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- Eliza was born in Lockwood, near Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. They were well-to-do farmers. Eliza was one of four children; two boys and two girls. She attended the schools of England getting a common education for that time.
At the coronation of Queen Victoria, Eliza was a flower girl. There were a large number of small girls who acted in this capacity, carrying flowers and singing “God Save the Queen.”
They left for the Salt Lake Valley with the Edward Martin Handcart Company. When they reached a spring, they pitched camp. They had to use fry pans and tin plates, for they had no shovels, to clean away some snow in order to pitch their meager tents. More than one hundred and forty of the Martin Company perished after they left the Platte and in that little cove. Many died each night.
It is possible that practically the entire Martin company would have perished had not rescuers from the Valley found them when they did.
Eliza and her children suffered greatly. Her little son, Joseph, carried the marks of their perilous journey to his grave as his foot was frozen and he lost two of his toes.
They finally reached the Valley on November 30, 1856. Eliza had hoped to stay with a cousin, William Cusworth, but found he had become discouraged and taken his family back to Iowa. She and her children were taken to the home of Isaac Laney where they were taken care of and stayed for a few weeks.
Later this little family were taken to Pleasant Grove, Utah. Here she met Nathan Staker, a widower with several children and they were married in the Spring of 1857.
Eliza became stepmother to three of Nathan’s children; Aaron, Mary and Joe Staker.
Their first child, James B. Staker was born in 1858. In 1859 they moved to Mt. Pleasant where they helped pioneer Sanpete County. They went through the Indian Wars, grasshopper war and passed through many hardships incident to pioneer life.
Later three girls were born to them; Eliza Jane, Josephine and Ellis.
In 1878, Nathan’s mother, Cornelia Snooks Staker came to Utah from Illinois. She was ninety-four years old and blind. She lived with the Staker family from then until she passed away at the age of 100 years. She sat in her chair most of the time and hardly ever left her room. Eliza took very good care of her.
Nathan Staker passed away on May 30, 1885 at eighty-three years of age. He was buried on June 2nd, in Mt. Pleasant.
Eliza continued to live in their home and was active in the Church and in doing many things for her family. All her grandchildren loved to visit her. She was visiting her daughter, Mrs. Eliza Jane Staker Day in Fairview, when she took very ill and died three weeks later, April 9, 1914. This was still at her daughter’s home. She was ninety years old. She was buried in Mt. Pleasant beside her husband.
Eliza was a faithful Latter-day Saint. She always attended her meetings, paid her tithing, and was a good Relief Society worker. She taught her children to be honest Latter-day Saints.
Her living descendants at the time of her passing away numbered ninety-six; two sons, four daughters, forty-five grandchildren and forty-five great-grandchildren.
Eli Azariah Day married Eliza Jane Staker.
International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, Vols. I-IV. Publishers Press, 1998.
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1824 - 1914 (90 years)
