A Short History of Martha Johnson Cunliffe
by Helen Taylor Ballstaedt on 3 October 1979 in SLC, Utah
Back: Cicily Ellen Cunliffe Hall, Beth, Martha, Esther
Front: Alice, Martha Johnson Cunliffe, Verona
Grandmother Martha Johnson Cunliffe was the youngest daughter of Robert Johnson and
Elizabeth Johnston, converts to the Mormon Church from England and early settlers of Manti,
Utah. Robert Johnson was born in Guilden Sutton, Chester, England on 4 September 1823. His
father, William, had a small farm there, but the family moved when Robert was a small child to
Mellor, Derbyshire, and then to Stockport, Chester. Elizabeth Johnston, daughter of Joseph
Johnston and Elizabeth Clark, was born 1 October 1825 at Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire.
At seven years of age Robert began working in a cotton factory. Alice Johnson Nielson, a
granddaughter, relates the following story, “Here I wish to add a story Grandma used to smile
about. As Robert passed the Johnston home on the way to and from work, Elizabeth’s sisters
used to find it very amusing to see the small sized Robert trudging along the road. Elizabeth
must have defended him, as then they would tease her saying,’Oh well, you will likely marry him,’
and that is just what she did 12 January 1845 at Didsbury, Lancashire, England.”
In 1848 the Mormon Missionaries found and converted Robert and Elizabeth. Robert was
baptized 7 June 1849, Elizabeth on 7 March 1850. Subsequently they had a great desire to come
to Zion and in spite of hard work and very low wages, they saved and saved and in 1853 they
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booked passage. At the General Conference of the Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on the 6
of October 1849 the Perpetual Emigrating Fund and a carrying company was organized to
operate between Salt Lake City and the Missouri River. It is probable that the Johnson’s
participated in this church funded program. Their two first born sons having died in early infancy,
they had two living children at the time. Robert, age four and Mary Ellen, not quite two.
Elizabeth’s family opposed her new religion and her plan to travel to America and tried to
dissuade her. Elizabeth was steadfast, but it saddened her that her family disowned her, and that
they did not say goodbye. She never heard from them again and she could not speak of them
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Back Row: Mary Ellen Johnson Denison, Robert, Elizabeth Ann Johnson Cox, Alma
Front Row: Martha Johnson Cunliffe, Robert Johnson, Elizabeth Johnston Johnson, Nephi
except with tears.
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On Wednesday the 6 of April, 1853 the ship Camillus sailed from Liverpool with twenty two
Saints aboard, under the direction of Charles E. Bolton. They arrived in New Orleans the latter
part of May.
From the sketch written by another granddaughter, Ellen Denison Bradley, I quote, “Grandmother
told us of the narrow escape our mother,(Mary Ellen) had from death when they were on the
ocean. She seemed to grow worse as the days and nights passed on. One morning the Captain
of the ship came and took, her in his arms and said, ‘We will have to throw her overboard.’
Grandmother clung to her baby and remarked, ‘If you do you will have to throw me over with
her.’”
Mary Ellen survived although she was small and sickly as a child and became very deaf. It was
said later by family members that her serious illness was caused by measles. Mary Ellen learned
to read lips to some extent, she married Ephraim Monarch Denison, moved to Sterling, and raised
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a large family.
The following is from a sketch by
Aunt Libby (Elizabeth Ann
Johnson Cox), “Grandfather,
Grandmother, two children and a
Brother and Sister Tatton and
two children occupied the same
wagon. Teams from Utah met
them at the Missouri River and
after Purchasing a “Dutch oven”
and other necessities they packed
all their wealth except the clothes
they had on in a small wooden
box. One cow was provided for
The children of Robert James Cunliffe & Martha Johnson Cunliffe every ten persons, so every night
Elizabeth took Mary Ellen down
Back row: John, Bruce, Will, Sam
where the cow was milked and
Front row: Martha, Verona, Cicily, Esther, Beth
she had a cup of warm milk,
which helped her pick up some. They arrived in Salt Lake City the night of 3 October 1853 and
Elizabeth gave birth to a stillborn baby boy. She was still in the wagon.
Elizabeth had walked most of the way and had carried Mary Ellen. The final day of the journey
she stubbed her toe and suffered a painful fall, the probable cause of this premature labor. My
mother, Elizabeth Cunliffe Taylor, a granddaughter, spoke to me of this event. There was cold
and rain and the canvas wagon cover leaked. Friends held blankets to try to keep her bed dry.
When her travail was over, Elizabeth’s light brown hair had changed to white. Alice J. Nielson
says grandmother’s hair turned white overnight at the birth of a later stillborn child.
Robert Johnson worked building the Council House in Salt Lake and also in building a wall on
the Tithing Office yard, (where the Hotel Utah now stands){Now it’s not the Hotel Utah, but the
Joseph Smith Building]. While so engaged he fell and broke his wrist. In January of 1854 the
Johnsons were called to go to Manti and help build up that settlement. The first settlers had
arrived in Manti 19 November 1849 under the leadership of Isaac Morley.
