Matches 2,851 to 2,872 of 2,872
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William was murdered / stabbed by Robert, Master of Sempill at Hou s e o f t he Regent Chastellerault, Edinburgh | Critchton, William 5th Lord Crichton of Sanquhar (I9087)
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William Wesley Willis - Mormon Battalion
Nov 10 1846 Lieutenant William Wesley Willis was ordered to return to Sa n ta Fe with all the sick, fifty-six men, and they accordingly started ba c k with one wagon, 4 yoke of poor oxen and rations sufficient to last t h e men only five days to go a journey of 300 miles: The parting of thes e m en with their comrades was very affecting. They had become endeared t o ea ch other by the ties of the gospel and the association of the journe y, an d the chances were strong against their ever meeting again.
Lieutenant W. W. Willis writing from memory of the incidents of this si c k detachment says, "Our loading of the one wagon consisted of the cloth in g, blankets, cooking utensils, tents and tent poles, muskets, equipage , a nd provisions and all invalids who were unable to walk. With some dif ficu lty I obtained a spade or two and a shovel but was provided with n o medic ines or other necessaries for the sick except mutton before refer red to a nd only five days rations to travel near 300 miles .
Nov 20th thus loaded and equipped we commenced our lonesome march retrac i ng our steps to Santa Fe. We marched some ways, about two miles. We we r e visited by Captain Hunt and others by night, who spoke words of comfo r t to us and blessed us administering the church ordnance of the sick a n d bidding us God speed. They left us the next day Nov 21, we resumed o u r march camping in the evenings near some springs. One yoke of our oxe n g ot mired in the mud, we took off the yoke, got one out, the other w e unde rtook to pull our with a rope and unfortunately broke his neck. Ou r tea m was now too weak for our load. In the night Brother John Green di ed, w e buried him beside Brother Hampton. What to do for a team we did n ot kno w, this was dark time and many were the earnest petitions that wen t up t o our God and Father for divine aid.
Nov 22. The next morning we found with our oxen a pair of splendid you n g horses which was really cheering to us. We looked upon it as one of t h e providences of our Father in Heaven. Thus provided for we pursued ou r m arch.
Nov 23 and 24. We traveled two days without further accident. During t h e night of the 25th of Nov Eliza Freeman was taken ill.
Nov 26. We him next day in our wagon and could distinctly hear his groa n s to the head of our little column.
Nov 27. We lay by the next day for his benefit. It was very cold and sno w y.
Nov 28. We resumed our march, but were forced to stop the wagon for th e a fflicted comrade to die. After his death we resumed our march until t he u sual time of camping. When we buried the corpse, Richard Carter als o die d the same night and we buried him by the side of Brother Freeman . Thei r graves are four miles south of Secora on the Rio Grande.
Nov 29. I had fuel and everything to buy and spent $66 of my own priva t e money before reaching Santa Fe, which was as near as I can recollec t ab out the first of Dec. On my arrival at that place, General Price, co mmand er of the post ordered me to Pueblo on the Arkansas River. He als o ordere d Quarter-master Kissock to furnish us with necessary for packin g. With t his outfit we had to perform a journey of about 300 miles ove r mountain a nd in the winter. Packing was new business to us and at firs t was quite a wkward. This was about the 5th of Dec. The first day we mar ched about 1 0 miles. Here we gave Brother Brazier, who was too sick to t ravel, a mul e and left Brother Thomas Burns to wait on him and follow wh en he got abl e, also a Mr. Turley, where I designed leaving those who we re unable to c ross the mountains. The next day we traveled about 20 mile s and camped o n a beautiful stream of water where we had to leave a brok en down mule. T he day after we marched about 15 miles and camped in a Sp anish town. Her e Alva Calkins, at his own request remained to await th e arrival of Broth er Brazier and Burns. About ten inches of snow fell th at day, and the nex t day it snowed until about noon after which we march ed about 10 or 12 mi les and hired quarters of a Spaniard. Here the men b ought bread, onions , pork, etc., from their own private means. Brother G eorge Colemna was se ized with an unnatural appetite and ate too excess . In the night we wer e awakened by his groans. Mr. Rust gave him a littl e tincture of lobelia , the only medicine in camp, which gave him partia l relief. Continuing ou r journey, we traveled within about ten miles o f Turley's to make arrange ment for the sick. I left my saddle mule for t he sick man with strict ins tructions to have him brought to that place . On my arrival I made necessa ry arrangements, and about noon the compan y arrived but to my surprise an d regret without Brother Coleman. They sa id he refused to come. Mr. Turle y on hearing me express my regret and di ssatisfaction at his being left o ffered to send his team and a carriag e to go back next day after him, whi ch offer I accepted and agreed to pa y him for his trouble. I left quit e a number of sick with Mr. Turley.
I paid him out of my own private funds for their rations and quarters, a n d then traveled about 10 miles. That night strong fears were entertain e d in that the snow was so deep we could not cross the mountain and som e r esolved not to attempt it accusing me of rashness. I called the compa ny t ogether and stated the facts to them that I was unauthorized to dra w rati ons except for the journey and other necessaries unless for the si ck an d that I was spending my own money. I also stated that I should car ry ou t the instructions and march to Pueblo to winter, if I had to go al one, t hen called for a show of right hands of all who would accompany me . All v oted but one, and he fell in afterwards and begged pardon for hi s opposit ion. We continued our march from day to day, traveling throug h snow fro m two to four feet deep with continued cold piercing wind. Th e third da y about noon we reached the summit of the mountains. Before re aching th e top, however, I had to detail a rear guard of the most able b odied men , to aid and encourage those who began to lag and felt unable t o procee d further, while with other I marched at the end of the column t o break t he road through the enormous snow drifts. It was with the great est exerti ons that we succeeded and some were awfully frost bitten. Whe n we got thr ough the banks to our inexpressible joy we say the valley o f the Arkansa s below, where the ground was bare. The dropping spirits o f the men reviv ed and they soon accended to the plains below where the y were comparative ly comfortable. From here the command had good weathe r and pleasant trave ling to Pueblo, their destination for the remainde r of the winter. We arr ived on the 24th of Dec and found the detachmen t of Captain Brown and Hig gins as well as could be expected and enjoyin g themselves with some comfo rtable quarters. Lieutenant Willis got Gilbe rt Hunt, son of Captain Jeffe rson Hunt, that he accompanied the familie s to Pueblo, to go back to Mr . Turley's and bring up the sick he had lef t there. They started the 27 a nd the same day the Lieutenant started fo r Bent's Fort a distance of 15 m iles. He arrived on the 2nd and was ver y kindly received by Captain Enos , commander of the fort and acting quar ter-master, who furnished 60 day r ations for the company and transportat ion to Pueblo with Ox teams. On Lie utenant Willis' return the detachmen t went to work preparing their quarte rs, each mess to build a log cabin. | Willis, William Wesley (I162460)
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| 2853 |
Williams, Joseph, of a Providence R.I. [Rhode Island], s...p, Capt. Coll i s, captured and killed by Spaniards in the Bay of Honduras, abt. Mar . 1 , 1738-9. Jour. [journal]." | Williams, Joseph (I177286)
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World War II
Finally, in February 1943, Merrill was called into service after les s t h a n a year at University of Idaho. He entered the U.S. Air Corps a s a c ad e t and was dispatched for a brief training in Eastern Oregon Co llege , n o w Oregon State University. There the cadets studied navigatio n, phy sic s a nd most of the subjects Merrill had already been studyin g for yea rs a nywa ys. “It was just a breeze for me,” he maintained.
Flight school appears to have been a real transformative period for Me r r i ll when he seized his own testimony: “Everyone has just one ai m – t o g e t somewhere, but very few of us know where … Please send th e Book o f Mo rm on. Somehow I feel more alone now than ever. I’d like t o stud y a whil e an d find out just a lot of things I should have know n long be fore now. I’v e got to keep up with my religion. I have to kno w it befor e I can l ive it.”
After 6 weeks of accelerated pilot training in Oregon, Merrill was tra n s f erred to Santa Ana, California, where he Completed his basic milita r y t ra ining. One day in April, Merrill’s unit was out marching in th e su mme r he at, “it was hotter than day-blazes anyway,” he remarks. Th e uni t mar che d 20 miles a day and the heat weighed down on the soldier s. Tha t day, th e commander said they were headed 25 miles in one march , 12.5 m ile s out a nd then back again. The sun was already high and hot .
The excruciating march wore on the men until they passed an orange gro v e . Merrill could smell the sweet, ripe oranges under the cool branc h e s o f the grove just a few steps off their marching path. He and a f e w ot he r men ducked quickly out of the line and hid beneath the trees . O nce t hei r unit was out of sight, the men began gathering and peelin g th e oran ge s for breakfast. For lunch, they had oranges. For an after noo n snack, the y had more oranges. By the time the unit returned, Merri ll a nd hi s friend s jumped back into the ranks, sticky and fragrant wit h ora nges. They walk ed back the remaining few miles and counted it a wo nderfu l da y. “That’s w here I learned to love oranges … they were jus t as swee t a s anything yo u could find, they were just lovely.”
After Santa Ana, Merrill was transferred to Thunderbird Airfield in Ph o e n ix, Arizona, where he learned to fly on the Boeing model-75 Stearm a n bi pl ane, a common training aircraft for new pilots, later called t h e “PT (pri mary trainer)-17”. The 9-ft high, 24’ x 32’ open cockpit air cr aft ha d sea ts for a student and instructor. It had a cruising spee d o f 96 mile s pe r hour and could reach over 12,000 feet. With perpetua ll y sunny day s in P hoenix, Merrill quickly learned to love flying. “Fl yin g is just li ke driv ing a car,” he wrote home in a letter to his mot her.
Merrill wrote often to his mother and worried about her now that h e w a s a way from home. Lila was the only Child left with her and Merril l wr ot e ba ck flowering praise to his mother: “I’ll be good if it kill s me , Mom, jus t to be worthy of you and your sweet, unfailing love tha t make s yo u the b est.” As fortune would have it, some local missionari es happ ene d upon Mer rill one day and passed him some Church magazine s and book s. “ Thank God, ” Merrill mused. “They were worth ten days fur lough!”
After 4 months in Phoenix, Merrill was relocated to Pecos, Texas wh e r e h e continued training on a Vultee BT-13, with only one set of wing s . W hil e a novel solution for training purposes, the BT-13 was “a pret t y nas ty a irplane”, by Merrill’s opinion. The manufacturer, Vultee, bu il t th e plane s with no retractable landing gear and an awkward streaml ine , mak ing th e plane shake violently at stalling speeds or during adv entu rous m aneuver s. It was quickly nicknamed the “Vultee Vibrator”. “W e los t 3 o r 4 guys b ecause it was hard to handle,” Merrill reports. Fr om Dec embe r 1941 to th e end of the war in August 1945, the United Stat es Arm y Ai r Forces lost 1 5,000 pilots and personnel in training alone.
While training casualties were not uncommon, a trainee was more lik e l y t o be “washed out” from poor performance. However, in the case o f Me rr ill’ s training group, even solid piloting couldn’t escape Lieute nan t Yor k’s c allousness.
Flight instructor Lieutenant York stood somewhere below 5 foot 9, “a l i t t le guy” and was “proud of his record of washing students out.” Yor k c on si dered himself an expert pilot and placed unreasonable expectati on s o n hi s students. In the morning he’d call his five students to att ent io n and s hout orders to them rapidly. Throughout the day, he’d neve r me nti on anoth er word about their orders. By day’s end, if the studen ts ha dn’ t performe d exactly as prescribed in the morning, they were fl unke d outr ight. Afte r just 40 hours of training, Merrill’s 5-man tea m was r educe d to just 2 f rom York’s flunking them out. Finally, ther e was jus t Merri ll and one Cad et Evans left. (Unfortunately for York , Merrill wa s 6’1” a nd Evans was ev en taller.) “We were as mad at hi m as anything, ” Merril l said.
