The following is a history of Levi Webster and Agnes Higgs Webster given at a family reunion.
HISTORY OF LEVI WEBSTER AND AGNES HIGGS WEBSTER
Levi Webster and Agnes Higgs Webster, father and mother to Eliza Webster Flint wife of John Frederick Flint and mother, grandmother, great grandmother and so--on, of all of us here today.
Eliza Webster Flint's great grandfather, Thomas Webster, was born in Hitchin, Herefordshire, England on 7 February 1790. The men were employed in agriculture, children from age five to grannies were employed in the straw plaiting industry. This plaited straw was sold by the yard to make hats for which Luton and Hitchin were and still are famous. (plaited means to braid).
Thomas Webster at the age of twenty three married Mary Brent, on 12 October 1812. They were the parents of nine children, three sons and six daughters.
Ann Baptized 6 June 1813
*William 15 Oct 1815
Sarah 26 July 1818
Louisa 14 Mar 1821 died in a week, buried at Luton Elizabeth " 10 Apr 1822 died at a year old.
Joseph 26 Mar 1826
James 20 July 1828
Mary 4 Aug 1833
Eliza 1834
A son was born on 15 October 1815, at Lunt, Bedfordshire, England, to whom they gave the name of William. William is Eliza Webster Flint's grandfather.
William Webster married Hannah Day, daughter of James day and Mary Seabrook, (note: I have found record showing her name is Mary Draper. Ora) on 14 October 1837, in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. They were the parents of nine children. Four of them died and were buried in England before the parents left there for America. The children who were buried in England are:
David 14 Nov 1849
Sarah Elizabeth May 1852
Ann twin 14 Aug 1854
Annie 14 Aug 1854
The children who came to America were:
George 7 May 1838
Mary Ann 12 Mar 1840
*Levi 1 Jan 1843
Sarah 7 Jul 1844
Ellen 14 Apr 1847
A son was born 1 January 1843 at Luton, Bedfordshire, England. This son was given the name of Levi, his parents selecting the name from the Bible. At the age of ten years Levi Webster with his parents, brother and sisters immigrated to America in 1853. The family of William Webster were six weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean, landing in New York. After arriving in America, they stopped for a time in Mormon Grove, near Atchinson, Kansas. Here they drove oxen to plow some ground before moving westward.
Upon their arrival here in the Territory of Utah---the Websters came to Kaysville and settled adjoining the Flint homestead.
At the age of fifteen Levi Webster together with his parents and the settlers of northern Utah, and residents of Davis County all numbering 30,000 deserted their homes in early summer of 1858, upon the approach of Johnson's Army of 2,500 armed men. After peace was established, the settlers returned to their various homes and continued with their occupations.
In 1866 Indians attacked several times, scalping and killing the settlers and stealing their livestock. As time went on these Indian difficulties became more serious. Companies of Utah soldiers were sent from the north to protect the people in the south. The people in the south had to desert their homes and move to older and stronger towns for safety. One hundred forty four men left Davis County to help settlers in southern Utah in their war with the Indians, known as the Black Hawk Indian War.
Levi Webster was one of those men that volunteered his services during these trying times and this is how his name became a part of our State's history by having a part in the Black Hawk Indian War. Levi was a scout for his captain, Captain Burton. Levi was acknowledged for his was service posthumously (after his death).
This same year Telegraph lines were built through Davis County.
It may be due to this service and his record for dependability that Levi was asked to act as a body guard for Brigham Young. From Cache Valley on the north to St. George on the south---400 miles apart. Brigham Young made these contacts by horse and buggy while his body guards were mounted horsemen, traveling behind and ahead to guard him against the Indians and wicked men. Levi was Brigham Young's body guard for one year.
At the age of twenty two, on 1 January 1864, Levi married his sweetheart Agnes Higgs in the old Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Agnes was born 1 March 1850, to David Higgs and Eliza Dodwell in Cheltenham, Glouscester, England. She was the second of ten children.
David Jr. 25 Dec 1848
*Agnes 18 Feb 1851
Louisa 13 Jul 1852
Moses 16 Apr 1855
Rose Rebecca 17 Apr 1857
Abraham 7 Oct 1859
Izzacker 1862
Harriet Emily 13 Jun 1864
Annah Elizabeth 1 Sep 1867
Mary Ellen 1 Jul 1869
Agnes came across the plains when she was seven years old. Her baby brother Izzacker was born and died in 1862 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The baby of the family Mary Ellen was born on 1 July 1869 in Kaysville and died there.
Levi and Agnes were the parents of eleven children, two boys and nine girls.
James Levi 28 Oct 1868
A year before James was born grasshoppers partially destroyed the farm crops in Davis County.
Mary Ann 23 Oct 1868
The year Mary Ann was born the Utah Central Railroad connecting Ogden and Salt Lake City was constructed through Davis County. Until the railroad was built, coal was hauled by team and wagon from Coalville to settlements in the county. It required five days to make a round trip.
Harriet Emily 26 Sept 1871
A year before Emily was born Pioneer families who took up homesteads in Clinton hauled water in barrels from the Weber River.
Susan 23 Oct 1873
*Eliza 23 Oct 1874
A year after Eliza was born the first grain headers and horse power threshing machines were purchased for use in the county. It was now possible to harvest and thresh 25 acres of wheat in one day. The first brick school house was built in Layton where Sunday School was held on the Sabbath. Ninety percent of the children attending came without shoes during summer.
Amanda 23 Dec 1876
The year Amanda was born Syracuse was settled by pioneers. Artesian wells in the western area supplied water for the people and their Livestock. Drinking water in eastern Syracuse was obtained from hand dug wells, 50 to 100 feet deep.
Rose Ellen 13 Jan 1880
A year after Rose Ellen was born, water was diverted from the Weber River near the mouth of Weber Canyon by the Central Canal Company which was later taken over by the Davis and Weber Counties Canal Company. This was the beginning of an irrigation system that brought thousands of dry farm acres under water in Davis County.
Lawra May 1 May 1886
The year before Lawra May was born, baseball teams representing Layton, Kaysville and Bountiful organized a league of their own for recreation. Keen rivalry developed when games were delayed.
David William 23 May 1888
Agnes Lottie 11 March 1894
Two years after Lottie was born, President Grover Cleveland on January 4th signed the proclamation which admitted Utah into the sisterhood of states. The occasion brought joy to Davis County citizens.
Agnes Higgs Webster was set apart to care for the sick and to prepare the dead for burial. She was very industrious and full of life at all times. She was a very good housekeeper, wife and mother. She saw many hard and trying times while raising her family. She believed in God and her church. At a party she was always very happy and made fun for others.
Agnes had been feeling very miserable for quite some time, but when Mrs. Flitton passed away she was able to be out and assisted in preparing the corpse for burial. When she returned home from performing her duty for her dear friend, she was taken ill again and after lingering a week, passed away on 3 December 1894 at 3 o'clock in the afternoon at her home in Kaysville.
Levi Webster was a hard worker and very industrious, running a farm and taking care of a large family. In his later years he was a freighter, driving a wagon train with oxen from California to Montana. Walking thousands of miles during his life.
After the death of his beloved wife Agnes, he married Mary Edith Marston. There were four children born of this union, two of whom survived. They were Alma and Ruby Webster.