Eliza Georgianna Clift
1813-1882

Born: 2 July 1813 in Clifton, Gloucestershire, England1
Christened: 1 August 1813 at the Redland Chapel in Westbury on Trym, Gloucestershire, England2
Died: 8 October 1882 in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa3
Buried: 10 October 1882 at Pine Hill Cemetery in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa4
FamilySearch ID: LCFM-549
FindaGrave Memorial ID:  37277961

Eliza was the daughter of Robert Clift and Elizabeth Cantle.

Eliza married George Gardner Fidler on 6 July 1841 near Utica, Oneida County, New York, and their marriage lasted until about February 1845.5 Eliza was sealed as a plural wife of Theodore Turley on 3 February 1846 in the Nauvoo Temple.6 Eliza later married George Summerfield on 1 July 1853 in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. They divorced in 1859.7 Finally, Eliza married widower John McArthur on 21 August 1862 in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.8

Family records traditionally attribute two children to the plural marriage of Theodore Turley and Eliza Clift.9 In 1850, however, Eliza testified that her two daughters (only one then living) were the children of George G. Fidler.10 An affidavit from Eliza’s later divorce in 1859 suggests her daughters were twins.11

  1. Henrietta Fidler (1845-1846)
  2. Emma Georgianna Fidler (1845-1902) m. Peter Napoleon Littig

Note: Many public family trees have three children buried in the Oakdale Cemetery misattributed to Eliza G. Clift and John McArthur. These three boys, Harry G. (d. 16 October 1865), Edward A. (d. 13 January 1869), and James A. (d. 10 September 1870), were the sons of James McArthur and Missouri Jane Moore.12

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Life Sketch

Eliza Clift was born 2 July 1813 in Clifton, Gloucestershire, England, a suburb of the port city Bristol.13 She was the oldest child of Robert Clift and Elizabeth Cantle who were married in 1812.14 Eliza was christened at the Redland Chapel near Clifton on 1 August 1813. The family’s residence was Redland Hill, and Robert Clift’s occupation was servant.15 (Later in life, Eliza adopted the middle name of “Georgianna.”16)

Christening record of Eliza Clift (1813).

The Clift family resided in the Bristol area for several years, where Eliza likely witnessed the birth of three younger sisters. Twins Mary and Martha Clift were born in 1815, and Sarah Ellen Clift was born in 1817. The family then relocated to Dymock on the northern edge of Gloucestershire near the borders of Herefordshire and Worcestershire.17 Four more children were added to the Clift family while they resided in Dymock. Of the eight children born to Robert and Elizabeth Clift, three died young.18

In the spring of 1840, Elder Wilford Woodruff, an American missionary from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began preaching in Herefordshire near the Clift’s home in Dymock. Eliza’s sister, Mary Clift, was the first of the family to be baptized on 10 April 1840.19 Other family members followed in the next couple weeks, but we don’t know when Eliza Clift was baptized. The Clift family was very active in their new religion. Eliza’s father, Robert Clift, was put in charge of the Church’s branch in Dymock in June 1840.20 They were among several families in Dymock who opened their homes to the missionaries, and some elders mentioned staying at the Clift home in their journals.21 Two of Eliza’s siblings, Mary and James Clift, left for the United States with a large group of British Latter-day Saints in September 1840. That group was led by Elder Theodore Turley.

In May 1841, Eliza and her parents departed Bristol on the ship Harmony bound for Quebec.22 It is likely that Eliza’s sister, Sarah Ellen, and brother, Robert Jr., were also in that group. The Harmony arrived at Quebec at the end of June. Although no passenger list survived, Canadian government documents stated that there were 83 passengers on board: 23 adult males, 33 adult females, 7 male children between the ages of seven and fourteen, 4 female children between the ages of seven and fourteen, 7 male children under seven years, and 9 female children under 7 years.23 After arriving in Canada, the group traveled south from Montreal along the canals in New York towards Nauvoo, Illinois.

Another passenger in that group was George Gardner Fidler. He was likely traveling with his mother, Elizabeth, and older brother, Henry. George was born in early 1816 at Eastnor parish near Ledbury, Herefordshire, England,24 the son of Thomas Fidler and Elizabeth Gardner.25 Ledbury was only a few miles from the the Clift family’s home in Dymock. George’s mother was a servant in the household of Lord Somers at Eastnor Castle at the time she met missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even though she had worked for the Somers family since she was a child, converting to the new religion was not tolerated and she was let go.26 It is not clear when the family members were baptized, but Henry Fidler was ordained a priest in December 1840.27

As the group traveled through New York, Eliza and George decided to get married. According to the account of a fellow passenger, Eliza’s parents were not happy with the match.

[W]hile here we had a Wedding in the Co. a young man George Fidler, and Eliza Clift decide to get Married Eliza began dressing for the Ceremony and then told her Mother she was going to be Married her Mother sent for her Father, and they wept and pleaded with their daughter not to marry the young Man. but she went with him to a Magistrate were Married, and soon repented of it[.]

