Sarah Jane Stay was born 30 May, 1847, apparently at the home of her grandparents Charles and Mary Lacey Pearce in Bristol England. Her grandparents had moved to Bristol from Wotton-under-Edge some 30 miles to the North in the county of Gloucester.

Sarah Jane's father's family (Joseph Stay) stemmed from the coast of Hampshire in the hamlet of Hordle. The Stay's were laborers who tilled the soil. Why Joseph left Hampshire and moved to the area of Gloucester where he met his wife Mary Lacey Pearce is not known. Her parents both had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and apparently met through the church contact.

Sarah Jane was the first of eight children, five of whom lived to maturity and had families of their own. Joseph and Sarah (Pearce Stay) and their little daughter Sarah Jane spent the next 11 years moving about from place to place in the county of Gloucester.

A first account of this period of her life is recorded in the 1851 census: "Pinfarthing Street, Sarah J. Stay visitor 3 years old, born Somerset, Bristol." (Census, Page 27 1-171, 30 March 1851 Minchemhampton Amberly Borough of Stroud)

The above entry was included in the Edward Day family census data. Edward was listed as a stone mason, age 37, and had a daughter Ellen age four years. Sarah and Ellen would have played together.

The Edward Day family were baptized into the LDS faith by Sarah's father Joseph Stay. This family then moved to Bristol and attended the LDS branch with Sarah's grandparents Charles Pearce and Mary Lacey Pearce.

From the above census entry, we speculate that Sarah's mother was home with her new baby brother, Joseph Hyrum one month old, while Joseph had taken Sarah age three years with him so as to not impair the mothers recovery. It would seem that Sarah's father may have placed Sarah Jane with the Day family while attending to his full time missionary work as a traveling Elder.

Sarah Jane was baptized into the LDS Church about 1855/56 when the family lived in the Chosen Branch. The village of Chosen is located near the city of Gloucester. (need to document the actual date and place of her baptism)

The family moved frequently and are recorded as living in Cheltenham, Nailsworth, Chalford, Minchemhampton Amberly Borough of Stroud, Bristol, Norton, and for a short time in Liverpool prior to their emigration to the United States of America. Not much else is known about Sarah Jane's life during this period.

Some time after October of 1858, the family emigrated to America. Records of the time would help us speculate that they left from Liverpool England to the Port of New York. We have not been able to locate the boat in which they sailed the Atlantic, but it would have been a sailing ship and would have taken several months for the voyage. The family utilized the Perpetual Emigration Fund to finance the crossing. This fund was made available to worthy members of the LDS Church. However, it is noted that Sarah was not listed in the PEF account, is it possible that she came to America before her family?

We would assume that the Stay family arrived in New York City late in 1858 with the family moving on to St. Louis shortly thereafter. It would appear that Sarah may have stayed in the New York area for some 13 years. This assumption is based upon the fact that Sarah Jane was born in 1847, married Charles C. W. Vaught on 3 June 1869. (recorded on family genealogical records) Charles Vaught was a mounted policeman and on 14 November 1871 was killed in the line of duty. Who she stayed with if that is the case we don't know. It is possible that Sarah Jane moved to St. Louis and then was taken back to New York to marry Charles Vought at age 22 years.

Dorothy Foulger Constable, Sarah's granddaughter remembers that Charles C. W. Vaught was a mounted policeman and when he was killed. Dorothy also indicates that grandma indicated that Charles Vaught was her only true love. (Note: we need to research the New York papers about the death of Charles and perhaps his obituary and also see if a marriage record is available. We need to find out more about Charles and see if we can construct anything about their living in New York for the period from their marriage and his death)

After Charles death, it would appear that Sarah Jane went to St. Louis to live near or with her parents. The next event is her marriage to James B. Rutherford which took place about 1874 which was prior to her first child, Ida Meda Rutherford who was born on 1 November, 1874.

