Elizabeth Funnell Spencer

Elizabeth Funnell Spencer is my 3rd great-grandmother. We named our daughter Audrey Elizabeth after her. She was a member of the Willie Handcart Company whose experiences were made into the movie 17 Miracles.  

Elizabeth was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England on May 24, 1833. Her father, Robert Funnell (1794-1851) was a silk weaver in the community. Her mother was Mary Ann Rice Winter (1795-1878). There were eight children in the family. Seven died some of small pox, leaving Elizabeth as the only surviving child. Elizabeth had poor health as a child but helped support the family by working long hours in a shoe bindery at age ten. The family joined the Mormon Church and were baptized on May 1, 1846. After her father died, (1851) Elizabeth’s mother ran the Conference House in Norwich where the missionaries stayed and held their meetings. As a mission president, Daniel Spencer visited the conferences and on occasion had tea with Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth and her mother set sail from Liverpool on Sunday, March 4, 1856 on the immigrant ship Thornton. They traveled with assistance from the perpetual emigration fund. There were 764 saints on board the ship under the direction of James G. Willie. They arrived in New York on June 14, and continued by rail arriving at Iowa City and Florence as the headquarters. Elizabeth and her mother spent several weeks in Iowa City making preparations by handcart. The handcarts were made by the men of the company while the women sewed tent covers. One oxen-drawn wagon was provided for each 100 handcarts. Limited luggage of seventeen pounds was allowed, so Elizabeth wore several skirts as a means of getting them to the valley.

She and her mother (age 61) were assigned to the fourth handcart company under James Willie. By the time preparations were completed, the season was late for travel. They left Iowa City July 15, 1856 with 120 handcarts (500 pounds each), 5 wagons (3,000 pounds flour each), and 500 saints. Sandy roads, repairs, lost cattle, thunderstorms, and building coffins delayed the company. September found them still camped on the Platte River near Elk Horn. The handcart axles were made out of wood and would get ground out by dust. Efforts were made to keep the dust out by wrapping leather from bootlegs or tin from their tin-plates. There was great lack of proper lubrication for the axles. They used bacon, already totally insufficient for their wants, to grease the axles. Some used soap, of which they had but little. The company traveled 10 to 20 miles a day. When they lost some of their cattle, they did not have enough oxen left to put one yoke to each wagon. The teams could not pull the wagons; and, as a last resort, they unloaded the flour and put an extra 100 pounds on each cart. Daniel and others returning to the valley after completing their assignments saw that they were far behind schedule. After giving encouragement to the saints, they hurried on to the valley to send back supplies with all possible dispatch. Upon Daniel's and Franklin D. Richard’s arrival in the Salt Lake Valley on October 4, they reported to Brigham Young the conditions of the late immigrant companies. Sixty relief wagons loaded with provisions were immediately sent. Elizabeth’s mother never gave up hope that help would come. She saw in a dream a man ride to camp on a white horse. A few days later, Joseph A. Young, mounted on a white horse, rode to camp telling them relief wagons were coming. It was heart rendering news and spurred the saints onward. 

The nights were colder, and they could see snow mantled mountains in the distance. At first deaths occurred irregularly but then more frequently and it was unusual to leave the campground without burying one or more persons. The snowstorms hit and many suffered from dysentery. Camped in deep snow, goods gone, Captain Willie left camp in search of Brother Young and the rescue wagons. He was gone three days. "Such craving hunger I never saw before any may God in his mercy spare me the sight again," one member of the company recorded in his diary. Help came in the evening of the third day, but nine more people died that night. For the first time in quite a period, songs of Zion were heard in camp. They arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley on Sunday, November 9, 1856. Elizabeth had been warned in England not to make the trip because of her poor health. But because of her faith and determination, she not only walked across the plains, but never had a sick day in her life. 

On December 27, 1856, Daniel stopped by Mrs. Funnell’s house and asked if Elizabeth wanted to be married to him. Elizabeth (age 23) became the wife to Daniel (age 62) in a joint ceremony with Mary Jane Cutcliffe and Sarah Jane Gray in Brigham Young’s office on that day. Elizabeth lived in the adobe home along with the other wives. There was no room for Elizabeth’s mother, so she boarded next door at C.V. Spencer’s house. On February 13, 1857, Elizabeth was re-baptized by Daniel in the Jordan River. The following day, February 13, she was sealed to him in the Endowment House with Brigham Young performing the ceremony and William W. Phelps and Samuel Sprague as witnesses.

When Daniel died (age 74) in 1868, Elizabeth (age 35) was left with five children to support from ages 10 to 3 months: Henry Wilson (my great-great grandfather), Georgiana, Mary Elizabeth, Chloe Louisa, and Cordelia. She brought her mother to live in the home with her and also Mary C. Cooper (age 77) who was a dear friend of Daniel’s from Nauvoo. Elizabeth shared the home with Mary Jane Cutliffe. They divided the home, Elizabeth living in one half at # 10 and Mary Jane living in the other half at # 9. 

In 1882, Mary Jane moved to Pleasant Green, and Elizabeth’s mother had died (1878) so Elizabeth moved her family to # 163 5^th East. Elizabeth used her sewing talents to help support her young family. From her home, she walked to Fort Douglas to sew for wives of the soldiers stationed there. She earned 50 cents for a full days work being paid in coins which were scarce.

In 1904, she lived with her son, Henry Wilson, and took in boarders for a year then moved in 1906 with her daughters Mary Elizabeth and Cordelia to # 279 F Street, where all three continued their dressmaking. 

Elizabeth died on September 21, 1920 at age 87. She was buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery on September 24. She had been a widow for 52 years. Elizabeth was known for her sunny smile. She was always thankful for the health she had and never complained to her family. She was easy going and quick witted. She often told interesting stories of pioneer days to her family.