Transcript of Mary Ann Weston Maughan Journal, Joel E. Ricks Collection of Transcriptions, Merrill-Cazier Library Special Collection and Archives, Utah State University, book 1, page 17, USU Digital History Collections, https://digital.lib.usu.edu/digital/collection/Diaries/id/16984.

Eliza Clift and George Gardner Fidler were married 6 July 1841 near Utica, Oneida County, New York.28 Soon after, the Clift and Fidler families arrived at Nauvoo, and Eliza was reunited with her sister, Mary, and brother, James.

In Nauvoo, George Fidler and his mother purchased property at Lot 1 Block 81 along the border of the Nauvoo Third and Fourth Wards.29 Shortly thereafter, George and Eliza moved a couple blocks north to Block 67 in the Second Ward where they were enumerated on the 1842 census.30 George’s mother, Elizabeth, and his brother, Henry, remained in the Third Ward.31

George and Eliza “elivia” Fidler in the Nauvoo Second Ward census (1842).

George and Eliza Fidler struggled financially in Nauvoo. It appears that George worked for a little bit at Joseph Smith’s store, but his employment was terminated. George penned an earnest letter to Joseph Smith on 23 March 1842 to repair their strained relationship. “A few words that you spoke during an interview with my Mother sometime since. convinced me that in some measure I. had lost that Confidence and Goodwill. I was so proud of and which I enjoyed when under your employ. to again if Possible regain that esteem. [h]as induced me to take this step and likewise endeavouring to vindicate myself…”32 George explained that his delinquency in repaying his debts was due to the destitute living conditions of his family.

I am fully aware that my account on your Book overrun my salary though it had not been fixed upon. but it was not without first being fixed consulting you upon the subject as to allowing me some things to pay the men I employed to erect a House for myself and family to protect us from the burning rays of the sun but what where [were] then my anticipations I thought we should receive funds from England to repay what was due to you and not only you but others. how have I been disapointed and through that what [h]as been my fortune. Exposed to the greatest hardships I ever felt or trust ever to. To see my beloved Parent [Elizabeth Gardner Fidler] the being that gave me Birth that nourished my inf me in my infant years. That <​soothed​> my sick pillow that in every way Contributed to my Wants. for years, wanting. the common nourishment of Life. this I have seen this I have felt and more then this, to see the. Partner of my Bosom [Eliza Clift] with a face wherein grief was imprinted from the knowledge that her parents [Robert Clift & Elizabeth Cantle] were enduring the same dreadfull calamity this too I have felt and only those who have felt such can know the pangs such Scene’s can cost a Son, a Husband, then under these circumstances can you. “Sir” wonder why I have not employed my. scanty— earnings (since I left you) to discharge the debt justly due to you or to others, you are a Son, you are a Husband, you are a Father and as such. I now make the appeal to you— whether you can condemn me for acting as I did, I know the affectionate and generous feelings which is a[n] inmate of your breast. “Cannot,” therefore I. bannished the thought of contributing to those (who I was justly oweing,) my. earnings and assisted them that was near and dear to me by ties of Nature, to prevent them from absolutely perishing from Want. If I have acted wrong may I be forgiven is my ardent prayer…

“Letter from George Fidler, 23 March 1842,” JS Collection, Church History Library.

It is unclear whether George and Eliza were able to discharge their debts mentioned in the letter. At least some of the money they’d borrowed had gone towards the purchase of four pieces of property in Nauvoo’s Third Ward.33 Their ownership of those properties, however, was shortlived. By the time of the 1843 property tax assessment, those pieces of property had reverted to their former owners.34

George and Eliza likely left Nauvoo in 1843. In February of that year, George was suspected of stealing an expensive pair of shoes that he’d been transporting to Carthage, Illinois.35 The last known documentation of George Fidler in Hancock County was a lawsuit he brought against Robert D. Foster in May 1843, though the substance of the case is unknown.36

George and Eliza likely explored several locations along the Mississippi in pursuit of employment. They may have resided for a time near Burlington, Des Moines County, Iowa. In a published list of letters remaining at the Burlington post office as of 31 December 1843, one was addressed to “Fiddler Mrs. or G G Fiddler.”37 Eventually, George and Eliza made their way north to Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois.

In January 1845, Eliza likely gave birth to twin daughters in Galena, Illinois.38 Eliza and George named their daughters Henrietta and Emma Georgianna. Henrietta was likely named after her father’s only sibling, Henry Fidler. A month later, in February 1845, George G. Fidler left his family in Galena and was apparently never heard from again. Years later, in 1850, Eliza officially filed for divorce from George, though she was unaware of his whereabouts at that time.39

After her abandonment, Eliza returned with her two daughters to Nauvoo. She was subsequently married as a plural wife to Theodore Turley. Theodore had married Eliza’s two younger sisters, Sarah Ellen and Mary, as plural wives in 1844. On 2 February 1846, Eliza and her sister, Mary, received their endowments in the newly-built Nauvoo temple. Both were again sealed as plural wives to Theodore Turley the following day. Brigham Young performed the sealings and Isaac Morley and Amasa M. Lyman served as witnesses.40

Eliza and her daughters likely left Nauvoo with the rest of the Turley family in the following weeks. Unfortunately, on 6 March 1846, tragedy struck when Eliza’s daughter, Henrietta, passed away.41 The Turley company was near Lick Creek in Van Buren County, Iowa, at that time.

