Sunday, January 31, 2016

John Shawcroft & Annie Maria Jensen (3rd Great Grandparents)

Old Richfield Church


David Earl Shawcroft, Son of John and Annie

The Life of David Earl Shawcroft

Richfield, Colorado 1884
Life Story as Told to His Son Wade Smith Shawcroft I was born the l7th of June in the year 1887 at Richfield, Conejos, Colorado. My parents were John Shawcroft and Annie Maria Jensen. My father came from England on a boat and my mother came from Denmark. Mother was eleven weeks on the ocean when she came. There was a disease that broke out among the people on the boat and mother was the only child that survived. Father was nine weeks crossing from England and thought at one time that they would never make it as the boat hit an iceberg and turned over on its side. But, finally, the boat turned back over and floated on. One person said that if there hadn’t been so many faithful saints on the boat it would never have made it. There were six boys and four girls in our family. There were five brothers still living at the time of this writing and two sisters. They were all faithful in the church. My brother John also served twenty years in the Colorado State Legislature. All are living in the San Luis Valley. Their occupations are farming and stock raising. John, Nathan, Hyrum and David all served as Bishops. John and Nathan were among the first pioneers. Lewis was the first boy born in Richfield. As a boy I helped on the farm. I herded sheep, and gathered milk cows from the range. I remember one time my brother Frank and I went to get the cows. Our mother had just bought us a derby hat. We were just small boys and had to be helped on the horses. After we had ridden quite a ways out where there could be no one to help us on our horses, our hats blew off. We debated quite awhile as to whether or not we should get off and get the hats or just leave them there. We finally decided to just leave them there because we would have had to walk several miles on foot if we had gotten off. There weren’t many fences then, just open range. At night we would tie up all the horses and cows in the stables. We would carry hay and put it in the mangers. Every day we had to clean the stables. We tied the stock up because there were no fences. I have had many prayers answered. Many people say their prayers aren’t answered, but I could never say that about mine. I remember once on my mission we were traveling to go to a conference at Nauvoo. We had a long walk to make to catch a train. Before we crossed a marsh there was not a sign of a house. When we crossed the marsh, we saw a house about a mile and a half away, so we decided to go the other way and see if there wasn’t one alittle closer. We found one but only the lady was home. She told us that her husband had gone to a place up the road where a little boy had just died. She said if she hadn’t been alone she would have given us entertainment; but she was afraid if her husband came home and found strange men, he might not like it. We said okay and told her that we understood. We asked her if she knew where we could get entertainment. She said she could think of none since the house where her husband was had just had a death. We then thought of the house back up the road so we decided to go there. We knew it was either this house or outside for us that night. Before we knocked, we knelt and prayed that the people would make us welcome and would say come in and would entertain us for the night. We knocked and they said “come in” and the lady readily accepted us. The next morning her daughter played the piano for my companion who sang and we had an enjoyable time at this house. The mother said “I just don’t know why we asked you in last night. We are not in the habit and we never say come in when people knock at the door.” Also, she said that they were Roman Catholics and just couldn’t understand why they entertained us. This certainly was a testimony to us. The prayer had been answered so distinctly. We had a good comfortable home in my youth. We were very economical and worked hard. We had no extravagances. My parents were pioneer people who came to the valley when there was nothing. The children helped in the support of the family. Mother made lots of our clothes. We used to take our wheat to a grist flour mill in Antonito so it could be made into flour. We made our own soap from lard that was rendered when we butchered. My parents were very religious and we all attended meetings regularly when we were small. We spent all of our evenings at home. Apples were something unusual. Once in awhile the neighbors would come in and we would sing songs and recite and mostly just visit. My education was very meager. My first teacher was Orland Funk. He had a heavy mustache and studied parts for plays. There was only one school teacher for everyone from Kindergarten to Adults. Some of my teachers were Iris Whitney, Jim Dyer, Walter Huffaker, and Mary Jensen. We only went to school in the late fall and would go only until Lincoln’s or Washington’s birthday. This was usually three months a year. When we stopped in February, we would go to work in the fields and oiling harnesses. In school we went over the same books every year. I went through four readers. I went to school off and on until I was thirteen and then the boys went into partnership and had to work. The books that we used from year to year were worn through where we had held our thumbs on the pages. We went over and over and over the same thing. There was not much order. People used to say if they went by the building where school was being held a roar could be heard. We were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar, some geography and a little history. I was baptized the first of August 1895 by W. F. O. Behrman in the canal in Richfield. I was confirmed the same day by Ephraim Coombs. During my courtship days I was Ward Clerk and had to attend meeting until 4:00 in the afternoon. I would then ride my horse to Manassa to see Martha. I would get there around 8:00 or 8:30 and could only stay until 10:00. We went to lots of dances and took lots of prizes for being the best dancers. Groceries were the prizes. I was afraid to ask Martha to marry me so I fasted and prayed two days before I could get up the courage to ask her. Then she said that she would with her father’s permission. I really dreaded asking her father’s permission. I finally went and found her father in bed reading with a coil lamp by his side. He listened attentively and said it would be all right with him; that we had his consent and good wishes. We were married the 9th of June 1909 in the Salt Lake Temple by John R. Windsor. This was about a month before I got my mission call. Martha’s father got married the same time we did. Also, my brother Lewis and his wife Clara went with us to receive their endowments. We went to Fountain Green for our honeymoon on the train from Salt Lake. When we got on the train to go back to Salt Lake, the conductor saw our tickets and said we were supposed to be on the train behind, so he stopped the train and let us out in the middle of the country. It was quite awhile before the next train came by and we had a time catching it. The tragedies of my life were when we lost our two little girls. Our first one, Zina, died when she was three years old of diphtheria, and our sixth one, Lucy, died of intestinal flu when she was three years old. Another tragedy was when our son Amel, and son-in-law, Alden, were killed in an airplane crash. I get the most joy out of reading church books and books about the gospel. My great ambition is to live to celebrate our golden wedding anniversary. I have raised an honorable family and feel that there is no sacrifice too great for the good of my children. We have lived in several different houses. We lived in a brick house near Richfield for several months and then in a two story brick house in Richfield from 1912-1942. All of our children were born here in this two story house. The remainder of the time we have lived in our home on the Head Ranch seven and a half miles north of La Jara, Colorado. I served in the Northern States Mission from 15 August 1909 to 5 May 1912. Ordinations: Deacon by Henry Behrman Teacher by Henry W. Valentine 12 April 1908 Elder by Walter W. Huffaker 6 Mar 1909 Seventy by Hyrum M. Smith 26 Apr 1909 High Priest by James E. Talmage16 November 1912 Served as Bishop 16 November 1912 to March 1932 Patriarchal Blessing by James C. Berthelson 14 February 1899 Information received March 1957


Inside Borglum Monastery


Borglum Denmark
Windwill near Borglum Denmark

Maria Jensen Shawcroft—Her Story

“There was a flower whose petals were faith, courage, love, service, Humility, work, sorrow, kindness, thrift and devotion-a flower Long gone, whose fragrance lingers on—and on—and on……" — Author Unknown Ane Marie Jensen (Maria’s name is shown here as it appears in all of the Danish records. After coming to America, it was anglicized to Annie Maria (pronounced Ma-rye-yah).. Her brothers Jens and Anders became James and Andrew; her sister Ane became Annie, and her mother Maren became Mary. Most of the account of her life given herein will give her name as Maria, except in cases where quoted directly from Danish Records) was born on a farm near the village of Borglum in the County of Hjorring in Vendyssel, the most northerly province of Demnark. Since very olden time, Vendyssel has been inhabited by a tough and independent race of small farmers and fishermen called the Vendelboer. During the many centuries of Feudalism, Danish peasants were forbidden by stringent laws to move or travel from place to place. Thus, if a person was born in a certain place, all of his descendants were born, lived and died in that same place or within a very few miles of that place. Consequently, we can be certain that Ane Marie’s ancestors for many centuries lived in or near Borglum. Although Borglum is a small village of about three hundred people, it is rich in the history of the hardy and liberty-loving people who dwelt there. The first building built in Borglum was a royal residence erected on Boel-Hill where the windmill now stands. Here came King Canute II in the year 1086 with his royal retinue. Being in want of money, he sent his men out to levy taxes from the population. These northern peasants, who had never before had to face such an impost, reacted strongly. They arose to a man, and armed with such simple weapons as they possessed, they chased King Canute and his followers down through Jutland and to the neighboring island of Funen. Here the king and his men took refuge in the Church of St. Alban at Odense. While kneeling in prayer before the high altar, the king was killed by a spear thrown in from outside through one of the church windows. From very early times, the religious influence was strong in Borglum, and this influence is reflected many years later in the lives of Ane Marie and her people. About 1130, Borglum became a bishopric or Catholic headquarters for all of the county north of the Liim Fiord and remained so until the Reformation. Shortly after 1030, some friars of the Premonstratensian Order of the Catholic Church built a monastery there and started to erect an adjoining Cathedral of the Diocese. The original plans for this cathedral were monumental, but had to be curtailed for lack of money. The monastery buildings were erected on their present scale in the 13th and 14th centuries, and this became the principal monastery of the Premonstratensian Order in the north. The Bishops of Borglum had great power all through the middle Ages and were highly respected by the kings of Denmark. When King Christian Ill adopted the Protestant religion as the state religion of Denmark in the 1500's, he confiscated the monastery and it’s considerable properties along with all other property in Denmark owned by the Catholic Church. From 1536 to 1665, the King entrusted his interests in Borglum to several feudal noblemen. In this period both the church and the other monastery buildings fell greatly into decay, so that about 1600 a deputy of the King was authorized to demolish a part of the monastery in order to use the materials to repair the nave and aisles of the church. Other of the buildings were altered so as to provide suitable quarters for the kings when they visited Borglum. The monastery with its adjoining church eventually passed into private ownership. In the 1700's a prominent Danish architect, Laurids de Thurah, became the owner of this property, and it was he who restored the buildings to their present condition. He made some changes in the interiors and furnishings, but the outer walls are in the main the original ones from monastic times. This monastery, called the Borglum Kloster, is still privately owned and is operated as a tourist attraction. Because of its great antiquity, many people visit it each year, especially in the summer time. This monastery is located about one mile West of the village of Borglum and was a familiar landmark to Maria and her family. Borglum has one other claim to fame. One of its native sons, Jens Moeller, emigrated to America where his two sons became noted American sculptors. Solon Borglum, the elder son, is noted for his sculptures of western, cowboy and Indian subjects. The younger son, Gutzon John Borglum, was the creator of the great stone faces of famous American on Mount Rushmore. The village of Borglum lies about four and one-half miles from the ocean. Maria probably visited the town of Furreby, which was the coastal town nearest to Borglum. Vejby (pronounced Weibye), the home of Maria’s mother and other relatives, is very near to Borglum—just about one and one-half miles northeast of Borglum. Demnark’s location, nearly surrounded by the sea, gives it a mild, damp coastal climate. For most of the year, rains and mists are frequent, but the annual average rainfall is