During night flying, Merrill took Lieutenant York up in his two-seat e r t r aining plane. In order for the gasoline to mix with the oxygen co rr ectl y, a heater was toggled by the pilot to evaporate off the damp Te xa s ai r. The instructor has no control over the plane directly; he coul d o nl y sh out at the trainee-pilot in front of him. Merrill took the op port uni ty t o let off the heater and sputter his engine wildly, pretend ing t ha t he ju st couldn’t hear York’s shouting from behind. Right on c ue, th e “ Vultee V ibrator” would slow to near-stalling speed and begi n shaking . Th e sputter ing engine, the shaking chassis and the Texas da rkness com bine d to creat e a desperate situation. With plane crashes an d casualtie s onc e every oth er week, this was sure to send panic up Lie utenant York ’s spi ne. Merril l and Evans, however, learned to cheat th e stall and re cover t he aircraft, but not before Lieutenant York had sa id his prayers . This w as Merrill’ s small way at getting back at him fo r flunking hi s teammates.
When it came time for Merrill and Evans’ 40-hour flight test, the tw o t r a inees knew they were in for trouble. “Me and this guy Evans decid ed t ha t, well, we just didn’t give a hoot about him at all and we’d jus t sh o w hi m the best we had. And if that wasn’t good enough then toug h luck . W e wer e determined we weren’t gonna get washed out.” The two c adets f le w master fully, even for the scrutinizing eye of Lieutenant Yo rk. “I r eme mber we g ave him a really good show.” Afterwards, a humble d Lieutena nt Y ork admitt ed to his trainees that he was quite impressed . “It was o nly b ecause we c hanged our minds about him and quit pussy-f ootin’ aroun d an d do the bes t we could.”
After a year of training, Merrill was commissioned as 2nd Lieutena n t o n M arch 12th, his airman career was off to a great start.
The new Lieutenant wrote back to his mother after promotion: “Love l i f e a nd God and all the things that make life worth living. Happines s do es n’ t come from anything worldly. There have to be higher goals t o be h app y. The Book of Mormon is really the truth – I feel it and kno w it.”
Whispering in the back of Merrill’s mind was his relationship with Isa b e l le, who remained in Boise. Many of the airmen around him were marri e d a n d some of that was because soldiers were aware that fatal comba t ap proa ch ed in their near future. The marriage rate among young men j umpe d 20 % jus t before the War. Seeing the married servicemen around hi m an d know ing th at he would be deployed soon made marriage prospects w ith I sabell e weig h on Merrill’s mind.
Isabelle was not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -d a y S a ints, and Merrill was certainly aware of this. The Stroud family , l ik e mo st Idahoans, harbored a modest amount of suspicion about thos e Mo rmo ns. “ In regards to Isabelle, I’ve been living my religion as be st a s I k now ho w, so things don’t worry me much,” Merrill wrote to hi s moth er. Ge nerally, marrying outside the faith, while not prohibited , isn’t i deal i n the Mo rmon faith. “I think I’ll know what to do whe n the time c omes. I ’m tryin g to find out what is right.”
Immediately after graduation from flight school, on March 13th, 1944 , M e r rill took 3 days leave and traveled back to Boise. Before arrivin g , h e ca lled Isabelle on the telephone to tell her the news about hi s pr omot ion a nd that he’d be arriving on leave. Isabelle met him whe n he ar rive d in Bo ise, remembering that “it took him about five minute s to say —”
“We’re going to get married,” Merrill said.
“We can’t!” Isabelle replied. “You only have three days!”
Isabelle remembers that, “We always knew we would get married, so th e a n s wer was ‘Yes!’” With only three days to spare, Merrill and Isabel le r us he d to get their blood tests done. The shipping from hospital t o la b wa s to o slow, so they toted their own vials to the laboratory t o sav e time. “W e were so excited and happy!” Isabelle said.
On the 16th of March 1944, 22-year-old Merrill and Isabelle were mar r i e d in his mother’s tiny house by Bishop Willis S. Petersen. Some o f bo t h f amilies were in attendance. Many visitors, excited to hear o f Merri ll ’s r eturn, came by the Boise Hotel that evening to give thei r congrat ula tions. One of these was Lee Knockleby of Lee’s Candy.
The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Merrill Eldon Barnes flew off to Rowell , N e w M exico. They arrived at the Zuni Motel to meet the other traine e cou pl es, who were too excited to sleep. The new pilots and their wive s stay e d u p playing cards together late into the night. Then they bega n thei r t rain ing as pilots of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress – “the l arges t an d bes t bomber the U.S. had in World War 2”.
The B-17 bomber was a four engine bomber that weighed 10 times what Me r r i ll’s BT trainers had weighed. Nearly three BT13s could fit end to e n d a n d they wouldn’t match the wingspan of the B-17. The B-17 could f l y thr e e times as far and 100mph faster than Merrill’s trainers. Despi t e bein g e quipped with armaments for 6 separate gunners and 10 crew me mb ers tot al, the B-17 was renowned for stability in flight and for an u nca nny abi lit y to sustain heavy damage yet remain navigable. Indeed, t he B -17 wa s th e most important strategic air weapon of World War II.
Merrill quickly finished his training in New Mexico and then was trans f e r red to Avon Park, Florida, where he would soon be assigned a perman e n t fl ight crew. But the fledgling cadet approached the commander an d re qu este d permission to select some Latter-day Saints for his crew m ember s a nd wa s granted permission to look around. Sure enough, Merril l foun d a M ormo n to man each and every position of his 10-man B-17 wit h the e xcepti on o f the radioman who was a good-natured Catholic. (Th e tenth me mber o f th e crew was transient.) The 9 LDS crew members beca me close fr iends a nd th eir association strengthened ties to their fait h.
The crew of Merrill’s B-17 #44-6546 was as follows:
1. Lt. Merrill E. Barnes – Pilot from Boise, Idaho.
2. Lt. Lawrence A. Ward – Copilot from Blackfoot, Idaho.
3. F/O Robert E. Edelen – Navigator from Denver, Colorado.
4. F/O Lowell D. Pearson – Bombardier from Midvale, Utah.
5. Sgt. Ralph A. Hixon – Ball Turret Gunner (asst. radio operator) f r o m P rovo, Utah.
6. Cpl. Deveroux W. Bowman – Left Waist Gunner (armorer) from Kanab, U t a h.
7. Cpl. Dale H. Harper – Top turret Gunner (engineer) from Los Angele s , C alifornia.
8. Cpl. Gael W. Elmer – Tail Gunner (asst. armorer) from Milford, Utah.
9. Cpl. Robert H. Tucker – Right Waist Gunner (radio operator) from Sy r a c use, New York, the lone catholic.
Merrill’s crew became friends instantly and their comfort with each o t h e r made for fine flying. Their handle on the plane and the bombing m ec ha ni sms grew more and more accurate and other crews began to notice . Th e M orm on boys were bull’s eye bombers.
Training was desperately rigorous. Night flying was an essential ski l l f o r which they had to train at ungodly hours. The fatigue grew so b a d th a t during one test flight, nine out of ten crew members fell asle e p whi l e the bomber was in flight! Merrill, his co-pilot and all the g un ners f el l fast asleep. – the radioman and bombardier too. “We were a l l passe d out,” Merrill wrote. Fortunately, the navigator stayed awake . B ob Edel en ha d been reclaimed from the Pacific and had experience a s a n enginee r an d a navigator over the Pacific Ocean. He happened to b e “s hootin g a star ” that night and pinning the plane trajectory accord ing t o the c onstellat ions. When the plane began falling out of course , Edele n caugh t the stray ing and radioed to the pilots. Eventually, Ed elen wok e up th e crew, the y turned around and reached their airstrip s afely. Th ey (ver y literally) thanked their stars.16
On another occasion, Merrill got the best of Edelen by flying straig h t o v er the city of Miami. The navigator’s dials tracked radio signal s a nd M ia mi was one place where radio signals came from all direction s an d thre w E delen’s dials into fits. Merrill coyly asked his navigato r fo r thei r coor dinates. While Edelend scrambled for an answer, Merril l an d Lieute nant Wa rd chuckled to themselves in the cockpit. “We alway s ha d a lot o f fun.”
The Mormon boys excelled at their craft. Out of the 56 different crew s , t hey lead the squadron in their flight record. On their last bombi n g m issi on, just to settle it that they were the best, the crew determ in ed t hat t hey would actually drop a practice shell from 20,000 feet o nt o a ra ft i n the middle of a lake. “He figured that no one else woul d be lieve i t,” M errill remembered. Sure enough, they planted a shell o n tha t tiny r aft fr om 20,000 feet. “That’s pinpointing,” Merrill bragg ed.
They had so proven their superiority that they kicked off their la s t f e w shells into nowhere for celebration. They could afford losing t h e poi nt s because they were already so far ahead. There was no disputi n g it; t he y were the best in the squadron. The commander – perhaps una wa re of th e r eligious prohibitions of this uniquely religious unit – a war ded the c re w with a 3-day vacation in Havana, Cuba.
“Boy, I’ll tell you,” Merrill remarked of the occasion. “Seeing Cu b a w a s eye-opening itself. It’s like Tijuana, Mexico. We stayed in wh a t the y c alled the National Motel down there, which is supposed t o b e a big re sort, but it was really a kind of mess compared to North A meri can hotels.” | Pearson, Lowell Drew (I5121)
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| 2855 |
Wow! My Grandma made it to 100 years. For those of you who called mo m , G randma, and Friend her story is like a fairy tale of sorts. Simu l a r to t he story of Cinderella and although she did not have a wicke d st e p mothe r and ugly stepsisters, she had heartache and adversitie s to ov er come a t a young age. Then in the end her prince comes for he r and th e y ride o ff in the sunset and live happily everafter.
Grandma was born June 7th 1916 to Augustinus Pratt Goodmansea a Dani s h i m migrant and Eliza Ann Jordan an English Immigrant. They had 15 Ch il dre n.
June was the 10th Child. She outlived them all.
In Junes own words she describes some of her Childhood memories.
"Some things I remember during the Great Depression and the World W a r a r e as follows: We had coal furnances, Coal stoves and later a ga s st ove, b ut couldn't afford to use it. Low hanging light bulbs, token s gaso lin e wa s 15 sents a gallon. I earned I earned.10cents to.15 cent s a d a y for b abysitting. Three small loaves of bread of bread were.1 0 cen t s for al l three.Milk came in bottles,.03 cents for stamps, Ice b oxes , n o air con ditioners..Liberty Park had free swimming, so we wen t as of te n as we coul d. If we did manage to have enough money to go g o a goo d sh ow, we went t o the Gem theater or a place like that becaus e it wa s cheap er. We used t o ride trains, now we ride airplanes. We us ed can s and st ring to talk o n the "phone" (We did have a reeal phone i n the h ouse), bu t we did have w alkie-talkies. We played hide-and seek- , hop sc otch, jac ks, cat in the c orner, Button Button, Run-sheepy-run , and ha d puppet sho ws. we always pl auyed outside.
Grandma recalls having a very happy Childhood and shortly after her bi r t h, her father purchased a home on Windsor Street in Salt Lake Cit y . T i s is the home where she had most of her Childhood memories. Whe n Ju n e wa s 12 her took a job as a typographer for a local newspaper i n Stoc kt on, C alifornia. They hadn"t lived there very long when in Augu st of 1 92 8 he r father was hit and killed by a drunk driver while walki ng hom e fro m wor k. June so loved her father they did everything togeth er. Sh e wa s devas tated. This was a turning point in her life. They had n't sol d t he hous e on Windsor Street and with the depression upon them , they m ove d back t o Utah.
Grandma was the oldest Child still at home so she was quickly put t o w o r k to help support the family. She recalls people loosing their jo bs e v er ywhere. She suddenly went from an affluent family to being ver y poor , un able to affford clothes. She only had one dress thatshe wor e eve r y day. In addition to that she worked every morning before schoo l an d t hen ag ain after school. She had no time for friends or any kin d o f a so cial li fe. Often she would miss school or was very late. On e da y the s chool as ked her why she had missed school and she told the m sh e had bee n working. Her mother got in trouble for that one. It wa s abou t this ti me that th e Child labor laws were being enforced so sh e was ha ppy she di dn't have t o go to work before school anymore. Day a fter da y she stil l worked afte r school.
Times were hard, she dropped out of school when she was 16 to go bab y s i t for her sister. So her sister could work. It was there that sh e c a m e to know Ralph Davidson. He loved her the minute he laid eyes o n h e r. He had a job and worked at a gas station (which is a very import a n t pa rt in this story). He asked her out and took to eat her first ha mb u rger. He taught her how to drive. He drove by her house every morn i n g noo n and night. After 6 months of courting he wanted to marry he r . H e ha d to get permission to marry her because she was so young. He r m oth er re fused several times until her offered to pay rent and liv e in h er h ouse u pstairs apt. So they got married that very day at th e bishop s hou se. No vember 22, 1933 with only their parents in attendan ce. Ralp h ado red he r he bought her first new dress, first hamburger an d root be er sh e rememb er it tickling her nose.
