John and Hannah Clifton
Information comes from Marinda Clifton Bradshaw, Emma H Hansen and Vinne H Jensen in the History of Bear Lake Pioneers and has been condensed.
John Clifton was born 31 Mar 1829 in Normaton England, the son of George Clifton and Martha Dore. His mother died when he was seven and he went to live with his grandfather at Dunham. When he was 20 he moved to Crowle. Hannah Pettinger was born 17 Aug 1827 in Crowle England, the daughter of James Pettiger and Elizabeth Marshall. They were married 25 Nov 1851 in Crowle.
Children of John Clifton and Hanna Pettinger
1. Elizabeth Ann Clifton b-31 July 1852 in
Crowle England; d-13 June 1934 in Paris;
m-John
Parley Passey 28 Sep 1874 in Salt Lake
2. George Clifton b-21 Oct 1854 in Crowle; d-30 Dec 1943 in Magrath Canada;
m-Alice Marinda Neat 19 Mar 1880
3. Heber James Clifton b-5 Mar 1856 in Crowle; d-28 Mar 1921 in Granum Canada;
m-Anne Elizabeth Parker
4. Mary Ann Clifton b-25 Mar 1859 in Crowle; d-25 Apr 1922 in Dingle; m-Samuel
Humphreys
5. Hannah Martha Clifton b-12 May 1864 in Paris; d-10 July 1920 in Dingle
6. John Henry Clifton b-11 Nov 1867 in Paris; d-31 Dec 1920 in Paris
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In 1854 LDS missionaries came to their area and they joined the Church. On Christmas Day, 1859, John took George and his brother Heber on the ship, Lady Switzerland which was bound for New York. John stayed in western New York working in a coal refinery until 1861 when Hannah and two daughters joined them. While living in New York, John married Ann Cook, a daughter of Barnabas and Sarah Cook. In June 1861 they started for Salt Lake in the company of Captain Joseph Horne. The oldest children walked most of the way. They settled in Willard Utah but were called two years later to assist in settling the Bear Lake Valley. In 1862, Ann Cook Clifton died and was buried there. She left a small daughter Sarah who was raised by Hannah. They arrived in Paris in Oct 1863 camping in the willows of Paris Creek until a crude log house could be built. They were seven days making the trip from Willard to the valley. The house they built was covered with a dirt roof which make things unpleasant inside every time it rained.
John went to Cache Valley to get flour for the winter while the children plastered the house inside and out with mud. This plaster fell off when it thawed in the spring. That first winter a steer went through the ice and downed. It was skinned and cut up and divided among all the families. There was no church that first winter, so meetings were held in the various homes. The winter of 1864 was extremely hard and all of the wheat and potatoes were frozen. The fish from Spring Creek were like manna from heaven.
Children of George Clifton and Alice Marinda Neat
1. George Thomas Clifton b-13 Dec 1880 in
Paris; d-3 Mar 1922 in Magrath Canada
2. William Clifton b-9 Sep 1882 in Paris; d-9 Jan 1947 in Caldwell Idaho
3. Freeman Clifton b-7 Sep 1884 in Paris; d-26 Aug 1969 in Taber Canada
4. Mary Alice Clifton b-21 Mar 1887 in Dingle; d-30 Oct 1898
5. Elsie Elizabeth Clifton b-6 Nov 1888 in Dingle; d-8 Sep 1975 in Magratha
Canada
6. Hyrum John Clifton b-13 Jan 1891 in Dingle; d-6 Feb 1972 in Magrath Canada
7. John Edward Clifton b-5 Apr 1893 in Dingle; d-2 Apr 1982 in Magrath Canada
8. Marinda Clifton b-22 Dec 1895 in Dingle; d-10 Apr 1964 in Calgary Canada
9. Wilford Samuel Clifton b-13 Mar 1898 in Dingle; d-15 July 1963 in Regina
Saskatchewan
10. Lorrain Clifton b-13 Aug 1900 in Dingle; d-30 Jan 1988 in Lethbridge Canada
11. Russell David Clifton b-21 Jan 1904 in Magrath Canada; d-31 Mar 1992 in
Calgary Canada
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In 1865 George made his first trip as a freighter from Bear Lake to Fort Bridger Wyoming. He continued this work until he was 14. The first train he saw was at Bear Town Wyoming in 1869. For a number of years, John & Hannah's farm home was a half way house for many travelers and non were ever turned away. There was always room in the yard fro another covered wagon and food on the table for all who came. Hannah died from a stoke on 27 May 1894 in Paris. John was a high priest in the church and always wanted to go back to his beloved England for a visit and to gather genealogy, but this was never fulfilled. He died 25 July 1911 at Paris.
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Children of Mary Ann Clifton and Samuel Humphreys
1. Samuel George Humphreys b-5 Mar 1878 in
Paris; d-13 Nov 1946 in Montpelier
2. Mary Elizabeth Humphreys b-29 Oct 1880 in Paris; d-24 Feb 1965 in Montpelier
3. Emma Sophia Humphreys b-27 Jan 1883 in Paris; d-16 Feb 1960 in Nampa Idaho
4. Jessie Humphreys b-12 Dec 1888 in Dingle; d-25 Feb 1889
5. Lovenia Humphreys b-7 Apr 1890 in Dingle
6. Vinnie Humphreys b-7 Apr 1890 in Dingle; d-19 Jan 1978 in Salt Lake City
7. Phoebe May Humphreys b-23 Sep 1895 in Dingle
8. Ivie Maud Humphreys b-17 Oct 1898 in Dingle
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Paris Post, Friday, 10 July 1908, page 4
While handling a cow last Wednesday evening, John Clifton, the well known old time resident of Paris, met with an extremely painful accident. He had the animal tied to a post and caught his third finger under the rope, where it was pinched off, merely hanging by a shred.
Although his is nearly 80 years of age, he grittily told the doctor he wanted to retain the finger, so it was sewed on again.
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