Genealogy Humor

When Bill was a little boy his dad use to sing "I'm My Own Grandpa" to him. Enjoy!

Genealogy: Expanding the Family Tree

This is an interesting article from Deseret News. We are excited to use the "how you are related to famous people" search on familysearch.org. Ancestry.com used to have this feature and we used it to show our family and clients how they are related to presidents and poets.
Genealogy: Expanding the family tree
Published: Monday, Sept. 19, 2011 6:40 p.m. MDT
By Joey Ferguson, Deseret News
It was done already. That's why Sean Sullivan, 57, never did much family history, until the Provo resident discovered he was related to Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain .
Sean Sullivan made the connection on Relative Finder, a Facebook application that uses data from FamilySearch.org to show how users are related to friends and famous people. Since then, he has spent hours, logging 40 hours in one week, digesting ancestor research online.
This year family history viewers have topped 149 million, based on website statistics from Compete.com, as users, typically aged 45 and older, seek out connections to relatives.
More than 100 million records will be made available this year via companies like Salt Lake City-based FamilySearch International, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Provo-based Ancestry.com Inc. and Palo Alto, California-based Archives.com. Part-time ancestral sleuths are turning to the Internet to find their progenitors, with companies trying to keep up with a growing market.
"Stuff keeps changing on FamilySearch almost daily," Sullivan said. "You go back today and look at a family line, you may find it goes back deeper than it was last week, or even yesterday. For some reason I hadn't tapped into it before."
With more interest in the market, there is a scramble to gather content in order to keep up with the growth. This has even led to major partnerships, including FamilySearch partnering with Ancestry to digitize the content in the LDS church's Granite Mountain Records Vault, where only 20 percent of the 4 billion records have been digitized.
Genealogy: Expanding the family tree
Published: Monday, Sept. 19, 2011 6:40 p.m. MDT
By Joey Ferguson, Deseret News

Bedford House Cemetery, Belgium

We visited many World War I cemeteries in France and Belgium. One of the most impressive “small” cemeteries was the one we found as were out driving around in Belgium visiting small villages. It was located in peaceful farmland between Ypres (Ieper) and Armentieres in an area known as the Ypres Salient; a salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory.

By November 1918 the Ypres Salient was a blasted, desolate wilderness. In four years of concentrated warfare hundreds of thousands of soldiers had fought doggedly over this corner of the Western Front. Thousands had died in four major battles. Daily life in the Sailent’s hostile environment claimed the lives of thousands more. By the time the fighting stopped, more than half a million were dead.
Bedford House, sometimes known as Woodcote House, were the names given by the Army to the Chateau Rosendal, a country mansion set in wooded parkland with moats.

Although it never fell into German hands, the house and the trees were gradually destroyed by shell fire. It was used by field ambulances and as the headquarters of brigades and other fighting units. In time, the property became largely covered by small cemeteries; five enclosures existed at the date of the after the Armistice it was enlarged when 3,324 graves were brought in from other burial grounds and from the battlefields of the Ypres Salient.

Almost two-thirds of the graves are unidentified. Enclosure No. 6 was made in the 1930s from the graves that were continuing to be found on the battlefield of the Ypres Salient. This enclosure also contains Second World War burials, all of them soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force, who died in the defense of the Ypres-Comines canal and railway at the end of May 1940. In all, 5,139 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War are buried or commemorated in the enclosures of Bedford House Cemetery.

We never visited a cemetery that was not well maintained. The grass was always cut and the edges around the stones were well trimmed. All the graves had flowering plants around the tombstones. Sylvia read that flowers that grew in the countries the soldiers were from were planted around the markers so when family members came to visit they would find a little reminder of home. They also planted them so that the deceased soldiers would lie among familiar flowers.

We wandered over the whole cemetery reading tombstones and looking at the flowers and birds. In the center of the site was where the chateau had been located. All that was left was a set of steps leading up to a mound where the house had stood. Off to one side was a wooden door, which lead into a basement that was used as a field station for treating wounded soldiers.

This reads "A Soldier of the Great War Known Only to God".

