Preston: Alexander Neibaur - Brigham Young's dentist!!

Back in 1837 Old Cock Yard in Preston was lined with residential buildings; one of which was home to Alexander and Ellen Neibaur.  Alexander had a number of skills up his sleeve, but his most noted was that of being dentist to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young the Mormon prophets.   His story began across the channel...

Jewish heritage
Alexander Neibaur (1808-1876) was born in Ehrenbriesten, France (now Germany). He was born into a high class Jewish home - his father, Nathan Neibaur, was a physician, surgeon and linguist. Nathan and his wife Rebecca had hoped their son would become a Rabbi, but when Alexander turned 17 he chose to become a surgeon and dentist. After graduating from the University of Berlin (1823-1826), he converted to Christianity and moved to Preston where he met Preston-born Ellen Breakel (daughter of Richard and Alice Bannister Breakel both born in Longton, Lancashire). On 15 September 1834 Alexander and Ellen married and settled in Old Cock Yard.

Old Cock Yard, Preston

Dreamer of Golden Bibles and Angels
It was in this home that Alexander had a dream about a golden bible and an angel. The meaning of the dream eluded him, but one day he heard Ellen talking to a neighbour about some American missionaries preaching about angels and a new bible. Alexander felt sure this was the answer to his unusual dream and tracked the Elders down.  He found they were missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons or LDS) who had arrived in Britain in July 1837.  The interpretation of Alexander's dream soon became clear, and he was baptised in the River Ribble on April 9, 1838 by Isaac Russell, one of the Mormon missionaries. Alexander was probably the first Jew to become a member of the restored gospel. Ellen also joined after she had a dream. They emigrated from Liverpool to Nauvoo, Illinois on 7 February 1841 on board the ship Sheffield along with their three children (age 6, 5 and 2) and another due in May.
Nauvoo was the main home of the Mormon church prior to their trek west to Utah.

Dentist to the Prophets
Alexander’s dentistry skills were in great demand in Nauvoo where he advertised his practice in the Times and Season (the Nauvoo newspaper):

Alexander Neibaur - Surgeon Dentist

From Berlin, in Prussia, late of Liverpool and Preston, England

Most respectfully announces to the ladies and gentlemen and the citizens of Nauvoo as also of Hancock county, in general, that he has permanently established himself in the city of Nauvoo, as a dentist, where he may be consulted, daily , in all branches connected with his profession, Teeth cleaned, plugged, filed, the Scurva effectually cured, children’s teeth regulated, natural or artificial teeth from a single tooth to a whole set inserted on the most approved principle Mr. N. having had an extensive practice both on the continent of Europe, as also in England, for the last 15 years, he hopes to give general satisfaction to all those who will honor him with their patronage.

Mr. B. Young having known Mr. N. (in England) has kindly consented to offer me his house to meet those ladies and gentlemen who wish to consult me. Hours of attendance form 10 o’clock in the morning, to 6 at evening. My own residence is opposite Mr. Tidwell, the cooper, near the water. Ladies and gentlemen attended at their own residence, if requested.

Charges strictly moderate.              August 2, 1841 - Times and Seasons Vol. 2, p. 502 Also in: August 16, p. 513, September 1, p. 534; September 15, p. 550; October 1, p. 566;

You will note in the above ad that he set up his dentistry practise in Brigham Young’s Nauvoo home. Brigham and Alexander had met in Britain in 1840 when Brigham was also serving a mission to England, and worked on the streets of Preston.   Alexander went on to become the dentist to Brigham’s family and many other well known church leaders… including Joseph Smith the original Mormon prophet.  Joseph Smith had been attacked at the Johnson farm near Kirtland, Ohio, and a mob attempted to make him swallow poison and cracked his tooth in the process. Thereafter Joseph had a slight whistle when he spoke. Alexander, as Surgeon Dentist, worked on Joseph’s teeth and tried to correct that whistle.

Tutor of the Prophet
Alexander had knowledge of seven languages, namely English, French, German, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Spanish. While in Nauvoo he tutored the Prophet Joseph Smith in both German and Hebrew.

“Joseph the Prophet stayed at home to recite German with Brother Neibaur”      Church History - July 18, 1843.

