Nancy Ann Shaffer was the eighth and last child of Henry Shaffer and Eve Beard. Both of her parents were decedents of German immigrants, who had come to America, at least two generations before the Revolutionary war. Her Grandfather John Shaffer is something of a family hero. His wife's brother, Michael Kelknar (Kelchner), was a private from Pennsylvania. Nancy's grandfather, Martin Beard and his brother, Christian also served.

Nancy Ann was born in Rushville, Indiana on November 14, 1833. The family had previously lived in Washington County, Virginia. Here three brothers, John Issac, born September 26, 1818, Joseph Russell, born March 31, 1820 and George Henry was born October 30, 1825. Two sisters were born there as well. Abigail, born December 6, 1821 and Eliza Jane, born October 28, 1823. Brother William was born March 9, 1827. at Rushville. He was followed by sister, Elizabeth, born January 12, 1829. Nancy brought up the rear.

The family moved three more times. Once to Unionville, Union, Indiana, another to Montrose, Iowa and the third was to Nauvoo, Illinois.

When Nancy was four years old Eliza Jane died. It was probably at Montrose, Iowa where the family was contacted by the Mormon Missionaries. The parents and some of the older children were converted to the Gospel
and the family moved to Nauvoo to be with the rest of the Saints. This was before the prophet and his brother were murdered at Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844. Nancy's father had rented the Willard A. Clark farm in Nauvoo and were living there when the above incident occurred. Nancy Ann was 11 years old and remembered this day quite vividly. All the members of the family were working in the field, except for the older brothers, who had gone to Carthage. Suddenly, they all felt very weak and unable to work. They sat down at the edge of the field. Nancy remembers running sand through cupped hands and watching little cones of sand form on the ground. Sometime later, their strength returned and they went back to work. Later, an older brother who had been at Carthage, returned and told them that Joseph and Hyrum Smith were dead, and the Governor was in on the murders or at least knew about it.

Henry Shaffer decided that it was time to move. If mobs were running around loose and there was no government protection, it wouldn't be safe to stay. They had packed up nearly everything when the mobsters arrived and destroyed most of their belongings.

The family stayed in or around Nauvoo. On the third of February, 1846, Nancy's parents took out their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. The Shaffer men, like all of the able-bodied members had worked to complete this important edifice. The Temple ordinances gave them the spiritual strength to endure the rigors of the westward trek and the settling of Utah.

In June of 1852, they left Kanesville, Iowa in the James C. Snow Co. There were a lot of sickness on this train and it was very slow. Nancy Ann had cholera, and in later life this may have caused or contributed to the heart
-- condition which made her an invalid as she got older.

The train arrived in Salt Lake on October 9, 1852. Conference was in session. They were back among their leaders, with the
westward trek behind them and the new life in Utah ahead of them. There must have been rejoicing in spite of the cold and other discomforts they were feeling. It had snowed the night before and some of the wagon wheels had to be pried loose from the ground. The towns people, knowing of their plight had fixed them a breakfast of hot beef, bread and gravy. What a welcome!

In one of the coincidences of life, William Field, his mother Mary and his 3 sisters and one little brother were also traveling on the train. Nancy Ann's son and William's daughter would one day marry.

Nancy was just shy of her 19th birthday when the family reached Salt Lake City. They went north to Bingham's Fort (Ogden), Utah.
Here she met a young man named Sylvester Lyman Perry. Their friendship turned into romance and they were married on January 22, 1855.

She was given an unique wedding present by her mother-in-law. It was a quilt and Rhoby Edwards explained that when Sylvester had been growing up in New York State, there were 3 other boys whom he liked to play with. Any two of them could play together nicely, but when all 4 got together, there was usually trouble. To keep him from this situation, she kept him in the house, gave him material and showed him how to piece a quilt. She kept him at it until it was finished. Throughout all the family moves and mob violence she had kept it safe.
Nancy and Sylvester made their home at Lynne, later known as Five Points. Eventually they acquired 40 acres, and built a 2 room log house on Mill Creek, Slaterville, Utah, and lived in it the first winter after it was built, even though the spaces between the logs were not yet chinked with adobe. On several occasions, they watched mountain lions prowl around their cabin, and heard them sniff through the cracks. The open places were chinked the next summer, and the inside was white washed. A narrow stairway led to an upstairs attic, which was always treasured as a comfortable sleeping place during the coldest winter nights, but standing up space was limited to children, taller ones had to stoop. Besides their cabin, he also built a rock cellar, with a granary on top. He built stables to keep his cattle warm, and their chicken coop. He helped build canals and dams for irrigation.

That summer, Sylvester asked her to prepare a bundle of white, as he had a baptism to perform. Nancy arrived with two bundles. Sylvester admonished her, saying that he had only needed one. Nancy, shyly told him that she wanted to be baptized and hoped he would perform the ordinance. He did.