Adeline Francis Bradds

Recollections by Ruth Morris Blimes
Grandma Morris was the sweetest, kindest person I ever knew. I don't ever remember her saying an unkind word about anyone. I don't think I ever saw her lose her temper. She had that sweet Virginia drawl all of her life and it tickled us to hear her talk. She used to come up to our house to visit and we only had two bedrooms then, so she had to sleep in my twin bed with me. She always made me say my prayers before I went to sleep and we would lie and talk about things in general. I don't remember what we talked about, but I have fond memories of those times. She used to clean out the icebox (we didn't have an electric fridge then,) and she would make a stew out of all the leftovers. It was awful, but we were forced to eat some of it because she said it was a sin to waste good food. I can still see her wending her way up to the barn. I think she did some of the milking, but her main job was in the milk house behind the house. She ran the cream separator and they sold part of the cream. She would wash all the milk buckets and the equipment needed to get the milk ready to sell. She had a hugh fenced in garden where she planted many kinds of vegetables. When you walked out of the back door, it was just across the yard. I remember she had gooseberry bushes growing along the fence and how I delighted to raid them when the gooseberries were half ripe. There was a persimmon tree up over the bank as you started up to the barn. I don't remember ever eating any of them. They weren't good until it frosted and by then we didn't go down as much. I also remember one time all the grandkids were there and we went out past the milkhouse to a hugh sycamore tree and climbed around on the lower limbs. I don't know whose idea it was to starting yelling and screaming, but we did and it was a lot of fun. What was not so funny was the paddlings Bob and I got for scaring our parents. We were the only ones who got paddled. Family reunions were a lot of fun. More food than we could ever eat and more people than you can shake a stick at. Those were good times.

Obituary of Adeline Francis Bradds
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the good faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness."

Mrs. Addie Frances Morris, the daughter of John and Margaret Bradds, was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, on October 18, 1867. She departed this life June 27, 1946, at her farm home near Athens, Ohio, at the age of 78 years, 8 months and 9 days. She married Remus Clark Morris in February, 1888, and to this union was born eight children, four daughters and four sons. Her husband and an infant son, John, having preceded her in death, the surviving children are: Nell Porter, New York City; Edith Short, Marietta; Pearl Morris, Athens #3; Helen May, Los Angeles, California; Roy Morris, Nelsonville; Clarence Morris, at home; and Carl Morris, Athens #3; fifteen grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends. She was converted at the age of twelve and lived a faithful and consistent Christian life until her death. Her beautiful life and character will stand out as a memorial to her children and all who came in contact with her. She was always ready with a helping hand and words of sympathy for those in trouble and distress. She was loved by all who knew her and made friends wherever she went. No word can express what she meant to her children, who were ever ready to care for and cheer her declining years. She will be greatly missed, but our loss will be Heaven's Eternal gain.

As her spirit left her body, she opened her eyes, looking straight beyond. What she saw there filled her with joy and satisfied her, for a sweet smile come over her face. And those who had cared for her so faithfully during her long illness, declared they had never seen a sweeter, more peaceful look on any face. She had beheld Heaven's glory. Shad made the crossing.

Sunset and Evening Star
And one clear call for me,
And may there be no moaning at the bar
When I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound or foam
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

The True Story of the birth of Adeline Francis Bradds
(Contrary to the above obituary, Addie was not the daughter of John and Margaret. Her mother, Margaret Bradds, never married, Handed down from the Bradds family, the tradition says that Frank Bennington was her father. The Bradds farm and the Bennington farm were adjoining according to the 1850 Rockbridge Co. Census.)

Polygamy Wives of George Plant Ward

Wives of Sylvia's great grandfather, George P. Ward

Front: Lorenzo N.Ward, Sennie Dorthea Nielsen, George Plant Ward, Jr., Mary Ellen Ward Williams, Martha Ann Ward Jensen. 2nd Row: Wilford N. Ward, Alice Jane Ward Roylance, Mary Ann Ward Judy, Rosezina Nielsen Ward Cox, Lucy Ann Ward Curtis, Charles Heber Ward, William Albert Ward, 3rd Row: Alfred N. Ward, Clements George Ward, Edmond A. Ward.

George married his first Wife,Sarah Ann Plant, in England. Even though she never left England her name is included on his tombstone in Rexburg, Idaho.
The daughter of Elizabeth Maversley and John Plant; was born September 23, 1824, at
Walton N. Hants, England. She was married to George P. Ward on March 28, 1849, at West Walton, Norfolk, England.

