Stephenson Family Ties: The Gene Pool Is Deep

Ellen is going to get top billing here. She is my great grandmother.
Nephi Young Schofield wrote a brilliant life history-which I will take excerpts from later in this tale.
These two married April 24, 1889

Ellen was daughter to George and Vilate Romney.
She was born Nov. 25, 1864
Ellen wrote about many of her childhood memories. The memories of her early school experiences are quite interesting.
She writes- "When a very small child, I attended school in a little private adobe dwelling across the street from our home. Barbara, the eldest child in the Romney family was the teacher.
The next school I attended was in the 20th Ward school house, used for all gatherings both religious and otherwise. Brother Karl Maser was the principal. We all met in the same room, taking turns in reciting our lessons. Bro. Maser, a recent convert himself, was very intelligent but very severe in his methods of punishments. He was called to Provo to establish a Church school there, under Brigham Young. (BYU)
At this time there were no free schools. We paid a tuition fee. A member of the family was in attendance as long as this condition existed. I remember that at one time we paid $30 every ten weeks. We were among the fortunate ones. Many could not afford to pay tuition, so one of the older children or parent held school in their own home until such time as a free educational system was established.
Schools at this time were not graded. We were in the 1st reader or the 2nd reader and so on until we were through the 5th reader. Then we had US History.
I attended this school until I was 17, with many days excused to assist at home when sickness and other hindrances prevented my going. Later I had a short session at the University of Utah where we met in an unfurnished building, afterwards used as the West side High. Had few clothes but enough to be comfortable. The absence of finery never stood in the way of making fine friends among the girls and young men.
Had car transportation furnished by my father, but when weather permitted was urged to walk for my health. My teachers were John Park, Professor Kingsbury and Joshua Paul. Men whose efforts influenced thousands of students. I treasured every word that fell from their lips. Being from such a large family, I appreciated the wonderful opportunity I had been granted to go to school. The instruction I received while at the U made me more eager for further knowledge and made me determined to see to it that my children had every chance that I could make possible for higher education with practical experience necessary to get results that make better citizens etc." by ellen romney schofield

Ellen and Nephi had 8 children. One of these children is my grandmother-Ida Schofield Burnham Clemenson.

My great grandfather-Nephi Young Schofield- was born at Daisy Bank, Clayton, Manchester, England, on October 22, 1860. He was the second son and 3rd child of his parents, John and Susannah Hewitt Schofield. His father was English, his mother was of Scotch descent. He was quite a writer and compiled a history of his early life that is quite impressive and truly interesting to read.

He describes himself in relation to his parents in this way. "No doubt that whatever my youthful thirst for knowledge, my studious nature and desire for self-improvement was inherited from father's side and its equally certain my great love of home, my extreme caution and habits of thrift, came from my Scotch mother."
When writing of his school days, he reminisced about his activities and outlook. "I learned to read and write in St. Cross School, Clayton, and still treasure my first prize awarded by the principal, Mr Russel, for "application and progress." Being 7 or 8 yrs old, in good health, free from care or responsibility, my experience at this school was very happy. During recess we played football, Mr Russel acting as umpire and I was counted as one of the fastest runners in school.
Nephi then goes on to explain that for reasons that he still didnt understand, his parents removed him from this school and placed in a different school not far from where they lived. This is how he describes himself and the incident. "A mere boy of 8 or 9 yrs old, naturally studious, good mentality, eager to learn, but with my ambition and nervous temperament, very cautious, very sensitive and rather timid. Innocently and hopefully I went with my father--like a lamb to the slaughter and was introduced to Mr Rose-the principal. He stood over six feet tall and weighed at least 200 pounds. A stern, unyielding, and unmerciful disciplinarian, he ruled his school mainly by fear, inflicting corporal punishment without stint for the slightest cause, under the diabolical theory that fear and certainty of physical punishment was the quickest and surest method to develop latent talent and insure success. All that I diligently learned was scared out of me as I witnessed his harsh, often brutal tactics. I felt I had as much chance to survive as a grasshopper in a chicken coop."

Years later he left England, from the port in Liverpool, on the S S Nevada. The trip took 3 weeks to cross the ocean. They arrived in New York on his birthday, Oct. 22 1882. Nephi was 22 years old. Nephi details what happened after arriving-"After a tardy and very annoying delay at Castle Gardens for custom inspection, we were finally directed to an emigration train like so many sheep. The train was made up of old, obsolete and abandoned cars; the crew unskilled, the service rotten and the time wasted between stations was exasperating. Being exclusively an emigrant train, with four or five hundred aboard, we were repeatedly switched off the main track and delayed for hours to allow regular passenger traffic to proceed. All along the route trouble, tramps and hobos by the score would board the train while in motion and grab any emigrants baggage they could steal. Each night we had to station men at the end of each car with a club to keep off the human vermin. There was no order, no system, no protection and no consideration for comfort of the emigrants. I was appointed one of the night guards and nearly lost my life at Niagara Falls. After two weeks of misery an disgust on train, we were finally dumped off at Salt Lake City about November 15, 1882."

Recalling an errand to serve a mission in England, he writes, ""Besides helping my parents I had saved nearly $500 dollars in Zions Benefit Building Society in three years time and to my surprise was then called on a mission to England. I had the money and also the desire to go but one stern fact greatly disturbed my peace of mind. My dear mother was still quite sick and the fear I might never see her again in earth worried me almost to distraction. I was wretched in mind by day and haunted by night. So that as time approached for my departure I could not sleep. Tossing uneasily in bed one night at the apex of my anxiety, a thought came to my mind which I acted upon the next day. I went to see Brother George Hill who was a leading Patriarch of the Church and engaged him to come and give my mother a patriarchal blessing that I could carry with me on my mission. I had not told Brother Hill of my fears and anxiety and he did not know my purpose or the turmoil in my mind, but among other things he promised she would live to see and welcome her son home after he had been released from an honorable mission. This promise together with the wish of my mother that I should accept the call, lifted a tremendous burden and with a company of other Elders I arrived in New York ready to sail on Oct. 22, 1885, this being my birthday, exactly 3 years from date of my arrival in America.

Im sorry to report that he doesnt write much of anything about his married life or even his children. At least nothing that I can find yet. Which may be a good indicator/precursor to the fact that Ellen and Nephi were divorced in 1914. Ellen moved to Los Angeles and lived the rest of her life there and died there on May 3, 1950.