It’s unclear how long Eliza continued to travel with the Turley family. By 26 August 1850, Eliza and her father, Robert Clift, had relocated to Scott County, Iowa, upriver from Nauvoo.42 Eliza officially filed for divorce from George G. Fidler which was granted several months later.43 Eliza and her daughter, Emma, continued to reside with her father, Robert Clift, until Eliza married George Summerfield on 1 July 1853 in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. Unfortunately, that marriage also ended in divorce in 1859.44

On 21 August 1862, Eliza married her fourth and final husband, John McArthur, in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.45 The couple resided together in Davenport until John’s death on 4 November 1874.46 Eliza passed away on 8 October 1882 and was buried next to her husband, John, at Pine Hill Cemetery in Davenport.47 Her obituary was published in the 9 October 1882 issue of The Davenport Democrat.

OBITUARY.
MCARTHUR.
There died Sunday evening last, at six o’clock, at her home on the Harrison street road, three miles north of the city, Mrs. Eliza G. McArthur, relict of the late John McArthur, aged 60 years. She was born in Bristol, England, and came to Davenport with her parents, the late Mr. and Robert Cliff, in 1847, and has resided the city and township ever since. She was the eldest daughter of Mr. Cliff, who was a well known employe at the Le Claire house for many years, and was highly esteemed by the people of his day here. She was always beloved by her neighbors and in the church to which she belonged, as possessing the admirable traits of the true woman. She liked to do good. She suffered greatly from chronic inflammation of the bowels for more than a year—and that was her ailment when death came to her relief. Her only child is Mrs. P. N. Littig, whose bereavement is great indeed. The funeral announcement is given elsewhere.
Funeral Services at Grace Cathedral tomorrow (Tuesday) forenoon at 11 o’clock. Procession will leave residence on the Harrison street road at 10 o’clock. Friends of the family are invited to attend.

“Obituary of Eliza G. McArthur,” The Davenport Democrat, Davenport, Iowa, Monday, October 9, 1882, p. 1, col. 3, Newspapers.com.

Related Links

Timeline

1813
July 2: Eliza Clift was born at Clifton, Gloucestershire, England.48
August 1: Eliza, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Clift, was baptized at the Redland Chapel of Westbury on Trym Parish in Gloucestershire, England.49

1841
May 13: Members of the Clift family, including Eliza, departed Bristol on the ship Harmony with other British Latter-day Saints led by Thomas Kington.50
June 25: The ship Harmony arrived at the quarantine station at Grosse Isle in Quebec. Unfortunately, no passenger list has been found for this voyage, but Canadian government documents stated there were 83 passengers on board: 23 adult males, 33 adult females, 7 male children between the ages of seven and fourteen, 4 female children between the ages of seven and fourteen, 7 male children under seven years, and 9 female children under 7 years. Comments from the week ending 26 June included, “The emigrants arrived during the past week are in good health and consist of farmers and labourers; the great majority intend settling in Upper Canada, where they have friends…. In the barque Harmony from Bristol, were a party of Mormons, going to settle in Illinois; they report that two other vessels are expected from the same port this season. Three families are going to the Newcastle district.”51
July 6: While en route to Nauvoo, Eliza Clift married fellow British convert George Gardner Fidler near Utica, Oneida County, New York.52
September 3: George Fidler signed a petition for a street in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois.53
November 18: George Fidler lodged a complaint against Anson Matthews in the Nauvoo Mayor’s Court for “disorderly conduct and abusive language towards the said Fidler.” At the hearing on 1 December, Fidler and the witnesses failed to appear. Matthews was discharged.54
December 4: George Fidler signed a petition calling for the removal of Dimick B. Huntington as Marshal.55

1842
Early 1842: Eliza was enumerated with her husband, George Fidler, in the 1842 Nauvoo census living in the Second Ward.56
February 3: George Fidler signed a petition complaining about “unruly swine” on the streets of Nauvoo.57
March 23: George Fidler wrote a letter to Joseph Smith apologizing for lack of payment on debts. George mentioned the destitute living conditions of his mother, his wife, and his in-laws.58

1843
March 11: George Fidler signed a petition asking for the extension of Ripley Street in Nauvoo.59
February 27: George Fidler’s and John Eagle’s houses were searched in Nauvoo for a box of stolen shoes. An notice posted later in the Warsaw Message explained, “STOLEN OR LOST from a wagon driven by Geo. G. Fidler, on or about the 16th of February last, a box containing MEN’S FINE SHOES, marked and directed as follows: ‘(D) No 1, Eben’r Rand Esq. Carthage, Ills.’ Whoever shall recover or give information of the same to the subscriber, or to J L Kimball of Warsaw, shall be liberally rewarded. FRANCIS DIXON. Hancock county March 6.”60
May: George Fidler sued Robert D. Foster in the Hancock County Circuit Court.61

