John Shelton Howard part II

Shelton Ward was originally known as East Willow Creek, being an out worth of Willow Creek Ward. The first Latter-day Saint settlers in the part of Snake River Valley belonged to the Rigby Ward; afterwards they became a part of the Willow Creek Ward. Later the locality was know as East Willow Creek, and still later as Enterprise. When John Shelton Howard arrived in the locality in the fall of 1889, as an exile from Bountiful, that, owing to anti-polygamy persecutions, the Farmers Friend Canal had already been build and a couple of years later the Enterprise Canal was constructed. Reuben Cole was appointed to preside in the meetings at an easily day and in 1892 John Shelton Howard was chose as presiding Elder of the branch then called Enterprise. This Branch was organized as a regular bishop's ward August 14, 1892, with John Shelton Howard as Bishop. He was succeeded in 1919 by Edmond Lovell, who is 1929 was succeeded by William Fransis Burtenshaw, who preside December 31, 1930, on which date the Shelton Ward had a membership of 294, including 69 children.

The plain truth of the matte was the John S. Howard pioneered to Idaho as John Shelton.

The use of the alias was not a matter of criminal subterfuge, but of the breadwinner's survival while politic hacks made headlines denouncing the Mormons, and the courts mulled over the constitutionality of the mishmash of anti-plural marriage statuses.

Upper Snake River Valley was a land of opportunity in 1889, when John Howard arrived from Bountiful, Utah, looking for a place for new beginnings. Other young Utah place for new beginnings. Other young Utah home seekers-the Cleverlys, the Burtenshaws, the Egans, the Browns, John Johnson and others preceded John Howard to the promising glen where Willow Creek emerges from its canyon to meander westward to the Snake River, Even earlier, in the 1870's, ranchers George and John Heath, the Sermons, the Orville Buck family of Connecticut and a few others had staked out cattle ranches along the creek. The valley was filled, in 1889, but there was land to be had, some still open from homesteading, some for sale or relinquished by earlier sojourners. John Johnson, a young Bountiful school-teacher who had spent a couple of summers herding sheep in Idaho, shared his timer claim with John Howard.

John Shelton Howard

John Shelton Howard was the first Bishop of Shelton Ward (Bingham Stake), Bonneville county, Idaho, was born March 9, 1854, in Birmington, England, the son of Joseph Howard and Ann Shelton. He was baptized by his father in May, 1864, and emigrated with his parents to America in 1864, crossing the Atlantic in the ship "Hudson" which sailed from London, England, June 3, 1864. After traveling by railroad and river steamer to the frontiers he left Wyoming, Nebraska, August 2, 1864, and crossed the plains in Capt. William Hyde's ox train which arrived in Salt Lake City October 26, 1864. In 1887-1889 he labored as a missionary in England, principally in the Sheffield and later the Birmingham conference. After residing a number of years in Bountiful, Davis county, Utah, he became a permanent settler in the part of the great Snake River valley which is now including Shelton Ward in 1889. Brother Howard was ordained an Elder when quite young and subsequently ordained a Seventy by John L. Leavitt. He was ordained a high Priest and Bishop August 19,1892, by John Henry Smith and set apart to preside over the Shelton Ward, which was organized at the time and named in his home (Shelton being one of his given names). While a resident of South Bountiful he acted as president of the Ward Y.M.M.I.A. and during his long and useful career in the Church he has filled many important positions, both of an ecclesiastical and secular nature. In 1876 (September 11) he married Josephine Johnson (daughter of John Johnson and Louisa Svendsen), who was born February 4, 1860, in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1884 (March 27) he married Sarah Ann Downs (daughter of John Downs and Mary Cowley) who was born March 4, 1866, at Browsby, Derbyshire, England, and emigrated to Utah in 1883. She is the mother of elven children, namely Albert C, John H, Ella M, Sarah Olive, Joseph William, Franklin D, Walter L, James P, Carrie M, Doris and Glenn E. Bishop Howard is a farmer and carpenter by occupation.

Family History Blog

"A Person's A Person No Matter How Small" is one of my favorite quote by Dr. Seuss. I chose to use this as my title because it represented to me that everyone has a story that deserves to be heard.
For my Family History class, I am starting a blog with stories of those from the past from my Mom's side of the family - the Taylor's and Howard's.
PLEASE feel free to e-mail me at april4m@hotmail.com with your stories that you might have of ancestors that I could add to our family blog. I would love to hear them, as would many others I am sure.
Thank you for the support: Enjoy reading about the Long Line of Love we come from!