Frances, (Fanny), Hill Shipley

Monday, November 18, 2002
My Notes - A Work in Progress

By Granddaughter Bonnie Madge Shipley Anderson

If you know anything about my Grandmother, please let me know as I am her youngest grandchild and youngest child of her youngest child. I didn't have much time to get to know her.

What do I know about her?

Frances Fannie Hill   was born on 15 Jan 1865 in Smithfield, Cache, Utah.

She died on 2 Mar 1953 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. She was buried on 6 Mar 1953 in American Fork, Utah, Utah.

She grew up in Smithfield, Cache, Utah

She was the second child of six children of Joseph Hill and Sarah Crosby Hill.

James, seven, was the oldest, then Fanny six, Joseph Crosby four, Mary Maria three, Sarah Jane two and four month old Rosetta when their mother died.

Her step-mother was Betsy Ann Harper.

She had eleven half siblings.

She went by the name of Fanny.

I met a man in Smithfield in 1979, that was a nephew of Joseph and Betsy Ann=s. He was over 100 years old and his name was Hillyard. He was still living across the street from Joseph=s home. He said Sarah and Betsy Ann lived in the same house and were very devoted to each other. That Betsy Ann took care of Sarah before she died and that Betsy treated all the children as her own. After figuring out the dates, I realized he couldn=t of been alive when Sarah was alive so must of been telling what he had heard and what he saw when Betsy was the only mother..         

He did talk about Joseph=s sense of humor and how he used to tell the fellow that his name was that much longer than his, holding his arms stretched out wide, it is a yard longer than mine. Mr. Hillyard said how devoted and caring he was to his wives and to his children. Many a evening would find Joseph playing not only with his own children but with several neighborhood children in the front yard. This reminded me a lot of my brother Jack and how he is so good to play with his children. He also told me about the tree that the family planted in the front yard. It still was there and growing when I visited in 1979.

Joseph was always good to help Betsy care for the children because she had a bad leg. He was known to walk the floor with a crying child all night if necessary to quiet them down.

  Joseph was a strict disciplinarian. His children knew when he told them to do something ‑ it meant ‑ do it and do it now, with no questions asked. He was a medium size man with a mustache and beard and very blue eyes.

One of the special kindnesses he showed his children was to round up their shoes on Sunday morning and take them out into the shed and make them shine in time for Sunday School.

The 1880 census finds Frances living at home in Smithfield with her father and step mother

Fanny’s Aunt Charlotte Hill Oldfield lived in American Fork in 1880 Census. She used to go and visit her Aunt as did her grandparents James and Charlotte Hill.

Uncle John James Hill lived in Provo from immigration until death from what I figure.

Grandmother Charlotte Timms Hill died in American Fork and both grandparents were buried in American Fork.

Fanny was friends with Joseph Shipley’s brother Willard and his wife before their marriage. The Willard Shipley’s were married one year before Fanny and Joseph. I have a photo of the four of them on Fanny and Joseph’s wedding day I believe.

Twenty-four year old Frances married 28 year-old Joseph Anderton Shipley son of Joseph Shipley and Elizabeth Anderton on 30 Dec 1889 in Provo, Utah, Utah. Joseph was born on 17 Feb 1861 in American Fork, Utah, Utah. He died on 24 Apr 1948 in Los Angeles, Orange, California. He was buried on 26 Apr 1948 in City Cemetery, American Fork, Utah, Utah.

Her two oldest daughters Flora and Alice, died of Diphtheria within days of each other. Adrian died one year later. Adrian was seven years old at the time. The rest of the children lived to be adults.

My Dad told me she was a Sunday School teacher while he was growing up.

The family lived in American Fork and Salt Lake City areas. When the family moved to Salt Lake City from American Fork, they bought a red brick house with a shoe shop on the lot next to the street. The address is 840 North Temple Street. They ran the shop for many years.

One of my father’s, (Clarence), childhood memories that stayed with him all his life was of his home burning to the ground in the middle of the night and the panic of waking everyone up and getting out alive.

The Shipley family moved slowly one or two members at a time until they were all relocated from Salt Lake City Utah to the Los Angeles California area. Francis and her husband both lived in the LA area from 1938 until their deaths.

Frances lived with her daughter Naomia for the last years of her life.

My first memories of her were there at Aunt Naomia and Uncle Frank’s house. We lived in front of them. She had broken a hip years before and was blind from cataracts. She spent her days in a big chair in the living room. Her hair was long and white and she wore it in two braids. I learned to braid hair practicing on her. I remember when Aunt Naomia got her first TV and all of us trying to explain this wonder to Grandma. She just couldn’t believe she couldn’t speak back to the people on TV and they would hear her.

Fannie Hill Shipley Obituary

Mrs. Fannie Hill Shipley, 87, a former resident of American Fork and Salt Lake City, died Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles of pneumonia, relatives in Salt Lake City learned Thursday.

She was born January 15, 1865, in Smithfield, Cache County, a daughter of Joseph and Sarah Crosby Hill. The family moved to American Fork when she was a child and she resided there until 1920 when she moved to Salt Lake City. (This is Not true.)

Mrs. Shipley was an active member of the Relief Society of the Sixteenth Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She moved to Los Angeles in 1938 and had resided there since.

She was married to Joseph Shipley who died in 1944 in Los Angeles.

Surviving are five sons and daughters; Ray Shipley, Mrs. Erma Boll, Warren Shipley, and Mrs. Naomia Brown, all of Los Angeles and Clarence Shipley of Idaho Falls, Idaho. Eighteen grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren and three sisters; Mrs. Margaret McCracken (half-sister), Ogden; Mrs Susan Bingham (half-sister), Smithfield, and Mrs. Elefie Bowman (half-sister), Salt Lake City.

Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Anderson Mortuary in American Fork.

Living in Salt Lake City in 1931

            My father, Clarence LeRoy Shipley, said his Mother was strict and a Sunday School teacher.

Joseph and Frances had the following children: