Henry Miller Shelton ~ Index
Henry M. Shelton Sr., was born on 3 March 1862 in Providence, Utah to Emma Durfey and Marion J. Shelton His mother, Emmaline Durfey, daughter of Francillo and Marion Jones Durfey, was born on 18 March 1845 in Goldens Point, Hancock County, Illinois. Henry was born when Emma was sixteen years of age. He was their only child.
On 9 August 1862 Emma petitioned for a Bill of Divorce from her husband, Marion J. Shelton. Emma being present and Marion being absent from the county, she was granted the divorce on Saturday, the ninth day of August 1862 in the Territory of Utah, Cache County, by Peter Maughan, Judge of Probate. Henry was only five months old at this time.
Emma E. Durfey then married Loren Elisa Bassett and raised a family of nine children, but there is no record of her having our Henry with her family. She went to Arbon, Power County, Idaho to live with her brother in later years and died there.
Henry was raised by his mother's sister Marion Braidfoot Miller and Henry Miller her husband, and Henry's grandfather, Francillo Durfey and his wife Cynthia Harrington Bowen. Francillo Durfey lived in Providence, Cache County, Utah from the autumn of 1859 until the spring of 1868 when he moved with his family to the site now known as Beaver Dam in Box Elder County. Being the first to settle there, he engaged in farming and stock raising. Francillo died on 15 February 1871, at Beaver Dam. He was buried in the Providence Cemetery. Henry was nine years of age at the time of Francilio Durfey's death.
When Henry Miller died, he was buried in his backyard by the old chicken house, in Beaver Dam, Utah. Later Marion married George Lemons from Willard, Box Elder County, Utah. At this time Henry Shelton was living with the Durfey family.
It has been said that when his grandfather, Francillo Durfey died that he gave Henry Shelton some land on which he built his first home in Beaver Dam. He was given the same inheritance as the other children in the Francillo and Cynthia Harrington Bowen Durfey family. He was raised as a bother to Francillo Durfey, Jr. born on 1 February 1850 in Mound Fort, Weber County, Utah, the only child of Francillo and Cynthia Harrington Bowen Durfey union.
A census record of 1880, shows Henry living with Cynthia Durfey, Frank, Sarah Ann, and Ethel May Durfey, Deweyville precinct, Box Elder County. He is designated by the name of Shelton. Beaver Dam was considered in the Dewyville precinct at that time.
After courting for some time, Henry and Elizabeth were seriously considering marriage. In his excitement, Henry immediately began to build them a home, hoping to have it completed by the time they were married. Several of Henry's friends agreed to help and spent many of their evening hours after work on the construction. Two or three times during the courtship, Henry would return from a trip to Mendon to see Elizabeth, very discouraged by a little quarrel and tell his friends he no longer needed their assistance, that the wedding plans had been called off. Finally, he very enthusiastically solicited the help of friends one last time and the home was completed in time for the wedding. The home was small but very comfortable and Henry took a great deal of pride knowing that he had built the home. All but one of nine children wee born to the couple at this home in Beaver Dam.
Henry Miller Shelton married Elizabeth Hannah Findley on April 10th, 1882 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Henry provided for his family by purchasing and supplying beef for two meat markets. This he did for many years from his home in Beaver Dam. He and his family later moved to Logan, Utah that it might be more convenient. Upon moving to Logan he also began providing beef for the Amalgamated Sugar Company. The company fed the sugar beet pulp to the cattle and later resold them for profit. At this time Henry began traveling into the Malad, Idaho area and Portage, Utah to buy cattle. He would begin his journey by saddling his horse, Blue and tying his lunch to the saddle. He was never lonely for company with his dog Butch running along side the horse. Before departing, Henry never knew how many cattle he would be purchasing until he reached his destination. This meant Henry had to make arrangements at the bank before leaving so that his checks would be covered until he returned. The bank always agreed to such arrangements, knowing that upon his return, Henry would always come in to deposit his earnings after selling the cattle. Another thing Henry always did on payday was purchase a large bundle of meat neatly packaged in white butcher paper for his family. The children would be particularly excited about the large rolls of bologna.
A trip to Portage or Malad usually kept Henry from his wife and family for about one week. While in Portage, Henry stayed at the Waldron Hotel. The Waldron's were hospitable people and always made sure Henry was comfortable and well fed and even sent him on his way home with a hearty lunch. The children would always wait with excitement on his expected day of arrival and at the sound of cattle and a barking dog, they would run down the road to meet him. His arrival was always a happy reunion for everybody.
