Ellen Melissa Barker
Ellen Melissa Barker Halls Autobiography
Ellen Melissa Barker Halls, born 20th April 1871 at Parowan, Iron County, Utah. I am the daughter of Joseph Barker who was born 29th September 1835 at Bramley, County Yorkshire, England, and Mary Ann Doidge, born 11th April 1837 at Brayshop, Cornwall, England. My mother was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the 4th of August 1857 at Devenport, Devenshire, England. My father was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the 5th of June 1860, and on the 11th of June of the same year was married to my mother. On the 24th of April 1861, their first child Sarah Jane Barker was born. My parents both worked to obtain money to come to Zion. My father had consumption and their baby girl was also very sick. They were told by the doctors that crossing the sea would either kill or cure them both. They had sufficient faith in the Lord that He would spare their lives, to make the start. Mother thought for days that she would yet be compelled to bury them both in the ocean, but it seems their work here had not yet been finished for their lives were both spared and they were made strong. After landing, they continued their journey by crossing the plains about the year 1861, going through the many hardships that were known to the pioneers in their journeys those days.
Photo Detail: In 1915, Ellen filled out a genealogical form (see below) for the Relief Society which provided information about herself. This is what she wrote:
Mother was the only one of her people who joined this church, and it was said her coming to Zion and leaving her home and parents was the cause of the early death of her mother.
My parents received their endowments and were sealed in the Salt Lake City Endowment House on the 25th of November 1872. They had six children, all of whom were girls. All are living at the present date. My parents had a very hard time to raise their family, but remained steadfast to their belief. Mother was secretary and afterwards president of the Relief Society at Mancos Ward of the San Juan Stake. She also taught school both at Mancos and Parowan for several terms. My father met his death October 29, 1896 at Eureka, Nevada by being burned to death, the house catching on fire during the night and he was unable to escape. Mother married a second time in plural marriage to James Harvey Dunton at the St. George Temple. They had one child, a son, John Harvey Dunton.
Parowan, my birthplace, was just a small Mormon town. I was baptized at the age of eight years. I remained in Parowan until I was about ten years of age when a call came from the head of the Church for people to help settle San Juan Stake when I, with a part of the family, removed there. My sisters and myself from this time on worked away from home to help maintain a living. This, of course was a great hindrance to us in obtaining an education.
In 1885, William Halls, Sr., with his sons William and Thomas and others were also called, from Huntsville, Utah to go and help settle San Juan Stake, thus two years later, I chanced to meet his son William and later, on the 11th of June 1888, we were married civilly. His occupation was farming which he continued in. We remained in San Juan Stake until the year 1900 when we took our family, now of five children, and removed to Huntsville, Utah for the purpose of placing in the School for the Deaf and Blind at Ogden, Utah, our daughter, Maud, who had been left deaf at the age of sixteen months from an attack of pneumonia.
My husband and I with four of our children have received our Patriarchal blessing which have been great comforts to us in life. I received my blessing the 17th of October 1908 from William Halls, Sr.
At the present time, I hold the office of presiding teacher in the Relief Society Association of Huntsville Ward. I feel good in the work and feel like doing as nearly as I can what those placed over me in authority ask me to do. I have a testimony within myself that this is the true church. I am much interested in this genealogical work and hope that my efforts in getting these records thus far, will be encouragement and help to the generations to come in getting and keeping their records and doing work for their dead.