Jane Hartley Information

Jane Hartley information

"Dear Cousins,

These two women have been a brick wall for many years.  I decided to check everything we knew about them to see if I could find a clue that would provide more information.  I found a statement in James Whitehead Taylro's Autobiography, where he states that his wife's mother (Jane Hartley) was sealed to his father Samuel Taylor, but should be sealed to her husband Ebenezer Rogers.  I had always assumed he was referring to a proxy sealing that was performed in error, but should be corrected.  I looked up the sealing anyway and found it was a living sealings in the Endowment House.

I was not aware that Samuel Taylor, nor Jane Hartley had both joined the church.  No  was I aware that either of them had come to Utah. The sealing record showed that Jan Hartley was born 3 Feb 1801 in Witherslack, Westmoreland England. She stated this again when she was endowed along with her parent's names: James Hartley and Margaret Story.  Her baptism is listed as 1862,  All of this was completely differect from what the family genealogy showed.

I looked at the documentation that Prudence Hartley was the mother of our Jane Hartley. Even though a professional researcher found this information, it only stated that she did an area search to find a Jane Hartley born about the time ours was.  So there was no evidence that our Jane Hartley was the daughter of a Prudence Hartley.

I decided to check for more verification of the new  information.  I started with the IGI and found an entry for Jane Hartley born 3 Feb 1801 in Witherslack, Westmoreland, England with parents James Hartley and Peggy Story(Peggy is a standard nickname for Margaret.)  The soure was the Minnie Margets file.  This file is an index to many of the LDS branch records in the British mission.  This comfirmed the fact our Jane must have joined the church.

I then checked the Parish register of Witherslack.  I found a James and Margaret Hartley having children during this time.  Unfortunately no child was born in 1801.  Never the less checked original references for each of the children in this family.  I found that their daughter "Jinny" who was christened 26 Mar 1797 was actually born 3 Feb 1797.  Jinny is also standard nickname for Jane so maybe this was our Jane.

I tried to find Jane in the Minnie Margets file, but couldn't.  I looked under various spelling of Hartley and Rogers.  I finally determined that if Jane was in the file, she was under a different surname.  This led me to wonder if Jane was married to someone else, after she was married to Ebenezer Rogers.

I didn't have the marriage to Ebenezer and Jane. So I checked the record that my grandparents, Gerald and Mable Taylor gave me.  They showed that Ebenezer Rogers was married to Jane Harley on 21 Apr 1821, but no place was given.  I also checked some old group sheets completed by my great-uncle Arnold Taylor.  He listed the marriage place as Bolton Lancashire, England.

Armed with this information I went searching for and found the marriage of Jane Hartley to Ebenzer Rodgers 23 Apr 1821 in St. Peter's Church, Bolton-le-Moore, Lancashire, England Film #559181

Through inspiration I was prompted to find more information about Jane Hartley on the Oldham Branch (Lancashire) Record of member 1840-1844 FHL 087027. I turned the pages of this film carefully looking at every entry of anyone with the given name of Jane.  In item two, which started about 1862, I found the following entry: Name: Peggy Story, Born 3 Feb 1801, Place: Witherslack, Westerland, England, Parents: Jane Greenhalgh and James Hartley.

I then went to the Minnie Margets file to see if a Jane Greenhalgh was listed, and there she was as Jane Greenhalgh.  It also gave her place of baptism, Oldham, Lancashire, England by John Cocker.  But no date was given.  The card also showed that she was in the following branch records, however, most of these entries do not list any information.

Book number 576 page 14, line 76, Book numbmer 576, page 6, line 138

Book number 576, page 22, line 95, Book number 576 page 22 line 100

Then I checked on the IGI to see if I could find a marriage to James Greenhalgh, in the same church where she married Ebenezer Rodgers, on 24 Mar 1834 of film 559181 page 161 #481.

I knew our JAne had been sealed to Samuel Taylor in the Endowment house in Oct 1866.  That meant she had immigrated to Utah sometime between 1862 when she was baptized and the date of her sealing.  I looked for and found a Jane Greenhalgh, traveling as part of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund in 1864.  She immigrated to the United States on the General McCellen in 1864.

Jane was listed as a widow, so her husband, James Greenhalgh, must have died.  It also stated that part of her passage had been paid for my James Taylor.  So our James Whitehead Taylor had paid for passage of his mother-in-law.  this really was our Jane Hartley.

Then I wondered when Samuel Taylor emigrated.  I found our Samuel Taylor had sailed on the Manchester from Liverpook on 6 May 1982.  I also found that Jane H. Taylor and Samuel Taylor were both buried in Lehi Cemetery.  Film 874341 vol. 3

Somehow all this information had been lost to the family.  I was on a roll so I decided to tackle the birth of Ann Rogers.

some records showed that Ann Rogers was born in Westmoreland, Lancashire, England but the place doesn't exist.  Other records show Liverpool, Lancashire, England. But I could never prove that.  Since the sealing records had been so helpful before I checked Ann's sealing to James Whitehead Taylor.  It listed that she was born in Slime, Lancashire, England.  A similar entry is also mentioned in the Lehi Ward Records. 

I had a difficult time locating this place, but eventually found it.  Hest Bank, Slyne On Hest, Lancashire, England.  I discovered that the people who lived in this are also attended the same church where Jane Hartley and Ebenezer Rogers were married. I went back to church records and found Ann's Christening.  Ann was actually born on 7 Mar 1821 in Hest Bank, Slyne On Hest, Lancashire, England.  I was surprised to see that Ann was christened 22 Apr 1821. Ann was christened the day before Jane Hartley and  Ebenezer Rogers were married.  The records state that Ann's father was a man by the name of John Wlkerson.  I wanted you all to you who your real ancestors were.

Bye for now,

Your cuz,

Margery Taylor."   

copy of letter received on 9 Jun 2001 TLS