John Sr. and Mary Shaw Hadfield left their beloved England on May 11, 1909 along with their seven children, Mary, John Jr., William, Amy, Clara, Jessie, and Edwin to come to America. Mary Shaw, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) longed to join the Saints in Utah, especially her dear family, most of whom had come several years earlier. When John became disgruntled over issues at work, he hastily decided it was time to leave. Mary rejoiced. Her prayers were answered. She didn’t know what was in store, but was willing to make the sacrifice. It was difficult even from the beginning. Mary was very ill on the ship, not realizing at the time that she was pregnant with her last child, Margaret Ellen, our grandmother and their only child to be born in America.

Margaret Ellen or Ellen as she liked to be called was born in Grouse Creek, Utah on a cold January morning in 1901. Seven eager siblings anticipated her arrival. Mary, the oldest, prepared a bed and helped her mother deliver the beautiful baby girl. Jessie was so excited to have a sister. They were close and would grow to be dear friends always.

Many people loved Ellen’s mother, a skilled nurse midwife. She was in demand in places in Utah and Idaho. When Mary would leave to perform her nursing care, sometimes for three or four months at a time, Ellen would miss her terribly. The older siblings helped fill the void, though. They would tend and look after her, especially Jessie, who doted over her little sister, Ellen. She learned housekeeping, cooking, and needlework skills from her mother and older sisters. She loved hearing about the beautiful English gardens from Mary. It would be sometime before she realized her dream of tending her own flower gardens.

Ellen attended school in a one room school house. She enjoyed doing her schoolwork and was good at it, but was often found gazing out the window, longing to run and play in the meadow.

It was a difficult time to be born and a tough life in Grouse Creek. The weather was cold and unforgiving. They did not enjoy modern conveniences or even some of the comforts they had been used to in England. Ellen would go through trying times and would work hard all of her life, but she would also have a very fulfilling life, have dear friends, and children who adored her.

Ellen grew into a beautiful woman. Many young men had their eye on her, but one had all of her attention, William Bryan. Bryan and Ellen met at a dance at the old Grange Hall in Malta, Idaho. Ellen would often visit her sister, Jessie, hoping to see this handsome and confident fellow. Ellen’s parents weren’t too excited about the romance. Bryan was not a member of the LDS church, which was heartbreaking for her parents who had sacrificed so much to come from England to live near the Saints. However, his hard work and his dedication to Ellen and their children eventually won them over and they grew to love him.

When Ellen married Bryan, it was April 12th, 1920 Weddings were not fancy in those days in Idaho. She simply put on one of her best dresses and rode to Burley and got married in town by the Justice of the Peace.

Their early years were spent at the old farmhouse in Malta, where Bryan was raised. George and Maggie, Bryan’s parents, owned a farm and the large two-story home that sat on it. George and Maggie lived upstairs with Ray, Bryan’s younger brother. Bryan. Ellen and the children lived downstairs. It was Ellen’s job to do most of the cooking. She made three large meals a day for everyone at the house, including the farm hands. Just as one meal was finished and cleaned up, another one would be started.

The farm had gardens of food, which sustained the family. They grew garden vegetables and fruit trees, even raspberries and gooseberries for jam. They also tended beehives, which produced delicious honey for baking and hot bread.

Ellen was a gentle and caring mother. The needs of the children always came first. She read stories to them, comforted them when they were hurt and made sure they treated each other with kindness. Ellen would always sing and rock them to sleep. She had a special bond with each child

“Soft the drowsy hours

Are creeping,

Hill and dale in slumber

Sleeping.

I my loving vigil

Keeping,

All through the night.”

—Traditional lullaby

Ellen loved to go see her sister, Jesse, who raised 8 children on her own after her husband had passed away. She would take milk to her each week. The family would pile in the old Ford and make the trip to town. LaRue remembers that every time they would get into the car, Bobby would throw his hat out the window. The family would then have to turn back and pick it up. Bobby enjoyed the attention he received for his mischievousness.

Holidays were a special time for the children. Ellen made each child’s birthday a special day, which always included a homemade iced cake. LaRue remembers going to town on the 4th and 24th of July. They would participate in festivities with all the town members. A big field was reserved for games, fireworks, and picnicking. That was the only time they got to eat hot dogs and hamburgers. It was a real treat for the kids.