moderate for a land constantly swept by winds from the North Sea. The geography books tell us that the soil of Denmark is made up of sand tossed by the sea and blown inland. Except for one small strip of land on farther north, the Danes have successfully, through hard work, anchored 250 miles of coastal dunes to the land by the roots of grasses and evergreens, and have made the country into a very fertile and productive land. Borglum and the surrounding area is a typical example of the efforts of a hard-working people to conquer the land for their use. Maria’s father was Jens Jensen, a farmer. He is referred to in some records as Jens Jensen Loth (pronounced Lute in Danish). After much searching, we have come to the conclusion that loth was the name of the fann where Jens lived and worked, and this name was used to identify him from other men by the name of Jens Jensen. The patronymic system of surnames in use in Denmark up to 1860, whereby children were given the first name of their father plus “sen” (son) or “datter” (daughter) for their surnames, resulted in many people having the same names. To complicate matters, ninety percent of the common names used total about thirty-five names. Therefore, it was common to add an identifying name to the regular name for better identification. This name was usually the place where they lived, their occupation, or sometimes the name of the people they worked for. In 1860, when the Danish government passed a law requiring all Danes to take a fixed surname, many people kept these identifying names as their fixed surname. To our knowledge, Jens Jensen did not use the name Loth after coming to America, although his brother-in-law, Jens Christen Andersen Weibye, refers to him throughout his Journal as Jens Jensen Loth. The exact location of Jens Jensen’s farm is unknown. In the history of Andrew Jensen, we find the following statement, “Our home was near the sea. My father leased a piece of land from the government. When I (Andrew) arrived at school age, I attended school but not as regular as I should have, as the school house was far away, and I was afraid to go through the woods”. Present day maps show very few wooded places near Borglum. The parish records of Borglum reveal that other people there had the identifying name of Loth also, and we are inclined to believe that Loth Farm was east or southeast of Borglum, possibly quite near to Vejby. Maren Andersen, Maria’s mother, was Jens Jensen’s second wife. His first wife was Annie Svendsen. Jens Jensen was born at Tolstrup, which is a village six or seven miles south of Borglum. Of the four children born to Annie Svendsen Jensen, apparently the first three were born at Tolstrup, after which the family moved to Borglum and the fourth child was born there, as there is record of only the one birth in the Borglum Parish Register. Little is known of any of these children except Karen. When Maria was born, Jens and Caroline may have already established homes of their own. Karen, then seventeen years old, was living at home with her father and his second family. The youngest child was ten months old when his mother died. He may have died in infancy or while still a child, or there is a possibility that Annie Svendsen’s relatives took him to raise. At any rate there is no record of him with the Jensen family. Annie Svendsen Jensen died on July 14, 1839 and six months later, on Jan. 23, 1839, Jens married Maren Andersen, age 26, of Vejby. Vejby is a very small village of about one-hundred people. lt still has a very old Lutheran Church which was built in the 16th Century. It was in this small church that Maren’s people worshiped, as they lived in Vejby for centuries. Maren’s brother, Jens Christen Andersen Weiby, wrote this in his Journal: “My father, Anders Pedersen, was a very religious man. He died May 31, 1837 At the age of 67. My mother, Maren Nielsen, was born in Frustrop, Borglum, Logn. She died in Vejby May 1, 1839. Their children were Maren, born 15 July 1813, Sidsel Catherine born 7 Sept. 1815, Johanne Marie, born 5 Dec 1817, Niels Peter, born 16 Nov. 1819, Niels Jensen, born 28 May 1822, and Jens Christian born 26 Sept. 1824. My father’s parents were Peder Andersen Weibye and Karen Mathiasen. His grandparents were Anders Andersen Weibye and Sidsel Andersen Loth Weibye Logn. My father’s Brothers and sisters were Mathias, Christen, Sidsel and Ane. They all died Under seven years of age.” At the time of her marriage to Jens Jensen, Maren Andersen was 26 years of age. He was 38. Consequently, at her marriage Maren became the step-mother of young Jens Age 10, Caroline Age 8, Karen Age 4 and Baby Jense about 1 year old. In the Lutheran Church parish records for Borglum the births of Maren’s own children are recorded as follows: Jens born Jan. 10, 1841, Anne borne Jan. 20, 1843, Anders born Aug. 31, 1848 and Ane Marie born Oct. 15, 1852. It is interesting to not that the second child was registered at birth as Anne instead of Ane, the usual Danish name for Annie. Since Maria was not a very talkative person, little is known of her childhood in Denmark. We can assume that she lived the usual happy, busy life of the children of that time. She learned to work, she learned and played along with her brothers and sisters and cousins. At an early age, she learned to herd and milk the cows, to make butter and cheese and to care for the dairy products. The Danish always had chickens and geese and she cared for these also. It was here that she learned the secrets of good cooking, which is a special talent ofthe Danish. She learned to sew and care for the house. It was in her childhood that she learned to be neighborly, a characteristic which lasted throughout her life. Friends and neighbors and relatives would meet together to quilt and sew, to eat and just to visit. If Maria went to school in Demnark, we have no knowledge of it. She learned to read and write, but possibly could have learned this in Utah. School attendance was required only of the boys in Demnark for many years. Maria dearly loved her sister Annie, who was nine years old at Maria’s birth. Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came early to Demnark. Elder P.0. Hansen was the first, arriving in his native land on May 11, 1850. At the close of the year 1850 there were about 130 members in Demnark. J .C.A. Weibye recorded in his Journal, “Feb. 5, 1854, I went to Sejlstrup-Mark to Christian Sorensen’s and heard Mormonism preached for the first time by Lauritz Larsen and Jens Peter Jensen. I believed it and was baptized 16 Apr 1854.” The Aalborg Conference of the Danish Mission was organized in Nov. 1851 and consisted of all of the saints residing in the northern part of the Jutland peninsula. At that time there were four branches, Aalborg, Bronderslev, Frederickshaven, and Hjorring. However, the Church grew so fast in northern Demnark, that on Aug. 14, 1852 the northern part of the conference was removed from Aalborg and the Vendsyssel Conference was organized. Prior to the large emigration in 1862, there were about seven-hundred members in the Vendsyssel Conference. In the Encyclopedic History of the Church by Andrew Jensen, Church Historian, the statement is made, “No province in America or Europe has in comparison to area and number of inhabitants yielded so much good material to the Church as has the little province of Vendsyssel”. Vejby was on of twenty-seven branches of the Church in the Vendsyssel Conference. Uncle Weibye, after his conversion, was a zealous missionary, but it was several years before his sister Maren and her family were converted. The dates of their baptism were all different with the exception of Jens and Jens Jr., who were baptized at the same time. Perhaps, all members of the family had independent spirits with minds of their own as exemplified by Andrew, who states in his history, “When I was between eleven and 12 years old my parents, brothers and sisters accepted the Gospel and were baptized, but I refused to be baptized as I did not believe in it. After hearing the Gospel explained many times by the Elders who came to our home, I finally accepted the Gospel and was baptized by Elder Chute Brown. It being the dead of winter and very cold, I cut the ice so that I could be baptized.” The sequence of the baptism dates of the Jensen family shows that the women of the family joined the Church first, just as in the Shawcroft family. The dates are as follows: Karen baptized 21 Oct 1855 Age 20; Maren baptized 26 Feb 1857 Age 44; Ane baptized 14 Dec 1857 Age 14; Ane Marie baptized 13 Apr. 1861 Age 9; Jens Sr. Baptized 10 Nov. 1861 Age 60; Jens Jr. Baptized 10 Nov 1861 Age 20; Anders baptized 29 Jan 1862 Age 14. In the year 1862, Uncle Weibye wrote in his journal, “In this eight years the following of my relatives were baptized. 1. My sister Maren and her husband Jens Jensen and their five children who were Karen, Jens, Ane, Anders, and Ane Marie. 2. My sister Sidsel Catherine and her four children. 3. My sister Karen, her husband and children. We were 24 baptized in Demnark. Others are baptized in Utah.” Obviously, either he erred in writing this or a mistake was made in copying as he had no sister by the name of Karen. In a prior entry, he listed his sisters as Maren, Sidsel Catherine and Johanne Marie. Nowhere in uncle Weibye’s journal does he mention that the Saints of the Vejby Branch were mistreated because of joining the Church. There must have been some intolerance shown them, but their primary reason for wanting to emigrate to America was to join and be with the other Saints in Utah. From Uncle Weibye’s journal we read, “In 1862, 210 emigrants from Vendyssel Conference left to go to Zion. I went to Copenhagen to get American Gold for $28,000 Danish Dollard. The 1st of April we were released and allowed to emigrate the same spring for which I was very glad. 323 emigrated and went to Zion, but some of them died on the journey to Zion”. The presidency of the Scandinavian Mission had made a contract with a Mr. Robert M. Sloman of Hamburg, Germany to carry the Latter-day Saints from the port of Hamburg to New York. For several months, the preparations for the large emigration had been going on in the different conferences throughout Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The emigrating Saints from the Jutland Conferences in Denmark Went directly by land to Hamburg. Most of the others gathered at Copenhagen by land and sea, and from there made their way to Hamburg in different companies. Upon arriving in Hamburg, the saints found four ships anchored in the Elbe River off Hamburg awaiting their arrival, the “Electra”, the “Athenia”, the “Humboldt” and the “Franklin”. The “Humboldt” carrying 323 emigrating Saints was the first ship to leave on April 9, 1862, a Wednesday. On Tuesday April 15, 1862, the ship “Franklin” sailed from Hamburg with 413 emigrants, nearly all from the Aalborg and Vendyssel Conferences. This group included Maria and all 413 emigrants, nearly all from the Aalborg and Vendyssel Conferences. This group included Maria and all of her relatives who left Demnark at that time. Captain Robert Murray was captain of the ship and the Saints were in charge of Elder Christian A. Madsen, an elder returning home from his mission. He chose Jens C.A. Weibye and Lauritz Larsen as counselors. On board the ship, the company was organized into 8 districts with the following brethren as presidents: Jens C. Thorpe, Jens Christensen Kornum (great grandfather of Monte B. Comum) Niels Mortensen (Lynge), Lars P. Fjeldsted, C. P. Booregaard, C. S. Frost, Thomas Larsen and Jens Andersen. Jens F. Mortensen was appointed baggage master and Anthon H. Lund interpreter. Chr. Andersen was made Captain of the guard. Uncle Weibye gives this account of the journey to Hamburg: “Sunday, April 6, 1862 we left Vendyssel. April 3 we left Kiel by rail and arrived in Altoona at 2PM. Late in the day we embarked in ship “the Franklin” for America. On Tuesday the 15th of Apr. We sailed from Hamburg and came to Cuxhaven April 18 where we waited for a good wind till Monday the 21st, when we sailed again and got into the British Channel on Monday the 28th.” In the book History of the Scandinavian Mission by Andrew Jensen, Church Historian, the following is given by J.C.A. Weibye: “We went on board the “Franklin” in the evening of Tuesday and I was appointed to locate the emigrants in their bunks below deck. These bunks (illegible) in number were so wide that three persons easily could have room in one of them side by side. After getting our baggage in order, we received our rations and provisions. These consisted of beef, pork, peas, beans, potatoes, pearl barley, rice, prunes, syrup, vinegar, pepper, coffee, tea, sugar, butter, rye bread, sea biscuits, water, flower, salted herring, salt and oil (for the lamps). We lighted 11 lanterns every night, 6 of which belonged to the ship and 5 to the emigrants. We hired an extra cook in Hamburg for 90 rigsdaler, and besides him two of our brethren served as assistant cooks. We thus had our dinners nicely cooked in about the following routine, viz, Sunday we had sweet soup, Monday, pea soup; Tuesday and Wednesday, rice; Thursday, pea soup; Friday, Barley mush, and Saturday, herring and potatoes. Some of the emigrants carried the measles with them from home and the disease soon spread to all parts of the ship, so that no less than 40 persons, mostly children, were attacked at once. Many of the emigrants were also suffering with diarrhea, which caused very much weakness of body. We lost the appetite for sea biscuits, but learned to soak them in water or tea from 8 to 12 hours, which softened them so that they could become more palatable. The sick were served twice a day with porridge made from barley rice or sago, and almost every day pancakes could be had by the hundreds for the sick who could not eat the “hard tack” (sea biscuits). Wheat bread