Benjamin Freeman Bird and Marabah Reeves

Benjamin Freeman Bird (1778-1862) and Marabah Reeves (1784-1833)

In the winter of 1832, Benjamin Freeman Bird and his wife Marabah Reeves lived in a comfortable home in Southport, New York with eight of their nine living children. As the snow blanketed the New York country side, a single Elder from the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints knocked on their door. He asked for admittance and keep, since he was a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and was preaching without purse or script. Benjamin and Marabah were touched by the testimony that he bore. Over the next few weeks, by reading the Book of Mormon, they became convinced that his message was true. Since the Elder had moved on, the Bird’s grasped at the only link that would tie them to the glorious message that they had received, they subscribed to the Star. Because the Church was in its very early infancy, having been only 31 months since the Church was organized, the Bird family had no where else to turn for additional information.

Skywalker

Charles Spackman- relative?

I stumbled across this page about a certain Charles Spackman, born about 1748, who could easily be a relative.  He lived near our Spackman relatives, and this history mentions that he had a relative named Henry Spackman.  Temple work has been done for himself and his wife, but he is not linked to anybody in the LDS family search website.  I am curious to look into this line in the future.  Here is the page that I found.

http://www.coalcanal.org/history/Shareholders/Spackman.htm

Charles Spackman, left, and Thomas Barker, right.

Thomas Hancock III

Thomas Hancock of Long Meadow, Mass. was too young to enlist in the army with Washington in the beginning of the war, but at the last offered his services, but Washington told him "No, one man now will make no difference, you go home and take care of your mother, she has sacrificed enough, having sacrificed her husband and two sons in this cruel war."

He married a daughter of old General Ward, her name was Amy Ward on May 25, 1786 in Longmeadow, MA.

Anderson Heirlooms

At my Grandma Anderson's home there is a glass case with many beautiful things to look at, but a few of them are of particular value because of their history.  Here are a few items to look for when you visit.

These shoes belonged to Jannette Allred Andersen.  (Grandma's great-grandmother)

This picture, titled "Five Senses", belonged to Ivadene Anderson Larsen.  It hung over her sewing machine in a little room next to her kitchen.  Grandma Anderson loved this picture when she was growing up and asked her grandma if when she died, she could have it to remember her, and Grandma Larsen agreed.  When she died, there were many family members who hoped that they could get this picture, but it was given to Grandma because of that incident.

These glasses belonged to Inger Marie Mortenson Anderson.  The note says, "Great Grandma Anderson's glasses.  Died 10/28/30- day Hartley was born".  She was very ill, but she was holding out to see the new baby, and then she died peacefully.  Family Search shows her dying on the 29th.  The knife is is on display only because it is pretty and looks old.

Grandma says, "This were found under the grainery in Grandpa Anderson's house, and it belonged to one of his grandparents that come from Denmark."  Under the shoe is a note that says, "Dad Anderson's Mother's."

This picture was a wedding present for Faunice Larsen and Merril Jay Laub.

Butterfly made by Uncle Neal, who made one for each of the sisters.

"This little trolly car was given to Hartley and I when we were serving our mission in Hayward California."

Juletta Eames Hancock

Birth Date and Place: November 6, 1806, Mentor, Lake County, Ohio
Father: Benjamin Eames
Mother: Julia Bacon Eames
Spouse: Alvah B. Hancock
Death Date and Burial: August 28, 1888, Burrville, Sevier Co., Utah

Children: Birth date Death Date
Abigail April 3, 1825
Sarah November 3, 1826
Benjamin April 24, 1830
Joseph Warren October 12, 1832 1912
John Turney June 18, 1835 (died at age 17)
Aurilla April 2, 1838 (died as a child)
Cyrus Mortimer June 6, 1841
Martha Angeline September 30, 1846

Alexander Schreiner

Alexander Schreiner is my great-great uncle, and as a musician I have always been intrigued by his life, and fond of my relation to this great man.  Much has been written about him, and this post only a reference for some of them.

http://alexanderschreiner.blogspot.com has quotes and pages, and was presumably created by his family.

ldschurchnews has an article with pictures written on his 100th birthday about a celebration held in his honor.  The picture on this page came from this article.

The wikipedia article for Alexander_Schreiner is a great reference of his many different works, although it does not include all or even most of them.

