FERRIS FAMILY HISTORY
The earliest known Ferris that we have any record of was Samuel Ferris, born August11th,1754,possibly in the northern part of New Your State. This is assumed because some of themmovedover into Michigan and the decedents seemed to have that belief carried downfrom generationto generation by word of mouth. There are many families by the name of Ferris in the stateofNew York. Samuel married Phebe Sherman. Phebe was born in 1759 and died in 1840. Abouttwo years after, Samuel died. The date of his death is listed as December 3,1842. One of his sons was named after himself and he was born on April 19, 1800 and died April 4th, 1889 in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. This Samuel married Sally Spears Newell and it is known that they were homesteaders in Michigan. My husband and I made a trip through the eastern States in 1952 and found the cemetery where these Ferris’ were buried. We inquired from many people about the Ferris name. It is supposed that the Ferris wheel, so common at carnivals, was developed by these Ferris’ as so many of them mentioned it back there. In fact we ran into one that owned a Ferris wheel and his name was Ferris. The son of Samuel Ferris Jr. is my grandfather. His name was Franklin Samuel Ferris. He was born January 12, 1835 in Michigan and died in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 1st, 1916 just three years after my birth. His wife was Celistia Dockstader, born May8th,1858 at AmericanFork, Utah. She died in Salt Lake City April 28th, 1904.
Franklin came out west while still a young man, not long after the big gold rush in California. He came by boat. Many people at that time sailed down from the Eastern States to what is now known as the Isthmus of Panama, crossed the Isthmus by land and then sailed up the West coast to California. At one time he owned and operated a sawmill in northern California. Because of a flood, he was completely washed out and at that time decided to come to Utah. For some time he worked in the mines at Park City Utah, then sometime later moved to Salt Lake City. It was there that he met his wife and was married. Their marriage took place in what was known as the “Valley House” which stood on the Southwest corner of West Temple and South Temple streets. It later became a railroad depot and at the present time it is a large Trans Continental bus depot. Their marriage took place May 11th, 1874.
Franklin at one time helped to build the present City and County Building in Salt Lake City. He and his wife lived in a home that stood on the corner of 5th South and State streets. My father, William Sherman Ferris was born in Salt Lake on January 4th, 1885. While the family was living in Salt Lake, my father attended the old St. Marks School that was on First South Street, just east of State Street. At a later date the family bought a home on 33rd South, just east of Highland Drive, which had a good piece of property in connection with it. They raised all kinds of fruit and had several kinds of farm animals. My father has told me that they were considered to be well off and didn’t want for anything. In those days if one had a house and sufficient to eat, they were considered above the average. My father continued to attend the St. Marks school, even though from their new home he had to walk to 13th South, where he was able to ride the street car from there into the city. At a later date he attended the old “North School” on 39th South and Highland Drive.
The family sold the farm and bought a home on the corner of 27th South and Highland. At the present, a large home stands on that spot. It is called the Jensen Home. The Jensen family built it years ago as an investment. They lived in it and rented it out evenings for parties and weddings. Franklin was not a member of the Latter-day Saints Church but his wife Celestia was. She wanted her children to have all of the advantages that were available to the children in that day. She was a very ambitious person. She saw that my father took dancing and music lessons. He played the mandolin very well. His brother George and sister Ella assisted him and they were asked to perform on many programs.
My father tells of the time when he was small and had the urge to set fire to a haystack on the farm. He just wanted to start a small one and to watch it burn for a little while then put it out. When he got it started and it got to the stage where he should have put it out, he couldn’t control it. The fire spread until it frightened him and he ran into the house and hid under the bed. The fire destroyed the whole stack and several of the animals on the farm that were close to it. My father said he was not severely punished, his own father being a mild tempered man.
There were two or three Negro families that lived in the area. Some were members of the LDS Church. One lady by the name of Nettie James came to their house and did lots of housework for his parents.
Father attended the LDS College at one time and while there, met and married my mother. Dad was baptized and they were married in the Salt Lake Temple on November 16th, 1904. Mother’s name was Grace Leola Scott. Dad worked for the local streetcar company, the telephone company and the intermountain electric company. He worked in many departments of these firms and when he left the latter company, he was district manager of the Garfield exchange. His starting salary was $65.00 a month and when he left he was earning $90.00 a month, which was considered very good then.
Dad moved his family to Blackfoot, Idaho. He decided to take up farming with his brother-in-law, Earnest Scott. He was mother’s brother. After that he went to work for the railroad company and lived in several communities in Idaho before settling in Salt Lake City.
At the time of this writing, Dad and Mother live close to my family here in Bountiful, Utah. Mother and Dad are in their 76th year and are enjoying better than average health. In the account of my own personal life, other events concerning my father will be included. Up to this time, this will conclude the general account of what I know about the Ferris name. It is my desire to seek out genealogy along this family name as time permits.
(Compiled by Ellen Ferris Hixson 1960.
Re-typed for digitizing by Richard S. Hixson, April 2006.)
Note: *See also Michigan Pioneering Family – Spear / Spears 1826, by Earl E. Spears
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