was also baked for some of the old people. We held a council meeting every night, and the sanitary conditions of the ship’s apartments were attended to with great care. Three times a week the decks were washed and twice a week the ship was thoroughly fumigated by burning tar. A spirit of peace prevailed and very few difficulties occurred. The Captain and crew were good-natured and obliging, and so were the cooks, who even served the sick when they were not on duty. We held at times meetings of worship on the upper and lower decks, and every morning at 5 o’clock the signal for rising was given by the clarionet or accordion. At 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. a similar signal was sounded calling the Saints to assemble in their several districts for prayer. Most everyday we amused ourselves a short time by dancing on the deck to music played by some of our brethren or a member of the crew. We could thus have had an enjoyable time, had it not been for the sorrow occasioned by the many sick and dying among us on account of the measles. Up to this date (May 27) 3 adults and 43 children have died, nearly all from measles. During the last few days the chicken pox has also broken out among us and four cases have already developed. We have had head winds most of the time, otherwise we could have been in New York before now, for the “Franklin” is a first-class ship. We have been very little troubled with sea-sickness.” Fortunately, Maria and her brothers and sisters escaped the measles, which must have been a particularly virulent form. Uncle Weibye’s two children, Anemine and Petreane Magretha both contracted the disease, but survived the voyage. However, Anemine, weakened by sickness, never completely recovered and died when they reached Hannibal, Missouri. How heart-breaking it must have been for this group of Saints to lose so many of their young children at sea. The account from the History of the Scandinavian Mission continues: “On Thursday, May 29th” in the forenoon, the “Franklin” arrived in New York. The emigrants were placed on a transport steamer to be landed at Castle Garden, but on arriving at the wharf, they were not permitted to go ashore, because of some cases of measles yet existing. After 18 of the sick had been taken into the hospital, the rest were returned to the “Franklin” and there remained on board two more nights and a day. Finally, on May 31st they were landed at Castle Garden, where they were met by Elders Chas. C. Rich, John VanCott and other brethren. A part of the emigrants did not have means to carry them further on their way to Zion than New York, but through the generosity of some of the Saints who were more fortunate, a sufficient sum was raised to take all of these poor Saints along, and with rejoicing, the journey was resumed, leaving New York May 31 at 9 P.M. by extra railway train to Albany, where they arrived the next morning June 1st. From there the journey was continued by train via Syracuse, Rochester, Niagara, Windsor, Detroit and Chicago to Quincy, Ill. And thence by steamboat across the Mississippi to Hannibal, Mo. And again by train to St. Joseph, Mo., where they arrived June 6. The following day they boarded the steamboat “Westwind” and left St. Joseph at 10 P.M. after having spend the “Day of Pentecost” in a way that was anything but pleasure (as there was very poor and crowded accomodations for so many people in this comparatively small vessel). The company arrived in Florence, Nebraska on Monday, June 9th at 10 o’clock P.M. Hans C. Hansen’s company which crossed the ocean on the “Humboldt”, arrived there a Week before. Among the persons who died in the “Franklin” Company during the voyage on the sea was Bro. Jens Andersen from Veddum (Aalborg Conference, Denmark), who with his own means has assisted 60 or 70 poor Saints to emigrate. He died on the North Sea on the 25th of April soon after the ship left Cuxhaven. On the way from New York to Florence, 2 children died, of whom one was the 15 month-old daughter (Anemine) of Jens C.A. Weibye. Eleven persons (4 adults and 7 children) died on the Plains, making in all 62 of the “Franklin” Company who died between Hamburg and Salt Lake City.” (That was about 15% of the total company.)” on Tuesday June 10th the emigrants pitched their tents a short distance north of Florence, and the necessary purchases of oxen, wagons, cows, etc. were attended to” In the Church Immigration Records we find the following record: Jens Jensen: age 60 Farmer Total: $1,665.00 Passage: $237.00 Team & Wagon: $540.00 Livestock: $90 (2 cows) Exch $786 Total $1665 Maren: age 48 Jens: age 21 Ane: age 19 Anders: age 13 Ane Marie: age 9 Livestock—4 sheep Nowhere in the immigration records are we able to find where Karen Jensen came to America. According to the family group record, she became the plural wife of Uncle Weibye, but no date of the marriage is given. Her endowment is shown as Dec. 5, 1863, and if this is correct, she must have married the year after the Jensens came to America. From the time they left Denmark, we have no further information about the family’s connection with Karen. Uncle Weibye says in his Journal: “I had 1/2 wagon with Jens C. Christensen Peel and each of us had two oxen. We were nine persons to the wagon. The company numbered 264 persons with 45 wagons of which 5 were drawn by 12 horses and 40 wagons were drawn by 175 oxen. Besides this we had 2 riding horses, 99 cows, 37 heifers and 7 calves. We were very lucky on this long journey of 1000 miles as the company did not lose over 10 head of cattle.” According to the record shown on the preceding page, Jens Jensen had sufficient means to purchase his own wagon and team and other livestock. He had money left over after his purchases were made so he arrived in Utah with some funds, indicating that, although he was not wealthy, through thrift and hard work, he had accumulated some savings for the trip. “Those who crossed the plains by the Church teams were organized into messes to receive their provisions from the commissary of the Company. A few of the emigrants had become apostates on the way and remained in the states. Among these were a blacksmith, J.P. Jacobsen, and Lauritz Larsen from Hojen, Christopher Thompson from Gaardholt, Vendyssel and others with their families. The rest of the emigrants remained in camp for several weeks (Uncle Weibyy says they left on July 14) it being over 5 weeks they spent at Florence before beginning the journey across the plains. A few days before the Company left camp, Florence and vicinity were visited by a terrible tornado, accompanied by rain, thunder and lightening, by which 2 of the brethren were killed and Elder Jos. W. Young received seven wounds from a wagon-box which blew down upon him. After the accident, he was carried to a place of safety in an unconscious condition, but recovered after awhile. The tents and wagon covers of the Company were badly torn and shattered on that occasion.” The only record of the remainder of the journey is in the Journal of Uncle Weibye as follows: “On Aug. 25 Sister Thomine Thomas age 20 died. This was the only death between Florence and Salt Lake City in our Company. We had fine weather all the time except a couple of days after starting and a couple of days at Fort Bridger. Traveling from Florence, Nebraska to Salt Lake City from July 14 to Sept. 23 we made the following distances: (Distances are given from starting place-Florence, Nebraska.) July 14— 3 ½ miles — Little Paper Creek; July 16–19 ½ miles — Elkhorn River; July 17 — 31 ½ miles — Platte Bluff; July 18 — 46 miles — To Island in Platt River; Jul2 20 — 80 miles — Soup Creek and Ferry; July 22 — 81 miles — Over Soup Creek Ferry; July 27 — 158 miles — Week River; July 30 — 211 miles — Elm Creek; July 31 — 221 miles — Buffalo Creek; Aug. 1 — 230 miles — Willow Lake; Aug 2 — 251 miles — Wide Dry Creek; Aug. 3 — 276 miles — Skunk Creek; Aug. 4 — 290 miles — Wide Deep Creek; Aug. 5 — 316 miles — Sandy Bluffs West Post; Aug 6 — 330 miles — Bluffs Spring; Aug 7 —342 miles — Rattlesnake Creek; Aug. 8 — 360 miles — Sandy Bluffs East Post; Aug. 9 — 379 miles — Sandhill Creek; Aug. 10 — 403 miles — Cobblehills West Post; Aug. 11 — 422 miles — Low Sandy Bluffs West Post; Aug. 12 — 442 miles — Chimney Rock; Aug 13 — 462 miles — Schott Bluffs; Aug. 16 — 512 miles — Fort Laramy (Fort Laramie); Aug. 19 — 544 miles — Alder Clump; Aug. 27 — 629 miles — Upper Platt Bridge; Aug. 29 — 639 miles — Mineral Springs and Lake; Aug. 30 — 659 miles-Small Creek; Aug. 31 — 679 miles-Devils Gate; Sept. 1 — 696 miles — Sage Creek; Sep. 2 — 720 miles — The Two Ridges; Sept. 3 — 735 miles — Ford of Sweetwater No. Five; Sept. 5 — 761 miles-Willow Creek; Sept. 6 — 778 miles — Pacific Creek; Sept. 7 — 803 miles — Little Sandy; Sep. 8, 9 — 826 miles — Big Sandy; Sept.10 — 836 miles — Green River; Sept. 11 — 851 miles — Blacks Fort; Sept. 14 — 886 miles — Fort Bridger; Sept. 16 — 904 miles — Summit (7315 elevation); Sept. 17 — 917 miles — Bear River; Sept.18 — 940 miles — Echo Canyon; Sept 19 — 955 miles — Weber River; Sept. 21 — 981 miles — Silver Creek; Sept. 22 — 994 miles — Parley’s Canyon; Sept. 23 — 1004 miles — Salt Lake City “We passed on the north side of the Platte River all the time. We saw some Indians in Omaha (the first Indians I ever saw) and now and then some between Florence and Salt Lake City, but they were all friendly.” “We stayed in our tents in the Eighth Ward Camp — ground the first night in Salt Lake, while most of the Company left in the afternoon and went out of the city each their own way. I had the pleasure to have some of my relatives with me, namely my sister Maren and her husband; Jens Jensen Loth and four children; Jens, Ane, Anders and Ane Marie, which all were baptized; my sister Sidsel and four children and others. It is a source of much joy to us that we are so many of our relatives here in Zion.” Obviously Jens Jensen and family left Salt Lake City soon after arriving and went south to Moroni, while Uncle Weibye and his family and possibly Sidsel and her children remained in Salt Lake City. Uncle Weibye mentions digging carrots for Pres. Brigham Young. Also, while tailoring (his trade) he received $1.00 and board per day. From the time they left Salt Lake City, we have little written information about the Jensen family. Delmar W. Jensen, son of Andrew says, “Father’s folks lived in the southwest part of Moroni, what we called “the bottoms” on the west side of the road in a little adobe house.” Since they arrived in Moroni in September, it was too late for any farming, so their attention was toward finding a place to live and obtaining feed for the livestock. As Jens had his own wagon and team, the family probably fared better than many of the pioneer families of that time. They had cows to milk, and with their inherent Danish thrift, managed to get along. As in other pioneer towns, people were good to help one another and thus they all got along somehow. Tragedy struck the family about nine months later-on June 28, 1863—when Maren passed away. Details of her death are unknown. She was only fifty years old, but the hardships of the long journey from Denmark, and the rigors of pioneer life also took its toll. Her children were all living at home at the time of her death. Maria and the other children loved and missed their gentle mother very much. The love they had for her is shown in the fact that all of them later named their firstborn daughters “Mary” in honor of their mother. Jens’ first daughter was Mary Catherine, Andrew’s was Mary Rosellia, Maria’s was Mary Maralda, and Annie’s first girl, who died before age two, was Mary Ann. Annie also named her second daughter Mary. From the time that Maria was a baby, she and Annie were always very close and now, comforting each other in their grief, they became closer than ever. Annie cared for the household with eleven-year old Maria helping as she could. Uncle Weibye’s Journal contains only two more references to the Jensen family. He wrote, “On the 17th of Oct. 1863 I started with my family from Salt Lake City (this was after Maren’s death) to go to Jens Jensen Loths in Moroni, where we arrived Oct. 21. On Oct. 23 we started with Jens Jensen Loth Jr. for Gunnison, Utah where I built a nice cellar 21' by 16', the first dwelling I have built”. In 1864 Uncle Weibye moved to Manti so then was much closer to the Jensens. On March 15, 1865 he records, “I exchanged cows with Jens Jensen, my muley cow for a red-brockle faced on, which was a good milk cow.” Apparently, Uncle Weibye had quit the tailoring trade, as he mentions farming on shares at Manti. Not long after Maren’s death—we are unable to find the date—Jens Jensen married a woman by the name of Mary Jacobsen. Jens was age 62 when Maren died. Little is know about this woman, but from available information, Mary Jacobsen was a strong-willed woman, for whom her step-children had little affection. Delmar Jensen states that his family told this. “An old lady came and got Grandpa Jensen to marry her. Once she struck Aunt Annie Agaard over the head with a strap with a buckle on it and knocked her down. Once, Grandpa bought a cow and somebody told her for fun that the cow did not have any front teeth on the uppers so she made Grandpa take the cow back. Father must not have liked her as he would not put her name in the family history.” If Maria was ever mistreated in any way by her step-mother, no one ever knew of it, as she was not one to speak ill of others. In fact, Maria’s sweet and gentle nature and her quiet way, endeared her to all who knew her. Maria and the rest of the family soon became a part of the church, social and working life of Moroni. Still very much a pioneer settlement, there was work for everyone. It was a small town and everyone knew everyone else in town. Being young when she arrived in America, Maria quickly and easily learned to speak English for