In case you weren't aware, I am the only person under 65 who loves genealogy. I am. It's a dubious honor, but it can be really awesome sometimes. Check out these discoveries:
1) My 2nd Great Aunt (Flora Hannah Gibson, sister of Sarah Ellen Gibson) married Sam's 1st Cousin 5 times removed (David William Hancock, great-nephew of Levi Ward Hancock, great-grandson of Thomas Hancock).
2) My 3rd great uncle helped establish the original settlement of Brigham City, Arizona which later became Winslow, where Sam was raised. (Merlin Plumb, Jr., husband of Elizabeth Cleopatra Bellows, who is the sister of Mary Adelphia Bellows.)
3) Sam's 3rd great grandpa, Thomas E. Ricks, led two wagon trains across the plains from Florence, Nebraska to Salt Lake City, Utah, one in 1863 and the other in 1866. It just so happens that I have ancestors that traveled in each of those trains (Hadleys and Thornleys).
4) In 1856, my 3rd great grandma, 8 year-old Janet Gourley, joined the Martin Handcart Company and pulled a handcart across the plains with her 11 year-old sister. Their father pulled another cart alongside them with their step-mother and two sick babies inside. When their company became stranded for nine days by a blizzard at Devil's Gate, a company for of 27 men came from Salt Lake to rescue them. Among those men was Thomas E. Ricks (the 3rd great grandpa from above). Thomas was one of the 19 known men who helped carry the Martin Company members across the Sweetwater River.
The Sweetwater Rescue
15 comments:
Seriously cool. Barry and I probably have some connections too...via Clay County...
Janae, if your 3RD great uncle is Merlin Plumb then we're related. Seriously. My mom's grandmother is Zetta Elizabeth Plumb Sabin. She was the daughter of Merlin Plumb. She was born on March 1, 1888 at Eden Graham County, Arizona. I have a life history of her and her father and family if you're ever interested in looking at it. Just let me know. Wow, it's a small world! And just for the record, you're one of two people under the age of 65 who enjoys doing family history work. I'd do more of it if I had the time, but of course you understand how that it.
I love pioneer heritage! Thanks for sharing! Those are some awesome 'coincidences'. :)
Very cool! I get the genealogy itch every once and a while, but you are awesome. Names are cool, but stories and pictures are even better.
Wow that's amazing!
You've gotta count me in on the numbers. I, too, LOVE family history!! I would do it all day every day, if I could. My mom's family also settled in AZ. I bet our families knew each other.
Are you sure it's okay that you and Sam are married? Just kidding. The first guy I ever kissed was like my 5th cousin, pretty weird huh.
Steph - We're related?! That's hilarious!! So my 3rd great uncle is your second great grandma. What on earth does that make us? :)
Kori - I had the same thought! In fact, some of these tidbits were discovered in my search for a common ancestor between us. I keep figuring we must be blood related (everyone is eventually, and especially in the church), but I haven't found the link yet. Still searching!s
AWSOME stories!!!
that IS ironic! This is a small world sometimes.
That IS cool. The whole concept of genealogy overwhelms me. I'm glad you have such a grasp on it.
COOL. WOW.
You're not the only one. I love it too, although I must confess, after some awesome success on Bart's side in November I've done hardly anything, but I do know I have relatives on the martin handcart company too. maybe our relatives were friends. :)
I think it is great that you love it so much, but more that you actually DO something about it. I took a class at BYU and fell in love with it, but after a year or so just stopped doing anything except reading stories. I may just have to come take a refresher course from you sometime.
I don't think you can claim to be the only person under 65 interested in family history! : ) Nathan and I have been interested since we were teens.
Post a Comment