Burned the Church: William Glade in the Southern States Mission, Part 3

The Saints on Two Mile worked very hard to get everything arranged for a successful conference. The meeting house was nicely scrubbed inside and out. Preparations were in progress for its decoration and all seemed well. But the old spirit of prejudice and hatred that ever has existed against the work is not dead, even here where there are friends on every side. During the night of Wednesday, Aug. 8, some enemy was mean enough to set fire to the building, and in a few hours it was reduced to a heap of ashes. No clue is had of the perpetrator of the deed. The Saints naturally felt a little discouraged, and many of our opponents expressed themselves disgusted with the act. A very prominent man of the county has said that he will donate ten dollars for the erection of another house. The Saints have not given up hope of still holding their regular Sunday school and meetings, and John I. Guthrie has proferred [sic] the use of a good house until the time when a meeting house shall have been completed.

The burning of the church did not stop the preparations for conference. The Saints turned their attention to a beach [sic] grove near by, and by energetic work seats were arranged, a stand was erected, and ere long a very comfortable place to hold our meetings in was the result.

The grounds were very tastefully arranged with decorations and flowers, most noticeable of which was a banner placed back of the speaker’s stand, bearing the following inscriptions: “The first principles of the Gospel,” [“]Faith in Christ,” “Repentance towards God,” “Baptism for the remission of sins,” “Gift of the Holy Ghost,” “In God we trust,” “Holiness to the Lord.”

The southern people are noted for their hospitality, and they added to their fame on the occasion of the conference. Between the morning and afternoon services picnic in abundance was provided on the grounds. All partook with relish of the sumptuous spread, after which a very pleasant time was had in conversation and general handshaking.

Too much praise cannot be given the Bonham Brothers Glee club for their kindness in rendering a number of pleasing selections during the meeting.

It was estimated that fully five hundred people were present at the afternoon service on Sunday. Many were from outside counties, prominent among whom were Squire James Adkins and Hezekiah Bryant, of Lincoln, William Cartwright, of Caball, and Thomas Foster of Boone.

Great credit is due the Saints and other friends residing on Two Mile, for the manner in which they entertained the brethren and visitors. Indeed they have ever been true friends to the traveling Elders. Special mention is made of Grandma Guthrie, who, though not a member of the Church, has endeared herself to many an Elder by her acts of kindness.

In conclusion we would say that all the Elders are well and enjoying their labors.

SAMUEL BRINTON,

          President of Conference.

W. E. RYDALCH,

          Clerk of Conference.

WILLIAM J. GLADE,

          Asst. Clerk.

Introduction

Part 1

Part 2

Photo of the West Virginia covered bridge from www.flickr.com/photos/wirwuenscheneinbierinternationalereisegesellschaft_2008_10/3021697641/.

Burned the Church: William Glade in the Southern States Mission, Part 2

On reassembling the congregation sang and Elder Curtis B. Smith offered prayer; singing.

Elder Charles A. Higginson was the first speaker, and dwelt upon the principle of faith. He was followed by Elder W. E. Rydaich, who spoke upon the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Samuel Brinton thanked the people for their many acts of kindness during the conference and asked the blessings of God upon them. Exhorted the Saints to press forward and put their trust in God.

A hymn was sung, after which conference adjourned and the benediction was pronounced by Elder Henry E. Taylor.

During the conference four regular Priesthood meetings were held, where much valuable instruction was given in regard to the labor of the Elders in their fields. Elder [Elias S.] Kimball, president of the mission, also communicated by written word.

On account of the illness of some of the Elders in the South a general fast was observed by the brethren on Monday, August 12th.

At Priesthood meeting Saturday, August 10th, the Elders were assigned their fields of labor by Elder Brinton, president of the conference, as follows:

Samuel Brinton and H. E. Taylor to Mercer county.

George T. Taylor and Fred G. Warnick to Summers county.

Orlando Bradley and W. E. Rydaich to Monroe county.

Herbert W. Reese and W. D. Elder to Mingo county.

Curtis B. Smith and J. S. Campbell to McDowell county.

Harvey H. Cluff and Judson Tolman to Pocahontas county.

William J. Glade and W. N. Casper [1] to Logan county. [2]

William H. Handley and John G. Peart to Monroe county.

Henry Bartholomew and C. A. Higginson to Wyoming county.

Owing to the sudden death of Elder Charles S. Hall, in Texas [3], Elder Elias S. Kimball was unable to be with us; but a letter was received from our worthy president containing many words of encouragement.

