- JOHN ASHMAN
The Patriarch
1823-1909
John Ashman was the eldest son of John Ashman and Elizabeth Arnold and was born February 7, 1823 in the West Cliff Parish of Dover, Kent, England overlooking the White Cliffs of Dover. He was the sixth child in a large family, and early in life learned the trade of masonry eventually also becoming a painter and plasterer. He was described as short in stature, with blue eyes, black hair, and a graying beard.
John’s father was also John Ashman born about 1791. His mother Elizabeth, was born November 20, 1793 in Lydden, Kent, England. She lived to be 93 and was described in the 1881 census as a charwoman and a widow. She died October 20, 1887 in Dover, Kent, England.
Young John joined the army for four years and was stationed in Leeds where he met Ann Wild. They were married on November 18, 1844 in Islington, Middlesex, England. Ann was born April 25, 1826 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Her parents were Thomas Wild and Sarah Rushworth.
John and Ann had seven children, but the youngest two girls died in infancy. Our grandfather, John Thomas was their only son. All their children were born in England.
John and Ann became interested in the Church when the missionaries came, particularly Reuben A. McBride of Fillmore. John became convinced of the truth of the Gospel when he had a vision in which he saw a man standing in a very bright light holding a book in each hand. He was convinced it was the Bible and the Book of Mormon. He was a lay minister and when he began preaching some of the principles of the Mormon church in a sermon, the congregation became enraged, and a mob chased him until he was able to hide in a cemetery (one story says he jumped into a freshly dug grave) and stayed the long cold night.
John was baptized March 5, 1851 by John H. Jarvis and confirmed by Robert Q. Menzies. Ann was opposed to the church initially, but at last consented to baptism the following year, October 19, 1852. John Brook baptized her and Elder Jason Horton confirmed her. Their two oldest children, Ann Elizabeth and Harriet were baptized August 30, 1856. John became a leader of the church, becoming President of the Failsworth, Lancaster Branch. John Ashman even had a letter appear in the Millennial Star regarding his missionary work. “I take this opportunity to inform you that since I left Burmingham I baptized five people in this branch…..our prospects for the increase of this branch are encouraging. I have distributed some hand bills containing the prophecies of Joseph Smith, concerning the present American war and they have been productive in the work….I rejoice in the privilege of laboring in the vineyard, and see the honest in heart obey the Gospel.” (signed John Ashman)
The family worked hard for eleven years to get ready to go to Zion. Harriet and Ann Elizabeth both worked in the cotton mill as children until they left. In fact, the family moved often from mill town to mill town living near London, Leeds, and Manchester. Ann was reluctant to leave England, but John felt if one child went ahead, that would encourage Ann. They had saved enough to send one person and along with a $40 loan from the Perpetual Emigration Fund, the family was able to send Ann Elizabeth first at age 16. She accompanied Elder McBride who had first taught them the gospel. She would be able to live in Fillmore with his family.
She finally arrived on the John J. Boyd at Castle Gardens, New York on June 1, 1862. Castle Gardens, was called the “Emigrant Home”. They then traveled by steamboat to Albany, NY, across to Niagara Falls and then they traveled to Detroit, and then Chicago. They went on the Mississippi to Hannibal, and by railroad to St. Joseph Missouri and then by steamboat the 250 miles up the Missouri River to Florence, Nebraska. Finally they were taken by teamsters across the plains. On her trip to Utah she met Abraham Carling, one of the young teamsters, and they were married on their arrival in Salt Lake. She worried about paying back her Perpetual Emigration Fund loan, but Abe paid it for her.
Ann became anxious to get to Zion to be with her daughter and asked for money from her rich uncle to help send the rest of the family, but he told her if it were for anything else he would give it to her, but if it took her to Utah and Brigham Young, he would not lend her any. John said not to worry, “The Lord will open the way.” A short time later in 1863, her bachelor uncle passed away and their inheritance allowed them to finally take the rest of their family to Zion.
