Family History Questions – Part 5

This is the final installment…

JRF’s maternal grandparents were John Jay Stocking and Catherine Emaline Ensign.  Catherine’s ordinances were all done in October 1891 in the Manti Temple.  It looks like she died after five kids and 10 years of marriage, but three more kids are listed after her death.  It looks like John Jay married Catherine’s younger sister Harriet eight months after Catherine’s death in 1841, so those last kids may be theirs.  He was baptized about a year after Catherine’s death, and was sealed to Catherine in the Endowment House in 1869.

James Homer Stocking was born in Massachusetts, six months after John Jay was baptized (FEB 1842) and 18 months after Catherine’s death.  James Homer died in Nauvoo shortly after his third birthday (1845), so they moved to Nauvoo at some point between 1842 and 1845.  John Jay received his initiatory and endowment in the Nauvoo temple FEB 1846, right before the Saints traveled west.  He would have been about 40 years old at the time.

So John Jay Stocking, DEFINITELY lived in Nauvoo.  When did he move there?  Where did he live?  Can we find that spot when we’re there?  Angeline Amaret Stocking, JRF’s mother, was six years old when her mother died in Massachusetts, and would have been 11 when they left Nauvoo.

Interesting stuff!  Who wants to find what?  Ready…….GO!

Family History Questions – Part 4

Mysteries abound on Jeremiah Reuben Freeman’s side as well.  All four of his grandparents were born “back east” and died in Utah, except his maternal grandmother (Catherine Emaline Ensign) who died in 1841 in Massachusetts, so it’s safe to say that was the first generation to be baptized.  But the dates are what make things interesting.

JRF’s paternal grandparents, John Freeman and Nancy Smoot, were born in Kentucky and married there as well (1826).  John and Nancy’s ordinance records have their initiatory, endowment, and sealing all happening 2 APR 1857 in the Endowment House.  John’s baptism is listed as 16 MAR 1857, with his confirmation 1 JUN 1844.  Nancy’s baptism is also listed as 16 MAR 1857, but her confirmation was back on 1 JUL 1835.  Did they re-baptize people in the Endowment House before performing the other ordinances (two weeks, in this case)?

They appear to still be in KY in 1838 when their 8th child (Columbus Reed) is born.  However, their next three children were born in southern Illinios (the tip between Missouri and Kentucky) between 1840-1845.  So, with the dates above, it would appear that Nancy joined in KY and John joined later in IL.  Two of those last three children who were born in IL (four year old Levi and 21 month old Rosaline) died at Winter Quarters in 1847.  William Hamblin Freeman, JRF’s father, was born in KY and would have been 14 years old at Winter Quarters.

There’s another child listed (Martha) who was born in 1849 in northwest Missouri (AndrewCounty–near the Nebraska-Kansas border), and died in Provo.  Did the Freemans not leave with the Saints from Winter Quarters, staying back and drifting southward, but eventually moving out to Utah later?  Did they move on with the Saints, and Martha perhaps was an adopted orphan (or something like that) who they took in later?

Looking at the dates, when did the Freemans meet up with the Saints?  They were still hundreds of miles from Nauvoo a year after Joseph Smith died.  Did they move to Nauvoo BEFORE the Saints left, or meet up with them somewhere between Nauvoo and Winter Quarters?  IF they DID move to Nauvoo at some point, where did they live, and could we find the spot when we’re there?

We’ll finish with the Stockings…

Family History Questions – Part 3

Continuing on the Bodell side…

Emma Jane Farmer crosses the plains in 1856 with her family at 13 years old.  In May 1862 she marries a young widower named Joseph Bodell.  Joseph was born in England to Henry Bodell and Jane Elsie (Elsey?).  Jane was baptized when Joseph was seven, with Henry being baptized two years later.  Joseph was baptized 4 FEB 1852 at age 12.  It is unknown when Joseph came over, but before his 20th birthday he is already in SLC and getting married to his first wife (May 1860).  They have a baby a little over 18 months later, and his wife dies two weeks after that (14 APR 1862).  He marries Emma Jane Farmer about a month later (17 MAY), and the baby dies 2 SEP 1862, about six months old.

The following year (1863), his father Henry dies and is buried “on the plains.”  When did Joseph Bodell come over?  Is it possible that he came over with his father’s family, and Henry died on a later trip bringing another group of Saints across?  When did Henry’s family leave England?  Anybody want to tackle these questions?

Jeremiah Reuben Freeman’s side is next….

Family History Questions – Part 2

*** Initial Disclaimer*** I’m getting a lot of this info from Church websites (e.g. new.familysearch.org, FamilySearch Family Tree, etc.) which doesn’t necessarily make it accurate. If anyone has access to records that dispute this info PLEASE let me know!