In Manti, Robert worked at whatever he could find to do. Alice J. Neilson says that she heard
many times how he became very good at making adobe bricks and could make 1,000 a day with
nothing to eat but frozen potatoes and buttermilk. While thus employed he broke his arm again.
Later, he acquired land, and began farming.
After grandmother’s death he spent much time in Temple work, often with my Grandfather,
Robert Cunliffe.
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During the Black Hawk War, which began with an incident in Manti in April of 1865, the Indians
kept the Sanpete communities in mortal fear of three years in protest against what they felt was
the white man’s encroachment upon them. Grandfather Robert Johnson served as a guard during
this time. Alice J. Nielson reports that Grandmother Johnson told her of her great fear of the
Indians, but she put up such a brave front that they never knew she was afraid.
Two brief stories from Alice J. Nielson, “grandfather, while having an argument with a very large
man, called him a liar. The man responded by knocking him down. Robert picked himself up
and answered, ‘Well, I see no arm (harm) in calling a man a liar when he is one.’”
On another occasion he was trying to climb on a horse. His jumps were very short and his
audience had a good laugh. His answer was, ‘I say, I say, I haven’t as much spring in my legs as
I used to have. I used to could jump clear over the darn thing.” Grandfather also had to learn
the right way to harness up his team. Until he did his folks and friends found much to smile
about.”
My mother, Elizabeth Cunliffe Taylor (who was named for her grandmother Elizabeth Johnson)
relates, “I was always very happy when I could go to Grandmother Johnson’s home and help take
out the ashes and mop the floor, usually on Saturdays. They had a large home and many temple
workers stayed there so she liked us to help and we were always rewarded with a nice dinner and
a dime. I really felt rich then.”
Mother also sang for us the song that Grandpa Johnson sang at family parties and at his 80
birthday celebration in 1903, when Mother was a girl of ten years:
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“I’m ninety five, I’m ninety five,
And to keep single, I’ll contrive.
Nickelty, Nickelty, needles and pins,
When you get married your troubles begin.”
Grandmother Martha Johnson Cunliffe was born in Manti in a small adobe house on the Keller
lot, close to the creek, according to Ellen D. Bradley. She was born 1 May 1861. Robert Johnson
was now 38 and Elizabeth 36. Nine children had been born to them. Martha was the fifth to
survive. In 1868, Nephi was born. In all, Elizabeth gave birth to fourteen children, eight were
either stillborn, or died in infancy. Six reached adulthood.
I quote from the narrative of Alice J. Nielson, “Later they moved into a two story rock house on
rd
3 North, one block east of Main street. It had been owned by Luther Tuttle, as had many others
in the town. This house had an outside staircase on the east side of the house, leading up to the
second floor, and dances were held there until another house was built in the center of town.
After the Johnsons got the place, they added two rooms, enclosing the stairs. This part was lower
than the west part, though it still had an attic. This addition must have been added several years
later, as Aunt Libby told the present owners (the Ernest Braithwaites) that she was twelve years
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old and she and her sisters carried the rocks to be used in the building of the addition and that
it was a tiresome job.”
We may note here that Aunt Libby (Elizabeth J. Cox) was twelve years old in 1867 so Martha lived
most of her life before her marriage in the rock house, just a block from the Manti Temple. My
mother, Elizabeth Cunliffe Taylor, stated that when Grandmother Johnson became ill and
Grandfather could no longer care for her, he wanted Mat (Martha) and no one else, and the
Cunliffe family moved to the Johnson home. This was about 1906 or 1907. Grandmother died
in January 1908, Grandfather in April 1932. Grandmother was 82, Grandfather 87.
Martha had dark eyes and dark hair like her father, although Grandfather Robert’s hair was curly
in his younger days. Grandmother Elizabeth had light brown or sand colored hair and blue, grey
eyes. Like them, Martha was short. Grandfather Robert is reported to have been five feet tall and
Grandmother Elizabeth a little less. Alice J. Nielson stated that because Grandfather was of a
short and stocky build, when one saw him sitting on a bench in church, he appeared to be no
smaller than those about him. It was his legs that were short, for his feet did not reach the floor.
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Grandfather Robert Johnson was called on a mission to Great Britain the 9 of April 1883. His
mission certificate was signed by, John Taylor, George Q. Canon, and Joseph F. Smith. On his
return in 1885 he brought many family records, for which the family did the temple work. He also
converted a nephew, Samuel Johnson and his family who later emigrated to Utah. Samuel
Johnson was the son of Robert’s deceased brother, Thomas Johnson.
Robert and Elizabeth Johnson were hard working but happy people. It will be wonderful to meet
them someday!
Received some of the pictures from Karma Hall Collins (daughter of Kenneth Hall)
of American Fork. Entered into the computer with minor corrections and pictures added
by Tammy Rae Cox Thomson the spouse of Raymond Michael Thomson a second great
grandson of Martha Johnson Cunliffe.
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