Note: No Headstone; first husband was Joseph BURNS Jr. who died of yellow fever in Jamaica
OBITUARY
McDUFF--In this city, Aug. 11, 1885 of Paralysis, after 3 days illness, Ellen McDuff; born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, June 19, 1813; baptized in 1848, came to Utah in 1864, since which time she has lived in East Bountiful and Salt Lake City
ELLEN HANCOCK BURNS MACDUFF
Ellen Hancock was born June 19, 1812. She and her twin sister Anna (who later became Mrs. Edmund Kelsall and lived in Iowa) were christened at Chesterfield Parish Church on July 8. 1812. Their parents, Joseph and Mary (Jackson) Hancock, lived at Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and Joseph was a stage coach driver, driving mostly between Chesterfield and the great city of Sheffield. Other children of Joseph and Mary were: Mary Ann (who became Mrs. Charles Marsden), Harriet, Sarah, James, Jane, and Joseph.
On March 20, 1831, Ellen was married to Joseph Burns, a young man also of Chesterfield, in the Old Church at nearby Brampton. Soon after their marriage Joseph left for the West Indies in search of employment and to make a new home for himself and his young wife. In the city of Nottingham, December 3, 1831, their son, Charles Burns was born. Joseph Burns never returned to his wife and infant son whom he had never seen. He died of yellow fever on the island of Jamaica. Ellen remained in Nottingham and worked as a dressmaker to support herself and young son.
On September 15, 1839 at St. Paul's Church, Nottingham, the young widow married John Robertson MacDuff, a widower whose wife and three children had died about five years previously of black smallpox which had been raging in a very virulent form in many parts of Great Britain. They continued to live in Nottingham for about five years living first at Owens Court, Swenton Street where on April 5, 1840 their first child, Marv Ellen, was born. Later they lived at Ball Yard, Coalpit Lane where their son Malcolm was born. Later they lived at Walton and Brampton, small villages near Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
At about this time they were contacted by missionaries of the L.D.S. Church and became converted to its teachings. John was baptized February 21, 1847 by Elder Charles Marsden. On June 8, following, Ellen was baptized. They became active members of the L.D.S. Branch at Chesterfield. Ellen was a gifted singer and often took part in church meetings and socials. Her husband advanced rapidly in the Priesthood and by 1852 was ordained an Elder.
John R. MacDuff was fairly well educated for that was especially trained in bookkeeping and accounting. By this time he had made his work known to his employers and had a position in the offices of the company. When his company learned he was intending to go to America, the offered inducements to stay with them but nothing could swerve him from his purpose of gathering to Zion. To be nearer his work, he had moved his family, which now included three more girls, to Chesterfield. Here John was also active as a local Elder and Branch President. In addition to his other church duties he often assisted the missionaries at their street meetings. On these occasions, Ellen and the children attended and rendered helpful service with their beautiful singing. They had trained themselves to sing together and their songs were a welcome addition at gatherings in the old country as well as when they came to Utah.
Their Daughter Mary Ellen, who had married William Varley in February 1861, left with her husband and his mother for America on April 14, 1861. Malcolm MacDuff accompanied his sister and brother-in-law. They arrived in Utah in September of that same year. Ellen's son, Charles Burns, had married Martha Fretwell in November 1851. They were at this time living in Brampton and Charles was working in the mines. Later, in 1868 he and his family emigrated to Utah. In May 1864, their second daughter Sarah was married to Thomas Hancock. Thev came to Utah in 1866.
In 1864 John and Ellen MacDuff and their two youngest children, Ada Alice and Jane R. M., age 14 and 9 years respectively, left England on the sailing vessel George B. McClellan, named after a northern Civil War General. There were two memorable events that transpired on the boat which lent excitement as well as apprehension to the group. Very early one morning the tarred rigging of the ship caught fire, and spread with increasing rapidity among the ropes and sails. Great excitement prevailed when the cry of "fire" was heard. It was soon extinguished and did little damage to the ship. To avoid possible molestation by vessels of the South, they took a northern course and ran into a field of icebergs. Whichever way they looked they could see these great mountains of ice. There was great danger of running into them, especiallY when they neared the foggy banks of Newfoundland, and extra caution was used to prevent it. One night after the passengers had retired to their bunks below, there was a grating and a tremendous lurch of the vessel which threw many from their beds and spread confusion everywhere. Twice more this was repeated then the vessel gradually sank back, rolling from side to side as though she were about to turn over. Women and children were crying; men were hurrying to and from and the greatest of confusion prevailed. The thing they had feared had happened. The ship had struck an iceberg. It was feared a rent had been made in her that would let in the icy water and send her to the bottom of the sea.
