GEORGE NAYLOR
George Naylor
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Isabella Insley Naylor
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George was born in London, England in 1851. His wife, Isabella Insley, was born in London, England in 1850. At the age of 12, George started apprenticing to be a blacksmith and was very successful in learning the trade. George and Isabella were married in 1871, and in 1873 George left London for New Zealand. Soon after he arrived, George set about building a home for his family in Christchurch. The family lived in New Zealand for 13 years and George had a thriving business in Wuys Bush. While there, the family joined the Mormon church and George quickly started to lose business, so he left New Zealand and went to the States. After landing in San Francisco, California, George tried to find work but was unsuccessful. Having very little money left George decided to walk the 900 miles to Utah. George would try to find work in towns that he passed through to purchase food and rest. After arriving in Willard, Utah, George rented a blacksmith shop and started saving money to send for his family. After a year of working, he was finally able to have his family join him in Willard in October of 1886. In 1890, the family moved to Logan and lived there until 1899, when they were called to come to Canada by their church. The family set out for Magrath on July 5th, 1899, with four wagons of provisions and belongings in tow. When they arrived, their church assigned him to one of the first six houses and he started a blacksmith shop, which was the first public building in Magrath. George passed away in 1927 at the age of 75, and his wife passed in 1928 at the age of 78.
FAMILY
George and Isabella had 13 children together: Isabella Mary (Stevenson), Florence (passed as infant), William Henry (passed as infant), Arthur Charles, Margaret (Gibby), Beatrice (Meldrum), John (passed at 6), Ellen Nellie (Rolph), Alfred (passed at 2), Amelia (passed at 2), George Jr, Elizabeth (Lacquement), and Joseph (passed at 28).
Back (L-R): Elizabeth, Ellen, Margaret, Beatrice, Isabella M.
Front (L-R): Arthur, George, Isabella, George Jr.
OCCUPATION AND SKILLS
As a blacksmith, George won considerable esteem for his work. He was a man of honourable method and strict integrity. He built a workshop of clapboard, tearing apart his hay wagon to secure the wood needed for a roof. The ceiling and walls were then covered with tarpaper. George was also interested in farming, having purchased land near Magrath. Isabella was known as an excellent seamstress, having learned the trade as a young child to support her family. She also acted as a Relief Society Block Teacher in Magrath.
INTERESTING
Great Britain, like other European Countries, has experienced many epidemics of dreaded diseases, one of which was the Asiatic Cholera in 1853, which was fatal in nearly all cases. On Broad Street, the Street where Georges parents lived, almost every resident was hard hit by the dreaded malady. There were fifty-six cases of cholera. Out of this number, George and one of his brothers were the only survivors. George had been given up as dead and was prepared for burial. As he laid in his little casket his grandmother came in to give him one last glance, exclaiming, “He is not dead!” and decided to prove it by placing a mirror before his mouth. A moisture quickly formed on the glass. This experiment saved him from being buried alive.