Each Christmas, Bryan would search for the perfect tree to cut down and bring home to the anxiously awaiting children. They would decorate it the best they could, filling the home with cheer. Ellen would recite “The Night Before Christmas.” and the children would hang one of their stockings by their bed. In the morning, Santa would fill it with nuts and an orange. One Christmas little Doug had his heart set on receiving a pound of butter. To his delight, the next morning, he received his much-anticipated gift. One year, Bryan ordered a red wagon for Doug and Bobby. When they opened the box on Christmas morning, there were two red wagons. The boy’s hopes were dashed; however, when Bryan said they were going to send one of the wagons back and get the money. This meant the other one would be free.

LaRue remembers one Christmas Marva received a beautiful glass doll. LaRue, as the younger sister, got a less expensive rubber doll. She was disappointed, but soon got over it. Ellen felt bad about it for the rest of her life, though. When she was ill in the care center, Ellen asked her daughter to please forgive her for giving her a rubber doll instead of a glass one all those years ago.

Every Monday was washday, so on that day she would cook bean soup. The soup would cook all day on the stove, while Ellen did the laundry, which was no small task.

She had a scrubbing board of course, but was also lucky to get a fancy Maytag washing machine that she started with her foot, pumping it until it got going. The clothes were then washed with her homemade lye soap. After the clothes were washed, they went through a wringer and then placed in a bucket of water. Ellen wrung them out again and placed the clothes in a bucket of bluing. When the clothes were finally cleaned, Ellen hung them out to dry with wooden clothespins. If they didn’t dry before nightfall, she had to bring them inside and hang them over chairs.

Ellen was very fussy about the house. None of the kids could go anywhere until the dishes were done and the beds were made. LaRue and Marva had the dreaded chore of scrubbing the outhouse from top to bottom. After they were finished, they would place a nice, fresh Sear’s catalog next to the seat to use for toilet paper.

When the Depression hit in the thirties, times were very hard. They had to leave the farm. Ray and Grandma Maggie stayed on the farm and Bryan and Ellen and the children rented a home nearby. Ellen had to milk the owner’s cows as part of the arrangement. She wasn’t too happy about that, but did it anyway. Doug remembers his mother getting up early to bake potatoes in the coal stove and then having them ready to place in the children’s pockets to keep their little hands warm. Just before they arrived at school, they ate the potatoes to warm and fill their tummies.

Going to basketball games was an outing for the entire family. The school was close to their house, so they would walk there and cheer for Eddie. Even LaRue and Marva played basketball. One night stayed in their memories forever, though. The game had just started the game when a neighbor ran into the gymnasium. “You better get over to your house!” he shouted in a panic. Bryan and Ellen and the younger kids all ran home. When they arrived, they found a police officer. Ellen quickly scooted the children up to their rooms. There had been a fight in their shed and someone had been killed. A married woman in the neighborhood was apparently in the shed with another man. The whole tragic scene is vivid in the minds of Doug and LaRue. LaRue said that she and Marva were afraid to even walk by the shed after that.

Ellen and Bryan got along well for most of their marriage. They did a lot of things together. She disapproved of Bryan playing poker, however. One time he was playing and Ellen got so frustrated that she threw a bucket of water on him. The young family would move two more times in Malta, Idaho before moving to Salt Lake City and making their permanent home there.

Ellen started working at the railroad when the family moved to Salt Lake. She was part of the union and earned very good wages. It was during these years, when life again, would be difficult for her. Bryan asked for a divorce. Ellen did not want it, but relented and was single the rest of her life. This was a painful, difficult time for her, but she kept busy working, taking care of the children.

Ellen remembered Mary’s stories about the beautiful English gardens and started her own when she moved into her home in Salt Lake. Lilac bushes and lush trees grew in her back yard. She loved to grow Peonies, Snap Dragons and Roses. They were a source of joy as she grew older.

Grandma Ellen had a special love for her grandchildren. Eddie Ray was close to her, along with Barry, Sherm, and Ginger, her first grandkids. She always sensed if one of them needed a little extra attention. She helped care for little Roxanne, Bobby and Dolly’s daughter who had cancer. Grandma Ellen would feed her with an eyedropper when she couldn’t drink from a bottle. She was a great source of comfort to the young family, and gave special care to the twins, Robert and Robyn.

Sundays were special days for the Scott family. All of the grown children and their spouses would bring the grandchildren to visit in the afternoons. In warm weather they would mingle outside, drink coffee and eat chocolate cake. The kids would run around, and play hide and seek in the backyard. Robyn and Pam would sneak spoonfuls of sugar from the sugar bowl, while Lynda and Suzette picked the pretty flowers from the garden. Ellen always kept a drawer in the hall for the grandchildren. They could find coloring books and crayons, maybe some jacks or a slinky. She always had gum for them as well; Juicy Fruit was her favorite.

