The Sarell Family

The Sarell Family

By Lawrence Peahl

October 2004

The Sarell family has been traced back to Edward Sarell in England in the first half of the eighteenth century. He was married to Elizabeth Ellis on 10 Feb 1785 in Frithelstock, Devonshire, England. Devonshire was the home of the Sarells during this period. Although I have no specifics on Edward’s birth date or place, he probably was also from Devonshire. They had three children Raymond Seldon Sarell (1786 - ??), William Sarell (1788-??) and our ancestor Robert Dullam Sarell, born in Bideford, Devonshire[1] on 2 May 1792.

There is a reference to Robert in a website listing Exeter Working Papers in British Trade History. The site lists him in Bideford in Devonshire as the Globe Inn Innkeeper with a mention of a bankruptcy on23 Aug 1827. Whether it was his or someone else isn’t stated.

Robert married Betsy (also spelled Betsey) Benison (b. 1 Jun 1788 in Exeter, Devonshire). They were married in Bideford on 19 Aug 1813. Betsey’s mother was Jane Marks, and the name Marks shows up in several descendants. Church records in Bideford list a number of Sarells as well as families with surnames of Searle, Searell, Searl, Saroll, Sarels, Sarles, and Searls. It appears that at least some of these were from the same family.

Robert and Betsy had eight children: Robert Henry (1814-??), Jane Marks, Raymond Seldon (1817-??), Hannah Marks (1818-1819) who died in infancy, and Edward Sarell (1819-1820) who also died in infancy. Our ancestor William Marks Benison Sarell (note the names surfacing again) was born on 17 Oct 1821 in Bideford. The remaining two were another Hannah (1822-??) and John (1823-1890). Hannah and Jane were apparently unmarried and were living together in 1890 in Sidwell, Exeter, Devonshire. John eventually followed his brother William M. B. to Golden, CO.

William Marks Benison (W.M.B.) Sarell, after a limited education, began working in his father’s tin shop at the age of twelve. Five years later he went to London and clerked in Louis & Company’s hardware store for five years and then returned to London where he met and married Amelia Fuller (b 31 Jan 1807 in England) on 19 Nov 1849. He was 28 and she was 41 at the time. They had one child, William Marks Sarell, who was born on 21 Jan 1851 in Holsworthy which is near Bideford in Devonshire. The fact that Amelia was almost 44 at the time may explain why she had the one child only.

After engaging in the hardware business in Devonshire, in 1856, W.M.B. decided to bring his family to America. They sailed out of Plymouth, Devonshire on a ship called theLady Peel.[2] Young William was only five at the time. He recalled later how they were driven back from Newfoundland to the Bay of Biscay on the coast of France. After setting out again, another storm took the mast and cookhouse from the ship. With their water supply down to one pint a day, they finally landed in Quebec Cityin October 1856. After receiving a supply of water and vegetables, they boarded a steamer sailed up the St. Lawrence River to Port Hope on LakeOntario.

One year later they moved up stream about 20 miles to Bowmanville, which is about 30 miles east of Toronto where W. M. B. engaged in the stove and tin business. After four years, in 1860, the elder Sarell left Amelia and young William in Bowmanville and headed to the United States. He went to Central City in what was then still the KansasTerritory.[3] Gold had just been discovered there in May 1859. There he became a miner for three years and then opened a hardware and tin store in 1863. His wife and son remained in Bowmanville where young William went to school, his only education.

Then in May 1864, Amelia (age 58) and son William (age 13) set out to join W.M.B. in Central City. William describes in an autobiography written in 1939 how they made the trip. They went by rail on the Trunk Railroad to Detroit and then Chicago where they spent three days. They continued by rail to Grinell, Iowa. From there they went by stage coach to a place called Big Grove Stage Station[4] where they were loaded onto a two-horse wagon. Picking up supplies in Plattsmouth, Nebraska they crossed the Missouri River by ferry. Now in a wagon train with three wagons, three men, the driver and his wife, Amelia and William made slow progress going about 20 miles a day. Indians were on the warpath and they spent one night between two burning ranch houses raided by the Indians. They finally reached Denver after 30 days on 23 June 1864. This was a journey of about 1,600 miles.

After having to cross the PlatteRiver on a ferry, they arrived in Golden, Colorado on June 25th. W.M.B. had come to Denver to meet them, but couldn’t locate them so he walked back to Golden[5]and was still unable to locate is wife and son, who were trying to ford a creek and lost a horse. After walking another ten miles or so to Guy Hill, he eventually met up with Amelia and son at Golden Gate. From there they went to the top of Smith Hill where W.M.B. went on to Central City and his wife and son walked the eight miles where they finally met up for good.

They remained in Central City until 1866 when the moved to Golden. There W.M.B. set up a hardware store and a drug store on Twelfth Street. William tells about joining up to fight Indians in the Jefferson County Guard in 1868 (age 17), but he was never in combat. He did learn what the life of a soldier was like. He wrote that in 1942 there were only two of his original company left. In 1867-68 he served as a page boy in the Colorado Territorial Assembly which met in Golden, the territorial capitol at the time[6]. He recalled later that the only significant thing they accomplished was a vote in 1868 to move the capitol to Denver.[7] He was also a personal friend of George West, the founder of the Colorado Transcriptnewspaper[8], and he used to help with running the presses.

