James Sanderson

James Sanderson was the son of Charlotte Cooley Sanderson and Sylvanus Sanderson. He grew up to be five feet eight inches in height. He had a square build, wiry and active. He excelled in feats of activity. He was ingenious in reading and studying. He acquired a knowledge in mechanics so that during his life he labored at various trades.

He married Mary Jane Sparks in July of 1827 in Blandford, Massachusetts. In 1933, he was in charge of a toll-gate and half owner of a sawmill. He and his partner took turns sawing and stocking the mill with logs. They would change every two weeks and while logging James had a large log run over him on a steep hill. Some of his ribs were broken. His wife, Mary Jane took over the toll gate while he was recuperating. She also sold cakes and beer to travelers.

James also worked as a farmer, also a weaver in a factory. He was a tanner and taught school in several villages. He practiced medicine with considerable success.

James had lived in Springfield, Russell, North Hamden and Blanford. In about 1934, he moved his family, with children Maria, Louisa and Henry Weeks Sanderson, to New Caanan, Connecticut. They rented homes while James settled down to crimping boots for a large manufacturing establishment. James invented a machine that with one stroke of the lever could perform what previously had taken one to three hours.

James Sanderson family were very conscientious Methodists but an Uncle, Quartus Sparks who taught school on Long Island, visited and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After much debating the Sanderson joined the church. They sold their home and traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois with a company of others from New Caanan and Norwalk. James loaned some money to certain ones from the company expecting to be repaid at a certain place enroute but they did not pay him back. When they arrived at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, fall of 1842, he could not afford to continue on their journey so they rented a house and obtained work from a shoe shop. His work was cutting out uppers for boots and shoes, crimping the boot fronts and closing the shoe uppers. He went into manufacturing a shoe wax which excelled anything they were accustomed to. On Saturday's they went to all the shoe shops in the city with balls of wax and soon they had a monopoly of the cities shoe wax needs.

In 1843, they arrived at the original destination of their trip, Nauvoo. James had a hard time finding employment and they lived poorly. Many meals were made by slicing cornbread and sprinkling salt on it, swallowing cheerfully.

He worked on the Nauvoo Temple every tenth day and associated with the prophet, Joseph Smith. James was a good bass drummer and played for serenade and holiday occasions. Sometimes he was asked to serenade the steamboats as they came up the river.

After Joseph Smith was murdered James went to St. Louis and found employment with a shoe establishment where 25 men were employed. George Ditts was the owner. James worked in the sales room, when he was not busy with customers, he'd cut out uppers for the factory upstairs. In the spring of 1845, when he felt fairly settled with his work, he moved his family down. Mr. Ditts wanted James to live and take charge of a farm Mr Ditts owned, which was located on the American bottoms across the river three miles from the city. It had a good house on it. They had success in plowing and putting seeds in but as the heat of summer came on the family became sickly.

One by one family were taken ill and James doctored and with perseverance James was enabled to save their lives. Just as they got well James was stricken with the intermittent fever. He was so ill that they were forced to return to St.Louis to obtain medical help but he continued to fail and on September 13, 1845 , at the age of 41 years, he died. It was considered unlawful to carry a deceased person on a steamboat so with some difficulty they persuaded them to transport James back to Nauvoo for burial. He was buried without any ceremony.

The family was bereft of a kind and good provider who would make any sacrifice for his family. Mary Jane was blessed with the ability to keep the family together. Bishop George Miller took charge of their affairs.

-biography by Mary Lucinda Sanderson LeRoy

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Nov 13 2016, 18:50:23 UTC