Renstrom Record

Andrew P. Renstrom's 1923 Passport and Photo

2011-07-30T09:52:00.009-06:00

In 1923 at the age of 65, a widow for already 15 years, Andrew P. Renstrom went on a third mission to his native land of Sweden. What an example of selfless loving service this man is. It is very exciting to find his passport for this trip because not only does it include vital information, but it had a physical description and a photo of him at this age and also his handwriting. This is one of my favorite things to study in family history. I love viewing the original records, studying their handwriting (paleography) although I am out of practice now, and deciphering what they themselves wrote and thus revealed to us. The continuous search for more documents in the hope of uncovering another clue to the history of our families is a passion for me. I love the puzzle and collecting the pieces and finally fitting a few of them together. It is very exciting and a driving force within me.

From this document we learn:
in the "State of Utah

County of Salt Lake

I, Andrew Renstrom, a Naturalized and Loyal Citixen of the United States, hererby apply to the Department of State, at Washington, for a passsport.

I solemnly swear that I was born at Viksta, Sweden

on December 30th, 1857; that my father,

Eric Pehrson, was

born in Sweden and is now deceased;

that I emigrated to the United States, sailing from Stockholm about

June, 1873; that I resided 50 years, uninterruptedly, in the United States,

from 1873 to 1923 at Huntsville Utah; that I was

naturalized as a citizen of the United States before the Judicial Dist

Court of Utah at Ogden, Utah,

on May 27th, 1882, as shown by the Certificate of Naturalization presented herewith;

that I am the IDENTICAL PERSON described in said Certificate; that I have resided outside the United

States since my naturalization at the following place for the following periods:

Sweden, from 1883 to 1885,

Sweden, from 1889 to 1891,

and that I am domiciled in the United States, my permanent residence being at Huntsville,

in the State of Utah, where I follow the occupation of Farmer.

My last passport was obtained from Have had none on

- I am about

to go abroad temporarily, and intend to return to the United States within 2

years with the purpose of residing and performing the duties of citizenship therein; and I desire

a passport for use in visiting the countries hereinafter named for the following purpose:

Sweden .... Minister of Religion

I intend to leave the United States from the port of New York

sailing on board the Scandinavian - Am. Line on About June 27th, 1923

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE

Further, I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United

States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;

and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; So help

me God. Andrew Renstrom

Sworn to before me this 28 day

of April, 1923

John (W. Cl...ty)

Clerk of the US Dist. court at Salt Lake, Utah

(unknown name)"

DESCRIPTION OF APPLICANT

Age: 65 years Mouth: Medium

Stature: 5 feet, 10 inches, Eng. Chin: pr...ced (pronounced?)

Forehead: High Hair: Light gray

Eyes: Blue Complexion: Fair

Nose: Large sraight (straight?) Face: Med Long

Distinguishing marks Slight scar o...(over?) right eye

IDENTIFICATION

April 28, 1923

I, Tillman D. Johnson, solemnly swear that I am a native citizen

of the United States; that I reside at Salt Lake City; that I have known

the above-named Andrew Renstrom personally for 10 years and

know him to be the identical person referred to in the within-described certificate of natural-

ization; and that the facts stated in his affidavit are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Tillman D Johnson

US District Judge Ut

Sworn to before me this 28th day

of April, 1923

John W Cl...ty

Clerk of the US Dist Court at Salt Lake Utah

(same unknown name)

Applicant desires passport to be sent to the following address:

Andrew Renstrom

Huntsville.

Weber County, Utah ...?"

Photograph of

Andrew P. Renstrom

at age 65

APPLICATION FOR AMENDMENT OR EXTENSION OF PASSPORT

I, Andrew Renstrom, the person to whom passport No. 280262

was issued on may 3rd by the Secretary of State at Washington, do hereby apply for its

EXTENSION FOR six months

Andrew Renstrom (signature)

Svartbäcksgatan 59, Upsala, Sweden (foreign Address)

Sworn to before me this 22nd day of April, 1924.