there were many English converts living in Moroni and she had opportunity to use the language frequently. She probably attended school in Moroni. When the Jensens first came to Moroni, there was a young man living there by the name of Andrew Aagard, who was also an immigrant convert to the Church from Denmark, although he had come to America in 1860, two years before the Jensen family came. The Jensens became acquainted with him, but he moved to Fountain Green in 1863. Fountain Green is a little less than ten miles north of Moroni. It is said that he went to Fountain Green with nothing and quickly became one of the hardest working and most enterprising young man there. He was a farmer, raised sheep, had stock in the first cooperative store, had stock in the first flour mill and later the first roller mill there. In later years, he bought his own general store. He thrived on work, and was a colorful and interesting person. How he found time to court Annie Jensen in Moroni is a mystery, but he must have, as they were married on March 15, 1865. The story is told that Andrew rode horseback to Moroni, married Annie, returned by horseback to Fountain Green that evening and took another girl to a dance there that night. Maria was thirteen years old when Annie married. There are several version of her circumstances following Annie’s marriage. Some say that she went to live in Fountain Green with Annie soon after the marriage. Others say that she went for a visit with Annie and stayed on permanently. It is definitely known that she spent a good deal of the time during her teenage years in Fountain Green with Annie and her family. Nowhere could Maria have been happier than with her beloved sister. Apparently, she got along well with Andrew Aagard too, for she was a hard worker and paid well for her keep. Many years later, when some of the folks from Richfield went back to Fountain Green to visit Annie, Andrew remarked; “How do you folks find time to visit? Don’t you have any work to do or anything to eat in Colorado?” lf Andrew was lacking in hospitality, Annie more than made up for it as she was a kind, generous and warm-hearted person. It is probably Annie’s influence that made Maria the same kind of person. Delmar Jensen, Andrew’s youngest son, remarked, “Aunt Annie Aagard was a kindly little old lady. The children would take stray cats to her and she would give them a nickel for each one. Once, my brother Frank and I went to Fountain Green and she gave us each a lamb, Frank a white one and me a black one.” While living with Annie, Maria helped with the house work, milked cows, helped with the garden, cared for the children and made herself useful at all times. She found time to attend school and to participate in church activities and socials. She dearly loved Annie’s six little girls, who were born before Maria married. Annie’s first child was Mary Ann, born in the spring of 1866—then Mary, bom Sept. 1867. Little Mary Ann died when Mary was about four months old, and Maria mourned the little girl as her own. Ane Christena was born in 1869. The next little girl was Caroline Maria, born in 1871, but she lived only six months. Ellen Maria came in 1872 and little Hannah Catherine on June 6, 1873. Maria lavished love and tender care on these children, and helped Annie greatly as the six little girls had been born very close together. In 1868, Maria’s elder brother James married Christena Miller and they moved to Fountain Green and established their home there. All of James’ children—James P., Mary and Caroline were born in Fountain Green. Maria and Annie were very happy to have their brother close by. There was a lot of excitement in Fountain Green and Moroni when the Black Hawk War began in l866. Things got so bad that many people abandoned their homes in Fountain Green and moved temporarily to Moroni, which was larger and better fortified. Annie, Maria and James were fortunate in having relatives in Moroni who helped them out during this trying time. A fort was built at Fountain Green in the fall of 1866, and most of the residents moved back, although harassment by the Indians continued for six years. People had to be constantly on guard to protect their homes and livestock. Andrew, still in his teens when the war started, served as a minuteman. Andrew Aagard also served as a minute man. In Fountain Green, Maria became acquainted with the Shawcroft family. The family had been converted in England and emigrated to Utah in 1864. She first knew the girls, Ruth, Sally and Harriet, as Ruth was just a year older than Maria and the others a little younger. Through them, she met their brothers, John and Frederick, and their parents, William and Ann Hunt Shawcroft. William was crippled and Frederick still very young, so John was the main support of the family. He was very hard-working and ambitious. He farmed during the summer months and freighted in the winter—often traveling long distances from Fountain Green. At one time he had a business partnership with Richard Crowther, son of Thomas Crowther, getting out logs from the canyons, which they sold to the settlers for use in building their homes. Since Maria was not a very talkative person, little is known of her courtship by John Shawcroft. Obviously, she admired the sterling qualities he exhibited in being a hard worker, faithful in the gospel, and his kindness and loving care of his mother and crippled father. John, too, must have admired Maria for her good nature, her kindness to everyone, her gracious hospitality and industriousness. In February l874, they traveled by wagon to Salt Lake City, where they were married in the Endowment House on Feb. 9, 1874, thus insuring that all of their children would be born in the covenant. While in Salt Lake City, they made purchases for their new home together, and returned as soon as possible to Fountain Green. Their home was a small frame house, which they later added to. It was not fine, but Maria made into a warm and comfortable home. She was twenty-two years old at the time of her marriage and John was twenty-seven. Andrew had married the year before in Moroni to Christena Christensen. Since James’ wife and Andrew’s wife were both named Christena, Andrew’s wife was always called “Aunt Steenie to Moroni” to better identify her from James’ wife, who was also called “Aunt Steenie”. Maria was the only one of her family who did not marry someone of Danish descent. Maria’s first child, a son, was bom Dec. 13, 1874 and was named John William for his father and grandfather Shawcroft. Less than a month later, Annie’s first son Andrew James, was born. The two sisters enjoyed their babies together since this was Maria’s first baby and Annie’s first little boy after having six girls in a row. Now Maria was busier than ever caring for her home and family, helping John’s parents who lived nearby, and being neighborly and helpful to all who needed any assistance. If any of the relatives or neighbors were ill, Maria always appeared with food or help. John was away a lot of the time with his freighting business, so it was up to Maria to keep everything running smoothly at home—milking and feeding the cows, caring for the garden, sewing and cooking for herself and others, and doing such work as she could for the Church. It was a familiar sight to see her milking a cow with a baby or small child on her knee. Sometimes, the relatives from Moroni came to spend a day or two, or Annie, Maria and James would travel to Moroni to visit their folks there. Mary Maralda, Maria’s second child, was born Oct. 25, 1876. Annie had another little boy, Niels Peter, just about a month before Mary Maralda was born, so again Maria and Annie had babies about the same time. Two more children were born to Maria in Fountain Green—James Nathan, born Jan. 30, 1879—named for Maria’s father, Jens Jensen, and Joseph Hyrum, born Jan. l, 1881, who was named for John’s twin brothers who had died soon after birth. Annie also had two more children—Serena Christine and John Edward. John Edward was Annie’s last child. It is interesting to note that Annie and Maria each had ten children. On Jan, 29, 1880, Jens Jensen passed away in Moroni and was buried in the Moroni Cemetery beside his second wife, Maren. He was seventy-nine at the time of his death. Details of his last illness and death are unknown. Age seventy-nine at that time was considered old, so no doubt the hard pioneer life was a factor in his life span. All of the Jensen children were saddened at their father’s passing. After Jens Jensen’s death, John, along with some others from Sanpete County, received a call from the President of the Church, John Taylor, to go to Colorado to help colonize converts to the Church from the Southern States. The call was received with mixed feeling by John and Maria, as they were making progress in Fountain Green and dreaded the contemplation of starting all over again in a new and unknown place. John did not want to accept the call, but left the decision up to Maria. With her usual faith and quiet courage, she said, “We have to go.” Preparation for the removal to Colorado began in 1881 although they did not leave until about the 20th of July in 1882. Thor N. Peterson, also a resident of Fountain Green, was also called to go to Colorado, but he left earlier to arrange for the land and look over the situation. lt was he who wrote back and told the Shawcrofts to bring cattle if they could. It was a sad parting for Maria and Annie, who had been so close for such a long time. It was also sad to leave their other relatives and friends both in Moroni and Fountain Green. One consolation to Maria was the fact that her brother James (Jens), his wife, Aunt Steenie and their children, James, Mary and Caroline went with them to Colorado. Details of the journey are given in the Shawcroft Family History and will not be repeated here, except to note that the accident which happened not far from Fountain Green when their wagon tipped over, upset Maria a great deal, and she remained nervous and fearful for the safety of her family throughout the entire trip. How relieved Maria must have been when the journey was completed for it was a long hard trip. After spending a few days in Manassa, the party went on to where Thor Peterson and two other families were camped about one mile east of where Richfield now is. These three families had been there since early spring awaiting the arrival of the others from Utah. The settlers camped in tents at the same place, but it was decided to make the town of Richfield one mile west of their camp. They drew plans for the town and assigned the different lots, and immediately afterward, the men left for the western mountains to bring out logs for cabins. Here John’s experience at logging in Fountain Green was invaluable, as they were able to get out logs for all homes and a meetinghouse before cold Weather came. lt must have been a pleasant fall for them to accomplish so much work. Supplies for the settlement were purchased at Alamosa. This was a long trip by wagon which usually took all day. It was especially bad in winter time. They heated bricks to take with them for the trip to Alamosa, but had no way of keeping warm for the return trip. Water was a big problem in early Richfield as they were not aware of artesian water and used surface wells from which water was drawn up in buckets. There was a small spring just north of town which supplied drinking water, but the well water was very alkaline. The men spent that first winter clearing the land, and the women spent their time in making their homes as livable as possible. Maria’s home was a three-room cabin—larger than most. She and her family lived in this cabin from the fall of 1882 until 1891, when the brick house was completed. Here in this cabin, four more children were bom—Lewis Edward on May 10, 1883, Andrew Franklin on May 24, 1885, David Earl on June 17, 1887, and Sarah Ann on June 24, 1889. In addition to her large family, John’s mother came from Utah in 1884 after the death of her husband, and she lived with them in this cabin. Also, Maria’s niece, Mary Aagard, made a long visit to Colorado, and she lived with the Shawcroft family. The story is told that Mary wanted to marry Sanford Holman of Fountain Green, but for some reason her father objected, so she left home and came to stay with her Aunt Maria. Mary was a popular and much-loved addition to the family and the community. We do not know how long she stayed, but records of the Richfield Ward show that she was secretary ot Y.W.M.I.A. in 1886. She dated several young men, among them Swen Peterson, son of Thor N. Peterson. It was thought that she was engaged to Swen and went back to Utah to prepare for the marriage, but there she took up again with her first love, Sanford Holman, and married him. They came to Colorado and lived at Eastdale for a time, but later moved to Manassa. After her marriage, she was always affectionately known as “Mary San” as there were several other Marys in the family. We marvel at the way this large family could live comfortably in that small log home. Besides all of the work involved in caring for her large family, Maria was a diligent Church worker. The Richfield Branch of the Manassa Ward was organized Feb. 3, 1883 with Thor Peterson as presiding elder. Richfield was made a ward in June of that same year with Thor Peterson as Bishop and Milton H. Evans and Jens Jensen as his counselors. They served until 1887 when the Ward was discontinued because so many people moved to Sanford on account of the poor water. It was a branch of the Sanford Ward with Ephraim Coombs as presiding elder, and then in 1891 it was again made a ward with Ephraim Coombs, W.F.O. Behrman and Peter N. Guymon as Bishopric. During all of this time Maria served in many ward auxiliary offices. She was president of the Branch Relief Society from 1887 to 1891. When the ward was reorganized in 