A prized but rare book in my collection is a book written by him, "Alexander Schreiner Reminisces".  This 179-page book includes many pictures of interest to our family history.  My grandfather has a copy of this book, and many libraries have a copy in their reference section.  It took me more than two years of checking online and at used bookstores before I finally snatched it up for $35 with shipping.  This book has many wonderful insights into his life.

The chapter headings are as follows:

IN THE BEGINNING- IN GERMANY
IN AMERICA
"GO YE INTO THE WORLD"
A GERMAN IN FRANCE
PONDERINGS
UCLA
A STUDENT AGAIN
THEMES AND VARIATIONS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ALWAYS A MISSIONARY
CO-WORKERS
SHARPS AND FLATS
AUTHOR! AUTHOR!
CODA

Amy Ward Hancock

Birth Date and Place: Feb. 28, 1769, Somers, Tolland, Connecticut

Father: Jacob Ward
Mother: Irena Jones Ward
Spouse: Thomas Hancock
Death Date and Burial: Jan. 14, 1847, Kanesville, Pottowattamie, Iowa


Children:
Elijah Hancock, born Sept. 21, 1786, Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Thomas Hancock, Jr., Jan. 25, 1788, Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts
Clarissa Hancock, born Sept. 3, 1790, Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts
Solomon Hancock, Aug. 14, 1793, Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts
Alva Hancock, born April 19, 1796, Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts
Joseph Hancock, born Mar 18, 1800, Springfield, Hampden Co., Massachusetts
Levi Ward Hancock, born April 7, 1803, Springfield, Hampden Co., MA
Sarah Abbott Hancock, born June 18, 1805, Bristol, Ontario Co., New York
Amy Hancock, born Sept. 18, 1807, Bristol, Ontario Co., New York

Amy Ward was born 28 February 1769 at Somers, Tolland County, Connecticut, to Jacob Ward and Irena Jones Ward. The Ward family had eight children, five girls and three boys. We do not have much information on the Ward Family except for a short biography written by a granddaughter, Sarah Hancock, who said that her grandfather, Jacob Ward, was a general in the army of the Revolutionary War. She said, “My mother, Amy Ward, was a daughter of Jacob Ward, spoken of the Lexington in the history of the Revolutionary War of 1776.” Her pedigree has been traced to William Ward of Sudberry, England

Elizabeth Cook Barlow

Biography of Elizabeth Cook Barlow

By Elizabeth Ann Barlow Stringham, Bountiful, Utah, October 24, 1933

This being my Mother’s 81 birthday, and also Father’s and Mother’s wedding day, I thought it a very opportune time to start a little sketch of her life.

At the last meeting of the daughters of the Pioneers, I was asked to prepare a sketch of Mother’s life for the next meeting to be held at Mrs. Sylvia Stevens home, in Bountiful, on November 10, 1933. This, too, is quite a coincident as this location is my Mothers girl hood home. The old storey and half of this home still stands in the rear of this home, (East of 8^th East and Center Street)/, and is still in a state of good preservation. It was made of adobe, by my Grandfather, Mark Cook, in ( ), and my mother assisted him greatly in carrying and placing many if the adoben on the scaffold, because help was scarce. They and a large farm to tend and only one little boy to help older than she, and one five years younger.

Joseph Holbrook

THE LIFE HISTORY OF JOSEPH HOLBROOK

The following was drawn from http://www.sedgwickresearch.com/holbrook/jh_history.htm, but is also available in part at http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/JHolbrook.html

Written by his own hand.
I, being desirous of leaving on record a few of the incidents of my life and also a genealogy of my forefathers according to the record that has fallen into my hands from their hands that my children may be somewhat acquainted of the origin of their forefathers and I have written it in the English language hoping it will prove a blessing to them and be held sacred in my family from generation to generation as I shall embrace it in my expression and the knowledge I may have gained in the course of my days and I pray the Lord to direct my pen, assist my memory, correct my judgment and inspire my heart to do the will of God and preserve this history according to my desires to do good. That God may be honored. His kingdom built up and His home glorified in the hereafter in the midst of the saints I therefore dedicate these lines to be written unto the Lord God of Hosts even forever and ever, Amen

John Sant

The following information comes from http://www.allthingsancestor.com/ancestors-of-sandra-gale/john-sant-1811-1887 

John Sant was born to Abel Sant and Margaret Bayley in England.  He was the seventh of twelve children born to his parents.  When John was just ten years of age, his father was convicted of having a file in his lunch pail and sentenced to the prison ship which traveled to Australia.  This method of creating a prison population to do the work of the new colony was common in John’s day.  Abel was required to stay away from England for seven years.  One can imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for this father and for his wife and the twelve children he left behind.  In fact, Abel Sant died in Picton, New South Wales without ever returning to England or seeing his wife and children again.  The one exception was an adult son who traveled to see his father and was successful.