R F Fe...d (signature and title of official)

Consul of the United States of America at Stockholm, Sweden.

MEMORANDUM OF ACTION TAKEN

Amended as requested/as shown by corrections.

Extended for six months, first extension to November 3, 1924."

History of Gustava Sofia Johnson

2011-03-02T16:24:00.006-07:00

History of Gustava Sofia Johnson
from the book Dedicated Faith The Journals of Herman F. F. Thorup 1879-1929 compiled by Renee Blackburn Jacks great granddaughter.

"Gustova Sofia Johnson, Known to the family as Aunt Sofie, was born December 12th 1845 in Kyrkafalla, Brevik, Skaraborg County, Sweden, the daughter of Johannes Jonsson and Kajsa Lisa Andersson. Only little is known about the childhood and youth of her father. He served his term in the Army as required by law. He learned his father's trade, tailoring. He was about 5ft 10in tall, weighed around a hundred and seventy pounds, and was very erect in his posture and in walking. He had blue eyes and dark hair and was a very good looking man. The mother, Kaja Lisa Andersson, was born August 10th or 19th, 1820 In Fagersanna, Ransberg, Skaraborg, Sweden. Her mother died when she was only about 2 years old, so she was raised by an aunt, Maja Jonsson.

Johannes and Kajsa were married in Kyrkefalla July 2, 1842, and to this union there were 8 children born. Anders Gustave, Gustava Sofia, Krtstina Charlotta, Carl Johan, Anna Lovisa, Euima Wilhelmina, Frederich Valdemar, and Peder Dijon. The first six were born in Sweden, and the last two in Denmark. At first Johannes followed his trade of tailoring. In those days it was the custom for the tailor to do his work at the homes of his customers, receiving his dinner and whatever the customer gave him. So his earnings were small, and he had to take up farming to increase his income.

When the Mormon missionaries came to Skaraborg County, Johannes' father, Jonas Nilsson, was the first in his town to open his home as a place where the Elders could preach the new gospel. He was one of the first, if not the first, to join the church. Both of his daughters and a son-in-law were baptised about this same time. Johannes and Kajsa were also converted, but Johannes hesitated about being baptized. Kajsa was more determined, and arranged to be baptized. As she came up out of the waters her husband was standing there waiting to be baptized. They then had the desire to gather to Utah, and the persecution which was waged against them encouraged them to do so. So they sold all they had, moved to Denmark until they could collect on the sales, and make the final arrangements for the trip. Their history tells of the trials, thefts, disappointments and sickness that hindered them. Finally, it was decided that the oldest son, Gustave should come to America alone, and this he did. The rest of the family remained in Denmark, working and saving for their turn to come to Zion. In 1868, Sofia and her sister said farewell to their father and mother and younger brothers and sisters as they sailed for America. This journey was full of trials and hard experiences. They were traveling on the last sailing ship that Mormon emigrants used--the "Emerald Isle." Sickness took the lives of many. But it was a happy reunion as father and mother met Gustave who had made his home in Grantsville, Utah for the past 8 years. The whole family stayed in Grantsville for a while, and then came an invitation to move to Spring City. This then became the new home for the Johnson family. The ground had to be cleared of sagebrush, fences put up, irrigation water to be arranged, and there was plenty to be done.

So it was here at this home in Spring City that the family was living in 1871 when at age 24, and her sister Charlotte, age 22, finally came to Utah. They had saved their money and paid their own way. They arrived at Long Island, New York, July 4th, and celebrated July 24th at a dance in Provo. Here their father met them with a borrowed mule team and wagon and brought them to their new home in Spring City. However, they had to walk all the way from Provo to Spring City as they were so poor they couldn't pull the wagon, baggage, and passengers. But this was another time of rejoicing, as most of the family was together again. Gustave stayed in Grantsville, and spent the rest of his life there. Charley was away working, and did not locate at Spring City, though he visited there. When he finally married he settled first at American Fork, then Springville, Utah, and then in Hobble Creek canyon near Springville, all in Utah County. In 1897 he moved to Downey, Idaho. He married Elenor Dorcas Kendall at Springville, Jan. 24, 1877. They were blessed with 12 children and nine grew to maturity. He died Dec. 11, 1937, and was buried in the Downey Cemetery Monday, Dec. 13, 1937.