He also holds the distinction of being the author of one of the few journal accounts of the First Vision which recounts Joseph Smith's divine instruction to 'restore' the Saviour's church.   The Neibaurs were in Nauvoo when Joseph and and his brother Hyrum were murdered and became actively involved in the defense of Nauvoo and the resulting exodus to Salt Lake.

Descendants
Alexander and Ellen had 14 children.  Joseph (1835), Margaret (1836), Samuel (1838), and Isaac (1839) were all born in Preston. Alice (1841), Bertha (1842), Hyrum (1844), and Leach (1846) were all born in Nauvoo. Rachel (1847) was born and died in Winter Quarters, Nebraska. The last five children, Sarah (1849), Rebecca (1851), Mary (1852), Matilda (1854) and Nathan (1855), were all born in Salt Lake City. Samuel, Rachel and Mary all died as children, but the remaining eleven lived to ages between 40 and 96.

Alexander died in Salt Lake City on December15, 1883 aged 75.

Today thousands of shoppers pass by the opening of Old Cock Yard without so much as a glance into its dark, dingy and dank interior. Little do they know that here once lived a man of dreams, a Jewish linguist, and a dentist of unusual distinction.

Sources
Bassett, Theda Lucille. Writing Between the Lines. Publishers Press, 1997
Davidson, Karen Lynn. Our Latter-day Hymns. Deseret Book, 1988
Garrett, Dean (Ed). Regional Studies in LDS History: Illinois
Givens, George. In Old Nauvoo. Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, 1990
Regional Studies, Ohio, Ogden - The Kirtland Hebrew School, p. 81-82
The Utah Genealogical and Historical magazine, April 1914., pp. 56-6

Blue Badge Guides on the Move

Just thought I would share with you all a photo of some NW Blue Badge Guides at the Singing Ringing Tree - not the best photo in the world but, it was a cold, fairly miserable day in March.

The guides regularly get together on what we call 'continuing professional development days' when we visit places of interest in the NW, and share our knowledge. On this particular day we visited Gawthorpe Hall, then on to the Singing Ringing Tree then to Helmshore Textile Mill.

Preston - Joseph Livesey

That was really great input about Joseph Livesey, Peter, especially the list of 'things I dont like to see'. To my mind that really sums up Joseph Livesey, the great caring person. He was wealthy, and to satisfy his social conscience he could have just given money, but no, he actively participated in helping people.

To illustrate this point I have included two extracts from Livesey's writings.

'Many a score of beds I have seen without a single blanket; sometimes with no covering but a thin cotton sheet....Few could believe how poor families sleep unless they saw it'. (Preston Temperance Advocate 1826).

Joseph Livesey also wrote in his autobiography about the 'orphans of Roach Bridge' (children brought by John Watson from the Foundling Hospital in London - 'Poor squalid deformed beings, the most pitiful objects I think I ever beheld.'

Preston - Poverty: Smells & Stuff by Peter Fagg

Just to carry on this theme of squalor & poverty I just want to share two lists I discovered. These were compiled by a Prestonian called Joseph Livesey. He was a dynamo of a man who will be getting his very own post in the future, but for today I want to share his list of "Things I do not like to see" and another one entitled "I don't like the smell from..." I like these lists because they add a sense of smell and everyday life to the Victorian Preston picture.

Remember these were both written in 1838. My remarks are written in italics:

"Things I do not like to see..."

•  A workhouse funeral almost without attendance.
• an orphan girl tempted to walk the streets for the purpose of prostitution.
• a country overseer putting out a poor woman by her shoulders.
• a poor lad going to the factory very much out of health.
• the bailiffs carrying the bed and chairs of a poor widow to the obelisk, to sell for rent.
•  a street of houses nearly all uninhabited. (many families moved in with others so they could share the rent. This was called 'huddling', but left many homes vacant)
• all the public pumps dry in hot weather.
• a window blind drawn up on one side twelve inches higher than the other. (Right....now you're getting picky :0) 
• orange peels thrown on the footpath (!!)

Joseph Livesey, Moral Reformer, Saturday February 10, 1838, p.45

"I dont' like the smell from..."