1844
January 13: The Iowa Territorial Gazette and Advertiser published a list of letters remaining in the Burlington post office as of 31 December 1843. One letter is addressed to “Fiddler Mrs. or G G Fiddler,” suggesting Eliza and George may have been residing in Burlington, Des Moines County, Iowa Territory at the time.62
March 6: Traditional date of plural marriage for Theodore Turley and Eliza Clift.63

1845
January 6: Twins(?) Henrietta and Emma Georgianna born at Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois.64
February 15: George G. Fidler reportedly abandoned his family in Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois.65

1846
February 2: Eliza Clift received her endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.66
February 3: Eliza Clift was sealed as a plural wife to Theodore Turley in the Nauvoo Temple.67
March 6: While on the exodus out of Nauvoo, Eliza’s daughter, Henrietta, died.68

1850
August 26: In the 1850 U.S. census, Eliza and her daughter, Emma, were enumerated with Robert Clift living in Scott County, Iowa. Eliza and Emma’s surnames were both given as “George.”69
August 29: Eliza filed for divorce from her first husband, George G. Fidler, in Scott County, Iowa.70
September 5: From 5 September through 17 October, seven weekly issues of The Davenport Gazette publish Eliza’s notice of divorce. “PETITION FOR DIVORCE. State of Iowa, Scott County, District Court, October Term, A. D. 1850. Eliza C. Fidler, v. vs. George G. Fidler. THE defendant is hereby notified that the complainant has filed in the Clerk’s Office of said County, a petition praying to be divorced from the bonds of matrimony from said defendant, and whereas the Sheriff of said County of Scott has returned on the subpoena sued out against the defendant in said suit, that said defendant is ‘not found’ in said County of Scott. Now unless the said defendant shall appear at the October Term of the Court aforesaid, to be begun and held in the Court House in Davenport, in said county, on the fourth Monday in October, A. D. 1850, to plead, answer or demur to the petition of said complainant, said petition will be taken as confessed, and the prayer of the petitioner will be allowed. JAS THORINGTON, Clk. Dis Court. Brackett & Waite, Sol. for Comp’lt. August 29th, 1850.”71

1851
Eliza and Emma were likely two of the four individuals enumerated in the household of Robert Clift for the 1851 Iowa state census in Scott County, Iowa.72
April 1: According to a list of letters published in 10 April 1851, there were two pieces of mail addressed to “Miss Eliza C. Fidler” at the Davenport post office.73

1853
July 1: Eliza married George Summerfield in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.74

1854
Eliza and Emma were likely the two females enumerated in the household of George Summerfield in the 1854 Iowa state census.75

1856
Eliza and Emma were enumerated in the household of George Summerfield in the 1856 Iowa state census.76
January: George Summerfield abandoned his family and left the state according to Eliza’s 1859 divorce filing.77
May 20: Eliza began advertising her home as a boarding house: “A f W genteel men can be accommodated with boarding at North Davenport, one mile from the River, on Brady Street, at Mrs. E. G. SUMMERFIELD’S.” The ad ran in both the 24 May 1856 and 28 May 1856 issues of the Daily Iowa State Democrat.78

1859
August 5: Eliza filed for divorce from George Summerfield. In her affidavit, Eliza testified that her first husband was deceased.79
November 18: Robert Clift swore an affidavit in Eliza’s divorce case from George Summerfield, testifying that he was present at their marriage in the summer of 1853.80

1860
June 20: Eliza and Emma “Sumerfield” were enumerated living in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, for the 1860 U.S. census.81

1862
August 21: Eliza married John McArthur in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.82

1870
August 15: Eliza and John McArthur were enumerated in the 1870 U.S. census living in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.83

1874
November 4: John McArthur died at his home in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.84
November 5: John’s death notice was printed in The Davenport Democrat: “DIED. At his residence 3 1/2 miles north of Davenport, on Wednesay evening, JOHN McARTHUR, in the 53d year of his age. Funeral services at his residence tomorrow at 10 o’clock. Friends are respectfully invited.”85
November 6: John McArthur was buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.86

1880
June 3: Eliza McArthur was enumerated living in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. Also in her household was her twenty-four-year-old half-brother, William T. Clift, and a female boarder.87

1882
October 8: Eliza died at her home in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.88
October 9: Eliza’s obituary was published in The Davenport Democrat: “There died Sunday evening last, at six o’clock, at her home on the Harrison street road, three miles north of the city, Mrs. Eliza G. McArthur, relict of the late John McArthur, aged 60 years. She was born in Bristol, England, and came to Davenport with her parents, the late Mr. and Robert Cliff, in 1847, and has resided the city and township ever since. She was the eldest daughter of Mr. Cliff, who was a well known employe at the Le Claire house for many years, and was highly esteemed by the people of his day here. She was always beloved by her neighbors and in the church to which she belonged, as possessing the admirable traits of the true woman. She liked to do good. She suffered greatly from chronic inflammation of the bowels for more than a year—and that was her ailment when death came to her relief. Her only child is Mrs. P. N. Littig, whose bereavement is great indeed. The funeral announcement is given elsewhere. Funeral Services at Grace Cathedral tomorrow (Tuesday) forenoon at 11 o’clock. Procession will leave residence on the Harrison street road at 10 o’clock. Friends of the family are invited to attend.”89
October 10: After a funeral at Grace Cathedral, Eliza was buried in Pine Hill Cemetery in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, next to her husband, John McArthur.90