Sofia had previously met a young man in Denmark named Herman Frederick Ferdinant Thorup. He too had come to America with his family, and they met again in Provo at the 24th of July dance already mentioned. They were married May 28, 1872 in the Endowment House. The couple made their home first in Provo, and then moved to Salt Lake City where Herman was a florist at 752 East and 8th South.

Sofia and Herman became the parents of four children-Marie Josephine, Albert Moroni, Christine Sofie, and Sofie Christine. Sofia died Oct. 3, 1878, the result of incompetent care by the midwife at the birth of their fourth child. Three children survived but all were carried away in the 13 days in December 1884 in a diphtheria epidemic. After Sofia's death, Herman had left the baby, Sofie Christine, with the Grandparents in Spring City while his own parents cared for the two older ones. But when he remarried Herman wanted his children together again, regardless of the pleadings of the grandparents to have the children remain with them. The grandmother always felt if he had left the baby there, perhaps at least one might be saved."

HNPP - A Genetic Condition to Watch For

2011-02-20T10:54:00.005-07:00

HNPP
Hereditary Neuropathy with liability to Pressure Palsis

Almost two years ago my oldest daughter who was six at the time suddenly lost some of the use of her left hand. It was instant and without apparent injury.

She could not lift her her hand at the wrist, could not make a fist, could not spread her fingers and had a very weak grip. I thought she had just slept on her hand funny and that it would come back. She later told me that it had actually stopped working the night before when she was listening to her Aunt read her a story. She was doing nothing at all, just resting her head on her hands propped up on her elbows It didn't improve and upon visiting the doctor he rushed us to Primary Children's Hospital for immediate tests which all came back normal. A relief, but she was obviously not normal so the tests continued. Over several months she had X-rays, CAT scans, MRIs with and without contrast, ultrasounds, a nerve conduction test, numerous physicals, and so on. All that was determined was that she did have nerve damage and they had no idea why. We were so sick of doctors and tests with no answers and she wasn't getting any better. One symptom she did not have was pain, thankfully. There was mention of a possible genetic nerve disorder being the cause by the pediatric neurologist. She said that this disease allows the nerves to be injured more easily but I completely dismissed it. She wasn't DOING anything. How could that injure the nerves, more vulnerable or not. Plus, I had never heard of anything at all like this happening in my family or my husband in his. The only option they gave us for help was surgery on her elbow to move her nerves. My husband and I were not comfortable with this especially when it wasn't clear why or how the nerve damage occurred and requested that we try physical therapy. We were referred to a wonderful group of therapists and the actual type she received is called occupational therapy. Her therapist began aggressive treatments. We would visit several times a week at first where he taught her at home exercises to do and he would shock her muscles in the hand and arm to force contractions. She had almost complete atrophy at this point. Her progress was very slow in the beginning but once she regained some muscle her movement and ability improved very quickly and within a few more months she had complete recovery except for a small section of her arm that still has no feeling. It was bizarre but we were very thankful and thought we were done with that. Almost exactly a year after the first injury she was playing a boxing game on the wii when suddenly she lost strength in her right hand, arm, shoulder and back. I immediately took her into the therapists and he was shocked by the second injury and even more that it was with the other hand. He did some work with her but said we needed to go back to the doctors. I really didn't want her to go through all of that again but we went back to the pediatrician who sent us back to the neurologist. To my surprise, the neurologist said with almost complete certainty that it was the genetic nerve disease causing the problem. I had expected more confusion but this second injury had brought more clarity. All she needed was a blood test to confirm and we would go from there. I took down the name of the disease this time and began my own research. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information out there and because it is so rare in the general population, most doctors have not even heard of it. This is the reason it took so long to get it diagnosed and is also the reason many people with this disease get improper treatment if any at all and will often go undiagnosed. It is rare in the general population but anyone that has it will find it very common in their family. This is because you cannot be a carrier of this disease. You either have it or you don't. If you do, there is a 50% chance that you will pass it on to each child. Since our daughter was confirmed to have this disease, it meant that either my husband or I did have it, and then one of our parents and then one of theirs, and so on, not to mention any number of extended family members that inherited it as well. I was able to find one good website with information that has just been compiled by those who also have experience with this disease hnpp.org After studying these pages I came to understand how varied in severity this disease can be and that it can affect any part of the body. I came to recognize the symptoms and once I had learned what questions to ask I began interviewing our families about their related medical history. I was amazed at how easily I was able to find those with the disease. Even my own husband's injuries, which he had had, we thought were not at all connected until we began studying about HNPP. For example, my husband had weakness in his arms when he would hold them above his head. This finally bothered him enough that he went to a doctor which referred him to a therapist. The therapist did some testing on him and was very confused by it. He said that based on where he lacked movement and strength he had all the symptoms of someone who had torn their rotary cuff except he had no pain. He gave him some exercises to do which helped and that was the end of it. An example of one of his milder symptoms is when he gets his blood pressure checked his entire arm goes numb for about five minutes. Most people who are bothered enough by an HNPP related nerve injury to see a doctor never make it far enough along to get to a neurologist, which are the only doctors that would even know to look for that as a cause. This disease is not too bad if you must have a disease. It is labeled as a nuisance disease because the injuries are usually mild in nature and the weakness is often regained over time as the nerves heal. It also doesn't usually express in children. Because our daughter has already had two "severe" injuries the neurologist suspects she has a severe case of the disease. It is not life threatening and if you know what to watch for and are careful in your activities, you can avoid a lot of injuries.

