JAMES BRIGHAM WRIGHT
James Brigham Brett (Wright) was born 2nd of February 1845 in Manchester, County
of Lancaster, England. The eldest son of Sarah Ann Brett, he was illegitimate
and when his mother married Andrew Wright, 16 December 1849, he took his stepfather's
name of Wright.
In 1854 or 1855, Andrew Wright left his wife (Sarah Ann Brett) and ran away
with another woman. Aunt Sarah Ann Broadhead said the woman was Sarah Ann Brett's
brother's wife. They were never heard of again and it was thought they had come
to America. His mother (Sarah Ann Brett) worked very hard in a factory trying
to support her three children, Thomas was born 23 November 1851 and a sister
Emma was born 19 September 1853.
James Brigham Wright was baptized when he was eight years old and was a very
studious boy at his age trying hard to help his mother, as they were in very
poor circumstances. When he was nine years old the officers' came and put them
in the poor house. It was a terrible trial to his mother and nearly broke her
heart. However they were only in the poor house nine days as a good Latter-day
Saint friend of the family heard of her trouble and helped get them out. He
was Edward Chappell.
Edward took James home with him and apprenticed him to learn the clogger or
shoemaker trade and could help his mother support the others. When James was
11 years old the family was able to come to America with the help of the Church
Perpetual Emigration Fund. They came on the ship "Horizon" under the
direction of Edward Martin. He saw his beloved grandmother, Sarah Upstone Brett
Allcock, buried at sea. It was one of the hardest things he ever had to bear,
to see his beloved grandmother buried in a watery grave and he never forgot
this sad experience.
James walked the entire distance across the plains in the ill-fated Edward Martin
Handcart Company. One day as the Handcart Company was on the way, James was
not feeling well and he felt he could not walk any farther so he walked out
by the side of the road and sat down by a mosquito bush and was soon fast asleep.
The company went on, no one missing him. When the company camped for the night
his mother missed him and went to the captain. The captain was very angry as
they were all extremely tired after the hard day's travel, but he sent some
men after James. When James woke up he saw a pair of very bright eyes staring
at him. When the men found him, they saw him sitting by the bush and the wolves
walking around him. He said he wasn't afraid as he had prayed to his Heavenly
Father to save him and send some one after him. When they returned to camp the
captain was going to whip him as it was dangerous to leave the company and he
had caused a lot of trouble for all who were so weary. But his mother said,
"No, you are not going to whip him, as he is sick".
Another time James said the best meal he ever ate or the one that tasted the best was, as the company was traveling, some cattle or oxen would give out and could not go any further so they would kill them for beef. One day they were on a little creek and took the animal down to the water to clean it. After it was all over, James and a few other boys went down where they had butchered the oxen, and got the entrails of the animal, cut in small pieces about 6 inches long, turned them inside out and washed them clean in the creek then cooked them over a fire. The Captain was exceedingly angry with them as the boys could have killed themselves they were so hungry, for they were extremely short on food and had been rationed down to one quarter of a pound of meal a day for cakes or hotcakes and they were like small pancakes.
When James was 19 years old, in 1864, he was called with other young men by
President Brigham Young, to go back to Winter Quarters to help assist other
families to Utah. When he arrived he found his old friends from England, Edward
and Agnes (Boardman) Chappell and their 8 children. James invited them to ride
in his wagon.
The journey was fatal to many in the wagon train. The Chappell family suffered
the loss of the father, mother and four of the children, who were all buried
along the way. Another son passed away before they reached Nephi, leaving only
Sarah Jane, Frederick and Agnes. James Wright took them to the home of his mother
who took them in. Sarah Jane, the oldest, was a lovely young woman, 19 years
of age (born 2 November 1844). James and Sarah Jane developed an everlasting
friendship and more, during the journey. They had fallen in love and were married
25 December 1864.
James and Sarah Jane lived in Nephi where their 10 children were born, three
died young. James sang in the church choir for 20 years. He loved music.
In the fall of 1898, they came to Canada in covered wagons, spending the first
winter in Mountain View, Alberta. His son-in-law, James Broadhead and family
came in 1899. They all took up homesteads in the Beazer area. The men hauled
logs from the timber and all worked together building homes on their quarters,
under the supervision of their father, he being a carpenter. When the Beazer
Ward was organized in December 1900, James was chosen as counsellor to Mark
E. Beazer who was chosen as Bishop.
James Wright supervised the building of the first church house in Beazer, and served long and well in the community. He loved flowers and trees and beautiful surroundings; he made his home a beautiful place. He also loved horses and always kept a well-matched and well-cared for team and buggy. Sarah Jane was the first Relief Society President in Beazer. She was a good mother and homemaker and loved handwork. She had known lots of sadness in her life and knew how to feel for those with troubles, and was very kind and thoughtful of others. They were both active in the church and community all their lives. Sarah Jane passed away on 3 April 1927 in Beazer and James passed away 21 May 1928 in Cardston.
Their children are: Emily Ann died young
Sarah Ann married James Morris Broadhead
James Brigham died young
Edward James married Alice Marie Warner
Agnes died young
Frederick William married Emma Elizabeth James,
Brigham married Mary Mildred Prince,
Rose married Hyrum Allen
May married Victor Wynder
John Robert married Naomi Brandham.