• a bedroom where the windows have never been open for days and weeks together (this man obviously never had teenage sons)
• Dirty straw which has laid some time in a damp cellar.
• a cart taking away dung from the privies during the day time.
• wiskets filled with fish upon a coach. (Wisket? I think it is a basket?)
• the dead carcasses of dogs and other animals thrown into pools of stagnant water.
• the effluvia from a person who perspires freely but seldom washes. (Try Lynx)
• a drunkards breath in a morning after a fuddle. (Fuddle = a drinking binge... or so I'm told)
• a cart laden with gas tar. (What's that??)
• a corpse kept too long in hot weather. (I hate it when that happens)

Joseph Livesey, Moral Reformer, March 24, 1838, p. 10

Japanese Group on tour of Lancashire

Blue Badge Tourist Guide Peter Fagg touring with a Japanese Group.

Preston - Poverty 1830s by Peter Fagg

Many of the American Mormon missionaries to Britain in the 1830s & 40s were struck by the poverty they encountered. On their first day in Britain in Liverpool Heber C. Kimball recorded,

"...wealth and luxury abound, side by side with penury and want. I there met the rich attired in the most costly dresses, and the next minute was saluted with the cries of the poor with scarce covering sufficient to screen them ...

Upon arriving in Preston he witnessed some even more dramatic scenes:

"Such sufferings I never witnessed before. The scenes which I daily beheld were enough to chill the blood in my veins. The streets were crowded with men, women and children who begged from the passengers as they walked along. Numbers of the poor, wretched beings were without shoes or stockings, and scarcely any covering to screen them from the inclemency of the weather; and daily I could discover delicate females walking the streets gathering up the animal refuse, and carrying it to places where they could sell it for a penny or half-penny. And thus they lived through the winter." (Whitney, p. 189)

In a letter to his wife, Orson Hyde observed:

They are extremely poor, most of them not having a change of clothes decent to be baptized in, but they have open hearts and strong faith. We have taught them nothing about the gathering for they have no means to bring them to America, let alone procuring a place…. The brethren will frequently divide the last loaf with us, and will do all in their power for us… They are very kind to us where we are, but their circumstances will not allow them to do much for us without pay. I have frequently seen the tender and delicate females with their old pails or baskets in the streets gathering up fresh horse dung with their naked hands, and then go and sell it and get a penny or two’s worth of bread for themselves and hungary [sic] children… (Barron p. 97)

In January 1840 Wilford Woodruff arrived in Preston and observed:

The streets were crowded with the poor both male and female going to and from the factories with their wooden clog shoes on, which make a great rattling over the pavement. The poor are in as great bondage as the children of Israel in Egypt. (Woodruff, p.405)

So...
the above quotes are the voices of LDS missionaries. What about the other voices? What were local observations of these same scenes? I'm just going to share one quote with you today for you to compare.

The following comes from the pen of Rev. J. Johns of Liverpool as recorded in Joseph Livesey's paper the Moral Reformer printed in Preston on Jan. 27, 1838:

"Within these few months, I have seen, what, had I not seen it, I could not have imagined.  ...Few could have seen the scenes which have passed under my eyes (especially during the month of the late trying winter) without feeling that the times has indeed arrived, when man should go forth to the relief of his brother.

Mothers, newly become such without a garment on their persons, and with infants nearly as naked, lying upon straws or shavings, under a miserable covering, without fire or food, or the means of precuring them; children taken from their schools, in order to earn by begging...

...mothers of families only able to provide necessities for their children by pawning their little all, or by incurring debts whereever they could be trusted.

...infirm and aged people, who were shivering out the last hours of life in absolute want of everything that could sustain or endear it.

Sobering stuff!!

Sources
Barron, Howard H. Orson Hyde: Missionary. Apostle. Colonizer. Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, Utah (1978)
Livesey, Joseph. The Moral Reformer. Preston Jan. 27, 1838 p. 26
Whitney, Orson. Life of Heber C. Kimball. Bookcraft, Salt Lake, Utah (1888)
Woodruff, Wilford, Wilford Woodruff Journals, edited by Scott G. Kenney. Midvale, Utah, Signature Books, 1983.