After the confusion had somewhat subsided, the mate of the vessel was sent with a lantern to carefully examine all parts of the ship for possible leaks. He passed the bunk where the two girls (Ada and Jane) were and saw them peering through the curtains with their white faces resting between their hands. "Little girls," he said, "aren't you afraid?" Almost in unison they said, "no, we're not afraid. The Lord didn't bring us here to be drowned in the bottom of the sea." Then the mate, in a burst of joy, swung his lantern round and round and cried as loud as he could. "Hurrah, this vessel won't sink. There's faith enough here to save any ship!" The rent made by the iceberg was repaired and the McClellan continued With fair weather the rest of the journey. She did not sink - a company of God's people were aboard, going to a place divinely appointed to them and his watchful care was over them. The following year, while the "George B. McClellan" was making a voyage across the ocean, she was caught in a storm and went down carrying all the passengers to the deaths.
After a six-week voyage they landed at Castle Gardens, New York. It was near the close of the Civil War and just before their arrival a great battle had been fought and the sick and wounded were being brought from the front. A feeling of gloom and sorrow prevailed. After arriving at New York City, they transferred to the River Steamer, St. John, for the journey up the Hudson to Albany Where they boarded a train for St. Joseph, Missouri. From St. Joseph, they went to Wyoming, Nebraska (near Winter Quarters) where they waited six weeks for the ox teams to come back from Utah to take them to their destination in the Salt Lake valley.
The captain of their wagon train was William S. Warren who later lived at Parowan, Iron County, Utah. It took eleven weeks to cross the plains from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake. As it was during the Civil War, most of the Indians were on the warpath so the emigrants traveled in large companies as a protection against them. During part of the journey a group of California emigrants traveled with them but separated from them because of the Slow pace of the oxen. Later the company of Mormon emigrants found their late companions massacred, their wagons burned and their mules stolen. Not a man, woman or child survived the attack. Their bodies lay pierced with arrows and rotting in the sun. Another time they came upon a family which had been murdered by Indians. The Indians were apparently frightened away by the approaching wagon train. The emigrants found these bodies scalped and shot through with arrows while still sitting around the table, their mid-day meal untouched.
They reached Salt Lake City October 4, 1864. They lived for a short time at Bountiful but soon settled a short distance north of Salt Lake City. John and his son Malcolm and Son-in-law William Varley established a lime kiln in the foothills east of their home. This later became a flourishing business, furnishing the lime plaster for many of Salt Lake City's fine old homes. Thomas Hancock and Charles Burns, who arrived from England later, also became associated With the firm.
The large MacDuff home, built of limestone rock and lime plaster, was painted pink and was known for many miles as the MacDUff house or the big pink house. It remained a landmark on the east side of the busy highway 89 going north out of Salt Lake City. It was used as a branch meeting house for part of the Salt Lake City 19th Ward during the 1880's. They also owned the property on the south side of First South Street from Commercial
(now Reaent Street) to State Street and had a retail outlet at 13 South Commercial Street.
Malcolm MacDuff married Jane Lord on Auaust 11, 1866. They lived in the MacDuff house until Malcolm's death in September 1881. Jane and her children remained in the house until after 1900. Ada Alice MacDuff was married to Henry Rampton of Bountiful in 1868. On July 6, 1874, Jane R. MacDuff became the wife of William Butler. Both girls raised large families. In 1871, Ellen's husband, John Robertson MacDuff, died at the age of 70. He was buried in the Bountiful Cemetery.
Ellen MacDuff continued to live in Salt Lake City. In 1879 she was given a Patriarchal blessing by Patriarch,"James M. Works which gave her much comfort and encouragement in her last few years. She was a faithful Latter Day Saint, always helping others in every way she could and teaching her children the true religion and its value in their lives. She was the mother of seven children, three boys and four quills. One son, John M. died when a small child. Ellen Hancock Burns MacDuff died August 11, 1885. She was buried in the family plot in Bountiful Cemetery. For many years her descendants, the Burns and MacDuff families, met in an annual reunion.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chesterfield Parish of St. Mary the Virgin and All Saints,Parish Registers, by correspondence. Chesterfield,
Derbyshire, England.
Parish Reqisters of St. peter & St. Paul, Brampton. Old Brampton, Derbyshire, England, By correspondence. Registration District of Nottingham, Register Office, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, Notts., England, by correspondence.
LDS Church Branch Records. Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England (Microfilm in Genealogical Library, SLC: F Eng 1 Pt 4), History of Ada Alice Rampton, by John R. Rampton
Pioneers & Prominent Men of Utah edited by Frank Esshom.
LDS Biographical Encyclopedia by Andrew Jensen
Heart Throbs of the West edited by Kate B. Carter Vol 5. pg 209 (story of an Old Tea Caddy, by Mary E. Brower).
History of William & Mary Ellen MacDuff Varley by Mildred Walker McRae.