The West Virginia conference is in a flourishing condition. At last conference there were twelve Elders; now there are twenty Elders in the field. During the year there have been thirty-four baptisms, and many children have been blessed. Nine counties have been closed, leaving seven more, which, with the present force of workers, will be completed in a few more months.

There are two prosperous branches of the Church in this field, in connection with which the same number of excellent Sunday schools is conducted. The Saints are stricing to live up to all the principles and privileges of the Gospel and are very much encouraged. Many of them are now regular tithe payers.

A Saints’ meeting was held Monday, August 12, at which the brethren spoke as follows: Elder Henry E. Taylor, on prayer; Elder W. E. Rydaich, on the Word of Wisdom; Elder Samuel Brinton, on tithing and general duties of the scattered Saints.

To be continued...

Introduction

Part 1

Part 3

[1] Probably William Nephi Casper (1848-1932) of Charleston, Wasatch, Utah.

[2] Logan County is in southwestern West Virginia. It is a coal mining area.

[3] Charles Scott Hall (1845-1895). Here is an account of his life in the Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia.

Picture of the old Logan County, West Virginia cabin from www.flickr.com/photos/teddybear_crafts/1637069711/ under a Creative Commons license.

Burned the Church: William Glade in the Southern States Mission, Part 1

BURNED THE CHURCH.

—————

Report of the West Virginia conference held at Guthrie, Two Mile, Kenawha county, Saturday and Sunday, August 10th and 11th, 1895, Elder Samuel Brinton presiding. Twenty traveling Elders and many Saints and friends were in attendance.

10 a.m., Saturday—Singing & Prayer by Elder W. R. Rydalch. Singing.

Elder Brinton said that he hoped the Spirit of God would be with us, and that no prejudice or contention would exist, but that joy and peace would abound.

The Elders spoke briefly as follows: Olander Bradley, on the first principles of the Gospel; Henry E. Taylor preached the Gospel by the example of a righteous life; Curtis B. Smith said our salvation should occupy our highest thought; Herbert W. Beers spoke on our mission as a mission of peace; William H. Burrows, on free agency; and Geo. T. Taylor, on the power of faith.

Elder Samuel Brinton exhorted the people to follow the instructions of Jesus when He says: “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself.”

In closing, the congregation sang, after which the benediction was pronounced by Elder Harvey H. Cluff.

The services in the afternoon were continued, by singing by the Bonham glee club; prayer was offered by Elder John G. Pearl; singing by the glee club.

Elders addressed the congregation in the following order: Henry Bartholomew on the fall and the atonement; Harvey H. Cluff on faith and works; William J. Glade on general and individual salvation; William H. Hindley on obedience to the Gospel; Judson Tolman on repentance and baptism; John G. Peart bore a faithful testimony; Fred G. Warnick spoke on salvation as an individual work.

Elder Samuel Brinton remarked that the Elders are not educated in colleges for the ministry, but go filled with the Spirit of God, to preach Christ and Him crucified, and the Gospel of peace and charity.

The glee club rendered a selection, and the benediction was pronounced by Elder William J. Glade.

On Sunday morning, meeting opened by singing; prayer was offered by Elder Orlando Bradley; singing.

The Elders again addressed the assembly as follows: George T. Taylor on authority; Henry E. Taylor on the Gospel the only plan of salvation; and Wm. N. Casper on the Gospel to be preached to all nations.

Brother Jasper Bonham, of Two Mile, was called on and bore a faithful testimony to the Gospel he had received.

Elder J. S. Campbell advised the people to search the Scriptures, and Elder Herbert W. Beers spoke on repentance.

Singing by the Glee club; benediction by Elder Wm. J. Glade. [Again!]

To be continued...

Introduction

Part 2

Part 3

Burned the Church: William Glade in the Southern States Mission, Introduction

William Glade served in the Southern States Mission in the 1890s. I found the mention of his missionary service rather interesting in the last two histories posted here. The only difficulties mentioned in regards to his mission were: 

• leaving his pregnant wife Annie and young son Lester to live with Annie's mother for two years
• having to rent the home he had built for his family
• a delay in connecting the home to city utilities

The histories didn't mention that at the time, the Southern States Mission was the most dangerous mission in the church. It was the site of a number of missionary murders including the deaths of Elders John Gibbs, William Berry, and Joseph Standing. It was the site of regular violence against the missionaries and church members as told in the recent book by Patrick Mason, The Mormon Menace: Violence and Anti-Mormonism in the Postbellum South, which I am currently reading. As Southern States Mission historian Bruce Crow mentioned in a recent post, however, by the time that William Glade served in the 1890s, it was more common for the missionaries to be attacked with eggs than with guns. But still a family must have received a mission call to the Southern States Mission with much trepidation.

