HISTORY OF WILLIAM AND MARY ALLEN CHAMBERLAIN
William Chamberlain was born 27th October, 1815, in Ewelme, Oxfordshire, England. He was
married about 1835 to Mary Allen, born 1 Jan 1815, also born in Oxfordshire, England. They spent the
forepart of their married life in England where Mary gave birth to John 1836; Henry, 1840; Elizabeth, 1842;
and Joseph in 1844, who died at birth.
Ewelme’s location in Oxfordshire, and England
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This is a place in Ewelme, Oxfordshire, England, the city the Chamberlains lived in before leaving for South Africa
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In about 1844 William and Mary moved from Oxford, England, to Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope,
South Africa. The English Government owned large tracts of land in South Africa and were offering a rosy
future to all the people who would go there and settle.
The King was anxious to have his own subjects take up land and build homes in the Southern part of
Africa on the coast line, and inland, which was owned by England. To encourage the English people to
move that long way away from home, he offered 100 acres of land and the privilege of borrowing 50 lbs.
To get started on their new home.
So with their family of small
children, John, Henry and
Elizabeth, (Joseph having died
about age 1) they embarked
on this adventurous journey.
Here William got employment
as a lighthouse keeper in Cape
Town.
It was in this
community that their fifth child,
Anne, (who married Hiram
Miles Dayton–see page 118)
was born, July 19, 1846.
James, their sixth child, was
born in 1848; the seventh was
Emma, who was born in 1850.
After the last child was
born they moved some 450
miles to the east of South
Africa, still on the coast, to a
place called Port Elizabeth. It was here that Mormon missionaries, William Walker, Leonard I. Smith, and
Jesse Haven, who were sent there from America to search out the honest-in-heart, found the Chamberlain
family and taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This seemed to be a most
productive field because a good many of these English people joined the Church about that time, and also
came to Utah.
They had quite an active branch in Port Elizabeth. At
that time, the missionaries who were sent out among the
people were instructed to encourage the newly converted
Saints to emigrate to Utah, to strengthen the Mormon
commonwealth. These missionaries spoke glowingly of Utah
and the advantages of being with the main body of the Saints
in Zion. America was the land of the free and was not ruled by
a king. All this sounded good to these South African Saints
and they started making plans to leave for Utah. A large group
of Saints, including the Chamberlain family left their friends and
comfortable surroundings, and from Port Elizabeth they set
sail, March 27, 1859, on the ship “Alacrity” with Captain Cooper
in charge. Our ancestor, Anne was almost 13 years old on the
journey.
At the island of St. Helena, the ship stopped to take on fresh
water and the passengers were allowed to visit the grave of
Napoleon Boneparte.
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Napoleon Boneparte
Enroute from the island a dense fog came up and Captain Cooper asked them all to fast and pray that
they might not be ship wrecked. Their prayers were answered and the fog lifted. From then on there was
only the sea to gaze upon until they reached Boston Harbor the last of May, 1859, a journey of 70 days.
They spent two days in Albany, New York, and then they came by train to Florence, Nebraska. They
were assigned to the Edward Stevenson Company of 285 saints and 54 wagons. They arrived in Salt
Lake City, Utah, September 16, 1859. They remained in Salt Lake for a short time, maybe until spring,
and then moved to Kaysville, David County, to make their home. He got work there, but became ill after a
few years. He went through extensive treatments, but his ailment was diagnosed as a form of cancer.
He grew steadily worse and
decided to go back to England to
his doctor. He died in Oxford,
June 6, 1868. He was buried in
England, the land of his birth.
Mary was left a widow at
the age of 53.
In fact, she
remained a widow for 32 years.
When her children married, she
lived around with them. The last
years of her life she spent with her
youngest daughter, Emma, in
Charleston, Utah.
She died there on March 23, 1900
at the age of 85 and was buried in
Charleston.
Mary Allen Chamberlain, 1815 – 1900
William Chamberlain, 1815 – 1868
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