Life Sketch of James Rawlins and Jane Sharp

James Rawlins was born on January 6, 1794 in Rutherford, Pitt, North Carolina. He was the son of Charles Eustacie Gregory Rawlins. He had two older brothers, Roderick and Hosea, an older sister Charlotte and a younger brother and sister, Joseph and Amy. All of the family was born in North Carolina except the youngest, Amy, who was born in Kentucky.

Jane Sharp was also a middle child. She was born March 22, 1794, in Barren, Kentucky. She had an older sister, Sarah (Sally), an older brother James and two younger sisters, Elizabeth and Melinda.

About 1811, both families apparently moved to the state of Indiana. Some moved to the East Fork of the White River in Lawrence County and others to Crawford or Montgomery, Daviess County, Indiana. This is southwestern Indiana, not far from Illinois. It was here in Harrison County, Indiana, that James married Jane Sharp on March 19, 1816. He was 23 years old and she was nearly 23. While in Indiana, two daughters were born to them, Sarah and Lucinda. Sometime after Lucinda was born, this young family moved to Greene County, Illinois.

Elizabeth, Joseph, Harvey, Leah and Amelia were born either in Whitehall or Apple Creek, Greene County, Illinois. Apple Creek is a stream that runs into Illinois River which runs into the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri. As most Americans at this time, James was a farmer. He was probably in search of better and cheaper farm land. But, they found something far more valuable than that in the state of Illinois. It must have been quite a trip to go across Indiana and then across Illinois to St. Louis, then north to Whitehall and Apple Creek. They lived in Apple Creek for about 10 -12 years, then they moved north to Quincy, Adams County. They must have been living here when the Mormon exiles from Missouri moved into Quincy. They must have been impressed because in April 1840, James was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by David Evans.

In the spring of 1842, they traded their farm with Richard Wilson’s farm on Bair Creek in Hancock County. They enjoyed it here until the persecution became very harsh. In 1846, they were obliged with many other saints to cross the Mississippi River in the dead of winter and travel across Iowa. It was during this difficult year of 1846, that James was ordained a High Priest. They settled in Council Bluffs, Iowa. However, friends they knew, the Frost family, had moved to a place sixty miles down river called Nishmobatny. So they moved to Nishmobatny. It was here on December 3, 1846, that their son Harvey married Margaret Elzirah Frost. They found work here splitting rails for a man named Jones. About the last of December, they moved to a place called Honey Creek. On New Year’s Day they shot two wild turkeys for dinner. They also gathered wild honey for their winter use.

The next winter the men built a school house, so the children could go to school that winter. In May 1848, they started their trek to Winter Quarters, Nebraska. They were assigned to the third division. Willard Richards was the leader. Their company was organized with James Blake captain of 100, Barney Adams, captain of 50 and Andrew Cunningham captain of 10. Within a few days there was so much dissatisfaction that the company was divided into three companies. They were in the Andrew Cunningham campany. They traveled so much faster that in a few days they passed the other two. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 12, 1848. After one night in Salt Lake City, Andrew Cunningham and the Rawlins families drove to Little Cottonwood. They camped there for a time, then went on the Big Cottonwood, where James, no doubt with the help of others built a house. Both James and Jane were 54 years old now.

They lived in Big Cottonwood for about 5 years, then moved in 1852 to Draper, Utah. On May 16, 1856, he married his second wife, Harriet Wheat. Two years later though, his beloved wife of 42 years died on April 5, 1858. He also married a third wife, Rachel Hammitt.

In 1865, they moved again, this time to Spring City. Finally in 1871, they left the Salt Lake Valley and moved to Cache Valley. First to Richmond, then on to Lewiston, Utah.

They raised a wonderful family and left their children a great heritage.

Recreated by John Shaw, September 1998. Credit also goes to Julia Rawlins and the Rawlins Family Organization.

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Also See:
http://rawlins.org/quest.html