William Glade was mentioned a number of times in a long article in the Deseret Weekly (1895) called "Burned the Church." I will serialize it over two or three days, and it will take until the second or third day to learn what the title of the article meant.

To be continued...

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

William and Annie Glade in the Census

William and Annie Glade married in 1893. They are found in the following censuses. The 1940 and 1950 censuses, which would also list them, are not yet available online.

1900. They first show up at 327 C Street with three children: William Lester, Mary, and Beulah. They are living next door to James Glade's widows: Eliza Litson Glade (William John's mother) and Isabel Love Glade.

1910. By the next census they have eight children: Lester, Mary, Beulah, Harvey, Virginia, Elizabeth, Melissa, and James. William John was born in Utah, of course, and the census shows that Annie was naturalized in 1884, which would be when her father became a citizen. As a child in the family, she would assume the same citizenship status as her father, James Harris Hamilton.

1920. This census shows all eleven living children living at home. William and Annie's son Edwin was born in 1912 and died in 1916, so he did not show up on a census. The oldest child Lester had recently returned from his mission and service in the war and had not yet married Lucile Green. Glade Grandmother Eliza Litson Glade had recently died, but Isabell Love Glade was still alive; in her last year of life, to be exact.

1930. At the time of this census, there were six children still living at home with their middle-aged parents. The children ranged from ages 32 to 12. The two oldest daughters were working as stenographers.

African Violets

Grandma Beverly Wessman enjoyed many varieties of flowers. Her dahlias and roses and lilacs were always spectacular, and inside the house she had a number of African violets in decorative containers. This is not one of hers, but this picture of a pink African violet is in honor of her birthday.

April 22: Emily sent a picture of one of Grandma's African violets which is blooming right now:

Picture from Flickr under a creative commons license. (www.flickr.com/photos/21202718@N00/3905812260/)

William John Glade: A Family Biography by Florence Glade Wells, Part 3

Mother was always the first one up in the morning. She would always start the fire in the coal stove. It was the boy’s chore to see that there was plenty of coal and wood for her. She would cook cereal and often pancakes and eggs. She baked thirteen loaves of bread every other day. We girls would help make sack lunches for all those who could not come home at noon. She was well organized. Monday was wash day, she would soak the white clothes the night before, wring them into hot, soapy water in a hand powered washing machine (until the electric ones came out). She would boil the whites on the stove for twenty minutes, wring them into rinse water that had blueing in it, then wring them out and hang them up to dry. What lines we had all over the backyard!

Tuesday was ironing day. She would iron all of the men’s shirts, and we girls would iron the dresses and handkerchiefs. The rest of the week was spent baking and darning socks.

On Sundays, Father would take the older children to Sunday School and Priesthood meeting. Mother would stay home with the little ones. Our Sacrament Meetings were at 6:30 P.M., so Mother went to that and one of the older girls would stay home with the little ones. After church we would stand around the piano and sing hymns and all the popular songs.

How well I remember our Sunday dinners. It was the time we are in the front room with the best china and silverware, with thirteen at the table. Mother would prepare a huge rump roast of beef or leg of lamb, riced potatoes and gravy, vegetables, salad and lemon pie or layer cake. Her Parker House Rolls were wonderful. Monday she would make stew from the roast and on Tuesday it would be soup.

Our groceries were delivered from ZCMI once a week. We younger ones would run to the neighborhood store for yeast cakes every other day. After we bought our car, Beulah would take Mother to a store on North Temple, which was owned by her brother-in-law for her roasts. We little ones would try to go to get an all-day sucker. On Saturday, Beulah would take mother to Ephraim Creamery for gallons of milk, then to ZCMI for cinnamon rolls. That was our favorite Saturday evening meal.

During the canning season, mother would go to the Farmer’s Market and bring bushels of peaches, pears, tomatoes, apples and other vegetables. We would can 300 quarts of fruit. All of the older ones were working and Betty and Hazel were in training at the Hospital, so it was Melissa’s and my job to do most of the housework. We would do the evening dishes, harmonizing as we worked. Saturday, we would take turns doing the upstairs or downstairs. Mother taught us how to sew and cook. Our clothes were simple, a corduroy dress or sweater and skirt for school, and a nice Sunday dress. I wore long black stockings and button shoes that I buttoned with a button hook.

