John Anthony Woolf was born July 31, 1805, in Westchester County, New York. He was the youngest child of Anthony Woolf and Phebe Weeks. Tradition had it that John Anthony’s father was also called John Anthony, but researchers have concluded that his name was probably Anthony. This Anthony was born in Mainz, Hessen, Germany, probably under a different last name. When he was just a young man he was forced to serve in the German army as a Hessian soldier and was brought to America to fight with the British forces against the Americans in the Revolutionary War. He had an argument with his superior officer and so deserted from the British side and joined the Americans, changing his name to “Woolf.”
John Anthony became an excellent shoemaker, making white silk and satin shoes for the aristocrats of New York. At times, before a big ball was coming off, he would have to work very hard to complete the ordered shoes, often working all night without sleep, except a snatch or two while on his work bench. In order to keep from sleeping too long he would place his hammer under his side so that in a short time it would start to hurt and wake him up. When the time came for him to marry his sweetheart, Sarah Ann Devoe, he made her wedding shoes. The couple was married on April 20, 1821.
In the 1830's John and Sarah Ann heard the Mormon missionaries, and they were converted, Sarah, being baptized two months prior to John in 1841. In 1842 he was made president of the branch in New Rochelle, New York. During the time they lived in New York they had six children. Our ancestor, Sarah Ann Woolf, was their second child. ( Not right)
In 1843 John took his family to join the Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois. They bought a farm which adjoined the farm of the Prophet Joseph Smith, whom they saw often. They knew him well and loved him very much. One day their small baby, John Anthony, was very ill. The Prophet came and administered to the child, promising that it would get well, and then he sent a nurse to help care for the child.
A son, Andrew, was born into the family while they were living here in Nauvoo. John Anthony and the prophet often rode together in the same buggy and entered their horses in the same races. On two occasions John loaned money to the Prophet and felt that it was a privilege to do so. Prior to his last imprisonment and martyrdom Joseph came to John Anthony and asked for a loan of five hundred dollars. When the Prophet asked what security he wanted John Anthony said, “None. Your word is all I ask.” The Prophet then turned to Willard Richards, who had accompanied him, and said, “Brother Richards, if I do not live to pay Brother Woolf back I want you to see that he gets his money.” The prophet was martyred soon afterward and the debt was cancelled.
John Anthony and his family of seven children left Nauvoo with the rest of the Saints, moving to Winter Quarters where they spent the winter in a log shack. All but two of them suffered from chills and fever. In the spring of 1847 they joined a wagon train heading west. They had four wagons, one of which Sarah Ann drove. One evening while they were camped down on the Platte River a great herd of buffalo came down on the opposite side of the river. They knew that if the buffalo continued in their course, stampeding across the river, their camp would be demolished. The men fired their guns at the animals with no effect whatsoever, so they loaded the big canon they had with them. When they opened fire with this canon the buffalo turned and ran along the river bank - a happy ending.
They arrived in Salt Lake City on October 6 1847, and John Anthony set to work building an adobe house in the Old Fort. He also helped to clear away the sagebrush and build houses for others. By slaughtering their work oxen the family was able to have enough meat for the winter.
About five years later John Anthony was called by Brigham Young to help settle Iron County. He traveled there and planted grain, planning to return for his family after the harvest. Due to prairie dogs and other pests he was only able to harvest forty bushels, and this he cut with his shoe knife. He came back to get his family, but they were destined not to return to Iron County. While camped on the banks of the Jordan River all their cattle were stolen and could not be recovered. Because of the delay in searching for the cattle and because of Sarah Ann’s poor health they fount it necessary to remain in the area for the winter.
In the spring they moved as far south as what is now called Mona. They built a nice home, but the Indians became so troublesome that they were again advised to move, this time to Nephi, where they would be safer. John Anthony moved his family, but before he could move the furniture the indians broke into the house and used it as a lookout, using it to shoot at people as they passed by. John was obliged to return and tear his house down, in order to prevent this menace.
