Sarah Monson Whitehead Marriage- Alberta Part 4

I was married very young-just one month past 17.  I married William J. Whitehead Jr. who had been an  admirer of me and I of him for all our school days.  To this union we were blessed with five children:   Ross Monson, Connel Monson, Hazel, Willard DeLyle, and Boyd James. My life was never easy.   We came to Canada with my husbands folks in 1908, leaving all my people in the States.  The country  was new and we had nothing but ourselves and our dear baby boy Ross 1 1/2 years old.  There would be times when I felt I could not stand it or go on another day, however, I tried to  encourage my husband to stay with it and give it a fair trial, but in less than a year he had made  arrangements with a Mr. Johnson who came when we and his folks did and were leaving to return  to their old home in Idaho Falls.  I did not know of it until his plans were all made-so we parted  with all our earthly possessions and left with them by train for Idaho, me taking the whole blame  for him leaving.  We left here in February and went to our home town, Franklin, Idaho.  On the  28th of May the same year our second son Connel was born.  Ross being then 2 years and 9 months old.   It seemed like each baby brought all the love of heaven with it to our home and for me I asked no  greater blessing and could have been content with the material things of life as the Lord chose  to bless me with. We had a very cold winter following.  My husband walked 3 miles to work in the  Lewiston sugar factory and home at night.  We moved to a small 2 room apt.(lean-to) of a widows  home when Connel was 3 months old.  I shall never forget two things that happened there.  She  had at the back an old fashioned shanty, which most people did in those days- to use for a summer  cook kitchen while their families were all at home.  Sister Merrick used this for a store place to just  “put things in to get them out of the way”.  In the winter some kind person gave her a lovely fresh  ham when they killed a pig.  Of course it was kept in this shanty and was frozen so we would have  to cut a slice off for her when she needed it.  One morning as my husband was leaving for work at  5:30(very dark) I went to the door with him as I always did and noticed right away the door of the  shanty was open(there was no lock on it).  Later in the morning I went around to tell her about it and  I will never forget the look of suspicion  on her face as she said “Are you sure you don’t know who took  it?”  If she had sun a knife through my heart, she couldn’t have hurt me more.  I said, “Sister Merrick  surely you  don’t think we did.”  She said, “It has never happened before and you were the only ones  that knowed I had it.”  I think I cried the rest of the day.  She came in and found me that way and  tried in feeble way to cover up but she didn’t have love for anyone so it still hurt.  We had some member  of the bishopric come and investigate later in the day and where it was there was a showing in the snow  where the meat had been dragged thro the snow and traced it to the Bill Cherry home.  That was one  time I looked over something I never tho’t I could but I remember I never bought a bit of fresh pork for  a very long time.  She had the mane of being “nasty” to everyone. One night not so long after that she  knocked on the wall and ask me if I would bring the children in and she would make us a bed on her  Winnipeg couch in the kitchen.  It was bitter cold and the children were in bed(my husband was working  night shift).  I was a bit reluctant to disturb them but couldn’t refuse her, she seemed disturbed and  said she tho’t we would be warmer on such a cold night.  I consented and took my little ones (after  going around and making our bed in her kitchen) one by one, wrapping them in the flannelette sheet  they had on their beds and we took refuge in our new sleeping quarters.   As everyone else, or most  everyone did, she let her fire die out with kindling wood and coal ready to relight it in the morning.   Around 2 a.m. I was awakened by a faint call for help, a gurgling sound also.  I finally realized where  AI was and that Sister Merrick was trying feebly to awaken me.  I ran to her bedside and found her  gasping for breath in a choking manner.  I did what I could for her and then she became a little easier  and ask e to go for Ellen.  Ellen was a midwife and everyone’s nurse (Ellen Morgan).  I told her I would  make the fire first and put some water on to heat.  She wanted me to go but seemed reluctant to let  go of my hand.  I started out, it was a bright moonlight night when every star seems to stand  out alone.   I could hear my footsteps squeak in the hard snow path and just a bit lonely and fearful I made my way  to Ellen’s as quickly as I could.  I thought I should never be able to awaken her.  My pounding on the  door echoed thro’ the big empty house(I say empty as they had neither carpet or linoleum and very little  furniture in their home) the door was loose and rattled back and forth as I pounded.  I at last was  rewarded with a faint “Whose’s there?”  I gave her my message and she ask me to wait a minute .   The door was unlocked  so I entered and  told her I would have to hurry back, my responsibilities there  were urgent.  I was afraid the children would waken and not know where they were become panicky.   Also Sister Merrick needed me or may, and then my freshly lighted fire might not be just right so I  hastened back.  Everything was under control.  Ross was awake, he was a few mo. over three years  but as always he was lying there quietly wit his arm around baby Connel never making a sound of  complaint, as was his nature.  When he saw me he said “Where was you mama, I was afraid you was  lost.”  Ellen stayed thro’ the rest of the night, and as usual the Lord answered my prayers.  Tho’ I had  a patient on my hands for a few days  and a difficult one.  But she felt more her accusation of the meat  night.  We moved from her house in the spring to Brigham City, Utah. I liked living there very much.   The people were so friendly and hospitable.  That is where I met Lettie Cheney-Clin her husband and  my husband worked for the same orchard Co.  We lived in a duplex house and enjoyed our days together.   Her eldest child Glenn was just 3 or 4 months younger than Connel. Hazel was born when Connel was four  years old and then it was no question my happiness was complete.  Two fine little boys and now a girl.