Mother wore long cotton dresses with a long white apron over them. We never know when she was pregnant—we didn’t know the word. I was one of the young ones, so I would be told, “We have a new baby” after the arrival. Mother had a nurse, May McFarlane, and she would stay with us for about a month. Dr. Hansen was our Doctor.

Mother loved nice hats and she would always have one nice dress to wear to church.

In the latter part of their lives, Beulah was their constant companion. She took them to church and shopping. Betty was on hand to give them any medical attention they needed. Father kept busy taking care of his apartments and watering the lawns. Mother loved her cooking and keeping the house clean. We married children loved visiting them and bringing our children into their home.

Father died peacefully in our home on November 17th, 1951 at the age of 83.

Mother passed away five years later November 25th, 1957 at the age of 84.

Part 1

Part 2

William John Glade: A Family Biography by Florence Glade Wells, Part 2

When the LDS Hospital was built on 8th Avenue and “C” Street, in 1908, they had sewer, gas, electric and water lines put in. So the residents on the upper avenues could take advantage of that. But for Father, to take advantage of that, would have to be put on hold. Their first child was born January 236, 1894. They named him William Lester Glade. When Lester was a year and a half old, Father was called on a mission to the Southern States. Although Mother was pregnant, they accepted the call. They rented their home to Father’s brother, James and his family. They paid $15.00 to $20.00 a month rent which went to the Building Society for house payments. Mother and Lester went to live with Grandmother Hamilton and Mary. They were well taken care of and their second child was born, a daughter named Mary Hamilton Glade, after grandmother.

Father served a two year mission successfully in the States of Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. He traveled without purse or script.

When father arrived home he remodeled the home. He added two rooms onto the back and put in a bathroom. This brought in water, sewer and lights.

A screen shot of the Google Map of the home that is probably 327 C Street, after comparing the images with the information on Zillow. The William Glade home is to the left, and the James Glade home is to the right. If any family member has additional information or corrections, please leave a comment.

William was always a hard worker, and was not afraid to tackle much of the remodeling himself. In order to supplement his income and provide additional means for his growing family, he built a duplex at the rear of his home. This building still stands and has provided a home for many of his children and grandchildren when they were first married. Stephen and I took advantage of that and our first four children were born while living there. He charged us $35.00 a month rent.

After his mother died, he remodeled that home, which was two doors north of our home. He made it into four three-room apartments. To take care of our growing family he was always remodeling our home. He added three bedrooms upstairs and two sleeping porches. He modernized our home and put in central heating.

In the year 1927, Father again remodeled our home at the cost of $2400.00. He completely changed the front of the house with two large bay windows, and a front porch. The way it looks today. We had a beautiful dining room and front room. The windows were beautiful with sheer curtains and red drapes. Lovely rugs were on the hardwood floors. We were always proud of our home, and felt comfortable bringing in our friends.

On July 1, 1930, father retired from ZCMI, having worked there for thirty two years. The presented him with a gold signet ring.

After retirement he was always working on the upkeep of his apartments. As his sons were growing up, they were taught how to help him with the building and maintenance. He taught himself how to make furniture. I was the one he chose to help him do paper hanging and painting.

In their home at 327 C Street, eleven children were born. Mary was the only one born at Grandmothers. Of the twelve children, I was number nine. I will list their names so you will know your aunts and uncles. Lester, Mary, Beulah, Harvey, Virginia, Elizabeth (Bette), Melissa, James, Florence, Edwin, Benjamin, and Hazel. I will not write up their histories because they are written in two other volumes written by Mary Walton and Melissa Behunin.

Our family was a typical LDS family. We were a large family with limited income. Each child, as they were old enough, would go to work and give Mother some money out of our paycheck for her household expenses. She was very thrifty and if anyone of us would run out of money and needed a loan, she had some hidden cash and would always help us out.

To be continued...

Part 1

Part 3

William John Glade: A Family Biography by Florence Glade Wells, Part 1

This biography of William John Glade and his family was written by his daughter Florence Glade Wells, provided by cousin Ben B., and included here with much thanks.

William and Annie Glade Family, 1901.

I would like to start my history by paying tribute to my wonderful parents. They were an ideal Latter-day Saint couple, with a firm testimony of the true Church of Jesus Christ, and raised their family in accordance with its teachings. It was a home where love, harmony and respect abounded for one another. 

My father, William John Glade was born to pioneer parents, who crossed the plains by ox team and hand cart. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 15, 1868. As a young man he was slight of build with beautiful, brown wavy hair. We all respected him as head of the home, and our spirited leader. I never heard him swear, and he would not allow quarreling or harsh words. He was immaculate in his dress and appearance. He was always on time. The neighbors said they could tell the time of day by Father going to work.