While living in Nephi, three more children were born (two more having been born in Salt Lake), bringing the total to twelve children. They witnessed much trouble with the Indians during this time, including the Walker War.
Because their family was now large and water was scarce in Nephi, John Anthony and Sarah Ann decided to move to Cache Valley, where water was plentiful. They settled in Hyde Park in 1851 and helped to pioneer that area and to subdue the Indians. The only kind of horses that the settlers in that area had were small ponies, similar to Indian ponies. The first real stallion of any worth was owned by John Anthony Woolf, and it became the sire of quite a number of fine stock horses in Cache Valley, this new breed of horses becoming known as “Woolf Stock.”
Here in Hyde Park John Anthony served in the bishopric as second counselor. He was also Justice of the Peace, and he began again to make shoes for the people of the valley. He was a hard worker, kind and forgiving almost to a fault, and those in need were never sent away from his door empty-handed. He died of pneumonia November 7, 1881, at the age of seventy six, and was buried in the Hyde Park Cemetery.
This one is a bit more "fluffy"
JOHN ANTHONY WOOLF AND SARAH ANN DEVOE
John Anthony Woolf was born 31 July 1805 in Westchester County, New York. John was the 8th and
youngest child of Anthony Woolf and Phebe Weeks. His father, Anthony
Woolf, was a naturalized Hessian Soldier, his mother Phebe Weeks, was
American born. Few intimate details are known of John’s early life. Much
can be deduced, however, from the nature of his environment and his
attitude and work in later life. His father became an extensive
landowner and prosperous farmer. Westchester County at the time was
essentially a rural community; nearby New York City provided a ready
market for rural commodities such as grain and beef. The city was near
enough to the Woolf home in Pelham to permit, if not to require,
frequent visits to the city for business or cultural reasons. Here, one
saw in the spacious harbor the ships of all trading nations, and on its
wharfs sailors from many foreign lands. Merchandise from the
manufacturing centers of Europe and Asia were brought here to exchange
for the raw products of fabulous, free America. John’s father, with the
advantages of his European background, had made friends in high places;
Among those friends were those who had been active in the recent
Revolutionary War.
Having
been raised on a farm, in a farming community, it is to be assumed that
John was well trained in the practical methods of farming and stock
raising. But also, doubtless under the influence of his prudent
German-born father, he acquired a trade. He became a shoemaker of great
skill, catering particularly to the trade of the well-to-do in the city
of New York. Shoes in those days, like suits of clothing, were made to
order, rather than selected from well-stocked shelves containing shoes
standardized in length, width, and quality. L Thus, John was not only
acquainted with the hard labor of the farm, but knew the skill of a fine
trade and enjoyed the acquaintance of men in commerce, banking, and
manufacturing at a time when all Americans were imbued with a fervent
nationalism, a great passion for liberty, and optimism for the future of
America.
On
30 April 1831, at the age of 26, John married Sarah Ann DeVoe, the
lovely daughterof a former French Huguenot family which had fled France
to avoid religious persecution, and had greatly prospered in America.
This young couple had much in common. The families of each had suffered
European inhumanities. John’s father had been illegally inducted and
forced to serve in the Germany Army. Sarah Ann’s family had left a
beloved home land and had chosen a strange new untamed country in order
to maintain their religious conviction. Both families had not only found
freedom in the new land, but had prospered also. In addition, the time
in which they lived bred courage and idealism. Nationalism ran high
following the Revolutionary War. Liberty was on every tongue and a great
optimism gave spur to action.
