History of Lambert Blamires

Lambert Blamires was born December 28, 1851, in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. His mother was Mary Kershaw Blamires, born February 26, 1829, at Warley (Wortley) Yorkshire, England and died at Kaysville, Utah, September 29, 1894. She was the daughter of Harriet Pickles Kershaw, born December 3, 1806, and Titus Kershaw, born January 3, 1805. Lamberts father was Richard Blamires who was born February, 1828 at Echleson, Yorkshire, England and whose mother may have been Sarah Holmes and his father may have been George Blamires. Mary Kershaw and Richard Blamires were married about 1848 or 49. To this couple was born the following children:

George             June 7, 1850                 Bradford, Yorkshire, England     July 5, 1867 (drowned)

Lambert            December 28, 1851      Bradford, Yorkshire, England      June 11, 1922

Sarah Harriet    August 27, 1853           Bradford, Yorkshire, England     April 25, 1942

Nephi               December 28, 1855      Bradford, Yorkshire, England     April 18, 1906

Elizabeth           October 21, 1857          Bradford, Yorkshire, England     March 24, 1915

Mary Ann         November 15, 1859      Bradford, Yorkshire, England     December 17, 1935

Robert              December 23, 1863      Bradford, Yorkshire, England     February 18, 1948

Emma               June 1, 1868                 Bradford, Yorkshire, England     September 19, 1887

Lambert had fair completion, brown hair and steel gray eyes, like his mother’s, all others in the family having brown eyes. He was of medium height and build and was very energetic often saying he was never tired. His father was a wealthy man who owned a square block of terraces and other buildings but lost all except their home. As a result when Lambert was six years old he went to work in a factory where he wound bobbins for the weaving machines earning one shilling a week. When he was eight years old the man who threaded the looms passed away and Lambert having watched the man and having on occasion helped him, asked for the job. The “Master” thought he was too small but after a demonstration gave him the job, increasing his pay considerably.

The “Master” watched his progress and became fond of him, and each afternoon sent Lambert to his house to fetch his tea. One day as the boy waited for the cook to bring it to him he sang softly to himself, the cook over hearing him sing, took him into the house to sing for the “Mistress”. From that time on Lambert was often taken to sing for her and was rewarded with cookies.

Very little is known of his childhood but he was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when he was eight years old and was ordained a deacon while still in England, however the records were lost and he was re-baptized on September 23, 1877. During the Christmas season, he and other members of the family, who sang together often, loved to go caroling and were treated to plum pudding and other sweets. They all loved music and Lambert and his sister Sarah often sat outside a window of a nearby church to hear the choir sing. As all young men he too loved good food and told of the pleasure he had watching meat turning on the spit, the juice dripping onto the Yorkshire pudding below.

From the time the missionaries came to the Blamires home and they had accepted the gospel the desire of their hearts was to go to “Zion”, and all worked and saved for this. When Lambert reached the age of eighteen years they decided to make the journey. Lambert went to the “Master” to tell him of their decision and “Master”, having no children, went to the Lambert’s mother and asked that Lambert be allowed to stay in England, saying that he would adopt him and that all that he had would be Lambert’s if he would stay. But Lambert, being loyal to his family and his church declined the generous offer.

They left their native land on the steamship “Manhattan”, (Captain Forsyth). The “Manhattan” left Liverpool on Wednesday, August 22, 1869  for New York, with 242 souls of the Saints on board, including the following elders returning from missions: -- Joseph Lawson, Robert Dye, and Alonzo E. Hyde.  Elder Lawson was in charge of the company.  They arrived in New York on October 7, 1869. They went by train to Utah, arriving in Ogden on October 16^th about three months after the trans-continental rail road was completed. They went on to Kaysville, arriving October 19, 1869. Lambert spent the remainder of his life here. So far as it is known his father remained in England.

Lambert was an industrious young man and was able to find employment, in doing so he helped his mother and the other family members to get settled in their new country and home.

 One day while logging in the Weber Canyon, he was fastening a chain around a log and was bitten by a rattle snake. The men rushed him down the mountain side where they caught a train into Ogden, then to his home. His arm was black and swollen greatly but through faith and prayer he recovered. He continued to work at various jobs, one being to run the threshing machine for which he received payment in commodities such as hay, grain, city lots or whatever was offered and was able to buy a team of horses and a new wagon, knowing that his services were worth more with them.

At this time he invited Rhoda Jane Bone to accompany him to a “May Day” celebration being held at Lake Park, a resort on the east shore of the Great Salt Lake, just west and south from Kaysville. The following story was related to Frank Blamires by Hector Haight, owner of a nearby farm. “As Lambert and Rhoda arrived in the new wagon, its red wheels glistening in the sun, the horses fat and shiny, Rhoda with a new blue dress and ruffled sunbonnet, blue eyes and brown curls they made a handsome couple and Rhoda was chosen “Queen of the May””. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship that ripened into love. Often in the evenings when work was done the young couple with his two sisters and their escorts went boating on the lake, singing to the accompaniment of Lambert’s concertina.

Lambert had never been able to attend school and at this time could neither read nor write but realized the necessity of learning and also keeping books and records, and immediately set out to learn, working during the day and studying at every opportunity. He soon mastered these subjects and kept a life time ledger of his income and expenses.

On November 19, 1877, Lambert and Rhoda were married by President John Taylor in his office and on November 6, 1879 received their endowments in the Salt Lake Endowment House. To Lambert and Rhoda were born seven children, three girls and four boys.