Father was a grocery saleman for ZCMI, and would walk to and from work three times a day—morning, noon, and night—and this after spending eight hours on his feet going about his duties. His clientele was the elite of the city and when they would call in an order, he would know to give them the best. He had a beautiful voice and played the guitar, fife and harmonica. Many Sunday evenings were spent with the whole family sitting around singing the favorite old songs. He was a Sunday School Teacher and Secretary for the 134th quorum of the seventies for the Eighteenth Ward for many years.

My mother Ann, (Annie Harris Hamilton,) was born in Glasgow, Scotland on Easter Sunday April 13, 1873. She was a very cultured, refined person having attended private schools. Her penmanship was beautiful and she loved to read.

When she was ten years of age, she emigrated to America with her parents, two older sisters and a brother. They had all been baptized into the Church, except for her mother. They located in Salt Lake City. As a teenager she worked as the office girl for [Emmeline] B. Wells. After her father died, it was necessary for her to earn more money. She went to work with her sister Mary, at the Trow Laundry. She was a beautiful young lady with long, brown hair that she wore with a figure eight chignon at the back of her head.

Both Father and Mother loved music and sang in the Tabernacle Choir [1]. Their first date was a choir party at Black Rock Beach. This started a beautiful romance. Their main entertainment was going to movies and long buggy rides out into the country. They both sang with the choir at the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple.

 

They became engaged but instead of getting married in the Salt Lake Temple, they decided to go to Logan, so they would have a honeymoon. They traveled by train to Logan and stayed with Mother’s Aunt [Agnes McNair] Purdie. The next day April 26, 1893, they were married by Apostle A. W. Merrill [probably Marriner Wood Merrill]. Her aunt gave them a lovely wedding breakfast and they stayed there over night.

The next day they started home and stopped in Ogden to pick up a beautiful wedding cake made by father’s brother, James. It was five tiers, and so big they placed it in a barrel with handles on each side. It took both of them to carry it to the depot. It traveled to Salt Lake in the baggage car with instructions to “Handle with care.” When they got to Salt Lake they got permission to put the cake in the front of the street car, so father stayed in front with the cake while mother was giggling in the back of the street car. Grandmother gave them a lovely dinner for friends and relatives and the cake was the decoration and main attraction.

Grandfather Glade had deeded to father a building lot on “C” Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Father had a four room cottage built before they got married. It was ready for them to move into. It had a kitchen, dining room, parlor, and bedroom. They heated it with a coal stove in the kitchen and dining room, and a fireplace in the parlor. Oil lanterns were used for lighting. 

To be continued...

[1] They are not listed in the directory of members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The directory indicates that it is not complete and requests names of further choir members, so if anyone in the family has any additional documentation about William John Glade and Annie Harris Hamilton singing in the Choir, the Tabernacle Choir historian could include them in the database.

Photo of the Glades from my mother's collection. Photo of ZCMI from Wikipedia. Photo of the Logan Temple from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamiedfw/4054175759/ under a Creative Commons license.

William John Glade and Annie Harris Hamilton Glade

There are at least three histories of William John Glade and his wife Ann (Annie) Harris Hamilton Glade. This first one has no author listed. 

William John Glade and Annie Harris Hamilton Glade

James Hamilton and Mary Watson McNair Hamilton were born in Paisley, Scotland. James Glade was born in Yarcombe, Devonshire, England. Eliza Mary Litson Glade was born in Whitechurch branch, St. Andrews, Glamorganshire, South Wales. Little did these four people realize that far across the Atlantic ocean and then practically across the United States they would come to locate in the neighborhood of "C" Street and Sixth Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah. Little did they realize that they would become the progenitors of a magnificent and prolific posterity.

The James and Mary Hamilton family on Sixth Avenue included Mary, Elizabeth, John and Annie.

The Glade family on "C" Street included William J., George L., James R. and Eliza Mary.

As a young girl, Annie Hamilton attended a Miss Cook's school and William J. Glade attended Brigham Young's school.

On a wintery, snow-packed day, William John Glade was sleigh riding down "C" Street. He deliberately guided his sled to hit Annie Hamilton who tumbled into the snow. This was their initial meeting.

As a teenage girl, Annie Hamilton became acquainted with Emiline B. Wells [sic], the editor of the Women's Exponent. Annie was given work in her office assisting in the mailing of the magazine and delivering copies to be printed by the Deseret News. After the death of James Hamilton, Annie with her brother and sisters, John, Elizabeth and Mary, went to work at the Troy Laundry which was then located on Main Street.

