Eliza Marietta Woolf Ashcroft

Personal History

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Personal History

Eliza Marietta Woolf was my paternal grandmother.  My father, Theron, was the last of her six children and responsible for her care after the death of her husband when Theron was just 16 years old.  Seventeen years later our family moved to Cedar City.  That was a very long day’s drive from Hyde Park, and our trips to see Grandma were few and far between.  I am grateful for the winter she lived with us and to have the time to form some opinions of her.  She was a beautiful, serene, and very strong woman.  Her daughter, Phyllis, recorded the following about her:  “. . . when my father went on his mission we were in debt for our home that had been enlarged. The Lord so blessed us during those two years that we cleared ourselves of all debt, kept father, and bought a new kitchen range.”  Yes, the Lord did bless them, but Eliza Marietta did everything within her power to make it possible for the Lord to do so.  I am grateful for her  great example of strength.

Much of this information was taken from a sketch written by one of her daughters in March of 1963– probably Gertrude or Leda.  Phyllis was already dead by 1963 and Audrey was very busy caring for her husband, Percy Bingham, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease.

                                                                                                                                 Judy Peterson, 2020

Woman of Strength

Life Sketch of Eliza Marietta Woolf – 1870-1952

“The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us but those who win battles we know nothing of.”

Eliza Marietta Woolf, known throughout her life as Retta, was born 30 December 1870 at Hyde Park, Cache, Utah. She was the oldest child in a family of eleven children born to James Woolf and Emma Hurren.

Retta was born in a one-room log house which was her parent's first home and was located one block north and one-half block west of the new post office. She was a beautiful baby, dark hair, brown eyes and even features. Soon after she was born, her parents moved to a home which they bought from Jensens. It also was made of logs. Retta lived in this home until she was twelve years of age.

By this time there were six more children. Then her parents sold the home to Julius Hansen, took the seven children and moved to Riverdale, Idaho.

Retta disliked farm life and was so lonesome for her friends in Hyde Park that she cried every time a south-bound wagon went through Riverdale and so when it came time for school to start in the fall, she was allowed to return to Hyde Park each year and live with her maternal grandparents, James and Eliza Reeder Hurren, and attend school with her friends.

Her paternal grandparents were John Anthony Woolf and Sarah Ann Devoe.  They also lived in Hyde Park in this adobe and frame house which they built when they moved to Hyde Park in 1861. 

As she grew into young womanhood, she met and fell in love with Charles Robert Ashcroft.

Charles and Retta were married 18 July 1890 in the Logan Temple at Logan, Cache County, Utah. The ceremony was performed by Marriner W. Merrill. Soon after their marriage, they built a two-room frame house of which they were very proud. All of their children were born here but Leland.

Her history records, “The little furniture they owned was homemade, as was the carpet, which covered the bedroom floor. For many years the kitchen floor was bare, then they managed to buy a piece of linoleum to put under the stove and the rest of the room was covered with homemade carpet. The drinking water was carried from Robert Daines' well and other household supply was dipped from the ditch across the street. When Mother set out her first raspberry patch, she kept it alive with water which she carried from the Daines' well one and one-half blocks away. Years later Mother was very proud of her raspberry patch and it was her source of personal income. She picked and sold sixteen quarts of berries for one dollar.” Charles and Retta were the parents of Charles Leland, born 12 August, 1891; Gertrude, born 15 November 1895; Audrey, born 13 June, 1898; Phyllis Afton, born 17 November, 1901; Leda, born 22 May, 1904; and Theron Milton, born 28 September, 1906.

The Ashcroft family home was originally a two-room house, just a kitchen and a bedroom.  It had been built in the Fall of 1890 by James Hancey and his boys.  Charles Robert Ashcroft had cut most, if not all, of the lumber out of the canyon.  It was lined with adobes which were probably made in Logan.  All of the children except Leland were born in that house. This house was remodeled in 1908, adding two large porches, a pantry and bathroom on the back, and a stairway, closet, parlor and large porch were built on the front.  The roof was raised and three bedrooms with closets and a small porch were built upstairs.  The night they removed the roof to raise it there was a terrible rain storm.  The rain was pouring into the house and the family was frantic, wondering what to do.  Presently George Daines arrived with his wagon cover, then George Lamb and Uncle Will Perkes.  In fact, men from all over town came with their wagon covers and they completely covered that roof so all could go back to bed free from concern.  The remodel job was contracted by Jessie Hancey and painted by Bennie Lundquist.  Before the remodel was completely finished, Charles Robert was called to serve a mission in California for two years, beginning December 6th, 1909.   Leland would have been eighteen years old and would have been responsible to care for the family.  Theron was only three years old at this time.

Retta always stood for anything which was good or uplifting. She wanted her children to have an education and was willing to make any sacrifice to see that they could attend school. They were never allowed to stay home from school unless it was absolutely necessary. She taught her family to be honest in all their dealings and to give an honest day's work if they expected pay for a day's work. She believed that "anything worth doing is worth doing well", and she followed this rule whether she was doing a washing, making a dress, or preparing a lesson. Her sons-in-law always said she made the best bread they ever ate and her pies were unsurpassed. She would tell her girls,  "Girls, if you must leave dirt, leave it in the middle of the floor, not back in the corners". By following this rule she never had a dirty cupboard or a dirty corner because the dirt could not be left in the middle of the floor. If there was anything in our home that Mother was more particular about than anything else, it was her bedding. She definitely believed that beds were made to be slept in - not to be jumped on, or wet on, or even napped on, and her bedding was always immaculate. While the children were quite young, Retta’s husband, Charles Robert,  received a letter from "Box B", calling him on a two-year mission to California. This call was willingly accepted by the family and Retta assumed the responsibilities of raising the family and running the farm while he was gone. After returning from California, Charles was called to a second mission in Montana.

