Ralph Partington facts for kids
Ralph Partington (born March 16, 1806 – died March 7, 1873) was a brave Mormon pioneer. Pioneers were people who traveled a long way to settle new lands. Ralph and his family were part of a group of people called Latter-day Saints who moved across America to find a new home.
Ralph was born in a place called Skippool, in Lancashire, England. He married Ann Taylor. Ann was one of the first women in England to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was baptized in the River Ribble in 1837. In 1843, Ralph and Ann decided to move to America with their four children. They sailed across the ocean on a ship called the Swanton. Ann even had another baby during the long journey!
Life in Nauvoo
When the Partington family arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, both Ralph and Ann became very sick with malaria. This made it hard for them to take care of their family. Their kind neighbors, Willard and Jeanetta Richards, helped them by taking in their eight-year-old daughter, Ellen. Later, Ellen was officially welcomed into the Richards' family in the Nauvoo Temple. This was a special way to show she was part of their family. Sadly, the new baby born on the ship was taken in by another neighbor but passed away soon after. By 1845, Ralph and Ann were feeling better. Ralph found work as a carpenter, building things with wood, and Ann had another child.
Moving West
In the winter of 1846, the Partington family, like many other Latter-day Saints, had to leave Nauvoo. They ended up across the river in Montrose, Iowa, and didn't have many supplies. Instead of going west with the main group of Latter-day Saints (which included Ellen and the Richards family), Ralph and Ann moved to St. Louis. Ralph found more carpentry work there. While in St. Louis, they had another baby, but sadly, this child also died when it was only five months old.
Journey to Utah
From St. Louis, Ralph sent clothes and shoes to Ellen. She was traveling across the plains with the Richards family. Ellen got married in 1851 when she was 16 years old. By 1853, the Partingtons had saved enough money to travel to Salt Lake City, in what is now Utah. When they arrived, Ellen already had an 11-month-old baby of her own. Ralph and Ann's daughter, Catherine, later married a man named Hugh Findlay.