Mary Ellen (Ella)           February 26, 1879         Kaysville, Davis, Utah   August 6, 1952

Frank Herbert               March 16, 1881            Kaysville, Davis, Utah   June 16, 1966   

Cinthy Frances              September 23, 1883      Kaysville, Davis, Utah   March 1, 1980

George Lambert            December 23, 1887      Kaysville, Davis, Utah   November 4, 1953

Lawrence Bone                        May 10, 1890               Kaysville, Davis, Utah   May 11, 1941

Clyde                             June 13, 1893               Kaysville, Davis, Utah   November 6, 1903

Alberta May                 May 1, 1897                 Kaysville, Davis, Utah  

Lambert worked diligently and some time before 1883 they purchased a four room adobe and brick home on what is now the north east corner of Second East and First North Street in Kaysville. Lambert continued logging, running the threshing machine and other jobs with his team and wagon, taking grain, hay, city lots or whatever was given to him as payment.

They lived here until about 1886 when Lambert traded eleven city lots for twenty-six acres of sage brush covered land south of town. Some time later crops failed for two successive years, the bank was going to foreclose and a notice of foreclosure was published in a Salt Lake newspaper. One morning a man with a horse and buggy drove into the yard to look at the farm with the thought of buying it; he was Robert B.T. Taylor of Salt Lake. Lambert took him over the farm and was asked by Mr. Taylor, if he thought he could pay for it if he had more time; Lambert was sure he could and Mr. Taylor bought the note from the bank. Lambert paid the note and the men were life long friends spending many happy hours in one another’s company.

Their first home on the farm was one large room which was subdivided into four rooms, a lean-to was built on the back, having room to live and a storage place for grain until a new home could be built. George, their fourth child was born here in 1887 but Lawrence, the next child, born in 1890 was born in the new brick home as were Clyde and Alberta.

On the sixth of November 1903 tragedy struck the family when Clyde, at the age of ten years, was accidentally shot with an “unloaded” gun which brought great sorrow to all of them.

Lambert cleared the sage brush from the land which was so sandy that as he plowed the sand rolled back into the furrow, but by cultivation, fertilizing and irrigation it became very rich loam. Oats grew so tall that when Lambert walked a few feet into the field he was completely hidden. He always raised three crops of hay and sometimes four, much of which he or the boys hauled to the Salt Lake market by team and hay rack, a distance of about twenty miles. He also kept a stock yard where he fed livestock through the winter months for people living in Salt Lake. He built barns, stables, corrals and sheds where he stored farm machinery through the winter months and a buggy shed for the boys’ buggies and the surrey. There were all kinds of livestock and poultry.

 Poplar trees were planted because of their quick growth to supply shade and to act as a wind break.  Sweet smelling locust trees around the house made homes for countless birds. Lawns and flowers were all around the house and the large orchard held almost every kind of fruit tree and berry. There were also grapes of many varieties and a big vegetable garden.

It was a lovely home and many people from the city came for a vacation in the country. Lambert loved social affairs and many parties were held for young and old with big dinners during the holiday season. He was generous with his home and means and several times whole families were given a home until other arrangement could be made.

Lambert was active in the church and civic affairs, believed strongly that people should exercise their freedom to vote and helped by using his horse and surrey to take people to the polls. He took part in activities that helped to build up the town, played instruments in the band and orchestra and was on the baseball team. When his sons were old enough to play ball all work stopped on the farm at noon on Saturdays so everyone could go to the games. He was a director of the Kaysville Canning Company and a stock holder in the Kaysville Milling Company.

He was generous with his time, home and all that he had. The following story is an example of his love for his fellow men. “A widow’s home was destroyed by fire, and while the embers were still smoldering he suggested to the people, who had been drawn to the site by the flames, that they build a new home for her and her five small children on a more desirable part of her little farm and started with a generous contribution, also offering to supervise the work”.

Lambert was ordained a Seventy on January 20, 1884 by William W. Galbraith.  On February 9, 1902 he was made choir leader. He bought large musical charts and taught the choir members to read music. He loved his work and was proud of the singing and a few times when a member of the General Authorities attended conference the choir was asked to repeat the closing piece, which made him very happy.

He was ordained a High Priest on May 21, 1905 and on February 24, 1907 he was released as choir leader and made second counselor in the Bishopric to Bishop Henry H. Blood. He furnished transportation for them, was in charge of dispersing help to the needy, was supervisor of remodeling the old church house into an opera house, supervised the building of the new church (Kaysville Tabernacle) and did the work that required time when the other members of the Bishopric were not able to leave their work. He used his surrey and team to bring older people to activities, which otherwise they could not have attended. He served in the Bishopric until August 8, 1915 when Bishop Blood was released to serve as President of the North Davis Stake.

President Blood was elected Governor of the State of Utah and in 1915 Lambert was set apart as High Councilman by Brother Rulon S. Wells and later as Stake missionary a position he held until his death on June 11, 1922, in the LDS hospital in Salt Lake City following an operation. Funeral services were held for him in the Kaysville tabernacle, the construction of which he supervised and where he had labored many years in the service of the Lord. Governor Blood, in speaking at his funeral paid him this tribute taken from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar:

“His life was gentle, and the elements

so mix’d in him that Nature might stand up and say

to all the world, “This was a man”.

He left numerous posterity that now numbers 332 blood descendants in the year 1976. Burial was in the family plot in the Kaysville City Cemetery.

            Lambert was a kind and loving husband, father and grandfather, a good provider and honest in his dealings with his fellowmen, and expected them to be honest with him and was sorrowed and disappointed when he found anyone to be otherwise. He was a prosperous farmer, a tithe payer, one who helped those less fortunate, honored his Priesthood and had a deep and abiding testimony of the gospel.

Written by Alberta May Blamires Streeper, daughter in 1976. I have added more information about is travel to America on the “Manhattan”, Allysa Ann Falkner, great-granddaughter, 2005