By
1843, John Anthony and Sarah Ann were the parents of 6 healthy
children, Absalom, the oldest, was 11, John Anthony II, the youngest was
born 27 Feb. Of that year. Though not wealthy, they had not wanted, in
fact they had done well, having learned the lessons of thrift and
frugality from their respective prosperous parents. In the year 1841,
John Anthony and Sarah Ann had listened to the teachings of the Mormon
missionaries. In Mormonism, Sarah Ann saw the ideals which her
forefathers had fostered for generations. Her ancestors had been devout
followers of Jesus Christ as taught by the holy scriptures, but they did
not accept the churches that attempted to speak in his name. In
Mormonism, she found restored that which had been lost in existing
churches through departures from the simple scriptures. Sarah Ann’s
religious nature is manifest in the names given their first five sone:
Absalom, James, Isaac, John and Andrew. She accepted the teachings of
Mormonism with all the deep religious devotion of her Huguenot
forefathers.
John
Anthony, being a little older, coming from a less religious background,
and perhaps being more aware of the impact on their future lives of
accepting the new religion, took a little longer to accept, but once
having accepted, never turned back. They were baptized in 1841 and at
once began planning their future as active members of their new-found
faith. They planned to close that happy chapter of their lives in
Westchester and join the body of the Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois, at
their earliest convenience. During 1842, John served as president of the
New Rochelle Branch of the Church. In 1843 they, with their 6 children,
departed from their home and friends of childhood and set out on the
long journey to Nauvoo.
The
trip to Illinois was made partly by canal boat and partly by river
boat. The Woolf Family arrived in Nauvoo in the sporing of 1843. “Nauvoo
the Beautiful,” or “Nauvoo, the City of the Saints” was the home of the
prophet Joseph Smith; it was already the largest city in Illinois and
rapidly growing–a city where righteousness was to abound, and the
blessings of the Lord were to be made manifest in abundance.
Missionaries were going out and missionaries were returning. Saints were
arriving from England and from the Eastern States. The temple was under
construction, and new organizations were being formed as needed to
perform the functions of a rapidly-growing church and a rapidly-growing
city. There was much for the Woolf family to do. A temporary home must
be found, a farm purchased and cultivated, new contacts and
acquaintances made, and church work done. All this fortunately left
little time for John and Sarah Ann to brook over the dear friends and
scenes of childhood they had left far behind or to nurse the deep hurt
in their hearts over the estrangement that had sprung up between them
and their beloved close relatives on the occasion of their joining the
church of their choice.
The
spring of 1843 found Nauvoo in perhaps its most enjoyable era. The
efforts of the Missourians to harass the Saints in Illinois had borne
little fruit, and the Illinois persecutions had not yet matured. John
Anthony purchased a lovely farm 2 miles east of the city, thus
preserving the pattern of a rural home, but near a city where its
commercial and cultural advantages could be
obtained.
What pleased John and Sarah even more was the fact that their farm
adjoined that of the Prophet Joseph, with whom they became intimately
acquainted and whose humanity, simplicity, and intelligence as a friend
seemed wholly compatible with his profile as a prophet.
Unfortunately
, this taste of heaven on earth was not to last. The Illinois
persecution burst into flame and the prophet was murdered on the 27 June
1844. The perpetrators temporarily fled for cover, while the city and
people fell into a depth of gloom seldom experienced on this earth.
However, the gloom was short-lived. The prophet had not only foretold
his death, but had provided for his succession. The temple was
completed, persecution was renewed, and by agreement, to avoid
bloodshed, the saints started leaving Nauvoo in Feb. 1844 by crossing
the Mississippi and turning to the vast uncharted wilderness in the
West. Andrew, the 7th child
of John Anthony and Sarah Ann, was born in Nauvoo on Feb. 15 of that
bitter year. As soon thereafter as possible, the Woolf Family also
crossed the Mississippi with their wagons and oxen, to be swallowed up,
as far as the then settled part of America was concerned or be merged
with the coyotes, buffalo and Indians beyond the setting sun. Winter
found them at the Missouri River, where at Winter Quarters John built a
log house to shelter his wife and 7 precious children. They spent a
difficult winter plagued with chills and fever, but their lives were
preserved. They were able, as so many were not, to resume their journey
in the spring. They continued westward with the Edmund Hunter Co.,
arriving in Salt Lake City, 6 Oct. 1847.