Ralph and June were late sealed in the Salt Lake Temple June 7th 1944.
They had 3 Childred, Bob, Jim and Shari. They loved to go camping tog e t h er as a family and took road trips in the car that the seats folde d d o w n into beds and in the early days we camped in our car. They wer e bu i l t to seep in back then. We enjoyed going to Salt Air, in the ope n a i r tr ain, Liberty Park, dancing on Wedneday nights and many other t hing s.
June worked at various different jobs throughout her life, June descr i b e s it as "once the depression hit I always tried to find a job o r a w a y t o earn money. I would babysit or clean houses. I worked at th e Bis h op s Building cleaning in the evenings and dusting in the morning s. I r e mem ber one job I had delivering ice for peoples Ice boxes. I de livere d m il k and drove the milk truck standing up. I also worked a s a secreta r y an d bookkeeper for a sewing compamny and then the Horma n constructi o n compa ny. I liked that job very much. After my husband a nd I decid e d to retir e, we took several enjoyable trips in our motor h ome for whi c h I am so ve ry grateful".
June and Relph served an LDS church mission to the Cambodian peopl e i n S a lt Lake valley. She was also a Temple worker in the Oakland an d Sac ram en to Temples. June also server as a counselor in the Primary , and Re lie f S ociety Presidencies and faithfully accepted many calling s that sh e wa s ev er asked to do.
While in her 60's June taught herself to play the organ and then she c o n t inued to challenge herself by learning to tap dance, to square danc e , t o round dance and to folk dance. She joined a traveling dance gro u p w it h Ralph and preformed with them for several years at parks, civ i c cent ers, and senior homes in Utah, Elko, Nevada. "She learned to sk i w ith h er d aughter Shari and learned to paint and create a variety o f lan dscap e an d western scenes.She did all these before she was 70 yea rs old .
June tells of her accomplishments that she is proud of. "Some of my gr e a t est accomplishments are my family. Being a mother and grandmothe r h a s al ways beenimportant to ome. Serving a mission with my husband f o e t e Chur ch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has been a highlight .T each ing cla sses in the church is anotheraccomplishment. I loved to t eac h be cause i t helps me learn. Searching and doing family history i s als o a n accompli shment. I learned to paint with oils. I learned to p lay m y o rgan.
When our three children were married, my husband and I missed havin g t h e m near and had the opportunity to take six foster children to rai se . W e loved the opportunity because it kept us on our toes, and it k e p t us yo ung.
Ralph
(Bob) Dwane Davidson, James (Jim) Glen Davidson and wife Nelda, Sharo n ( S hari June Morgan- Kotila and husband Roger. She has a great poster i t y o f 16 grandchildren,60 Great grandchildren and 31 Great-GreatGrand ch il dren. After her children were out of the home June and Ralph too k i n t hre e foster kids Gayle, Jan and Jim Eskridge and after that the y too k i n thr ee Barlow sisters Julie, Sharon, and Leslie There are man y mor e wh o cal l her Grandma. What a legacy she has left behind.
One of her greatest attributes was her possitive attitude toward bei n g h a ppy and not dwelling on the negative, even though it exists. Jun e t el l s all that the Lord has touched her heart throughout her life an d th a t ha s made her humble. When asked if she would change anything i n he r l ife, she said she would be a little kinder, more relaxed and lov e peo pl e mor e,Her family was her jewels.
She was a wonderful, kind mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother and g r e a t-great Grandmother and friend. She will be greatly missed for he r l o v e and happiness that she brought into each of our lives. We wil l mi s s he r strong testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ. | Goodmansen, June Loretta (I127639)
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Written by Raymond Jensen – Edited by Layne E. Wilson
This is the life History of Ardith Whiting Jensen as told by her hus b a n d Raymond Jensen. Ardith passed away before she was able to writ e h e r ow n history. Ardith was born August 26, 1931 to Charles Leonar d Whit i ng an d Olive Rachel Carlton. Ardith was born in Mapleton, Utah . Ardi t h was th e youngest of ten children. Her Father was a Blacksmit h and gr ad uated fro m Brigham Young University (BYU). Her Mother also g raduate d fro m BYU an d was a teacher. Ardith's Mother was raised in Bea r Lake , Mich igan. He r Mother and an Aunt joined the Church and came t o Salt L ake Cit y, Utah. Ardith had a lot of Nieces and Nephews. She enj oyed an d loved t hem all. Ardith attended school in Mapleton, Utah wher e she ha d many fri ends. Ar dith's Father had a big garden and grew lot s of veget ables. He a lso had a nd orchard over by the hill where he gre w peaches , apricots an d cherries. On the home place they had apple, wal nut and pe ars. Her Fath er would g o to Price, Utah and sell garden stuf f. They als o had chicken s and pigs. They would sometimes take fryer chi ckens over t o the mines i n Price, Ut ah. All the kids had to help gro w all the stuff . Ardith'a Mot her worked v ery hard to help the family . In 1936 Charle s and Olive deci ded to bu y a new Ford Pick-Up so Oliv e and Harley (Ardi th's brother) wen t to Detro it, Michigan and purchase d the new pick-up . It was better to g o to Price, Utah to sell all the p roduce they grew . Ardith and Carma alw ays had t o ride in the back of t he pick-up; the y both always thought tha t was a ba d thing for them t o have to do. Ardi th had a lot of friends a t school. I t was always eas y for her to make f riends. In 1939 Charles go t sick wit h his lungs an d had to have one lun g removed. He was in the ho spital fo r over a year , almost two years. Bo ots and Harley (Ardith’s Sib lings) wer e singin g in a Band in California . While there Boots met lre l Barrus wh o late r were married and settle d in Pittsburg, California. O live sent Ca rm a and Ardith down to live wi th Boots. Irel was in the serv ice in Europe . Carma was old enough to wor k to help get some money. Th e girls came h om e for the school year. Ardi th had to grow up fast and le arn how to t ake c are of herself. Don Blanc hard and June (Ardith’s Sister) bough t a home i n Springville, UT. Don h ad to go to the service as wa r wa s on. He wa s in the Navy. Olive sent A rdith to live with June. The y ha d to live of f the money that June got f rom the government. Things we r e very tight fo r everyone. June said tha t Ardith saw a sweater that s h e wanted. When Jun e got her check she wen t to buy it for her but it h a d already been sold. Ardith's Mother seeme d to feel that she was throu g h raising children o r else worn out. In 19 46, Olive sent Ardith to li v e with Harley and Mari e in Firth, Idaho. Ha rley fixed a show house i n Fi rth and ran it. They li ved upstairs by th e Dance Hall. Ardith star ted sc hool in Firth, Idaho an d would help Harl ey with the show house a fter sch ool. There was a fello w who was on crut ches who was going int o the sho w house, but as he went t o go through Ar dith closed and locke d the door. Harley told her that sh e was not to d o that to a crippled p erson. Tha t person was Raymond Jense n who later b ecame her husband. I t seemed th e reason that I came to Firth, Idaho whic h was to meet and m arry Raymond. I was young but by the wa y I grew u p I was more mature. O nce Raymond w ho was driving a truck hauli ng potat oes asked me to go wi th him. This wa s the start of our relationsh ip. R aymond asked me to m arry him. Harle y said that we had to go to Ut ah an d ask my folks. Moth er thought it wa s fine but Dad hesitated. I ha d tol d Raymond that I wa s 18 years old. S o when we went to get the marria g e license I had to t ell him the truth, that I was 17 years old. But wh e n we got the licens e I wrote down 16 y ears old which was correct. Raym ond 's Mother and Ja rvis his brother an d Harley were there when we got m arrie d by a Bishop . It cost $10.00. i t was Bishop Anderson in Blackfoot , Idah o who marri ed us. From this poin t on her history is with Raymon d Jensen' s history . Ardith passed away o n September 29, 2005 in Blackfo ot, Idaho. She i s buried in Blackfoot, Idaho.
Additional Comments by Layne E. Wilson on March 16, 2013
My memories of Raymond & Ardith Whiting Jensen
I am Layne Wilson the grandson of Boots Whiting Barrus. I was bo r n o n J une 11, 1963. I grew up in West Jordan, Utah. Ardith Whiting J en se n i s the aunt of my mother Beulah Delayne Barrus Wilson (Boots’s d aug hte r). I came to know Ardith and Raymond Jensen during my youth wh e n m y par ents occasionally visited their farm in Wapello, Blackfoot, a n d Ida ho. I consider Aridity and Raymond my 2nd Idaho Grandparents. Ar id it y a nd Boots had similar personalities. Aridity and Raymond wer e t w o o f the finest people anyone could ever know. Through my life I s topp e d t o visit often staying overnight when I passed through Easter n Idah o e ver y few years. I remember their simple small farmhouse. Ray mond a n d Ard ith always cooked us the greatest breakfast. I know tha t the Jen s en fam ily worked very hard often putting everything on the l ine jus t t o surviv e with their farming lifestyle. Aridity and Raymon d were ha r d workin g potato farmers and narrated their farming experien ce durin g m y visits w ith them. These were very pleasant memories for m e my enti r e life.
Raymond & Ardith Jensen owned a small home on their 40 acre farm . I t h a d an old fashioned kitchen with a wood burning stove and an old er e lect ri c stove with one element burned out. The story is that on e nigh t dur in g a thunderstorm a bolt of lightning had come through th e kitche n wind o w and struck one of the elements and burned it out. Th ey ha d a cat na me d “Taffy” There were lots of feral cats running loos e outs ide on th e fa rm to keep the mice population down. I also remem ber pla ying wit h Ray mond’s tractor and got my first experience learnin g to dri ve a pick up tru ck when I was about 14. Their home was very s imple bu t a hom e full o f love welcoming everyone who visited. I fel t very muc h at hom e there. I have memories of Ardith taking us to the E astern Idah o Stat e Fair i n Blackfoot in 1978 and learned to appreciat e the Idaho f armin g culture. From that time on Lidia (my wife) and I s pent several L abo r Day Weeke nds with them. When I served in Iraq, the re were severa l se ttings ther e that would remind me or Raymond’s far m back in Wapello , ID. | Whiting, Harley C (I147503)
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Written by: Ada Stott Stewart (a daughter in-law)
Elizabeth is the daughter of James and Janet Snedden Duncan. Her par e n t s were both born in Scotland and came to Utah in the summer of 185 1 . T he y settled first at Sessions, Utah later named Bountiful. Then th e y mo ve d south and settled in Fillmore, Utah. Their first two childre n , Mar y Jan et and James, were born there.
In the year 1857 they moved to Meadow, Utah. They were the first fa m i l y to move to Meadow which was a creek of water with wild grassy ha y g ro wi ng along its banks. They were the parents of nine children, Eli zabe t h be ing the sixth Chil. She was born at Meadow, February 8, 18 6 6 i n a blu e adobe house which stood on the lot where Isaac, a son o f El izab eth buil t a nice modern home in 1928.
When she was eighteen years of age Elizabeth was married to James M. S t e w art on December 21, 1883. Nine children were born to them. She mar r i e d in polygamy. Her older sister, Mary Janet, was the first wife.
For several years after her husband’s return from his mission the gove r n m ent was trying to put a stop to the practice of polygamy and the Un it e d S tates Marshals were constantly after those who were involved i n th i s prac tice. The marshals were very bad and Elizabeth was runnin g fro m o ne plac e to another in hiding until after her fourth Child wa s bor n in 1892.
After this was over she took a course in obstetrics and nursing. S h e d i d this work for forty-four years and during this time she brough t a nd h el ped to bring hundreds of babies into the world. The closest d octo r wa s se ven miles away and very busy. Doctors weren’t called for s uch o rdin ary t hings as Childbirth but were reserved for real emergenci es. Ch ildr en wer e brought into the world by midwives—friendly neighbo r women . Reg ardles s of relationship they were always called “aunt” b y everyon e in to wn. El izabeth was lovingly known to everyone as "Aun t Bee'. Usua lly sh e live d in with the family and stayed as long as sh e was needed . Cookin g the f amily meals and caring for the mother and C hild. Whateve r pay wa s offere d was acceptable. Usually it was in mor e practical good s than m oney: Me at, fresh from the killing, a weaner c alf, a milk cow , severa l loads of h ay, or flour fresh from the grist m ill. Sometimes p ayment s tretched ou t over several years but love and a ppreciation laste d a lifet ime. She als o went out a great deal nursin g the sick in the to wn.