Sant History

SANT HISTORY

Compiled by Alfred C. Sant

FORWARD

Cheshire History (also known s the County of Chester) England, is the starting point for Grandfather Abel Sant.

Cheshire is a maritime and inland country in the northwest of England. The maritime section from the Wirrall Peninsula that reaches out to the Irish Sea and bordering counties of Lances, York, Derby, Staff, Salop, Denbigh, and Flint. The chief rivers are the Mersy, the Weaver, and the Dee. There are many canals.

Israel Barlow

IsraelBarlow.org is the home of many histories and information for Isreal Barlow's descendants.  It is also THE place to purchase "The Israel Barlow Story and Mormon Mores".  Elsewhere on the internet it can cost as much as six-times the price that they offer it for here.  This book is a treasured part of our library, fully indexed, with many pictures.

I just wanted to give a shout-out that this website is available.  They have a free membership option too.

Ann Bond

 Ann was born 11 July 1820 in Milton Lilbourne, Wiltshire, England which is two or three miles southeast of Burbage. She was christened there on 16 July 1820. Her mother, Maria Bond, is the only parent mentioned in the christening record. Years later, Ann stated for church records that her father was Richard Hoskins, but nothing is known of him. Three years after Ann's birth, Maria had a son, William Bond, also christened with no father mentioned.

Henry Spackman

Henry Spackman was born 13 October 1822 in Burbage, Wiltshire, England, son of Henry Spackman and Sarah Newman. He was christened there on 30 March 1823. Henry was the fifth of ten children born to this family. There were two sets of twins. His father was a shoemaker and his mother died when he was just ten years old. On 21 June 1845, Henry married Ann Bond, the stepdaughter of John Hibbard. Henry was a peddler in England and sold china, silverware, pots and pans for a living. He worked as both a hawker and a laborer. In addition to their nine children, Henry and Ann also raised their niece, Maria. Henry's sister, Jane, unwed, passed away shortly after Maria's birth.

Henry and Ann were converted to the Mormon faith in 1850. Twenty years later, they began the process of emigrating to Utah. Their son, Henry, was the first to come. He arrived in October of 1871 and worked to earn passage for his father and his brother, Brigham. They came in June of 1873 aboard the S.S. Nevada and all three of them worked to bring Ann and the girls in the fall of that year. Two married sons, Edwin and Elijah, came later with their families. A married daughter, Mary Jane Chandler, remained in England. Henry and Ann settled at Millville, Utah because there was a church farm there that provided employment. They also helped at the local store.

Henry like to preach and was known as an excellent gardener. He lived to be seventy-eight years old. He died 13 December 1900 just weeks after losing Ann, his wife of fifty-five years. They were buried together in the Millville Cemetery.

George Laub’s Nauvoo Journal

Edited by Eugene England

"Despite his unusually informative and moving Nauvoo Journal, George Laub is not well known to Latter-day Saints, or even to students of Mormon history. He was one of a number of faithful followers of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young who did not achieve notoriety—either through prominent position or through dramatic apostasy. But he was one of those ordinary Saints whose life was brushed by extraordinary events and forces and to whom our generation is increasingly attracted as we seek fuller understanding, both of our pioneer past, and of our own possibilities, from such humble but engaging lives.

King Frederick VII and Frederiksborg Castle

Peder Anderson and Anne Pedersen ("Annie Anderson") were close friends of the royal Danish family.  After Peder's death, the family joined the LDS church and traveled to Utah.  I am amazed at how wonderful the palace life was that they left behind, and I appreciate their sacrifice.  They went from riches to rags, and the family fortune was spent helping hundreds of Danish saints to migrate to Utah.

