by Zilnorah Barnett a daughter-in-law
John Barnett was born in Stokeprior, Worcestershire, England, 20 October 1858. He was the son of James Barnett and Mary Ann Lacey.
John's father joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) in 1842. When John was seven years old his father decided to come to Utah. Besides John, he also brought a stepdaughter, Sarah Ann Green, leaving the mother and other children to come later.
They set sail from Liverpool April 30, 1866 and crossed the ocean in the sailing vessel "John Bright". They were on the water for 6 weeks and 3 days. They landed at Castle Garden, New York, and come on to Omaha by train. While at Omaha, Sarah Ann, his half-sister, married one of the teamsters, George Summers, who was freighting between Salt Lake City and Omaha. John and his father came on with Henry Chipmans Ox train. A short-distance after they had passed Fort Laramie, Wyoming, the Indians stole a number of their horses and cattle. As they drove on they saw Indians driving cattle and horses toward them. The teamsters overtook the Indians and took back the cattle. The Indians rode away to the hills. A short distance further on they came to a Government train who had been left afoot by the Indians.
The wagon train came on to Salt Lake City arriving 15 September 1866 after traveling nine weeks on the plains. They settled in West Jordan, living there about three years. While there, John was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 7 September 1868. They moved to Wanship when John was ten years old.
When the first railroad was built from Echo to the coal mines in Chalk Creek, John worked for the cook, washing dishes and doing odd jobs. This was just a short time after they moved to Wanship. He also worked for the Bishop of Rockport and hauled wood. He was only twelve years old when he drove an ox team to Salt Lake City with wood. It took three days to make the trip.
When he was thirteen years old his mother and the other members of the family came to Wanship, Utah. He walked three miles to meet her and then did not know her at all. He had entirely forgotten her in the six years he had been away.
He moved with his parents to Bountiful where he clerked in Thurgood's store for about three years.
He and his brother Mark went to what is now West Layton and were among the first to plow land and plant wheat on what was called the Co-op Farm. While working there he met Ellen Mary Bone who he married on 10 October 1878.
Ellen Mary was the daughter of William Henry Bone and Ellen Carter and was born June 27, 1856 in Devonshire, England. Her parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) in 1854 in England. They left England on the ship "George Washington" March 28, 1857, and landed at New York. The lived at Williamsburg and Brooklyn, where two children, Rhoda and William James were born. From there they came to Utah crossing the plains with the Milo Andrus Independent Co. arriving in Salt Lake City 12 September 1861. They went to Kaysville to make their home where Mr. Bone worked at his trade, a shoemaker.
When Ellen Mary was about 20 years old she homesteaded a tract of land for her father in what later became West Layton, with only her younger brothers for company, while her parents lived in Kaysville so that her father could follow his trade. She used to walk to Kaysville and back, a distance of eight miles for supplies.
It was while homesteading this land that she met her future husband, John Barnett. After their marriage her husband helped build an adobe home where her parents later lived.
While living in West Layton four children were born to them: Ellen Mary, born 20 June 1879; John William, born 6 June 1881; Mark Larence, born 29 December 1883 and Clara Alice born 6 May 1885. They moved to South Hooper where twins Adelbert and Elsie were born 10 November 1888. Elsie died at birth. Clara Alice also died while they lived in Hooper. While there, John helped haul the rock and brick that are in the foundation and walls of the Weber County Poorhouse. Sometime later they moved to Ogden and from there moved back to Kaysville. They lived in several different places in Kaysville where another daughter, Florence Mabel, was born 17 February 1890.
About two years after Florence was born, •John left his family and was gone for twenty-one years. His son, Adelbert, wrote in his personal history about this period:
I Father spent much of his time away from home and wandered far. He worked in mines in Northern Idaho and Montana, Nevada and California and made one trip to Nome, Alaska; the river Dawson and the Klondike but never got rich. Occasionally he would send a letter home with money in it but I never saw him until 1912 when he returned home to stay.
Note: John Barnett returned 16 June 1913, the day before hi~ mothers death. The following appeared in the newspaper dated June 20, 1913:
After twenty-one years absence from his family, most of which time his wherabouts was unknown, John Barnett returned from California, Monday. It is understood that he had lived in California most of the time but he had also been in Klondike. He was in San Francisco at the time of the earthquake. Mr. Barnett is enjoying the best of health.[1]
Adelbert's personal history continues:
He took care of mothers small home in Kaysville for several years and in the meantime worked as a section hand and track walker on B. E. R. R. Co. (Bamberger Electric Railroad Company). After mothers death in 1921, Father boarded awhile with Aunt Rhoda Blamires, then moved to Bountiful and boarded with his sister, Lucy Thurgood. Then tiring of that he moved to Salt Lake to the Oaks Hotel where he remained for several years and all of the time he continued his work for B. E. R. R;
He enjoyed his occasional visits into the country visiting with his sons and daughters there. On July 7, 1930 he left his boarding house in Salt Lake and moved to Farmington, Utah to live with his son, Adelbert Barnett. He began at once to build up a small business in chickens, buying and housing 200 red and white chickens. On Sept 15, 1930 he was layed off the Bamberger Railroad on account of deafness and from then on busied himself with his chickens and about his son's place.
The family bought an adobe home on what was known as the New Survey Project in Kaysville in 1903. This home was destroyed by an east wind in 1906. The family temporarily lived in rented homes for one year after which they built a new two-room brick home on the old foundation where their son, John and family eventually lived.
Ellen Mary was a devoted mother and homemaker, making braided rugs and beautiful quilts, and crocheting lace and knitting stockings by hand. She was a very rapid knitter. At one time she had orders for forty pair. She was a Relief Society teacher until poor health kept her at home. She was always willing to assist in caring for the sick. She suffered several years with Bright's Disease. It finally caused her death, 9 July 1921.
After her death John moved to Salt Lake City where he lived for a year or so after which he moved to Farmington and lived with his son Adelbert and wife for a year. He operated a little store in North Salt Lake just east of the Cudahy Packing Plant for several years. He then went to live with his son, Mark, and wife for a time in Ogden. In the Utah Centennial year of 1941 he was honored as being among a few early Utah pioneers who were still living. He was then 89 years old.
Later he stayed with his grand-daughter, Leone, and her husband, Clarence Ward, in Farmington, Utah. Leone Butcher Ward had an open house for John's•93rd birthday. John's daughter, Florence, greeted the guests. On 24 July 1953, John was again honored as a Utah Pioneer when he rode with the Grand Marshall in the Ogden Pioneer Day Parade as one of the oldest pioneers. This was less than a month before his death. John died at the Ward home 18 August 1953 in his 95th year. He was buried in the Kaysville City Cemetery.
1. Davis County Clipp~r Vol XXIII, Bountiful, Utah, June 20, 1913. film # 4
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