Important Places

Gloucestershire, England: Eliza was born in Clifton, Gloucestershire, a suburb of Bristol close to the River Avon. She was christened in the nearby Redland Chapel, traditionally assigned to the parish of Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol. Her family later moved 46 miles north to Dymock, at the edge of the County of Gloucestershire, which was only five miles south of Ledbury, Herefordshire. It was there that members of the Clift family were likely part of the United Brethren, led by Thomas Kington. In 1840, the group was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Elder Wilford Woodruff and other missionaries. In 1841, Eliza departed from the port of Bristol with her parents (and likely other siblings) on the ship Harmony to sail to Quebec, Canada. Their group was led by Thomas Kington.
New York: While enroute from Quebec to Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, Eliza was married in July 1841 to fellow British Latter-day Saint George Gardner Fidler near Utica, Oneida County, New York.
Illinois: Eliza and George resided in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois by September 1841. It’s likely the couple lived outside of Nauvoo sometime between 1843-1845, residing for a time in Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois. After Eliza was abandoned by George in early 1845, she returned to Nauvoo. There, she was sealed as a plural wife to Theodore Turley in February 1846.
Mormon Trail in Iowa: According to family tradition, one of Eliza’s two children died in March 1846 at Lick Creek in Van Buren County, Illinois, during the exodus from Nauvoo. It is not known how far Eliza traveled with the other members of the Turley family along the Iowa portion of the Mormon Trail. She was not among the Turley family members who departed for Utah in the Silas Richards Company in 1849.
Scott County, Iowa: By 1850, Eliza and her father, Robert Clift, had settled in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa. Eliza remained in Davenport for the rest of her life. She was married there first to George Summerfield and then to John McArthur. She died at her home in Scott County and was buried in 1882 in the Pine Hill Cemetery in Davenport.