Elizabeth Emma Stewart died 10 April 1950 at eighty-four years of age.
(Most of this history was written when she was sixty-nine years ol d , i t i s February 1963 now. Six of her nine children are still living ) . Sh e ha s been a mother in every deed to all of them and they all lo v e and r espec t her.
(Note added by Granddaughter, Gloria Stewart Martin,)
Some parts in this history was left out because it was included in the H i story that was previously Submitted.
After the Emancipation Proclamation the polygamists were not allow e d t o c ontinue to live with more than one wife. A new Red Rock Home w a s bui lt f or Elizabeth across the street from the school and Mary stay e d in th e fam ily home. James split his time between his two wives. M y Mo ther a nd Dad, Rose and Isaac, lived with Grandma Bee the first yea r of t heir m arriage. My Mother told me that when Grandpa's time came t o go sta y wit h Mary t hat Elizabeth would pack his bag and say "Jim, It 's time f or y ou to g o to Mary's". Sometimes he wasn't very happy to ha ve to kee p movi ng bac k and forth.
ELIZABETH EMMA DUNCAN STEWART
A sketch of my life and a few things I have done. Elizabeth Emma Du n c a n Stewart born February 8, 1866 at Meadow, Millard County, daught e r o f Ja mes and Jenet Sneden Duncan. James Duncan born February 5, 18 2 8 Gre n End, Scotland. Jenet Snedden born April 21, 1830 Gargell, Scotl an d.
I had nine brothers and sisters: Mary, Jane, David, John, Christeen a , A d am, George and Richard. I lived in Meadow all my life, was marri e d t o Ja mes M. Stewart December 21, 1885. We had nine children, thre e bo y s and s ix girls: Emma Jennet, Neil Murdock, Ruth Ellen, Isaac, Zi na, V i olet, Gr ace, Blanche and Golden. I helped finance six missionari es.
Was president of the Relief Society eight years. Was president of t h e P r imary. Was a nurse and midwife forty-five years. Brought hundre d s o f ba bies into this world and nursed many. Worked hard, we had a fa mi l y of tw enty-one for years. We used to do most of our clothes for ou r f i rst chil dren. Did all the washing and ironing, all the bread and b utte r, in fac t everything we ate.
Elizabeth with some of her girlfriends would get up at daylight in t h e m o rning and go to the fields and glean grain along the ditch bank s an d i n o ther places where the grain was left. They would sell this g rai n an d bu y their winter clothes. She and her sister Mary would spen d muc h o f thei r time in the summer drying all kinds of fruit. They wou ld sel l s ome o f this fruit and buy clothes and other things they neede d. Some tim es the y would have drying bees and invite the neighbor wome n and the n ne ighbor s would have one and invite her. Sometimes they wou ld serve p icni cs.
Copied from a page written in Elizabe t h’s handwritin g . | Duncan, Elizabeth Emma (I6451)
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written in tribute to Howard and Lola Jensen for their 50th Wedding An n i v ersary
by their daughter, Loretta
When I was a little girl, I loved to walk with my father and hold onto H i s hands. They were strong and warm and covered my tiny ones completely.
My dad was a farmer. As I looked at his hands, I wondered how he go t c u t s so often and even purple fingernails now and then. But I usuall y n e ve r asked him. I just held tightly to his fingers and went where h e gu i de d me.
Years passed by, and I became a teenager. My hands were busy learn i n g t o care for me. Once when I was with my grandmother, my gaze fel l up o n he r hands. They were big-knuckled and wrinkled with the veins s tandi n g out. The skin was work-worn and the knuckles on her right han d wer e l arge r than those on her left hand. I didn’t ask her anything a bout h e r hands. I was busy thinking about other things. And I barely gl anc e d at my ow n mother’s hands.
Years passed by, and I became a bride. I still love to hold my husba n d ’ s hands. His love, understanding, and guidance have always been th e r e i n the gentle touch of his hand through all the years.
Then I became a mother. These were the busy years caring for our ba b i e s whose hands were pink and sweet and a gift from God. Their hand s w e r e soft, smooth, sweet smelling, muddy, clean, busy and helping ha nds.
Now my hands are engraved with lines of experience - they are carve d w i t h lines that came from helping our growing children through sickn es s a n d health. Today my hands are big knuckled and wrinkled with vein s s tan di ng out. The knuckles of my dad’s right hand are larger than th os e o f hi s left. Our skin is work worn. If I could place my hands on m y g ra ndmot her’s and my mother’s hands, we would see our hands look ali ke . W e woul d not have to ask each other how they became so lined and c rea sed. We wo uld just smile, recognizing that time has taught us much.
These are the hands of goodly parents whose tender loving care of u s o v e r the years is reflected in the carved creases of their hand s - a sym b o l of caring and doing for each of us and for each other - w hich neve r s ee ms to cease. They have always been there whenever we nee ded them a n d sti ll are.
Mother was with me for all of my own babies.
Dad is still concerned and helps with the farming.
They came to help with every move we made.
They gave of themselves all the time and never wanted to receive anyt h i n g in return.
These are the hands which taught me to milk cows and other farming ski l l s. Dad’s hands taught us to clean the end of the beet rows thoroughly .
Needless to say these hands also had to discipline. We all rememb e r t h e times we had to be taught obedience. After the spanking he to l d m e h e expected me to obey him. Then he held my hand in his all th e wa y ba ck t hrough the fields to the house. I knew he loved me. His ha nds h av e alwa ys played with all of our children and grandchildren. H e tease d t hem an d made them laugh. Oh, the memories of watching his ha nds shov e l ditches, milk cows, cut hair creating the best looking hayst acks arou n d.
Mother’s hands taught me persistence and to push ourselves by workin g a l o ng with us. “O, we can do another row - we’ve got almost 500 sac k s o f po tatoes - come on!” We learned how to work. Her hands signed en ou g h card s alone to keep the card companies in business. I loved to wa t c h her mak e pies and skin chickens. Her hands always moved faster th a n a nyone else ’s, and when she ironed I felt the board would break. H e r han ds filled o ur home with the fragrance of fresh baked bread. Cook ie s an d meals foun d their way into many homes - gifts of love from he r ha nds. Her hands ta ught me cleanliness by making me scrub my first fl oor t hr ee times. Thes e hands nursed our hurts, cuts and bruises. And t hen s h e would sit dow n at the piano where her hands poured out the mel odie s le arned years ago. It was her hands pressing temple clothes tha t creat e d within me the wi sh for a temple marriage.
Together their hands provided clothes, food and shelter and the exam p l e o f hard work and love of God.
We, your children, thank you for the gift of life, the guidance towa r d r e sponsibility and the model your lives have been in caring for oth er s. I t is a privilege to share this celebration with you. We honor y o u a nd lo ve you. Thank you for the work of your hands, and for the war mt h o f lov e and security and caring that has so closely knit our live s to geth er.
Years will pass by, and the time will come when we may see our Savio r ’ s h ands with their lines of supreme love and sacrifice. His sacred , na i l sc arred hands may then gently touch ours - if we are worthy t o hol d su ch pr ecious hands. | Wilcox, Lola (I152481)
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Yolande of Aragon (11 August 1384 – 14 November 1442) was a throne cl a i m ant and titular queen regnant of Aragon, titular queen consort of N ap le s, Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Provence, and regent of Provence d uri n g t he minority of her son. She was a daughter of John I of Arago n an d hi s wi fe Yolande of Bar (daughter of Robert I, Duke of Bar, an d Mari e of V alois). Yolande played a crucial role in the struggles betw een Fra nce an d Engl and, influencing events such as the financing of Jo an of Ar c's arm y in 14 29 and tipping the balance in favour of the Fren ch. She w as als o known a s Jolantha de Aragon and Violant d'Aragó. Trad ition hold s tha t she commis sioned the famous Rohan Hours.
Family and marriage
Yolande was born in Zaragoza, Aragon on 11 August 1384, the eldest dau g h t er of King John I of Aragon by his second wife, Yolande of Bar, th e g ra nd daughter of King John II of France. She had three brothers an d tw o sis ter s, as well as five older half-siblings from her father's f irs t marria ge t o Martha of Armagnac. Yolande later played an importan t rol e in th e polit ics of the Angevin Empire, France, and Aragon durin g th e first ha lf of th e 15th century.
In 1389, Louis II was crowned King of Naples. His mother Marie of Bl o i s o pened negotiations for a marriage between her son and Yolande, t o p re ven t Aragon from obstructing his rule there. When Yolande was ele ven , sh e si gned a document to disavow any promises made by ambassador s abo ut he r mar rying Louis II. In 1395, Richard II of England also ope ned ne gotiat ions f or Yolande's hand. To prevent this marriage, Charle s VI o f Franc e offere d his own daughter Isabella to King Richard. Afte r the d eath o f Yolande' s father, Marie of Blois convinced Yolande's un cle Mart in I o f Aragon t o have Yolande wed Louis II. Yolande signe d a protest , but wa s forced t o retract that later. They married in Arl es on Decemb er 2, 140 0. Despit e her earlier objections and the illness es of her hus band later, the marr iage was a success.
Claim to the Aragonese throne
As the surviving daughter of King John I of Aragon, she claimed the th r o n e of Aragon after the deaths of her elder sister Joanna, Countes s o f Fo ix, and her uncle, King Martin I. However, unclear though they w ere , th e la ws of succession for Aragon and Barcelona at that time wer e und ersto od t o favour all male relatives over the females (this is ho w Yola nde' s uncle, Martin of Aragon came to inherit the throne of Arago n). Mar ti n died wit hout surviving issue in 1410, and after two years w ithou t a ki ng, the Est ates of Aragon elected Ferdinand de Antequera a s the n ext Kin g of Arago n as Ferdinand I. He was the second son of Que en Elean or of Ar agon and Ki ng John I of Castile.
The Anjou candidate for the throne of Aragon was Yolande's eldest so n L o u is III of Anjou, Duke of Calabria, whose claim was forfeited in t he P a c t of Caspe. Yolande and her sons regarded themselves as the heir s wi t h th e stronger claim, and began to use the title of Kings of Arag on . A s a res ult of this additional inheritance, Yolande was called th e "Q uee n of Fou r Kingdoms" - the four apparently Sicily, Jerusalem, Cy pru s an d Aragon. A nother interpretation specifies Naples separate fro m Sic ily, plus Jerusal em and Aragon. The number could be raised to seve n if t h e two component k ingdoms of the Crown of Aragon (Majorca and Va lencia ) a nd Sardinia were i ncluded. However, the reality was that Yola nde an d he r family controlle d territories in the said kingdoms only a t shor t inter vals, if ever. Thei r true realm was the Anjou fiefdoms ac ross Fr ance: th ey held uncontestabl y the provinces of Provence and Anj ou, an d also at t imes Bar, Maine, Tour aine and Valois. Yolande's son R ené I o f Anjou beca me ruler of Lorraine t hrough his marriage to Isabel la, Duch ess of Lorrai ne.
France and the House of Anjou
In the emerging second phase of the Hundred Years' War, Yolande ch o s e t o support the French (in particular the Armagnac party) against t h e E ngli sh and the Burgundians. After John the Fearless, Duke of Burgu nd y in stiga ted a mob attack on the Dauphin of France in 1413, she an d he r husb and re pudiated the engagement of their son Louis to John's d aught er Cath erine o f Burgundy, which placed them decisively in the Arm agna c camp. I n the sam e year, Yolande met with Queen Isabeau of Franc e to f inaliz e a marriage c ontract between her daughter Marie and Isabe au's th ird sur viving son Char les.
After his two older brothers died, she supported the claim of the Dau p h i n Charles who, relying upon Yolande's resources and help, succeed e d i n be coming crowned Charles VII of France. As Charles' own mother , Qu ee n Isabe au, worked against his claims, it has been said that Yola nde w a s the pers on who protected the adolescent Charles against all so rts o f p lots on hi s life and acted as a substitute mother. She remove d Charl es f rom his par ents' court and kept him in her own castles, usu ally tho se i n the Loire V alley, where Charles received Joan of Arc. Yo lande arr ange d the marriag e of Charles to her daughter Mary of Anjou , thus becom ing C harles' mother -in-law. This led to Yolande's personal , and crucial , invo lvement in th e struggle for the survival of the Hou se of Valois i n Franc e.
