Betsy Jane Hamblin, 1839 — 1917
Betsy Jane Leavitt was born May 12, 1839, in Hancock County, Illinois, the 11th child of Jeremiah Leavitt II and Sarah Sturtevant. The family soon found its way to Kirtland, Ohio, where they were able to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Leaving Kirtland they ultimately settled near Nauvoo, Illinois. Around that time, the prophet Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob and they later followed his successor, Brigham Young, as they were driven west across the Mississippi.
Traveling west through Iowa the Saints were low on food and Betsy’s father went back to Bonaparte, Iowa to obtain provisions. He became ill and died. With the help of her elder brothers, the family made it to Council Bluffs where they remained for two years until they crossed the plains in 1850. For an 11 year old girl it was a marvelous adventure and they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley the end of August. Her brother Lemuel had arrived earlier and had a cabin ready for them to move into.
In 1850, Betsy’s sister Mary married William Haynes Hamblin. Five years later they had three children so Betsy moved in to help. She was such a good helper and got along so well with the family that, after discussing it and securing her mother’s permission, Betsy was asked to become William’s 2nd wife. They were married May 1, 1855 in the Salt Lake City Tabernacle.
As the family grew bigger they moved several times. It was not an easy life for any of them as William was often away on business ventures, missions to the Indians, exploring, or hunting for food or grazing land. In addition to the challenges of building homes, raising food and animals, tending sick children far from any medical services, finding enough scarce cash to pay for meager belongings they could not make themselves, these intrepid settlers had to face danger from Indians who were not always friendly and often stole livestock and supplies and were a threat to every small settlement in the remote hills and valleys of Utah.
Ultimately the Hamblins settled in southern Utah near Santa Clara. William also became a miner in Clover Valley, Nevada, but was involved in a dispute over a mine and was poisoned to keep him from testifying at a trial there. He died on May 8, 1872, 7 months before the birth of his daughter, Sarah Priscilla Hamblin.
In 1879 Betsy took her family south to Alpine, Arizona. Even here the men had to leave their homes and seek employment. This meant that the winters were particularly difficult for Betsy and her small children. In 1882 they moved to Nutrioso in the high mountains where, for the first time, some of her small children could attend school.
In 1891 Betsy’s youngest child, Priscilla, married Thomas George Alger and, when they moved to southern Arizona in 1899, she followed them to Safford in the Gila Valley. Here she lived out her days helping them care for their children. The concluding words of her autobiography are: “The remaining years of my life were very pleasant as I lived with Tom and Priscilla and helped with the babies as they came along. I was really needed as they had 13 and Priscilla was rather frail…I enjoyed raising chickens and turkeys to help out. I remained strong and well most of the time.” There is some discrepancy of the time of death for Betsy Jane Leavitt Hamblin. Church records record her death date as the 12th of September, 1917. Other records indicate she died on October 17, 1917 at the age of 78. She is buried near Safford, Arizona in the Lebanon Cemetery.
We honor her here for her courage, her faith and devotion. —The Western Association of Leavitt Families – August 30, 2008