History of Beck Street Area by Carol Burns Reed.
OBITUARY
McDUFF--In this city, Aug. 11, 1885 of Paralysis, after 3 days illness, Ellen McDuff; born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, June 19, 1813; baptized in 1848, came to Utah in 1864, since which time she has lived in East Bountiful and Salt Lake City
ELLEN HANCOCK BURNS MACDUFF
Ellen Hancock was born June 19, 1812. She and her twin sister Anna (who later became Mrs. Edmund Kelsall and lived in Iowa) were christened at Chesterfield Parish Church on July 8. 1812. Their parents, Joseph and Mary (Jackson) Hancock, lived at Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and Joseph was a stage coach driver, driving mostly between Chesterfield and the great city of Sheffield. Other children of Joseph and Mary were: Mary Ann (who became Mrs. Charles Marsden), Harriet, Sarah, James, Jane, and Joseph.
On March 20, 1831, Ellen was married to Joseph Burns, a young man also of Chesterfield, in the Old Church at nearby Brampton. Soon after their marriage Joseph left for the West Indies in search of employment and to make a new home for himself and his young wife. In the city of Nottingham, December 3, 1831, their son, Charles Burns was born. Joseph Burns never returned to his wife and infant son whom he had never seen. He died of yellow fever on the island of Jamaica. Ellen remained in Nottingham and worked as a dressmaker to support herself and young son.
On September 15, 1839 at St. Paul's Church, Nottingham, the young widow married John Robertson MacDuff, a widower whose wife and three children had died about five years previously of black smallpox which had been raging in a very virulent form in many parts of Great Britain. They continued to live in Nottingham for about five years living first at Owens Court, Swenton Street where on April 5, 1840 their first child, Marv Ellen, was born. Later they lived at Ball Yard, Coalpit Lane where their son Malcolm was born. Later they lived at Walton and Brampton, small villages near Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
At about this time they were contacted by missionaries of the L.D.S. Church and became converted to its teachings. John was baptized February 21, 1847 by Elder Charles Marsden. On June 8, following, Ellen was baptized. They became active members of the L.D.S. Branch at Chesterfield. Ellen was a gifted singer and often took part in church meetings and socials. Her husband advanced rapidly in the Priesthood and by 1852 was ordained an Elder.
John R. MacDuff was fairly well educated for that was especially trained in bookkeeping and accounting. By this time he had made his work known to his employers and had a position in the offices of the company. When his company learned he was intending to go to America, the offered inducements to stay with them but nothing could swerve him from his purpose of gathering to Zion. To be nearer his work, he had moved his family, which now included three more girls, to Chesterfield. Here John was also active as a local Elder and Branch President. In addition to his other church duties he often assisted the missionaries at their street meetings. On these occasions, Ellen and the children attended and rendered helpful service with their beautiful singing. They had trained themselves to sing together and their songs were a welcome addition at gatherings in the old country as well as when they came to Utah.
Their Daughter Mary Ellen, who had married William Varley in February 1861, left with her husband and his mother for America on April 14, 1861. Malcolm MacDuff accompanied his sister and brother-in-law. They arrived in Utah in September of that same year. Ellen's son, Charles Burns, had married Martha Fretwell in November 1851. They were at this time living in Brampton and Charles was working in the mines. Later, in 1868 he and his family emigrated to Utah. In May 1864, their second daughter Sarah was married to Thomas Hancock. Thev came to Utah in 1866.
In 1864 John and Ellen MacDuff and their two youngest children, Ada Alice and Jane R. M., age 14 and 9 years respectively, left England on the sailing vessel George B. McClellan, named after a northern Civil War General. There were two memorable events that transpired on the boat which lent excitement as well as apprehension to the group. Very early one morning the tarred rigging of the ship caught fire, and spread with increasing rapidity among the ropes and sails. Great excitement prevailed when the cry of "fire" was heard. It was soon extinguished and did little damage to the ship. To avoid possible molestation by vessels of the South, they took a northern course and ran into a field of icebergs. Whichever way they looked they could see these great mountains of ice. There was great danger of running into them, especiallY when they neared the foggy banks of Newfoundland, and extra caution was used to prevent it. One night after the passengers had retired to their bunks below, there was a grating and a tremendous lurch of the vessel which threw many from their beds and spread confusion everywhere. Twice more this was repeated then the vessel gradually sank back, rolling from side to side as though she were about to turn over. Women and children were crying; men were hurrying to and from and the greatest of confusion prevailed. The thing they had feared had happened. The ship had struck an iceberg. It was feared a rent had been made in her that would let in the icy water and send her to the bottom of the sea.