King Frederick VII

Below is a video of Frederiksborg Castle, where the royal family lived.  As aristocrats and servants to the royal family, our ancestors spent a lot of time in this castle, and lived nearby.

A Town at the Bottom- Anson Call Marker

See more about this marker on this page.  Inscription. About two miles in front of you, the remains of the town of Callville lie buried in silt on the bottom of Lake Mead. Originally developed as a port on the Colorado River to supply goods to Mormon settlements, Callville had long been a desolate ruin by the time Lake Mead's rising water swallowed it up.

In December of 1864, Anson Call traveled overland past this point to the north bank of the Colorado, where he selected a town site along a horseshoe bend of the river. Call built a landing and a large warehouse for cargo that was to come up the Colorado by steamboat.

Callville never really got going. Isolation, competition, tough upstream navigation, and a transcontinental railroad dogged the town's progress. A steamboat finally landed at Callville in 1866, but two years later the town was abandoned.

William Bate

LIFE HISTORY OF WILLIAM BATE Written by Edward William Bate

William Bate was born May 12, l846 at (poteries) Hanley, Staffordshire, England. My father Peter Bate, was born in Bucknell, Staffordshire, England in l8l4. My mother's maiden name-Margaret Cross Bate was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. I was taken to work in the coal pit by my father before I was seven years old, with five miles to walk morning and night for over three years. The pit was one hundred yards deep. I got up in the mornings at three o'clock.

Anson Call, Man of action

Here is an Ensign article about Anson Call from the July 2001 issue. This pioneer’s story represents the experiences of thousands of early Latter-day Saints who helped the Church take root in the American West.  The article is by Thaya Eggleston Gilmore.

John Thomas Bate

HISTORY OF JOHN THOMAS BATE

Written July 1950 by JOHN THOMAS BATE

Born January 8, 1878 at American Fork. Very cold and a blizzard. I should know, I was there.

Nothing much happened after that, that I remember, until I was about four years old. I used to go across the street to Grandmothers place. My grandmother Bate married Samuel Vowels. We used to go over and she would always have a jar of molasses cookies to give us. 

Jane Sant

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JANE SANT

On the banks of the River Mercy or nearby stood a little English cottage. Here lived John Sant, born 11 January 1811, and his wife Mary Shaw born in 1813. John was a boatman– he owned a bay mare and a river boat. He earned a living for his family of 12 children, himself, and his wife by freighting from Liverpool up the River Mercy to the towns and settlements upstream, for the large merchant ships could not navigate upstream in those days. The seventh child born to those goodly parents on 8 March, 1846 at Middlewich, England, was named Jane. As Jane opened her steel gray eyes she brought a great love, comfort, and happiness into that home. She had a very pleasant disposition, great personality, and always a pleasant smile. She went to nursery school at a very young age and due to her quick ability to learn she was kept in school while her other brothers and sisters were sent to work in factories to help earn a living for themselves and their family. Jane made friends in school and thus gained favor with the school masters. When the fee for her schooling came due, she was not turned out of school but kept on going. The family belonged to the Church of England, and Jane, while very young, was made a class leader in her hometown. She was blessed with a sweet voice and took part in many community gatherings due to this.

Thomas Hancock

Thomas Hancock was born on 21 Nov 1763 in Bloomfield, New York. On 25 May 1786 he married Amy Ward, daughter of Revolutionary Army General Jacob Ward. By 1820 they were living in Chagrin, Ohio. Thomas was among the very first converts to the newly formed Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his daughter Clarissa were baptized by Parley P. Pratt on Sun 14 Nov 1830, on the very day they first hear the restored gospel preached by him in the neighboring town of Mayfield, Ohio. His wife Amy and most of his other children followed immediately thereafter. His son Levi became one of the seven presidents of the Seventy's, being an incredible missionary and retaining that position until his death. Much of this history is taken from his journal.

Amy Ward

Amy Ward was born on 28 Feb 1769 in Somers, Conn. Amy was the daughter of the Gen. Jacob Ward of the Revolutionary army. On 25 May 1786 she married Thomas Hancock, a third cousin to John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
By 1820 they had moved to Chagrin, Ohio. While in Ohio, at age 61, Amy joined the LDS Church in Nov 1830, shortly after it was organized. Her husband and daughter Clarissa had been baptized a few days previously and then most of her children followed shortly thereafter. She remained faithful in the church and died on 14 Jan 1847 at Winter Quarters, after having been expelled from Illinois with the rest of the saints. Her husband had died three years previously.

