Elizabeth (Russell) Gray (1814 - 1904)

Born 27 Oct 1814 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Wife of Andrew Mark (Wardrop) Wardrobe — married 30 Aug 1835 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Wife of John Gray — married 1845 in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Descendants

Died 4 Oct 1904 at age 89 in Genesee, Latah, Idaho, United States

Biography

Elizabeth Russell was born on Oct 27, 1814, in Barony Parish, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her parents were Robert Russell (b. Dec 9, 1787) and Agnes Adam (b. about 1795). Robert Russell and Agnes Adam were married April 14, 1811, in Old Monkland, Lanarkshire. They had at least four children: Janet Russell (b. March 8, 1812); Elisabeth Russell (b. Oct 27, 1814); Margaret Russell (b. June 15, 1817); and Robert Russell (b. Sept 4, 1819).

Her father, (Robert Russell born Dec 9, 1787) may have been a coal agent who worked at the Faskine Colliery near Airdrie and at Port Dundas in Glasgow. According to the OPR's, in 1812, Robert worked at the Faskine Coal Works, in 1814 at Port Dundas, in 1817 at Faskine and in 1819 at Port Dundas. Robert Russell was a Labourer in Port Dundas, Glasgow, at the time of his son's baptism in 1819. He may have been a labourer shipping coal on the Monkland Canal from Faskine to Port Dundas for the Glasgow market.

Elizabeth Russell married Andrew Mark Wardrop (Wardrobe), silver chaser, on Aug 30, 1835, in Bothwell parish and registered the marriage in Glasgow parish on Sept 18. See the certificate from Glasgow of Sept 14, 1835. Andrew may have been born (2nd child) in Glasgow on May 3, 1812, and his parents may have been Daniel Wardrope and Isabel Aitcheson (Scotlands People). Elizabeth and Andrew had two children: Agnes (born Aug 21, 1836, in Glasgow) and Andrew (born Aug 3, 1837, in Glasgow- from familysearch.org Ancestral File). Agnes Wardrobe probably died before 1841.

Aunt Jess (Great Aunt Jessie Wardrobe-Blackburn) stated that when Elizabeth married Andrew (I believe they were married in 1835), Elizabeth's mother was very upset. Andrew was a tradesman (a jeweler or "gold smith") and the Russell's belonged to the Gentry set. Her mother thought that Elizabeth had "lowered" herself in marrying a tradesman. - from Eleaine Alberti, great-great-great granddaughter of Andrew Wardrobe ED. NOTE: It should be noted that Agnes Adam's death certificate indicates that Robert Russell was a "coalminer".

Andrew Wardrop, Sr. (25 year old "silver chaser") died on May 27, 1838, in Glasgow and is buried in the Old Churchyard.

Margaret Russell & Elizabeth Russell Wardrobe and Robert Grant & Isabella Adam...

Elizabeth Russell Wardrobe (dressmaker) and her six year old son Andrew, along with Elizabeth's little sister Margaret, boarded the Norfolk in Liverpool, England on Sept 19, 1844, and arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Nov 11, 1844, en route to the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo, Illinois. Along with the Russell's were Robert Grant, his wife Isabella Adam (Elizabeth and Margaret's cousin) and their family. Robert Grant and Isabella Adam and all but one of their children (John) died in the 1849 cholera epidemic in St. Louis.

A John Gray (born 1820, farmer) sailed from Liverpool aboard the Parthenon on March 30, 1845, and arrived in New Orleans on May 12, 1845. - See Liverpool to New Orleans, March 30, 1845.

Elizabeth Russell Wardrobe probably met John Gray in or near Nauvoo. Elizabeth Russell married John Gray sometime before 1850, and probably in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Evidence from land and Latter Day Saints Church records indicates that Elizabeth Russell and John Gray along with Elizabeth's son Andrew Wardrobe and their infant daughter Isabel (born in Missouri in 1846) travelled (with "unidentified companies") to Utah in 1848.

The 1850 Census for Utah Territory, Great Salt Lake County, USA, lists a John Gray (carpenter, 32 years old, born in Scotland) with his wife Elizabeth (40 years old, born in Scotland) and their children: Andrew (12 years old, born in Scotland), Isabel (4 years old, born in "Mo") and Robert A. (3 months old, born in "Des"). There was also a Mary J. Van Valtenburgh (11) in the household at the time.

There was some problems while the family lived with the Mormons. One of the church elders "fell for" Elizabeth, who turned him down. The elder kicked her out of the house they were renting from him and put her furniture in the yard and took Robert and William in the stockade. When John Gray came home and found out what happened he moved the family into another house. - Eleaine Alberti, great-great-great granddaughter of Andrew Wardrobe.

In the 1860 US Census, John Grey (37), Elizabeth Grey (40), Andrew Grey (20), Isabella Grey (13), Robert Grey (8) and William Grey (6) were living in Ward 17, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sometime between 1860 and 1868 Elizabeth Russell, John Gray, Andrew Wardrobe and Isabella Gray moved from Salt Lake City to Carson City Nevada. Andrew Wardrobe became a citizen of the United States of America on Oct 15, 1868, in Carson City, Ormsby County, Nevada.

In the 1870 US Census, John Gray (50), Elizabeth Gray (52), Isabella Powers (23), Elizabeth Powers (5 months) and A. Wardrobe (30) are listed in Carson City, Ormsby, Nevada. John Gray's occupation is listed as "farmer" and Andrew Wardrobe's as "laborer". Isabella Powers is her daughter Isabel who was 4 in the 1850 Census. The Gray family was also enumerated just across the state line in Township 4, Alpine, California during the 1870 Census. William Gray (16) was also listed as a "farm labourer".

Andrew Wardrobe married Isabella Slack (born in England in 1856) on Nov 9, 1874. - from Ancestry.com ancestral file Isabella left Liverpool, England, aboard the John Bright on June 4, 1868, and arrived in New York City on July 14, 1868. - from Liverpool to New York June 4, 1868 In the 1870 US Federal Census the Slack family had been living in Weston, Cache County, Utah Territory (in Idaho).

Elizabeth Russell Gray died on Oct 4, 1904, in Genesee, Latah County, Idaho, at the age of 90.

Sources

• http://www.waughfamily.ca/Russell/Mormons.htm#Margaret_Russell_&_Elizabeth_Russell_Wardrobe

• "United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MCS6-YZJ : accessed 10 Oct 2014), Elizabeth Gray in household of John Gray, Great Salt Lake county, Great Salt Lake, Utah Territory, United States; citing family 33, NARA microfilm publication M432.