They finally sailed on the Monarch of the Sea. 974 Saints, one of the largest groups ever to sail left Liverpool with the Saints singing as they wept, “My Native Land I Love Thee” and “Ye Elders of Israel”-they were certainly going to the “mountains of Ephraim to dwell.” They arrived in New York June 3, 1864 and unlike Ann Elizabeth’s long trek via steamboat, etc. they went by train to Wyoming, Nebraska the new outfitting station for the treks west. The church would send out teamsters from Utah to drive the Saints west. Newton McBride was their teamster and he drove a team of mules rather than oxen. They traveled across the plains in the John R. Murdock Company, walking the whole way as the wagons brought their supplies. One of the girls remembered when their shoes wore out, they walked barefoot and it was not uncommon to see blood in the footprints on the sand. John Thomas got Rocky Mountain Fever, but recovered. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley August 26, 1864 and were met at the Tithing Office by members with an abundance of food. Then they were off to Fillmore to the waiting arms of Ann Elizabeth, her husband and, their first grandchild, John.
The Ashman family then settled in Fillmore. John bought property across from the Carlings, and because the area was so rocky he built a home from the rock. The children helped built a rock wall as well. This lovely two story home built in 1868 reflects his skill as a mason, with its long side porch and five gables. Even though today it has a coat of stucco it is still considered one of the beautiful old homes of the area. John continued in his occupation of plasterer and painter. He was said to be able to whitewash a large room before breakfast. Whitewash was a way to brighten up rooms that had no fancy paint or wallpaper. One time Ann wanted some color so he put some berries in the paint and she had a pink room. John also served on the School board and was General Chairman of the Fillmore 50th Anniversary Celebration.
John also ran a freight business taking goods to Nevada to sell. Coming back with was always dangerous as there were many robbers in the area. John was stopped one time by the well known robber Ben Tasker. He and his companions searched and searched but could not find the gold and silver John had hidden in the bottom of his water barrel. Jovial soul he was, John talked and joked with them, and before they left he had even traded horses with them.
John was considered a jolly, loveable Englishman, always singing as he worked. In fact, the whole family loved to sing-Ann had a lovely voice and always sang in the choir. He was a leader of boys and in 1868 called to be the President of the Deacons ultimately teaching every boy in town. When he joined the Church, John smoked a pipe, (this was before the Word of Wisdom) and when he was called as President, the Bishop mentioned how he needed a good man to be an example to the boys, a man who didn’t smoke, and one the boys could respect, but he wasn’t telling John to quit smoking. At home John hung his pipe over the fireplace and told Ann he would see if he could resist it. After two weeks he told her to burn the pipe.
John was always trying to find interesting ways to teach his deacons and it sometimes included singing to them. Their favorite song was an old English one about a crocodile swallowing a man, and the man’s determination but ever failing efforts to get out of the crocodile. His dramatic gestures always got generous applause. He served in the church his whole life and in 1895 was made Patriarch of Millard Stake. He and Allen Russell traveled all over the area and he gave hundreds of blessings. One time he even gave a blessing with a prophecy to Alonzo Hinckley that he would someday be an apostle. Brother Hinckley never told anyone until the day he was sustained as an apostle.
John Ashman took three other wives in plural marriage. Lydia Tye and John were married October 18, 1875. She was born June 3, 1825 in Cranford, Northhampshire, England and died June 7, 1909 Her parents were John Tye and Esther Askew. John also married Batilda Nielsen and Jane Ingles. An old family story says that when they came to arrest John for polygamy, they decided that one of the wives was so ugly that was enough punishment.
John died April 27, 1909 in Fillmore and was buried there. Ann had preceded him in death, dying March 12, 1906.
Taken from histories of John Ashman by Kristie Teames, Nellie Peterson Foote, Genevieve Huish Carling, and Rhoda Ashman Melville, Pioneer Immigrants to the Utah Territory, the 1900 Utah Census, the 1861 British Census, information from Ancestry.com (John Ashman Family trees) and Family Group Sheets in my possession.
Compiled by Jane Watson Hales
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1823 - 1909 (86 år)
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