After the confusion had somewhat subsided, the mate of the vessel was sent with a lantern to carefully examine all parts of the ship for possible leaks. He passed the bunk where the two girls (Ada and Jane) were and saw them peering through the curtains with their white faces resting between their hands. "Little girls," he said, "aren't you afraid?" Almost in unison they said, "no, we're not afraid. The Lord didn't bring us here to be drowned in the bottom of the sea." Then the mate, in a burst of joy, swung his lantern round and round and cried as loud as he could. "Hurrah, this vessel won't sink. There's faith enough here to save any ship!" The rent made by the iceberg was repaired and the McClellan continued With fair weather the rest of the journey. She did not sink - a company of God's people were aboard, going to a place divinely appointed to them and his watchful care was over them. The following year, while the "George B. McClellan" was making a voyage across the ocean, she was caught in a storm and went down carrying all the passengers to the deaths.
After a six-week voyage they landed at Castle Gardens, New York. It was near the close of the Civil War and just before their arrival a great battle had been fought and the sick and wounded were being brought from the front. A feeling of gloom and sorrow prevailed. After arriving at New York City, they transferred to the River Steamer, St. John, for the journey up the Hudson to Albany Where they boarded a train for St. Joseph, Missouri. From St. Joseph, they went to Wyoming, Nebraska (near Winter Quarters) where they waited six weeks for the ox teams to come back from Utah to take them to their destination in the Salt Lake valley.
The captain of their wagon train was William S. Warren who later lived at Parowan, Iron County, Utah. It took eleven weeks to cross the plains from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake. As it was during the Civil War, most of the Indians were on the warpath so the emigrants traveled in large companies as a protection against them. During part of the journey a group of California emigrants traveled with them but separated from them because of the Slow pace of the oxen. Later the company of Mormon emigrants found their late companions massacred, their wagons burned and their mules stolen. Not a man, woman or child survived the attack. Their bodies lay pierced with arrows and rotting in the sun. Another time they came upon a family which had been murdered by Indians. The Indians were apparently frightened away by the approaching wagon train. The emigrants found these bodies scalped and shot through with arrows while still sitting around the table, their mid-day meal untouched.
They reached Salt Lake City October 4, 1864. They lived for a short time at Bountiful but soon settled a short distance north of Salt Lake City. John and his son Malcolm and Son-in-law William Varley established a lime kiln in the foothills east of their home. This later became a flourishing business, furnishing the lime plaster for many of Salt Lake City's fine old homes. Thomas Hancock and Charles Burns, who arrived from England later, also became associated With the firm.
The large MacDuff home, built of limestone rock and lime plaster, was painted pink and was known for many miles as the MacDUff house or the big pink house. It remained a landmark on the east side of the busy highway 89 going north out of Salt Lake City. It was used as a branch meeting house for part of the Salt Lake City 19th Ward during the 1880's. They also owned the property on the south side of First South Street from Commercial
(now Reaent Street) to State Street and had a retail outlet at 13 South Commercial Street.
Malcolm MacDuff married Jane Lord on Auaust 11, 1866. They lived in the MacDuff house until Malcolm's death in September 1881. Jane and her children remained in the house until after 1900. Ada Alice MacDuff was married to Henry Rampton of Bountiful in 1868. On July 6, 1874, Jane R. MacDuff became the wife of William Butler. Both girls raised large families. In 1871, Ellen's husband, John Robertson MacDuff, died at the age of 70. He was buried in the Bountiful Cemetery.
Ellen MacDuff continued to live in Salt Lake City. In 1879 she was given a Patriarchal blessing by Patriarch,"James M. Works which gave her much comfort and encouragement in her last few years. She was a faithful Latter Day Saint, always helping others in every way she could and teaching her children the true religion and its value in their lives. She was the mother of seven children, three boys and four quills. One son, John M. died when a small child. Ellen Hancock Burns MacDuff died August 11, 1885. She was buried in the family plot in Bountiful Cemetery. For many years her descendants, the Burns and MacDuff families, met in an annual reunion.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chesterfield Parish of St. Mary the Virgin and All Saints,Parish Registers, by correspondence. Chesterfield,
Derbyshire, England.
Parish Reqisters of St. peter & St. Paul, Brampton. Old Brampton, Derbyshire, England, By correspondence. Registration District of Nottingham, Register Office, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, Notts., England, by correspondence.
LDS Church Branch Records. Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England (Microfilm in Genealogical Library, SLC: F Eng 1 Pt 4), History of Ada Alice Rampton, by John R. Rampton
Pioneers & Prominent Men of Utah edited by Frank Esshom.
LDS Biographical Encyclopedia by Andrew Jensen
Heart Throbs of the West edited by Kate B. Carter Vol 5. pg 209 (story of an Old Tea Caddy, by Mary E. Brower).
History of William & Mary Ellen MacDuff Varley by Mildred Walker McRae.
History of Beck Street Area by Carol Burns Reed.
