Sentimental Sunday Blog

The Courtship
of Elizabeth and Joseph
By Bonnie Madge Shipley Anderson
Elizabeth Anderton was born at Wigan, Lancashire, England, 22 Dec 1828, the daughter of Nancy Lyon and John Anderton. Joseph Shipley was born at Burton Latimer, Northampton, England, 1 Nov 1813, the son of Margaret Payne and William Shipley.

Elizabeth and Joseph met in the Great Salt Lake Valley of the Utah Territory in North America. They both were working for the Willard Richards Family. Elizabeth was working in the house and Joseph as a farm hand. Joseph had lost his wife Elizabeth Garley and sons Nephi and John, during the past year, while he had been away in the Mormon Battalion. Elizabeth and Nephi had both died of Cholera and were buried at Mount Pisgah, Iowa. His son John had disappeared and was never heard from again. Elizabeth with her six year old daughter, Margaret, had left her home in England working her way to the Great Salt Lake Valley by cooking for the company she was in. It had meant walking all the way for herself and little Margaret who had one leg shorter than the other and had a heavy weight fastened to it. What Joseph, 15 years her senior, had endured in the past year helped him have tender feelings for this girl who had left friends and home for the Gospel and who was very sad and in bad health.

On 5 February 1854, Willard Richards asked Joseph to take Elizabeth to the City Creek, break the ice and baptize her. It was Elizabeth’s belief that if she could be rebaptized she would start to feel better. Joseph did as his employer asked and upon the couple returning home, Brother Richards told them to come into the parlor and to stand up together and he would give Elizabeth in married to Joseph. There had been no courtship and Elizabeth wondered if she really wanted to marry this man, although she had the greatest respect for him. Brother Richards told her if she would marry Joseph, be true to him and do her duty, she would never regret it. They were married and lived a long, happy and useful life together.

Elizabeth and Joseph made their first home in Salt Lake City for a few years. While there they were blessed with two children. Amelia Elizabeth, 22 October 1854 and Willard John, 14 October 1856. While living in Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah a son, Henry, was born in March 1858 and died shortly after his birth. All the rest of the children were born in American Fork, Utah, Utah. Sarah 3 May 1859, my grandfather Joseph Anderton 17 February 1861, Nancy, (Nettie), 21 November 1863, Elizabeth 1 February 1865, Mary Eliza 16 Jan 1868, Thomas 19 Sep 1870, Benjamin 15 Feb 1872, Grace Ada 23 July 1874. Elizabeth’s daughter Margaret was adopted by Joseph and used the Shipley name. She was born 14 August 1848 in Ashton Under??, Lancashire, England. Her biological father is unknown at this time.

Elizabeth died 27 July 1900 and Joseph followed his beloved Elizabeth on 24 October 1901 after 46 years of marriage. Today their earthly remains lie side by side in the American Fork City Cemetery section F plot 208, in American Fork, Utah, Utah. They are surrounded by beautiful pine trees and other foliage. Margaret lies West of them and Thomas Shipley, Joseph’s brother to the North of them. Daughter’s Elizabeth, Sarah, and Mary Eliza are also buried in this plot. Many of their other children with spouses are buried in other sections of the cemetery. A large white marble monument is here to honor Elizabeth and Joseph as pioneers of this area. At the gate to the cemetery is a very large monument dedicated in memory of all Veterans who served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States and Joseph’s name is there under the Mexican War. "God in His wisdom has called The boon His love had given, And though the body molds here The spirit is safe in Heaven.