Who Has It?:
We have learned it has been passed through the Renstrom line at least as far back as Andrew Renstrom. There is even one line of cousins that is already aware of this disease and had already been tested and confirmed to have HNPP. I have not been able to trace it beyond but Andrew's grandson believes these nerve problems were common in the village he came from in Sweden.

Why Should I Watch for it?
Surgery will not help a nerve injury in someone who has HNPP and most likely will only cause more nerve damage. It is important to be aware of this family condition to potentially prevent unnecessary tests, doctors bills, surgeries and injuries.

How Does Having HNPP make nerves more susceptible to Injury?
The myelin coating that covers the nerves acts as a rubber band and coating to keep them protected and in place. With HNPP the myelin has lost its "elasticity" and once a nerve is stretched, it is left exposed and vulnerable. Normal daily activities can cause nerve injury to someone with this disease.

How Do I Prevent an HNPP Related Injury?
The nerves being extended too far, worn from repeated movement, or have too much pressure applied can cause injury. As a mother this is frustrating because it sounds like there is no way to protect my daughter. But the best way is to avoid repetitive movements by changing up what you are doing often, avoid pressure by changing how you are resting or sitting often, and avoid over stretching by not pushing your body to the limits of its ability.

I am not a doctor and am simply sharing what I have learned through our experiences with our family and from my research and our daughter's doctors. Each person will vary greatly on how their body reacts to stress placed on the nerves. If you do have this disease, get to know your limits and do not push them. I wanted to put this information out there so any possible family members that may have related symptoms can get properly diagnosed.

