Scott Family History as told by Ellen Ferris

The earliest known Scott at this time was born in England in the year 1728. His first name was John. No other dates are available and nothing is known about him. Among his children was a son by the name of George, who was born in Heartburn, England in the year 1788. We don’t know anything about George, but one of his sons by the name of John was born September 24, 1819 in Northumberland, England. He married in England and then came to America. His wife was Ellen Easten. They were married on January 24th, 1841. They settled in Pennsylvania and he worked in the coalmines. He was killed in a mine accident. They had 9 or 10 children but all died in infancy except one that was named George Lawson Scott. He was about 10 years old when his folks came to America. George was born in Ellington, England on September 21, 1848. After his father was killed, he and his mother came to Utah with the William Douglas Company. Ellen later married William Douglas but had no children by him. Ellen died in June of the year 1870, here in Utah. George Lawson Scott married Josephine Steeper Grow on May 17th, 1870 in the old Endowment House. He was 22 years old and she was 17. Her father was Henry Grow, who built the great Tabernacle in Salt Lake. He wanted her to marry a man who had several wives in polygamy but she refused to do it. She and her husband were very happy and it was a successful marriage. They had four children, 3 boys and a girl. An epidemic of diphtheria started in the area and the youngest of the four died. The family had purchased some pork from a neighbor and they always felt that the family got the disease from this meat. The girl became very ill and her mother prayed long and hard for her recovery and her prayers were answered. George Lawson Scott was a blacksmith by trade and had a shop at Murphy’s Lane and Highland Drive. In time he sold the shop and worked in the smelters at Murray. He was active in the Church and was secretary of his quorum in the Mill Creek Ward. While working at the smelters, he got lead poisoning. Pneumonia set in and he died on January 3, 1903 in Salt Lake City. My mother was born of this marriage on January 19, 1885. Her history will be included in the Grow report as well as the report of my own life. (Compiled by Ellen Ferris Hixson 1960. Re-typed for digitizing by Richard S. Hixson, April 2006.)