At this time, William John Glade worked at the S. P. Teasdale store. During the lunch hour he could conveniently see Annie Hamilton as she sat crocheting items for her trousseau at her lunch hour break. Vividly he recalled the girl he had hit with his sled and he was impelled to know her better. He gathered up enough courage to ask her for a date. It was on a July 4th that William Glade proposed marriage to Annie Hamilton at the Garfield resort located on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake.

Six months prior to this time, William had a four room cottage built on "C" Street where now stands a nine-room house. This home was built on a lot which William's father had deeded to him.

On April 26, 1893, Annie Hamilton and William John Glade were married in the Logan Temple, Logan, Utah. They became the parents of twelve normal, healthy beautiful children. With the exception of one, all of the children were born in the home on "C" Street. Mary, the second child was born while William John was serving in the Southern States Mission. At this time, Annie and her son Lester were living with her mother.

As the number of Glade children increased, so also was the home on "C" enlarged. It was a hive of activity. Obviously regularity and organized systems were requisits [sic]. Washing, ironing, baking, cleaning and mending were as regular as the days of the week. It seems that Annie was incessently [sic] baking bread, twelve loaves at a time, and the aroma of that bread is still a fond memory to the children as they were returning from school.

As routine and regular as the household duties were, so also was the observance of the Sabbath day. William John Glade was a perfect attender at his priesthood meeting, Sunday School and Sacrament meetings. As the children were old enough, they too attended. After the last born child was old enough, Annie too was a regular attender with her husband at Sacrament meeting. She thoroughly enjoyed her Relief Society meetings. In the Glade family, it was taken for granted that each member would be active in the church.

A new Dodge car purchased in 1918 was a real boon to the Glade family.

Annie was an excellent cook and her meals were a work of art. Each day at about 3 p.m. she would start to prepare the evening meal, which was a wonderful occasion where the entire family surrounded a large table in the kitchen and ate in ease. On Sunday and on special occasions, the meal was served in the dining room with Irish linen cloth, best china and silver; thus she passed on to her family an appreciation for truly fine things.

 Annie Hamilton Glade and daughters.

The Eighteenth Ward was the center of activity for the Glade family. Originally it was the area in which Brigham Young, second prophet of the church lived. Many of the general authorities lived within its confines. It was a natural environment for the Glades to hear the testimonies of the church leaders which helped to fortify the Glade children in righteous living.

The portraits are from my mother's collection. The picture of Annie and her daughters is from Glade cousin Ben B.

George and Ann Prior Jarvis Death Certificates

Here are copies of the death certificates for George and Ann Prior Jarvis. George died on January 6, 1913.

Ann died four days later.

Her birth date as recorded here is one day away from her birth date as recorded in her christening record. Since the christening record is the record created closest to the event of her birth and is an official record, December 30, 1829, should be used as her birth date in all family records. The other dates can be listed in the notes in your genealogy program. Here is a copy of Ann's christening record:

150 Years: The Battle of Fort Sumter and the Start of the Civil War

It's been 150 years since April 12, 1861, when South Carolina fired on the U.S. Army stationed in Charleston Harbor. John Morgan's family, living in Coles County, Illinois, would have followed the events closely and with much interest. They had attended at least one of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, and they lived close to Sarah Bush Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's beloved stepmother.

The Civil War would alter John Morgan's life in many unforeseen ways. He joined the Army on September 6, 1862 along with many other Coles County young men. John's red-headed brother Will also served in the Army.

Since I have already detailed John Morgan's service in the war, I will not retell it here. You can read the Civil War-related posts on this blog:

Early Life and Civil War

This post lists all the battles John Morgan fought in and gives more details about his service including the following: "After the Battle of Selma, Captain Owen Wiley wrote that, 'Our loss was one officer killed; six wounded; seven men killed and forty-two wounded. All did their duty, and so deserve the highest praise. Color Serg’t. John Morgan, Company I is deserving the highest credit for his gallantry in action in being the first to plant a flag upon the Rebel works, and for being in the supreme advance until all the Rebel Forts were captured, planting our colors upon each of them successively.'"

A Letter to his Mother, 1863

"Tell Pa that I wish I was home to help him but as long as there is an armed foe to my country at large, I will be found in the ranks of the Patriot army."

A Letter to his Father, 1863

"There is a perpetual skirmish fight going on all along the line in front; some of them terminating in an engagement that would have been counted bloody in the beginning of the war."

