spring, when Gerlene was soon to bear her first child, a gloom of sadness was about their little home as she remarked to her husband with tears in her eyes: “Neuman, it has been made known to me that when our baby is born I shall die, I know it is true, so I wish you would get father and brother George to make a head stone for my grave and let me see it.” Her earnestness and sincerity convinced her husband that the premonition was true, and accordingly her wishes were carried out. On April 11, 1852, a daughter was born to Neuman and Gerlene. The baby was blessed and given the name of Sarah Catherine Brown.
Ten days later the young mother passed away at the age of nineteen years, and was buried among the pines in Manti Cemetery. Before her death she requested that her husband marry a close friend of theirs, Lora Ann Taylor, daughter of Stephen Taylor and Martha Turner. Lora Ann, my mother, was eleven years old when she and her parents arrived in Salt Lake City.
Neuman married Lora Ann Taylor 18 June 1852, and Lora Ann took the little new born Sarah Catherine and loved her and raised her as her own. In the Petty Book it was written: “And let it be said that the new wife was a perfect mother to the child.”
The first child born to Neuman and Lora Ann was James Albert born in 1853 and then Neuman Brown, Jr. born in 1855. Their third child was a little girl, Martha Ann, born in 1858. Shortly thereafter, Neuman and Lora Ann were called by President Brigham Young (along with 300 other families) to go to the “Dixie Cotton Mission” in Southern Utah. This trip of 250 miles required three weeks of travel with ox teams and clumsy wagons.
By December 1861, Neuman had married another wife, Jemima Bell Pectal, and had two good outfits and several head of livestock. With his two families, the wives took turns driving the extra yoke of oxen through the snow and high mountain passes. The party arrived in the dead of winter at Greasewood Flat -- later named St. George City. The family lived, or existed, in this far away spot for some time before moving to desolate Dameron Valley twenty miles north, where they established a ranch. How they ever survived is beyond comprehension. Here William Ferguson was born 1 September 1862. Stephen Alonzo was born two and one half years later in Springdale, Utah, 2 March 1865. When Stephen was about one year old, his father’s families moved to Rockville, some fifty miles east of St. George on the Virgin River. Here there was good soil and plenty of water for the gardens, orchards, and cotton fields. Here the families were not required to endure such hardships. The girls of the families worked in the gardens, helped pick cotton, did carding, spinning, and weaving of cloth for the families. Here is where Mary Agusta was born, 24 October 1868.
Three or four years later they moved to Kanab, Utah, where Jared Taylor was born on 25 July 1874, then about two and one half years later the youngest Joseph Samuel was born, 27 April 1877. In the spring of 1879 it was decided that Neuman & Lora Ann and their children should move to Arizona, while Jemima and her only child Jane should remain in Rockvile. They went with a company of Latter-day Saints and their leader was Jacob Hamblin. The Hamblins had a Jacob Jr. who was Stephen's age and the two became fast friends for life. He married Sadie Lythe when he was quite young. When it came time to start the journey Neuman was not very well, however, they made plans to leave Kanab about the first of April. Neuman grew worse as they traveled, and when they arrived at Lee’s Ferry, we found the Colorado River raging at flood tide -- too dangerous to cross. While we were waiting for the river to subside, Neuman grew steadily worse and passed away on 6 April 1879, at the age of 49. He was buried in a small roadside cemetery at Lee’s Ferry. (Many years later, Stephen's family placed a beautiful headstone at his grave at one of the family reunions held there.)
From their son, Stephen...
My mother had been living in a small house on my brother Will’s property for some time. We brought her back to Luna so she wouldn’t have to be alone. She lived with my brother Sam and his family for a time, but spent her remaining years with me and my family. She was a beautiful seamstress. Most of her sewing was done by hand and her stitches were small and even and very neat. She was slender and always looked neatly dressed. She was a courageous woman, never complaining. She got along well with my father’s other wives. They worked together and had real concern and affection for each other. The following letter my mother wrote to my father’s third wife:
“Well dear Minnie, I feel the last curtain in my life is about to be drawn, and I wanted to write to you once more and tell you how dearly I love you, no sister could be more dear to me than you are and have been through the years, and words do not express all the love I feel in my heart for you.
I have wanted to see you again these many years and always held out hope I would, but now I know it is too late, but Minnie I am sure our Heavenly Father will grant we will meet again in the here-after with our loving husband: we will once more be united as a family.” Her letter was answered in the same loving spirit and tone.
For the last year or so of my mother’s life she suffered with an open cancer on her cheek up near her right eye. My wife dressed it every day and cared for her. After much suffering the cancer finally caused her death, 21 December 1923. She was buried in the Luna Cemetery.