If we could have looked at life the same way, their dad and I , no greater happiness could have been  me.  But life isn’t like that for me it seems. When Hazel was 2 months old, we moved a mile south of  Brigham City, rented a large orchard and there we lived a bout 2 years.  When the “moving bug” bit once  more and we were on our way back to Franklin, Idaho once more.  It proved to be as all other moves,  fruitless, as far as contentment and settling down were concerned.  So when Hazel was almost three  years old, 2 1/2 to be exact, Grandpa Whitehead come down to be with his mother during her last few weeks on earth, and he tho’t it best for us to come back to Alberta.  So we were on our way once more.  At that time I was taking care of my invalid mother and have many times regretted leaving her.   What greater mission could I have had.  But the teaching of wives cleave unto thy husband, which is in the Bible, once more prevailed.  I am a believer of that, if all try to make it worth the cleaving.  I also believe in “husbands cleave to thy wife”.

Teaching the Youth

https://lds.org/youth/family-history?lang=eng

Yesterday I had the awesome opportunity to teach over 140 youth aged 12-18 about how to research their family history.  It was great to see these youth trying to find their roots.  Many of them did not know the names of their great grandparents.  They were able to log in to newfamilysearch.org and access the records of their families if there had been names already entered.
Family history research is for all ages.
When I presented Elder Bednar's presentation to the youth one of his main points was that if you know where you came from, you know more about who you are.  Amen!!

Sarah Monson Whitehead Youth to Marriage Part 3

Similar to what Sarah would have experienced.

This is just an idea of what the school would look like. After the death of my father we lived on the home place for a few years and then moved to town.   My brother Ezra was the eldest, he was married at that time, we all put what ever little  there was left from father’s estate, for us, in a lump sum.  Ezra paid the rest and we bought  mother a home with it, in Franklin, it was no palace but to us it was a mansion.  We only  had 2 blocks to walk to school, where as before we had a mile and on the coldest mornings  I remember how my face would feel sometimes with tears frozen on it when I reached the  one roomed school house where four grades were taught and the grades from 5 to 8 were  taught in another small room nearby. Aug 16, 1958-  It has been a long time since I have written anything in this book of my  life’s history and many things have happened to me since then, much sorrow, and  sometimes it is very hard to continue on, when ones heart is so sad but I have always  wanted to write my life’s sketch so will try to add some to the already few pages. My school days were the average kind all children had in those days.  There would  be as I said four grades in each room.  I think I only disliked one of my many teachers. The others were something or someone very “special” to me and I always got on very  nicely with them. We had one school dress each year.  We always wore a print apron  or black sateen to protect our dress.  We had one Sunday dress in the winter (new for Xmas) and one for summer new for the 4th of July.  My new dresses were  usually made from one, one  of the three older sisters had out grown.  But  they were new to me and I was very happy to have them.  My two older sisters  were very good dressmakers so they were always created into a dress like  new, I remember the first Xmas dress I had made from honest to goodness  cloth that was folded in a parcel and my sister Eva would measure it with  her “nose” she said.  It was purple wool with a black figure in it and she  trimmed it with a purple and green changeable taffeta silk. I was always  happy by nature.  I enjoyed my life as it came and never envied the rich,  even tho’ I wished many times I could have some of the things they had  and I couldn’t have but it never made me unhappy.  I was happy with  what I had and with the parents, brothers and sisters I was blessed with , especially my mother as my father died when I was 8 yrs so my mother  was very dear to me up until her death.  She lived to be 78.  Her memory  is still one of my priceless memories, always patient and kind as she always was.