Yolande's marriage to Louis II of Anjou, at Arles in December 1400 , w a s a rranged as a part of long-standing efforts to resolve conteste d cla im s up on the kingdom of Sicily and Naples between the houses of A njou a n d Arago n. Louis spent much of his life fighting in Italy for hi s clai m t o the Ki ngdom of Naples. In France, Yolande was the Duchess o f Anjo u an d the Coun tess of Provence. She preferred to hold court in A ngers a nd Sa umur. She h ad six children, and through her second son Rén e was th e gran dmother of M argaret of Anjou, the wife of King Henry V I of Englan d.
With the victory of the English over the French at the Battle of Aginc o u r t in 1415, the Duchy of Anjou was threatened. The French king, Char l e s VI, was mentally ill and his realm was in a state of civil war betw e e n th e Burgundians and the Orleanists (Armagnacs). The situation wa s ma d e wors e by an alliance among the Duke of Burgundy, John the Fearl ess , th e Engli sh, and the French queen, Isabeau of Bavaria, who submit te d to th e Duke o f Burgundy's scheme to deny the crown of France to th e C hildre n of Charle s VI. Fearing the abusive power building behind th e Du ke of B urgundy, Lou is II had Yolande move with her children and fu tur e son-in-l aw, Charles, to Provence in southern France.
The Dauphin
In the years 1415 and 1417, the two oldest surviving sons of Charl e s V I o f France died in quick succession: first Louis, then Jean. Bot h b roth er s had been in the care of the Duke of Burgundy. Yolande was t he p rotec tre ss of her son-in-law, Charles, who became the new Dauphin . Sh e refuse d Qu een Isabeau's orders to return Charles to the French C ourt , reported ly re plying, "We have not nurtured and cherished this on e fo r you to mak e hi m die like his brothers or to go mad like his fath er, o r to become E nglis h like you. I keep him for my own. Come and tak e hi m away, if you d are."
On 29 April 1417, Louis II of Anjou died of illness, leaving Yoland e , a t age 33, in control of the House of Anjou. She acted as regent f o r h er s on because of his youth. She also had the fate of the French r oy al h ous e of Valois in her hands. Her young son-in-law, the Dauphin C har les, wa s exceptionally vulnerable to the designs of the English King , He nr y V, a nd to his older cousin, John the Fearless, the Duke of Bur gundy . C harles ' nearest older relatives, the Dukes of Orléans and of B ourbon , ha d bee n made prisoners at the Battle of Agincourt and were he ld capt ive b y th e English. With his mother, Queen Isabeau, and the Duk e of Bur gund y allie d with the English, Charles had no resources to sup port hi m othe r than th ose of the House of Anjou and the smaller Hous e of Armag nac.
Following the assassination of John the Fearless at Montereau in 1419, H i s son Philip the Good succeeded him as Duke of Burgundy. With He n r y V o f England, he forced the Treaty of Troyes (21 May 1420) on th e me nt ally-i ll King Charles VI. The treaty designated Henry as "Regen t of F ran ce" an d heir to the French throne. Following this, the Dauphi n Charl es w as decl ared disinherited in 1421. When both Henry V of Engl and an d Charl es VI o f France died in 1422 (on 31 August and 21 October , respe ctively), the Da uphin Charles, at age 19, legitimately became Ch arles VI I of Fra nce. Char les' title was challenged by the English an d their Bur gundian a llies, wh o supported the candidacy of Henry VI o f England, th e infant so n of Henr y V and Catherine of Valois, Charles ' own sister, a s king of Fr ance. Thi s set the stage for the last phas e of the Hundre d Years' War: t he "War o f Charles VII".
In this struggle, Yolande played a prominent role in surrounding the y o u n g Valois king with advisors and servants associated with the Hous e o f A nj ou. She maneuvered John VI, Duke of Brittany, into breaking a n all ianc e w ith the English, and was responsible for a soldier from th e Bret on du ca l family, Arthur de Richemont, becoming Constable of Fran ce in 1 425. Y ola nde's early and strong support of Joan of Arc, when ot hers ha d doubts, su ggests her possible larger role in orchestrating Joa n's appe arance o n th e scene. Yolande unquestionably practiced realisti c politic s. Usin g the C onstable de Richemont, Yolande was behind the f orceful re moval o f severa l of Charles VII's less desirable advisors. T he worst, L a Trémoi lle, wa s attacked and forced from the court in 1433 . Yolande wa s not ave rse to r ecruiting beautiful women and coaching th em to becom e the mistre sses of i nfluential men who would spy on them o n her behalf . She had a n etwork o f such women in the courts of Lorrain e, Burgundy , Brittany, an d her son-i n-law.
The contemporary chronicler Jean Juvenal des Ursins (1433–44), Bis h o p o f Beauvais, described Yolande as "the prettiest woman in the king do m. " S ource: Wikipedia | de Aragon, Yolande Duchess of Anjou (I5665)
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Zilpah is Leah's handmaid who becomes a wife of Jacob and bears hi m t w o s ons Gad and Asher. | Zilpah (I64665)
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Zina Diantha Huntington Young, third general president of the Relief Soc i ety, was fondly known by the sisters of the Church as the “heart” of Re li ef Society. “Sister Zina was all love and sympathy, and drew people af te r her by reason of that tenderness,” wrote Susa Young Gates, one of th e m ost prolific LDS writers of that time.
With gentleness, kindness, and the power of God, “Aunt Zina” inspired t h e women to be better. “Sisters, it is for us to be wide awake to our du ti es,” she said. “The kingdom will roll on, and we have nothing to fea r bu t our own imperfections.”
With the tenderness she was known for, Zina taught the importance of a p e rsonal testimony of the restored gospel. “Seek for a testimony, as yo u wo uld, my dear sisters, for a diamond concealed. If someone told you b y dig ging long enough in a certain spot you would find a diamond of unme asure d wealth, do you think you would begrudge time or strength, or mean s spen t to obtain that treasure? . . . If you will dig in the depths o f your ow n hearts you will find, with the aid of the Spirit of the Lord , the pear l of great price, the testimony of the truth of this work.”
By all accounts, Zina graciously embraced the Lord’s will in her life de s pite many hardships. Her beloved mother died in the expulsion from Miss ou ri. Her father died in the expulsion from Nauvoo. And she gave birt h t o a baby in a wagon while headed west.
But since the day she picked up the Book of Mormon as a 14-year-old gi r l and felt the burning in her heart that it was true, nothing could har de n her heart or make her testimony waver.
In her autobiography, she wrote, “Before my maker I wish to bear a faith f ul Testimony that this is the work of God & each year it is more precio us .”
Early Life
Zina Diantha Huntington was born January 31, 1821, in Watertown, New Yor k , to William and Zina Baker Huntington. She was the seventh of nine chi ld ren. Zina’s parents were strict Presbyterians and set good patterns fo r t heir children. As a family, they read the Bible daily, sang hymns a s Zin a played on the cello, and prayed together morning and night. Zina’ s moth er was known for taking care of those in need, while her father ha d studi ed the Bible enough to conclude that none of the churches at tha t time “h ad the organization peculiar to the primitive church.” So whe n the famil y heard the restored gospel, all but her oldest brother, Chau ncy, embrace d it. Hyrum Smith baptized Zina on August 1, 1835.
Marriage and Family
Zina married Henry Bailey Jacobs on March 7, 1841. They had two sons b u t did not remain together. As a plural wife of Brigham Young, Zina ha d on e daughter, and she raised four other children as her own after thei r mot her died. Blessed with the gift of healing and limited medical trai ning , Zina helped the sick and delivered countless babies. She died Augu st 28 , 1901, in Salt Lake City.
Highlights of Service
Before serving as general Relief Society president, Zina spent 21 year s t raveling the Utah Territory organizing Relief Societies with her dea r fri end Eliza R. Snow, who was then the Relief Society general presiden t. Aft er Zina became general president, she continued and expanded thos e visit s beyond Utah, adding an emphasis on local Relief Societies creat ing thei r own nursing classes and improving medical care. She opened a n ursing sc hool and headed the school of obstetrics. She advocated women’ s suffrage , served as president of the Deseret Silk Association, and wa s matron o f the Salt Lake Temple from its dedication in 1893 until her d eath. | Huntington, Zina Diantha (I87838)
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[born July 26, 1899]
(from a notebook in his own handwriting, 1977)
Rulon: Born 302 N 2nd West, Sandy Utah
My father: Riley Henderson Graves
My mother: Sarah Ann Russell Graves
Father in various business in City Drugstore Saloon [can't read his wr i t i ng] (?Dumphuis? Marshall)
Active civic affairs, I.O.O.F. member [Independent Order of Odd Fello w s , a worldwide group of local service groups. They provide service an d s u p port to other members of the group. It is still an active servic e org a niz ation today with more than 600,000 members worldwide. ]
He died when I was 8 months old. [April 9, 1900]
Mother returned to her old home at Murray ______ yr?
I was the youngest of three boys: James Benton Graves [1890-1972] an d C o r win Russell Graves [1893-1978]. James was 10 years my senior an d Cor w i n 6 years older.
Grandfather [Thomas Wilson] Russell came to Utah in 1849 [18 or 19 y e a r s old at the time]. He buried a wife [Jane McFall, 1830-18??], some wh e r e between Utah and Nauvoo. I believe he was in the Orson Spencer g rou p. H e married again to Elizabeth Ann Hamilton [in August 1853]. In t he A p ri l [general] conference of 1854, he was called on a mission to E nglan d. A t that time, they were living in a dugout on Gordons Lane, bet ween S t at e Street and what is now 4500 South. They had a cow but no ho rses , s o h e traded [their] cow for a horse and he rode the horse to St . Lou is, the n he went on to England on a ship, working his way as a pur ser [ a n office r on a ship who handles financial accounts and who keep s mone y a nd valuab les for passengers].
My mother was born that fall on October 27, 1854. She did not see he r f a t her until she was 3 years old. [He returned to Salt Lake with th e Jo h n W. Berry company of pioneer in 1858] He later filled another mis sio n t o ne ar St. George. They were called to settle there. It was cons ider e d a miss ion at that time. They returned later to [Salt Lake City ] Uta h a nd he squ atted on the ground on Big Cottonwood Creek, where h e buil t a l arge farm. That ground was [then] Missouri territory [he mea nt th e Uta h territory]. There [was] no [homesteading], but squatter's r ight . Thi s was the plac e we moved after father's death. I remember a l arg e rock h ouse set away b ack in with a long lane as [you] enter. It w a s a two-stor y house surround ed by a big orchard. Big Cottonwood Cree k w as the outsid e boundary. A lar ge pond and a big barn.
[Thomas] raised fruit of all kinds and sold to the general authorit i e s i n Salt Lake. I do not remember either of my grandparents as the y di e d soo n after we moved there. [Elizabeth Ann Hamilton died 1902, T homa s R ussel l died 1903] The farm was sold about that time. I must hav e bee n ab ou t 4 years old.
We were very poor financially and mother took a job as janitor of th e g [ r ade] school. She had to walk about a mile each way to the schoolh ous e a n d back, twice a day. Mother and father had a fine farm and toda y (1 977) t here are nearly fifty homes built on the old site.
Other information about Thomas W. Russell:
Thomas arrived in Utah sometime before the 1850 federal census was tak e n . He appears as a 19-year-old laborer living with the Alexander Hil l f a m ily. Further research is needed to determine exactly when and wit h w h o m he traveled to the Salt Lake Valley.
In 1858 he returned from England and traveled back to Utah with th e J o h n W. Berry company.
Here's a short listing of Thomas Russell from the diary of John W. B e r r y company:
Tho[ma]s W. Russell, age 26, in Church 14 years, 5 quo 70 [5th quo r u m o f the Seventy], Pastor of Cheltenham & C, England, residence G.S. L . C o. F armer | Graves, Rulon Henderson (I166331)
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| 2863 |
~SEALING_SPOUSE: Also shown as SealSp 10 Mar 1958, SLAKE. | Family: Gideon Crawford / Freelove Fenner (F9226)
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| 2864 |
~SEALING_SPOUSE: Also shown as SealSp 18 Jan 2019, PROVO. | Family: John Field / Ruth Fairbanks (F8965)
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| 2865 |
~SEALING_SPOUSE: Also shown as SealSp 21 Oct 1988, PROVO. | Family: Abraham Staples / Mehitable Hayward (F2222)
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| 2866 |
~SEALING_SPOUSE: Also shown as SealSp 25 Oct 1958, LOGAN. | Family: Thomas Barnes / Prudence Albee (F5726)
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| 2867 |
James Allan Watson was born 5 July 1867 in Provo, Utah, Utah Terri t ory to Andrew and Jean Allan Watson. His father, Andrew Watson was bo r n in Kettlebridge,Fifeshire, Scotland on 13 October 1832 to James and J an et Rumgay Watson. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da y Sai nts on 5 December 1852 at the age of 20. He wanted to come west wi th th e gathering of the saints.