Note: No Headstone; first husband was Joseph BURNS Jr. who died of yellow fever in Jamaica
OBITUARY
McDUFF--In this city, Aug. 11, 1885 of Paralysis, after 3 days illness, Ellen McDuff; born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, June 19, 1813; baptized in 1848, came to Utah in 1864, since which time she has lived in East Bountiful and Salt Lake City
ELLEN HANCOCK BURNS MACDUFF
Ellen Hancock was born June 19, 1812. She and her twin sister Anna (who later became Mrs. Edmund Kelsall and lived in Iowa) were christened at Chesterfield Parish Church on July 8. 1812. Their parents, Joseph and Mary (Jackson) Hancock, lived at Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and Joseph was a stage coach driver, driving mostly between Chesterfield and the great city of Sheffield. Other children of Joseph and Mary were: Mary Ann (who became Mrs. Charles Marsden), Harriet, Sarah, James, Jane, and Joseph.
On March 20, 1831, Ellen was married to Joseph Burns, a young man also of Chesterfield, in the Old Church at nearby Brampton. Soon after their marriage Joseph left for the West Indies in search of employment and to make a new home for himself and his young wife. In the city of Nottingham, December 3, 1831, their son, Charles Burns was born. Joseph Burns never returned to his wife and infant son whom he had never seen. He died of yellow fever on the island of Jamaica. Ellen remained in Nottingham and worked as a dressmaker to support herself and young son.
On September 15, 1839 at St. Paul's Church, Nottingham, the young widow married John Robertson MacDuff, a widower whose wife and three children had died about five years previously of black smallpox which had been raging in a very virulent form in many parts of Great Britain. They continued to live in Nottingham for about five years living first at Owens Court, Swenton Street where on April 5, 1840 their first child, Marv Ellen, was born. Later they lived at Ball Yard, Coalpit Lane where their son Malcolm was born. Later they lived at Walton and Brampton, small villages near Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
At about this time they were contacted by missionaries of the L.D.S. Church and became converted to its teachings. John was baptized February 21, 1847 by Elder Charles Marsden. On June 8, following, Ellen was baptized. They became active members of the L.D.S. Branch at Chesterfield. Ellen was a gifted singer and often took part in church meetings and socials. Her husband advanced rapidly in the Priesthood and by 1852 was ordained an Elder.
John R. MacDuff was fairly well educated for that was especially trained in bookkeeping and accounting. By this time he had made his work known to his employers and had a position in the offices of the company. When his company learned he was intending to go to America, the offered inducements to stay with them but nothing could swerve him from his purpose of gathering to Zion. To be nearer his work, he had moved his family, which now included three more girls, to Chesterfield. Here John was also active as a local Elder and Branch President. In addition to his other church duties he often assisted the missionaries at their street meetings. On these occasions, Ellen and the children attended and rendered helpful service with their beautiful singing. They had trained themselves to sing together and their songs were a welcome addition at gatherings in the old country as well as when they came to Utah.
Their Daughter Mary Ellen, who had married William Varley in February 1861, left with her husband and his mother for America on April 14, 1861. Malcolm MacDuff accompanied his sister and brother-in-law. They arrived in Utah in September of that same year. Ellen's son, Charles Burns, had married Martha Fretwell in November 1851. They were at this time living in Brampton and Charles was working in the mines. Later, in 1868 he and his family emigrated to Utah. In May 1864, their second daughter Sarah was married to Thomas Hancock. Thev came to Utah in 1866.
In 1864 John and Ellen MacDuff and their two youngest children, Ada Alice and Jane R. M., age 14 and 9 years respectively, left England on the sailing vessel George B. McClellan, named after a northern Civil War General. There were two memorable events that transpired on the boat which lent excitement as well as apprehension to the group. Very early one morning the tarred rigging of the ship caught fire, and spread with increasing rapidity among the ropes and sails. Great excitement prevailed when the cry of "fire" was heard. It was soon extinguished and did little damage to the ship. To avoid possible molestation by vessels of the South, they took a northern course and ran into a field of icebergs. Whichever way they looked they could see these great mountains of ice. There was great danger of running into them, especiallY when they neared the foggy banks of Newfoundland, and extra caution was used to prevent it. One night after the passengers had retired to their bunks below, there was a grating and a tremendous lurch of the vessel which threw many from their beds and spread confusion everywhere. Twice more this was repeated then the vessel gradually sank back, rolling from side to side as though she were about to turn over. Women and children were crying; men were hurrying to and from and the greatest of confusion prevailed. The thing they had feared had happened. The ship had struck an iceberg. It was feared a rent had been made in her that would let in the icy water and send her to the bottom of the sea.