Correction on William Whitehead Sr Where He Came From

I would like to update some information that I had previously posted about where William Whitehead Sr grew up.  One of the perks of the Internet is to be able to connect with people all over the world.  Early in August of this year I was contacted my a 'cousin' in England who grew up and lives where William was from.  He was able to send me a description of the mill that the Whiteheads owned at some point.  This information clarifies some of the information that we had.

http://www.hamandbud.co.uk/industrial_valleys/denshawvalepw.html

I am hoping to get more info as time goes on.

I invite any one who happens upon my blog and can provide further insight and info to contact me.  Thanks for the input.

Common Trend in Researching Our Family Lines

One of the troubles with doing family history research is that there are many struggles in verifying information, finding information and keeping up the 'courage' (as they say in French) to keep plodding through even though it seems so difficult to find anything!!!

Many years ago my mother was valiantly writing letters, connecting with cousins and doing all she could to research her grandfather George Walter Morton's line.  She then rekindled the fires and spent many hours at research libraries trying to continue her search.  This can get discouraging.  With the onset of my quest to share stories and help my children know their roots, my mother decided it was time for me to take on the task.  She sent me her binder of all the info she has gathered in the past 30 years.  I am grateful for this binder.

Here is the lineage to my story:
Diane Morton (my mother born October 3, 1943)
Jack Winston Morton her father 1914-1982
George Walter Morton (1882-1979)- his parents were Robert Morton (  )and Eliza Aurelia Hall (1847-1921) (I love that name!)
Eliza Aurelia Hall's parents were George Hall and Emily Jane Chisholm (also a very sweet name)
Emily Jane's parents were Alexander Chisholm and Elizabeth Gilbert
* The Chisholm's were United Empire Loyalists who came from Scotland to establish Canada under British reign.  I just discovered a website of a researcher who has recently disproved the family lineage once thought accurate for years.  He researched land petitions, military records, census records, and Loyalist records.

I am still trying to wrap my head around all of the details, but I found myself enthralled in this discovery. I even discovered that one of my ancestors, Colin "a b'Oige" Chisholm who was born February 01, 1749/50 in Middle Knockfin Scotland and died January 18, 1781 in The Battle of Cowpens, North Carolina of the Revolutionary war.


Immediatley I called my five year old and we set right to researching the battle.  We searched the web and discovered stories, battle strategy, maps, diagrams and pictures. What 5 year old boy doesn't think that this is cool?  I love that even when we don't always find exactly what we are looking for there is always something that will help us feel closer to our family and understand where they have been.

An image of a reenactment I found on www.battleofcowpens.com

Also on the site I found this to be quite interesting: social media mixed with history.  I don't think that I'll watch another Americian Revolution movie the same again!




The Battle of Cowpens earned General Daniel Morgan the reputation of a master strategist. Because such detailed strategies were rarely used in 18th century warfare, The Battle of Cowpens is still studied at Westpoint Military Academy for its strategic significance.
Had Daniel Morgan and his Continental forces lost the Battle of Cowpens, it is likely that General Cornwallis would have been successful in crushing the rebellion in South Carolina and beginning his move into North Carolina. The victory at Cowpens gave the militia and patriots a renewed since of optimism and belief that the war for independence could be won. Note: The final battle scene in the 2000 movie The Patriot, with Mel Gibson, is based on a combination of the Battle at Guildord's Couthouse and the Battle of Cowpens. Gibson's character is a combination of Fancis Marion (the Swamp Fox) and Daniel Morgan. 