On Thursday 1 May 1856 the Ship “Thornton”(Collins Captain ) r eceived the saints, 761 in number, on board in the Bramley Moore Dock , Li verpool, and on the following Saturday. President F. D. Richards , accom panied by the Government Inspector and Doctor, came on board an d the sain ts underwent the usual inspection, and were all pronounced b y those offic ers to be in goodhealth. President Richards appointed J.G . Willie, capt ain of the Company and elders Millen Atwood, Moses Clough[ Cluff], and [Jo han August] Ahmanson, counsellors; and afterwards, in a f ew appropriate r emarks, exhorts the people to strict obedience on the pa ssage, as otherwi se they could not expect and would not have a prosperou s voyage. Presiden t Richards then blessed them in the name of the Lord , and by the authorit y of the Holy Priesthood. Captain Willie then mad e the usual appointment s for the promotion of cleanliness and good order .
Andrew Watson traveled by himself at the age of 24. This i s f rom his journal: “We travelled from New York by railway and steam bo at a cross Lakes and up the Rivers to Iowa, where we pitched our tents, m ade o ur hand carts previous to starting for Salt Lake City, the date i n starti ng from there I don't remember. We finally came to Council Bluff s, here w e stopped to recruit and repair our carts and lay in provision s previou s to crossing to the Great Plains as it was then termed.
On the 15th of July we started from the Iowa camping groun d , for old Winter Quarters, now known as Florence, and pursued our journ e y as far as till the 20th. when Adelaide R. Baker, of the Portsmouth br an ch of the Southampton conference, with her two children, Ann andSabin a Bi rd of the Eaton Bray branch of the Bedfordshire conference, and Harr iet S mith, of the Bristol branch of the south Conference left us for th e leek s and onions. I would here mention an act of kindness performed b y a gent leman Mr. Charles Good, of Fort Desmoines. He presented me wit h fifteen p airs of childrens boots, which I readily accepted, as he seem ed to be inf luenced by a sincere desire to do good.
After stopping at Council Bluffs a short time we started f o r the Plains. They were with the James G. Willie Handcart Company. "17 "l bs. of luggage to the person was allowed and one man to the handcart w it h a wife or a girl or two to help push. We started with one hundred po und s of flour on each cart to lighten what few teams we had with us to c arr y the sick and infirm. It was considered necessary to make a stil l furt her reduction in the ration of flour, and accordingly, i t was fix ed at 10½ oz. for men, 9 oz for women, 6 oz for children, an d 3 oz for in fants.
This turned out to be a very salutary arrangement, as it ju s t enabled us to eke out our provisions until the very day that we recei ve d material aid from the Valley, which arrived,(when the little ones we r e crying for bread,) on the 20th of Oct., in the shape of 14 wagons lad e n with flour, onions and clothing. The last bit of breadstuffs, (whic h co nstituted all the provisions we then had,) was served out two night s prev iously. We all felt rejoiced at our timely deliverance, and attrib uted i t entirely to the hand of God which had been over us during the wh ole o f our journey.
I feel to conclude by saying, that on the whole, the Saint s b ore the heavy trials of the journey with a becoming and praiseworth y fort itude. I may add too, that in consequence of their having to cros s the No rth Fork of the Platte, and the Sweetwater several times, thru t he cold w ater, and to sleep on the snow, each person having only sevente en pound s of luggage including bedding, and thru other privations necess arily inc ident to the journey at so late a period of the season, many o f the age d and infirm failed in strength and died.
The diahrea [diarrhea] took a firm hold. – our wagons we r e crowded with the sick, which broke down our teams; and thus we ofte n we re obliged to refuse the admission of many who were really worthy t o ride . In crossing the Rocky Ridge, we had to encounter a heavy snow st orm, ac companied by a strong north wind. It was the most disastrous da y on the w hole trip, 15 dying from fatigue and exposure to the cold. W e had on thi s day as on subsequent days, to clear away the snow, in orde r to make pla ces for pitching our tents. Notwithstanding the disadvantag es of our posi tion in crossing the Rocky Ridge, we traveled 16 miles o n that day with o ur hand–carts. The total number of deaths in this compa ny, from Liverpool , was 77, besides one child belonging to Capt.Silers w agon.
Had it not been for the prompt action of President Brigham Y o ung and the Blessings of the Lord in sending teams with provisions to m ee t us, we would have perished on the plains and in the mountains. Histo r y will never fully reveal the sufferings of those belated handcart comp an ies, but I have ever felt thankful that I got here. Finally after muc h to il and suffering and many deaths, we arrived in Salt Lake City on th e 9t h of November 1856, A. D.”
His father, Andrew married his mother Jean Allan on 16 Octob e r 1860 in Provo, Utah,Utah Territory. Jean was born 29 August 1830 i n Ca rnoustie, Angus, Scotland to George and Margaret Mathewson Allan. Th ey ha d seven children with the two adopted daughters, four girls and thr ee boy s. Mary Jane Blood (adopted) born 23 January 1859; Janet was bor n 30 Jul y 1861; Andrew Allan was born 22 December 1862. Sarah Ellen Blo od (adopt ed) was born 28 February 1863; George Allan was born 14 Januar y 1864 an d died 17 January 1865; Margaret Jean was born 21 December 1865 ; and Jame s Allan was born 5 July 1867. James lived only a year and a h alf. He di ed on 11 November 1868 in Provo, Utah,Utah Territory. He wou ld not get t o know his brothers and sisters in this life.
The two adopted daughters, Mary Jane Blood and Sarah Ellen B l ood were taken in by Andrew Watson. Background on the girls is as foll ow s: Mary Jane Blood Watson was born 23 January 1859 in Provo, Utah, Ut a h Territory to Moroni and Mary Wood Blood. Her mother, Mary was an ado pt ed Indian daughter of Daniel Wood (Woods Cross was named after Danie l Woo d). He adopted three Indian children from the Ute tribe. They wer e enga ged in the trade of children that they stole from other tribes. Th ey too k in the three young children so they would have better lives.
Mary met Moroni Blood who had been working in a residence ne a r the Wood home. . She married him when she was about 17 and they ha d tw o daughters named Mary Jane Blood (called Jennie), and Sarah Blood , bor n about 1861. Three years after their marriage,Mary contracted on e of th e diseases of the white man, thought to be diphtheria and died a t about a ge 20. The two little baby girls were adopted into separate fam ilies in t he southern part of Utah. Mary Jane called herself Jennie an d was adopte d by a Mormon convert from Scotland, Andrew Watson. They we re raised wit h the children of Andrew and Jean. | Watson, James Allan (I175805)
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| 2868 |
George Allan Watson was born 14 January 1864 in Provo, Uta h , Utah Territory to Andrew and Jean Allan Watson.
His father, Andrew Watson was born in Kettlebridge,Fifeshir e , Scotland on 13 October 1832 to James and Janet Rumgay Watson. He joi ne d the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 5 December 1852 a t t he age of 20. He wanted to come west with the gathering of the saint s.
On Thursday 1 May 1856 the Ship “Thornton”(Collins Captain ) r eceived the saints, 761 in number, on board in the Bramley Moore Dock , Li verpool, and on the following Saturday. President F. D. Richards , accom panied by the Government Inspector and Doctor, came on board an d the sain ts underwent the usual inspection, and were all pronounced b y those offic ers to be in good health. President Richards appointed J. G. Willie, cap tain of the Company and elders Millen Atwood, Moses Clough [Cluff], and [J ohan August] Ahmanson, counsellors; and afterwards, i n a few appropriat e remarks, exhorts the people to strict obedience on t he passage, as othe rwise they could not expect and would not have a pros perous voyage. Presi dent Richards then blessed them in the name of the L ord, and by the autho rity of the Holy Priesthood. Captain Willie then ma de the usual appointme nts for the promotion of cleanliness and good orde r.
Andrew Watson traveled by himself at the age of 24. This i s f rom his journal: “We travelled from New York by railway and steam bo at a cross Lakes and up the Rivers to Iowa, where we pitched our tents, m ade o ur hand carts previous to starting for Salt Lake City, thedate in s tartin g from there I don't remember. We finally came to Council Bluffs , here w e stopped to recruit and repair our carts and lay in provision s previou s to crossing to the Great Plains as it was then termed.
On the 15th of July we started from the Iowa camping groun d , for old Winter Quarters, now known as Florence, and pursued our journ e y as far as till the 20th. when Adelaide R. Baker, of the Portsmouth br an ch of the Southampton conference, with her two children, Ann and Sabin a B ird of the Eaton Bray branch of the Bedfordshire conference, and Harr ie t Smith, of the Bristol branch of the south Conference left us for th e le eks and onions. I would here mention an act of kindness performed b y a ge ntleman Mr. Charles Good, of Fort Desmoines. He presented me wit h fiftee n pairs of childrens boots, which I readily accepted, as he seem ed to b e influenced by a sincere desire to do good.
After stopping at Council Bluffs a short time we started f o r the Plains. They were with the James G. Willie Handcart Company. "17 "l bs. of luggage to the person was allowed and one man to the handcart w it h a wife or a girl or two to help push. We started with one hundred po und s of flour on each cart to lighten what few teams we had with us to c arr y the sick and infirm. It was considered necessary to make a stil l furt her reduction in the ration of flour, and accordingly, i t was fix ed at 10½ oz. for men, 9 oz for women, 6 oz for children, an d 3 oz for in fants.
This turned out to be a very salutary arrangement, as it ju s t enabled us to eke out our provisions until the very day that we recei ve d material aid from the Valley, which arrived, (when the little ones w er e crying for bread,) on the 20th of Oct., in the shape of 14 wagons la de n with flour, onions and clothing. The last bit of breadstuffs,(whic h con stituted all the provisions we then had,) was served out two night s previ ously. We all felt rejoiced at our timely deliverance, and attrib uted i t entirely to the hand of God which had been over us during the wh ole o f our journey.
I feel to conclude by saying, that on the whole, the Saint s b ore the heavy trials of the journey with a becoming and praiseworth y fort itude. I may add too, that in consequence of their having to cros s the No rth Fork of the Platte, and the Sweetwater several times, thru t he cold w ater, and to sleep on the snow, each person having only sevente en pound s of luggage including bedding, and thru other privations necess arily inc ident to the journey at so late a period of the season, many o f the age d and infirm failed in strength and died.
The diahrea [diarrhea] took a firm hold. – our wagons we r e crowded with the sick, which broke down our teams; and thus we ofte n we re obliged to refuse the admission of many who were really worthy t o ride . In crossing the Rocky Ridge, we had to encounter a heavy snow st orm, ac companied by a strong north wind. It was the most disastrous da y on the w hole trip, 15 dying from fatigue and exposure to the cold. W e had on thi s day as on subsequent days, to clear away the snow, in orde r to make pla ces for pitching our tents. Notwithstanding the disadvantag es of our posi tion in crossing the Rocky Ridge, we traveled 16 miles o n that day with o ur hand–carts.
The total number of deaths in this company, from Liverpool, was 77, besi d es one child belonging to Capt. Silers wagon.
Had it not been for the prompt action of President Brigham Y o ung and the Blessings of the Lord in sending teams with provisions to m ee t us, we would have perished on the plains and in the mountains. Histo r y will never fully reveal the sufferings of those belated handcart comp an ies, but I have ever felt thankful that I got here. Finally after muc h to il and suffering and many deaths, we arrived in Salt Lake City on th e 9t h of November 1856, A. D.” | Watson, George Allan (I175803)
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| 2869 |
Margaret Jean Watson was born 21 December 1865 in Provo, Uta h , Utah Territory to Andrew and Jean Allan Watson. She was baptized in t o the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1874 at the age o f n ine.