After the confusion had somewhat subsided, the mate of the vessel was sent with a lantern to carefully examine all parts of the ship for possible leaks. He passed the bunk where the two girls (Ada and Jane) were and saw them peering through the curtains with their white faces resting between their hands. "Little girls," he said, "aren't you afraid?" Almost in unison they said, "no, we're not afraid. The Lord didn't bring us here to be drowned in the bottom of the sea." Then the mate, in a burst of joy, swung his lantern round and round and cried as loud as he could. "Hurrah, this vessel won't sink. There's faith enough here to save any ship!" The rent made by the iceberg was repaired and the McClellan continued With fair weather the rest of the journey. She did not sink - a company of God's people were aboard, going to a place divinely appointed to them and his watchful care was over them. The following year, while the "George B. McClellan" was making a voyage across the ocean, she was caught in a storm and went down carrying all the passengers to the deaths.
After a six-week voyage they landed at Castle Gardens, New York. It was near the close of the Civil War and just before their arrival a great battle had been fought and the sick and wounded were being brought from the front. A feeling of gloom and sorrow prevailed. After arriving at New York City, they transferred to the River Steamer, St. John, for the journey up the Hudson to Albany Where they boarded a train for St. Joseph, Missouri. From St. Joseph, they went to Wyoming, Nebraska (near Winter Quarters) where they waited six weeks for the ox teams to come back from Utah to take them to their destination in the Salt Lake valley.
The captain of their wagon train was William S. Warren who later lived at Parowan, Iron County, Utah. It took eleven weeks to cross the plains from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake. As it was during the Civil War, most of the Indians were on the warpath so the emigrants traveled in large companies as a protection against them. During part of the journey a group of California emigrants traveled with them but separated from them because of the Slow pace of the oxen. Later the company of Mormon emigrants found their late companions massacred, their wagons burned and their mules stolen. Not a man, woman or child survived the attack. Their bodies lay pierced with arrows and rotting in the sun. Another time they came upon a family which had been murdered by Indians. The Indians were apparently frightened away by the approaching wagon train. The emigrants found these bodies scalped and shot through with arrows while still sitting around the table, their mid-day meal untouched.
They reached Salt Lake City October 4, 1864. They lived for a short time at Bountiful but soon settled a short distance north of Salt Lake City. John and his son Malcolm and Son-in-law William Varley established a lime kiln in the foothills east of their home. This later became a flourishing business, furnishing the lime plaster for many of Salt Lake City's fine old homes. Thomas Hancock and Charles Burns, who arrived from England later, also became associated With the firm.
The large MacDuff home, built of limestone rock and lime plaster, was painted pink and was known for many miles as the MacDUff house or the big pink house. It remained a landmark on the east side of the busy highway 89 going north out of Salt Lake City. It was used as a branch meeting house for part of the Salt Lake City 19th Ward during the 1880's. They also owned the property on the south side of First South Street from Commercial
(now Reaent Street) to State Street and had a retail outlet at 13 South Commercial Street.
Malcolm MacDuff married Jane Lord on Auaust 11, 1866. They lived in the MacDuff house until Malcolm's death in September 1881. Jane and her children remained in the house until after 1900. Ada Alice MacDuff was married to Henry Rampton of Bountiful in 1868. On July 6, 1874, Jane R. MacDuff became the wife of William Butler. Both girls raised large families. In 1871, Ellen's husband, John Robertson MacDuff, died at the age of 70. He was buried in the Bountiful Cemetery.
Ellen MacDuff continued to live in Salt Lake City. In 1879 she was given a Patriarchal blessing by Patriarch,"James M. Works which gave her much comfort and encouragement in her last few years. She was a faithful Latter Day Saint, always helping others in every way she could and teaching her children the true religion and its value in their lives. She was the mother of seven children, three boys and four quills. One son, John M. died when a small child. Ellen Hancock Burns MacDuff died August 11, 1885. She was buried in the family plot in Bountiful Cemetery. For many years her descendants, the Burns and MacDuff families, met in an annual reunion.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chesterfield Parish of St. Mary the Virgin and All Saints,Parish Registers, by correspondence. Chesterfield,
Derbyshire, England.
Parish Reqisters of St. peter & St. Paul, Brampton. Old Brampton, Derbyshire, England, By correspondence. Registration District of Nottingham, Register Office, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, Notts., England, by correspondence.
LDS Church Branch Records. Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England (Microfilm in Genealogical Library, SLC: F Eng 1 Pt 4), History of Ada Alice Rampton, by John R. Rampton
Pioneers & Prominent Men of Utah edited by Frank Esshom.
LDS Biographical Encyclopedia by Andrew Jensen
Heart Throbs of the West edited by Kate B. Carter Vol 5. pg 209 (story of an Old Tea Caddy, by Mary E. Brower).
History of William & Mary Ellen MacDuff Varley by Mildred Walker McRae.
