Thomas and Elizabeth Gambling
By Nellie P Schmid, from History of Bear Lake Pioneers
Thomas Gambling was born in St Mary, Long Stock, England, 12 May
1841, the son of Thomas Gambling and Mary Atkins. His wife Elizabeth
Powell was born in Southampton, England 20 Mar 1847, the daughter of Charles
Powell and Sarah Rogers. Elizabeth's parents were converted and baptized
into the LDS church when she was 15 months old.
The missionaries were very welcome in her parents home, making it their stopping place while in that part of the country, and grandmother took care of them like members of her own family. She used to make their shirts by hand because there were no sewing machines at that time for common people. She would stitch down each side of the front to look like machine sewing.
When Elizabeth was about 18 years old, she met Thomas Gambling. His family was very poor and his father had died when he was eight years old. His mother was a nurse and went out nursing to support her family. Thomas helped by taking care of a cow for neighbors and later working in a brickyard.
There was little chance to go to school, but where there's a will, there's a way and after he was grown up, he attended a night school and always did a lot of reading. We always felt he knew everything as he could answer every question we ever asked him regarding spelling, arithmetic, history etc. The day before he died he had gone to the library in Boise and carried home an armful of books. they were under his pillow the morning he was found dead in his room. He died suddenly in the night December 9, 1921.
He was a good carpenter and cabinet maker, could also run a sawmill and planer. Neighter father nor his people were members of the church, but after becoming acquainted with my mother and her family, and seeing their love for the Gospel, he began to investigate and consequently became a member.
They were married in July 1869 and began their married life in Southampton, England, where father worked in the planning mills. Their greatest desire was to come to America and they struggled and planned to that end. Children came one after another til it seemed as if it would almost be an impossibility to ever realize their desires.
Children of Thomas Gambling and Elizabeth Powell
1. Emily Gambling b-1870 in Southampton England
2. Annie E Gambling b-9 Dec 1871 in Southampton; d-23 Dec 1938 in Logan Utah; br-Logan
City Cemetery
3. Alice Gambling b-1873 in Southampton
4. Elizabeth Gambling b-1875 in Southampton; d-1937 in Orton, Alberta Canada;
m-George Sillito
5. Rebecca Gambling b-23 Feb 1877 in Southampton; d-16 Feb 1948 in Boise Idaho;
m-James H Hansen
6. Ellen Gambling b-7 Dec 1878 in Winchester, Hampshire, England; d-21 May 1964
in Logan; br-Bennington Cemetery
7. Thomas Gambling b-18 Apr 1881 in Winchester England; d-13 Apr 1901 in
Liberty; br-Liberty Cemetery
8. William H Gambling b-6 May 1883 in Winchester; d-28 Feb 1905; br-Liberty
Cemetery
9. Robert Charles Gambling b-20 May 1885 in Liberty; d-24 June 1955 in Boise; br-Morris
Hill Cemetery in Boise; m-Millie V
10. John Gambling b-27 Jan 1887 in Liberty; d-13 Mar 1939 in Montpelier; br-Sharon
Cemetery in Sharon; m-Minnie Marie Carlsen
11. Mary Marie Gambling b-Apr 1890 in Liberty; d-Aug 1978 in Boise; m-Grunder
12, Jane Gambling b-1 Apr 1893 in Liberty; d-1 Apr 1893; br-Liberty Cemetery
***************************************
Children of Elizabeth Gambling and George Sillito
1. Irene Sillito b-1904 in Alberta Canada
2. Hazel Sillito b-1906 in Alberta
3. William Wesley Sillito b-1908 in Alberta; d-14 Sep 1978 in Salmon Arm,
British Columbia, Canada
4. Lawrence George Sillito b-1910 in Alberta; d-1984 in Alberta;
br-Claresholm, Alberta Canada
5. Helen Sillito b-1913 in Alberta
***************************************
Children of John Gambling and Minnie Marie Carlsen
1. Roscoe Gambling b-10 Oct 1913; d-9 Jan 2000
in Sharon; br-Sharon Cemetery
2. Elna Gambling b-23 Sep 1916 in Sharon; d-16 July 1991 in Pocatello
3. Carlyle Gambling b-16 Nov 1919 in Sharon; d-15 Feb 1973 in Sharon; br-Liberty
Cemetery
4. Norman C Gambling b-6 Apr 1923 in Liberty; d-19 Oct 2011; br-Paris Cemetery
5. Grant Loraine Gambling b-5 May 1930 in Liberty; d-18 May 1940 in Montpelier;
br-Sharon Cemetery
*****************************************
Finally after talking with the Elders, they decided to let the two oldest girls, Emily, 10, and Annie, 9, come to Utah with them, the Elders promising to see they were well cared for, and give them a home in their own families. Elder Erastus B Snow, pioneer of St George Utah, with sad and hearts mother and father saw their two little girls leave them. Emily was quite contented and got along very well, but Annie was unhappy and cried often for her mother and home. Emily returned home after a number of years and married. After three months of struggle, they at last were ready to leave for American.
Wednesday, June20,1883, the steamship Nevada sailed from Liverpool, England, with a large company of Saints on board. The Gamblings were on that ship. Mother and some of the children were so terribly ill it looked as if they could not survive the journey. they did, however, landed in America in July 1883, and came to Bear Lake County. There was an epidemic of smallpox in Montpelier where they intended to leave the train, but they were put off at Pescadero, a few miles north of Montpelier.
Father started walking through the hills to find someone to give them shelter. There were very few settlers in that part of the county and he knew nothing of directions. He left Mother and six little children sitting out in the hot sun with no shelter from the July heat.
Father met a lumber wagon that was going to Paris so he got a ride. he secured a team and returned for the family. The Shepherd family had been their friends in England so they helped them to get located. They they lived in was small and cold and food and clothing were hard to get.
Father helped to build the stake tabernacle in Paris, also one of the meeting houses. For this work, he received script on the different stores as real money was something almost unknown. On of the first thing they after they arrived was to send for the girls, Emily and Annie. After one year in Paris, they moved about eight miles northwest again, where father helped to build the first sawmill in that part of the county. it was run by water that came down the canyon.
They filed on a homestead, built a home and after a few more years began to gather a few of the necessities of life. Thomas Gambling died in 1921 and Elizabeth died 5 April 1915 and both are buried in the Liberty Cemetery.
***************************************