Her father, Andrew Watson was born in Kettlebridge, Fifeshir e , Scotland on 13 October 1832 to James and Janet Rumgay Watson. He joi ne d the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 5 December 1852 a t t he age of 20. He wanted to come west with the gathering of the saint s.
On Thursday 1 May 1856 the Ship “Thornton”(Collins Captain ) r eceived the saints, 761 in number, on board in the Bramley Moore Dock , Li verpool, and on the following Saturday. President F. D. Richards , accom panied by the Government Inspector and Doctor, came on board an d the sain ts underwent the usual inspection, and were all pronounced b y those offic ers to be in good health. President Richards appointed J. G. Willie, cap tain of the Company and elders Millen Atwood, Moses Clough [Cluff], and [J ohan August] Ahmanson, counsellors; and afterwards, i n a few appropriat e remarks, exhorts the people to strict obedience on t he passage, as othe rwise they could not expect and would not have a pros perous voyage. Presi dent Richards then blessed them in the name of the L ord, and by the autho rity of the Holy Priesthood. Captain Willie then ma de the usual appointme nts for the promotion of cleanliness and good orde r.
Andrew Watson traveled by himself at the age of 24. Thi s i s from his journal: “We travelled from New York by railway and stea m boa t across Lakes and up the Rivers to Iowa, where we pitched our tent s, mad e our hand carts previous to starting for Salt Lake City, the dat e in sta rting from there I don't remember.We finally came to Council Blu ffs, her e we stopped to recruit and repair our carts and lay in provisio ns previo us to crossing to the Great Plains as it was then termed.
On the 15th of July we started from the Iowa camping groun d , for old Winter Quarters, now known as Florence, and pursued our journ e y as far as till the 20th. when Adelaide R. Baker, of the Portsmouth br an ch of the Southampton conference, with her two children, Ann and Sabin a B ird of the Eaton Bray branch of the Bedfordshire conference, and Harr ie t Smith, of the Bristol branch of the south Conference left us for th e le eks and onions. I would here mention an act of kindness performed b y a ge ntleman Mr. Charles Good, of Fort Desmoines. He presented me wit h fiftee n pairs of childrens boots, which I readily accepted, as he seem ed to b e influenced by a sincere desire to do good.
After stopping at Council Bluffs a short time we started f o r the Plains. They were with the James G. Willie Handcart Company. "17 "l bs. of luggage to the person was allowed and one man to the handcart w it h a wife or a girl or two to help push. We started with one hundred po und s of flour on each cart to lighten what few teams we had with us to c arr y the sick and infirm. It was considered necessary to make a stil l furt her reduction in the ration of flour, and accordingly, i t was fix ed at 10½ oz. for men, 9 oz for women, 6 oz for children, an d 3 oz for in fants.
This turned out to be a very salutary arrangement, as it ju s t enabled us to eke out our provisions until the very day that we recei ve d material aid from the Valley, which arrived,(when the little ones we r e crying for bread,) on the 20th of Oct., in the shape of 14 wagons lad e n with flour, onions and clothing. The last bit of breadstuffs, (whic h co nstituted all the provisions we then had,) was served out two night s prev iously. We all felt rejoiced at our timely deliverance, and attrib uted i t entirely to the hand of God which had been over us during the wh ole o f our journey.
I feel to conclude by saying, that on the whole, the Saint s b ore the heavy trials of the journey with a becoming and praiseworth y fort itude. I may add too, that in consequence of their having to cros s the No rth Fork of the Platte, and the Sweetwater several times, thru t he cold w ater, and to sleep on the snow, each person having only sevente en pound s of luggage including bedding, and thru other privations necess arily inc ident to the journey at so late a period of the season, many o f the age d and infirm failed in strength and died.
The diahrea [diarrhea] took a firm hold. – our wagons we r e crowded with the sick, which broke down our teams; and thus we ofte n we re obliged to refuse the admission of many who were really worthy t o ride . In crossing the Rocky Ridge, we had to encounter a heavy snow st orm, ac companied by a strong north wind. It was the most disastrous da y on the w hole trip, 15 dying from fatigue and exposure to the cold. W e had on thi s day as on subsequent days, to clear away the snow, in orde r to make pla ces for pitching our tents. Notwithstanding the disadvantag es of our posi tion in crossing the Rocky Ridge, we traveled 16 miles o n that day with o ur hand–carts.
The total number of deaths in this company, from Liverpool, was 77, besi d es one child belonging to Capt. Silers wagon.
Had it not been for the prompt action of President Brigham Y o ung and the Blessings of the Lord in sending teams with provisions to m ee t us, we would have perished on the plains and in the mountains. Histo r y will never fully reveal the sufferings of those belated handcart comp an ies, but I have ever felt thankful that I got here. Finally after muc h to il and suffering and many deaths, we arrived in Salt Lake City on th e 9t h of November 1856, A. D.”
Her father, Andrew married his mother Jean Allan on 16 Octob e r 1860 in Provo, Utah,Utah Territory. Jean was born 29 August 1830 i n Ca rnoustie, Angus, Scotland to George and Margaret Mathewson Allan. Th ey ha d seven children with the two adopted daughters, four girls and thr ee boy s. Mary Jane Blood (adopted) born 23 January 1859; Janet was bor n 30 Jul y 1861; Andrew Allan was born 22 December 1862. Sarah Ellen Blo od (adopt ed) was born 28 February 1863; George Allan was born 14 Januar y 1864; Mar garet Jean was born 21 December 1865; and James Allan was bor n 5 July 186 7. George lived only a year. He died on 17 January 1865 i n Provo, Utah, Utah Territory. He would not get to knowhis brothers an d sisters in thi s life.
The two adopted daughters, Mary Jane Blood and Sarah Ellen B l ood were taken in by Andrew Watson. Background on the girls is as foll ow s: Mary Jane Blood Watson was born 23 January 1859 in Provo, Utah, Ut a h Territory to Moroni and Mary Wood Blood. Her mother, Mary was an ado pt ed Indian daughter of Daniel Wood (Woods Cross was named after Danie l Woo d). He adopted three Indian children from the Ute tribe. They wer e enga ged in the trade of children that they stole from other tribes. Th ey too k in the three young children so they would have better lives.
Mary met Moroni Blood who had been working in a residence ne a r the Wood home. . She married him when she was about 17 and they ha d tw o daughters named Mary Jane Blood (called Jennie), and Sarah Blood , bor n about 1861. Three years after their marriage,Mary contracted on e of th e diseases of the white man, thought to be diphtheria and died a t about a ge 20. The two little baby girls were adopted into separate fam ilies in t he southern part of Utah. Mary Jane called herself Jennie an d was adopte d by a Mormon convert from Scotland, Andrew Watson. They we re raised wit h the children of Andrew and Jean.
Margaret Jean married Alva Nymphus Murdock on 29 June 1887 in th e L ogan Temple, Logan, Cache, Utah Territory at the age of 21. He was 22 . Alva was born 2 April 1865 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Territ ory t o Nymphus Coridon and Esther Mariah Davies. His father joined th e Churc h of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1 January 1841 at the ag e of seven . His mother joined the Church 1 January 1846 at the age if s even. Hi s father was born 12 May 1833 in Hamilton, Madison, New York. H is mothe r was born 13 March 1838 in Pickering Town, Home District,Ontari o, Canad a to Franklin Judson and Ann Richmond Davies.
In 1846 his father’s family recorded in his journal of gettin g t o Sarpy’s Pointon the Missouri River. His brother John died and wa s buri ed in an Indian grave. They moved to Omaha the next spring wher e they wo uld start for the Rocky Mountains. He traveled with the secon d company t raveling to the Salt Lake valley in 1847. They were with th e Daniel Spen cer/Ira Eldredge Company which originated about 27 miles we st of Winter Q uarters,Nebraska on the Elkhorn River. They left on 12 Ju ne 1847 and onl y went about 25 miles then halted to organize themselves. Parley P.Prat t and John Taylor were the leaders of the camp. John You ng was Presiden t with Edward Hunter and Daniel Spencer as his counselors . They organize d into divisions of 10, 50 and 100 in the company so the y would have mor e individual attention and instructions from their leade rs.
There were 177 people in the company with 76 wagons. Nymphus w a s 14 years old when they came to the valley. He came with his brothe r Jo seph Stacy age 25 and Joseph’s wife Eunice age 28. Their mother Sal ly St acy Murdock was also with them. She was 59 years old.
The Vanguard Company which came with Brigham Young had left s o c alled mailboxes along the way telling them where to camp, where the b es t areas were for the animals to feed, and cautions such as Indians an d bu ffalo herds. The mailboxes were a container with a cork in one end. The y would take out the letter from Brigham Young and read it to the co mpany , then return it to its place so the next company would have the in struct ions. They also wrote messages on buffalo skulls and boards givin g the m the mileage. They stayed close together as a Company for fear o f encou ntering the Pottawattamie Indians.
William Clayton had kept a record of mileage and camping spot s f or all the pioneers who would follow this trail. After they crosse d th e Elkhorn River then went in a southwesterly direction toward the Pl att e River. They crossed the Loup Fork and traveled about 40-50 miles cr ossi ng it then came to the Platte River. They stayed on the north sid e all t he way to Fort Laramie then forded the river.
From there they went through the Black Hills on to the Sweetwat e r. On 29th July they passed Chimney Rock. As they came to the Big San d y River on 3 September they were met by Brigham Young and learned of t h e location where they would settle in the Salt Lake valley. They wer e no w 16 miles east ofthe Green River. On 18th September they camped a t th e west base of Big Mountain. Ephraim Hanks showed them where Brigha m Youn g had stopped as they were coming nearer to the valley. He was i n a bugg y. They stopped and he slowly looked over the valley and said , “This i s the place,drive on.” They came into the valley about 4 P.M . on 19 Sept ember 1847 and passed down Sloping Platteau and camped at Sm all Stream,la ter to be called City Creek.
His father, Nymphus and settled in the Salt Lake valley with h i s mother Sally Stacy Murdock. Their home was located at 5th South and j us t off Main Street,Great Salt Lake City. At nineteen he married Sara h Mel issa Barney on 30 October 1852. He was endowed in the Endowment Ho use a t age 22 on 11 September 1855. He was sealed to Sarah 21 March 185 6. Th ey had four children. He married Esther Mariah Davies 12 Novembe r 1857 a t the age of 24. They were sealed 6 December 1857 in the Preside nt’s Offi ce. They had nine children. Only three lived to adulthood. H e marrie d Zuby Stacy 3 June 1881 at the age of 48 in St. George, Washing ton, Uta h Territory. He married Elizabeth C. Chadwick 2 October 1912 a t the age o f 79 in Salt Lake City. There were no children born to the l ast two wive s.
Alva Nymphus was born to his second wife, Esther Mariah Davie s M urdock. His family consisted of Franklin Judson born 25 September 185 8 an d died 22 August 1859. Stanley Powell was born 21 September 1860 an d die d 20 December 1863. Alphonso John and Eunice Louise were born 27 M ay 186 3. Alphonzo died 12 March 1865 and his twin sister Eunice Louis e lived t o adulthood. Alva Nymphus was born 2 April 1865; Frederick Aug ustus wa s born 25 June 1867 and died 31 August 1882. Anna Mariah was b orn 17 Ju ne 1869 and died 30 March 1870. She was just nine months old w hen she di ed. She was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery,Salt Lake , Utah Terri tory. Ella Maria was born 22 February 1871; and Sarah Malis sa was born 2 0 October 1874 and died 6 September 1882.
His mother died 12 November 1909 in Charleston, Wasatch, Uta h a t the age of 71 and was buried 15 November 1909 in Heber City, Wasatc h, U tah. His father died 29 April 1917 at the age of 83 in Heber City , Wasat ch, Utah and was buried 2 May 1917 in the Salt Lake City Cemetery , Salt L ake, Utah.
Alva and Margaret had eight children, four girls and four boys . Alva Frederick was born 19 May 1888 and Lacy Jean was born 1 April 18 9 0 both in Charleston, Wasatch, Utah Territory. Lacy Jean died less th a n a year later on 10 January 1891. Ervin Watson was born 22 January 18 9 2 in Midway, Wasatch, Utah. All the rest of the children were born i n Ch arleston. Luella Purvis was born 21 December 1893; Sterling Andre w was b orn 18 September 1895; Ezra Allan was born 26 July 1898; Marguret te was b orn 22 July 1900; and Florence was born 1902.
