Show t t MRS SARAH TI MAS r i 11 I 1 A k I 1 last survivor 0 of r mormon battalion dies jR funeral services for mrs irs sarah thomas 90 resident of roose koose belt elt for past twenty years held in vernal I 1 the death of mrs sarah ellen I 1 mowry thomas which occurred in roosevelt last week closed a chapter in the history of the state of utah mrs thomas who has lived in roosevelt for the past twenty years with her daughter mrs margaret rowley celeb celebrated rated her birthday last november death came rather sud denly on march and funeral services were held in vernal where the body bod y was interred the life of mrs thomas reads like an interesting sidelight on the history of the utah pioneers and the state of utah she was born bom at the pueblo encampment camp ment of the mormon battalion on november 28 1846 a daughter of norman sharp of the battalion who died as the result of an accidental gun shot before the pueblo stop she spent her first winter there amid scenes of sickness and starvation the pueblo detachment of soldiers consisting of men and a number of families comprised those who had become sick or di disabled on the cross country march and had been left there in hopes of rec recovering g they wintered at the present site of pueblo colorado then a little mexican village and early in the spring of 1847 made their way toward utah little sarah an eight months old baby arrived in salt lake valley with the first united states stales troops to enter the state of utah just five days after the arrival ot brigham young and the original band of pioneers the little girl lived through subsequent winters that wore were severe and crowded with privation many times she wandered with ler mother over the foot hills near salt lake city digging sego roots or food married in 1 3 66 for several years mrs thomas with her family in the san continued on last page last survivor of mormon battalion succumbs here continued from page I 1 bernardino mission of the church in southern california on january 1 1866 she married marion C thomas and the couple lived for the next twenty years in par paris is idaho when she was a c comparatively amp ara dively young women and the mother of six children an epidemic of diphtheria raged in the I 1 community killing her six children in five weeks time last battalion survivor As the last survivor of the mormon battalion she was an honored guest at the unveiling of the monument in their memory on the state capitol grounds in salt lake city in 1927 she was also a special guest of the cov ored cred wagon day celebration in salt lake city in 1931 her mother married harley mowry who was the last surviving soldier of the battalion when he died in vernal in 1920 at the age of 99 mrs mowry died two months later at the age of 94 mrs thomas husband died in 1914 four of mrs thomas ea eleven even children survive her they are mrs margaret rowley of roosevelt mrs luella luelia hatch of pleasant grove wesley thomas of duchesne and adelbert thomas of colton california she is also survived by 26 grandchildren 40 great grandchildren and live five great great great grand children |