Sunday, September 27, 2009

FORD FAMILY HISTORY
(1806-1933)

Charles Ford
Edwin Ford
John M. Ford

I am Clair Ford, christened Asa Clair Ford. I was born October 31, 1894 to John M. Ford and Esther Irene Judd Ford. My mother was the daughter of Zadok Knapp Judd and Mary Minerva Dart Judd.
My mother copied an autobiography of Edwin Ford, who was my grandfather. She also wrote a sketch of John Mantripp ford, my father, and also her life with him. I am reproducing her manuscript as near I can. The only changes I am making are where I think some word is left out and needs to be placed there to add to its continuity.

Charles Ford
by Edwin Ford, his son

A short sketch written by Edwin Ford. At first copied from a book he had written April 21, 1931, secondly copied in this book February 23, 1936 by Esther Ford.

Chapter 1

In this chapter I shall speak of my father’s travels and his connection with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. also his birth and marriage.

My father, Charles Ford, was born November 4, 1806 ( He was christened 13 Feb 1807) at Owlpen, Gloucestershire, England. He was sent to work as an apprentice to learn the shoe and harness trade at which he served a time of seven years. He learned the weaving trade, also the shoemaking trade.

At about twenty-three years of age (1830) he married Hannah Steventon. (Geneologists put it Stevenson), daughter of Richard and Sarah Steventon, she was age nineteen when he married her. She bore him two sons, Edwin and Alfred. About the last of May 1839, he started to Liverpool to make arrangements for passage to the United States. Having reached Liverpool, he made the necessary arrangements, and sent for mother, myself and brother Alfred, whom he had left at home in the town of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England. We met him and set sail on the fifth of June 1839 and landed in New York of the same year and reached our place of destiny at my Grandfather Steventon’s in the State of Indiana (Martin County) in September of the same year where we remained some six years, during which time my father worked at his trade shoemaking and part time farming.

(Editor’s note: They sailed on the 513 ton freighter TROY June 5, 1839. They arrived in New York harbor Saturday, July 13, 1839. The ship’s manifest listed: Charles Ford, age 32, male, shoe & harness maker, England; Hannah Ford, age 26, Female, England. Edwin Ford, age 7, male, England. Alfred Ford, age 5, male, England. (Charles’ brother) Alfred Ford, age 22, male, shoe & harness maker, England Index to Indiana Naturalization Records show naturalization of Charles and brother Alfred in two separate courts at two years apart. The 1840 Federal Census for Indiana State lists Charles in Martin County. It is reported that Charles’ brother Alfred married one of the local girls, Justian (Gustia) Stevens, March 1, 1842 in Shoals, Martin County, Indiana.)

In the fall of the year 1843 three Mormon Elders by the names of John Garner, George Garner and Alexander Stevens came into the neighborhood and preached at different homes. Now about this time mother was and had been afflicted with spinal complaint so much so that it took away the use of her feet and legs, that she could not stand or walk and she was in this condition for nearly two years.

One day when Father was out from home three Mormon Elders came to the house where Father and family lived. Mother being bedfast, she bade them come in. They did so, seated themselves, and began to talk the principles of the Gospel, and introduced themselves as elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints. they talked of the gifts of the Church or of the Priesthood; that they held the same authority to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel as the Apostles of old. and in talking with Mother in turn for about an hour, she believed and requested them unitedly to administer to her, which they did by laying on hands and prayer. I think Alexander Stevens was mouth on that occasion.

Now, boy as I was, though these were singular moments, having never heard of the laying on of hands and praying for the healing of the sick. After they had done this ordinance, they sat and talked with each other. Then arose and said they would come on the morrow and expressed a wish to see Father when they came again. They shook hands with Mother, my brother and myself, then they went away.

Sure enough on the morrow in the afternoon here they came. Father was at home. He received them very kindly. They introduced themselves as preachers of the true Gospel of Christ and said they had been there the day before. Mother told him all and her was fully prepared to receive them. He made them welcome, and they made their home with him, while they stayed in the neighborhood. They preached in several places in the region around about, but only my Father, Mother, my step-grandmother, myself and brother, five in number were baptized, which occurred on the third of April 1844. Brother Stevens attended to the ordinance of baptism and confirmation. The Garners went to the north and went to see if they could find an opening to preach the Gospel. We did not see them again until we landed in Nauvoo.

