Joseph Eckersley

Joseph Eckersley  (GGGGF, 1809 -1869, from The Journals of Joseph Eckersley which is held in the possession of Mary Ellen Eckersley Stoddard of Salt Lake City, Utah and as recorded by Paulene Anderson, 1996 ) -

 

     Born on January 5, 1809 in Unsworth, Lancashire, England the 5th of 6 children born to George Eckersley and Alice Haywood.  Joseph had 3 sisters and 2 brothers, he being the third boy.  His father and family were weavers.  With no child labor laws in England, Joseph, like the other children of that time were kept busy working in factories.  Joseph worked in a silk weaving factory.  Despite the hard work, there was also time for fun.  Joseph was a typical boy having grown up like most boys in England at that time. 

     Joseph first came into contact with the LDS Church thru a friend named George Hulme.  Extracts from Joseph’s journal give a clear picture of his participation in the church:

 

“August, 1841 - George Hulme brought the Latter-day Saint works to me to study.  I was baptized on August 22, 1841 by Elder Parson in the river adjoining Salford.  I was confirmed by George Hulme.

September 5, 1841 - A branch of the Church was organized in the home of George Hulme at Simister Lane Little Heaton, Lancashire, England.  George Hulme had been a member of the Methodist Church.  After his conversion and baptism he was severly persecuted by his old church members throughout his town.

October 17, 1841 - George Hulme was ordained an Elder and his son Uri was ordained a Priest at the same time.

November 28, 1841 - At a meeting in George Hulme’s home I spoke in tongues and Uri Hulme interpreted it.

May, 1842 - Uri Hulme and I preached in open air in Rooden Lane.

October 20, 1842 - I, my brother Matthew and Uri Hulme and his wife moved to Middleton because of the terrible persecution.

1842 - Elder George Hulme had many open visions to his astonishment, in regards to conditions that would come to the Church saints in Nauvoo, Illinois.

1843 - Elder George Hulme opened Rhodes as a preaching place.

1843 - Elder George Hulme baptized Peter Ogden at Middleton.  [Ogden, Utah was named after Peter Ogden who colonized this area of Utah after he came to Zion]

September 5, 1847 - I became an Elder.  Elder John Banks and Amos Fielding ordained me.

September 9, 1849 - We baptized 4 girls.  Elder George Hulme became President of Middleton Branch.”

 

     At a young age, Joseph, served as the clerk in the Middleton Branch in England where he and his close friend George Hulme served as the BranchPresident.  His handwritten recordings of ordinations (in beautiful script) can be seen today upon the early English records of the Middleton Branch of the LDS Church still available on Church microfilm. 

     Joseph met the daughter of his good friend George Hulme (who had brought the gospel to Joseph and been instrumental in his conversion). 

     Alice had been married to a John Haslam and had 3 children, 2 boys and a girl, thru this first marriage.  Her husband, John Haslam, apparently died (from what and exactly when he died is unknown) and left her a widow.     

     Joseph, now age 36, married Alice Hulme Haslam, age 30, on November 23, 1845 in Lancashire, England.  Joseph and Alice would have 7 children before they would immigrate to America and migrate west to be with the saints.  While making preparations to go to America, Alice’s mother Anne Barlow died in 1853 leaving her father a widower.  He would later travel to America in 1857 and later died with many of the Willie Handcart Company in Wyoming.