How Much Do Our Genes Effect Who We Are?

I think that this is going to be an on going discussion and area of research for me in my family research and blog.  I am going to use a small example:

Yep the discussion is about pickles.  When my mom was a school girl she and her friend Sandra Peterson would pool their lunch money and buy themselves a jar of pickles.  They'd eat the pickles for lunch and drink the juice afterwards.  They sure loved pickles.  This love affair with pickles for my mother.  Whenever we were at a fast food place she would always order 'extra' pickles.

This past summer we were celebrating my five year old's birthday and he wanted pickles and popcorn for lunch.  We had just returned from Costco and bought the super size pickle jar.  Before I knew it the four of my kids ate the ENTIRE jar of pickles and enormous bowl of popcorn.


Today I bought a regular 1 litre jar of pickles and they managed to eat the whole thing for their after school snack.  


This love of pickles seems a bit extreme.  


I will report back on my genetic findings. 

Sarah Monson Whitehead Childhood Sugar Tooth and Celebrations Part 2

Any candy we had between the 4th of July and Xmas, we took an egg to the store to buy it and we got as much as we do for 39 cents now.  You see our money had more value then, even our egg.

Speaking of the 4th of July and Xmas also Thanksgiving.  The 4th of July was our summer vacation.   We really had an honest to goodness nickel.  I would go to the refreshment stands to see where I could get the most for my nickel, had to hurry and spend it before I lost it or it burned a hole in the corner of my handkerchief where it was tied.  I usually settled for  candy (sugar dobs as we called them) so I could take some home at night for tomorrow and would carry the sack twisted tightly at the top. In those days the would place the old benches from the “meeting house” out under the beautiful trees and all the mothers, father or who wanted to could sit and visit and watch the children’s races and tug-o-war etc.  I usually joined the foot races.  Rachel couldn’t run. She was too fat and not such a fun lover as I.  I won many prizes which would usually be a bar of popcorn with a fan attached.  Oh the joy of that.  Mother also held that.  One race I won a nickel.  I was really a millionaire then.  Oh no I didn’t spend it that day-it would go for a new hair ribbon later.

This is just a photo that I found that shows how Sarah and Her sisters would have been dressed like when she was a girl.

This is a random picture of a group of people in the 1880's having a picnic.

One day I was more than usual candy hungry, I teased my mother for an egg. (I think at that time she was beginning to hide some away for Easter, so we could all have plenty on that eventful day, so she was a little reluctant to give it to me.  She by nature was very gentle and kind-it was hard to say “no” when she knew we were so eager) so she finally said “Oh run out and chase a hen up a greasy board and maybe she will lay you an egg”, so I went out thinking I was licked, but I finally saw an old black hen singing away as she picked away in the grass, I tho’t it wouldn’t hurt to try just chasing her “around” so I started my chase.  She finally ran for the “coop” and as she hopped up on the step, my chase was rewarded with success and I'd go and get my candy.  

We always went bare footed in the summer to save our yearly pr of shoes which were of a coarse leather and firmly riveted as well as sewn to ensure their life. (quite a difference to the ones of today, which seem to be just glued).

We had an artition well on our lot, a pipe which continually flows a stream of very cold water.  The waste water formed a slough at the back.  I can hear the frogs yet singing or croaking at night each in its own pitch, high, low and medium.  It was music to sleep by and I missed it very much when we left the old home where so many happy days had been spent.  It is needless to say there were “pollywogs” also many of them and now you have guessed, we waded in the water and caught them  by the can full.  We would take them to the large sawdust pile, empty the can and watch them crawl around and get covered with sawdust.  They looked so funny.  Oh no, we did not kill them we loaded them back and put them back in the water where they would wiggle happily away-(I could not touch one of the slimy creatures today if I were paid).

Sarah Monson Whitehead Part 2- Happy Childhood

I wanted to share my great grandmother's own writen life story.  I am truly grateful to have this treasure to read and share with my own children and family members.  I am inspired to do this as well.