She and her husband first heard the Gospel preached on the first Sunday in January 1851,and they were both baptized in less than three weeks — on January 23, 1851. She must have been a noble, humble, loyal receptive person and ready for the Gospel. There were only sixteen members in their branch including themselves. This indicates that she immediately entered the spirit of the gospel and assumed her share of the responsibilities and received the joy that comes through service
in the work — for the Lord was with them. Another evidence of her loyalty to the gospel and her husband was when he sold his business and became a missionary and spent eight consecutive years doing missionary work and moving frequently. This leaves evidence that a great deal depended upon her, assisting her husband, caring for her family and assuming the greater part of their responsibilities.
She became the mother of four children; one had died, but she left three small children to mourn the loss of a wonderful mother. One of the children only lived two weeks after her death.
She died at Liverpool, England, January 14, 1859. At the time of her death, her husband was presiding over the Liverpool Conference.

George's second wife was Martha Monks.
She was born September 14, 1839, near Bolton, Lanchestershire,
England, the daughter of John Monks and Alice Fletcher. She was married
in England, July 21, 1860, to George P. Ward, taking the two children his
wife Sarah had left motherless to raise.
They emigrated to Utah in 1861 and settled in Wellsville, Utah, where their first child was born. They then moved to Hyrum, Utah, wherethey lived for about fifteen years and where seven children were born to them.

In 1867, her husband married into polygamy to Sennie Dorthea Nielsen; and again in 1874, he married a fourth wife, Jane Ashworth. These two ladies were called Aunt Sennie and Aunt Jane by the children. They all seemed to be very united because both Sennie and Jane assisted Martha with the washing, cleaning, and work in
general.
In 1878 the families moved to Randolph, Utah, and here Martha bore her ninth child.
Within a year all three wives presented their husband with a baby. Their next move was to Meadowville, Utah. Here Martha bore her tenth and last baby. She buried four of her children while they were babies.
In 1884, Jane Ashworth died leaving a family of four children. Her dying request was for Martha to raise her two little girls; ages ten and two. So again, Martha took two stepchildren, making a total of six of her own and four stepchildren.
Hers was not a life of all sunshine and roses. They were in poor circumstances and had large families. She never allowed her stepchildren to call her mamma. ( Maybe this was because she wanted them to remember their own mothers.) The families moved to Salem, Idaho, in the Snake River Valley in 1884. She was a faithful Latter-day Saint and for some time served as the first president of the Relief Society in the Salem Ward. She died May 8, 1899. Most of her children were married at the time of her death.

More about George's third wife, Sennie Dorthea Nielsen.
She was born September 25, 1846, at Bendslev, Hjerring,
Denmark. She was the daughter of Soren Nielsen and Elsie Marie Jensen. She came to America with her father in 1859 after the death of her mother. They settled in Hyrum, Utah, where she grew up. She earned her own living and in her spare time gathered wool from the fences and weeds; washed and corded it and either spun it into yarn or wove it into cloth and made her own clothes and knit her own
stockings.
Girls in those days were taught by the church that they should marry into polygamy. George P. Ward, though 18 years older than she, called at her home and she invited him to have tea with her. George told her he liked lump sugar. At first her father did not like George, but later learned to like him. On August 18, 1867, she became his wife. Twenty years later, because of the trouble concerning polygamy, she was forced to take her family and go into seclusion. Because of this situation she and her family and the two sons of Jane’s that she was raising had to suffer bitter hardships and privations for over five years in Wyoming where they lived at two different towns.
She was the mother of nine children, three of whom died in childhood. She also raised the two small boys of Jane’s after her death. She and Jane were like sisters and got along very well. She later assisted in raising Rosezina’s family after the death of their father. She cared for the children while the mother earned the living for them. She died February 2, 1927, at Newdale, Idaho, at the age of 80 years.