Hollis Done Smith 1922-2011

2011-02-20T08:32:00.012-07:00

My Grandfather died January 30, 2011 at the age of 88 due to complications related to a fall in his home. His father died when he was only an infant and he and his brother and sister were raised by their mother and grandparents. He is one of the Smiths from Smithfield Utah and we spent a few family reunions camping in the woods up there. I remember my Grandpa walking us along the creek where he used to play, the fields where he used to work with his Grandfather and to an old barn falling over that belonged to him. They were very poor and worked terribly hard for many years, but because of this hard work they were eventually blessed with enough money for his mother to purchase a large home in Smithfield. She moved her parents in with them to thank them for all the help they had given her with her little family. The family was always very self reliant and she kept a large garden in their back yard and worked for many years at the local post office. There were times of plenty and times with very little but they made it through and she raised a fine family. My grandpa served in the Navy during WWII and after served as a missionary in the North Eastern parts of Texas, the same area where my parents later settled and I was raised. One of my brothers married the granddaughter of a man that had helped house Grandpa Hollis while he was serving there and they named their first son Hollis after him. After his mission he married my very beautiful and accomplished grandmother Florence. Together they had eight children which they raised in the Salt Lake valley. My Grandpa worked for Union Pacific Railroad most of his life and my own father for a little while. I still smile whenever I see the UP symbol. My grandpa was very tall and always spoke softly and with kindness. He had an easy smile and a quiet peace about him. He was a hard worker and always serving others. He loved spending time with his family and always enjoyed a family musical concert. Grandpa is very loved by all the family and will be greatly missed.

Journals of Herman F. F. Thorup

2010-04-12T12:42:00.005-06:00

I want to thank all of the distant cousins who have contacted me and made it possible for our family to track down the journals of Herman F. F. Thorup. My mother obtained a copy of this wonderful book Dedicated Faith, compiled by Renee Blackburn Jacks. It is a compilation of his journals as well as family photos, biographies, time lines, articles and more. My mother has the original journal that is contained in this book on pages 11-34. He titled it "My first mission from Utah to Europe," and he gave it to his daughter Lizzie, my mother's grandmother. In this book I was also able to find the biography for Herman's first wife Sofia which I have been looking for for some time. I am so thankful for all that has been preserved of the lives of our ancestors. I am thankful that I have the genealogy bug as well. It is such a blessing to know our ancestors, what their lives were like, why they chose to live the way they did, their thoughts, feelings and circumstances. How sad it is to be forgotten. Every life has value and meaning. The everyday man has little influence beyond his own family. His parents, his spouse and any children will remember him and what he taught and who he was but then he is gone. Time goes on and in time we all move on, learn to live without them and he is lost to the next generation. What a wonderful blessing it is to do your family history. Through the records they are alive again. We see their struggles and their examples. There is a legacy left for us to follow and learn from. They are known and remembered and loved again. It is a gift to know them and to know that their story goes on.

Images from Sweden

2010-02-04T13:48:00.013-07:00

A wonderful fellow genealogist cousin in Sweden has contacted me and we have been sharing information on our Renstrom / Pehrson line. She has sent me many photos as well as some details on the family that remained in Sweden. I am excited to share some of what she has sent me.
From Barbro:

Eric Pehrson, father of Andrew Pehrson Renstrom or Pehrsson, "bought farms for all his children to have one each so he died and they left Sweden. The yellow house is in Rangsta and the last people of that family built a museum of tractors."
She has provided a photo of the old farm house and a link to an article about the tractor museum.

Tractor Museum Article

Article Translated into English using Google Translate.

I found several photos from the Viksta Traktormuseum posted on Picasa as well.

Here is a photo of Erick and Catherine's (Chatarina's) home in Tibble, Bjorklinge pre-1870.

Their house stood until August 2009 when it was torn down.

Barbro collected all the old wallpaper she could find while she was here in Tibble taking this photo and has included a scrap of some of the oldest she found.