I was born in Preston Idaho Aug 5, 1888.  At the time of my birth, the manifesto was taking place, and all plural marriages were checked and no more allowed.  I was the seventh of ten children.  When I was just a baby we moved to Franklin Ida.(the oldest town in Idaho, the first to be called a town).  I remember how proud we were to be living in that place, in later years up to the present, Preston just seven miles north became much larger, as have a good many others, as Franklin remains yet, about the same as when I lived there 50 yrs. ago, but it still holds a very dear spot in my heart.  My happy childhood days were spent there.

picture of Preston found at www.presonidaho.org

My parents were in very humble circumstances, my father was a carpenter, cabinet maker and an architect.  He worked mainly at the architect and cabinet building  he made all the furniture in  our home everything but the stove.  He always owned a sawmill, when I was very small it was down near the Cub River in a hallow place at Franklin Idaho.  Later he moved just south of the R. R. station and built a very large building which covered all his machinery each of its kind in separate rooms.  There was an engine room where the huge steam engine controlled the running of the log sawing, the lumber planing, the shingle machine, the lath and all the other contraptions I remember so well in that huge place.  My father was very particular that we children were not allowed  in the mill when it was in operation, but my half brother Brigham who run the log sawing mac. would let us ride on a fresh log he had just began to slab, and as I look back now I remember the thrill we got, also the terrific danger of us riding on that log approaching closer every minute to that large round saw whirling so fast to saw the lumber.  We would go toward it quite slowly as it sawed and when the slab dropped, away we would go back like a whirlwind.  I shudder as I write this.  This same brother had his right hand cut off, but I am quite sure that was done in the lumber planing mac. and that's another thing I shall never forget, when he was brought into our house.  If ever a little girl was terrified it was I that day and I never ask for another ride or went near the mill when it was running, ever again.

We enjoyed playing on the large sawdust pile in our bare feet or hop around from log to log in the large yard, or pick spruce gum from them.  That was the only gum we ever had.  We tho’t it was very good and were satisfied and content to enjoy it.  Rachel could always find the biggest nests of it and would pick and pick till she would have a whole spool box full.  Spool boxes were the only kind of boxes we ever had.  They would give them to us in the store when the thread was sold, we used them for pencil boxes at school.

Sunday morning was one of the happiest days of my life.  We only had one pr. of shoes and I can still see us all lined up on the long porch of our home in summer, bright and early Sunday morning, each cleaning our own shoes.  We learned very early in life that we had to do our own work as our mother had all she could do and more than she should have had.  We would shine away on our shoes singing “never be late” or “Sabbath morning comes with gladness, little hearts are filled with joy” which was one of my favorites.  I really was filled with joy- I loved it all and we made quite a parade as we walked the mile to Sunday School to the sand-rock one roomed “meeting house”.  We sat on home made benches and there was a class in every corner and in the center, but we all had a dark green curtain around.

I remember so well too, a little Welsh man, who was blessed with a good loud voice for singing, who used to “Lead the singing”.  He would say, “Now this song is for the ‘ittle ones, but I want yo all to sing”.  Dear old brother Nash and then Bro. Herd who taught us to sing “Little purple pansies,” he was a fat jolly fellow, whom every one loved.

Now I am beginning to wonder if I should have started to write a sketch of my life.  I’m afraid you have all laid the book down now but it is fun to be reminiscing and recalling the happiness of my childhood.

Back to Bro. Herd when we kids had measles my father was away so mother called brother Herd and Bro Durrant to administer to us.  The first place we went when we were well was to the store where Bro Herd was manager (the old union store) and he gave us, Rachel and I, a whole orange each.  We were so thrilled we couldn’t get home fast enough to show mother.  The only other time we ever had an orange or tasted one, was when Father went to Salt Lake to Conference he would bring us home an orange. 

When we Know Where We're From...

Yesterday my eight year old son showed me a pencil that he had 'carved' (i.e. took all the yellow off).  He told me it took him 3 days.  I said- "That's the Icelandic blood in you, making beautiful things out of plain and normal pieces of wood".
Here are some very old samples of wood carvings we saw while in Iceland.

After I made the comment he said, "maybe I'll go to Iceland to learn how to carve wood one day."  Who knows?

