( picture of Martha Toombs and picture of William Toombs)

Martha Arbon and William Toombs met in England and became engaged to be married.  All of the Toombs family were coming to Utah so William insisted on bringing Martha with them.  Since Martha’s two sisters, Ellen and Elizabeth, had also joined the church and were already in Utah she was anxious to come.  They left Liverpool on July 11, 1868.  Three days out from Liverpool on July 14th, William and Martha were married, on the boat coming over, by Charles W. Penrose (who was returning from a mission).

They were six weeks coming over.  They came across the plains with a company that W. B. Preston was in charge of.  Grandmother said that Brother Preston had little sympathy for the saints and would have them all walk no matter how ill they were, which caused ill feelings in the company.

When the Toombs family arrived in Utah, they settled in Willard, Utah where Martha’s sisters, Ellen and Elizabeth, were living.  The Toombs family were railroad men in England, so their work here was the same.

My mother Martha Ann Toombs was born in Willard, Utah in a very humble house February 10, 1870.  After this, grandmother Martha Arbon was an invalid for 27 years, so had but the one child.  Grandfather was put in Road Master and helped build the road from Ogden, Utah to Butte, Montana.  Grandmother had many interesting experiences in the early days of railroading.  They were at Promontory, Utah when the Golden Spike was driven, and then the road was built to Brigham and then to Logan.

They moved to Logan, Utah and finally built a nice home on West Center Street.  Grandfather built well for the house still is in use.

The road first was built from Collingston over the hill and along the west side to Wellsville and around the valley to Logan, Utah where the railroad shops and Round House were built.  From Logan, the road came up the east side of the valley to Preston, Idaho, and on to Pocatello.

History tells of the many times Martha went with her husband when she and my mother could stay in Pocatello, or Eagle Rock (now known as Idaho Falls, Idaho).  Several years later the shops and round house burned down in Logan, Utah, so the Railroad Company decided to build the shops in Ogden, Utah.  They brought the road through the Bear River gorge and up the West side of the valley to Pocatello, Idaho.

History tells of the very heavy winters and of the men who were sent over to the hills to dig the trains out of the snow and many times they had their feet frozen.  Grandmother and grandfather cared for the men until they were well again.

At this time they changed the narrow gage to the wide gage track and divided the section into three.

Grandfather was roadmaster from Ogden, Utah to Pocatello, Idaho.  Grandmother Arbon never wanted for anything, except for better health.  Grandmother and grandfather were very kind and liberal to everyone who needed it.  Their niece, Mary Griffeth lived with them from eleven years of age, until she married George Farnes, also Tommy (son of Thomas Arbon) and many people who came to grandfather for work.  They would take them in and give them room and board until they were working again.  Among this group was Evan Stevens of the famed Tabernacle Choir.  His home was in Willard, Utah but he had no work, so stayed with the Toombs family until he worked and could move his family over.  He paid his board by giving lessons to my mother Martha Ann.  She said it was through his encouragement that she became the fine musician that she was.

In the early 1890’s William Toombs retired from the railroad and moved to his farm in Benson Ward.

Two tragic deaths happened soon.  Tommy Arbon (12 year old son of Thomas Arbon) was kicked by a horse and died September 9, 1893, and Maratha Arbon Toombs passed away March 18, 1897.  They are both buried in the Logan, Utah Cemetary.

Martha Arbon and her husband, William Toombs were loved by all, for their help to the sick and distressed, charity to the poor and goodness to all.  They held her services in Logan, 2nd Ward, her home ward.  She is buried in Logan at the side of her husband.