Fanny Kimber Morgan

Fanny was born 20 Aug 1872 in England.  Her parents were Edward Kimber and Mary Stanbrook.

She had 5 brothers and sisters.  They were Alice, Elizabeth, and Ellen (who were twins), Mary Ann, and one boy, Edward Charles. The twin girls died in 1870 and 1871 before Fanny was born.

They lived in a little village of Long Lane, England, about four miles from the large town of Newbury.  Fanny attended school at Hermit Edge. Her father joined the church over there but her mother didn’t. Her mother did not care about the religion.

Her father wanted to come to America so badly that her mother finally consented to come with him.  Her brother, Edward Charles was not very well so they consulted the doctor before making the trip. He thought he would be able to stand the trip to America, so they made immediate preparations. They came to join their father, Charles Kimber Sr., and his family, who had previously made the trip in 1868 on a sailing vessel and had settled in Grouse Creek.

The Edward Kimber family made the journey on the steamship “Wyoming” in 1879. A group of saints gathered to wish them farewell and as they were going down the gang plank they sang, “Oh, Babylon, Oh,Babylon, we bid thee farewell. We’re going to the mountains of Ephriam to dwell.” This trip was very much of an adventure, especially for the children. They were bothered with a touch of sea sickness.

They landed in America at Castle Garden, New York and came by train to Ogden, UT. They had many experiences on the train and on one occasion a mob gathered and threw eggs at the train because it was carrying Mormons.

When they arrived in Ogden, Utah, their Uncle and Aunt, Charles Kimber Jr. and Aunt Lizzie Kimber met them and brought them to Grouse Creek in the wagon. They camped for the night and the baby, Charles, became dreadfully ill. A family living in a nearby house invited Mary and the baby to come in. The next day she took a train so she could hurry with the baby in order to give him the care he needed. In spite of all they could do, he died before they reached their destination and is buried in Grouse Creek at the Kimber ranch, about 15 miles south of the main town where Charles Kimber Sr. had settled.

This left the family with three girls to start their life in a new and wonderful land. They homesteaded a farm and built a three room log home in Grouse Creek. They kept cows, pigs, chickens, and of course, horses to do their farming. They always had a flower garden whether they had any grass or not. They attended church regularly and lived each day the best way they knew.

Her father was mowing hay one time when the horses became frightened and ran away with the mowing machine, dragging him behind. He suffered a broken leg and as a result developed a limp which remained with him for the rest of his life. He always used a cane and he was also hard of hearing.

Her mother was baptized in Grouse Creek after a dam was put in the creel to back the water up. In the year 1886, the family went to the Salt Lake Temple and was sealed for time and eternity. In 1900 the family decided to move to Idaho. They made the trip in covered wagons. There were a lot of Indians in the territory at that time and they had to be on guard all the time.

They settled in Archer and built a nice home.

On June 18 1891 Fanny and William David Morgan were married and eventually had 14 Children.

Kate was born in 1892 and married Henry Ellis on November 6 1912.

Frank was born in 1872 and married Dessie Beck on May 20, 1914, just 19 days before Fanny’s death.

Belle was born in 1895 and married William Hawkes on January 12, 1915.

Ada was about 18 when Fanny died, Allie was about 15, Roy was about 16, Edna was about 13, Elda was about 11, Harold was about 9, Earl was about 7, Lillian was about 5, and Lewis was about 2.

Fanny died on June 8, 1914 in Annis, Idaho.  She was carrying her 14th child and they were buried together. She passed away so young, despite the fact she was carrying her 14th child.  Elda recalls that the cows had strayed into the garden.  No one was around to chase them out, so Fanny came out doors.   She had to go down a very small dip and up the other side to the garden but in doing so, slipped and fell on her stomach.   She began to hemorrhage.   One of the children rode the horse from Annis to Rigby to get the doctor, but she died before he could attend to her.   The baby, a little boy, was buried in her arms.