Sometimes You Don't Always Like What You Find

There is always a risk when doing family history research that you might be the one who finds the skeletons in the closet or things that aren't pleasant.  This happened to me when I was researching my Bowie line at the Archives in Halifax.

Johanna, the wife to James and the mother of  9 children died in November of 1892 which meant that the two youngest girls were only 1 year old and 10 years old.  They were sent to an orphange called St Joseph's.  One of the archivists found a record of Mary and Agnes receiving their First Communion and their confirmation at the orphange.

I often wondered why John George left Halifax at such a young age (14).  I suppose that things at home weren't great- his mother died, his youngest brother had died 5 years before his mother.  His father remarried.  There was a whole world out there, why not?

William's youngest daughter Frances's daughter Ella was married and died four days after giving birth.  Francis and her husband raised the baby as her own.  I am sad to think that the family was not able to step in and help.  What about the step mom?  I wonder if this mystery can be solved?  That's one of the hooks when doing family history- figuring out what really happened and why.

Couldn't Resist Sharing this Video.

I am going to try this with my kids.  We'll see how they compare...  Will update.

Incredible

For our 10 year anniversary we planned a trip. We decided to go to my husbands great grandparents home country of Iceland. We have now been here for just over four days and are completely taken by the beauty of this country. We have been well received by his family members. We have also been able to see the country and experience many of it's customs- like the geothermal baths.
We don't have a charger for the iPad and so I don't have much juice left, I will be posting pictures when I get back of family and sights. If any of you have ancestors from this wonderful land I encourage you to come back, make contact and experience the life here, you will not be disappointed.

Nova Scotia Archives Field Trip

We just returned from an incredible summer vacation.  We ended up putting 5014 km on the van.  It is a lot of driving with four kids and a dog.  We decided to see more of the East coast which included family history adventures, seeing old friends and visiting parts of Canada that we hadn't explored before.

I loved our time at all places, but I would have to say that our time in Halifax brought me many emotions.  I was able to walk the street that my great great great grandfather William Bowie lived and died.





I was able to walk the street where James Bowie, my great great grandfather lived and worked.  At one point hw owned a restaurant on 13 Brunswick St.  The funniest part about this walk is that there is a ale house that would have been two buildings down from where James had his establishment that was built at the same time period, so here I am with my four small children trapesing around a beer hall at 5 o'clock on a Friday night.  Here are some of the pics.

I loved my time at the archives, the people who work there are truly amazing, they helped me tremendously.  I was able to look through the Catholic records and find births from several families.  These records are only available at this location so I was very grateful to have gone through them.
Originally we had that James and Johanna Bowie had 5 children: Arthur Henry, John George, James Patrick, Mary and Agnes.  According to the handwritten birth records of the Catholic church there are more- this is their complete family:

Margaret Maude born Jan 1, 1874
Catherine born 9 April 1875
Arthur Henry 1876 baptized 24 Oct
Mary Magdelene 8 September 1878
James William 11 July 1880
John George 1881
Mary Ellen 1 May 1882
James Patrick 18 April 1887 died 15 Oct 1888
Agnes  Jan 1892


I will be adding more.. so excited to share.

Ella Jenson/Monson Part 5 Retirement

On September 23, 1896, her husband passed away leaving her with seven children at home, Ezra having married eleven months before.  With a large family, there was not much to be divided for their keeping, so each family was  left to make their way through the world.  Mother and her children began early to realize the cold facts that were confronting them, and her daughters took up the work of dressmaking and other work where they could help.  Fred, the oldest son at home found work and with all working who were old enough to help they managed to get along.  Her children felt pride in the fact that at no time in all her life did she have to call for charity from the county or the Church.  Some was given to her by kind friends at times, but none was solicited.  She kept her family together as a unit, and as each one married her cares were lightened. 

When the two youngest boys went to Logan to school, she rented her home to Ezra and went along with them.  Keeping the little home warm for them and preparing their meals as long as she could do the work. It was there that she did her last housekeeping, tenderly taking care of the boys.  She became afflicted with rheumatism and suffered with it for years and when she got so that she could not take care of herself, she lived with her children for a number of years and at the last went to the home of her daughter Eva and spent most of her last days.  In this the children helped in the expenses.  A short time before her death she was moved to Idaho Falls to the home of her youngest son Aquilla.  Shortly after she was stricken with a stroke and a few days later on December 14, 1928, she had another stroke and passed away.  Her remains were taken to Franklin for the funeral services and burial was made in the Richmond cemetery where the family burial lot is located.

