Samuel Roskelley

Liverpool to New Orleans Ship: Falcon Departure: 28 Mar 1853 Arrival: 18 May 1853

Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868 Appleton M. Harmon Company (1853)

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Birth: Jan. 1, 1837 Lynton, England

Death: Feb. 10, 1914 Smithfield Cache County Utah, USA

Son of Thomas Roskelley and Ann Kitt

Married Rebecca Hendricks, 22 Jul 1858, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Mary Roberts, 10 Oct 1865, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Mary Florence Kelsey, 7 Oct 1867, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Mary Jane Rigby, 2 Mar 1874, Salt Lake, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Margaret Rigby, 11 May 1882, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Sarah Maude Burton, 21 Dec 1885, Logan, Cache, Utah

LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 1, p. 400

Roskelley, Samuel, president of the High Priests' quorum in the Benson Stake of Zion, is the son of Thomas Roskelley and Ann Kitt, and was born Jan. 1, 1837, at Devonport, Devonshire, England. He was the youngest of six children, and received a fair education, preparing for a position under the British government. Attracted by the singing of the Latter-day Saints, in the fall of 1851, he came to their meetings and was soon convinced that they taught Bible truths, and he was consequently baptized Dec. 3, 1851, by Elder James Caffall; confirmed Dec. 7, 1851, by Elder William G. Mills. Although but a boy, he took much interest in the doctrines of the gospel, and accompanied the Elders and Priests in visiting other towns and villages to preach. Ordinations to the offices of Deacon and Priest soon followed, and by endeavoring to magnify these offices he won the love and esteem of the Elders and Saints and the ill will of his parents and relatives. He filled the positions of branch clerk, conference clerk and book agent, until he was ordained an Elder March 15, 1853, by Joseph Hall, preparatory to leaving England for Zion, on the ship "Falcon" He sailed from Liverpool March 26, 1853, and landed at New Orleans; thence the journey was continued to Keokuk, Iowa, and he crossed that State and the great plains in Appleton M. Harmon's company, arriving in Salt Lake City, Oct. 16, 1853, without kindred, or friends, save those in the company he came with. In the spring of 1854 he hired out to Pres. Brigham Young as a teamster, and boarded with his family; he was ordained a Seventy July 1, 1855, by Pres. Lewis Robbins, and was received the same day as a member of the 2nd quorum of Seventy. He accompanied Bryant Stringam, Andrew Moffatt and others to Cache valley, to put up hay for Church stock, arriving there July 28, 1855. Being called by Pres. Brigham Young, he left Salt Lake City Sept. 12, 1856, to fill a mission to Great Britain, and he crossed the plains with a missionary company, in charge of Apostle Parley P. Pratt. After his arrival in Liverpool he was appointed to the Welsh mission. May 16, 1857, he was appointed to organize and preside over the Cardiff conference, and he labored with zeal in that position until he was released to return home with European, Canadian and United States missionaries during the Buchanan army invasion of Utah. Together with Elder John L. Smith he arrived in Salt Lake City June 22, 1858, in advance of the company, with dispatches for Pres. Brigham Young. July 22, 1858, he married Rebecca Hendricks, of Salt Lake City, Pres. Brigham Young officiating. He moved to Richmond, Cache valley, and took up land for a homestead in April, 1860, and succeeded Stephen Goddard as leader of the Richmond choir in May of that year. The choir gained much public favor by singing "Hard times come again no more" and other songs of like nature. Elder Roskelley assisted in getting out water ditches, hunting and guarding Indians, protecting and preserving horses and horned stock from the raids of hostiles, driving grasshoppers and burning them by millions, erecting public buildings, and all other labors incident to setting up a new country. He was ordained a High Priest and Bishop and set apart to preside in Smithfield Ward, Cache county, Nov. 30, 1862, by Apostle Ezra T. Benson, and Peter Maughan. Afterwards he was elected to offices of trust in the cooperative and canal companies, in which the people of the Ward were interested. He also acted in the following military offices, viz: captain of company C, 1st regiment of infantry; major of 4th battalion, first regiment of infantry; commissary of 1st regiment infantry, and chaplain of Cache Valley Brigade. He was elected and filled the important office of county superintendent of district schools for three terms, and assisted in obtaining city charter for Smithfield City and presided over its affairs for three terms as mayor; served as director in the construction of the U. & N. R. R. company, and operated as subcontractor in the construction of the S.P.R.R. With twelve days' notice he left Ogden April 13, 1880, pursuant to a call from Pres. John Taylor, as a missionary to Great Britain. After his arrival in Liverpool April 29, 1880, he was appointed to labor as traveling Elder, and succeeded Elder George H. Taylor as president of the London conference, introducing the gospel into many new localities. Being released to return to Zion, he left Liverpool June 25, 1881, in charge of 775 Saints on the steamship "Wyoming," and arrived at Ogden with the company July 15, 1881. Aug. 6, 1882, he was set apart by Pres. Joseph F. Smith as president of the High Priests' quorum in Cache Valley Stake. At the same conference he was called as a missionary worker to the St. George Temple. After filling that mission, he returned to Cache valley. March 9, 1884, he was appointed assistant to superintendent Charles O. Card in fitting up the Logan Temple for ordinance work, and on May 21, 1884, he was set apart by Pres. [p.402] George Q. Cannon as recorder of the Logan Temple. He passed through many unpleasant circumstances during the anti-polygamy raid, and was arrested Jan. 8, 1889, by Deputy Marshal Hudson, charged with having many wives and children—more than the law allowed—but having at the time four living wives and 22 living children. Circumstantial evidence, however, were sufficient in the hands of a competent attorney to secure an acquittal. When the Cache Valley Stake was divided, in 1901, Elder Roskelley's home became a part of the Benson Stake, and at the first Stake conference held Aug. 4, 1901, he was sustained and set apart as president of the High Priests' quorum of said Stake.

