William Bert SIMMONS

                   NOTES: 28 Mar 2000 - Baptism date came from IGI. Also on the IGI there are four other sealing to spouse dates and
one different marriage place, date is the same, place is Uintah,Weber,Utah. This info is for husband
Joseph Lee Robinson.
Also on IGI there are two other seal to parents dates 9 Aug 1990 SLAKE and 18 Jun 1992 IFALL.


NOTES: 04 Apr 2000 - Info on her children, both Simmons and Robinson I got from film 0007280 us/can Ucon,
Bonneville, Idaho church records. Willow Creek Ward. This film also indicated she was re-baptized 3
Aug 1876 by Joseph L Robinson and re-confirmed 3 Aug 1876 by Joseph L Robinson.

NOTES: 26 Mar 2002 - IGI has a "Son Upton" born abt 1856 ,,England to William Upton and Mary
Baptized: Child
Endowed: Child
SP: 27 Jun 1990 SLAKE
source batch # F515268 1

NOTES: 26 Mar 2002 - In the book "The Second Rescue" by Madsen, page 126 it reads: Upton, Mary Taylor (20), wife,
daughter of Joseph and Harriet Taylor; later married her rescuer, William Bert Simmons.
and also on page 126: Upton, Baby. One source indicates that Mary "lost a baby along the way".

NOTES: 24 Jan 2006 - In the book "Tell My Story, Too, by Jolene S Allphin, in the Martin Company 1856 section it
reads:
Mary Taylor Upton, born 6 Nov 1835 at Coton-in-the-Elms, England: Age 20: Martin Handcart Company:
Mary was traveling with her husband, William (22), and her parents, Joseph (44) and Harriet (49)
Sidwell Taylor. Both of Mary's parents died on this journey to Zion, and William also, leaving Mary a
widow. There is also indication from some of the pioneer accounts that Mary lost a baby along the way, and
family records also say William cared for Mary in the loss of their child.
William and Mary had been married November 12, 1855, only six months, when they sailed on the
"Horizon" from Liverpool, England.
Mary's father died on October 8 near Ft. Laramie, before the violent winter storms began as they
crossed the icy Platt River for the last time. Mary and her mother and William were stranded at Red Buttes
after this ordeal, when an advance team of rescuers found them on the 28th of October. They still had
about twenty-five miles to trek to reach the relief wagons at Devil's Gate. After reaching Devil's Gate and
being somewhat recruited, another severe storm swept down and sent the Martin Company into a nearby
cove for shelter. They were also waiting for more relief wagons to arrive with food and supplies as they
were short of provisions again. The extra wagons would also help carry the sick and freezing. It was here
in the cove that William and his mother-in-law succumbed to their privations. They died the same day and
were buried in the same grave, probably in Martin's Cove. Mary's beloved husband died just two days
before their first anniversary, and just four days after Mary turned twentyu-one.
William;s death was not entirely unexpected. Mary knew that for some time, William had secretly been
placing most, if not all his daily ration of food in with Mary's and her mother's rations. He could not bear
to see them go hungry. He shared his coat and bedding with Mary and others when he himself was freezing,
saying he wasn't cold, or he wasn't hungry when in reality his stomach ached with hunger. Many times he
carried Mary and others across icy streams.
Mary's feet were black and her legs frozen. One of the rescuers, William Bert Simmons, took her, now
unconscious, in his wagon to his home in Salt Lake, arriving November 30, 1856. She was nursed back to
health so skillfully there in his home that she did not even lose a toe. She married her rescuer about four
months later and they were blessed with five children. She was widowed again in 1866 and five months
later married Joseph Robinson. They were blessed with four children. Mary later became a pioneer in
the Snake River Valley country of Idaho which was a desolate area at that time. She had a beautiful voice,
being the lead soprano in the Ogden choir at one time. She was a faithful Latter-day Saint and served in
many callings throughout her life.

NOTES: See picture of heastone in my Pictures file.