Andrew Prior was born the first of August 1802 in Tidenham Gloucester, England.  He was the son of Andrew Prior, born in 1772,  and Mary Nightingale.  His family was of old English Stock and came from the heart of England.  He could remember the Battle of Waterloo.  He was a lad of 13 at time.

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Andrew Prior was one of 12 boys and one girl.  When he joined the Mormon Church in the year 1847, his family disowned him.  He was baptized by James Huish in Monmouthshire, England and was ordained an Elder by Edmond Jones on the 18th of August of 1854.

Andrew Prior and his wife, Sarah Ann Maycock, were the parents of seven children that we know of, but there may have been others that died in infancy.  One two children, George and Elizabeth grew to adulthood.  They emigrated to America with their parents on the ship,  Chimboraze,  which sailed from Liverpool for Philadelpia the 17th of April 1855.  Elder Edward Stevenson, was the president of that company,  They arrived in Philadelphia on the 21st of May 1855.
 

​​​My mother Elizabeth was 10 years old when they crossed the ocean. I can still remember her describing the large ship and how for days it stool comparatively still. So still that the grown people could dance on its deck.

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Andrew Prior, my grandfather, had brothers living in Illinois. He, my grandmother and their children, went first to Danville, Illinois where they leased a small coal mine, operating it and selling coal to the settlers there. They did very well in this business for six years and were in very good circumstances when they left Danville for Utah in 1862.  In the year 1860, Andrew Prior took out his American Naturalization papers

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They settled in Spanish Fork in the year of 1863 or 1864, and during the years acquired considerable property in and around the town. They bought the lot now owned by Frances Beck and built a two room adobe house. The house was close to the north fence as I remember most, was surrounded by trees. The one thing I remember most was a large floor clock about four feet high, with a long pendulum that swung back and forth behind the long glass door. This was the pride of my grandfather’s heart and I never hear the song, “My grandfather’s Clock”, unless I think of the old clock that stood in the corner of the room.

He was a real pioneer and did his part in reclaiming the desert and building up the community in which he lived. He was a good provider and worked hard to get ahead in this new country. he like most of the pioneers gave all that their children might enjoy the comforts of life and the advantages that this new country had to offer. The road was hard but they never faltered or complained.

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Andrew Prior was a tall, very thin man; there are no known photographs of him. He would never allow any to be taken of himself and would have nothing to do with photographers. His family would have them come and hide around the place, trying to get a picture of him, but he always seemed to sense it. He was a man of very clean habits. He neither drank nor smoked; he was frugal and industrious and was a very quiet and retiring man. He loved to sing and tell stories to his grandchildren, stories about the places in which he had lived.

He died at the home of his son, George Prior, on October 14th, 1895 and is buried in the Spanish Fork Cemetery.

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What was their life like when they lived there?

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Life in Tidenham, Gloucestershire in 1802 would have been shaped by its unique position in the Wye Valley, straddling the border between England and Wales. This rural parish, perched dramatically on cliffs above the River Wye, was home to perhaps 800-1,000 residents living in a landscape of ancient woodlands, limestone quarries, and small farms.

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Most inhabitants would have been agricultural laborers, tenant farmers, or involved in local industries. The area's abundant forests supported charcoal burning, essential for the iron industry that was beginning to flourish in the nearby Forest of Dean. Small-scale quarrying of the local limestone provided building material and lime for agriculture. Some residents worked as boatmen on the Wye, transporting goods between the growing industrial centers.  The social structure was typical of rural England - a handful of gentry families owned most of the land, with the Church of England rector holding considerable influence. Most people lived in simple stone cottages with thatched roofs, often sharing space with their animals. Families were large, and child mortality was high. Education was limited, usually provided by the parish church for those lucky enough to receive any schooling at all.

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Daily life revolved around seasonal agricultural rhythms. People rose with the sun and retired early, working long hours during planting and harvest seasons. The main crops would have been wheat, barley, and oats, supplemented by kitchen gardens growing vegetables and herbs. Pigs and chickens were commonly kept, while cattle and sheep grazed the hillsides.

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The village would have felt quite isolated despite being only about 15 miles from the market town of Chepstow. Most people rarely traveled beyond neighboring parishes, and news from London or the continent arrived weeks late, if at all. The ongoing Napoleonic Wars would have been a distant concern, though local young men might have been pressed into military service.

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Sunday church attendance was virtually universal, providing not just spiritual guidance but also the main social gathering of the week. The church served as a community center where news was shared and local matters discussed. Folk traditions, seasonal festivals, and informal gathering places like alehouses provided other social outlets in this close-knit community where everyone knew their neighbors' business.

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