OK, so with all this reunion talk, it got me thinking about our family history, and when each particular root first joined the church.  This is Part 2 of

Dad’s side is a little more tricky.  Grandma Freeman’s side we know, with all four of her grandparents being baptized in Denmark and emigrating to Utah and California.

Grandpa Freeman’s parents were Jeremiah Reuben Freeman and Emma Jane Bodell.  All four of EJB’s grandparents were born in England, with most emigrating to/toward Utah, with her maternal grandstepmother (Elisabeth Morris) being buried on the plains in July 1856, and her paternal grandfather (Henry Bodell) being buried on the plains in 1863.  Anyone have any info on their respective pioneer companies, or how to find that out?  It would be interesting to find any details about those two deaths.

EJB was the daughter of Joseph Bodell and Emma Jane Farmer, both of whom were born in England.  Emma Jane Farmer was the second of seven kids born to James Morris Farmer and Sarah Trussler.  Her mother seems to have died either in labor or due to complications of childbirth, as her death date is 26 AUG 1851 and “Baby Farmer” was born and died AUG 1851.  Emma Jane was 8 yrs old when her mom and baby sibling died.  Two years later (1853), her father married Elisabeth Morris.  James has a confirmation date of 1 JUL 1848 (when he was 32), and Elisabeth’s baptism/confirmation are dated 6 OCT 1837, so it’s possible they met at church.

!!!WEIRD ALERT!!!  It’s possible they met LONG before that.  I’m guessing that there’s been a data entry/merge error somewhere along the line, because it seems this Elisabeth Morris is actually his widowed mother!  Was that allowed?  At first you’d think, maybe she’s just helping out with the kids and is just listed as living there.  BUT there is another kid listed between their marriage date and Elisabeth’s death date.  Anyone want to figure out what’s up with that one? 

That kid was Willard Biddle Farmer, born 26 OCT 1855 in Nottingham, and died 26 JUL 1856 “on the plains.”  He was nine months old.  Elisabeth Morris also died “on the plains” JUL 1856.  It couldn’t have been easy to have a baby, get on a ship, then start crossing the plains.  Emma Jane would have been 12 during the sea voyage, and was baptized 10 MAY 1856, turning 13 on 26 JUN.  Would her baptism have had to been in the U.S., or would there have been time to leave England in May and still get to Nebraska (or wherever) by July?    So at 13 years old, she’s already seen two mother figures and two baby siblings die, has crossed the Atlantic, and crossed the plains.  No doubt being the second oldest she’s got a lot to do to help with the younger kids as well.

To be continued…

Family History Questions – Part 1

*** Initial Disclaimer*** I’m getting a lot of this info from Church websites (e.g. new.familysearch.org, FamilySearch Family Tree, etc.) which doesn’t necessarily make it accurate. If anyone has access to records that dispute this info PLEASE let me know!

OK, so with all this reunion talk, it got me thinking about our family history, and when each particular root first joined the church.

Of course, Mom’s side is pretty easy, with her parents both being the first in their respective lines to be baptized.  I had always assumed Mom was BIC, but I just noticed that Grandpa wasn’t baptized until December AFTER Mom was born, with Grandma Judy being baptized a year later.  Interestingly, Grandma Helen’s book say she was baptized by Wayne on May 3, 1953, with Edward and Marlene.  However, the Church sites have her baptismal date listed as 18 DEC 1999 in the Dallas temple.  Anyone have any idea what happened with that?

Mom, can you find out what the circumstances were behind your parents taking the discussions and getting baptized?  If you already know, can you share that with us?

We’ll start with Dad’s side in the next one…

Family Reunion

In order to get everyone onto the same page, here is where we are with the reunion. The tentative date is for sometime in 2014. We’ve got some leading ideas for locations (these aren’t set in stone). They are Tahoe, D.C., or Nauvoo, or some other church history site. (Feel free to add to the list) Timing is also not set in stone at this point, but the idea was thrown out that if we do D.C. we try around America Sings the first weekend in April (this is of course General Conference weekend). Tahoe would be sometime in summer. I think summer in general is the idea so kids don’t miss too much school (though my kids wouldn’t be missing much). At this point most of us are planning on coming, but as of now we may not get everyone there. As the instigator of all this, I believe the most important detail of the reunion would be to have the whole family there. I know this may never be possible, but at least for the first one it would be nice. The more I thought of it, and as we were doing our planning, I asked myself, “Why does it HAVE to be next year?” And so I ask all of you, would it be wiser to push it back? The idea behind this would be if we choose a location, everyone can agree on, this will give us all more time to prepare. It will also give us a better idea how much we each need to save up and I think the more time the better. I do think we should have it sometime in the next 4-5 years, before Nick decides to leave on a mission. So in honor of Sir Nick, I propose, this being the 10th day of March, that before Nick turns 14 we first decide on a location and second on a date. Any comments?