History of Beck Street Area by Carol Burns Reed.
OBITUARY
McDUFF--In this city, Aug. 11, 1885 of Paralysis, after 3 days illness, Ellen McDuff; born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, June 19, 1813; baptized in 1848, came to Utah in 1864, since which time she has lived in East Bountiful and Salt Lake City
ELLEN HANCOCK BURNS MACDUFF
Ellen Hancock was born June 19, 1812. She and her twin sister Anna (who later became Mrs. Edmund Kelsall and lived in Iowa) were christened at Chesterfield Parish Church on July 8. 1812. Their parents, Joseph and Mary (Jackson) Hancock, lived at Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and Joseph was a stage coach driver, driving mostly between Chesterfield and the great city of Sheffield. Other children of Joseph and Mary were: Mary Ann (who became Mrs. Charles Marsden), Harriet, Sarah, James, Jane, and Joseph.
On March 20, 1831, Ellen was married to Joseph Burns, a young man also of Chesterfield, in the Old Church at nearby Brampton. Soon after their marriage Joseph left for the West Indies in search of employment and to make a new home for himself and his young wife. In the city of Nottingham, December 3, 1831, their son, Charles Burns was born. Joseph Burns never returned to his wife and infant son whom he had never seen. He died of yellow fever on the island of Jamaica. Ellen remained in Nottingham and worked as a dressmaker to support herself and young son.
On September 15, 1839 at St. Paul's Church, Nottingham, the young widow married John Robertson MacDuff, a widower whose wife and three children had died about five years previously of black smallpox which had been raging in a very virulent form in many parts of Great Britain. They continued to live in Nottingham for about five years living first at Owens Court, Swenton Street where on April 5, 1840 their first child, Marv Ellen, was born. Later they lived at Ball Yard, Coalpit Lane where their son Malcolm was born. Later they lived at Walton and Brampton, small villages near Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
At about this time they were contacted by missionaries of the L.D.S. Church and became converted to its teachings. John was baptized February 21, 1847 by Elder Charles Marsden. On June 8, following, Ellen was baptized. They became active members of the L.D.S. Branch at Chesterfield. Ellen was a gifted singer and often took part in church meetings and socials. Her husband advanced rapidly in the Priesthood and by 1852 was ordained an Elder.
John R. MacDuff was fairly well educated for that was especially trained in bookkeeping and accounting. By this time he had made his work known to his employers and had a position in the offices of the company. When his company learned he was intending to go to America, the offered inducements to stay with them but nothing could swerve him from his purpose of gathering to Zion. To be nearer his work, he had moved his family, which now included three more girls, to Chesterfield. Here John was also active as a local Elder and Branch President. In addition to his other church duties he often assisted the missionaries at their street meetings. On these occasions, Ellen and the children attended and rendered helpful service with their beautiful singing. They had trained themselves to sing together and their songs were a welcome addition at gatherings in the old country as well as when they came to Utah.
Their Daughter Mary Ellen, who had married William Varley in February 1861, left with her husband and his mother for America on April 14, 1861. Malcolm MacDuff accompanied his sister and brother-in-law. They arrived in Utah in September of that same year. Ellen's son, Charles Burns, had married Martha Fretwell in November 1851. They were at this time living in Brampton and Charles was working in the mines. Later, in 1868 he and his family emigrated to Utah. In May 1864, their second daughter Sarah was married to Thomas Hancock. Thev came to Utah in 1866.
In 1864 John and Ellen MacDuff and their two youngest children, Ada Alice and Jane R. M., age 14 and 9 years respectively, left England on the sailing vessel George B. McClellan, named after a northern Civil War General. There were two memorable events that transpired on the boat which lent excitement as well as apprehension to the group. Very early one morning the tarred rigging of the ship caught fire, and spread with increasing rapidity among the ropes and sails. Great excitement prevailed when the cry of "fire" was heard. It was soon extinguished and did little damage to the ship. To avoid possible molestation by vessels of the South, they took a northern course and ran into a field of icebergs. Whichever way they looked they could see these great mountains of ice. There was great danger of running into them, especiallY when they neared the foggy banks of Newfoundland, and extra caution was used to prevent it. One night after the passengers had retired to their bunks below, there was a grating and a tremendous lurch of the vessel which threw many from their beds and spread confusion everywhere. Twice more this was repeated then the vessel gradually sank back, rolling from side to side as though she were about to turn over. Women and children were crying; men were hurrying to and from and the greatest of confusion prevailed. The thing they had feared had happened. The ship had struck an iceberg. It was feared a rent had been made in her that would let in the icy water and send her to the bottom of the sea.