  1. Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 523-524, entry for Eliza Clift, FHL 183374.
  2. Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1918, Gloucestershire, Wesbury on Trym, Redland Chapel, Eliza daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Clift, 1 August 1813, Ancestry.com.
  3. Scott Co., Iowa, Death records, physician’s certificates of death, Eliza G. McArthur, 8 Oct. 1882, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1683264.
  4. Scott Co., Iowa, Death records, physician’s certificates of death, Eliza G. McArthur, 8 Oct. 1882, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1683264.
  5. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 967, Eliza C. Fidler v. George G. Fidler, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1643738.
  6. Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 523-524, entries for Theodore Turley and Eliza Clift, FHL 183374.
  7. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 4556, Eliza C. Summerfield vs. George Summerfield, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1665844.
  8. Scott Co., Iowa, Marriage License Record Vol. 1, 1861-1865, p. 200, Marriage of John McArthur and Eliza Summerfield, 21 Aug. 1862, p. 200, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 2069364.
  9. Turley, Theodore Turley Family Book, 56.
  10. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 967, Eliza C. Fidler v. George G. Fidler, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1643738.
  11. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 4556, Eliza C. Summerfield vs. George Summerfield, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1665844.
  12. Missouri Jane Moore MacArthur’s FindaGrave page has links to a stone dedicated to four named deceased infants: Harry G. 1865, Edward A. 1869, James A. 1870, and Frederic M. 1875. “Harrie” McArthur’s 1865 death notice indicates he was the “only son of James McArthur and M. J. McArthur.” Five-month-old James A. McArthur was in the household of James and Missouri McArthur on the 1870 U.S. census. “Death Notice of Harrie McArthur,” The Davenport Democrat, Davenport, Iowa, October 17, 1865, p. 1, col. 5, Newspapers.com; 1870 U.S. census, Iowa, Scott Co., Davenport, p. 111 (stamped), dwelling 108, family 314, household of James McArthur, image on Ancestry.com.
  13. Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 523-524, entry for Eliza Clift, FHL 183374.
  14. Bristol, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935, Gloucestershire, Westbury on Trym, Holy Trinity, Parish Register, 1803-1812, p. 47, no. 183, marriage of Robert Clift and Elizabeth Cantle, 26 Nov. 1812, image at Ancestry.com.
  15. Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1918, Gloucestershire, Wesbury on Trym, Redland Chapel, Eliza daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Clift, 1 August 1813, Ancestry.com.
  16. It appears that Eliza acquired the middle name after relocating to Scott County, Iowa, and it can be seen prominently on her gravestone. FindaGrave.com, memorial page for Eliza Georgianna Clift McArthur (2 Jul 1822–8 Oct 1882), memorial ID 37277961, citing Pine Hill Cemetery, Davenport, Scott County, Iowa, United States.
  17. William Clift, was baptized at Dymock on 7 January 1820. Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1913, Dymock, Register of Baptisms 1813-1844, p. 39, no. 309, William son of Robert and Elizabeth Clift, 7 Jan. 1820, image at Ancestry.com.
  18. Robert and Elizabeth’s eight children were Eliza (1813-1882), twins Mary (1815-1850) and Martha (1815-1816), Sarah Ellen (1817-1847), William (1820-1820), Ann (1821-1824), Robert Jr. (1824-1859), and James (1826-1862).
  19. Wilford Woodruff journal, 1840 January-December, image 19 of 286, Mary Cleft, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets?id=01ff33da-9cab-4400-8b3a-f7abe97ae0da&crate=0&index=18, accessed March 2021.
  20. Wilford Woodruff journal, 1840 January-December, 14 Jun. 1840, image 133 of 286, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets?id=01ff33da-9cab-4400-8b3a-f7abe97ae0da&crate=0&index=132, accessed March 2021.
  21. Elder Levi Richards (31 Mar. 1841), Elder Wilford Woodruff (12 Mar. 1841), and Elder John Needham (many nights in March 1841).
  22. “Bristol to Quebec 10 May 1841-12 July 1841,” Saints by Sea: Latter-day Saint Immigration to America database, https://saintsbysea.lib.byu.edu/mii/voyage/160, accessed February 2021; Transcript of Mary Ann Weston Maughan Journal, Joel E. Ricks Collection of Transcriptions, Merrill-Cazier Library Special Collection and Archives, Utah State University, book 1, page 17, digital images online at USU Digital History Collections, https://digital.lib.usu.edu/digital/collection/Diaries/id/16984, accessed February 2021.
  23. House of Commons, Parliamentary Papers, Vol. 31 (London: William Clowes & Sons, 1842), 16 and 286, digitized at Google Books.
  24. At the time of his 11 Oct. 1833 attestation with the Scots Fusilier Guard, George stated he was 17 years and 6 months, and that he was born “In the Parish of Eastnor in or near the Town of Ledbury in the County of Hereford.” British Army Service Records, Scots Guards Service Records, George Fidler, service no. 1785, images at FindMyPast.com.
  25. George’s father was mistated as “John” in his 25 Feb. 1821 christening record. Thomas Fidler and Elizabeth Gardner were married 9 Jan. 1812 at St. Mary’s church in Portsea, Hampshire, England. FreeReg Parish Register database, Herefordshire, Ledbury, St. Michael and All Angels, baptism of George Gardiner son of John & Elizabeth Fidler, 25 Feb. 1821, https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/58183948e93790ec8bf27799, accessed July 2021; Hampshire, Portsmouth Marriages, Portsea, St. Marys, marriage of Elizabeth Dorothy Gardner and Thomas Fidler, 6 Jan. 1812, image at FindMyPast.com.
  26. Elder Wilford Woodruff met Elizabeth Fidler at Ledbury, Herefordshire, England. “We walked to Ledbury & held a meeting with the Saints, Sister Fidler was present it being the first time I have seen her. She has been a member of Lord Sommers family from a child but is now rejected for receiving the fulness of the gospel. Lord Sommers has died since he rejected her & now his Son has commanded her soon to leave[.] she wishes to gather with the Saints to Zion…” Wilford Woodruff Journal, 1841 January-1842 December, 11 Mar. 1841, MS 1352, Church History Library.
  27. Henry Fidler was ordained a priest at the Fromes Hill Conference in Herefordshire. Wilford Woodruff Journal, 1840 January-December, 21 Sep. 1840, MS 1352, Church History Library.