1891, she was again made president of the Relief Society, serving this time until Jan. 4, 1894. On April 1, 1897 she was again made president of the Relief Society which office she held to the close of the century. She was the first president of the Y.L.M.I.A. which was organized on Jan. 12, 1886. She held this office until 1888. One of the jobs the Relief Society ladies had was to make the burial clothes and line the coffins for the deceased. Also, they spent a great deal of time staying with and helping the sick. It was the custom to “sit up” with the sick at night and also to “sit up” all night at the home where someone had died. There were no morticians, so burial took place very soon after a death. The brick home of John and Maria was finished in 1891. Shortly after moving into it, a daughter, Ruth Ella, was born to them on May 10, 1891. Maria Pearl, Maria’s last child was born on Aug. 2, 1893. It was a bitter blow to Maria that Pearl was not a normal child, and her remaining days were filled with great sorrow of her unfortunate child. We know that her daytime thoughts were filled with concern for Pearl, and how many must have been the sleepless hours she spent at night worrying about her child. She lavished love and care on Pearl. As Pearl grew up, she attended school and was able to learn many things. Whenever Pearl wanted anything or wanted to do something, her mother either said “Yes” or “Well—we will see”. She never said “no” to Pearl. In January of 1901, Maria received word that Andrew was very ill at his home in Moroni. He had been a prominent citizen there for many years. He owned a good farm, was a city councilman for several years and served four terms as mayor of Moroni. He also worked in the Church, having been a counselor in the bishopric and officer in both the Sunday School and M.I.A. He was also a business man being Vice President of the Coop. Store in Moroni at the time of his death. His friends and family prayed for him day after day, but one day he called several of the brethren to him and said, “Brothers, do not pray for me any longer—my time has come.” The night before he died, he told those who were sitting with him that he was conversing with the brethren on the other side. On Feb. 22, 1901 he passed away and the following day, his youngest child, Delmar was three years old. We have been unable to find out the nature of his illness, or whether Maria went home for his funeral. We do know that she made some trips back to Utah, but it is believed these trips were later. Certainly, she mourned deeply the passing of her younger brother, who was fifty-three years old at his death. Maria’s older brother, Jens, who had come with them from Utah, built a brick home in Richfield just a block north of Maria’s home. Jens, always called Uncle Jim, was a hard worker, and was active in all of the affairs of the church and community. As previously stated, he was a counselor in the first Bishopric of Richfield Ward. He became ill early in 1905, and must have been bedfast for a time as the neighbors and relatives tell of going every night to “sit up” with him. Here again, we do not know the nature of his illness, but Jens was sixty-four when he died on March 26, 1905. Thus Maria lost both of her brothers within about four years. After Jens’ death, Aunt Steenie continued to live in their home in Richfield for several years, but she finally sold it to David E. Shawcroft and moved to Sanford to be near her children, James P. Jensen, Caroline Valentine and Mary Olsen. Uncle Jim and Aunt Steenie are both buried in the Sanford Cemetery. Perhaps there is no better way of knowing of Maria’s character and later life than from the knowledge or those still living who knew her best. Uncle Lewis E. Shawcroft states, “I am now ninety-three years old, and I cannot remember very well anymore, especially of the time we lived in the log house. It was a three—room house. I was very bashful as a child. Mother always had a lot of company or else she was visiting somewhere. Whenever we went visiting, I would cling to her begging continually, “Let’s go home—let’s go home.” When visitors came to our house, I would crawl under the bed and stay there. Mother always handed food to me under the bed, never forgetting that I was there. The most memorable event of my early life was the time I got a pitchfork for Christmas. It was my job to fork hay to the cows and horses, but the regular pitchforks were too big for me. This was a little pitchfork—just right for me. I really loved that pitchfork. My brothers liked it too as they would offer to do my chores in order to get to use it.” Aunt Sarah Holman, now 89 years old, but of keen memory and intellect, has these reminiscences of her mother: ‘Mother was the kindest, most patient person who ever lived. Father would lose his temper at times, but mother never did. She never scolded. “Ah shucks” was her usual expression when provoked. I was just two years old when we moved into the brick house, so I don’t remember living in the log house, but I remember seeing it standing across the street. Mother was always busy. When anyone died, it was her special job to make the shoes for burial. I can remember mother having three quilts up in quilting frames at the same time—one in the kitchen, one in the living room and one in her big front bedroom. The ladies who came to quilt would stay all day. Mother served them a big meal at noon and then a lunch late in the afternoon before they went home. She talked Danish only when some of the older Danish ladies came to visit—said she had forgotten the language and could not speak it well anymore. She always made tapioca and coffee for the older Danish ladies, because that was what they liked. There were always lots of children at our house—I think Gerald just about lived with us when he was a boy. We girls would go often to stay all night at Uncle Fred’s or Aunt Harriet’s, or their children would come and stay with us. We slept cross-wise of the bed—four or five to a bed. I remember well the many people who came to our house to eat dinner after attending Sacrament Meeting on Sunday afternoon. I can just see the big platters of ham and roast beef and other good food that mother prepared for them. We children always had to wait until the grown-ups ate. Everyone was mother’s friend, but I think Polly “Al” Guymon was her very special friend. I recall when we had threshers in the fall, they threshed for a month and mother would fix the crew of four or five men, besides her own family, three meals a day. One time father and mother went in the buggy to Alamosa on New Year’s Day, and mother nearly froze coming home. Father said he drove the horses the hardest he ever had that day. Father had a sheep-herder named Pacheco who camped out in a tent near the sheep. One night a blizzard came up, and mother could not rest until she made father go out and bring Pacheco in where she made him a bed for the night. After we got artesian water in Richfield, father built a well house where the water ran in a big well box-there wasn’t water in the brick house when it was built. One time mother went to Ojo Caliente with some friends, and while she was gone father had the water piped into the house and had a sink and bathroom put in. Mother was so surprised and happy over this. I can remember mother leaving at night many times, to go sit up with someone who was ill. One night she was leaving to sit up with Mary Olsen and I said to her, “Mother” why do you have to go. Can’t you stay home tonight?” She replied, “Sometime you might need some help.” “ That’s the way she was-always thinking of others.” Howard Shawcroft, living across the street from Grandma remembers these incidents: “When I was only eight or nine years old, it was often that we would all go up to the mountains, sometimes to do Work or sometimes just for an outing with the entire family. Of course, the only way to travel was by covered wagon. It wasn’t a very comfortable ride, but we always wanted to go and had a good time. The road up, what is called Dry Canyon was pretty rough and rocky. Whenever we got to a stretch of road along a side hill, Grandma would always want to get out of the wagon, so we would have to walk until the road became more level. She never could forget that experience when left Fountain Green and the wagon tipped over. Grandma never talked much about their coming to the Valley. She seemed to take it as a matter of course. Grandpa liked to tell of their experiences and we always enjoyed hearing him talk. Many, many times we children, after playing, would go into her house and she would go at once and get some of her good home made bread, pour cream over it and sprinkle sugar on it for us to take out under the trees and eat. Bread with cream and sugar is still one of my favorite dishes. It used to be the practice of holding what was called “Religion Classes” once a week after school was dismissed—something like the primary or mutual that we have now. For several years, Grandma and Aunt Ruth had the assignment of teaching these classes. Grandma was truly a wonderful woman.” Another of the older grandchildren, Grace Hutchins had these memories of life with Grandma: “One of my earliest memories of both Grandma and Grandpa was the respect that people had for them, young and old. They were always called Uncle John and Aunt Maria even by people who were not related. They were hard working people and were so kind and helpful to all. Whenever we asked for “a piece” Grandma would fix us that special treat that Howard mentioned, or bread, butter and jelly, or sometimes ginger cookies or jelly roll. All of her food tasted so good. Grandpa built a big swing north of the brick house. On Sunday all of the young people of the community would gather there. Grandma would make cocoa and sandwiches or cake and cookies for the entire group. She always had cake or cookies or pies on hand. We grandchildren were usually in the way, but we were never told that we were. The Danish women from Sanford would come to visit and they greeted Grandma like a sister. She would talk Danish to them, and always served them lunch. Whenever visitors came from Utah, they always stayed at Grandma’s. They would visit other places during the day, but always came back for supper and to spend the night. Grandma entertained the church visitors who came to the ward. She always invited them to dinner and sometimes they stayed overnight. I remember that Aunt Annie Aagard once came for a visit. After spending a few days with Grandma, Grandma and Grandpa took her over to Eastdale where she visited with her daughter, Mary “San”’ Holman for awhile. When the visit was over, the Holmans brought her back to Grandma’s where she stayed a few more days before going back to Utah. While she was there, relatives and friends would gather in the evening to visit and have a sociable time together and Grandma would always serve them lunch. Grandma was so wonderful to Pearl, and to Horace, whose mother died when he was very small. She was also good, as was all of her family, to great grandma Shawcroft. I can’t remember of any of them ever saying an unkind word to great grandma. Grandma was a good cook, not only of Danish food, but also English food—to please Grandpa—and also American food. Grandpa liked good food. At hog butchering time, Grandma would wash the intestines until they were clean and then she would stuff them with sausage and bake pork pies for Grandpa. He also liked a dish called “Pigeon Pie”. Andrew Hensen from Sanford, would often stop at Grandma’s on his way home from La Jara, always managing to get there just at supper time. He was a big talker, and after supper he would start in and spin yarns until everyone was completely worn out. One by one the family would slip out and go to bed, leaving Grandma to listen to his stories. Finally, when she could stay awake no longer, she would say, “Andrew, go put your horse in the bam and go upstairs to bed.” She was too kind to tell him to go home. Grandma had courage, for it must have taken a lot to leave a comfortable home to come out here in a covered wagon. She had worries too, but she was never too worried about her own problems or too busy to help others.” Maud McDaniel Hostetter, who perhaps lived closer to Maria than any of the other grandchildren relates, “after the accidental death of my father, my brother Roy, mother and I lived with Grandpa and Grandma Shawcroft, so my earliest memories are of them. Though I missed not having a father, they and my mother were truly wonderful to me. Grandma soothed my hurts, was kind and patient and understood people. She always knew when we children were hungry. Nothing ever tasted so good as her bread with cream and sugar. I think the tramps who came to her door must have passed the word along that she would give a good meal, because there were a lot of them. Grandma was not known for style or fashion. Her hair was always neatly combed from a center part, back from her face into a bun at the back. She always wore plain colors, usually dark, plainly sewn, of ankle length with long sleeves and a high neck. Occasionally, she wore a white blouse for Sunday best. Sunday was the Sabbath, a day to worship and attend Church. Most of the time company came for dinner after meeting. Grandma was a good cook and everyone who came was given a delicious meal. She always said that she was a plain cook, not a fancy one, but her cooking always was good. It is said that she used cream where a recipe called for milk, making the food unusually rich and tasty. If unexpected visitors dropped in there was always a can of salmon, some ham or cheese on hand to help make a “spur of the moment” meal. When Danish guests came we children would listen and giggle about the strange words we could not understand. When we begged Grandma to talk Danish to us, she wouldn’t. Once in a while we could persuade her to sing a little