Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

John Solomon Ferris

Male 1840 - 1931  (90 years)


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  • Name John Solomon Ferris 
    Born 5 Aug 1840  Clearlock, Richland, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 27 Jul 1931  Beaver, Beaver, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried 28 Jul 1931  Mountain View Cemetery, Beaver, Beaver, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I11  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Family Martha Catherine Frederick,   b. 9 Mar 1858, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Aug 1896, Marysvale, Piute, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 38 years) 
    Married 29 Oct 1889  Bloomington, Washington, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. John Lincoln Ferris,   b. 28 Aug 1890, Harrisburg, Washington, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 9 May 1937, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 46 years)
     2. Charlotte Ann Ferris,   b. 25 Oct 1893, Marysvale, Piute, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Jan 1895, Marysvale, Piute, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 1 years)
     3. Elton Richey,   b. 8 May 1896, Marysvale, Piute, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 22 Feb 1991, Ashton, Fremont, Idaho, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 94 years)
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F12  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. Reviewed 6 Jun 2002 Rootsweb.com Worldconnect.

      2. Censuses:
      1900 US: Toquerville Precinct, Washington, Utah; 25 June 1900, ED 174 p. 181 A, entry 50:
      John S. Ferris, boarder [with Gregersen family], b. Aug 1840, age 59, widower, b. at Ohio, fa. born VA, mo. b. PA, miner. No mention of children.

      3. Per Ancestry.com, database "Piute": Parents are Jonathan Ferris and Charlotte Fullmer.

      4. Deed information found in the Piute County Recorder's Office, 31 Mar 2005, in person, Junction, Utah:
      a. Piute County Book A "Index to Mortgages" by date of filing:
      28 Oct 1897, Bk. 1, p. 69, marked cancelled, from John S. Ferris and others to F. D. Richards.

      5. The book: "The Ebenezer Hanks Story":
      "Ferris seems to have been an odd man, irresponsible and careless about his children. Several volumes of his journal are lodged at the LDS Church Historical Dept., but all predate his marriage to Martha. He was present in Hanksville at the death of Ebenezer Hanks, several years before he became a son-in-law. He was interested in mining, geology, and astronomy. He had been active in mining during the Silver Reef days. It is said that he lost interest in Mormonism and started his own religion, but little is known of that. He practically abandoned his children, and his youngest son, Elton Richey, was adopted by another family and raised with another name."

      6. The book "A History of Washington County, From Isolation to Destiny," by Douglas D. Alder and Karl F. Brooks, p. 113:
      "Once mining and silver became the preserve of Colonel Connor and his soldiers at Fort Douglas in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young strongly advised the Latter-day Saints to avoid the mines. He did not want the faithful to take up residence in mining boom towns where the lifestyle was much different from the "Kingdom of God." He also saw in mining a boom-and-bust cycle that could easily draw people from agriculture, ruining farms that could not easily be reclaimed when the mines came to their inevitable bust. Silver Reef in Washington County was a case in point... Mormons claimed most of the land that later became Silver Reef, but they couldn't hold on to it. Once silver was assayed in ore from Silver Reef, the secret could not be contained. Miners in Pioche heard the rumor and bullied their way to the site. Others filed claims, including Mormons, but they were soon jump-filed or outsmarted by outsiders. Mormons John Ferris and Elijah Thomas, for example, found ore that seemed promising but lost control of the ore in the assaying process..."

      7. The book "I Was Called to Dixie" by Andrew Karl Larson, 1961, pp. 317, 318; in speaking about the discovery of silver in sandstone, a geological phenomenon, and the resulting mining rush it created eventually leading to the boomtown of Silver Reef which in it's heyday of 1878-9 had a population of up to 1500:
      "It was William Tecumseh Barbee who really started the boom rolling, as the above account indicates. Barbee's coming to the Reef grew out of a discovery of ore by Elijah Thomas of Leeds and his partner John S. Ferris on the northwest side of the White Reef. The Leeds claim, as they called it after its location, produced some good ore samples."

      8. From Susan Easton Black's book of Members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of LDS: "John Solomon Ferris. Birth: 5 Aug 1840, Bellville, Richland, Ohio. John Solomon Ferris was expelled from the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 6 June 1872 by Charles Brindley. Source: Early Reorganization Minutes, 1852-1871, Book A, p. 831 and 1872-1905, Book B, p. 10."