Christmases were a special time in the home on Gregson Avenue. The grandchildren’s eyes, especially little Brad’s would light up with delight, as the long-awaited tinsel tree would be placed in the corner of the living room. They were mesmerized as they watched the color wheel go around and light up the tree and the silver balls, red, then green, then blue, then yellow, and over again.

Grandma crocheted all year; she even took time to teach Scott and Lynda, her two youngest grandchildren the art. Most of the beautiful handmade crocheted items were given as gifts at Christmas. Each grandchild received a special pair of slippers in their favorite color, always with a pom-pom on the top. Some years she would make vests, hats, or ponchos, which were a favorite of the girls.

One year she spent time at her sewing machine making ties for all of the boys and men. Everyone put them on and sang songs. Singing was a favorite pastime at Christmas for the men. Doug, Bob, Raleigh, and Eddy would gather round and all the rest would sit and listen to their renditions of “I’ve Been working on the Railroad,” “Clementine,” and of course “Auld Lang Sing.” The guys would harmonize and sing pretty well. It always made Grandma smile.

One of the best things about Grandma’s house was the color television. In a day when color TV was rare, Ellen had saved her money and purchased a big console. Everyone would gather around the set and watch “The Wonderful World of Disney,” and “The Land of the Giants.” Each November the grandchildren would eagerly anticipate “The Wizard of Oz,” which came in beautiful Technicolor on the television.

Grandma Ellen was an excellent cook. She made a famous mayonnaise cake that was rich with nuts and raisins. She loved chocolate and would make candy and fudge. She also made the most delicious pies; apple and lemon were favorites. Ellen was used to cooking on a coal stove for so many years that when she cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving on her gas stove in Salt Lake, it was barely heated up when everyone sat down to eat. She had a hard time living that one down.

Ellen had no pets until one day she adopted a little poodle. She named her Yvette. After that it was the two of them everywhere. Grandma would not go anywhere without her little curly-haired companion. Yvette would sit beside her and be content anywhere she would take her.

Life was enjoyable for Ellen. She liked spending time with family and friends, especially going to movies and out to eat. Beautiful things, especially jewelry, were her favorite, but she never had much of it. She always wore a strand of pearls and a pair of earrings when got dressed up, though.

Ellen missed her oldest daughter, Marva who lived in California with her only daughter Ginger and her two children, Cindy and Craig. It was always a grand time when they would come to visit. Marva and Ginger would model their beautiful California clothes and jewelry, while everyone looked on with envy and awe. The family would plan picnics or trips to Lagoon and the park when Marva came. Ellen made the long trip to California a couple of times to visit them. One time in 1962, she took two of her grandchildren, Robyn, ten years old, and Pam, only eight, on the train to California. It was a trip they would all remember the rest of their lives.

Ellen had many health problems, but never complained. She suffered a lot from vascular disease. Her first operation happened when Doug was in the army. He took leave to come home for a short time to see her. She knew him by his walk before he even came into the room and said, “Doug is that you?”

It was a sad day for everyone in the family when tragedy struck in 1971. Ellen was only 70 years old. Alone in her house, she suffered a stroke and lay waiting until morning when Barry, a grandson, discovered her. Ellen was placed in a care center after that. She had such poor circulation that she had to have one of her legs amputated, which caused her a lot of distress. The family rallied around her though, and scheduled their time so that each day one of them would be with her. LaRue remembers one time receiving a phone call from the nursing home. Ellen was in a panic and said Help, help, I need you. LaRue fled to the care center, just to discover that Ellen had talked the nurse into letting her use the phone. When LaRue arrived, Ellen said, “I just wanted to see you.”

She suffered much, but continued to think of her children and grandchildren. As her days drew to an end, she told everyone over and over again how much she loved each of them.

On April 26, 1974, Ellen passed away

We will always cherish the memories of our dear grandmother. Although she has been gone for many years, the time we spent with her is vivid in our minds. Grandma Ellen’s posterity includes five children, Eddie, Marva, and Bobby, now deceased and LaRue and Doug who still reside in the Salt Lake area. Ellen’s beloved grandson, Eddie Ray passed away in 2006. Other grandchildren include Ginger, Barry, Sherm, Scott, Robyn, Robert, Suzette, Brad, Pam, Lynda, and Roxanne (passed away at age 2). There are also forty-two great grandchildren, and forty-three great, great grandchildren to date. We hope this small record of our Grandmother Ellen’s life will keep her legacy alive for many generations to come.

From Family Search