Our father, James Stewart, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, December 31, 1835. His father, Archibald Stewart, came to America to earn money to bring the family to the Salt Lake Valley. He died from Cholera in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1850.The family saved money until 1854 when they sailed for America. When they arrived at the outfitting station near Kansas City, the next youngest brother Archibald contracted and died from cholera. The day after they buried Archibald, their mother contracted cholera and died. Father's oldest sister Mary Stewart had married a young man by the name of Robert L. Campbell who was returning from a mission to Scotland. This young couple took charge of the family, traveling in the Daniel Garn Company until they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. On their arrival in Salt Lake City the family was separated and put in different homes. Our father and his sister Martha Stewart were sent to American Fork to live in the home of Bishop Mercer. He worked for Bishop Mercer until he was old enough to go out on his own. He became a teamster and made several trips from Salt Lake City to Winter Quarters for supplies and immigrants. On his last trip in 1862 he brought the Joseph Woodhead family back. Another teamster in this wagon train was a young man by the name of William Currie. In the Woodhead family were two young girls, our mother Sarah Ann and her sister Martha. On the long journey across the plains the two young girls in the Wood head family and the two young teamsters were attracted to each other and a romance began followed by a double wedding. Our father James Stewart and our mother Sarah Ann Woodhead and her sister Martha Woodhead and William Currie were married in the old Salt Lake Endowment House on January 24, 1863.
Father and mother began married life in American Fork, Utah, in a log cabin which father had built. He started out to make a living by being a teamster making many trips to Cedar Fort to haul out timber for building homes, etc., in American Fork. At that time American Fork was a fort as it had a wall built around it for protection from the Indians. Father was one of the men who took turns in standing guard. Like all young pioneer people they had a hard struggle. Later on father took up government land and became a farmer.
When the first railroad was built as far as American Fork they had a big celebration and Brigham Young came in on the first train. It really was a double celebration as it was also Brigham Young's birthday. The locomotive was decorated with flags and bunting and the town people all turned out to see Brigham Young and the first train. The school children were lined up on either side of the track and as the train came in they waved their little flags - among them was our brother James who always remembered this high light even though he was very young.
Father continued to farm in American Fork until 1880 when he decided he needed more farm land to find employment for the five sons, so he moved to Preston, Idaho and took up a quarter section of land. He lived there for four years when he decided to move back to Utah to be near his relatives. He settled in Plain City where he farmed and owned salt works. He ground the salt and employed a number of women and girls to make sacks and fill them with salt. This was all hand work.Father died in Plain City on May 17, 1910.
From the union of James Stewart and Sarah Ann Woodhead the following sons and daughters were born: James Stewart, Joseph Stewart, John Stewart, William Stewart, Robert Stewart, Mary Stewart and Ella Stewart.
Submitted by his daughters Mary and Ella Stewart, April 21, 1956.
Note: The initial history of Archibald and Esther contained errors and was corrected. KBS 16 Aug 1999