A few characteristics Vessie remembers most vividly about her father are his kindness, compassion, honesty, faithfulness and most of all what a wonderful father he was. In speaking of him, she has nothing but praise for the way he raised his children, respected his wife and conducted his personal life. He was a kind father and never raised his voice or laid a hand on us kids.
He loved his wife and children and worked hard to provide for them. Although he didn't always attend church meetings he always made sure that his family was in attendance and always had delicious, hot dinner awaiting them upon their return from church.
Once while roping cattle Henry's thumb became caught between the rope and the saddle horn. Henry was unable to free the thumb and it was finally pulled off. He was taken to the hospital where the doctors were able to sew the thumb back on. The pain was immense and became excruciating ten days later when it became gangrenous and was surgically removed. This same day a sixth child was born to Henry and Elizabeth. Henry spent the next two weeks with his arm held high above his head, pacing from one end of the house to the other. Henry moaned with the pain as he paced but never burdened his family with complaining or swearing.
Henry and his family lived in Logan, Utah for about a year and then moved eight miles west to the small farming community of Mendon. At this time Henry became employed on the O.S.L. (Oregon Short Line) Railroad. He worked on the section that spread from Wellsville to Cache Junction.
Having been close to one another during their childhood, Vessie remembers vividly, Lucy contracting diphtheria at the age of twelve. Lucy laid in bed for days with large sores in her throats that refused to heal. With each passing day Lucy became more and more ill and consequently weaker. No one was allowed to enter the room where she lay but those who cared for her, due to the highly contagious nature of the disease. The children all watched from a distance and listened to her moans and the talk of the attending adults. The family was quarantined which was the practice at that time with an illness which was dangerous and highly contagious. A red flag was nailed to the house at the beginning of the quarantine by the town marshal and could be taken down only by him at the end of the isolation period. The quarantine meant no member of the household was to leave the house and no one was to enter unless to provide some measure of care to the afflicted. Needed supplies and meals were left on the doorstep by friends and neighbors.
Lucy died, 16 June 1908, at home with her family present. A nurse was called in to help prepare and clothe the body for burial. After the heartache of watching Lucy suffer for days and finally succumb to death, the family could not even be comforted by a funeral service which was forbidden due to the fear of the disease spreading.
A friend of the family named Ephriam P. Shelton (no relationship) who owned a large chicken farm had a one horse dray which he used to carry eggs to the train depot. He brought his dray to the home the day Lucy was to be buried and as her brothers and sisters all watched, the coffin was lifted through the window and onto the dray. The weather was not very conducive to a burial, in a cemetery of nothing but mud due to the rain. At the moment the procession was about to depart to the cemetery, a father with a great deal of faith took three of his children into the kitchen and knelt in prayer to ask his Heavenly Father to please allow the rain to stop long enough to bury his little girl. The rain never did stop completely, but slowed to a slight drizzle, and as the coffin was lowered into the earth, the sun came out for a few brief moments in the west. Vessie was one of the three children that her father had taken into the kitchen to kneel in prayer with him. His example of faith was another lasting impression upon her mind.
Henry later became self employed when he purchased a small store in Mendon which consisted mainly of confections and soft drinks. The store also carried staple grocery items and fresh meat was brought in weekly. Peanuts were sold for ten cents a pound, and enjoyed by many as they shelled and ate them out front of the store, that faced east on Main Street and Center in Mendon.
The family rented a home in Mendon located at 123 South Main, (where Lucy died) for a few months and then purchased a home of their own. Before they could move in the family spent a few days clearing the front lawn of a few large Poplar trees that had been blown down by a windstorm a few weeks before. The home was a small two room house that they later expanded by building on a third room. This house is still in use and is located at 203 North 100 East in Mendon.
Henry Miller Shelton, Sr. and Elizabeth Hannah Findley had nine children. Dora Alverta Shelton, 8 February 1883; Elizabeth LaVern Shelton, 7 October 1886; Henry Miller Shelton Jr., 20 December 1889; Verland Findley Shelton, 29 November 1893; Lucy Shelton, 22 May 1896; Vessie Shelton, 29 April, 1899; Ethel Mae Shelton, 7 February 1904; Linzy Jane Shelton, 7 May 1906 and Horace K. Shelton, 7 January 1909.
Henry Miller Shelton died October 30th, 1930 at the age of sixty-eight years in Mendon, Utah. (Obituary) He was buried in the Mendon Cemetery.
Notes…
This sketch was compiled by Kathryn Sorensen Shelton sometime in 1986, and was provided by her.