Her life was full of incidents that speak of her faith and devotion to her family and her faith in God and His Church, an inspiration to her family and all who know her.

If anyone has more info and pictures, that would be fantastic

Whitehead Home in Franklin Idaho

I was doing a search for pictures of Franklin and happened upon a very good website developed by a young man who chose to do an overview of important places past and present of Franklin, Idaho.  You could imagine my surprise when I saw these:

back of the house

foundation

the front

the roof line 

All of these images are of the Whitehead house in Franklin.  Now, I do not know for certain what Whitehead built and lived in this home?  Perhaps these ones?




Or these ones?

I am going to send a little email over to the boy scout (not sure if he still lives in Franklin) to see about more info.
Google searches truly surprise and delight many times!!

Ella (Elna) Jenson wife to Christian Hans Monson Part 4 Relocation

Here the two wives lived in exile with their small children, hid away from society and associations of their friends.  In December, Aunt Vendla gave birth to her daughter, Eliza, now the wife of Dr. Kerr of Ogden, Utah.  Aunt Vendla did not enjoy good health, being afflicted with a weak heart and during one of these attacks, she passed away during the winter of 1887 and 1888.  Imagine the feelings of mother, her bosom companion who was sharing the trials of exile with her, the one who helped to make the situation a little more bearable, to see her taken in death in her young womanhood, leaving three small children, would make a real drama of trial. 


But I will add that the Swann family were kind and considerate of them in all of their troubles.  Father under arrest and waiting trial, her two eldest children in Richmond with Aunt Mary, and the death scene that came into the home and she to be left with the small children was an extreme experience for both father and mother and the rest of the family.  The clouds of  persecution were hanging very heavy over them.  With heavy heart, but without complaint, and with true Christian devotion she accepted her lot, firm in the belief that she was living a sacred law and with the faith that she would again be privileged to live with her family, her husband and friends.

On June 23, 1888, father was sentenced to serve six months in the Utah Penitentiary at which time he began his sentence.  During his imprisonment mother gave birth to her daughter, Sarah, on August 5, 1888.  Father’s term expired on December 23, 1888 at which time he was released and arrived home Christmas eve.  Father set about  to get mother a little nearer home so that he could visit more often and in the early spring of 1889 he moved her to Franklin to the farm home of  Tolef Olsen which was located on the river south and west of the cemetery.  The house could not be seen from the road, and not until you came to the brow of the hill next to the river.  Here she remained until the spring of 1890 when she was moved into Franklin in a home that was on the corner just west of the present highway on the south side of Main Street.  Father had been encouraged to move his mill from Richmond to Franklin as the lumber supply came from the mountains east of Franklin and would be more convenient to towns in Idaho.  He located it temporarily on the river between the north end of the railroad bridge and the river where it remained for two summers when he built a large mill building just south and west of the railroad station, where the Wm. Durand home property is now located.  He had a saw mill and shingle mills together with other wood working machinery.  He provided a home there where mother lived and cooked for  the mill hands.

Her move to Franklin brought her into a new life, not excluded from the world, with her children she enjoyed the privileges of going into society and attending church, so there was rejoicing in her family.  Her home soon became the center of attraction of many of the young people as she was tolerant with them.  Her children attended the public schools and worked in the various Ward organizations and made themselves useful members.  Three of her children were born in Franklin.

On September 23, 1896, her husband passed away leaving her with seven children at home, Ezra having married eleven months before.  With a large family, there was not much to be divided for their keeping, so each family was  left to make their way through the world.  Mother and her children began early to realize the cold facts that were confronting them, and her daughters took up the work of dressmaking and other work where they could help.  Fred, the oldest son at home found work and with all working who were old enough to help they managed to get along.  Her children felt pride in the fact that at no time in all her life did she have to call for charity from the county or the Church.  Some was given to her by kind friends at times, but none was solicited.  She kept her family together as a unit, and as each one married her cares were lightened. 

