James Ransom

James Ransom

My Grandfather, James Ransom, was the 10th child of John and Charlotte Cramp Ransom and a Grandson of Edward Ransom and his wife, Mary Neves Ransom. He was born on Dec. 30 1827 in England, as near as we have found it was at Bexhill, Sussex, England.

Of this family we are happy to note that they were among some of the first to join the church when the Elders took the Gospel to England and soon after made preparations to immigrate to Utah to be with the main body of the Saints.

James married Elizabeth Clifton about 1845. To this union three sons were born, Thomas, Frederick Benjamin and William John.

It was the 22nd of Feb. 1854 that this family with his Father and Mother, John and Charlotte, and two brothers, Thomas and John and his wife Caroline left England for Utah. Of the ten who sailed from the shores of England, three died from cholera while coming up the Mississippi River. They were Elizabeth, the wife of James, and their four year old son Benjamin and Thomas the brother of James. However this was not the last for while making preparations to cross the plains the James parents, John and Charlotte, passed away. We are not certain of the dates of their deaths or the exact place of burial. John, the Father, died in April 1854 and his wife, Charlotte’s death is given as in 1854. Only five of this family reached Utah.

We glean some idea of the hardships they endured from the following: “I sailed on the ship Windermere. We were eight weeks and five days on the way. We encountered heavy storms on the way. We were in the same latitude on the 18th of March as we were on the 8th. The weather was very rough and the Capt. of the vessel came to Elder Daniel Garns, who presided over the saints and said, “Mr. Garns I have done all I can for the vessel and I am afraid it cannot stand these seas. We are in great danger. I do not know if there is a God or not. Your people say there is and if there is a God He will hear you. You had better talk to him”. It was early in the mourning and a fast was decided upon and a prayer meeting was held at 10:00 a.m. The storm abated a little, enough to make us feel out of danger but continued in considerable force until the 18th.

On the 14th of March smallpox broke out, there were forty cases and thirteen funerals were held between Liverpool and New Orleans. On the 17th fire broke out under the cooking galley and great excitement prevailed until it was extinguished. On the 27th of March the food and water supply failed and from that time until we reached New Orleans on 23 Apr. 1854 our ration was one sea biscuit a day.

We had no new cases of smallpox after leaving New Orleans but were afflicted with cholera which proved fatal to many from that time until we began our journey over the plains from our campground at Kansas City, MO. We arrived in Salt Lake City 23 Sept. 1854.” (Taken from Biography of William Watton Burton, Latter Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia page 350-351, Vol. 1)

Among the passengers on the ship ‘Windermere’ were two sisters by the names of Elizabeth and Jane Rowley. These sisters no doubt were of great assistance to this stricken family for early in the year 1855 James and Elizabeth Rowley were married in Salt Lake City and later on the 9th of Nov. 1861 were given their endowments and sealed to each other in the old Endowment House having had Elizabeth Clifton sealed to James at the same time.

James Ransom was a farmer and spent some time in Salt Lake and then moved to Farmington. At the time of Johnson’s Army grandfather moved his family to Lehi. They remained there until 1861 when he was called by Pres. Young to help settle up the Dixie country so he moved his little family, which now consisted of three boys; James, Hyrum and Joseph by his 2nd wife, Elizabeth, and Thomas who was the oldest child by his first wife. To Virgin City. The youngest boy from his first wife, William John, was taken by James’ brother John and his wife Caroline, who settled in Salt Lake and remained there until their deaths. The baby William is still living.

In the year 1863 my Father George was born in Virgin City. Besides farming, my Grandfather worked in the timbers and it was on the 29th of June 1865 while falling trees that he was killed by being hit by one. The man working with him at the time was Thomas Hickman. It seems that they were falling these trees to get bark for use in tanning hides.

This was on Shirts Creek six miles south of Cedar City. We are not certain as to Grandfathers burial place but think it is in Virgin City. (Virgin Cemetery sexton has no record of any Ransoms in the cemetery)

The following entries were placed in the 'Graves along the Trail' file in the history archives of Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

John Ransom 71 Years
Charlotte Cramp Ransom 65 Years
Thomas Ransom 42 Years
Elizabeth Clifton Ransom 24 Years (wife of James)
Frederick Ransom 4 Years (Son of James and Elizabeth)

These were all buried shortly after arriving in April 1854 on the ship Windermere. They survived a voyage beset by heavy storms, small pox and reduced rations. They landed at New Orleans but at the campgrounds in St. Louis met a new threat in cholera. We do not know where the graves are but it is believed that they are on the trail outside of St. Louis.