song we called “Ding Donsk a lilla Mand (little man). Unlike Grandpa, who enjoyed talking about his youth, Grandma never told stories or experiences. She wasn’t much of a talker, and always hated to hear people brag. She never raised her voice in anger or gossiped or criticized others. More than likely she would come to the defense of anyone being criticized. How I remember the good times we had, the happy visits with friends and neighbors-the fun at Christmas with caroling and good Danish beer. Innumerable were the visits Grandma made to the sick and grieving—always taking along Danish sweet soup or a kettle of chicken soup and dumplings. Especially during the winter months, after supper we would sit around the table and Grandma would read to us—the sermons, articles and stories from the “Women’s Exponent” (later the Relief Society Magazine), the Liahona and the Young Women’s Journal (later the Era). To me some of those stories were the best I have ever listened to, and I enjoyed them very much. Once a cattle buyer came in a car—something new to us. We children gathered around the vehicle and Grandma came out to make sure we didn’t harm it in any way. The man asked us if we would like to ride in it, so we and Grandma piled in. Grandma’s face shown with pleasure on that—our first automobile ride. Grandma’s patience and devotion to Pearl were reflected in the loving care she gave her all of her efforts to make Pearl’s life as full and happy as possible. As I slept in the room next to hers, I knew always that there was deep concern and worry about how Pearl would get along when Grandma could no longer care for her. After prayers were said and the lights were out, I often heard her give a slight moan as she muttered, “Pearl, poor Pearl”—as if an added prayer. Grandma was devoted to Grandpa too and he expected her to be at his beck and call all of the time. One time he went fishing for several days, but returned home a day earlier than expected and Grandma had gone over to Aunt Ella’s for the day. He was very upset because she was not there to greet him. Grandma was truly a woman of courage, understanding—always upholding right and loyal to her family, friends and the Church. Her testimony was unwavering and her faith strong. Truly, she obeyed those first two great commandments that we love our Heavenly Father and our fellow men. What a heritage is ours to be descended from such a noble woman. I am thankful for her, that l could live with her and be so close to her. I know she will have a royal heavenly crown.” Sorrowfully, Maria received the word of her beloved sister Annie’s death on July 19, 1920. Annie was then seventy-seven years old, which was old for that time, and perhaps old age more than other reason had caused her death. She had sorrows too, as both of her sons preceded her in death, Andrew just a few months before she died. Mary ‘San”, now living in Manassa, went to Fountain Green for her mother’s funeral. While there she became ill, and upon arriving home her conditions worsened, and she passed away on Aug. 26th—just a little over a month after her mother’s death. Dear Mary “San”—always so warm and friendly, always so much a part of Maria’s life—was sadly missed by Maria. Now, Maria was the last surviving member of her family who had come on that long trek from Denmark. On the 7th of August l922, Maria and her children and grandchildren received a great shock when John Shawcroft passed away suddenly while on an outing at the La Jara Reservoir. It was especially hard for the family as John was the first one of the immediate family to die. He was such a vital, active man and was so much a leader and patriarch of his family that it seemed unbelievable that he was gone. In the years following his death, life for Maria began to slow down. Harriet and her family had moved to Utah, and the only ones left of the early Richfield settlers were Ephraim and Ruth Coombs and Frederick and Polly Shawcroft, and of these Ruth died just a few years after John. Nearly all of the older Danish people who were Maria’s friends were gone. In those years, she remained active for Pearl’s sake. She and Pearl attended Church together, visited neighbors and those of the family who lived out of Richfield, and went shopping together, both in Alamosa and La Jara. The big dinners with a lot of company dwindled to occasional family gatherings. Maria was seventy years old when John died, and every day she seemed to age a little more. With John’s passing, somehow a vital spark had gone out of her life, but Pearl was her incentive to carry on. How she dreaded the thought of having to leave Pearl. Maria was greatly interested in the activities and accomplishments of her grandchildren, who were growing up, marrying, going on missions and to college, and making lives for themselves. Maralda’s children married, but Maralda stayed on with her mother and Pearl for most of the time. Sarah was also there some of the time. Ella came frequently, but her growing family at Sanford took a lot of her time. Maria contracted pneumonia in the early spring of 1930. Few elderly people survived pneumonia in those days, but Maria fought desperately for her life with every gasping breath. She lay at death’s door for over fifteen days, propped up with pillows as she was unable to breathe lying down. Her family was in constant attendance, all taking turns in sitting up with her day and night. A nurse was hired to help with her care. Some said that it always took the Jensens a long time to die. Most knew that she was fighting to live because she did not want to leave Pearl. Her mind wandered in her illness and she would mutter, sometimes clearly and sometimes not. Once she cried out, “There’s Karen—there’s Caroline.” Were these the two half-sisters who had been a part of her early childhood, and was she now seeing them in the world beyond? We like to think that was so, as Maria had great faith that somewhere all of her family would be together again. On April 10, 1930, Maria’s weakened heart gave out, and she passed away at the age of about seventy-seven and one-half years. Many of her loved ones were at her bedside at her passing. The little church at Richfield was filled to overflowing with the many friends and relatives who had known and loved Maria in her lifetime. Naturally, it was Pearl who mourned her most. What a joyful reunion it must have been when Pearl joined her fifteen years later—a Pearl perfect and unmarred by the imperfections of this mortal life. At Maria’s passing something warm and gentle went out of our lives—and something strong too—unmatched strength of character, faith and love. Maria followed the admonition of Alma, “Never be weary of good works”, and We are certain, as promised in her patriarchal blessing that the Lord has approved of her labors here and in the hereafter, and that truly, she must have received that glad and Welcome word, “True and faithful thou hast been—Enter into my rest and enjoy the fruits of thy labor.” Compiled June 1976 by Gladys Shawcroft Sources of Information 1. Journal of Jens Christensen Andersen Weibye on file at Church Historian’s Office. 2. Encyclopedic History of the Church by Andrew Jensen 3. History of the Scandinavian Mission by Andrew Jensen 4. Records of Richfield Ward and Richfield Branch on file at Church Historian’s Office. 5. Richfield Ward Record of Members 1884-1948 (GS Film no. 1431) 6. Fotmtain Green Ward Record of Members 1860-1941 (GS Film No 6291 Pt. 2) 7. LDS Scandinavian Emigration Records (GS Film No. 6185 Pt. 1) 8. Vendyssel District Record of Members 1852-1763 (GS Film no. 8551 Pt. 15) 9. Borglum, Hjorring LuthemChurch parish Records (GS Film 9001 Pt. 2.) 10. History of Andrew Jensen, Written by Delmar W. Jensen. 236 Canyon Rd. SLC, Utah 11. Histo;y of Sanpete and Emery Counties by W.H. Lever 1898 (GS Film No. 22124.) 12. Moroni Ward Record of Members Early to 1910 (G.S. Film No. 6418 Pt. 1) 13. L.D.S. Biographical Encyclopedia by Andrew Jensen (Vol. I.) 14. Peer K. Kristensen, Springville, Utah. 15. Ejner Holtegaard Andersen, Postmaster, Borglum Demnark (Ostergade 3-9760 Vra) 16. Lewis E. Shawcroft, Sarah Holman, Maud Hostetter, Grace Hutchins, Howard Shawcroft.




Sarah Bardell (5th Great Grandmother)

John Hunt and Sarah Bardell headstone, Fountain Green City Cemetery, Fountain Green, Sanpete County, Utah


John Hunt was born in July 1802 in Denby, Derbyshire, England, the son of Thomas Hunt and Dorothy Hart, the 5th child in a family of seven known children. From the history of Sarah Bardell Hunt written by Clara A. Olsen, it states that, “John Hunt and Sarah Bardell were married about 1825.” From Geneva Ivory Oldroyd, “Sarah Bardell Hunt was born in Denby, Derbyshire, England, on March 29, 1904. I do not know the names of her parents or brothers or sisters, but we know that she was left motherless when only a little girl.” In the Denby Parish Registers state that she was the youngest child in a family of eleven children and that her parents names were Thomas Bardell and Sarah Jerrum. Her mother was buried 8 July 1808, age 50, when Sarah was not quite four years old. It seems few stories have been preserved of the early married life of John and Sarah, but from the dates of birth, death, etc. we can understand the joy, sorrow and heartbreak that our ancestors knew at the time. The first child was Thomas, born 15 June 1826. Their daughter Ann was born two and a half years later 12 December 1828. Their third child, John Jr., was born 15 August 1831; the fourth child Samuel the 28 January 1834; the fifth child William the 27 January 1836. An event of great importance occurred then to the people of England, the telling of which she related many times and was preserved by Geneva. “Grandmother Hunt attended the celebration when Queen Victoria was crowned Queen of England. This was on June 20, 1837.” We wonder if John or the children went too. The sixth child, Nathan, arrived 10 March 1838. We gain some insight into their family life with the following excerpt from the Journal of their son Thomas, “When I was 12 years old I commenced working in the pit.” (This would have been 1838, and the ‘pit’ means the coal mines.) It was when Thomas was to go to work in the coal mines, his mother would give him one piece of cheese to put in his lunch along with his bread. At noon Thomas had a choice of eating all the cheese that day or saving some of it for the other days in the week. He chose to have a little cheese all week. So as he ate he would slide the cheese back on the bread as he took each bite until by the time he had finished the bread he would get just one bite of cheese but he could smell it each time he took a bite. On Tuesday he did the same and on Saturday he would finish up the cheese. Their son William, not quite four years old was stricken and died 12 January 1840. But death was followed by new life and on the 9 October 1840 their daughter Ruth was born. The family is recorded in the 1841 census as follows: John Hunt, coal miner, about age 35; his wife Sarah about age 25; son Thomas age 14; son John age 9; son Samuel age 7; son Nathy age 3 years; and daughter Ruth age 7 months. Ann would have been but 12 years of age, but was not listed as residing with the family. She was probably working and perhaps living with the family who employed her. Also listed was Thomas Hunt, age about 70, the father of John Hunt, living with his son and family, since John’s mother, Dorothy Hart Hunt, had died 11 July 1838. Death again struck this family when Ruth died 13 April 1842, at age 18 months. Three days later their son Samuel died, 16 April 1842, at the age of eight. A little over a year later, on 1 August 1843, another daughter was born to them named Hannah, and two and a half years later their ninth and last child, Frederick was born 2 January 1843. John’s father Thomas Hunt was buried 12 October 1847. By now their two older children were grown and ready to start life on their own. Ann was married first on 6 July 1847 at Duffield, a town very near Denby, to William Shawcroft, also a coal miner. The following Christmas, Thomas was married on 27 December 1847, at the Denby Church, to Hannah Moon. A black eyed dairy maid whose parents lived at Breach Cottage in what was then known as Denby Common. As Thomas, said in his journal, “When about 21 I removed from Denby to Claycross (about 5 miles away). After about 6 months I got married.” Thomas Hunt recorded the following in his journal in 1848. (His spelling was preserved.) “I still resided at Claycross, living very comfortable. A young man who was living with me got killed in the pit which led me to think very earnestly about my soul salvation, but I knew not where to go to be right. I always had a desire to be religious but never could fix on no society. They differed so much from the scriptures which I always believed to mean what they said. My wife loved the Ranters (Quakers) best and I loved the Methodists. I had not heard that there was any Latter Day Saints. But about this time one Joshaway Cuts with his wife came to live neighbors with us and wee new ‘is wife very well but did not know they was Saints ‘til she came into our house when we were getting redey for chapel, and asked her if she was going. She sead she was going to a house to the Saints. That week I had heard of them so I sead I would go with her that night. Mack Fletcher from Chesterfield preached a prest. I liked ‘is preaching very well and he brought forward a deal of scripture which was wat I believed. Wednesday night we whent again where Elder Ward preached. I was much delighted for I thought I had found the peoples of God, and I got some books and was well pleased with them. I attended the meetings three other times when I along with my wife whent forth and was baptized for the remission of our sins by Thomas Pionton, on the 23 rd day of November 1848, after which we rejoiced greatly, and I began to bear