I will state here that there were two families by the name of Mitchel that lived in our neighborhood some two or three years and left for Nauvoo. I think that was in the Spring of 1843 after they had left, we heard they were Mormons. We met them and renewed acquaintance in Nauvoo. The old gentleman having quite a family, he having married the second time, his first wife being dead. He was a stone cutter by trade, and did a great deal of work on the Nauvoo Temple. We were also acquainted with him at the same trade in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Some time after our Baptism, Brother Stevens went home to Illinois, and Father and family were left there with no other Mormons nearer than Nauvoo, that he knew of. We farmed that summer. In July of that summer, news came to us of the death of the Prophet Joseph and Hyrum Smith. And boy as I was, I remember seeing Father and Mother weep at the sad occurrence. In the fall and winter of 1844, Father sold everything that he wished and gathered together all the means he could, and started for Nauvoo in February 1845, and landed there, I think, in the fore part of March that same year. In the summer of 1845 my Father was ordained a Seventy in the Twenty Fourth Quorum. While in Nauvoo, all of us suffered much sickness. In February 1846 my Father was called upon to go to the House of the Lord and receive his endowments, which he did, taking Mother and step-grandmother, Nancy Rice, with him on the sixth of February 1846, and there received their washing and anointing. I remember hearing them and they felt happy and contented with what they had received and heard.

In April 1846 my Father and family started West with the Church and moved on until he reached a settlement of the Saints, called Mount Pisgah, where he remained until April 1848, on which same date he started westward again. (They traveled with the Lorenzo Snow Company of 1848 -from obituary in Millennial Star) On September 14, 1848 he landed in the Great Salt Lake Valley where Salt Lake City stands. The incidents of travel I shall not attempt to describe only that Father was appointed to be hunter for the company, in which calling he was very successful, having killed many deer and antelope, and several bears and mountain sheep, and thirty-two buffalos, which was considerable towards furnishing the camp with meat.

Father assisted to build up Salt Lake City while there. On December 2, 1849 he married Sarah Mitchell, who was born July 31, 1813 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. He also married Katherine Gambrell who was born August 1, 1805 at Bythorn, Kent, England. They were married November 28, 1855. He also took himself other wives. One by the name of Johannah Tegan and one by the name of Caroline. He lived in Salt Lake City till the fall of 1863 when he was called and settled in Southern Utah. He died in February 1864 in Washington, Utah.(He died of lung fever.)
The above was written in Washington, Utah and he wrote no more on it.


The man who wrote or was author of the above was Edwin Ford, son of Charles Ford and Hannah Steventon or Stevenson. The Genealogical record has her name as Hannah Stevenson, while her son always called it Steventon. Her Father’s name, Richard Stevenson and her Mother’s name Sarah Stevenson. Her Father was born about 1780, Mother about 1783. Hannah was born October 11, 1812. Charles Ford was born November 4, 1806. Father of Charles Ford was William Ford, born April 7, 1782. Mother’s name was Sarah Dauncey., born 30 April 1775 in Uley, Gloucestershire, England. William Ford’s Father was William Ford, Sr. born 25 December 1737 in Owlpen, Gloucestershire, England. His wife’s name was Hester Fords Born December 1738 in Owlpen.

This is the information I have of the Grandparents, Great Grandparents of Edwin Ford, of whom I wish to write a little.




Edwin Ford
1831- 1909


Edwin Ford was born May 13, 1831 at Tipton, Staffordshire, England, and as the above he traveled from there with his parents, left Indiana and started for Nauvoo February 1845 arrived in March 1845. Thus we see he was about fourteen, so he could have a good recollection of what transpired along the way. So he wrote of his Father and Mother. We see by the family record that he married Susan Mantripp on 13 November 1855. Thus we see he was twenty-four years old when he married his wife. He played the violin.

He told me that in his young days, he would take a partner on the floor to dance, then he would go through the quadrille playing the music, do the calling and be a partner, all at the same time. He was very good at calling thru the whole dances as well as playing the violin for dancing.

After living with Susan seven years, they having three boys, he told me that he wanted a change.

Edwin Mantripp was born April 28, 1857. Charles M. Ford December 19, 1858 and John Mantripp on November 17, 1860. So he married Emily Sandall August 2, 1862, then both wives had girl babies. Susan’s baby, Agnes Ann was born Janurary 19, 1863. Emily’s baby was born November 2, 1863 Name of Rachel who married B. A. Riggs at Kanab. Agnes Ann died March 18, 1867, at Washington, Utah. A son, James Edwin was born in Washington April 29, 1865. So between Rachel’s birth at Kaysville in 1863 and James Edwin at Washington proves he must have moved to Dixie between the years of 1863 and 1865.