William began an apprenticeship as a tinsmith with his father in about 1867. In 1875 W.M.B. turned over the hardware business to William.

W.M.B. had a long career of service in the temperance movement. As early as 1849 he was a delegate to the first World’s Temperance Convention in London. In 1873 he was a delegate from Colorado to the Right Worthy Grand Lodge in London. In 1879, he was elected Grand Worthy Chief Templar for the states of Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. W.M.B. lived until 22 May 1908 when he died in Golden at the age of 86. Amelia preceded him in death on 4 Jan 1894 just short of her 87th birthday.

William in the meantime married Laura Macon Simons (born 8 Nov 1858 in Missouri) on 15 Nov 1876 in Denver shortly after he assumed the operation of the hardware store. He dabbled in politics in 1877 when he served as the Clerk and Treasurer for Golden. He and Laura lived at 1512 Ford Street from 1881 to 1944. He had a long career in the hardware business retiring in 1940. “Billy” as he was known was an esteemed member of the community.

William and Laura had six children, all born in Golden. Raymond H. Sarell was born in 1876 and died in 1944, the same year as his father. He worked with his father in the hardware business. Their second child was Della M Sarell who was born about 1884 and married Phil D Gleason. I haven’t been able to find either of their death dates.

Their third child was my ancestor Edward Dullam Sarell born on 10 Oct 1885. After graduating from GoldenHigh School he went to work for the Coors Porcelain Company as a toolmaker where remained until his retirement. Sometime before 1912 he married Loretta May Wells who was born 15 Jan 1894 in nearby Georgetown. He served on the Golden city council at one time, and lived at 1501 East Street. He and Loretta had five children, all born in Golden: Laurene Rosalie Sarell, my mother, was born 29 Dec 1912and died on 6 Sep 1995 in Bakersfield, CA; Edward Dullam Sarell Jr, born 3 Jan 1916, married Lila Belle Dulaney, and died 26 August 1973 in Golden; Ethan Allen Sarell born 27 Feb 1918 currently lives in Downey, CA; Elizabeth May Sarell born 1 Apr 1920 married Fred Olmstead (1919 – 2003) and currently lives in Folsom, CA; William Benison Sarell born 19 Aug 1921, married Loraine Haken, and currently lives in Downey, CA. Edward and Loretta were divorced in the early 1930’s and he later married Goldie Northcutt. Edward died on 23 Aug 1964 in Arvada.

Loretta’s family traces back to Francis Cooke who came over to America on the Mayflower in 1620. Her grandfather Sidney Allen was related to Ethan Allen (1738-1789) who led the Green Mountain Boys in Vermont.

William and Laura’s fourth child was William Marks Sarell Jr, born 8 Jul 1887. He married Eva in about 1916 and they had one son Donald (1921 – 1971). William Jr was an electrician in Denver in 1930and died in June 1972 in Golden.

The fifth child was Jessie Sarell who was born 9 Oct 1888. She married Arthur H Rudd (1875-1928) who was a surveyor. She died in Aug 1979 in Cleveland, OH.

The sixth child was Benison Sarell who was born in Aug 1891 and died less than a year later in Golden.

My mother, Laurene Rosalie Sarell graduated from GoldenHigh School in 1931 and shortly after came to California with her mother Loretta. She worked as an elevator operator in the C.C.ChapmanBuilding. Mr. Chapman was a benefactor for CaliforniaChristianCollege in Orange which was named ChapmanCollege in 1934 in his honor. At that time he met Lawrence Harman Peahl from Taft, CA who graduated from the University of California in 1932 in with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was working for the Southern California Gas Company in Los Angeles at the time. They were married on 19 October 1934 at Wee Kirk O’ the Heather in Forrest Lawn, Glendale, CA. In July 1935 he was transferred to Lancaster, CA where I was born on 30 April 1936.

In October 1939 he was transferred back to Los Angeles and lived in Eagle Rock near Pasadena. My sister Barbara Jeanette Peahl was born on 15 June 1941 while there. In July 1943 Harman was located back to his home in Taft where we lived on the Gas Company lease located east of town. His final transfer occurred in Jan 1948 to Avenal located about 75 miles north of Taft. While there Harman contracted a fatal case of pneumonia and died 20 November 1950. Laurene, Barbara and I moved back to Taft in January 1951. In 1959 Laurene married Norman Jensen “Bill” Milford. He died in 1987 and she remained in Taft until her death on 6 September 1995.

[1] Bideford is a port on the north coast of Devon and dates back to 1272. It thrived as a trading port with the Americas in the 16th through 18th centuries. Today it is primarily a resort.

[2] The Lady Peel was built in Quebec in 1843 and was eventually abandoned in the north Atlantic in 1872. It sailed to Quebec from 1850 to 1856.

[3] The ColoradoTerritory was formed out of the KansasTerritory on 28 Feb 1861.

[4] There is no place by that name today.

[5] Golden, first settled in 1858, was known as GoldenCity until 1872.

[6] Golden became the territorial capitol in 1862.

[7]Colorado would not become a state until 1876.

[8] Founded in 1866.