John and Ellen Wood by Bertha Wood Hall and Tauna Hall

HISTORY OF JOHN WOOD & ELLEN SMITH

On February 18, 1822, at Staleybridge, Lancashire, England, Ellen Garner and John Smith were blessed with a baby girl whom they named Ellen. Later she was married to John Wood, a coal miner. John was the son of Samuel Wood and Sarah May. His birth was on 14 February,1819 in Hurst, Ashton- Under-Lyne, Lancashire, England.

John and Ellen Wood had two children born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Sarah Anne Wood, was born 8 May, 1850. Then Eliza Wood was born 7 January, 1852, but she was called back to our Father in Heaven a month later on 14 February, 1852. A little while after Eliza’s death, some Mormon Elders stopped to preach the Gospel to the Wood family and it brought comfort and peace to their hearts. Soon both John and Ellen were baptized. After baptism they decided they would come to America to join the Mormons in the Westward move across the plains. It was a long trip across the ocean, but they finally reached America and joined the Saints. They did not have as many supplies as some of the others had in leaving for the West because of the rush of time, but they did have a wagon and an ox team

A baby boy, Cyrus Nephi Wood, was born to them 17 June 1853 as they were crossing the plains. His life here on earth was short, as he died two months later on 21 Aug, 1853. They buried him along the trail on the day of his death. It was a sad time for them as they prepared their wagon to leave, their hearts were burdened with sorrow. Often Ellen dreamed at night that the wolves were digging up his small grave. It was trials like this that tested the saints as they came West.

While crossing the plains, John became very sick with cholera, as so many of the pioneers did. John would have to walk and often fell behind the rest of the wagon train because of his sickness. He would tell Ellen to go on with the children so they wouldn’t hold up the others. Sometimes it would be midnight before he came into camp, but always Ellen would be waiting to give him tender care and nourishment. During their journey, they seldom had more than bread and water to eat.

In finally reaching Utah, they settled in Lehi for nine years. Six children were born to them here, but three of their babies died. On the 27 of Dec. 1854, they had a little girl whom they named Ellen after her mother. This baby was permitted to live and grow, keeping her mother’s mind, heart and hands busy watching after and caring for her.

On the 23rd of April 1857, John and Ellen had a set of twins, but they only lived a few hours. They named them Charles and Mary Wood. A year later on 27 September 1858, Ellen had another set of twins. These children were named John and Jane Wood. Jane lived only one month and passed away on 12 October, 1858. John, however grew to manhood. Another boy, George Henry Wood was born 1 December 1860.

In 1862 they were called to go to Utah’s Dixie. Sarah Ann was eleven years old. She drove the oxen while her father drove the stock. They crossed the Black Ridge in December, and there were so many boulders and ruts in the road that her parents were afraid any minute Sarah Ann would be pulled under the animal’s hoofs. Ellen was again pregnant and the bouncing from boulder to boulder was also hard on her. The rough road help to bring on the birth of their last child. On 21 December, 1862, Emily was born in a wagon box in Virgin, Washington County, Utah. The Woods moved to the small community, Duncan’s Retreat, for a while and then decided to make their home in Grafton. It had about thirty families at the time . They lived in a little 12 X 12 one-room mud house that had a dirt floor, a roof, a front door and a window.

Since food was scarce, John and the other men went over to Long Valley near Orderville, Utah to plant grain. To get there, they had to go out over the Plains and around through Short Creek, Arizona, then back by Kanab, Utah. It took several days to make this journey. When the grain was ripe, the men took wagons and teams to haul the harvest home. It was a good crop and the men were happy at the thought of having food for their families. But harvesting was a long, slow process. The men had to cut it all with a sickle by hand. They had just started when President Snow sent word that there was an Indian up-rising and they were to go home for their own safety. Since it was such a long distance, and the men wanted to harvest all they could, they decided to stay a day or two longer. Pres. Snow sent another runner out to warn them. So they completed another wagon full and then started for home. When they reached the Sands, there was a steep, sandy hill called “The White Elephant”. To get up and over this incline, they had to double up the teams to pull the wagonloads to the top. They had just gotten one of the wagon to the top when the Indians attacked. By cutting the horses loose from the wagons and leaving the grain, they made a run for it and were able to get away. Luckily only one man, Brother Hi Stevens, was hurt. He had been shot clear through the diaphragm with an arrow. He told the other men to leave him and not take time to bother about him, as it would slow them up. But they didn’t want to leave him, so when they got far enough away from the danger the men fixed him up the best they could. They took a silk handkerchief and ran it through the hole tying it in front and in the back to stop the bleeding. They didn’t dare go back to Grafton by way of the Plains, so they started over the rough oak covered mountains and canyons of Hard Scrabble. They had to go over around through Crystal and Oak Valley, into Bear Valley and Blue Springs on Kolob and finally down into the town of Virgin before they got help for his injury. Brother Stevens miraculously recovered from the arrow wound, and lived to be an old, old man.