  28. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 967, Eliza C. Fidler v. George G. Fidler, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1643738.
  29. George Fidler also paid taxes on personal property, including a watch valued at $8. Nauvoo (Ill.) records, 1841-1845, List of property in city of Nauvoo, 1841, images 17 and 42 of 55, MS 16800, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/96c67c99-4fda-4f90-8d90-e1fba2382f44/0/16 and https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/96c67c99-4fda-4f90-8d90-e1fba2382f44/0/41, accessed June 2021.
  30. Nauvoo (Ill.) records, 1841-1845, Book of assessment, Second Ward, 1842, image 17 of 23, MS 16800, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/a9b69893-6819-4b42-9b9c-03eb9410ec7d/0/16, accessed June 2021; Nauvoo Stake ward census, 1842, Nauvoo 2nd ward, image 24 of 33, LR 3102 27, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets?id=2febcd71-25e6-470f-94c1-d1bcb53cdfca&crate=1&index=23, accessed February 2021.
  31. Nauvoo Stake ward census, 1842, Nauvoo 3rd ward, image 13 of 45, LR 3102 27, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/2febcd71-25e6-470f-94c1-d1bcb53cdfca/2/12, accessed July 2021.
  32. “Letter from George Fidler, 23 March 1842,” JS Collection, Church History Library.
  33. The 1842 tax assessment for the Third Ward names George Gardner Fidler as the owner of four pieces of land: Lot 1 Block 16 of the Daniel H. Well’s addition (valued at $100), fractions of Lots 2 and 3 of Block 9 in the Heirs of James Robinson addition (valued at $12 and $10, respectively), and Lot 1 of Block 14 in the Heirs of James Robinson addition (valued at $10). Nauvoo (Ill.) records, 1841-1845, Book of assessment, Third Ward, 1842, images 2 and 6 of 24, MS 16800, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/b0cbb26f-8805-43fe-ab74-7b9f79c77f52/0/1 and https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/b0cbb26f-8805-43fe-ab74-7b9f79c77f52/0/5, accessed June 2021.
  34. Daniel H. Wells owned Lot 1 Block 16 of the Well’s addition, and the Heirs of James Robinson owned Lots 2 & 3 of Block 9 and Lot 1 of Block 14 in the Heirs of James Robinson addition. Nauvoo (Ill.) records, 1841-1845, Book of assessment, Third Ward, 1843, images 26 and 30 of 41, MS 16800, Church History Library, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/e9d9faa6-cf6c-40df-8bb5-2a115ec03d30/0/25 and https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/e9d9faa6-cf6c-40df-8bb5-2a115ec03d30/0/29, accessed June 2021.
  35. “Stolen,” Warsaw Message, Warsaw, Ill., 18 Mar. 1843, p. 6, col. 3, warsaw.advantage-preservation.com; “Journal, December 1842-June 1844; Book 1, 21 December 1842-10 March 1843,” 27 Feb. 1843, JS Collection, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  36. MS 1443, Hancock County (Ill.) Circuit Court legal documents: 19th Century Western & Mormon Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
  37. “List of Letters,” Iowa Territorial Gazette and Advertiser, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, 13 January 1844, p. 4, col. 4, GenealogyBank.com.
  38. Later records state that Emma Georgianna Fidler was born in 1847, but in the 1850 U.S. census and Eliza’s 1850 divorce papers, Emma was noted as about five years old. Emma’s birthplace was also stated in several places as Galena, Illinois. Eliza’s 1859 divorce affidavit suggests her only surviving child, Emma, had been a twin. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 4556, Eliza C. Summerfield vs. George Summerfield, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1665844.
  39. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 967, Eliza C. Fidler v. George G. Fidler, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1643738.
  40. Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergara, The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2005), 554 and 562; Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 523-524, entries for Theodore Turley, Eliza Clift, and Mary Clift, FHL 183374.
  41. User-submitted data from Ancestral File. Anyone have a primary source?
  42. 1850 U.S. census, Iowa, Scott Co., District 4, p. 355, dwelling 154, family 169, household of Robert Clift, image on Ancestry.com.
  43. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 967, Eliza C. Fidler v. George G. Fidler, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1643738.
  44. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 4556, Eliza C. Summerfield vs. George Summerfield, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1665844.
  45. Scott Co., Iowa, Marriage License Record Vol. 1, 1861-1865, p. 200, Marriage of John McArthur and Eliza Summerfield, 21 Aug. 1862, p. 200, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 2069364.
  46. “Death notice of John McArthur,” The Davenport Democrat, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday, Nov. 1874, p. 1, col. 6, Newspapers.com.
  47. Scott Co., Iowa, Death records, physician’s certificates of death, Eliza G. McArthur, 8 Oct. 1882, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1683264.
  48. Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 523-524, entry for Eliza Clift, FHL 183374.
  49. Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1918, Gloucestershire, Wesbury on Trym, Redland Chapel, Eliza daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Clift, 1 August 1813, Ancestry.com.
  50. “Bristol to Quebec 10 May 1841-12 July 1841,” Saints by Sea: Latter-day Saint Immigration to America database, https://saintsbysea.lib.byu.edu/mii/voyage/160, accessed February 2021; Transcript of Mary Ann Weston Maughan Journal, Joel E. Ricks Collection of Transcriptions, Merrill-Cazier Library Special Collection and Archives, Utah State University, book 1, page 17, digital images online at USU Digital History Collections, https://digital.lib.usu.edu/digital/collection/Diaries/id/16984, accessed February 2021.
  51. House of Commons, Parliamentary Papers, Vol. 31 (London: William Clowes & Sons, 1842), 16 and 286, digitized at Google Books.
  52. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 967, Eliza C. Fidler v. George G. Fidler, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1643738; Transcript of Mary Ann Weston Maughan Journal, Joel E. Ricks Collection of Transcriptions, Merrill-Cazier Library Special Collection and Archives, Utah State University, book 1, page 17, digital images online at USU Digital History Collections, https://digital.lib.usu.edu/digital/collection/Diaries/id/16984, accessed February 2021.