A son, Henry Sylvester, was born to the happy couple on December 17, 1855. In 1856 Sylvester was called to go to Missouri to relieve the suffering Saints. He had just pulled a load of corn into the yard when he received the call. After he had left, Nancy unloaded the corn into the racks that Sylvester had made for it. She got her sister to tend the baby and laboriously dug the potatoes. She filled a bucket and then carried it to the potato pit that had been dug for them. When she was done, the pit held 90 to 100 bushels of potato's.
Nancy was a good housekeeper and her home was always a comfortable and peaceful place. Sylvester was called away from home many times during the early years of their married life and Nancy had to do the best she could to keep everything going.

The next fall, Johnson's army menaced Utah. Sylvester was called to help defend Echo Canyon. He returned home, ill with swollen and bleeding feet. His boots and gun had been left with the defenders.

The next spring Nancy went to Payson, Utah with her family, while Sylvester stayed behind to guard the homes in Ogden. Brigham Young had agreed to allow the army in, but the guards were to burn the homes, if their agreement not to interfere with the residents was not kept. When the danger was over, Sylvester walked down to Payson, Utah to bring his family home.

The following year on October 24, 1859 Nancy gave birth to a daughter, Mary Jane, closely followed by a son, William Heber on June 30, 1862.

Nancy shared with her husband a love of trees and flowers. Sylvester had brought back a pecan tree from Missouri. They planted it and it thrived. Many other trees and flowers were planted and her yard was a showplace. She was the first woman in Slaterville to own a kerosene lamp.

Four more daughters were born to Nancy. Susan Arrena arrived on October 19, 1864, Sarah Elizabeth on October 2, 1867, Nancy Ann on August 4, 1870 and Margaret Ellen on April 29, 1873. Nancy was known as a strict but loving mother. Her children tried to keep their mischief from coming to her ears.
Nancy was rather small, with a thick head of dark hair and nearly black eyes. She knitted and crocheted and made beautiful netting. She was devoted to her husband and her children and what she believed. She was a good, but strict, mother who taught her children all she could and aided them in learning as much as she could. She was a faithful Latter-Day Saint, and taught her children to love the gospel.

Her husband had built a boat so that they could get from place to place when the river flooded. As the children grew, they loved to go rowing in the boat. They would rock the boat from side to side until one or more of them fell out. Sometimes the boat would overturn and they would all tumble into the water. The ones dunked would be careful to keep out of their mothers sight until their clothes dried. Nancy would be sure to severely chastise them for taking chances.

Sylvester was a hard working and talented man, but he often did not charge for his work, making it necessary for Nancy to use all the thrift and ingenuity which she possessed to keep the family clothed and fed. Sylvester was aware of her efforts and blessed her for them. He felt that his family was so blessed that they could endure the shortages.

Indians were a fact of life at the Perry Home. Sylvester always befriended them. He stored their food supplies, when they gathered or killed more than they could carry with them. They always came during the apple harvest. They would eat all they could of the juicy fruit. Among these Indians was a Chief called "Little Soldier". On one occasion Nancy offered some fresh churned butter to a squaw. The squaw found an empty tin can, washed it out and put the butter inside. She left, very proud of her gift.

On another occasion, Nancy didn't come off quite so well. She dried food for winter storage. This included apples, plums, squash, and string beans. One day they had gone to town, leaving Henry to look after things. An Indian, who had visited their home before, came and Henry, wanting to show his good will, took down bunches of the dried food and gave them to the Indian. The parents came home and Nancy started to scold Henry. The Indian stood in front of her. He shook his fist at her and said "you no scoldem Henaway. Henaway is heap good boy".

As Nancy became older, she became less able to run her household and eventually was an invalid, unable to leave her home. Her daughter, Mary Jane had never married. Her sweetheart had been killed during the Spanish-American War. She had chosen to remain single. She was a great blessing to her aging parents. On long winter evenings Nancy and Jane made rugs, bouquets of beautiful paper flowers, pieced quilts or did embroider or crocheting.

They had beautiful plants indoors, in the windows. They had flowers in bloom even in the winter. They even had a lemon tree, planted in a keg.

On July 6, 1908, Sylvester died of natural causes while outside, hoeing. He had asked all of his family to come on the 4th of July holiday. They had left the following day (Sunday) and Sylvester and Nancy had set on the porch that evening and talked until almost 10'oclock, before they had retired to bed. They had discussed the events of their lives.


Sylvester's funeral was held in the grove of trees, next to the Perry home. Neighbors and Church members were well acquainted with this grove of trees. Church meetings had been held there when the church had been without a meetinghouse. Nancy's invalidism was probably the main reason for the service being held there. It was, nevertheless less, a fitting tribute to a man who loved the flora and fauna.

Nancy Ann followed her husband on August 16, 1908. Mary Jane lived in the house until her death on February 24, 1935.


Sources Of Information:

Weber County, Utah History Book
Granddaughters: Florence Thurston, Thelma Hoggan, Duella Kartchner, Ruth Rampton
Headstone dates, Ogden, Weber County, Utah Cemetery
Mormon Immigration Index
IDI Files
History of Hooper & Kanesville, Utah