WADE Family History

Contributed By

WADE FAMILY HISTORY

Written in 1938 by Bertha Starley Stevenson a great granddaughter of George Calbrath Wade (Sr.) and Margaret Harrison

It is my hope that this writing will be of value to the present generation and to the generations to come in keeping them acquainted with the stalwart characters of their ancestors and instilling in their hearts the desire to be worthy of the privileges bestowed upon them by living in this land and being partakers of the blessing of membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For the first part of my history I am indebted to my Great Grandfather, George Calbrath Wade (Sr.), who kept a book which he called “George Wade’s Commonplace book”. It was a mixture of records, accounts and history, but valuable to me having much information for such a history as I am attempting to write. It was dated June 2, 1838, exactly 100 years ago, at Sutton, England.

In his book he states that there were two Wade brothers who came to England from Normandy, and that they were the progenitors of his family, but other than this he gives no dates or information.

The first ancestor we have any records of is William Wade, father of George Calbrath Wade (Sr.). William was born October 14, 1772, at Barnard Castle, Durham, England. He had a brother, George, born July 1776. We have no knowledge of his life or his descendants.

William Wade, my great, great grandfather, was married to Jane Calbrath July 25, 1807, and they had seven children, namely: Thomas, George Calbrath, Ann, William Calbrath, Margaret, Jane, and Hannah Issabel. Jane Calbrath, William’s wife, had been married before to Thomas James of Gateshead, Durham, England.

My great grandfather, George Calbrath Wade, was born September 25, 1809, at New Castle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, and his wife, Margaret Harrison, was born April 9, 1811 at Sutton, St. Helens, Lancaster, England. They had seven children as follows: William, Jane, Thomas James, George Calbrath, Alex, James, and Benjamin Ellison. The last two died in infancy. My grandfather, Thomas James Wade, was born February 9, 1841, at Sutton, England. He married Ann Tarbuck who was born November 25, 1841 at the same place. To them were born two children, my mother, Maggie Wade and Thomas, who died when a small boy about eleven years old.

The Wade’s have been skilled tradesmen as far as we know. Skilled carpenters and cabinetmakers for the most part.

George Calbrath Wade (Sr.) and Margaret Harrison, his wife, joined the church in England, as also did their three sons, Thomas James, Alex and George Calbrath (Jr.) with their wives and families.

There is a tradition in the family of which no written record has been found that George Calbrath (Sr.) was the owner of some interests in coal mines in England and was well fixed for his day. Be that as it may, they all sold their household goods except a few necessities and made ready to go to Zion to cast their lot with the Latter-day Saints.

With the party came my grandmother’s father, Lewis Tarbuck, whom we all know as “Dad Lew”. Also there was his daughter Elizabeth, and in the care of the party was Joe Wade, son of William Wade and Margaret Tarbuck. Also in this party were George Calbrath (Sr.), his sons Thomas James, Alex, and George Calbrath with their wives and families. They sailed on the “John Bright” from Liverpool, England in 1868, and were on the water six weeks. My grandmother has often told me of the hardships of that voyage, the unsanitary conditions, the seasickness, and weariness. This ship she told us was the last sailing vessel that brought saints over and it sank on it’s way back.

(Parents of Joe and Maggie Wade Sorenson were William and Margaret Tarbuck Wade.)

The hardships and inconveniences of those days remained with my grandmother all her life. When she heard of my expected voyage across the Atlantic to England she said, ”What do you want to do that for, I had enough of the water. I wouldn’t want to cross again.” It was as difficult for her to vision the comforts and luxury of the modern “floating hotel” as it is for us to make the opposite contrast and vision the discomfort she went through.

They arrived in New York and came to Laramie by train. Here they were met by teams and wagons and came the rest of the way to Salt Lake by Covered Wagons.

Upon arriving at their destination, they reported to the headquarters of the church, and they were, as customary, questioned as to their abilities. They were all sent to Fillmore except George Calbrath (Sr.) and Margaret Harrison, who remained in Salt Lake. George Calbrath (Sr.) being a cabinetmaker was put to work on the pipes of the great tabernacle organ which was then being built. These pipes were later removed and replaced by others of a more modern type some year ago when the old organ at that time was directly under the pipes. But at the time of reconstruction, the console was set forward quite a distance form the organ proper.

With George Calbrath’s (Sr.) work in Salt Lake finished, they followed their children to Fillmore and there set up a home. My record shows that they were endowed and sealed in the Endowment House December 29, 1868.

BRANCHES OF THE GEORGE CALBRATH WADE (SR.) FAMILY

Thomas James Wade was called to work on the St. George Temple and moved his family to that place. I have heard my mother as well as my grandmother tell of how he could saw and hammer as well with one hand as the other. She said he had a lame leg and would slide down the banisters from floor to floor. The story of how his leg became lame was very interesting to me as a child. Mother said her father was standing on the platform at a railroad station in England as a train came in. Being in the way of someone who wanted to pass, the person gave him a push, knocking him under the wheels of the train, and at the same time saying, “Get out of the way you damned Mormon.” Had it been one of the heavy trains of today, he would never have survived. As it was, he recovered sufficiently to emigrate and still work for many years. However, he suffered greatly with the leg that was crushed.

