Daughter of George Washington Gibson and Mary Ann Sparks

Married Lott Elisha Huntington, October 1861

Married James Andrus, 17 September 1863, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Children - Lottie Lavina Andrus, George Judson Andrus, Medora Andrus, John Edwin Andrus, Moses Willard Andrus, Robert Nathaniel Andrus, Alexander Burto Andrus, Charles Andrus, Thomas Garland Andrus, Vilate Andrus, Etheal Andrus, Pearl Andrus

Heart Throbs of the West, Kate B. Carter, Vol. 10, p. 378

Manomas Lavinia Gibson Andrus--Death at 10:30 p.m., Friday, May 31, 1940, brought to a close the life of Manomas Lavinia Gibson Andrus, 98, and known for years as the oldest living pioneer woman of the west, and the last one of the original pioneers of 1847. She died at the home of her granddaughter, Mrs. Clyde Graff, whom she raised, and with whom she had resided for many years. She suffered a severe heart attack one week earlier and was bedfast until her death.

Born in Ottawa County, Mississippi, March 10, 1842, she was the tenth of eleven children born to George Washington and Mary Ann Sparks Gibson. She was about four years old when her parents joined the L.D.S. Church and began the trek westward. They left Mississippi in the summer of 1846, but wintered at Pueblo, due to her father's illness of typhoid. Later they joined Capt. Brown's attachment of the Mormon Battalion and came on to Utah, arriving one week after the main division of Brigham Young's party. Up to the time of her death she remembered clearly many of the harrowing incidents of the winter spent in Pueblo, where she, with her sisters and mother, were the only women folks.

Her mother was an invalid, and being younger she was at home to care for her until she was fifteen. She worked out for several months, receiving one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) per week for house work, washing, ironing, and sewing. Among those she worked for was Zina Young (wife of President Brigham Young), in the Bee Hive House.

Early in 1862, her father moved his family to Dixie, settling at what is now known as Grafton. Later she came to St. George to stay with her sister Laura, who had married James Andrus. Lavinia became his plural wife, September 12, 1863. She lived for five years at Duncan's Retreat, later moving to Grafton. In 1872, she moved to the Andrus ranch at Canaan, where she lived for twelve years, part of the time at Pine Valley. For five years her home was a wagon box, with twelve to fifteen men to cook for. Much of the time she was alone, while her husband, Captain of Indian expeditions, was on duty. She was the mother of thirteen children.

Blind for eighteen years, she had never been depressed by this great affliction and continued to keep her time employed, hemming dozens of tea towels, washing dishes, and attending thousands of sessions of the L.D.S. Temple at St. George. Through these years of blindness she has enjoyed every care and tenderness from her children, grandchildren, and the love and respect of all who knew her. She continued to attend the temple until December, 1939, and to attend Sunday services, social gatherings, meetings of the D.U.P., one camp of which honors her name. She was for more than thirty-five years an active member of the Stake Old Folks Committee.--Deseret News--June 1, 1940.

Experiences of Manomas Lavina Andrus

Heart Throbs of the West, Kate B. Carter, Vol. 2, p. 84; One of the Mississippi Saints

Manomas Lavina Gibson was born in Monroe County, Mississippi, March 10, 1842. Her father was George Washington Gibson and her mother was Mary Ann Sparks. They were the parents of eleven children, Manomas being the tenth child.

When she was about four years of age, her parents, with others of the family, were converted to the truths of the Gospel and commenced the long journey to Utah. (The Utah Chronology records the following: "June 1, 1847, the Pioneers arrived at Fort Laramie. A group of Saints numbering seventeen persons, who had left the State of Mississippi the previous year, joined the pioneers at that place. It was a part of the company who had wintered at Pueblo; the remainder of the company came on with Captain Brown's detachment of the Battalion and arrived at Ft. Laramie on the 16th, continuing next day, hoping to overtake the Saints.) Manomas was in the part of the company which came on with Captain Brown's detachment of the Mormon Battalion.

When they arrived at Pueblo in 1846, her father took sick with mountain fever (typhoid), and it became necessary for them to spend the winter there. Pueblo at that time was only a small trading post with a few log buildings. Even though but a small child, one incident in particular impressed itself upon her mind very clearly. One night during the long Pueblo winter, several of the men were gambling in a building adjacent to that occupied by the Gibson family, when an argument arose over the card game. One of the men was killed and Grandma relates that she could hear the gunfire of the men who pursued the murderer, who was later apprehended, shot to death, and, as her father was a carpenter, from some rough logs he fashioned a coffin in which the murderer was buried.

In interviewing Mrs. Manomas Andrus concerning their stay at Pueblo, Colorado, Hazel Bradshaw quotes her as follows:

"My father, mother and eight children were on their way to Utah with the company of Saints from Mississippi when he developed a severe case of what they thought was malaria fever, though it was most likely typhoid fever. Fearing that he would die before we ever arrived at our destination the leaders advised mother to stay in Pueblo until he was better, or until his death, so he could receive proper burial. Of course I didn't understand all this at the time as I was only about five years of age. I do remember well though, the kindness of the Spanish women living in Pueblo and their immaculate cleanliness. Though their homes were log as I remember them, the floors were scrubbed snowy white and everything seemed spotless to me.

"Father being too sick to work, we were dependent upon the kindness of the people for our food, and well I remember having these kind women take me and my baby brother to their homes and give us our dinner. And such good dinners they were, too. Most of the homes had their flowers and gardens, so the people seemed very well fixed to our childish eyes.

"The Indians were troublesome though, as they were in all settlements, and I can plainly remember seeing some of them sitting on the floor as mother was stringing green beans for dinner. As a bean would fall they would grab it, chew it up, then spit it at her. But she didn't pay any attention, but just went on with her work, for we had to try to avoid trouble with them at all costs. Most of the people living in Pueblo were Spanish, though a few were English, American and other nationalities, but the kindness of the Spanish mothers made a lasting impression upon my mind.

"While here two of my older sisters married—one to a member of the Mormon Battalion, who took her with him to San Bernardino, the other to a wealthy merchant of Pueblo. When we left Pueblo after father's recovery, the merchant promised to bring her on to Utah as soon as he could arrange his business affairs, but she died there a year or so later, leaving a tiny baby girl. The husband was later killed by Indians as he was in his corn field not far from home, so the little girl was sent east to relatives to be educated. I remember very little of the rest of the trip to Utah, so nothing of a serious nature must have happened and we soon found ourselves with the Saints in Utah."
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1930 United States Federal Census

Name: Menoman L Andrus
Home in 1930: St George, Washington, Utah
Age: 88
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1842
Birthplace: Mississippi
Relation to Head of House: Head
Race: White

Household Members: Name Age
Menoman L Andrus 88
Clyde Graff 27
Catharine Graff 26 (Granddaughter)
Gaye Graff 3 4/12
Dale C Graff 1 7/12

Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, Mississippi Company (1847); Age at departure: 5