More about George's fourth wife, Jane Ashworth.
She was born October 4, 1853, at Bolton, Lanchestershire, England, the daughter of
Edmond Ashworth and Alice Monks. Little is known of her life. She came from England and married George P. Ward on March 30, 1874, in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah.
During her married life she lived in Hyrum, Randolph, and Meadowville, Utah. She was
the mother of four children; two girls and two boys. She and her husband’s third wife (Aunt Sennie as she was called) were like sisters and worked together helping the second wife, Martha, and also helped each other. When her fifth child was to be born, she took ill. At the time there was a terrible blizzard and they lived miles from any medical aid. Her husband sent some of his older boys on horseback to get help. He told them of the seriousness of his wife and that they must not spare
the horses. They must go as fast as possible and change horses when possible, but to get help. During those hours of her grave illness, she realized her life was in danger and called her family to her. She told her husband to give the two boys to Aunt Sennie and the girls to Aunt Martha. Her girls were 10 and 2 years of age. She asked the oldest girl to promise she would never do anything mean to her little sister. The girls lived with Aunt Martha until the older one was married and then she took the younger one to live with her. Help did not arrive soon enough to save the mother or baby. Jane died without giving birth to her child. She died at Meadowville, Utah. Her husband was too ill to even attend her funeral. Her name is also included on George's tombstone.

Autobiography of George Plant Ward

Written in Salem, Idaho on January 31, 1899 by Sylvia's great grandfather, George P. Ward

The biography of your humble servant commences at the early dawn of January 1, 1828, at Newborough, Northamptonshire, England. I am the son of John Ward and Ann Woods, who were born at Eye, Northamptonshire, England, and North Lufnaham, Ruthlandshire, England, respectfully. My parents were in humble circumstances and the common education of life was not attainable, in consequence of which my education was limited. I spent the first twenty years of my life on the farm and at the time of the inauguration of the Free Trade Law, which proved to be very detrimental to the renters, my father was compelled to leave the farm. In consequence I turned my attention to the bakery and grocery business in which I was successful.
I was married March 28th , 1849 to Sarah Ann Plant who bore me four children. At this time we were living in West Walton in Norfolk County. There were no Latter-Day Saints in the vicinity until late in the fall of 1850. My wife and I first heard the Gospel preached on the first Sunday in January 1851, and were baptized on the 23rd, of the same month. I was ordained to the Priesthood in February following, and ordained an elder in March of the same year. I commenced my missionary labors on the day I was ordained an elder and was successful in the work, as we had a new branch of sixteen members: my father, mother, youngest brother, and two sisters being among the number. We had much joy in our labors for the Lord was with us.
At a conference held at Bedford I was called as a missionary, sold out my business and left on Nov. 1st , 1851, leaving my wife, child, father, mother, brother and sisters. I was appointed to labor at New Market and vicinity. After two weeks of continuous labors I was unable to get a meeting in the great town of New Market. I then directed my labors to the surrounding county and was very successful in so doing. In a small town called Seahim. I baptized sixteen unto the church, and a very successful branch was organized. After this I was appointed to labor in the Southampton conference, in the branches of which my labors were abundantly blessed in the bringing of many souls to the truths of the Gospel, and the building up of the various organizations. I labored in this conference during 1853 and 1854. In 1855 I was called to labor in Scotland and was appointed by the presidency to labor in the different branches of the Glasgow conference, in which I was blessed in the counseling of my brethren and the Saints.
In the reformation of 1857 my president (the president of the Glasgow Conference) baptized me after I had first baptized him, We together baptized forty of the members of the conference and continued our labors in this direction throughout the different branches, in which was manifest to us that we were all accepted of the Lord. During this year I was called by Apostle E. T. Benson to labor in the Dundee Conference; while laboring in this conference, I was up to hold a discussion for three nights at Airbraugh. The subjects were arranged by Apostle Benson, which ended in a perfect victory for the Gospel, my opponent having given up and was satisfied in two nights, he being incapable and not desiring to continue longer. After visiting the different branches, we went to old Bonie Aberdien where I received a call from the Liverpool office notifying me that I was appointed to preside over the Liverpool conference. A short time after commencing my labors in Liverpool I had the misfortune of losing my wife who was called by death; two weeks after the death of my wife, I also lost a daughter in death leaving me with two children to mourn the loss of our dear ones.
I had the good luck in getting Sister Clegg at Stockton (of Stockport) in whose tender care I placed my children, and by whom they were given every attention possible.
Continuing my labors with much pleasure and being blessed by the power of God, we labored diligently in the up-building, and bringing many to the cause of truth. In the fall of the same year I was called to preside over the Irish Mission. In connection with my brethren we labored with much satisfaction and with the blessings of the Lord. I was pleased with the opportunity to labor in this part of the Lord’s Vineyard. In the fall of 1858 I was appointed to labor in the Manchester Conference, having much pleasure in visiting the branches, and was an instrument in the organizing of branches that had become disorganized.
In July 1860, on July 21, I was again married, taking to wife Martha Monks, daughter of John and Alice Monks, and who was born Sept. 14th, 1839, near Bolton, Lanchestershire, England. (She bore me ten children. She died May 8th, 1899, after a useful life.)
I was appointed captain of the guard on the ship Manchester. We were 27 days and nine hours coming from Liverpool to New York. After a long and tiresome journey, we arrived in Florence, Nebraska and stayed in camp here for six weeks, leaving with ox teams under the care of Ira Eldgredge, arriving in Salt Lake City, Sept. 14th, 1861. Our riches consisted of fifty cents cash. My wife and two children had no shoes. All was well. We visited father and mother (John and Ann Woods Ward) at Ft. Herriman for six weeks and then started for Wellsville, Cache County, and arrived there October 25, 1861.
In November, my wife and I enjoyed the privilege of receiving our endowments in the Salt Lake Endowment house.
In March 1862, we moved to Hyrum, Cache Co. I was appointed president of the teachers quorum shortly after arriving, which position I held for fifteen years, acting on many occasions as bishop of the ward and was called as one of the (members of the High Council previous to the reorganization of the Stakes of Zion) appointees of organization of the Stakes of Zion. I had the privilege of being a member of the School of the Prophets. Shortly after this I was ordained a Seventy of the 64th Quorum.
During the epidemic of diphtheria there were seven of the family stricken, but by the blessings of the Lord we lost none.
On August 18, 1867, I married a plural wife, Sennie D. Nielsen, (daughter of Seron and Elsie Marie Nielsen, and who was born Sept. 25th 1846 in Yerring, Denmark) by whom there are nine children (Six of whom are living).