A Trip to Lookout Mountain

This is a letter from a missionary who went on a day trip to Lookout Mountain with John Morgan who was then serving as President of the Southern States Mission. "From this Mt. Bro Morgan showed us several battle fields there was a very noted one on the Mt which we visited"

John Morgan Funeral Address by B.H. Roberts (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

"In his youth the great civil war broke out. He joined the Union army and fought through all the years of the great rebellion, serving in honor in the armies of this country. Many a time I have walked with him over Missionary Ridge, where a great battle was fought; along Chickamauga Creek, where the Confederates won a great victory; around the cities of Chattanooga, Franklin, Columbia, Murfreesboro, Knoxville, and throughout the northern part of Alabama."

In addition, here are some posts on Ancestral Ties:

John Morgan Attends the Grand Army of the Republic Parade in Washington DC, 1892

"At the Rigg’s house met uncle Dave Hamilton, here attending G. A. R. Reunion. He came up and had dinner with me. Met a number of old acquaintances."

A Newspaper Clipping about Similar Letters Home from John Morgan during the Civil War and His Son, John Morgan, during World War I

"Congress and northern legisletures [sic] and northern traitors are doing more for the cause of the Rebellion than all the Southern army. They are discouraging the federal army and encouraging the rebels as much as lay in their power. We of the army are in for nothing but the subjugation or annihilation of the south, and if we cannot accomplish it in three years we can in six, but that it is to be done we are satisfied, and that we are the army to do it we are also satisfied!"

John's Brother William Morgan's Veteran Papers (Filing for Disability)

And, finally, here are a few songs that would have been very familiar to John and his fellow soldiers.

Ten Thousand Stresses

Well, not really ten thousand! But it sure feels like that right now, with life's stresses ranging from the small to the large to the absurd, and consequently the blog has suffered and posts have not been regular. And what adds insult to the injury is that this post has slipped into the passive voice. Yikes!

Ancestor Files News

One of the problems I have run into on this line is that I have a file box full of my grandmother's papers and histories on the Glade and Wessman lines. It's not a problem to complain about, but it will take a significant amount of effort to sort and process. (But of course, it's only work if someone makes you do it! (As Calvin said.)) Some of the information is things I have already typed up and which will only take a half hour or an hour to post, but I have not typed in the history of William John Glade who is next up on the blog. While looking through my files for his biography, I found some letters written by Henry Green in Utah to his family in England. Original letters! They are on pink paper like the Financial Times. Some are written in pencil, some in pen. I did not know I had those, and I will get them scanned and carefully placed in archival folders and will eventually share the images and text here.

As I said, this box of family history is a real treasure, and the part that is the most important to me is seeing the notes written in my grandmother's handwriting. I felt very close to her as a child and miss her very much. Every now and then I come across a letter she wrote to me, and again appreciate her kind words and advice and encouragement.

Ongoing Plea

If any family members have family treasures, letters or photographs or other documents, it would be wonderful to share them with the family. I am always happy to post additional materials about anyone in any of the family lines or their spouses and children. It is best to send images at 300 dpi or above. It is free and quite easy to share large images on Picasa or Dropbox. (If you want a Dropbox account, ask a current user — such as me — for a referral, because that gives the original user extra storage space.) I do appreciate all the family members who have sent information and images for this blog. The collection is made more meaningful by the many connections and friendships that have been made while assembling it.

Blogger News

In other news, Blogger recently added an additional feature. If you type "view/" onto the end of a Blogger address, for example:

http://theancestorfiles.blogspot.com/view/

...you can see an overview of the entire blog or any Blogger blog. You can choose from five different formats: flipcard, mosiac, sidebar, snapshot, or timeslide. I especially enjoyed looking through the mosaic format and seeing all the pictures of the important people and places and themes in my family history. I have included a screen capture above.

Edwin Pettit Autobiography, Part 9

On one occasion, when returning from the coast, I met two men who were on their way to California for freight, and we camped together at Cain Springs on the Santa Clara River. I was very well acquainted with both of them. On returning their journey they were riding at the head of their train. When they had gone quite a distance ahead of their train, some Indians who were traveling along with them, after pretending to be friendly, shot them both in the back with arrows. This happened out on the desert. One of them was killed there and the other was taken into San Bernardino and died from his wounds. I have since seen the grave where one of them was buried. Thus ended the lives of two brave men.

