Seth William Ollerton

Seth Ollerton was born May 16, 1849, at Preston, Lancashire, England, son of Seth W. and Jane Rogerson Ollerton.  He was baptized March 2, 1864, into the LDS Church by N. Eldridge and confirmed the same day.  His two grand mothers were two of the first nine persons baptized in the British Isles.

He left England in May, 1864, with his father, mother, two sisters (Elizabeth Ann and Ellen) and two brothers (James and William.)  His mother died while crossing the plains and was buried near Green River, Wyoming.  His father and children came to Salt Lake City and then traveled south to settle Chicken Creek, Juab County, Utah in May of 1865.  James went to Parowan and Seth followed sometime later.  During the Black Hawk War, Seth, who was then 16 years old, used to herd cattle in the Parowan meadows.  One time the Indians came to try to get the cattle and in his hurry to get away, the gun that was fastened to his saddle went off, shooting him through the leg.  He made it back to town and received treatment for his injury.  Seth became a member of the Iron County Militia and in his later years loved to talk of the Black Hawk War and enjoyed attending their yearly encampment very much.

He returned to Chicken Creek where he and a man named Turnbridge each took up 160 acres of land north and east of Chicken Creek.  Seth also filed on a spring, but the Church decided to build the town there.  They were asked by the church to give up the land and the water to the town.  This they did and he helped to survey the land and lay out the town which they called Levan.

He returned to Parowan and got a job building the telegraph line from Fillmore through Iron and Washington Counties and to Panguitch.  While there, he stayed with the family of William Danes who was the bishop of Parowan.  Letha Jane Hood and her two girls, Nancy and Mary Ann, were also living at the Dane’s home.  Mr. Danes’ wife, Vinnie, was a sister to Letha Jane Hood.  Seth feel in love with Mary Ann and they were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 16, 1871.  She had a daughter, Matilda Almira, when she married him.

Mary Ann Hood was born August 16, 1848, a daughter of Joseph Armstead and Lethan Jane Killiam Hood.  She came to Utah in 1852 with her mother and sister, Nancy.  Her parents were divorced in Missouri.  Later her mother married Elija Newman, a pioneer of 1847.  They lived in Parowan.  Mary Ann was baptized August 16, 1856 by John Steel and confirmed the same day.  After her marriage to Seth Ollerton, they lived in Parowan. 

Brigham Young called the Newmans to go south to help colonize southern Utah.  They helped to settle Rockville, Garfield County and lived there a number of years.    They later went back to Parowan.

Seth and his family moved to Juab where he worked for the railroad.  He decided he didn’t like railroading, so they again moved back to Levan.  He bought two teams of horses and wagons.  He cut cedar posts and shipped them.  In 1888 they moved to Sterling, Sanpete County, Utah.  He traded a team of horses and wagon for two city lots and a log house.  He worked at farming and in the timber and owned ½ interest in a sawmill.

Their home was a large log room and a lean-to on the north, which was a kitchen and bedroom.  Seth was chosen postmaster in 1890 and the post office was in their front room.  The mail was brought by stage because the railroad hadn’t come through yet.  Again in the year 1900, he was chosen postmaster and built a small building on the northeast corner of his lot.  He had a grocery store along with the post office.  He kept that until the year 1912 or 1913.  Later, Seth leased the store and post office to his daughter, Retta, for awhile.  Afterwards, it was sold to Ethel and Roy.  He was also custodian for the Sterling School for many years. 

Mary Ann died September 19, 1909.  Seth married Lucenda Jane Clemens in 1914.  She died in 1925.

Seth loved children very much and they loved him.  They never seemed to annoy him.  In later years, Seth lived with his children, sometimes lived in his own home, but always at meals at Ether’s home. 

He died at the home of his son, Seth Hood Ollerton, in Fairview, Utah January 24, 1930 and was buried in Sterling, Utah.

Children of Seth and Mary Ann Ollerton:

Matilda Almira Ollerton (Mide)
Born April 7, 1868, in Parowan, Utah.
Died April 4, 1947
Married James Elmer Taylor November 12, 1885.
Seven Children:  Mennal, Joel, Vinnie, Frank, Orlando, Eva and Olive

Mary Jane Ollerton
Born July 31, 1873, in parowan, Utah
Died March 18, 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah
Married John W. Leavitt, October 26, 1892
Nine Children:  Myrtle, Gerald, Clyde, Clair, Mildred, Jack, Lyman, Dorothy and Dean.

Alfretta Ollerton (Retta)
Born October 19, 1875, in Levan, Utah.
Died February 25, 1920
Married Aroldo Peacock, October 25, 1892
Two children:  Leslie and Aroldo, Jr.

Leslie served in World War I and had been home only a short time when Retta and Aroldo, Jr. died from the flu just one week apart in the cold, cold winter.  Retta’s husband was found dead May 31, 1910.  He was riding on the running board of his wagon going to his farm near Fayette, Utah.   He suffered a sunstroke and as he fell, his head went between the spokes of the wagon wheel breaking his neck.  He was found when his horses stopped to drink.

Seth Hood Ollerton

Born June 19, 1877, Juab, Utah
Died August 9, 1952
Married Lucy Estella Morris, March 26, 1904
Ten children:  Vivian, Reva, Morris, Aroldo, Elmo, Carlyle, Mary, Lucy, Don and Joyce.

He was a forest ranger for the US Government.