He worked at shoemaking and farming or gardening in Washington. He also kept on with his violin. The 21st of June 1869, he married Jane Mace. Susan’s health failed and her girl Agnes Ann died March 18, 1867. Susan’s Mother and Edwin’s Mother sent for her to come to Salt Lake City, where she died October 17, 1867. Edwin lived in Washington until the Spring of 1873. Five children were born in Washington and three died there.

When Edwin came to Kanab, he lived in the Fort. Later he moved to his city lot and built a willow house and lived in it while he built a large brick home, two storied high. He made the brick on the lot taking the soil for the brick from the cellar, where he afterward built the house. This home was on the west side of town. The Highway goes by it. It is north of the highway which cut thru the corner of his west lot. Here he worked at shoe making. He often took trips to Salt Lake taking the hides which he bought from the people and bringing them more leather to make more shoed to the people. And those shoes wore well. He was leader of the Kanab Choir. He was a High Priest. He was a Patriarch in the Kanab Stake. He was always jolly and sociable.

His family here consisted of six sons and four daughters who grew to maturity. His first wife Emily Sandall died May 22, 1879, having been the mother of Rachel, born in Kaysville November 2, 1863. Four more were born in Washington, Utah: James Edwin born April 29, 1865, Leah Ann born November 29, 1867, William Alfred was born April 22, 1870, and Joseph Steventon born June 2, 1872. Willard Eugene was born in Kanab, Utah May 5, 1875. Also Susan Emily was born April 23,1878 in Kanab. Seven children in all were born to Emily Sandall.

Edwin married Jane Mace June 21, 1869 in Salt Lake City. Two children were born in Washington, Utah. Isreal Wandle was born March 24, 1870 and died May 26, 1873. George Merklee was born June 29 1872 and died November 17, 1872. Three children were born in Kanab, Utah. Henry Mace born November 7, 1875. He died the same day; Jane Mace born April 20, 1878 and Ruth born November 24, 1880.

Edwin married Fannie Aurora Elizabeth Ehrenheim August 21, 1884. She had just come from Sweden. One child was born, Edwin Emanual. He was born June 11, 1885. Fannie left Edwin who made an agreement with her that when the boy was five years old he was to have the boy. So on one of his regular trips to Salt Lake, he brought the boy home to Aunt Jane to raise. Ed’s mother married at Gunnison where the little boy was brought from. She had two sons, Alma and Moroni Jensen.

Edwin built two large brick houses in Kanab and an adobe house. He kept his wives, when alive, living in the same house together. He was always working early and late. He was a good provider and made and mended shoes. He played the violin and called for dances. He called all kinds of reels; Opera reel, Miss McCloud’s reel, Six Nation, French Four, Virginia reel. Those dances are to be remembered for the real enjoyment they gave to all.

He lived to a good old age. One night on November 10, 1909 it was slightly snowing. It came time for supper and he was missing. The Search began. All the homes of the children were visited seeking him. Then different ones began telling where he was last seen. His boys looked in his own garden and there with his hand clutching beet tops, which he was pulling for his cow, they found him lying with a slight cover of snow over him. He was soon taken care of and was buried in the Kanab Cemetery. He always taught his children to be truthful and dependable.

An incident told by his daughter, Rachel, is too good to leave out. In June 1880 the Kanab Sunday School had planned an outing. Everyone expected to be there. He was taking his oldest son to St. George Temple to be married to Ellen Bunting and to do the temple work, his wife, Jane, going with him. He knowing of this Sunday School outing gave his daughter, Rachel, strict charge that she stay at home and take care of a two year old sister. But through the insistence of friends she went, as this was a big day for Kanab, and friends kept the baby. Her father came home the day of the outing. She was not there, and to punish her a white leghorn hat he had brought for her was withheld for two weeks. Some boys feeling bad for her wanted to buy the hat, but he said if he wanted her to have it he could give it to her.

He was in the Echo Canyon episode, when Johnson’s army neared Salt Lake Valley. The men would ride up over a small hill at its brink then reaching the level would race around to be at the side to ride up again to deceive the army into thinking there was a great multitude of soldiers.

Edwin had been hard of hearing since early Utah days. While at the Bear River where a person had drowned and standing nearby, a cannon was fired to make the body raise. The concussion injured his eardrums and ever after his hearing was impaired. This did not impair his musical abilities, however. He played the violin and in his early adult life, he would take a partner on the floor to dance, then go through the quadrille playing the music, do the calling and be a partner, all at the same time.

At his death, he owned a large brick house with a good basement, which he and his boys built on the first street west in Kanab, south three blocks from the highway. I am loath to leave such a great character with such a short sketch. He was a good business man, a good provider, a good neighbor, a good father-in-law. But I will now write of John Mantripp Ford, the second son of Edwin Ford and Susan Mantripp, grandson of Charles Ford and Hannah Steventon, and James Boatwright Mantripp and Sarah Hollis. Great Grandson of William and Hester Ford, and Roger Hollis and Susan Hayhoe on his mother’s side.