      9. Court case awarding custody of Sarah Catherine Stoker from her step father to her natural father in "Piute District Court, Minute Book A (3 Feb 1896 - 1 Dec 1922," p. 25, Tuesday, Oct 20th 1896 per FHL film 497779. At this time, Michael had been divorced from Martha Catherine Frederick for about ten years and she had been married to Ferris for about seven years and had recently died; Sarah was 12. 1900 US Census confirms that Sarah was living with Michael Stoker after this case. Transcription:
      "Michael Stoker vs. John S. Ferris. On this day came John S. Ferris bringing before the Court the body of Sarah Catharine Stoker, in pursuance of a Writ of Habeas Corpus heretofore issued herein; and not then being represented in said case by and of any counsel and stating to the court that he was unable to employ an attorney to defend him in said case; it was therefore ordered that Gilbert R. [Beebe?], Esq. be and is hereby duly appointed by the court to represent defendant in this action; Samuel L. Page, Esq. appearing as attorney for the plaintiff herein. And the Court after hearing the arguments of counsel for the respective parties and being fully advised in the premise ordered that the custoday[sic] of the Child, Sarah Catherine Stoker be and the same is hereby awarded to the plaintiff herein and that decree and finding be filed accordingly." W.M. McCarty, Judge.

      10. The LDS Historical Department has John's journals from 1880 to 1882 under MS 1435.

      BIRTH:
      1. Date per website for Utah State Historical Society Cemeteries Database; 8 Jan 2002. Notes: 90y 11m 21 d (1840): 5 Aug 1931.

      2. Birth per obituary is 5 Aug 1840 in Marion Co., Ohio. Variant location shown on Ancestral File without documentation is Clearlock, Richland, Ohio. RLDS records cited below give Bellville, Richland, Ohio.

      MARRIAGE:
      1. Per Ancestry.com, database "Piute": first wife is Nancy Adelaid Solida; per database ":a12699" may have also had a third wife: Mary Jane Smith Hodges.

      2. Marriage to Martha Catherine Frederick per:
      A. Marriage license copy with Kerry Petersen. Marriage certificate states marriage was in Bloomington, Wash., UT.
      B. Per website ; "Early Marriages (1862-1919) in Washington County, Utah: Male and Female Surname Indexes," compiled by Wesley W. Craig, Ph.D.: "Ferris, John Soloman, residing Bellevue, Wash., UT and Martha Catherine Stephens, residing Burrville, Piute, UT, lic. and mar. 29 Oct 1889 at Washington, Wash., UT, number A-29."

      DEATH:
      1. Date and place of 27 Jul 1931 at Beaver per obituary cited below.

      2. Date per website for Utah State Historical Society Cemeteries Database as 26 Jul 1931 which is variant from obituary. I use obituary date.

      BURIAL:
      1. Date and place per obituary cited below is 29 Jul 1931 at Mountain View Cemetery. Paper was printed on same date and states "funeral services were held Wed. at 2 p.m." It seems unusual that the funeral is talked as already having happened on the same date as the paper was printed. Funeral date may be wrong and the date on Ancestral File of 28 Jul 1931 may be more accurate.

      2. Place per website for Utah State Historical Society Cemeteries Database; 8 Jan 2002. Notes: "B_67_5".

      OBITUARY:
      1. "Civil War Veteran Dies; Was Lincoln Supporter. Beaver. July 29 - John Solomon Ferris, who voted for Abraham Lincoln at his first election, and who served in the Civil war as a private in Capt. T.O. Norris' company, Iowa Home Guards, and as picket guard in charge of the post at Edina, Mo., in 1861, died at his home here Monday, of a stroke suffered July 23. He was born Aug. 5, 1840, at Marion county, Ohio. He spent much of his time prospecting for mines in Utah and the west. He discovered and helped to develop the Silver Reef mine in Southern Utah. Also, he has been an ardent student of geology and astronomy. He is survived by the following children: James Ferris, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Elton Richie Ferris, Rupert, Idaho; John L. Ferris, Beaver; Lucy, a daughter, at Sacramento, Calif.; Pitney Ferris, who enlisted in the world war from Montana, and who has not been heard from since; step-Children: Mrs. C. H. Hales, Ogden; Mrs. Grace Bishop, Los Angeles, Calif.; Ebbie Stevens, Fallon, Nev.; one sister, Mrs. Marlo S. Browning Stroud, Okla. Funeral Services were held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the East ward chapel, with interment in the Mountain View Cemetery." Deseret News, Wed., July 29, 1931, p.6.

      SOURCES_MISC:
      1. The book: "The Ebenezer Hanks Story," author Kerry William Bate; 1982; Address: Kerry Bate, 543 East 600 South, SLC, UT, 84 102.

      ACTION:
      1. Look up journal and verify quantity and names of wives and also birth location and death date.