After the confusion had somewhat subsided, the mate of the vessel was sent with a lantern to carefully examine all parts of the ship for possible leaks. He passed the bunk where the two girls (Ada and Jane) were and saw them peering through the curtains with their white faces resting between their hands. "Little girls," he said, "aren't you afraid?" Almost in unison they said, "no, we're not afraid. The Lord didn't bring us here to be drowned in the bottom of the sea." Then the mate, in a burst of joy, swung his lantern round and round and cried as loud as he could. "Hurrah, this vessel won't sink. There's faith enough here to save any ship!" The rent made by the iceberg was repaired and the McClellan continued With fair weather the rest of the journey. She did not sink - a company of God's people were aboard, going to a place divinely appointed to them and his watchful care was over them. The following year, while the "George B. McClellan" was making a voyage across the ocean, she was caught in a storm and went down carrying all the passengers to the deaths.
After a six-week voyage they landed at Castle Gardens, New York. It was near the close of the Civil War and just before their arrival a great battle had been fought and the sick and wounded were being brought from the front. A feeling of gloom and sorrow prevailed. After arriving at New York City, they transferred to the River Steamer, St. John, for the journey up the Hudson to Albany Where they boarded a train for St. Joseph, Missouri. From St. Joseph, they went to Wyoming, Nebraska (near Winter Quarters) where they waited six weeks for the ox teams to come back from Utah to take them to their destination in the Salt Lake valley.
The captain of their wagon train was William S. Warren who later lived at Parowan, Iron County, Utah. It took eleven weeks to cross the plains from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake. As it was during the Civil War, most of the Indians were on the warpath so the emigrants traveled in large companies as a protection against them. During part of the journey a group of California emigrants traveled with them but separated from them because of the Slow pace of the oxen. Later the company of Mormon emigrants found their late companions massacred, their wagons burned and their mules stolen. Not a man, woman or child survived the attack. Their bodies lay pierced with arrows and rotting in the sun. Another time they came upon a family which had been murdered by Indians. The Indians were apparently frightened away by the approaching wagon train. The emigrants found these bodies scalped and shot through with arrows while still sitting around the table, their mid-day meal untouched.
They reached Salt Lake City October 4, 1864. They lived for a short time at Bountiful but soon settled a short distance north of Salt Lake City. John and his son Malcolm and Son-in-law William Varley established a lime kiln in the foothills east of their home. This later became a flourishing business, furnishing the lime plaster for many of Salt Lake City's fine old homes. Thomas Hancock and Charles Burns, who arrived from England later, also became associated With the firm.
The large MacDuff home, built of limestone rock and lime plaster, was painted pink and was known for many miles as the MacDUff house or the big pink house. It remained a landmark on the east side of the busy highway 89 going north out of Salt Lake City. It was used as a branch meeting house for part of the Salt Lake City 19th Ward during the 1880's. They also owned the property on the south side of First South Street from Commercial
(now Reaent Street) to State Street and had a retail outlet at 13 South Commercial Street.
Malcolm MacDuff married Jane Lord on Auaust 11, 1866. They lived in the MacDuff house until Malcolm's death in September 1881. Jane and her children remained in the house until after 1900. Ada Alice MacDuff was married to Henry Rampton of Bountiful in 1868. On July 6, 1874, Jane R. MacDuff became the wife of William Butler. Both girls raised large families. In 1871, Ellen's husband, John Robertson MacDuff, died at the age of 70. He was buried in the Bountiful Cemetery.
Ellen MacDuff continued to live in Salt Lake City. In 1879 she was given a Patriarchal blessing by Patriarch,"James M. Works which gave her much comfort and encouragement in her last few years. She was a faithful Latter Day Saint, always helping others in every way she could and teaching her children the true religion and its value in their lives. She was the mother of seven children, three boys and four quills. One son, John M. died when a small child. Ellen Hancock Burns MacDuff died August 11, 1885. She was buried in the family plot in Bountiful Cemetery. For many years her descendants, the Burns and MacDuff families, met in an annual reunion.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chesterfield Parish of St. Mary the Virgin and All Saints,Parish Registers, by correspondence. Chesterfield,
Derbyshire, England.
Parish Reqisters of St. peter & St. Paul, Brampton. Old Brampton, Derbyshire, England, By correspondence. Registration District of Nottingham, Register Office, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham, Notts., England, by correspondence.
LDS Church Branch Records. Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England (Microfilm in Genealogical Library, SLC: F Eng 1 Pt 4), History of Ada Alice Rampton, by John R. Rampton
Pioneers & Prominent Men of Utah edited by Frank Esshom.
LDS Biographical Encyclopedia by Andrew Jensen
Heart Throbs of the West edited by Kate B. Carter Vol 5. pg 209 (story of an Old Tea Caddy, by Mary E. Brower).
History of William & Mary Ellen MacDuff Varley by Mildred Walker McRae.
History of Beck Street Area by Carol Burns Reed.
Family Members
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
