Friday's Fabulous Forever Family

Mary Ann Pope Hobbs was born 11 April 1815 in Rottingdean, Sussex, England She married William Down Hobbs 9 November 1835.
Her Death Notice in the Desseret News States:
Mrs. Hobbs, one of Parawans old and most respected citizens died January 30, 1899. The deceased was over 83 years of age and had been married 63 years. This being the longest time any couple here have lived together. She was the mother of ten children, seven of whom survive her and her husband. She also leaves 70 grandchildren and 31 great grandchildren. She was a faithful wife and a devoted mother and true to the principles of the gospel.

William Down Hobbs was born 6 of January 1814 at Framfield Sussex, England. The family joined the church prior to 1860 in England. There were nine surviving children. The first daughter Annie quickly left for America, coming on the ship The Underwriter, and traveling to Utah with the 9th Handcart company. The family didn't hear from her, and so brother William left to find her and came in 1861, only to find out that his sister had died of Typhus fever 6 weeks after arriving in the Valley. The next 3 children came in 1863. Mary Ann, Emma Lucy and Typhena. They were young, pretty and single. Mary Ann fell in love with one of the teamsters. Emma Lucy was courted with love letters left on bleached Ox heads, and Typhena married after she went to Parowan. The remaining family William, wife Mary Ann and the 4 youngest children came across the plains with the William Hyde Company in 1864. Our ancestor George Brigham Hobbs was 4 yrs old at the time. The family settled in Parowan. He worked as a carpenter, and farmer, building his own adobe house.

He was devoted to his children, and wrote letters, and "rolled up his bedding" and went to vist them often. He did extensive temple work for his extended family in the St. George Temple. He encouraged his children to be frugal in a letter dated April 8, 1887 he states "I rent my land for 35 bushel of wheat and 3 ton of hay all delivered home. I hope you will be carful of your mones so if sickness should com you may feel like me not afraid of poverty also as they are poor compaion. Live within your means and put some by for a rane day. I am very thankful for bandy and wiskey also the linament. They have don me lots of good." I left the original spelling. He must have been quite a character. The pictures are of William Hobbs Jr. born 11-23-1839 and George Brigham Hobbs (our ancestor) born 2-22 1856 The two boys in the family. Possibly taken befor they left England. The other picture is William Down Hobbs, father of the two boys and 8 daughters. They lived and died in Parowan Utah. William died on 8 Dec 1899, not quite a year after his wife, Mary Ann, died.