Samuel Lorenzo Adams

Our Stake President is named Thad Adams. He's a born and raised Utahn, so I had to ask if he had any ancestors from southern Utah (St. George in particular). He didn't know, but did say he had some Cedar City connections. I am guessing that might be close enough to connect up.

Our Samuel Lorenzo Adams was born in Tipton, Staffordshire, England in 1833. He joined the church at the age of 15 or 17, depending on which account you read. He returned to his native land several times as a missionary, had three wives and 14 children, eight of whom lived to adulthood. His oldest daughter (the surviving one of a set of twins), Eleanor Jackson Adams, married William James Frazier McAllister. She became the mother of Richard Samuel McAllister, the father of Luetta and Eleanor.

Here is part of an experience he wrote to a grandson who was on a mission in England. A copy of this letter is in the Church Historian's Library in SLC. I thought we had a digitized copy of the book Eleanor McAllister Hall wrote on that includes this story, but I can't find it right now. When I do, or when I get it digitized, I will post it on my rootsweb pages: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~goodoldhg/
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In the month of June, 1865, diptheria raged in the city of St. George. Two of our children, John H. Adams and Minerva Adams, fell beneath its heavy stroke inside of 24 hours. As naturally may be expected, this cast a heavy gloom over our home. One of the most devoted mothers mourned as none but mothers can, and like Rachel of old, refused to be comforted. ...

Our next door neighbor was Apostle Erastus Snow, who occasionally came in to speak a word of comfort and try and change the trend of dispairing thoughts. Seeing the condition of things upon one visit he said, "Sister Emma, you must desist from this course or these little children will soon have no mother, and as the Lord has taken part of your children you had better try and make the best of taking care of the balance." With this she burst forth with, "Oh, that God would only lighten my heart with knowledge of where my children are, or if anyone has care of them. To me they are gone. I see them in my mind in a fathomless abyss from whence they may never return to me." [Apostle Snow said,] "Sister Emma, I want you to desist from encouraging this despondent feeling and rely upon God your Father, and if you will do so, God our Father shall give you  a witness of where and by whom your children are taken care of."

It was late in July or early in August, the sun had set. The mother [Emma] said to her eldest daughter (about 12 or 13 years old), "Eleanor go to the bedroom and get me Ettie's night dress." The girl obliged and started through the dining room (for Mother was on the East porch) to the bedroom door. No sooner was the door pushed open than she, in a transfixed condition, beheld one of the most lovely sights the eyes of mortals ever beheld. A lady, dressed in white apparel with long dark flowing hair hanging over her shoulders and with the most pleasant, happy countenance, smiled upon her, and having two children upon her arms. Fear had fled from the mind of the little girl and she looked til her mind was satisfied. She identified the two little children, she had cared for one of them about two years, and the other a few months.But there was another personage whose age and face she could not comprehend. The vision presently passed away. She returned to her mother in a very excited condition, saying, "Oh mother, I know you will not believe me, I can not tell you what has happened." She continued in this mood until about nine o'clock the next morning when to our joy she disclosed the foregoing story. After telling of John and Minerva she said, "Who was the little girl holding the skirt of the young lady and appeared to be about 12 or 13 months old?" We immediately informed her that she once knew the little girl but had forgotten her as she died at 13 months old and was her twin sister. She described the suit she was dressed in even to the narrow satin ribbon her shoes were tied with, so that her mother could not fail to know it was her little darling Emma.
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Note: The young lady holding the children was Ellen Emma Lishman Adams, a niece of Samuel Lorenzo who had joined the church about the same time he had joined, but who died before she could emmigrate to Utah.