Today in primary, the sharing time was about Family History. My desire to do family history has been on and off, but the lesson really hit me today. When Minnie came out, we went to the Winter Quarters Visitor Center and the sister missionary asked us if we have any pioneer stories. Well today when I came home from church after filling the family's tummies, I looked on Familysearch and discovered this story about John Ellison Maxfield (my 6th generation ancestor). I feel like my testimony of the pioneers has grown so much living here in the Winter Quarters area, visiting Nauvoo, and learning the many stories of these wonderful pioneers. I think as a mother, my perspective has changed about the hardships and sacrifices of these courageous men and women and I'm indebt to them (and their posterity) for the many sacrifices that they made to give me to opportunity to have the gospel in my life.
So I wanted to share this story of John Ellison Maxfield for my family members that may not know of a conversion story in our family. I feel a connection to him because he spent a little time in Winter Quarters.
John Ellison Maxfield was born at Youton, Yorkshire, England,
in the Parish of Alne, March 21st 1801. John was the sixth of eleven children
born to John Maxfield and Hannah Appleton. His middle name, Ellison, was a
namesake of one of his uncles. About 1818 John, together with his parents and
several siblings, set sail from Hull, Yorkshire, England,
bound for Australia.
The ship in which they were sailing wrecked at sea. A passing freighter rescued
the passengers and brought them to Canada. The Maxfields settled in Prince Edward Island, Canada. John Ellison married Sarah
Elizabeth Baker on March 26th 1827. They were the parents of eleven children,
including my great, great grandfather, Richard Dunwell Maxfield. Sarah was born
in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada
in May 10, 1811, to Jesse Baker and Sarah Shureman. John and Sarah had ten
children born to them in Canada.
Their names are Robert Quorton, Richard Dunwell, Elijah Hiett, Jesse, James
Appleton, William Wellener, John Ellis, Sarah Elizaeth, Joseph Smith and Quincy
Benjamin. About the year 1844, two Mormon Elders from Nova
Scotia came to PEI
where they baptized fifteen people. John Ellison and probably other members of
the families attended a meeting at which these two Elders spoke. The tradition
is that upon his return home, John called his family around him and said
"I have just heard what I have been looking for all my life," and
expressed a desire to join the church and go to Salt Lake Valley. They were baptized, along with
some members of Richard's and Williams' families. John and Elizabeth owned a
sawmill, engaged in ship building, owned a six hundred acre farm, and also
raised thoroughbred horses. The families had planned to build a ship in which
to sail to Chicago (Fort
Deerborn at that time), but instead
chartered a ship and left Prince
Edward Island in June, 1850. John and Elizabeth left
their large farm unsold with instructions to their attorney to sell it and
forward them the money. They never heard from their attorney again. The rest of
the property was disposed of with the exception of a horse. The morning they
were to sail, the horse was brought around to the front of the Inn and John asked for a bid. He got the highest bid from
a minister who bought it. They arrived in Chicago
by sailing up the St. Lawrence River as far as they could go, then up one of
the smaller rivers to the Great Lakes. They
then sailed across Lake Michigan to Chicago.
They would have had to travel overland from Chicago
to Council Bluffs, being ferried across the Mississippi River on their way. The family reached Council Bluffs, at that time known as on July 9th 1850 and
must have decided to cross the Missouri River
and go over to Winter Quarters that same day. Jesse, their fifteen year old
son, was drowned in the river as they were being ferried across. He had been
sent to get something for his baby brother who was sick; he slipped off a plank
into the swift running water and was never seen again. Jesse's year-old baby
brother, Benjamin, died a few days later on July 15th 1850. Sarah was
heartsick. The family arrived in Winter Quarters three weeks after the last
company of Saints had left for the valley and were advised to stay there until
spring. In the meantime, they prepared for the rest of their journey by purchasing
food, oxen, cows, wagons and horses. One month after their arrival in Council Bluffs they were
saddened by the death of their uncle and brother, William Maxfield, who left a
widow and five small children. According to family tradition, John and Elizabeth
brought with them a can of gold pieces; this they used in outfitting their
family for the journey and were able to assist some of the less fortunate
Saints. Sarah had brought with her exquisite laces, dimities, etc. that she had
purchased in Canada
to be made into baby clothing and other items when they reached their
destination. John and Sara left council
Bluffs with their eight children and a nephew, John
Ellis Maxfield, a 15 year old son of Richard Maxfield and Eliza J. Parrot, on
May 1, 1851. Sara Ann Picket, widow of William, and her five children remained
in Council Bluffs,
as did Richard and Eliza and the rest of their family. There was sickness in
the family at the time and Richard and his thirteen