John Mantripp Ford
1860-1933

John Mantripp Ford was born November 17, 1860 at Kaysville, Davis County, Utah. At the age of four years his father moved to Washington, Washington County, Utah. His brother, Charles died of measles. His sister, Agnes, died and through the hard times of pioneer life his mother grew sick having contracted consumption or as it is now called tuberculosis. The mother and mother-in-law of his mother decided to have her come back to Salt Lake, thinking she might get well. She continued to grow worse. Her folks wrote his father, Edwin, that if he wished to see her alive he must come. John had already been taken to Salt Lake where his mother was, as he was some over six years. He was out on the street when his father came. He said he saw a man he thought was his father. As he came closer he decided not and was about to turn and run away when the man called his name. The man who was dark and dirty proved to be his father.

His mother grew worse and on the tenth of October 1867 about nine o’clock she died. Grandmother Mantripp told me that she feared her daughter would go like the snuff of a candle. When the word came that she had changed about midnight, she went immediately. But Susan’s father stayed to uncover peaches that were drying. As the mother went in Susan said, “Here is mother, where is father? Then she said, “Mother, I can’t get up this morning.” And she was dead before her father came. So John was left motherless before he was seven years old. His father, Edwin, took him home to Washington where his Aunt Emily, Edwin’s second wife, welcomed him. He always spoke highly of Aunt Emily.

In 1873 his father, Edwin, moved his family to Kanab. He and his brother, Ed, had to walk and drive the cows. After coming to Kanab they lived in the Fort a short time then moved into a willow house of two rooms on a city lot. The Fort being on the east bank of the creek west of Kanab. The creek at that time was a small stream easily stepped over. Edwin with the boys help dug a basement and made brick from the soil. Edwin’s brother, Alfred, laid the brick helping Edwin make a house in Kanab for helping build the home in Washington. After building for Edwin, Uncle Alfred did plastering around town. He caught cold and died of pneumonia on December 8, 1882. His wife and six children were brought from Washington and the funeral was held in Kanab where Alfred is buried in the Kanab Cemetery.

John grew to manhood in Kanab herding cows and going to school. He learned to play the organ in accompanying his father in playing for dances which occurred every Friday night. John soon began to work for wages. One summer he worked for Brigham Y. Baird making bricks. He spent two summers with the Geological Survey of the United States mapping Arizona and Northern New Mexico. At one time he stood on the only place in the United States where four states come together, the Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and the New Mexico corners. He told of coming home from one of these trips at Christmas time, and crossing the Colorado River on ice.

He was a Sunday School teacher before getting married, but was too busy afterwards. He loved sports and baseball was his favorite. He was always at the catcher’s post. He would often take a vacation for a fishing trip. He was so fond of trout.

After two or more years of courting and corresponding with Esther Judd he was married and sealed to her in the St George Temple. Having already built a two roomed house, planning to be married January 22, 1886. He with his girl bride to be left Kanab the Monday morning before and after getting on the road there was Frank Hamblin and his girl Rose Brown. John Robinson and his girl Claudia Little were already in St. George. Lorenzo Brown and his girl Elizabeth Haycock went with Will McAllister who was taking his father’s mother to St. George.

It had been stormy weather. On the first days drive they were out walking. The roads were heavy with mud and occasional spots of snow. On the first day to Pipe Springs there were a lot of cowboys at the ranch at the time. The big room was full of boys. They say around the wall on the floor. At it was a wedding party jokes in plenty were passed around and songs were sung. Isaac Brown sang “I Know There Is Someone Waiting For Me.” John Adams sang “Tonight We Part Forever.” A Mr. Nagel sang, “I Know That You Will Call Me Back Again.”

They traveled the next day, Tuesday, and the next day, Wednesday, and the next day, Thursday at eleven o”clock before they got into St. George they rented a house not far from the Temple. They took the afternoon getting ready to go to the Temple. The Temple opened at nine o’clock on Friday January 22nd and they went through the Temple and were sealed. Those sealed were Frank Hamblin and Rose Brown; John M. Ford and Esther I. Judd. John Robinson and Lorenzo Brown went on to Pinto and never got married until the next Tuesday.