John
built an adobe house in the old fort to house his family, and assisted
others with their building. They survived the winter by eating the oxen
that had pulled their belongings across the plains. They remained in
Salt Lake 5 years, after which time they were called by Brigham Young to
help settle Iron Co. In the early spring of 1852, John Anthony left for
Iron County, where he planted crops and built a house. Due to pests and
other adverse conditions, he harvested only 44 bushels of grain.
Nevertheless, he returned to Salt Lake for his family in the autumn. At
an early encampment on the Jordan River on the return journey with his
family, thieves drove away their cattle. So much time was lost in
finding and retrieving them that is was impossible to reach Iron Co.
Before the winter storms, so John built a house for the winter on the
Provo River. But now Indian trouble broke out; Indians stole most of the
cattle and sheep. On advice from others, John moved his family to
Nephi, returning only to tear down his house, which the Indians were
using as a cover from which to shoot at passerby.
John
Anthony built a new home for his family within the fort in Nephi and
lived there during the years 1856-60 inclusive. Indian troubles and
drought sapped their strength and discounted their efforts. In 1855 John
was set apart as a Pres. Of the 19 Quorum of Seventies. While the
family was hard-pressed materially, they were blessed spiritually and
enjoyed unity and good health. In March 1858, their youngest child,
Wallace, was born; he was their 12th.
Because the family was now so large and the material rewards of their
labor insufficient to maintain their family (because of Indian trouble,
drought, and pests), they moved North in 1861 to Cache Valley, settling
in the community which became known as Hyde Park, named after its first
bishop and leading citizen, William Hyde. There was virgin land here, a
plentiful water supply, and while there were some Indian problems, they
were less consuming of the settlers’ time
John
Anthony and Sara Ann started all over again, as they had done so many
times before, to build a home for themselves and their children. It was
now just 20 years since they had joined the Church in New York. They
were 20 years older and 20 years wiser, poorer in goods of this earth
but blessed with a family of healthy, able and obedient children. Herein
was their
treasure. Because of the children, the Lord had not let them labor those 20 years in vain.
Farming
requires back-breaking labor even on a cultivated farm. It is much more
difficult on a new farm where sagebrush has to be removed, fences built
to keep the owner’s cattle in and stray cattle out, ditches surveyed
and excavated, head gates installed, the land plowed, leveled,
cultivated, seeded and irrigated. A farm house has to be built, corrals
made, barns and sheds erected and a garden plot prepared and seeded.
John and Sarah Ann, with their children, some of whom were now old
enough and experienced enough to help, faced this colossal task with
courage and with as much vigor as their age would permit. Within a few
years, they had another home, a flowing well, barns, pens and pastures,
horses and cattle. John introduced a new breed of horses into the
community known as the Woolf Stock, a medium-sized horse of great
strength and good action what was ideal as an all purpose horse on
western farms and ranches.
The
family was expert and ingenious in making the most of what could be
raised on the land or be had in the local area. They made soap and lye
from wood ashes, molasses from red beets; they carded and spun wool, and
from the yarn made knitted clothing and stockings. From cow and horse
hides they made ropes, bridles, harnesses, and, of course, shoes. John
was a reliable source of shoes wherever he lived. His granddaughter,
Orilla, tells of having many times held a candle for him at night after a
hard day’s work while he cut miniature wooden pegs foir tacking on the
soles of shoes. They made preserves and jam from berries, from small
fruits, and even from vegetables. They maintained a good vegetable
cellar and made a smokehouse, where they could smoke dry meats. By their
ingenuity and labor they always seemed to manage to have some food on
hand. The needy were never turned away empty-handed. Their house was a
beehive of activity and a gathering place for their children and their
children’s friends.
John
was spared to enjoy his new home for 20 years. He died 7 Nov. 1881 at
76 years–50 years after his marriage, and 40 years after joining the
church. Sarah Ann lived to age oif 90. She passed away 19 March 1905.
