Robert Watts was born in Ablemarie, Virgina in 1801. The Watts were an old family in Virginia having resided their since the mid-1600s. Robert's father, John fought in the Revolutionary War. As a young man Robert left his family behind and headed west. Elizabeth Heath (descendant of Mayflower pilgrims*) was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1815 on a farm with a large clan of Heaths. Robert and Elizabeth met and married in Raymond, Mississippi Dec. 30, 1833."Robert Harrison Watts and Elizabeth Heath Watts heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the testimonies of the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while they were living in Vicksburg, Hinds County, Mississippi . It was not long after this that they entered the waters of baptism and were confirmed members of the Church. They had two children at the time. Their next two children were boys. They named one Moroni and the other, Hyrum Smith Watts. [Born in Augusta, Iowa, on the west side of the Mississippi River n/w of Nauvoo.] At this time, their whole lives had completely changed, and they had the desire to move to the headquarters of the Church in order to be with the Saints. [about 1840, based on the fact that Moroni was born in Iowa in 1841] Packing some food, their clothing, and only the bare necessities of life in a covered wagon which was drawn by oxen, this brave couple with their two small children, journeyed forth into the wilderness, trusting in God that they would be taken care of until they reached their destination. Four hundred long miles over rough, dusty roads and trails day after day, day after day, they watched the slow movement of their faithful trudging oxen with their heavy load. It must have been hard for them to travel such a journey with their small children, but their faith in the Gospel message and their testimony to its truthfulness urged them on and on. On arrival in Nauvoo, they found many Saints who were arriving daily from England and elsewhere."
"It was at Nauvoo that Robert and Elizabeth Watts first met the Prophet Joseph Smith and heard his burning testimony of "seeing God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ." They labored in the home of the Prophet, where they were privileged to hear the Gospel explained from the lips of the Prophet, himself. Robert Watts was also a bodyguard of the Prophet during his life. Elizabeth had a very special privilege of being blessed by the Prophet, and many things which he pronounced upon her head at that time did come true. The Nauvoo Temple was under construction at the time of their arrival and Robert Watts joined with the other Saints in the labor on the Lord's House. Some stood guard while others worked because of the mob's intense desire to see the temple destroyed. Upon the completion of the Nauvoo Temple, Robert Watts and his wife, Elizabeth Heath, took out their own endowments on the 2nd of February 1846. Sealings were not performed in the Nauvoo Temple at that time, but they later were sealed in the St. George Temple at St. George, Utah, in 1877."
"The Saints must have endured painfully trying times, for at this time, they were being persecuted. Many homes were burned, and many Saints were forced to leave their homes. In this bitter persecution, they lost their beloved Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, Joseph Smith. His association, teachings, testimony, and example must have left a deep imprint on their lives because they remained very faithful to the Church to the end. In the early part of the year 1846, the leaders of the Church admonished the Saints to sell their home in the beautiful city of Nauvoo along with their possessions and buy covered wagons, food supplies, machinery, and other necessities of life in preparation for their movement westward. President Brigham Young, who now was leader of the Church, told them of the Prophet Joseph Smith's vision shortly before his death of the Saints dwelling in the Valley of the Rocky Mountains. Brigham Young was allowed to see the same vision, and he predicted that they would become a great and mighty people and that the desert would blossom like a rose."
Next Flashback-Friday will tell of the Watts journey west, to Zion, and the birth of their son John Reneder in Council Bluffs Iowa in 1847, their 6th child (of 11). John Renelder Watts is Lenore Neeley Cornwall's maternal great-grandfather on the Neeley side.
* Elizabeth's great-grandmother on the Heath side is Waitstill Fuller, who is the great-great granddaughter of Edward Fuller who came to America on the Mayflower in 1620 with his wife and son, 8 year old son Samuel**. (See Mayflower Passenger List). Edward and his wife soon died and Samuel was raised by his uncle and name-sake, Samuel, also a Mayflower passenger. See Wikipedia entry for Edward Fuller .
** Samuel Fuller (see Family Search story) was married by THE Myles Standish to Jane Lothrop in 1635 in the recently settled Scituate, MA (which is a few miles north of Duxbury, MA). Samuel would build the 15th house in Scituate. Samuel Fuller and his family eventually moved to and helped found Barnstable on Cape Cod with his father-in-law, the reverend John Lothrop (Lathrop). Scroll down toward the bottom of the Wikipedia entry for John Lothrop and see some interesting descendants to whom we are related.
*** Interesting observation - Elizabeth Heath's birth is about 200 years removed from the Mayflower (1620-1815). The current generation of Cornwalls are 200 years removed from Elizabeth Heath (1815-2014).
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