Family links:

Spouses:

• Rebecca Hendricks Roskelley (1835 - 1880)
• Mary Roberts Roskelley (1843 - 1927)*
• Mary Florence Kelsey Roskelley (1851 - 1868)*
• Mary Jane Rigby Roskelley (1859 - 1949)*
• Margaret Rigby Roskelley (1864 - 1918)*
• Sarah Maud Burton Roskelley (1861 - 1932)*

Children:

• Rebecca Roskelley Hillyard (1859 - 1890)*
• Zena Young Roskelley Hyde (1862 - 1881)*
• Samuel Roskelley (1863 - 1936)*
• James Roskelley (1865 - 1919)*
• William Hendricks Roskelley (1866 - 1948)*
• Ann Jane Roskelley (1866 - 1866)*
• Thomas Roskelley (1867 - 1880)*
• Joseph Roskelley (1868 - 1951)*
• Mary Roskelley (1870 - 1942)*
• Catherine Roskelley (1872 - 1960)*
• Sarah Rigby Roskelley Watson (1875 - 1965)*
• Hannah Roskelley Newbold (1876 - 1935)*
• Elizabeth Roskelley Watson (1877 - 1955)*
• Richard Roskelley (1880 - 1964)*
• Wilford Woodruff Roskelley (1880 - 1939)*
• Fredrick Rigby Roskelley (1882 - 1935)*
• Druzilla Roskelley Blanchard (1883 - 1957)*
• Emma Roskelley Hansen (1884 - 1976)*
• Florence Roskelley Read (1884 - 1908)*
• Charles Ora Roskelley (1886 - 1962)*
• John Henry Roskelley (1886 - 1972)*
• Maud Ellen Roskelley (1887 - 1887)*
• George Roskelley (1888 - 1958)*
• Margaret Roskelley Kingsford (1895 - 1966)*
• Martin Roskelley (1895 - 1976)*

Burial: Smithfield City Cemetery Smithfield Cache County Utah, USA Plot: A_1_4

Samuel was born in England - grandmother was Mary Hambly 1764-1832. He came to US and became a Morman having 6 wifes and 45 children. History of Samuel Roskelley 1837-1914:

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jun 24 2016, 18:32:01 UTC