One evening we turned our mules out to graze for a short time preparatory for a journey across the desert. As they strayed away, one of the boys followed to bring them back, and while doing this two Indians ran into the herd and shot four mules. I heard him holler and jumped up on the front of the wagon box to see what the trouble was. I saw the mules running, and I called to the other boys as I grabbed my revolver and ran to help this fellow. We could not catch one of the mules to ride on or we could have got the Indians, as we saw them run up into the hills. The owner of the mules declared vengeance, as we knew that the Indians would follow us to get the meat of the dead animals. The four mules died the following morning, as they had been shot with poisoned arrows. The man wanted to remain and get the Indians when they came up for the meat, but being tired and sleepy they gave up that idea for fear that they would get too far behind the train on the desert and would suffer for water. On this same trip we got snowed in the canyons, and it was necessary for the men to break the trail before the wagons and mules could be taken through the snow.

On leaving San Bernardino, when the trouble there arose between the Mormons and the government, those who were not of our faith were afraid the Mormons would try to smuggle ammunition back into Salt Lake with them. The marshal of San Bernardino [1] asked me to accompany him in a light spring wagon, into the canyon to carry ammunition and firearms to deliver to those who were coming to Salt Lake. Why he should have selected me for this errand was somewhat of a mystery to me, as I was rather young for such an undertaking. This, of course, was not strictly in accordance with the law at the time, but we were anxious to assist our friends who were returning to Salt Lake.

On one occasion, while traveling with a man and his wife with their family of eight children, we were snowbound, with teams that had given out. We were without wood, water or grass, and night coming on. We could see in the distance some small pine trees. My companion took an axe on his shoulder and I followed him with a yoke of oxen to get some wood. We took it back to camp, scraped the snow away; made a fire; boiled a kettle of potatoes and sat on the wagon tongue to eat them. It seemed to me I never ate a better meal. That night our horses ran away and left us, being driven by the storm for twenty miles. I followed them and brought them back. This was extremely risky as there was great danger in being lost in the snow storm.

On October 29, 1864, I married Rebecca Hood Hill, daughter of Archibald N. and Isabella Hood Hill. [2] We settled in the Fourteenth Ward of Salt Lake City, where we lived for about eight years. We then moved to the present location. We have had a family of ten girls and four boys.

In 1882 I made a trip to California on a visit to see some of my old friends. In 1905 I, in company with my wife and four of my daughters, visited Southern California, spending about six weeks in seeing some of the familiar places so dear to me and visiting with my former friends. I was invited to address the Pioneer Society (of which I am a member) in San Bernardino.

After forty-two years I visited my native home in Long Island, and found there many of my old acquaintances and relatives.

I have enjoyed the West. Have seen it under every condition, from the comparatively early days, and traversed it for the mere love of recreation. I finally settled in Salt Lake and made my home in the Fourteenth Ward for a short time, later moving to the present location, where I have spent the last forty years. I have crossed the desert between here and Los Angeles seventeen times by team and three times by rail. I am not only a Pioneer of 1847, but also of 1851, being one of those who went to fill the first mission in California.

FINIS

[1] The San Bernardino Police Officers Association Website lists the early marshals of San Bernardino (1853-1905) as Bud Rollins, Stewart Wall (1836-), George Mattheson, Frank Kerfoot, Charles Landers, Mark Thomas, John C. Ralphs, L. Van Dorin, Joseph Bright, Hughes Thomas, David Wixom, William Reeves, John Henderson, Ben Souther, and Walter A. Shay. The marshal in 1857 would probably have been one of the first of those listed.

[2] Edwin Pettit was married first to Maria Pettit. Note from Edwin and Rebecca's son William Pettit, Sr.: On February 27, 1861, his first child was born; a girl who received the name of Alice Maria Pettit. The mother, Maria Pettit, died on May 20, 1863 when Alice was a few days less than twenty-seven months old.

This left Father with a home and three children, two boys and a baby girl, to care for. His business took him away from home a great part of the time. Richard Bush, born August 2, 1850, was thirteen years old and John P. Bush, born September 9, 1856, was seven years old when their mother died. This was a great responsibility and undoubtedly a great worry for a man twenty-nine years old who had never been tied down to a home life until he was twenty-six years old.

Father always attended Church when he was near a Mormon Church. I remember going to Church with him when I had to hold on to his hand and he would help me partake of the Sacrament. Living in the Fourteenth Ward he undoubtedly participated in the Ward activities.

Sources

Pettit, Edwin. “Biography of Edwin Pettit: 1834-1912,” in Pettit Peregrinations: 654 to 1961 by William A. Pettit, Sr. Pasadena: privately printed, 1961; reprint, Salt Lake City: privately printed, 1988.

Pettit, William A., Sr. Pettit Peregrinations.

Family pictures from "A Picture Book," author unknown.