John Gregory was born about the year 1786. He was born at Pitminster Somersetshire England. He married Elizabeth Sylvester, she was born about the year 1791, at Creecher Ryeson or near there in Somersetshire, England. He was married previous to this marriage. His former wife died. He had by his first wife eight still-born children and three living ones, James, John, and William. William died of smallpox. He was blind and deformed.
Great Grandmother (Elizabeth Sylvester Gregory) had two children, a daughter and a son. Her son Robert Gregory was born November 30, 1826 at Pitminster, Somersetshire, England. He was raised in poverty, hardly knew what it was to have enough to eat and most of the time destitute for clothes. He went to school at the age of eight for one year. His education didn't amount to much. When he was ten years old he went to work for one pence per day. He had to board himself. When he was sixteen, he received ten pence per day working in a lime rock quarry; he thought he was rich. He worked like this for several years in the summertime. The winter times were very hard for him.
He learned to read and write where he worked, taking advantage of every opportunity he had. Being active he obtained employment. He tried to please those he worked for. He worked for a farmer for four months from 4 o'clock until ten at night for one schilling and nine pence per day with board and washing. After that he worked for Mr. Pirkhouse and received one schilling per day boarding himself.
He attended the church of England for some time in the year of 1850. He was between 20 and 25 years of age. He could not get a definite idea of eternal life. He was miserable. He wanted to serve the Lord, but he could not find the way. In the beginning of June he met an elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. They preached at North Newton. His friend George Eveleigh went and heard Elders John Hart and Charles Watkins preach on the first principles of the Gospel. He was quite interested in their talks. They returned to preach in two weeks. He was delighted with their teaching. After meeting he walked part way home with them and decided to be baptized.
The following Wednesday according to appointment, he met the elders at a canal on June 17, 1850. He was baptized by Elder John Hart. He surely was delighted. They promised him that the Bible would appear to be as a new book. He found it so and could read it with pleasure. It was meat and drink for him to advocate the doctrine of the gospel he had received.
It was not long until he was called on a mission. He enjoyed it very much but had quite a little opposition. After that things got brighter. He baptized three persons. He spent much time preaching the gospel. He was appointed to go to Zion, but financially was not able to do so. He finally got a job at Plymouth in a sugar refinery for 12 schillings a week. His wages were increased until he had a good chance to save money. He labored hard to introduce the Gospel wherever he worked. After 8 months he left and went to Cornwall and worked in the mines 2 or 3 years. He converted 6 people while there. This was on July 14, 1854.
One of his converts was a young girl named Mary Stevens who later became his wife. She was born May 22, 1833, at Menhonvit, Cornwall, England. He baptized her on July 14, 1854. They were married November 12, 1854 by Joseph Hall, President of Lands End Conference at Davenport. By the year 1862 he had saved a good sum of money. On May 3, 1862 they left for Plymouth. They remained there a few days and went aboard a steamship to Liverpool. They stayed there for a week. On May 23, 1862 they boarded the "Antarctic" steamship for New York. William Moody was president of their small company of 20 Latter-Day Saints.
They left New York on the same evening on which they arrived and traveled by train to St. Joseph, Missouri. From here they took passage on the steamboat "Amahi" for Florence, Nebraska. After four weeks in Nebraska Robert was engaged to drive a team to the Salt Lake Valley for $10 a month for William Brenghwest who was freighting merchandise. His wife took very sick while on the plains and died and was buried at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, September 15, 1862.
In October he started for Salt Lake arriving there on a Sunday afternoon. All members of the company agreed to give thanks to God when they reached Salt Lake. Grandfather was called upon to be the mouth in prayer.
One of his old friends John Doney persuaded him to go to Franklin, Idaho arriving there November 15, 1862. He stood guard at the fort many times, because the Indians were so hostile. He held many important positions in the church too.
After arriving at Franklin, Idaho he met Selena Sarah Goode Marshall. They were married in the old Endowment House January 2, 1863.
For a short time they lived in a dugout. Grandfather being a mason and very handy with the hammer and saw, built them a house which was the first in Franklin. It was a very humble home. It consisted of two rooms made of sand-rick. They used a board for a bench and table. Four posts and two 2 X 4's with rope threaded through to hold a straw tick was their bed. He made all of their furniture, but dishes were very scarce. He soon managed to get a farm.
Grandmother worked for some saints and received something that way. Their living was scant. For light they made candles of tallow. Grandmother studied and became a nurse. She went out practicing and helping all her fellowmen from one end of the valley to the other. She was a mid-wife. She continued her practicing until her death. When she was a girl she did everything she could to help out. One time she did some plowing with oxen in the canyon. They bought another farm in Cove, Utah and moved there with the first settlers in 1871. They both held many important positions in the church.
On December 27, 1900 he went to the church house and paid his tithing of $100. Bishop J. O. Larsen was making a comment on his honesty in paying his tithing and also toward his fellowmen and Grandfather said he didn't owe any man and now he was straight with the Lord. He said "I am going now to visit all my children." They had a family of 13. He started that evening to make his visits by making the first with his daughter Sarah Porter at Mapleton, Idaho. He arrived there that evening and died during the night at the age of 74. It was December 28, 1900. Grandmother died January 1, 1918, of diabetes at the home of her daughter Charlotte Preece at Cove, Utah at the age of 72. Her life had been a very full one.
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