Joseph Chatterton, son of James Chatterton and Elizabeth Crofts. He was born in Darfield, Yorkshire, England 28 August, 1850. He was the first child in the family born in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His mother joined the church 13 October, 1848, and his father was baptized 19 November, 1848. He was called “the little red-headed Mormon.”
He went to school very little, none over a year and a half. His main school was Sunday School of which he was a regular attendant. He couldn’t go to school very much because schooling was expensive and they were poor. They had a large family. There were eleven in all: Sarah, James, William, John, Arthur Richard, Joseph, Hyrum, Mary, Heber, Willard, Lorenzo and Wilford.
The only relatives he can remember is his grandmother, Anna Crofts, a dear, little, old lady, and his Uncle Dick, a cab driver in Sheffield, Yorks, England.
Joseph’s father, James Chatterton, had the occupation of “miller”. This is the occupation given on the birth certificate of all his children, except Joseph’s. There he was mentioned as a “Corn Miller”. Joseph’s father, James, died when Joseph was nineteen years old, on March 12, 1869. After his father’s death his mother met a Mr. John Ellieworth who was going to America. She was so religious, and wanted to come to America, and she had so much trust in the Lord, that she sent her three children, Heber, Mary and Wilford, who was eight years of age, over to Utah with Mr. Ellieworth and his daughter. Joseph had been working in the coal mines previous to this. He worried so about the children that he took a boat from England a month later to America. He sailed to America from Liverpool, England on the ship “Manhattan” 22 September, 1869.
On October 13, when the ship was in mid-ocean, there was an equinox storm. The people thought the ship was going to sink. There was a great commotion aboard. Some people were praying, some singing, some dancing, some cursing, and some crying. The life boats were loosed so if it was necessary they could be used. In the end the ship pulled through to safety. Joseph landed in Ogden, Utah, October 22, 1869. He came on to Richmond, Utah, and found all the children safe with his brother William. Mary had gone out to do housework and Joseph helped William get out his winter’s wood. Joseph needed work so he went to Bishop Merrill who was later Apostle Merrill and asked him for work because William couldn’t keep all the children, so Bishop Merrill got him work at Monson’s. Mr. Monson was a carpenter. Joseph was an apprentice boy. He stayed with Monson’s four years.
At the end of two years Joseph’s mother and Hyrum James came over from
England. This was all their family now, they had all emmigrated to America,
and where happy to be together again. Sarah had come about 1862 and William
came in August 1863. Elizabeth and her son Hyrum James sailed on the ship “Wyoming”
21 June, 1871. The cost of their passage was twenty-five pounds and eighteen
schillings.
Mr. Ellieworth, who had been the cow-herder for Richmond, took cold and died
with pneumonia. He had been an important person in their lives, and had shown
he was very trustworthy.
In the spring of 1872, Joseph went to Franklin, Idaho to do some work on the Church House. While he stayed there he went to the dances quite often. He and Edmund Buckley played for them. He played an accordion. One night David Jensen and he didn’t have any girls to take to the dance, so a friend told them he would find them one. He took them down to Joseph Stone’s place. He lived in Doby town down then (the south part of Franklin) by the depot. On the way, their friend told them about the girls. He said that one of the girls was short and the other tall. Naturally they thought that the tall one was the oldest and the short one the youngest, so they agreed that David would take the oldest and Joseph the younger. They were taking the girls sight unseen. When they got there, the girls agreed to go so the taller, which was the younger, walked out with David and the short one, which was the oldest, walked out with Joseph. They went to the dance and all had a very good time. Something seemed to tell Joseph that this girl was to be his wife. They planned to be married the next fall, but Joseph’s mother was going to Ogden to live with her daughter Sarah, and Joseph didn’t want to go back to Monson’s to live, so they were married on April 29, 1872. He drove from Richmond to Franklin in a lumber wagon for Elizabeth and then from Franklin to Salt Lake. They were married in the Salt Lake Endowment House. Their first home was in Richmond in a log-house with a dirt floor and roof. Later he bought a house and lot on the south-east corner of Richmond.
Joseph helped build the first big church house in Franklin, the one they are using now, although it has been remodeled, although since then it has been remodeled twice. In the summer of 1987 a new church was built just about where the one Joseph helped build stood.