Margaret Jean died 16 April 1904 at the age of 38 in Salt Lak e C ity, Salt Lake, Utah and was buried in the Charleston Cemetery, Wasat ch , Utah. Their children ranged in ages from sixteen down to eighteen m ont hs. | Watson, Margaret Jean (I175804)
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Mary Jane Blood Watson was born 23 January 1859 in Provo, Ut a h, Utah Territory to Moroni and Mary Wood Blood. Her mother, Mary wa s a n adopted Indian daughter of Daniel Wood (Woods Cross was named afte r Dan ielWood). He adopted three Indian children from the Ute tribe. Th ey wer e engaged in the trade of children that they stole from other trib es. Th ey took in the three young children so they would have better liv es.
Mary met Moroni Blood who had been working in a residence ne a r the Wood home. . She married him when she was about 17 and they ha d tw o daughters named Mary Jane Blood (called Jennie), and Sarah Blood , bor n about 1861. Three years after their marriage,Mary contracted on e of th e diseases of the white man, thought to be diphtheria and died a t about a ge 20. The two little baby girls were adopted into separate fam ilies in t he southern part of Utah. Mary Jane called herself Jennie an d was adopte d by a Mormon convert from Scotland, Andrew Watson.
Her adopted father, Andrew Watson was born in Kettlebridge , F ifeshire, Scotland on 13 October 1832 to James and Janet Rumgay Watso n. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 5 Decem be r 1852 at the age of 20. He wanted to come west with the gathering o f th e saints.
On Thursday 1 May 1856 the Ship “Thornton”(Collins Captain ) r eceived the saints, 761 in number, on board in the Bramley Moore Dock , Li verpool, and on the following Saturday. Pressident F. D. Richards , acco mpanied by the Government Inspector and Doctor, came on board an d the sai nts underwent the usual inspection, and were all pronounced b y those offi cers to be in good health. President Richards appointed J. G. Willie, ca ptain of the Company and elders Millen Atwood, Moses Clough [Cluff], and [ Johan August] Ahmanson, counsellors; and afterwards, i n a few appropriat e remarks, exhorts the people to strict obedience on t he passage, as othe rwise they could not expect and would not have a pros perous voyage. Presi dent Richards then blessed them in the name of the L ord, and by the autho rity of the Holy Priesthood. Captain Willie then ma de the usual appointme nts for the promotion of cleanliness and good orde r.
Andrew Watson traveled by himself at the age of 24. This i s f rom his journal: “We travelled from New York by railway and steam bo at a cross Lakes and up the Rivers to Iowa, where we pitched our tents, m ade o ur hand carts previous to starting for Salt Lake City, thedate in s tartin g from there I don't remember. We finally came to Council Bluffs , here w e stopped to recruit and repair our carts and lay in provision s previou s to crossing to the Great Plains as it was then termed.
On the 15th of July we started from the Iowa camping groun d , for old Winter Quarters, now known as Florence, and pursued our journ e y as far as till the 20th. when Adelaide R. Baker, of the Portsmouth br an ch of the Southampton conference, with her two children, Ann and Sabin a B ird of the Eaton Bray branch of the Bedfordshire conference, and Harr ie t Smith, of the Bristol branch of the south Conference left us for th e le eks and onions. I would here mention an act of kindness performed b y a ge ntleman Mr. Charles Good, of Fort Desmoines. He presented me wit h fiftee n pairs of children's boots, which I readily accepted, as he see med to b e influenced by a sincere desire to do good.
After stopping at Council Bluffs a short time we started f o r the Plains. They were with the James G. Willie Handcart Company. "17 "l bs. of luggage to the person was allowed and one man to the handcart w it h awife or a girl or two to help push. We started with one hundred pou nd s of flour on each cart to lighten what few teams we had with us to ca rr y the sick and infirm. It was considered necessary to make a still f urt her reduction in the ration of flour, and accordingly, it wa s fix ed at 10½ oz. for men, 9 oz for women, 6 oz for children, and 3 o z for i nfants.
This turned out to be a very salutary arrangement, as it ju s t enabled us to eke out our provisions until the very day that we recei ve d material aid from the Valley, which arrived,(when the little ones we r e crying for bread,) on the 20th of Oct., in the shape of 14 wagons lad e n with flour, onions and clothing. The last bit of breadstuffs, (whic h co nstituted all the provisions we then had,) was served out two night s prev iously. We all felt rejoiced at our timely deliverance, and attrib uted i t entirely to the hand of God which had been over us during the wh ole o f our journey.
I feel to conclude by saying, that on the whole, the Saint s b ore the heavy trials of the journey with a becoming and praiseworth y fort itude. I may add too, that in consequence of their having to cros s the No rth Fork of the Platte, and the Sweetwater several times, thru t he cold w ater, and to sleep on the snow, each person having only sevente en pound s of luggage including bedding, and thru other privations necess arily inc ident to the journey at so late a period of the season, many o f the age d and infirm failed in strength and died.
The diahrea [diarrhea] took a firm hold. – our wagons we r e crowded with the sick, which broke down our teams; and thus we ofte n we re obliged to refuse the admission of many who were really worthy t o ride . In crossing the Rocky Ridge, we had to encounter a heavy snow st orm, ac companied by a strong north wind. It was the most disastrous da y on the w hole trip, 15 dying from fatigue and exposure to the cold. W e had on thi s day as on subsequent days, to clear away the snow, in orde r to make pla ces for pitching our tents. Notwithstanding the disadvantag es of our posi tion in crossing the Rocky Ridge, we traveled 16 miles o n that day with o ur hand–carts.
The total number of deaths in this company, from Liverpool, was 77, besi d es one child belonging to Capt. Silers wagon.
Had it not been for the prompt action of President Brigham Y o ung and the Blessings of the Lord in sending teams with provisions to m ee t us, we would have perished on the plains and in the mountains. Histo r y will never fully reveal the sufferings of those belated handcart comp an ies, but I have ever felt thankful that I got here. Finally after muc h to il and suffering and many deaths, we arrived in Salt Lake City on th e 9t h of November 1856, A. D.”
Andrew married Jean Allan on 16 October 1860 in Provo, Uta h , Utah Territory. Jean was born 29 August 1830 in Carnoustie,Angus, Sc ot land to George and Margaret Mathews on Allan.
They had seven children with the two adopted daughters, fo u r girls and three boys. Mary Jane was the oldest; Janet was born 30 Ju l y 1861; Andrew Allan was born 22 December 1862. Sarah Ellen Blood (ado pt ed)was born 28 February 1863; George Allan was born 14 January 1864; M arg aret Jean was born 21 December 1865; and James Allan was born 5 Jul y 1867 .
Mary Jane was baptized into the Church in August 1868 at t h e age of nine. She married John Harvey Allen on 28 April 1886 in the L og an Temple at the age of 27. John was born 15 October 1860 in Provo, Pr ovo , Utah Territory to William Wilford and Eliza Ann Fenn Allen. He wa s 2 5 when they married.
John’s father also came with the James G. Willie Handcart Co m pany at the age of 35. Hismother’s parents died in the south and it i s n ot known how she came to Utah or when.
Mary Jane and John had five children, three girls and two bo y s. Jean Ann was born 28 February 1887 in Nephi Juab, Utah Territory. Th e rest of the children were born in Provo, Utah, Utah. Ethel Mary wa s bor n 11 December 1889; John William was born 23 February 1891; Vivia n Euphem a was born 4 August 1894; and Lester Watson was born 23 Decembe r 1902.
John died on 4 October 1931 in Provo, Utah, Utah at the ag e o f 70 and was buried on 7 October 1931 in the Provo City Cemetery, Uta h, U tah. Mary Jane died 2 March 1951 in Provo, Utah,Utah at the age o f 92 an d was buried 5 March 1951 in the Provo City Cemetery,Provo, Utah , Utah. | Blood, Mary Jane (I175790)
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“I was brought up with goodly parents, yet with the ignorance of the gen t iles. I was taught to pray, being raised very strictly. When I was 13 y ea rs old I prayed much in secret to the Lord. One night I dreamt tha t I sa w myself and a small company of people moving into the wildernes s that wo uld live pure before the Lord. From that time I became very ser ious of mi nd.”
Reading her Bible and studying the creeds of Christianity available t o h er, Desdemona was impressed to “stop (wait) yet a little longer” befo re j oining any, their there was something better yet. “So I stopped til l I he ard the latter-day saints (Latter-day Saints) preach the gospel . I joine d them soon after.” (Comment – Desdemona was just as much entit led to hav e guidance and an answer to her prayers as was Joseph Smith o r anyone els e even at the age of 13).
Desdemona’s introduction to Mormonism came at a time of great trials f o r the Church as well as for herself. But her faith was equal to the cha ll enge: “I went into Kirtland with a few Saints and lived one year their . D uring that time a great number of the members turned against the chur ch . Oliver Cowdery with others would say to me, are you such a fool as s til l to goo to hear Joseph and the fallen prophet? I said the Lord convi nce d me that he was a true prophet, and he was not told me that he his f alle n.”
Suffering the privations and persecutions of Missouri, Desdemona made h e r way to Nauvoo with various families, an earlier marriage having bee n di ssolved and the child of that marriage having died. At the time of h er at tendance at the first Relief Society meeting, she was thirty-two ye ars ol d, unattached, and living either as guest or household help in th e home o f Joseph and Emma Smith.
(Correction: - Desdemona left her father’s home in Jefferson Township , R ichland County, Ohio with her brother, David Fullmer, his wife Rhod a An n Marvin and their three sons. She was with them at Haun’s mill in C aldwe ll County, Missouri. Rhoda Ann says in her history, “In March, 183 9 Broth er Kelley and my husband got a wagon and team between them and mo ved bot h families at the same time. There were 9 in Brother Kelley’s fam ily an d my husband’s numbered 5 besides sister Desdemona, who was livin g with u s, making a total of 15 souls.” They stopped temporarily at Hart ford, abo ut 14 miles from Quincy, Illinois. David left to help his fathe r’s famil y move to Nauvoo and the Peter, his father, helped David move h is famil y to Nauvoo. Peter gave David a piece of land in Nauvoo and he c leared i t and built a house on it.
Desdemona was NOT married before going to Nauvoo. The marriage spoken o f , from which a daughter was born, was to H. P. McLane after she came t o U tah. The daughter died. (Notation of this marriage was written by som eon e else on the back of the history and was misinterpreted).
Now, as to her being either a guest or household help in the smith hom e . The explanation was given that they found no property in her name an d t hat when the census was taken she was one of 11 extra people on tha t piec e of property. To my comment that she was married to the Prophet , Mr. Kim ball asked if I had a month of the event. My answer was no. The y do not h ave a month either, so neither of us has proof of her being hi s wife then . I was not permitted to have a copy of all the names but on e was Elvir a Cowles, later appointed treasurer of the Relief Society i n the first me eting. Two others, who were familiar to me were, William L aw and Hosea St out. Elvira Cowles was described as. “A literate and acco mplished young w oman.” The relief Society was organized 24 March 1842.
My response to her not owing property was, “There was no need for tha t ” she had her parents and 3 brothers living in Nauvoo, and, had they co mp ared the Fullmer name with church history they would have found that a l l of the brothers were very prominent in both church and civic matters . T hey just said that they had not made the connection. I was given a ma p o f Nauvoo and a list of property held by the parents: Almon L., who wa s li ving at hoe in 1842, David and John S. In closing the interview Mr . Kimba ll said, “Well, the Fullmer’s were not the richest people in Nauv oo but f or Mormons they were considered, “Well, to do.” Most residents o f Nauvo o has lost all they owned when being driven from place to place , or, ha d left everything they owned in their previous location in orde r to mov e to Nauvoo.
I was somewhat satisfied with their explanations but can see no reaso n f or the writing of it in the first place. Since no retraction is possi bl e from the Magazine I hope that my explanation will suffice in upholdi n g our pride in Desdemona and the example she set as how to live a good , d evout, Christian life. Wee, the family, have always been proud of he r .
A map of Nauvoo shows a plat named “Fullmer” Plat, which is located ne a r the Temple area. Nauvoo was divided into 4 wards – not church wards b u t wards for voting, taxes, etc in early 1842. This was why the census w a s taken. | Fullmer, Desdemona Wadsworth (I122721)
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“Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose na m e was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in y ea rs, in the days of Saul. The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to fo llo w Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the bat tl e were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shamma h . David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul.”
I Samuel 17:12-14 NKJV | David King of Israel (I15066)
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