my testimony to all I came near and we whent to Denby to see our parents and friends who had not yet heard the gospel. My father’s name was John and my mother is Sarah Hunt. She was a Methodist and my father never was religious. My mother soone obayed to gospel, but has not yet.” From Geneva, “When grandmother was about forty years of age (she was almost 45 years old when she was baptized 6 February 1849) the Mormon missionaries came to her home, and were received very kindly. This continued throughout the years she remained in England. The Elders often had meals and beds at the Hunt home. Grandfather Hunt never did join the church as he belonged to a number of lodges and organizations which prevented him from so doing unless he should give up everything and he felt that he could not do that. Grandmother became a member soon after hearing of the Gospel. Heber C. Kimball was the Elder most responsible for her conversion. She was faithful to her religion all the rest of her life. During the time she was investigating the gospel, and until she left her home to come to this country, she used to walk eight miles to the church where the L.D.S. meetings were held. (This was, no doubt, the Belper Branch of the Denby Conference as is noted from the Journal of Thomas Hunt.) (On) July 30, 1851, I left Grasmoor and went to live at Denby, and joined the Belper Branch of the Denby Conference where I labored for some months and then there being some saints at Smithehouse, they were organized into a branch and I was appointed to preside over them, where I labored for some three months longer.” So for a short time the church was close by since the Hunts also lived at Smithyhouses. Again from his Journal, an earlier entry dated Jan. 12, 1851, “I visited my parents at Denby found them all well and my mother and sister rejoicing in the Gospel for wich I felt thankful.” (This sister was probably Ann since Hannah would have been only nine years old at that time. From the records we note that Ann was baptized in 1851.) In July 1849, four months after Sarah’s baptism, death again came to the little family. Their three year old Frederick died on the 5th of July, and ten days later, on July 15, 1849, the grown son, John, then 18 years old, died apparently of the same disease. When the 1851 census was taken the family was listed as follows: #64. Smithyhouses, John Hunt, coal miner, age 48 born at Mapperley (a small village near Denby); his wife Sarah, age 47 born at Denby; a son Nathan age 13 unmarried, errand boy; a daughter Hannah age 7. Also at that time is their daughter Ann, age 23, and her husband William Shawcroft, age 16, born in Green Lane (probably a small section of the city of Ripley near Denby where he is said to have been born), and their son John, 3 years old. (Ann and William also had another son William, born on 11 December 1849, who had died 2 February 1851 before the census had been taken.) Perhaps it was during the time that Thomas and Hannah Moon had lived in Denby that the following incident occurred, as handed down to Clara A. Olsen, “At one time Sarah went to visit her son Thomas and his young bride. Wishing to impress her mother-in-law how thrifty she was, this young wife took great pains to peel the potatoes very thin. Sarah looked on for a while and then in her old English she said, ‘Ay, Hannah, God pity thy pigs if they have to eat thy peelings.’ Hannah must have been able to pinch pennies. More of her thriftiness is told in the history of Thomas and Hannah, they presented John and Sarah with a granddaughter named Sarah Ellen names after his mother and her grandmother, born on 16 March 1850 at Claycross. After the short stay at Denby Thomas wrote, ‘Work began to be that bad I was obligated to move which I did on the 2nd of February 1852, to the north of England and joined the Sunderland Branch of the Newcastle upon Tyne Conference where I also removed my family.’ While there a son was born on 9 May 1852 named Moroni and a another son was born on 2 September 1854 named Frederick Nephi. Showing his love of the Gospel and probably in memory of the infant brother who had died six years before. Ann and William had a daughter Ruth born on 21 December 1851 and another daughter Sarah Ann born on 19 March 1854. On March 31, 1855, Thomas and Hannah and their three children sailed on the ship “Juventa” for America, leaving the rest of the family in England. No written account of this journey has been preserved, but they went only as far as Alton, Illinois, where Thomas again worked in the coal mines to earn enough money to continue to Utah. They remained there several years. On June 2, 1856, Ann had another son she named Frederick. Their little brother Frederick must have touched their hearts to have both Thomas and Ann name sons for him. Sometime during the year 1857, William Shawcroft, Ann’s husband, was hurt in the coal mines with a back injury and he became crippled from that time. Sarah and John would have received word from Thomas at Alton, Illinois, that they had another daughter born on 3 August 1857 whom they had named Ruth Bardell Hunt. And, their son Nathan was married to Harriett May Taylor on 12 September 1858 at Duffield, Derbyshire, England. They lived at Belper. Ann and William had a daughter born on 8 August 1858 called Harriett, and Nathan’s son John was born on 19 December 1858. Thomas had another daughter named Fannie Moon Hunt, born on 28 February 1860 at Alton, and Ann gave birth to twin sons on 25 February 1860. They were named Joseph and Hyrum, again showing the love these people had for their church. These little twins, however, died on the same day they were born. On 9 April 1860 Nathan and Harriett May had a daughter they named Sara Ann Hunt. That made two grandchildren christened Sarah Ann. Sarah Bardell Hunt has a sister Ann Bardell who married John Cresswell and perhaps lived near their folks. It could be these two little girls were named for the two Bardell sisters. It is also possible that Ann Bardell Palfreyman raised Sarah, since she was 16 when their mother died. By this time the grandchildren were getting old enough to be baptized, and Ruth Shawcroft seems to have been the first of whom we have record. She was baptized 25 July 1861 just before she was ten years old. Thomas again would have sent word to his parents what he had a son he named Thomas Alvin, born on 14 March 1862. The Alvin may have come from the brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith whose brother Alvin had died while young and whom the prophet saw in a vision as having been in the celestial kingdom even though he had died without baptism. Nathan’s son Lewis was on born 20 March 1862. So now there had been seventeen grandchildren born with three of Ann’s gone. Then Thomas received the news that his father, John Hunt, had died 13 May 1862, at the age of 60 years. Their daughter Hannah, then nearly twenty years old was baptized 29 January 1863, and her little daughter Mercie was born 3 April same year. That fall, 7 September 1862, Ann’s daughter, Sarah Ann Shawcroft, was baptized when she was eight years of age. By this time (1864) Thomas and his wife and family of six children had come to Utah. More details of their journey is told in their special history. They settled at Moroni first. In 1864 Thomas, accompanied by thirty-one other families began the settlement of South Bend, later known as Fort Alma, and finally called Monroe. We have three accounts preserved of the trip to Utah by Sarah Bardell Hunt, her daughter Ann with her crippled husband and their five children and Hannah and her little daughter Mercie. At first they would not seem to agree, but on closer scrutiny and checking on other accounts of immigrants from England, it is obvious that they do agree. In their histories both Geneva and Clara state, “Leaving England May 10 in a sailing vessel ‘The McClellan’ under the direction of Joseph Bull George Bywater and Thomas E. Jeremy, there were 800 on board. They arrived in New York (on) June 23, 1864, and soon set out for the west, going by train to Omaha. There the company was divided into groups. (Their) group was under the direction of George Bywater. They were met at Omaha by men from Utah who came with ox teams. They crossed the plains as members of the William S. Warren Company.” The account written by Florence S. Orton is more detailed. It states that in spite of an injured back, “this handicap did not discourage or hinder their (William and Ann) courage as they resolved to sail for America and join the Saints in this far off western State of Utah. So the Shawcroft family made ready to sail for America May 21, 1864 on the ship ‘General McClellan’. (Perhaps they left home May 10 and the ship sailed May 21.) Fred, though only eight years of age knew the love and respect his family had for England and the memories they all held for England, always yearning to see his homeland again, but this dream never materialized. He retained the highest respect and love for freedom loving America. You see the family did not leave England because they disliked it, but only because they loved America more, and here they would have freedom of religion. On the voyage to America this good family was accompanied by 802 other Saints. Their voyage was long and wearisome, 6 long weeks they were on the water. Fred told many times of how he could remember throwing his cap in the ocean… As they neared Newfoundland the ship hit an iceberg, causing a hole large enough for a man to crawl through and he remembered his two sisters, Sarah Ann and Harriett crying and said to his mother, ‘Will the ship sink?’ His mother said, ‘Ay, ay, never, never!’ And so with the cleverness and skillful manpower the ship was fixed and all arrived safely in New York in June, 1864. With that part of the journey completed they hurried toward their goal. Their route was up through Canada and down to Missouri where they joined other emigrants in the Company of Captain William Warren and his wagon train drawn by oxen. Only a part of the 802 who left England came to the West. They organized in Nebraska (on) July 19, 1864 for the last lap of the journey. There were 329 in the brave little company that lifted their faces toward the West and braced themselves for the 1,200 miles of rivers, mountains and desert and rugged country that must be conquered before they reached their destination. They also faced cold, hunger and danger from the Indians.” (Another group of Mormons who came from England the year before left New York by boat and traveled up the Hudson through the Great Lakes down to Chicago, Illinois, then by train to Hannibal and St. Joseph, Missouri. Then they went by boat up the Missouri to Omaha, Nebraska. Perhaps most of the emigrants followed about the same course.) From Geneva’s history, “At Omaha the teamster bought a load of green corn to feed the oxen. When the emigrants were told it was good to eat, they were glad for a change of food and ate heartily not knowing it should be cooked first. It made them very ill and Sarah Bardell Hunt seemed to be the most seriously affected of all. She had to be lifted into one of the wagons up on top of bags and boxes and there she lay most of the way across the plains, being tumbled from side to side in the terrible heat and dust. (She would have been sixty years old at the time.) As the Company came farther west, they found that the Indians were becoming very troublesome. The pioneers were in constant dread of them. From this time on and for a number of years after they reached Utah. They arrived in Salt Lake 6 October 1864, almost 5 months after they left England.” Florence S. Orton states, “A majority of the party walked a good part of the 1,200 miles. Buffalo chips were gathered for fire, herbs and roots were gathered for medicine, and they searched for greens and berries, and game for food. The would sing and joke and had good times, and faith and hope and love of a religion was the driving force which carried then to Zion.” The records state that William Shawcroft was baptized on August 1864, but no day of the month is given. His son John Shawcroft was baptized 3 August 1864, and by then Frederick Shawcroft would have just turned eight years old. On that day, in some pleasant river or stream, they made Ann Hunt Shawcroft very happy by being baptized into the Church she had loved for thirteen years. (In those days baptisms were mostly done in the summer and perhaps the Company stopped long enough to hold a baptism.) Florence states, “On September 2, 1864, Captain Warren telegraphed President Brigham Young from Horse Creek, 466 miles east of Salt Lake City, saying, ‘All is well.’ They arrived in Salt Lake City October 4, 1864, and from there they went to Fountain Green, Utah.” Geneva records, “The Hunt family accepted the first opportunity to ride toward the southern part of the State, hoping to reach Sevier County before the weather became too cold for traveling. But the young man (William Cook) who offered the ride went only as far as Fountain Green, Sanpete County, so there the family stayed. The winter had already begun. For a time the family lived in one corner of a building which had been used for a meeting house, along with two other families, until the boys could dig a dugout. Although it was not so roomy, there were warm and quite comfortable there for the winter.” Clara also states, “The family got busy and made a dugout, with cut willow for the top and this was covered with dirt. There was a fireplace in one end. Cooking was done over this fire in a large kettle that was used by a number of families as it was about the only utensil of its kind in the town at the time. It was a hard winter. Food was scarce. There was barely enough for the families to subsist upon. The Indians were hostile, but they didn’t seem to want to fight in the winter time. All the other families were willing to share what little they had. So the family was happy, and quite comfortable and contented in the dugout. As soon as spring opened, the Indians made a raid. The dozen families which made up the town of Fountain Green had to move to Moroni – about seven miles south – and camp out as best they could until a fort could be built in Fountain Green. Hannah was married to James Collard about this time. Sarah made her home with them. When they moved back to the Fountain Green Fort, the people were glad for houses, such as they were, made of logs, with dirt roofs and bare ground for the floor. Some had tiny windows of glass and others had only a small piece of cloth over the opening in the wall. The Indians kept on being a menace, and the people were in constant fear of them. The Pioneers looked to their Bishop for help and advice always. He asked them to put their cows and horses in one herd. Three young men were called on to herd them. Sarah’s son-in-law wanted to herd his near the Fort, but Hannah begged him to put them with the others rather than displease the Bishop. So he finally consented and sent them with the herd the next morning. That very day the Indians made, an attack, killed one of the boys and wounded the other and drove off every cow and horse the people had.” The people in Monroe were having their troubles also. Hannah Moon Hunt, at least, must have been in Moroni on 26 April 1865, for on that date their son Ammon was born in that place. One year later on April 29, 1866, the people of Monroe moved to Richfield, and the men took turns going to Monroe to work in the fields. Apparently they returned during the winter as did the people of Fountain Green. Word from Nathan, though probably delayed, informed the family of the birth of Margaret on 6 January 1866 . Harriett Shawcroft was baptized on 8 August 1866, probably at Fountain Green. On September 29, 1866, Hannah Hunt Collard gave birth to a little daughter they called Sarah Eliza. Nathan’s daughter Katherine was born on 19 April 1867. On April 14, 1867, the people of Monroe, Richfield and Glenwood moved to Gunnison because of the danger from the Indians. Fifteen days prior to that move, Thomas and Hannah had their eighth child, a daughter named Eliza Ann, born on 2 April 1867. From Florence, “Fred remembered how he would gather wool from the brush and fences where the wool clung as the sheep passed through and then his mother would dye it and spin it into clothing. He also remember of gathering wheat straw at harvest time and soaking it so it could be braided into an Easter bonnet for his sisters. Fred grew to manhood sharing in the joys and sorrows of Fountain Green.” Clara states that, “As the years passed the struggle still went on. Fighting Indians and grasshoppers, building canyon roads, grubbing sage brush, trying to get grain planted, making gardens, and planting trees. But the time came when the Indians were glad to make peace, for they too had suffered for food and clothing and many of them had been killed. “A town meeting of the white men and a band of Indian warriors was arranged. They were to meet in front of Bishop Johnson’s home. All the men were there, secretly armed and ready for battle if it should be necessary. The women stood with their arms around their frightened children and watched for the warriors to come over the brink of the hill and toward the Bishop’s home. Soon they came in sight. They were big, fine looking men, and were decked out in war paint and feathers and striped blankets. As they came nearer Sarah prayed fervently that the meeting would result in peace. The Indians made heavy demands on the people. They asked for more beef, flour and other things than the Pioneers could afford to give them. But the Bishop said that peace at any price was better than war, and the demands were met.” From Florence, “The Bishop hesitated for he thought it would run his people short for the winter. When he hesitated the Indians thought there was going to be trouble. The Chief said something to the squaws and they all turned and my how the squaws rode away as fast as they could ride down the road and up over the ridge and gone. The Bishop told his people it was better to feed them than fight them, so he gave them what they asked.” Clara states that, “Times were better after that. Log houses and adobe houses were built on land allotted to them away from the fort, and homes were made more comfortable. There were so school houses at that time, but education was not neglected. School was held in the church or in private homes. The teachers were paid by the parents, according to the number of children in the family who attended.” From Geneva, “Sarah did a good part in helping to build the community of Fountain Green. She was a tireless worker, helping wherever she was needed most. She was industrious and thrifty. ‘Wilful waste makes woeful want’ was one of her favorite sayings. She made dresses for many of the women in town, all by hand. There were no sewing machines then. She loved to sew and especially to make quilts. She opened the first, and for a long time, the only set of quilting frames in town. Neighbors and friends used them, and at one time they were completely lost. Sarah went from house to house looking for them. Finally she spied them up on top of a dirt roof, where grass had grown tall enough to almost hide them.” Clara states that, “She was always reminding the children to stand straight and sit up straight. She said it ruined a person’s health to sit slumped in an easy chair. Even in her last days, she sat straight on any chair. She was always faithful to all of her beliefs in goodness and in the Gospel. She often talked longingly of England and her son Nathan and he family who was left in England and she never saw them again. She could not understand why she could not persuade her husband, John, and their son Nathan and his wife Harriett to accept the Church and love it as she had done.” Thomas’s oldest daughter, Sarah Ellen, married Charles Hales in 1867, and had one daughter. She died a month later in November 1868, when she was just a young woman age eighteen. Three new grandchildren arrived in the year 1869. Nathan had another son, James, born on 26 June, Thomas had a son named Teancum born on October 16th while they were at Gunnison and Hannah had a daughter named Clara Ann born on November 27th, in Fountain Green. Sarah Bardell Hunt had her Endowments in the Endowment House on 10 October 1870. The same date she was sealed to William Tolley of Nephi. Whether this was a sealing or a marriage we do not know. At any rate she lived all her later life in Fountain Green with Hannah Hunt Collard, and was always known as Grandma Hunt. In 1872 Thomas announced from Gunnison a daughter named Hannah Isabella, born January 6th, and Hannah first son, named James Edward Collard, was born on March 16th in Fountain Green. In the Spring of 1872 the Thomas Hunt and other settlers returned to their homes in Monroe. Four years later their daughter Ruth Bardell who had married George Frazer, died at the birth of her son Alexander Hunt Fraser in 1876. Ann’s daughter Sarah Ann Shawcroft, who had married Geraldus Newell in 1871 and moved to Mona, Utah, became a widow when he was killed suddenly in an accident in a mine 25 May 1878, leaving her with three small children, two boys and a girl. She later married William Newton and by him she had nine more children, one girl and 8 sons. In England, Nathan’s son Lewis died on 19 February 1868, at age six, then Hannah was born on 20 December 1874; Lucy on 20 July 1877; Rose on 29 April 1879 and then Harriett May was born on 10 February 1881 and died one year on March 10, 1882. Then Nathan died on the 11 December 1882, only 44 years of age. Ann’s oldest son John had moved prior to May 1883, with his wife Annie Marie Jensen and their four children to Richfield in the San Luis Valley in Colorado. The next year a call came from the Church to aid in settling a Mormon community there. In August 1884 five families from Fountain Green left for the new colony. Among them were three more of the married children of Ann Hunt Shawcroft – Frederick and his wife Polly Ann Guymon and 2 children, Ruth and her husband Ephraim Coombs and 6 children, and Harriett and her husband Peter N. Guymon and 3 children, leaving their parents alone in Fountain Green. When the three had been one month on their way, their father, Ann’s husband, William Shawcroft, departed this life 24 September 1884 and was buried in Fountain Green. He had been confined to a wheelchair for twenty years prior to his death. Thomas and Hannah’s children were all married before Sarah died. Moroni married Emily Casto; Fred married Thomine Larson; Fannie married Hans Hansen; Alvin married Mary Alice Jenson; Ammon married Albertine Okerlund; and Belle married John Anderson. All of them settled in Monroe. Eliza Ann (Lide) married George Okerlund of Loa; and Teancum married Eleanor L. Robinson also of Loa. Teancum had two children, a boy and girl and he died at age 25. Hannah’s daughter Mercie married George Washington Ivory; Sarah Eliza married Thomas Warren Allred; Clara Ann married Earl Ostler and, after having one girl, died on 2 August 1902; and Edward Collard married Ellen Chapman. Nathan’s children, with the exception of the oldest son, John, who moved to Hucknall, Nottinghamshire and evidently married there, married as follows. Sarah Ann married Alfred Troth; Mary Alice married Thomas Riley; Margaret was married to Jabez Sanders; Katherine was married to William Maycock; James was married to Sarah Bradley; Hannah married George Frances Booker; Lucy married Thomas Hallan; and Rose was married to J. J. Parkin. Geneva states, “Grandmother Hunt lived in our home for quite a number of years – especially, I think, to help my mother (Mercie C. Ivory) with her large family (11 children) and because my father as well as my mother was always very kind to her, and we children too loved her very dearly. We had a large open fireplace, and at one side of that she had her own corner, where she sat most of the time with her knitting and mending. She had her own comfortable little rocker which was a great help in taking care of the babies. I remember she used to take me on her lap and help me dress, even after I was old enough to go to school… She attended the first Old Folks Party in the State of Utah. It was held at Lake Point out near Saltair, (on) May 14, 1875. She died on August 1, 1896, in Fountain Green, Utah.” From Ercel, “I remember Mother (Sarah Collard Allred) telling this story. ‘There was a man named John Jewkes in Fountain Green. He was from the same part of England and he would come up in the evening and sit and sit until they would nearly go crazy. After he had been there for hours, Grandmother (Sarah Bardell Hunt) use to loosen her clothes as much as she could, unbutton her shoes so that as Mammy said (Hannah Hunt Collard) she could just shake and her clothes would fall off so she could get right into bed the minute he left. But Mr. Jewkes would never take the hint and go home. At last she said to Mammy, ‘Come on Hannah, we better go to bed so John can go home.’” Sometime in England Grandmother Hunt had seen peonies and had loved them as her favorite flower… There were none of them in this country in those days but we all knew she loved ‘pinies’ as she called them, and she always wore a small red ‘piny’ at both sides of her bonnet. Sarah Bardell Hunt made many hooked rugs in her later years. She used rags cut about one inch wide and these were pulled into loops through a burlap sack with the use of a large wooden hook. Whenever she made a hooked rug there always had to be some bright red rags and in the center of each rug she always fashioned a big red flower which she called in her quaint English a ‘piny.’ So, even though she died long ago, some of her descendants have always made sure that each Decoration Day there is at least one red ‘piny’ placed on her grave.” Geneva’s history states, “She lived to be 92 years of age. She died 1 August 1896. There is no record of her death with the cemetery records of Fountain Green, and the Fountain Green Ward records fail to show it. Since she was born 29 March 1804, perhaps she actually died in 1895. Regardless of the exact year of her death she was a wonderful ancestor and all of her descendants can be proud and thankful that she had the courage to live as she did. And, many some of them always remember to place at her burial place the symbol of courage and right which she chose – a bright peony.” Her tombstone in the Fountain Green Cemetery reads, “Sarah Bardell Hunt, died August 1, 1894, age 91 years, 4 months.” On November 27, 1901, John Hunt was sealed to Sarah Bardell and all of their nine children were sealed to them. Both Ann and Hannah were alive at that time so it is probable that these two sisters went to the temple together to have this work performed. *** These facts and stories from the lives of John Hunt and his wife Sarah Bardell Hunt were gathered from the following: 1 – Sources: Denby Parish Registers; Superintendent Registrar of Belper District, Derbyshire, England; census of 1841 Denby, Bundle 188, Denby B12, p. 12s1 Smithhouse, census 1851 film at Utah Gen. Society F. Eng. 18, Pt. 72(13675) p. 75 #64 Smithyhouses; from the Journal of their son Thomas Hunt; from stories told by Thomas A. Hunt II, a great grandson; and from histories written by other great granddaughters Geneva Ivory Oldroyd; Clara Alfred Olsen and Ercel Allred Olsen; and Florence Shawcroft Orton; from records of the Manti Temple and the Salt Lake Endowment House. This history is compiled and genealogical data added by Ina H. Tuft, Hunt Family Genealogist, July 1962. (This compiled history was edited for length, readability and format. It is slightly different from the original and does not include the two English folk songs.)


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