Ida Meda Rutherford was an only child of this marriage, and was married twice, first to Henry J. Foulger Jr. then to Ezra Chase Smith. Ida Meda had two children by her marriage to Henry Foulger, Dorothy Constable Foulger and Kenneth Foulger.

One account indicates that James B. Rutherford was from a plantation family prior to the Civil War. The account indicates that he "was good to his colored help". (Note: we need to research the history of Rutherford, it is possible that considerable history about Rutherford could be compiled. We need to locate this family history).

A divorce is noted in the year 1883. The particulars of this marriage breakup and divorce are not known. A family account (from Dorothy Constable) indicates that Sarah and her baby daughter Ida Meda were put on the train by Rutherford after the divorce and sent to Salt Lake City, Utah to be with her parents. (Note: we need to check the St. Louis records to determine where and when the divorce took place, the divorce could have taken place in Salt Lake City)

It is interesting to note that Rutherford followed Sarah Jane to Salt Lake City. We find in the LDS Church Salt Lake first Ward records that James B. Rutherford was baptized into the Church on 30 January 1883 and was confirmed a member on 1 February 1883 by Bishop Joseph Warburton. Bishop Warburton's son Joseph Columbus Warburton married Sarah's youngest sister Rebecca in 1881.

Sarah was then married to William James Powell on 1 November 1884 in the LDS Endowment House in Salt Lake City.

James Powell was born in Bedford England in 1832. He was a pioneer who crossed the plains in 1853 and is reported to have acted as a scout for Brigham Young. He was married three times, first to Martha who died in England, then to Mary Ann Simpson and had 11 children with her. Powell's second family with Mary Ann Simpson was started in Missouri and then moved to Summit County Utah, St. Thomas Nevada, and Sevier County Utah. The family then resided in and around Emery county Utah where many family members if that family line live today..

Members of Powell's family indicate that his marriage to Sarah Jane was a plural marriage not sanctioned by Mary Ann, his first wife. (Note: There is some conflict regarding the particulars of the plural marriage, different sides of the family have different stories regarding the above marriage to Sarah Jane.) One account indicates that Mary Ann stayed in Price while William worked in Salt Lake City. He had wished her to move the family to Salt Lake and she chose not to do so. At this time William met Sarah Jane and married her. The account indicates that Mary Ann then divorced William and raised her family alone. Some contact is recorded between William and Sarah and the children of his first marriage with Mary Ann. It appears that Ida Meda and went by the name of Powell (and may have been adopted by William Powell). They knew each other well and corresponded over a period of years.

(Note: A history of William Powell (his personal journal) from his actual hand,  this history has previously been transcribed.  Gary Stay has located a typed copy, the original is held by  Shirley Nelson Powell (SLC).  The original  journal is highly brittle.)

An excerpt from William James Powell is here presented direct from his journal relating to Sarah:

"In 1882 in Salt Lake City, I met my third wife, Sarah Jane Stay.  We made acquaintance and on November 1st, 1883 we were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake.  On July 26, 1884 a daughter was born to us, Sarah Mabel Powell.  We lived in the Salt Lake First Ward for many years with Bishop Warburton as Bishop.  We then moved to Emerson Ward under Bishops Arbuckle, Lloyd, Blake and Bishop Brimhall."

The Salt Lake City Directory indicates that William and Sarah lived for a period of time across the street from her parents on 6^th East Street, they then moved to a home on Roosevelt Avenue.

William Powell died on 13 July 1928 in Salt Lake City.

In later years, Sarah Jane spent some time in Chino California where she lived near Ida Meda who was then married to Ezra Chase Smith. Sarah Jane died 3 December 1932 in Chino. Her death notice in the Salt Lake City newspaper is as follows:

"Died in her home in Chino, California, burial followed in the City Cemetery. Made her home here in Salt Lake City for many years, moved to California to live near her daughter. Surviving are 2 daughters, Mrs. Ida M. Smith of Chino Calif. and Mrs. Mable Perry (J.H. Perry of Salt Lake City. five grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

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