John William Shawcroft was born December 13, 1874 in the little town of Fountain Green, Utah.  His father, John Shawcroft, had emigrated from England at the age of seventeen, and his mother, Maria Jensen, had emigrated from Denmark at the age of nine. Their parents were converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon), and though in humble circumstances, they had forsaken their homelands to join other members of the  Church in Utah.  The harshness of pioneer life taught them the necessity for work and, indeed, the love of  work.  As their children came along, they were taught to work and to value their work.  John was twenty-seven and Maria twenty-two years of age at the time of the birth of their first child, John William, who was named for his father and paternal grandfather.

    When John was seven years old, his father received a call from the President of the Church, President John Taylor, to leave Fountain Green and go to southern Colorado to assist in the colonization of that area.  What an exciting time this was for John, his sister Maralda, and three-year old brother Nathan!  There was a lot to do to get ready for the journey.  First they had to dispose of their property in Fountain Green.  Letters received from Thor N. Peterson, a friend of the Shawcrofts, who had gone to Manassa, Colorado, about a year and one-half previously, indicated that the country in the San Luis valley in Colorado appeared to be good country for livestock.  Peterson encouraged them to bring as many cattle as they could.  Consequently, when the Company started out from Fountain Green it was accompanied by forty head of cattle plus some milk cows.

    When John was 21 years old he was called on a church mission to the Southern States.  He was the second missionary from Richfield ward, and he departed for that mission on Dec. 1895.

     John arrived home from his mission Aug. 20, 1898.  While laboring in Putnam County he had become well acquainted with the Robert M. Davis family.  They had a daughter named Dora Adella.  About the time John left for home, Dora went to to the home of an aunt and uncle who were living at Richfield, Utah at that time.  On Oct. 5, 1898, according to previous plans, John met Dora at the Salt Lake temple and they were married there.  John’s brother, Hyrum, was married the same day to Miss Jessie Morton.  The two couple were feted with a big wedding dinner and party upon their return to Colorado.  John and Dora began house-keeping in a two-room cabin situated on the lot west of his father’s home.  It was one of the original cabins built when Richfield was first settled.

    The day after their first child was born, (a daughter named Clara Adella, 11 Aug. 1899) Dora’s father, Robert M. Davis, arrived for a visit.  He came to visit his daughter and first grandchild and to see if the climate would benefit his health as he suffered from tuberculosis.  He was a carpenter and while here he built a new 4-room house for John and Dora.  This was a white frame house located east of their first home.  It had a good-sized parlor, two bedrooms, a large kitchen which also served as a dining room and a pantry.  There was also a large closet which later became a bathroom.  Robert Davis also built the front porch and other trimmings on John’s father’s  place across the street.  He was here about a year and after returning to Tennessee, passed away shortly thereafter.  As John and Dora’s family increased, they had an addition built which consisted of three rooms.  This addition was built by Roy Davis, Dora’s brother, who had moved from Tennessee to Colorado.  All of their children were born in Richfield, namely: Clara Adella 11 Aug.1899, Grace 25 Sept. 1901, John Howard 22 Oct. 1902, Ruth Agnes 16 Sept. 1905, Troy Ellis 1 Apr. 1907, Edwin Earl 26 Sept. 1908, Ren Davis 1 June 1910 (died in infancy), Gladys 14 Dec. 1913 and Louise 14 Oct. 1915.

    For four years after Dora’s death, John lived at home with Louise and Gladys and on July 9, 1947 he married twice-widowed Mrs. Estella Nielson Jensen in Denver.  She had been living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The preceding life history excerpts were written by Thomas Carlyle.  You can read the entire life history by clicking on the link below.

John William Shawcroft.pdf

John W. Shawcroft missionary blessing.pdf

John W. Shawcroft patriarchal blessing.pdf