Elizabeth Ann Barton

Elizabeth Ann Barton Ashcroft Bloomfield, the eldest daughter of Josiah Barton and Margaret Woods, was born at Pemberton, Lancashire, England, on June 3, 1839. The family lived down by the wharves in Liverpool as they were quite poor. The mother was ill much of the time as so most of the work fell to Elizabeth to do.

When the Mormon missionaries began preaching in their locality, Elizabeth went with a friend to hear them. The missionaries usually spoke on the street, but once Elizabeth went to a house where a small group was gathered. Her Aunt Elizabeth Bell Barton had joined the church in 1847. By the time Elizabeth was 13 she knew that the gospel taught by the missionaries was true and she wanted to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and so in 1852 she was baptized. Her father, Josiah, was very antagonistic to the church and she did not let him know right at first that she had been baptized. Her sister Eliza, was baptized the next year, April 11, 1853 and the two girls and their mother, when she was able, went to meetings together when they could go without the father knowing. When Josiah did learn of Elizabeth's baptism he was very angry and he whipped her so severely she was ill for several days after.

By the time there were five children in the family-Elizabeth; Eliza, born June 15, 1844; Margaret, born February 22, 1847; William, born September 9, 1849 and James, born June 3, 1853. When James was nine months old his mother, Margaret Woods Barton, died on the 24 of March, 1854. The day she was buried, her father, Josiah, gave her mother's ring to Elizabeth. Elizabeth wore the ring first around her neck on a string until her finger was large enough to keep it on. She took very good care of it, as it was the only thing she had of her mothers. One day her father became very angry with her over her joining the Mormon church and he wrenched the ring from her and hurt her because he was so rough. Her physical hurt was not as bad as her broke heart, having lost the one thing she had of her mothers.

The father, Josiah, became increasingly severe with the children. They were virtually prisoners in their own home. Finally Elizabeth and Eliza left home and went to live with their father's brother, John Barton, and his wife Elizabeth Bell Barton. They had also joined the Mormon church and were kind to the girls.

Elizabeth was anxious to emigrate to Utah so she worked in an inn or a "pub." She worked their until she had money enough to bring her to America. She was a steerage passenger on the ship Monarch of the Sea, which left Liverpool, England, on May 21, 1861, and arrived in New York on June 19, 1861. Elizabeth traveled in a cattle car on the railroad to Florence, Nebraska, and there joined a group of saints with ox teams who were coming to Salt Lake City, Utah. During that long journey across the plains Elizabeth walked all the way except for two days when she was ill. She was not a large husky girl, but rather small and of a slight build. When she started across the the plains Elizabeth has a good pair of shoes, but they did not last. She had to take some cedar chips and cow hide to fashion a type of shoe. When she arrived in Utah her feet were calloused, bare, cracked and bleeding from all the walking. Her clothes were almost wore out as well. She had arrived in the valley, the missionaries had told her to have faith and courage, she was most grateful that she had been blessed by the Lord with sufficient courage and faith to bring her this far.

She arrived in Salt Lake City on September 22, 1861; she then went to Hyde Park, Cache County, Utah, to work in the home of William Hyde. She had known Henry Ashcroft as a missionary in England and on October 26, 1861, when she had been here but one month she married Henry, and began his second wife, as the church practiced polygamy at this time. They lived in Hyde Park and has two sons; James Barton Ashcroft, born March 23, 1863 and Josiah Emer Ashcroft, born September 7, 1865. When Henry Ashcroft was 32 years of age he became very ill. He called his two good friend, Robert Daines and John Bloomfield to administer to him. Henry knew he was going to die and he asked his two friends to care for his families. They promised they would. Herny died May 9, 1867, five months before the third son, Walter Ottual was born on October 14, 1867.

The next January 2, 1868, John Bloomfield's wife, Harriet passed away leaving him with two small girls and a baby boy to care for. The next January 11, 1896, John Bloomfield and Elizabeth Ann Barton Ashcroft were married. They continued to live at Hyde Park and three children were born to John and Elizabeth; Joseph W., November 17, 1869; Richard M., March 6, 1873 and Harriet Martha, July 31, 1875. Soon after Harriet was born they were called to help colonize Arizona.