Special thanks to John Pratt for granting permission to re-post this.

John Pulsipher

John Pulsipher was born 8 Jul 1749 O.S. (19 Jul 1749 N.S.) in Pomfret, Conn. He married Elizabeth Dutton in 1791-92 at the age of about 42. They were the parents of seven sons and three daughters, including their fifth son Zerah Pulsipher. He was buried in Rockingham, Vermont in July, 1827. Of his father, Zerah said:"My father was absolute in his family government, kind and affectionate to all his friends. His common practice was to make a feast once in a year and invite some of the poorest people that werein the town and semed to take pleasure in their company. I lived with him twenty five years and never knew him to turn a beggar away empty."
"...I have often heard my father say that the signs of Christ's second coming was often seen and that he would come before many years should pass away. And if he did not live to see it, likely his children would."
"In the fall of that season [1814] there were the most extraordinary Northern Lights that I had ever saw, it was the cause of many speculative notions among the people bu my father said it was the signs of the last days and of Christ's second coming. I regarded my father's remarks as specimens of good sense."

Quotes from Pulsipher Family History Book, Terry/Nora Lund, SLC, 1953, pp. 11-12.
Thanks to John Pratt for granting permission to re-post this.

Are my husband and I related?

One of the first things I did after we were married (and a bit before, although I was afraid to look), was to see if my husband and I are related.  I was relieved to see that as far as I can tell, we are not.  Of course we are both descended from Noah, and our lines are bound to cross several times after that.  But I haven't found out where yet.

But as I have been digging through my husband's history, I have found a common relation.  Have a look at the pedigree of Ann Alger on this site:

http://www.johnpratt.com/gen/7/1.ped.html

John Alger is my husband's first cousin four times removed on his Hancock line.
Sarah Pulsipher is my great-great-great-great aunt on my Laub line.
(What does that make us?  Two people in love with a common relation.)

There is a comment on the marriage in one of the histories that I ran across, that I can't find now, about how the Pulsiphers and Hancocks were good friends in the early days of the church.  They rejoiced in the marriage of John Alger and Sarah Pulsipher because it linked their families together, "never to be separated again".

When I search the family histories, I have been mostly eager to find connections going back in time, but these early saints were thinking about their posterity.  It is amazing to me that none of our four parents are related, and yet, through my marriage, these early saints who knew each other so well become linked together.  Many of them, like the Hancocks and Pulsiphers, have been linked together for a long time, and yet, 164 years later, the link has grown even stronger through the eternal marriage of my husband and I.

Close friends may, in the future, become linked to you through the marriages of your children, grandchildren, or other descendants.

Every temple marriage and sealing creates and strengthens family dynasties.

The hearts of the fathers also turn to the children.

Thomas Sirls Terry Family Heritage Park

I stumbled upon this program today at http://hunt4terry.blogspot.com/search/label/Terry%20Enterprise%20Heritage%20Park
We are descended from Wilhelmina, daughter of Mary Ann Pulsipher Terry.  I am now interested in seeing this park in Enterprise, and I am intrigued to find out how we are related to Elder Holland's wife.

 

Hunt 4 Terry is an excellent family history resource for the Terry line.  Someone has put a lot of effort into this, and coordinating sites.  They also have granted permission to share their compilation work, with a request that you give them credit.

This Heritage Park is located in Enterprise, Utah, which is near St George and Cedar City.  

Welcome to my new blog

Yes, I have started yet another blog. They say that you should try to stay on topic, and this is one more topic where I have something to say. The purpose of this blog is to collect and share family stories with my close, and perhaps, extended families. I am going to simply tag the stories based on which side of the family the stories are on for our first cousins. The sides will be for the Spackman, Foley, Anderson, and Stringham lines. I also hope to give proper credit and receive permissions when necessary, so if I inadvertently post something I shouldn't, please let me know and I'll take care of it.

Also, I'm not going to just dump the thousands and thousands of pages that I have up here. I'm going to do a bit at a time, in hopes that a gradual approach will give my family a chance to get to know their ancestors, and for me to put some thought into which stories I want to share. If you have requests, let me know! Most of these histories will be of an LDS pioneer nature, because that is our heritage.