Thomas Oakey

THOMAS OAKEY & ANN COLLETT

I do not know where to begin with these two.  They left a trail of footprints hard to follow.  There are many stories out there of them and their children.

Thomas was born on September 20, 1813, at Eldersfield, England, to Thomas Oakey and Sarah Pritchard.  Little is known of his growing up years.  Ann Collett is the daughter of William Collett and Elizabeth Bromage, born on January 12, 1812, at Pendock, Worcestershire, England.  That's right.  She is older than Thomas.  

Somehow their paths crossed, and they were married in 30 September, 1836, in Gloucester, England, and settled in Eldersfield.  They were blessed with 10 children-two little boys died while young. Their family worked at farming grains and other crops.

 

Thomas was a Methodist Preacher. In the Spring of 1840, he stood up one Sunday and told his congregation that he did not have the authority and would never preach again until he had the proper authority. On the same day, 80 miles away, Wilford Woodruff was teaching to a group of people.  He told them that he would not be teaching them again for awhile.  He was directed by the Spirit to go south.  Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal: "As soon as I arrived [in Eldersfield], I met John Benbow.  It was clearly made manifest to me why I had been called thither. I had left a good field, where I was baptizing every night of the week.  When I got to this place, I found a people-some 600 of them- who had broken off from the Wesleyan Methodists and formed themselves into a sect called the United Brethren... I saw that the Lord had sent me to them.  They were searching for light and truth, but had gone as far as they could, and were calling upon the Lord continually to open the way before them and send them light and knowledge, that they might know the true way to be saved.  I went to work amongst them and ultimately baptized their superintendent, forty preachers and some 600 members." 

Ann's mother, Elizabeth Bromage, was one of the very first baptized by Elder Woodruff.  This took place on March 9, 1840.  Thomas was not very happy about what was going on, so he called the local authorities to arrest Elder Woodruff.  The encounter resulted in his baptism on April 5th along with his wife, Ann.  Thomas served as the Branch President there for several years before they immigrated to Utah in 1856. 

After many years of waiting, they finally got their chance to go to Zion, because of the Perpetual Emigration Fund initiated by President Brigham Young.  They boarded the ship Thornton, and left on May 6th.  During the voyage, their baby, Sarah, celebrated her 4th birthday.  Her gift was a very hard sea biscuit! Six weeks of sailing landed them in Castle Garden, New York.  From here, they took the train to Iowa.  

Despite the late season and their son Joseph's pleadings to wait until spring, they were anxious to join the saints in Salt Lake.  They joined the rest of James G. Willie's Handcart company and left Iowa City, Iowa, on July 15, 1856, with two handcarts.  One for the boys to pull and one for the girls.  Joseph (Joe), however, refused to go.  He walked away from his family and hid in a neighboring farm house.  The family left without him.  

Ann delivered many babies on the trip and throughout her life as well as nursed the ill.  She was a renowned midwife.  Thomas suffered much during the trip.  "It was not unusual for Ann to leave Thomas resting under a tree or bush and take the family into camp.  When they were settled, she would go back and bring Thomas back into camp" (History written by Nora Caldwell).  

 

As they neared the end of their journey, his feet became so frozen, and he was so ill, that Ann spent a great deal of time by his side.  The morning before they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, she tried to awake their daughter, Rhoda Rebecca, only to find she had frozen in the night while she had been tending to her husband.  With deep sadness, she wrapped her in a blanket and left both her body and Thomas and helped the rest of the family into the valley.  Then she returned to get both Thomas and Rhoda's remains. She pulled them both into the valley. They arrived on November 9th. Rhoda is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Upon their arrival, they were met by Ann's brother, Daniel Collett, and his family.  They took them "home" to Lehi and nursed them all back to health.  In 1858, Thomas was ordained a seventy. A few short years later (1865), they were called to settle the Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho area with Charles C. Rich.  Thomas became the Patriarch for that area. 

Many years later, Charles C. Rich, and his son were called to serve a mission in Nebraska.  Thomas asked him if he would search for his son, Joe.  Elder Rich found him.  He had hid with a family while his parents had looked for him over 20 years before, served in the Civil War, then settled in Nebraska with his wife and raised a family.  Before his parents died, he came to Idaho and visited with them. 

Thomas and Ann remained faithful and served to their fullest throughout their lives- despite the trials they endured.  Of their 10 children, 6 of them preceded them in death.

Thomas passed away on April 15, 1890, and Ann passed away on April 4, 1892, in Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho.  They are buried there as well.