ISAAC GRACE

                              1820 - 1871

Isaac Grace was born in Liverpool, England April 17, 1820, to John Grace and Margaret Abbott. He married Elizabeth Williams (Evans) and on January 8, 1851, accompanied by his wife and three children, started on his voyage to America. The steamer "Ellen" left Liverpool with a company of Saints. The ship building company for which he was working at the time offered to pay the voyage over and back to Liverpool for him and his family if he would return in a year and take up his work with their company. But he could not promise this.

When they had been out to sea for three days, the boat sprung a leak and he was immediately called into service to repair the damage. During the voyage Isaac and Elizabeth had the misfortune of having their 18 month old baby taken in death by measles and it was buried at sea.

They were over three months on the water. They docked at New Orleans on March 14, 1851. From there they took the steamer "Alex Scott" four days later, and sailed up the Mississippi to Keokuk. Under Isaac's care, besides his own family, were his mother, a widowed sister, and Margaret Davis with a family of children. Isaac and Elizabeth were well prepared to cross the plains, having procured plenty of provisions for the journey, also two yoke of oxen and one yoke of cows.

When reaching Salt Lake City, they camped in the big field, and next day went south to Nephi. Charles Sperry, T.B. Foote, Israel Hoyt and Zimri Baxter had been to Nephi and put up some hay, but had returned to Salt Lake City to take care of their families. Therefore the Grace family were really the first to settle in Nephi. Having been on their journey nine long months it was in October 1851 when they settled in Nephi. A few days after they arrived, the Charles Sperry family arrived to become their neighbors.

Before building a home for his own family, Isaac built one for his sister, and then helped the other brethren build theirs, they in turn helped him. Charles Sperry helped by making mud adobe for a chimney. It was freezing weather and they were hurrying to complete it for Christmas. They discovered that the mortar had frozen, and that if a fire was made in the fireplace, it would help to dry it out, so on Christmas day they moved into their snug little log cabin. Everyone was merry as the Christmas dinner was cooking in the fireplace when the awful crash came. The frozen chimney came all to pieces and fell all over the room. With tears in her eyes, Elizabeth picked up her babies and went back to her wagon. The incident of the chimney was a sad blow, but with pluck and energy they built it again with planks and mud. It stood until they could do better.

REFERENCE: Written by Florence McCune Lunt for the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and published in Treasures of Pioneer History.

Isaac Grace, after settling in Nephi, provided for his family mainly through farming. As the town grew he is known to have helped establish the first nail mill in Utah. He also owned part interest in the first grist mill. In the first election held in Nephi, he was elected to the office of Alderman.

REFERENCE: History of Nephi.

Grace and Hudson Families in Nephi, Utah