If anyone has more info and pictures, that would be fantastic

Ella (Elna) Jenson wife to Christian Hans Monson Part 3- The Escape

As the persecutions came upon the Church, my parents were among those who were sought for on account of their marriage relationship and in the year 1887, my father was arrested by United States Deputy Marshals’ Steele and Whetstone on the charges of unlawful cohabitation.  By this time father had married another wife, Vendla, so that she and mother together with their young children were taken into exile, those remaining living with Aunt Mary. Aunt Vendla had been taken to the home of friends who lived on Worm Creek east of Preston and mother was living with Aunt Mary in the home on Main Street in Richmond, just one-half block east of the bank location.  Aunt Ellen and her children were living in a home one and one-half blocks south of the cemetery.  The home on Main Street where mother was living, faced the south with the kitchen part of the house on the north facing the west and another outside door on the east.  North of the kitchen was a bedroom which did not have any outside door but had a window on the north and east side.

At the time of father’s arrest, he was at his planing mill and lumber yard which was located on the County road, two and one-half blocks south of the present location of the Inter-Urban Depot, on the south bank of City Creek.  He was engaged in setting up a new planer when they found him.  The officers took him with them in their buggy and drove  immediately to the home on Main Street where my mother and Aunt Mary were engaged in the laundry work for the week, using the old-fashioned tub and washboard, just in the middle of the task.  On entering the home, father took them into the front door and was met by my brother Joseph’s wife, who were living in the two east rooms.  She was introduced as Mrs. Monson and was placed under arrest, they thinking that she was one of father’s wives.  In those days old apostate Mormons were the informers of the officers and among them in Richmond were some whom father had befriended when they first came to Utah and sheltered and fed them until they could find employment and make other arrangements.  So with such informers the officers were supplied with intimate knowledge of the home and family relations.  Father invited the officers to dine with them, as it was near noon and they accepted the invitation.  This gave mother a better chance to escape.

As stated before, Aunt Mary and mother were in the back part of the house and learning what had happened and not knowing whether or not the officers would come around to the east or west doors of the kitchen, or possibly they might watch both doors to avoid anyone’s escaping, the north window in the little bedroom was quickly raised and mother climbed our with her babe Rachel, without time to get any change of clothing, but just in her working clothes, without anything to cover her head, other than her kitchen apron tied around her waist, she put it over her head and running north  through the orchard into the lots of Henry Hendricks and on to the street north, then she went east to the Shepard corner, then north two blocks.  She had in mind to go to the home of some friends by the name of Poulsen which was just another half block north.  She had an impression not to go there as there would be a possible danger that the officers might be informed of the family friendship.  She turned east, thinking she would go to the home of Swen Nelson which was two blocks which were on an upgrade, part of it quite steep.  When she arrived at the corner, she again felt the same impression not to go there.  She had now gone five blocks south of where she was.  Without any time wasted she started for the Larson home where she was received and welcomed.

The delay to the officers occasioned by the invitation to dinner and waiting for its preparation gave mother the opportunity to get away without their knowing about her escape.  They were quite contented thinking that they had mother and knowing that Aunt Vendla was out of town.  On leaving, after placing father under bond for his appearance, they went to these apostate “spotters” of theirs and to their disappointment learned that they had my brother’s wife.  They went to the Poulsen home first and searched it through, going into the attic from a ladder up the east end of the house to a door in the gable.  They searched the cow shed, the chicken house and through the lot where the berry bushes were.  Failing there, they went direct to the Swen Nelson home and made a similar search.  At neither of these homes had they learned of father’s arrest.  Failing at these two homes the search was abandoned.

A few days later, father got brother Nathan Porter of Preston to go and get mother and take her to Preston  where her cousin Mrs. Annie Larsen was living and left her temporarily at the Larsen home.  Arrangements were make for her to move to the Ephriam Swann home which was about three  miles north and east of Preston.  The home was built on the north slope of the hill so that only the upper part of the home, the roof, was in sight from down nearer to town.  Aunt Vendla was moved from the place on Worm Creek, where she was staying, to the Swann home with mother.