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| Benjamin Frederick Blake Age 69 |
Benjamin Frederick Blake was born In Blandford, Dorset, England, March 12, 1815 to Isaac and Sophia Wood Blake. After his school days, he was apprenticed to the upholstering and paper-hanging business and later learned to make mattresses and furniture which became his means of livelihood.
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| Harriet Hollis Age 88 |
Harriet Hollis, daughter of
William Hollis and Maria Wooldridge, was born in Bishopstoke, Hampshire,
England on Dec 11, 1820. When her schooling was completed she obtained
an apprenticeship in dressmaking. Harriet's parents were concerned
about their daughter's health and feared that she was not strong enough
to be married. Thus it was with some difficulty that Benjamin gained
their permission to marry his sweetheart.
When Blake was twenty-five, they
were married in England in 1841. Harriet's health improved and they
were blessed with seven children, two of whom died in infancy. Their
marriage must have been a very happy one, for if there was any
disagreement between, them, no one knew it except themselves. They
prospered during the first twelve years of their marriage while they in
in England. They owned a large furniture store which boasted of
mirrors, a rare commodity for those days.
In 1846, they moved to
Salisbury, Wilshire, England. They is where they first heard the gospel
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In May of 1851, they and their
oldest son Frederick,who was eleven, joined the church. In 1853, they
and their five children, having buried two of their seven children in
England, emigrated to America and onto Salt Lake City, Utah, with the
Ten Pound Company. They had given up their home, business, loved ones
and all that was dear to them to come to America.
In company with over 300 other
converts to the church, they left England aboard the sailing ship
Falcon. Many of the events of the journey were recorded by Mr. James
Jack, secretary to the company. We learn from his journal that meetings
had been held prior to their departure in which plans were made for
daily activities during the voyage. The members were given
encouragement for the trials before them, so that they would not murmur
but would be able to bear them like saints of the most High God.
They set sail on the morning of
Mar 28, 1853 and were singing hymns as the ship left the dock. Mr. Jack
records that the first few days on the ship were trying ones. The
winds had been against them; there was general dissatisfaction because
they did not receive all of the food which had be allotted to them.
Food was not served on schedule and improperly cooked. Their spirits
were not high.
The leaders counseled together
for the edification of the saints. As a result, wards were organized,
each ward to share alike in the privileges given, that there might be a
general satisfaction in all the ship. A school was organized for the
children and men were given different tasks to perform for the comfort
of the various group. Better feelings resulted and by April 6th the sea
was more calm and the winds favorable. As the journey progressed the
people as a whole were in good health, however three babies were
stricken and died. Three marriages were performed on the boat during
the voyage. By the middle of April the saints had started making wagon
covers and tents. After about seven weeks the ship reached New
Orleans. Another twelve days was spent going up the Mississippi River
to Keokuk, Iowa where the group was divided into smaller companies,
before they started to cross the plains early in June. it was the last
of September when they reached Utah.
The Blake family lived in Salt
Lake the following seven years, with the exception of one year when they
were in American Fork, when Johnson's army came to Utah. During these
early days In Utah, the crops were often poor and food scarce. Harriet
often thought of the days when she was attending dressmaking school and
was compelled to eat an apple dumpling before each dinner. The teacher
thought it helped to digest the food. How she hated apple dumpling
then, but how she wished that she might have one now. Three babies were
born to this family while they lived in Salt Lake City, before they
were called to help colonize a new settlement.
In 1860 Brigham Young stated at a
meeting that he wished a city to be built at the unction of the Rio
Virgin and Santa Clara rivers, to be named St. George. He called three
hundred missionaries to settle the country. May of these were tradesman
and artisans filled to aid in the building up of this area. The Blakes
were among those chosen to settle St. George. They moved there in
1861.
Again Benjamin built a furniture shop and worked to make it equal to the one he had left in England. The shop was divided and the work rooms had only three walls so he could have plenty of fresh air. He did not like to be confined indoors for any length of time. He was a master in his trade and had charge of the upholstering work in the St. George Temple. He eventually had a row of shops 6 rooms long on his lot, where he made and sold furniture. After his death on Mar 9, 1884 in St. George, his shops burned completely down in 1911. The city had no fire department and the bucket brigade was no match for it.
They went back to Salt Lake in 1864 and took out their Endowments at the April Conference in the Endowment House.
The home of Benjamin Frederick
Blake was the center of amusement. The five Blake girls Caroline,
Elizabeth, Emma, Jane and Harriet were pleasant hostesses for numerous
parties which brought in the young people of various ages. Brother
Blake played his violin for dancing and his English wife Harriet was
a clever story teller. They even staged dramatics and spelling
matches. Of particular interest was the furniture made--good easy
chairs and comfortable sofas and lounges.
Frederick Blake was a kind,
loving father and husband. Harriet was a sweet, gentile and courageous
mother. They were both people of great faith and humility. Even though
sorrow and tragedy came, their attitude was that the will of their
Creator be done. It was their desire to rise above difficulty.
Benjamin Frederick Blake was
High Priest in the Mormon Church and a noted furniture and cabinet
maker. He was also known as "Chair Maker Blake" in the Dixie Mission.
He is mentioned among the "Pioneer's and Prominent Men of Utah".
Harriet was named in the book "English Gentle Women" which is about
women remembered for their exquisite manners and the refining effect that
they had upon the Pioneer Women.
Most all of the early day homes
in St. George and surrounding towns had furniture made by Benjamin
Frederick Blake. One rocking chair in the possession of his great
granddaughter Roberta Blake Barnum was restored by her husband and
brother Trueman and wife DeLoris Cox Blake. There is the signature of
Ben Blake written in deep pencil on the bottom of the seat. This chair
is estimated to be, well over 100 years old (in the 60's).
After Frederick's death on Mar 9, 1884 in St. George, his shops burned
completely down in 1911. The city had no fire department and the bucket
brigade was no match for it. Harriet died Oct 31, 1908 at the age of
88. She is buried along side her husband in the St. George cemetery.
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