The family made many sacrifices during the time Charles served his two missions.  Phyllis records: 

“Bright and early the 6th of December, 1909, my father bid us farewell and left for his California Mission. We children had slept that night on the floor of the front room (which was not finished at that time), in order to let relatives have our beds. That same day, Great Grandfather James Hurren passed away to the great beyond.

 “Either that spring of 1910 or 1911 when mother knew not where money was coming from to keep my father the following month, Leland, Gertrude, Audrey and I thinned five acres of beets for Uncle J.W. Hurren. We received $25.00 for the job and my father received his full quota the following month. I received much joy and satisfaction to know that I had been able to earn money to send my father.”

 “At one celebration, Henry E. Hancey Sr. spoke to Leda and me and said, “Your father is on a mission, isn’t he? Here is a little money for you to spend,” and handed us a quarter. Well, I’m sure $5.00 would not look any more to children today than that quarter did to us. Did we spend it? Well I should say not! We took it home to mother and, as I remember now, it helped to buy our next stockings.”

Mother's education was very limited, as far as going to school, but she always liked to read and keep abreast of the times. Whenever she came upon a new word, she couldn't rest until she had looked the word up in the dictionary. The dictionary was always on the window sill beside her chair. Scarcely a day went by that she didn't increase her knowledge by mastering at least one new word. When we visited her, she delighted in trying to confound us with some newly acquired word or pronunciation.  As children we were taught that it was very disrespectful to call adults by their first names, so we adopted as our kin "Aunt Lois" Seamons on the east and "Aunt Emily" Marse on the south. Two other neighbors, Mae Kirby and Ida Duce, we were allowed to call by name because they were considerably younger. Then we had some real Aunts too, Aunt Orrilla Ashcroft, Aunt Em Perkes and Aunt Maggie Hurren. These good relations and friends made up Mother's social world and it was a familiar sight to see her take her shawl or straw hat, depending on the season, from the peg and leave to make a social call at any hour of the day. Likewise, the calls were returned. We were also taught that it was rude for children to stand around and listen to adult conversations, so when the talk turned to such topics as who was "in the family way", we were immediately dispatched on an errand or given a specific duty in some remote area and so it was that we all grew to adulthood without knowing the facts of life.

 Another important part of her library was her seed catalogues which came each January and she would study and dream and compare prices and quality for many weeks, and then the long list of seeds was compiled. Of course, it had to be revised and cut many times before the final order was made out. I think that flower seeds were her one extravagance. She ordered the very best and each year she had to try at least one new or unusual type of flower. She raised such flowers as cinerarias, cyclamen, primroses, delphiniums and choice columbines to mention a few. It gave her great happiness to share her flowers with others and whenever there was a wedding, a funeral, or a sick friend or neighbor, she always sent a basket of her beautiful flowers. As long as her health permitted, she was a very active worker in the different church organizations. She was a teacher in Primary, in M.I.A. and was a class leader and visiting teacher for the Relief Society. She also took an active part in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and was president of that organization for four years and also acted as secretary and class leader at different times. 

Retta was a widow for twenty-nine years. Charles Robert died 12 March, 1923, leaving her with the family and debts to cope with.  

After his death, her health failed steadily and she was less and less able to care for herself. For many years she was afflicted with arthritis which curtailed her activities, both inside and outside of her home. During this time, the girls would plan to spend a day or two, both spring and fall, in house cleaning the old home. These were pleasant experiences for them and Retta enjoyed it too. For many years, Phyllis, who was still living at home, cared for her and the last year of her life, she spent with her other three daughters. She also spent one winter living with Theron and his family in Cedar City, Utah. Her home was still heated with a wood-burning stove, and she could not physically carry the wood day and night, and so Theron finally persuaded her to come to Cedar City for the winter where he could care for her. It was the winter of the Big Snow (1949-50) and she especially enjoyed it when Theron would take her for a drive to see the huge snow banks

The Ashcroft house still stands today and is one of the most beautiful homes in Hyde Park.  It sits on the north side of Hyde Park Lane (Center Street) at 165 East Center Street..  Leland built a home for his family kitty-corner west from Retta’s home, and Theron built a home for his family kitty-corner east from Retta’s home.  Going east from Retta’s home one finds the canal where some of the Ashcroft children were baptized.  In her personal history, Phyllis says, “The year 1910 was a very eventful year of my life. The 2nd of July 1910 was an ideal summer day. Leda and I were returning from our orchard which was southeast of the cemetery where we had been in search of early summer apples. As we neared the canal, we saw that they were preparing to baptize some children. I ran home as fast as I could and told my mother. She dressed me ready for baptism and I walked up to the canal barefooted. I was baptized by Uncle Frank Ashcroft. Then I sat on a chair on the west bank and was confirmed by Bp. Charles G. Hyde.”

Retta died 18 March, 1952, in the Logan Hospital of ailments of old age. At her death she had twenty-six grandchildren. She was buried in the Hyde Park Cemetery, 22 March, 1952 next to her beloved Charles Robert Ashcroft who preceded her in death by 29 years.