In the year 1871, I was again called to fulfill a mission in England, during which I was appointed as president of the Manchester conference, in which position I filled with pleasure and satisfaction to my brethren. On my return I was appointed captain of a company of 3 50 Saints sailing on the ship “Wisconsin.” In September 1872, I arrived home in the full blessing of health.
On reaching home in Hyrum I received a kind reception from my families who were all well, and from the saints who were glad to have me back. I employed myself on the farm and in the fall of 1873 I made up one thousand and fifteen gallons of sugar cane syrup.
At the time the Utah Northern railroad went through, I was cook for the company. Our quarters were at Richmond and Logan. After this I was agent for the Hyrum Lumber Co. in Logan. It was afterward called the Cache County Lumber Co. I was also secretary and treasurer for the Seventies of Hyrum, Paradise, Wellsville, and Millville. We employed two men to work on the Salt Lake Temple.
On March 30th , 1874, I again married, taking Jane Ashworth to wife. She was born Oct. 4th, 1853 and was the daughter of Edmond Ashworth and Alice Ashworth. She is the mother of four children. I left Hyrum in 1878 and moved to Randolph, Rich Co., Utah. From here we moved to Meadowville, Rich Co., Utah, and from there we moved to Snake River Valley, arriving in the latter place September 21st, 1884, and settled in Salem.
I have had a family of 27 children; 18 living and nine dead. I have 30 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

From the corners of my mind…My Aunt Marilyn Francis Morris Carter

Marilyn Frances Morris Carter; daughter of Roy Alexander and Marquise Elizabeth Goodspeed Morris; sister of Robert Leroy Morris, Ruth Louise Morris Blimes, and Kenneth Edwin Morris; wife of Ned Darrell Carter; mother of Carolyn Dee Carter Highland, Virginia Lee Carter Puhl, Keith Darrell Carter, and Richard Alan Carter; my Aunt, my friend and my buddy.
One of my first memories of my aunt Marilyn was going to a movie in 1959 in Nelsonville, Ohio at the Majestic theatre, downtown on the square. I was 16 and
Marilyn was 28.
I was born in Nelsonville, Athens, Ohio to Ruth Louise Morris Blimes and Bill Blimes, Sr. in 1943. My dad joined the Navy and was away in the South Pacific fighting for our freedom when I was born. Marilyn was at just the right age to be a babysitter when my Mom needed one. Marilyn and I kind of grew up together and developed a special bond.