(picture of Ellen Arbon)  

 Ellen Arbon daughter of James and Susan Newman Arbon was born 20 July 1840, in Gravely, Cambridgeshire, England.  Ellen was the third child and the oldest daughter in a family of twelve children.  Ellen had very little education.  She went to work for people to help support the family.  At one time she worked in the palace doing ironing for the queen.

Ellen joined the church and was baptized 20 June 1856, by James Linford.  When she went to church she had to walk 18 miles one way.  One evening while sitting in church one of the Elders came down and placed his hand on her shoulder and said, Ellen, you are going to Zion and it won’t be very long.”  Just before Ellen was to sail, one of her brothers was killed by a horse.  She gave her mother enough money to bury him with.

Ellen arrived in America in 1862 and met a young man by the name of Joseph Robbins, who was sent to help bring the saints to Utah.  Joseph, upon arriving in Salt Lake City, took Ellen to Provo with him.  While coming across the plains Joseph used to tease her about coming to Utah to marry a man who already had a wife.  She was asked by a Mr. Tanner to marry him.  Ellen told him she would rather marry a man who only had one shirt to his name.

On 1 January 1863, Ellen and Joseph were married.  She joined the Relief Society in Provo.  Here three children were born to the couple.  The first two died shortly after birth.  The family moved to Willard.  Here five more children came to bless the home.  Ellen worked in the Relief Society in Willard and also joined the Mutual there.  In 1877 the family moved to Snowville.  Ellen was counselor to her sister-in-law, Mary Robbins Goodliffe and was later president for twenty years.

Ellen died on 25 October 1924 at Snowville at the age of eighty-four, and was buried there.  In her Patriarchal blessing she was promised that her name should be handed down from generation to generation.  She has five granddaughters, two great granddaughters, and two great great granddaughters that I know of.

Mrs. Emma Robbins Buxton