In the spring of 1873, he went to Logan to do the woodwork on the old Z.C.M.I. store on what is now the First National Bank. On April 24, 1873, their first child was born. He was boarding in Logan at the time and she was living in Richmond. They sent a telegram to him that she was sick, at 5:00 a.m. and he received it at 8:00 that night. As soon as he received word he borrowed a horse and rode as fast as he could to Richmond. He arrived home at 12:00 midnight to find that all was well with her and baby Joe (Joseph).
In December of the same year, they moved to Franklin. They lived in the same place that Jerome Porter did for two summers and three winters. Here their daughter Elizabeth Maria was born. Later they moved out to the south end of Franklin’s little mountain. Here Aaron James, Arthur Richard and Sarah Grace were born. They moved from here to what is known as the old Spomburg place in Franklin (one half blocks from the drug store). Joseph worked at the grist mill as a day watchman. One day he was trying to tighten a bur on the wall. He had such a big wrench that it made him lose his balance and he fell down into a big wheel. Fortunately he had loose shoes on. As he fell into the wheel, his feet were caught in come alternating machinery. His shoes slipped off and saved his life. The large fan shaped wheel caught and threw him up to the ceiling, and then he fell back on the floor. The night watchman came and found him and stopped the machinery. One hip was bruised very badly and a three inch gash was cut in his head. One of the old settlers of Franklin took him home in a wagon, where he rested for several days.
At this home in town was born five more children. They were: Violet May, Joel, Grover Cleveland, Wallace Leroy, and Lester.
In the District Court of the 3rd Judicial District, Territory of Idaho in the county of Oneida, Joseph Chatterton made an application to become a citizen of the United States 7 December, 1877. He later became a citizen of the United States, which pleased him.
In May 1892 Joseph and his family moved to their farm in Cherryville, about four miles north and east of Franklin. He either homesteaded this place or bought it from someone who had. In this small settlement, there was a one-room building which served as a church house and a school house. This was known as Cherryville Ward in the early days. Here, at this home, two more children were born. They were Reuben Andrew and Rubynette were born. Reuben was just learning to walk when he was drowned in a very small irrigation ditch near the house.
They lived in a log cabin for several years until they could build a bigger and better house. They were very industrious people, and all worked hard to build up this farm. They cleared land, plowed and planted and milked cows and raised a garden. They planted a large orchard of fruit trees; prunes, apples, pears, cherries, apricots and grapes. They took good care of these trees and they produced abundantly. Many people came from miles around to buy some of the good sweet prunes he raised. They called them “Sugar” plums. Elizabeth made many good pies with the fruit they produced, and jars of jam and preserves and dried fruit to feed her family in the winter. They also raised a few chickens and pigs. They separated milk and had cream for their family. They piped a spring from about two miles up Deep Canyon down to their house through rocky soil and had plenty of cold, pure drinking water. They improved this home so it was a productive and enjoyable place to live, with flowers, a lawn, trees and fences, even though it was on the rocky foothills east of Franklin.
In the fall of 1916, after they had lived on this farm about 24 and ½ years and their family was about all gone, they moved back to Franklin to retire. They bought a small home ½ blocks north of the Franklin Church house. Joseph divided his farm up between his three boys: Wallace, Cleve, and Lester. Wallace inherited the piece of ground Joseph’s home was on and the home. In the fall of 1916, Wallace moved into Joseph’s farm house and raised his family there.
Joseph and Elizabeth had only been living in their home in Franklin about 11 years when Elizabeth passed away on April 13, 1927. They had been married fifty-five years when Elizabeth died. Not long after her death, Joseph’s eyes started to fail him, so he went to live with his daughter, Elizabeth Maria, who had married Abraham Whitehead. He remained there until his death on 6 June, 1935. He was buried 9 June, 1935 in Franklin Cemetery. His funeral services were held in the church house he had helped to build.
On 13 April 1927, when Elizabeth died, she and Joseph had 44 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, and now they would have many more than that. Nearly all of them are devoted members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They have left a noble posterity in number and character.