When their work was finished in St. George, they returned to Millard County living in Meadow for awhile and then coming to Fillmore. While living in Meadow, Thomas James and his family had the experience of living in the United Order. My mother has told me about getting the supplies from the common storehouse and how she didn’t like the heavy shoes she had to wear.

George Calrbrath (Jr.) and Margaret Frame, his wife, settled in Fillmore and had a large family of eight children, namely: George William, Martha, Jane, Samuel Frame, Mary Eliza, Thomas James, Joseph, and John Henry. Joseph die in infancy. George Calbrath was a handy man at many trades. He could lay brick and adobes, could do some carpenter work, and he was an expert blacksmith.

Alex’s Family remained in Fillmore for a while and then moved to Salt Lake. There he worked as a skilled carpenter all his life, working on many of the fine homes there, laying patterned hardwood floors like one sees in Europe today, building the fancy porches in vogue during the late nineties, and putting in fancy interior woodwork of that day. In all of these lines he was always considered among the best. To him and Ellen, his wife, were born ten children.

Although William and Jane Wade (other children of George Calbrath (Sr.)) never came to this country, two of their children did. Joe who came with my grandparents and Maggie Wade Sorenson who came later as a young woman. William died and his widow, Margaret Tarbuck, married Thomas Buckley whose first wife had been Jane Wade and she had also died.

Thomas Buckley and Margaret Tarbuck Buckley had a large family, and they remained in England.

I have said little of the women, the wives of these faithful Wades who left their native land for the gospel, but from the bits of talks gathered from grandmother, through the years, I know they all did their parts well. They were thrifty and industrious. They made their own clothing, pieced quilts, made candles and soap, and did many things to which they had been unaccustomed in England, but which were part of the pioneer life.

They lived with their families in dugouts until better homes could be built and through it all they remained faithful. I never heard my grandmother utter a word of regret for having come here, in fact she thought it the grandest spot on earth, and it became home to her as it did to all of the others who came.

Note: (Sr.) and (Jr.) have been added to George Calbrath Wade to clarify their identity.

(P.S. A copy of a family group sheet can also be available in storage at the Territorial Statehouse Museum in Fillmore, Utah.)

BRANCHES OF THE GEORGE CALBRATH WADE FAMILY

By Bertha Starley Stevenson—1938

I. Thomas James Wade, was called to work on the St. George Temple and moved his family to that place. I have heard my mother as well as my grandmother tell of how he could saw and hammer as well with one hand as another. She said he had a lame leg and would slide down the banisters form floor to floor. The story of how his leg became lame was very interesting to me as a child. Mother said her father was standing on the platform at a railroad station in England as a train came in. Being in the way of someone who wanted to pass, the person gave him a push, knocking him under the wheels of the train, and at the same time saying, “Get out of the way you damned Mormon.” Had it been one of the heavy trains of today he would never have survived; as it was he recovered sufficiently to emigrate and still work for many years. However, he suffered greatly with the leg that was crushed.

While in St. George with her parents, my mother had her Endowments in the Temple there.

When their work was done they returned to Millard County. Living in Meadow for a while and then coming to Fillmore.

It was while in Meadow that my grandfather and his family had the experience of living in the United Order. My mother has told me about getting supplies from the common storehouse and how she didn’t like the heavy shoes she had to wear.

My father and my mother were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, April 10, 1880. My father had his Endowments at the time of his marriage, and to them were born six children, Harriet Ann, Bertha Ester, John Wade, Thomas James, Stanley Claudius, and Orvil Lewis.

Of the other sons of George Calbrath I know very little, outside of the mere statement as to the family groups.

II. Uncle George and Aunt Margaret, his wife, settled in Fillmore, and raised a large family—seven children. He was a handy man at many trades. He could lay brick and adobes, he could do some carpenter work, and he was a good blacksmith.

III. Uncle Alex’s family remained in Fillmore for a while and then moved back to Salt Lake City. There he worked as a skilled carpenter all his life, working on many of the fine homes there, laying patterned hardwood floors like one sees in Europe today, building the fancy porches in vogue during the late nineties, and putting in fancy interior woodwork of that day. In all of these lines he was always considered among the best. To him and Aunt Ellen were born ten children.

IV. Although William and Jane Wade never came to this country, two of their children did, Joe who came with my grandparents and Maggie Wade Sorenson who came later as a young woman. William died and his widow, Margaret Tarbuck Wade, married Thomas Buckley, whose first wife had been Jane Wade and she also died.

Thomas Buckley and Margaret Tarbuck Wade Buckley had a large family, and they remained in England.

I have said little of the women, the wives of these faithful Wade’s who left their native land for the gospel, but from the bits of talks gathered from grandmother, through the years, I know they all did their parts well. They were thrifty and industrious. They made their own clothing, pieced quilts, made candles and soap, and did many things to which they had been unaccustomed (to) in England, but which were part of the pioneer life.

They lived with their families in dugout until better homes could be built and through it all they remained faithful.

I never heard my grandmother utter a word of regret for having come here, in fact she thought it the grandest spot on earth, and it became home to her as it did to all of the others who came.

When John Starley and Maggie Wade (the original name Margaret with which she was christened was changed to Maggie in the St. George Temple) were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, April 10, 1880. They then joined these two families of our ancestry.

Biography obtained from the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Fillmore, Utah, Territorial Statehouse Museum.