John Ford and Frank Hamblin came out of the Temple loaded up and parted company. Frank went to the Clara (Santa Clara) and John went to Washington to the home of Tom Greenhalgh’s father, where he camped for the first night of their married life. There was a dance in Washington which Tom took them to, in the basement of the Washington School House. Then they came back to the wagon. On going to bed John said they would be rolled down into the creek by morning. After the dance was out they heard someone coming. It was the musicians who had played for the dance, old acquaintances of John. They began to play “Lady Awake.” Then John raised the cover and looked out. Then it was “How are you, Johnny? How do you do, Johnny?” John asked Tom Greenhalgh to give them some wine. The next morning they started home and some five miles out from Washington, Frank overtook them. Then they traveled on together. That Monday night it began to rain. They were camped on the Cedar Ridge. The boys got up hitched up their teams. The rain ran in the road. The horses kept stopping. It was ten o’clock when they got to Pipe Springs. After leaving Pipe Springs, it took them till eight o’clock, Tuesday night to get home. Help came from home. They left their wagon, put bedding and grub box into Frank’s wagon and put both teams on the one wagon. It was wallowing in the mud.

John went to his brother Ed’s for the first month while plastering his home of two brick rooms which he had built before going to St. George. March 4, 1886 he moved the few things he had on a sled from his brother Ed’s. (Note: the home that John built was located on the corner of 100 East and 100 South. It was bought by William Frederick Hamblin in 1889 when he wanted to marry Susan Ellen Johnson. She died shortly thereafter and his second wife Sina Cecelia Averett raised their family there. They added two rooms to the back and a porch in the front. Their son Bill was the last to live in the house until he died in 1971. The house was sold and torn down to build a service station.)

John and Ed planned their work together. Early that spring they with their families and Tom Greenhalgh went to the meadows to work for John Kitchen and milk cows. They made cheese and butter and raise pigs.

John, his brother, Ed and James Bunting worked together burning lime for the making of bricks. One season after making brick they received a contract to build the top story of the academy. The basement was of rock which had been built for some time. For their pay they received produce, but they had to go to Long Valley for it. John and Ed bought a brick mill and later a sorghum mill. They raised cane and made molasses for others, too. After awhile, he took up the plastering trade, also rock masoning. Then he began to think he must do something to make employment for this boys. After making brick and building houses, he bought goats. After two or three years with them he was broke, broken in health. He and Jay and Clair all having the goat fever, the same summer. It took more than two years to be able to work again.

When he got able he built an addition to the home. The boys helping. And Josephine went out to the sawmill and worked for lath to put on the dining room. Then he began to plaster and burn marl, a lime like substance found below Kanab and northeast of Fredonia. He would start his fire under his boiler filled with marl and burn it until mid-day. Then empty it into a bin. He would refill the boiler with marl and burn it until late at night. He bought his wood for ten dollars load. Paid for marl hauling, sold the marl after sifting and sacking. It mad a nice hard plaster. It was in big demand, with never a sack left on hand. He was a hard worker.

However, he was ready for any sporty time and belonged to the first Brass Band which was organized in Kanab, the second of February 1887 with J.F. McAllister as leader. He played the baritone brass horn. He was punctual at band practices. That band was the life of the town, on all public occasions, with their music and serenades.

He was the father of ten children, seven boys and three girls. He would spend time in Temple work each winter, in later years. In October 1891 he took his grandmother to the Manti Temple and did the Temple work she dictated, having her children sealed to her. He believed in the work in the Temple for dead relatives. He always enjoyed the work there. The last year of his life he spent six weeks in temple work. On January 2, 1931 he did the work for his son Paul Arden who had died of goat fever on August 3, 1922. The winter of nineteen thirty-one, January and February, he was at the Temple.

He was light complexioned, blue eyes and sandy mustache, five feet ten inches tall, and was of a stocky build, weighing from one hundred seventy to one hundred ninety and nearly two hundred pounds.

In the early days when young manhood suited him, he would learn and recite comic or stump speeches. One was how Enoch walked with God. And one was “The Aching Tooth” and one was “The Candy Pulling.” He used to dance so hard that his clothes would be dripping wet. The old fashioned dances of Quadrilles and the Reel. He had a testimony of the Gospel and attended his meetings. He paid his tithing and did his ward teaching. In every way he tried to live by the requirements of the gospel. He did not drink tea or coffee or liquor, nor ever use tobacco. He led an exemplary life.

He died April 15, 1933. He was sick from Sunday, the ninth of April. He died Friday night with some of his children and wife by his side. He was buried Sunday afternoon. All his children were at home.

The foregoing pages were copied from my mother, Esther Judd Ford’s hand writing. I, Clair Ford, was born October 31, 1894. I am the third son of John M. and Esther Irene Judd Ford, and I am their fifth child.