There are a few more things I would like to add in the story of Grandfather’s life that are not mention in the above account. Grandfather was a very clean, conservative and honest man. He was virtuous beyond any doubt. Although at times he wore old clean and mended clothes, he died owing no one and left a bank account. He was a short, sturdy built man with loads of ambition; in fact, he was always doing something to make the world better until his eyesight grew so dim, in the last years, that he couldn’t see to work. He was so blind that he could scarcely distinguish daylight from dark before he died. He loved his religion very much; a staunch member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He did not attend his church meetings so much in his last few years, but it was all very dear to him. He has sat and cried several times when he told me the following incident. He wept with joy and thanksgiving because he was so overjoyed at still being a member of the Church. In the early history of the Church, Bishops and officer took more authority than was really theirs. They excommunicated many saints for trifling things. Many never came back to the Church, but still remain bitter. For some reason, they either excommunicated or disfellowshipped grandfather and grandmother. The reason for this has never been quite clear to me. Some say it was because grandfather didn’t want to marry another wife in polygamy days. Others say it was because he bought goods at a non-church operated store. Whatever it was, he felt bad about it and was out of the church for several years, while at least six of his children were born. They were excommunicated or disfellowshipped on 1 March 1885.
I have personally written to the Church Offices in Salt Lake twice to see if I could find out why they were excommunicated or disfellowshipped, but they have been unable to find any record of this. But it must have been done, because they both had to be baptized over again in order to rejoin the church. Joseph was baptized the second time 30 August 1902 and Elizabeth was baptized the second time 30 August 1902. They were baptized in a canal or big irrigation ditch down by Oussie Lowe’s old place in Cherryville. Joseph was ordained an Elder the second time 23 April 1917. On 12 March 1920, an apostle came up from Salt Lake to the Logan Temple and restored their former temple blessings. At this time they had three of their children sealed to them: Wallace, Lester, and Rubynette (they were living here at the time so they could be sealed). Then after Elizabeth’s death, on 20 July 1927, the rest of the children were sealed namely: Violet May, Grover Cleveland, and Reuben Andrew. I did not find a record of a sealing date for Joel, so I had the sealing done 2 December 1960. However, he was probably born in the covenant as he was born 23 February 1884.
P.S. In August 1976, I talked to Lester Chatterton of Canada, the youngest living son in this family. He told me why grandfather was disfellowshipped, and that he was disfellowshipped and not excommunicated. Grandfather, Joseph Chatterton was called to be a constable at the time of polygamy. And since he was sworn in to obey the law and report and arrest the people who were living in polygamy, he was going against the belief of the church and people who were living it, and teaching it. Therefore, he was disfellowshipped. He thought he was in the right because here was many law suits and varied opinions about whether it was right or not. This was a troublesome time, unstable and unsettled and right and wrong had not been completely settled between the government and the church. The Manifesto was not completely given until 25 September 1890. President Woodruff had received a revelation from the Lord that polygamy should be stopped and after this the people accepted that it should stop. Ruby C. Smith, youngest daughter of Joseph Chatterton, also verified what Lester Chatterton told us about it. Uncle Lester also said that one time Thom Parkinson was going to shoot grandfather as he walked on the street at a distance, but another man stopped him. Mr. Parkinson was a renegade. Uncle Lester also said that when grandfather and grandmother Chatterton went back to the Logan Temple to have their former Temple blessings restored, and some of their children sealed to them that had been born out of the covenant, that Apostle Talmage came up from Salt Lake and restored their Temple blessings.
I’m very grateful that grandfather and grandmother did
not remain bitter, but loved the church enough that they swallowed their pride
and feelings and came back into the church. I know grandfather was very glad
that he did.
Reliable Information In Regard to the Matter.
Last evening’s Deseret News contains the following special telegram in to the reported rupture between deputy marshals and citizens of Franklin Idaho:
Deputy Marshals Bennett and Green came to our town and searched two or three houses, it is supposed in search of polygamists, and finally succeeded in arresting Thomas Lowe, Sen., on the charge of violating the Edmunds law and put him under bonds; this somewhat irritated some of the boys here and some of them mounted horses and rode up the street. While on their way they met Mr. J. Chatterton and Mr. Stalker, two gentlemen who had been deputized by U.S. Marshals to assist them. Neither party being inclined to give the road, a collision of horsemen was the result, causing Mr. Chatterton to be precipitated from his horse, bruising both man horse somewhat, yet not seriously. This caused the men to draw pistols and commence shooting, but who did the shooting is not known as it was all in the dark, being about ten o’clock at night. It is supposed that shots were exchanged by both parties. No one was hurt by the shooting, however.
James Webster, of Franklin and E. W. Packer, and Walker of Riverdale, were arrested on suspicion and taken to Oxford to be examined by Commissioner House.