John Allsop (1823-1876)

History of John Allsop

(Taken from Thomas and Sylvia Allsop: Family History written by Sid and Louise Allsop.

Orignally written by Effie Allsop Green. Additional information from the internet <http://members, aol. com/HConor/johnira. htm)

Our grandfather, John Allsop, was born September 20, 1823; note here that this was just two days before the Angel Moroni visited the Prophet in his bedroom at Palmyra. He was married at Nottingham, England to Caroline Moore, (we do not have their wedding date); however, a son was born to them December 5, 1843. They named him John Moore Allsop. When Caroline died, John left his young son with his parents to raise, and he moved to Manchester, England.

It was in Manchester that John met his second wife, Susannah Robbins. With her, he set sail for America on April 8,1854. Family tradition has it that when John and Susannah joined the Church, they were disowned by the people, so they were coming to Utah where the Church headquarters were, and where they could worship as they pleased.

While on the ship, a pair of twin boys were born to them- and grandmother Susanna died. Both the babies died before they arrived in Utah. One was named Marshfield, after the ship- and the other was called George, after the captain.

Mary Ellen Wood was a young girl, 18 years of age, a convert to the Church. She also set sail on the same ship at the same time. She was helpful to them.

Later she became [our] Grandfather's third wife. They were married September 12, 1854 and sealed April 18, 1860. From this union came eleven children.

The eighth child, "Aunt Lib," relates the following:

"They [John Allsop and Mary Ellen Wood Allsop] first made their home in Bountiful, Utah, where they had four children, John Ira Allsop, Mary Ellen, Susanna, and Charles. They moved to Richmond, Utah in the spring of 1860, [where they] built a log house with three rooms. Times were hard and they endured all the hardships of pioneer life. My father was a carpenter by trade, and he had a lathe and made furniture for all the people around.

"He took anything they could eat or wear for pay. In this way, they got along.

"Father (John) took a third wife [Johanna Eskelson] in Salt Lake City (later we learned that she was the fourth wife) on March 15, 1867. Four children were born to this union. Sarah Allsop, Josephine Allsop, Ezra Allsop, and Parley Allsop.

"Mother (Mary Ellen) divided all the household goods to start a new home for Aunt Hannah Eskelson Allsop. They built a log house for her and they were all very happy.

"Father was a faithful Latter-Day Saint and always tried to do right. He was a counselor to Brother Merrill in the bishopric. I remember when he took us four little girls to Sunday School on a hand sled so we would not get our feet wet.

"Father died October 25, 1876 at Richmond, Utah, leaving Mother a widow with nine children. It was sixteen years from the time he came to Bountiful until his death at Richmond."

Effie continues: Rebecca Rawlins, once a Relief Society President of Benson Stake, had this to say to me about my grandfather (John Allsop): "I remember him as a very clean distinguished-looking man. He worked in the Sunday School and made a most pleasing appearance as a presiding officer. He stood for what was right and looked all that he stood for."

The internet source gives this additional information:

The John who was the subject of the chapter was the son of Ira Absolom Allsop, a tailor in Nottingham, and his wife, Mary Ann Cressy. John was their third child, born 20 Sep 1823. He was a skilled furniture maker by trade, and married a local girl, Caroline Moore, and had a son, John Moore Allsop. John Moore was reared by his grandfather after the death of his mother. John moved to Manchester and married again, to Susannah Robbins in 1845. Their first child died an infant less than two years old. Susannah was pregnant again when they left their home on James Street in Manchester to sail on The

Marshfield to the United States. They hired another passenger on the ship as nurse to Susannah. The nurse was Mary Ellen Wood. Susannah delivered twins, Marshfield and George, who both died and were buried at sea. The ship docked at New Orleans, LA.

John and Susannah had been baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon, Church while still in England, so their natural wish was to join others of the Church in Utah. On the trip to Utah, Susannah died on 6 August 1854. John arrived in Salt Lake County in time to marry Mary Ellen Wood on 12 September 1854. The first three of their eleven children were born in Bountiful in Davis County: John Ira, Mary Ellen, and Susanna. They had moved closer to the Idaho border, (Richmond, Cache County) by 1861, where the balance of their children were born: Charles, William Henry, Thomas, Alice, Elizabeth, Joseph, Hyrum, and Reuben.

John took a second (polygamous) wife on March 12, 1867 in Salt Lake County named Johanna Marie Eskildsen from Aalborg, Denmark, born January 31, 1850. They had four children: Sarah, Josephine, Ezra, Parley.

John died at age 53, on October 25, 1876. Mary Ellen lived on until April 18, 1911, and Johanna until 1926.