What I love about Cemetery's - Tonks/Derricott

Today I went to the South Morgan Cemetery in Morgan, Utah, and just walked around looking at headstones.  I don't know why they interest me so much, but I think it is because to me it is history.  I love to see the names, and then look at the dates and wonder who they were, and what they did.  Some of them have the Pioneer Handcart plaque on them, and it makes me think of the struggles they had to go through just to be here at that time in their lives, in this great country.  I reflected on my past as I recognized teachers of my school days and church attendance, parents of freinds that I had been in their homes, and friends and relatives that have been taken back to their maker too early in their lives,  Cemeteries to me are good memories and a lot of cherished history of people who made Morgan what it is today. 

Some of my ancestors who are buried here are my:

Great Grandfather William Tonks, b: 19 July 1832, Willenhall, Staffordshire, England, d: 29 March 1912.  He  became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 17 July 1850, at Willenhall, Staffordshire, England.

Great Grandmother  Martha Derricott Tonks, b: 24 May 1828, Wrockwardinewood, Shropshire, England,  d: 14 Sept 1911.  She became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 22 Aug 1844, at Willenhall, Staffordshire, England.

William and Martha emigrated from England in the spring of 1856 on a sailing vessel, and were three months on the ocean.

William was a locksmith by trade, and readily received employment at his profession after landing in New York.  They remained in New York City until the early spring of 1859, when they took passage around by way of New Orleans, up the Mississippi-Missouri river to Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Preparatory to taking out on the long and arduous journey of over one thousand miles to Salt Lake City, Utah, they engaged with a man by the name of Bucannon.

They had not gone very far on their journey when their old jade team about gave out; they decided to cut the wagon box in two, making a two-wheeled cart instead of the whole wagon. There not being much luggage, the little box cart easily held it. Their children, George Moroni & William Henry (about one year old), rode in the hind end of it. William & Martha walked the whole distance from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Salt Lake City, Utah.

While the company was camped for dinner, Martha, nearly overcome with fatigue and privation, went and sat under some trees or bushes to rest and soon fell asleep. The company soon went on its way, William supposing that she was somewhere in the company. When she awoke from her tired sleep, she trudged along to try to catch up with the train. She had not gone far when she reached a river or large creek and was in the act of removing her shoes and stockings to wade across when along came a company of men on horseback. They kindly took her across the stream and without hesitation took her to the wagon train, who had stopped to search for her.

In the month of October they reached Salt Lake City, tired and worn out from the long journey, but with thankful hearts that they had reached Zion safely and alive.  William helped to make the first wrought iron nails ever made in Salt Lake City for John Taylor.      Forging Iron Nails from YouTube

Martha Derricott Tonks died September 14, 1911, in Morgan, Morgan County, Utah in the South Morgan Cemetery.  William Tonks died March 29, 1912 and was buried nest to his wife, at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah in the South Morgan Cemetery.