  53. “Petition from Jeremiah Curtis and Others, 3 September 1841,” Nauvoo, IL, Records, 1841-1845, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  54. “Item 1a: Nauvoo Mayor’s Court docket book, 1841 October-1843 February,” p. 17, City of Nauvoo vs. Anson Matthews, MS 3434, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  55. “Petition from George Fidler and Others, 4 December 1841,” Nauvoo, IL, Records, 1841-1845, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  56. George Fidler was enumerated directly above “elivia” Fidler. Nauvoo Stake, Nauvoo 2nd ward census, https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets?id=2febcd71-25e6-470f-94c1-d1bcb53cdfca&crate=1&index=23, accessed February 2021.
  57. “Petition from Philemon Merrill and Others, 3 February 1842,” Nauvoo, IL, Records, 1841-1845, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  58. “Letter from George Fidler, 23 March 1842,” JS Collection, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  59. “Petition from John Workman and Others, circa 11 March 1843,” Nauvoo, IL, Records, 1841-1845, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  60. “Stolen,” Warsaw Message, Warsaw, Ill., 18 Mar. 1843, p. 6, col. 3, warsaw.advantage-preservation.com; “Journal, December 1842-June 1844; Book 1, 21 December 1842-10 March 1843,” 27 Feb. 1843, JS Collection, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  61. MS 1443, Hancock County (Ill.) Circuit Court legal documents: 19th Century Western & Mormon Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
  62. “List of Letters,” Iowa Territorial Gazette and Advertiser, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, 13 January 1844, p. 4, col. 4, GenealogyBank.com.
  63. Nancy Romans Turley, The Theodore Turley Family Book (n.p: privately published, 1978), 56.
  64. In the 1850 U.S. census and Eliza’s August 1850 divorce case, Emma Georgianna was noted as about five years old. Emma’s birthplace was later given as Galena, Illinois, on her headstone and a daughter’s death certificate. Eliza’s 1859 divorce affidavit from George Summerfield appears to suggest her daughter, Emma, was a twin and the daughter from her first husband, George G. Fidler. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits.
  65. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 967, Eliza C. Fidler v. George G. Fidler, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1643738.
  66. Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergara, The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 2005), 554 and 562.
  67. Nauvoo and sealing record “A”, 1846-1857, p. 523-524, entries for Theodore Turley and Eliza Clift, FHL 183374.
  68. Does anyone have a source for this?
  69. 1850 U.S. census, Iowa, Scott Co., District 4, p. 355, dwelling 154, family 169, household of Robert Clift, image on Ancestry.com.
  70. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 967, Eliza C. Fidler v. George G. Fidler, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1643738.
  71. The divorce noticed is published in the 5 Sept., 12 Sept., 19 Sept., 26 Sept., 3 Oct., 10 Oct., and 17 Oct. issues of The Davenport Gazette. “Petition for Divorce,” The Davenport Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, p. 4, col. 4, GenealogyBank.com.
  72. 1851 Iowa state census, Scott Co., Robert Cliff, image on Ancestry.com.
  73. “List of Letters,” The Davenport Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, p. 4, col. 4, GenealogyBank.com
  74. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 4556, Eliza C. Summerfield vs. George Summerfield, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1665844.
  75. 1854 Iowa state census, Scott Co., Davenport, 3rd Ward, Geo Summerfield, image on Ancestry.com.
  76. 1856 Iowa state census, Scott Co., Davenport, p. 568, dwelling 12, family 13, household of George Summerfield, image on Ancestry.com.
  77. George Summerfield’s name in a list of letters suggests he may have been living in Clinton, DeWitt County, Illinois by 1 July 1857. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 4556, Eliza C. Summerfield vs. George Summerfield, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1665844; “List of Letters,” Central Transcript, Clinton, Illinois, 9 July 1857, p. 2, col. 7, Newspapers.com.
  78. Boarding advertisement, Daily Iowa State Democrat, Davenport, Iowa, 24 May 1856, p. 2, col. 5, Newspapers.com.
  79. See Eliza Clift Divorce Affidavits. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 4556, Eliza C. Summerfield vs. George Summerfield, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1665844.
  80. Scott Co., Iowa, Divorce records, 1837-1940, case no. 4556, Eliza C. Summerfield vs. George Summerfield, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1665844.
  81. 1860 U.S. census, Iowa, Scott Co., Davenport, p. 245, dwelling 2159, family 2066, household of Eliza Sumerfield, image on Ancestry.com.
  82. Scott Co., Iowa, Marriage License Record Vol. 1, 1861-1865, p. 200, Marriage of John McArthur and Eliza Summerfield, 21 Aug. 1862, p. 200, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 2069364.
  83. 1870 U.S. census, Iowa, Scott Co., Davenport, p. 111, dwelling 305, family 310, household of John McArthur, image on Ancestry.com
  84. “Death notice of John McArthur,” The Davenport Democrat, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday, Nov. 1874, p. 1, col. 6, Newspapers.com.
  85. “Death notice of John McArthur,” The Davenport Democrat, Davenport, Iowa, Thursday, Nov. 1874, p. 1, col. 6, Newspapers.com.
  86. FindaGrave.com, memorial page for John McArthur, memorial no. 43239417, citing Pine Hill Cemetery, Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa.
  87. 1880 U.S. census, Iowa, Scott Co., Davenport, p. 555 (stamped), e.d. 274, dwelling 101, family 108, household of Elise McArthur, image on Ancestry.com
  88. Scott Co., Iowa, Death records, physician’s certificates of death, Eliza G. McArthur, 8 Oct. 1882, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1683264.
  89. “Obituary of Eliza G. McArthur,” The Davenport Democrat, Davenport, Iowa, Monday, October 9, 1882, p. 1, col. 3, Newspapers.com.
  90. FindaGrave.com, memorial page for Eliza Georgianna Clift McArthur, memorial no. 37277961, citing Pine Hill Cemetery, Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa; Scott Co., Iowa, Death records, physician’s certificates of death, Eliza G. McArthur, 8 Oct. 1882, image at FamilySearch.org, FHL 1683264.