There was much poverty in Grafton, and so John decided to move his family to Rose Valley, in Nevada. While there they had cows and sold milk and butter. But because of their religion, they came back to Grafton. Ellen said that was the last time she would move so they started building a house. First they built a cellar, a good-sized room in a six-foot hole. In the hole they baked dobbie into bricks for the walls of their house. It was a quite a large home for that time. It had three big rooms with three porches - one on the North, East, and South. On the West were the steps leading down to the cellar. They got water from the river and the ditch in big barrels. The water was clean and pure then as it came past the town.

On January 29, 1866, in Berryville, Washington County, Utah, their oldest daughter, Sarah Ann married Samuel Western. This couple moved to Deseret to help build up that part of the country. They eventually had ten children. On 12 July 1872, Ellen married Isaac Brown and they moved to Milford to help settle that community. Ellen and Isaac also had 10 children. John Wood married Sarah Jane Gibson in St. George, Utah, on 22 June 1882 and they had nine children. George Henry married Emily Louise Hastings on 20 February, 1882, in St. George, Utah. They had seven living children. Emily Wood married George Andrew Gibson on 31 December 1883 and they had eight children.

John, George and Emily all stayed in Grafton. John Jr. and George (Nen was his nickname) took over the farm. They bought a herd of cattle when Smith’s sold out. They built ranches on Kolob and dairies there. In the summer they made and sold cheese and butter. Grandpa John took care of his chickens and worked in the blacksmith shop. He was a wheel-wright and did many things for people. He always kept everyone’s apple peeler in repair and never accepted any pay for his kindness. John Jr. and Nen made beautiful braided ropes and hackamores in their spare time.

Emily (their youngest daughter) and husband, George Gibson, lived with John and Ellen to help them with the household chores. Grandma had a sore on her leg which made it hard for her to get around. Emily was good with a needle and a fine seamstress. She made all her children’s clothes, men’s suits, quilts, carpets, and crocheted. She was very neat with her sewing and was always kind to everyone.

Grandpa attended church regularly never missing an opportunity to bear his testimony or to help with church duties. He hauled logs and worked on the St. George Temple. He was jolly and always playing jokes on people. One day he sent Mae (Emily’s oldest daughter) over to John Jr.’s house to ask Sarah (John’s wife) for a left-handed monkey wrench. When she had looked all over and had not found one, he laughed and said, “April Fool’s!”

Grandma was an excellent cook and housekeeper. She was always cheerful and neat around the home. How her grandchildren loved her bread and butter, cookies, dumplings, and puddings. They loved their family gatherings, especially when Aunt Sarah Ann and Aunt Ellen came home to put up fruit. Aunt Ellen kept everyone laughing all the time with her jokes and her wit. Nen did the singing for the family. He was always ready when anyone asked him with his large repertoire of songs.

Nen was accidentally killed at 37 years of age on 7 May 1898 when a horse he was riding fell over backwards and crushed him. Uncle John took his passing hard as they had worked together for years. Grandma only lived a few months after Nen’s death and passed away on 18 February 1899. Four years after that, Emily moved to Hurricane and brought Grandpa when he was 92 years old. It was hard for him to get around in the new environment and oft times he would get lost. Emily was always sorry that she had moved him away from his familiar surroundings. He died 4 Aug, 1911, twelve years after Ellen. Grandpa and Grandma were a devoted couple and Grandpa often said, “She will think I am a long time coming.”

The accompanying record is taken from a small ledger book, four inches by six and one half inches by one half inch thick. It appears that this book was purchased by John Wood in England in 1852. Attached to the inside front cover was a reproduced almanac for the year 1852. Apparently John Wood carried this book with him when they crossed the plains to Utah in 1853 and during subsequent moves in Utah and Nevada.

Unfortunately there are no records in the book except the dates that John and his wife Ellen were born, the dates they joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the dates of birth and some death dates of their children. Also included are Patriarchal Blessings given to members of the family at Duncan’s Retreat near Grafton, Utah, on March 9, 1867.

However, from the information that is recorded, it is evident that John Wood and his family were living in Lehi, Utah from about 1854 to about 1862. The youngest daughter was born in Virgin in Southern Utah on Dec. 21, 1862. Since both the youngest children, George and Emily were baptized in Eagle Valley, Nevada, it is presumed that the family was living there in about 1868 to 1870. It is believed that by noting the way the letters are formed in the entries, that the person writing this journal was John Wood, who came from England.

John Wood born Feb.14, 1819 Baptized May 5th 1851 by Elder Isaac Allen

Confirmed by Elder GE Taylor in Chesterfield

Ellen Wood born Feb.18, 1822 Baptized 7 May 1851 by Elder Isaac Allen

Confirmed by Elder Edward Crick

Sarah Anne Wood born May 8,1850 Blessed June 8, 1851 by Elder Charles Marsden

in Chesterfield, Eng.

Eliza Wood born Jan. 20, 1852 Blessed February 10th by Elder Isaac Allen

died Feb. 14, 1852 in Chesterfield

Cyrus Nephi Wood born June 17, 1853 on the plains

died August 21,1853 on the plains

Ellen Wood born Dec. 27, 1854 Lehi, Utah

Charles & Mary Wood brn April 23,1857 Lehi, Utah