John and Charlotte Ransom

John and Charlotte Ransom
A Sketch of Their Lives


John Ransom was born on December 24, 1782 at Bexhill, Sussex, England, the son of Edward and Mary Wenham Ransom. John ransom was married to Charlotte Cramp on December 27, 1804 at Bexhill, Sussex, England. Charlotte Cramp was born on January 16, 1789 at Horley, Surrey, England.

Ten children were born to this couple:
Mary, born April 1, 1805
Edward, born September 22, 1807
John, born November 3, 1809
Thomas, born February 22, 1813
Harriet, born February 19, 1815
Henry, born March 6, 1819
William, born September 16, 1820
Joseph, born December 25, 1822
Charlotte, born December 11, 1824
James, born December 30, 1827

John and Charlotte Cramp Ransom were converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John was baptized on June 23, 1852, at the age of 69, by Priest Beeching at Bexhill, Sussex, England, at the Kent Conference in the British Mission. He was ordained a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood on April 10, 1853 by G. F. A. Spiller. Charlotte Cramp Ransom was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 18, 1852 by Elder Vennor at Bexhill, Sussex, England, Kent Conference, British Mission, at the age of 63.

Since our fore parents, John and Charlotte Cramp Ransom, spent much of their lives at Bexhill, Sussex, England it might be interesting to know something of that beautiful country. Bexhill lies on the Straits of Dover, in the southeast part of England on the English Channel, not too far east from the Isle of Wight, and between the large Seacoasts of Dover and Newhaven. Sussexshire, or the County of Sussex, joins two of the counties in which Greater London is located; therefore our people lived not too far from this metropolis. Bexhill is a rising seaside resort.

After joining the Mormon Church our fore parents had the desire, as most converts did, to come to Utah and join the main body of the Church. Leaving their home in Bexhill on February 8, 1854, they joined a group of Saints at Liverpool, England to sail for America. When the ship “Windermere” sailed from Liverpool, England, on February 22, 1854 the following members of the Ransom family were known to be aboard--

John and Charlotte Cramp Ransom, 3 sons, 3 grandsons, 2 daughters-in-law:
James and his wife Elizabeth Clifton and sons--
Thomas, age 6 years, Frederick B., age 4, and William J., age 1 ½ years
John and his wife Caroline Stacy Ransom
Thomas Ransom, who was a widower

Little is known of those who remained in England: Mary, Edward, Harriet, Henry, William, Joseph, and Charlotte and their families.

The ship “Windermere” carried 477 Saints to America under the direction of Elder Daniel Garn. The “Windermere” arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 23, 1854. During the voyage contrary winds were encountered, arising at times to heavy gales, but at the end of five weeks a favorable wind set in and the ship made 1,000 miles in four days. After fifteen days sailing from Liverpool, smallpox broke out on board and spread rapidly as the vessel approached the tropics. Thirty-seven passengers and two of the crew were attacked, but at the crisis the malady was suddenly checked in answer to prayer. During the voyage six marriages were solemnized on board, there were six births and ten deaths occurred. (CHURCH CHRONOLOGY)

From the biography of William Watton Burton, found in the Later-day Saints Biographical Encyclopedia, pages 350 and 351, volume I, we read:

“February 22, 1854, I sailed on the ship “Windermere” from Liverpool for New Orleans. We were eight weeks and five days on the way, and we encountered heavy storms. On the 18th of March we were in the same latitude as we were on the 8th. The weather was very rough and the Captain 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 that it cannot stand this sea. We are in great danger. I don’t know whether there is a God or not. Your people say there is, and if there is a God and He will hear you, you had better talk to Him.’ It was early in the morning, a fast was decided upon, and prayer meeting was held at ten 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 on board and thirteen funerals took place between Liverpool and New Orleans. On the 17th the ship caught fire under the cooking galley, great excitement prevailed until the fire was extinguished. On the 27th the provisions and water supply failed and from that time ‘til we reached New Orleans April 23, 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 June 19th when we commenced our journey over the plains from our camping grounds near Kansas City. We arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 23, 1854.” (The CHURCH CHRONOLOGY gives October 1, 1854 as the day the Daniel Garn’s Company of emigrating Saints arrived in Great Salt Lake City).

On the morning after arriving at New Orleans, eleven persons suffering with smallpox were sent to the Luzenburg Hospital, agreeable to order from the health officers at the port; Elder Long and five others were selected to remain at New Orleans on April 27th on board a steamship, and arrived at St. Louis a few days later, from whence the journey was subsequently continued to Kansas City.

But John and Charlotte Cramp Ransom, brave and courageous as they were, with a desire to unite with the church of their choice in the valley of the mountains, were not to reach Salt Lake City. For the conclusion of this life sketch of John and Charlotte Cramp Ransom we quote the following from the history of Thomas and Mary Dodge Ransom, a grandson of John and Charlotte:

“After crossing the ocean and near the mouth of the Mississippi River, we were towed in as we were sea bound. It was some time after landing there before we started across the plains from Kansas, or St. Louis, Missouri. During that time five of our party died, some from cholera. It is a little uncertain just where these deaths took place, some may have been as we came up the river and some after arriving, and I feel sure that it was after we had started across the plains that my grandmother (Charlotte Cramp Ransom) died. Some of the company had small pox; I know my brother, William, did as he carried the scars of it all his life. Those whom we left by the wayside were: my grandfather John Ransom, Uncle Thomas, my mother Elizabeth and my brother Frederick, and last, my dear grandmother, Charlotte. I feel sure it was the strain of the trip and the advanced age of my grandmother that caused her death. The remaining five of us reached Salt Lake City in the fall of that same year. My Uncle John and Aunt Caroline Ransom settled in Salt Lake City and were buried there. My brother, William J., lived with Uncle John and Aunt Caroline until he married.”

“My father, James, and I lived in Salt Lake City, and then moved to Farmington, then to Lehi and in the year 1861 he was called to Southern Utah to help settle it. There they settled at Virgin City where he remained until his death. While living in Salt Lake City he married Elizabeth Rowley, a woman he met on board the ship as they crossed the ocean. She and her sister had befriended them in their terrible troubles of sickness and death. To them four sons were born: James Rowley, Joseph Henry, Hyrum Rowley, and George Rowley Ransom.”

The Endowment work for John and Charlotte Cramp Ransom was done at the St. George (Utah) Temple on November 11, 1886 by a grandson, Thomas C. and Mary Dodge Ransom.

(This material was gleaned from various sources by a great granddaughter of John and Charlotte Cramp Ransom, Myrtle R. Goff, and compiled by a great-great granddaughter, Sarah G. Johnson).