When Eric Pehrsson's wife and children immigrated to Utah from Sweden, two of his daughters remained in Sweden, Greta Stina (or Margareta Kristina) and Anna Maria. The photo below is of Anna Maria (far Right sitting) with her husband Per Larsson (left sitting) and their two daughters, Ingrid (far left) and Nina (right standing) and Nina's husband Johan Viktor Johansson(left standing) with Ajax the dog. This was taken at Ingrid's confirmation in 1898.

This photo was taken in Old Uppsala. Nina Larsson Johansson is the woman in the white hat in the middle.

This photo is of Margareta Persdotter Eriksson (I also have a record giving her married name as Ersson) born 1799. She is mother to Catherine Christina Erickson who is the mother of both Andew Pehrsson Renstrom and Anna Maria.

This photo is of Anna Maria Larsson.

Here is the headstone for Greta Stina, the oldest sister of the Pehrsson/Erickson/Renstrom family. It is located in the Viksta cemetery

I am working on a few research projects in relation to this line that I hope to add soon as well as more information from my dear cousin who is so kind to help. There were several letters of correspondence between the family in Utah and the family in Sweden. I am so excited to read in the first person what they had to share with one another all those years ago.

The Garvins of New York

2009-07-21T13:17:00.018-06:00

Here is a map of the Nothern New York Counties.
We will be focusing on Jefferson and St. Lawrence County.

I have been working on this dead end in my family line for almost a year now. We are researching the ancestry of Jeremiah Garvin, aka Jerry, Jeremy, Gerry. I have been able to collect several land records, his naturalization record, his marriage record and a photograph of his headstone. I have several census records that provide family clues. I am confident that he is related to the other Garvins of Jefferson and St. Lawrence county New York but the final document linking them is still evading me. I have been researching these other families that I believe to be his siblings in the hopes that I will find a link back to his family in the process. I will post here what I have found that leads me to believe that it is probable that Jerry Garvin is a brother to these other Garvins I am researching. Maybe someone out there has what I need to place the final link in the chain.

Here is some of the information I have collected on the Dr. James Garvin lateral lines:

Dr. James Garvin had a first wife, Maria Ehle who died young at age 28. I have not found any record of children for this couple.

I have attached a photo of her headstone that is in Edwardsville Cemetery in Morristown, NY. (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~stlawgen/CEMETERY/Edwardsville/Edwardsville.htm) I can only make out the words "Maria wife of" but hopefully I can obtain a better image at some point. A transcription of the headstone is recorded on the website above as "Maria, wife of James Garvin, MD; died Nov 24, 1856; AE 27 yrs"

Newspaper accounts of James Garvin's first and second marriages and his first wife's death:(http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nystlawr/1860_VR_ViTALS.htm)

Garvin, James
married in Morristown at the residence of the bride's father on Black Lake, (no date given) by Rev. Mr. Clerihew, James Garvin to Miss Maria Ehle, both of Morristown
11
June 20, 1854

Garvin, James (Dr.)
married in Edwardsville Jul. 18, 1858 by Rev. C. Francisco, Dr. James Garvin to Miss Mary Brewer, daughter of John Brewer of Edwardsville
11
Jul. 20, 1858

Garvin, Maria (Mrs.)
died of consumption in Morristown near Black Lake Nov. 24, 1856, wife of Dr. James Garvin and daughter of John and Margaret Ehle, ae 28.
11
Dec. 2, 1856

Source:
11
St. Lawrence Republican
A Tuesday paper from Ogdensburg, on microfilm at the Ogdensburg Public Library. There are only two or three missing issues for the entire decade.

__________________________________________________________

I have attached the newspaper with the obituary for John Garvin with "one brother, Dr. James Garvin of Morristown and one sister, Mrs. Jerry Carroll of Sterlingville."This is from The Northern Tribune, Gouverneur, NY Wednesday February 19, 1908.

(http://news.nnyln.net/)___________________________________________________________

I have included the death certificate for Thomas Garvin, died 1891, with the parents listed as John Garvin and Mary McCann(from the NY Department of Health). These are the same parents as Dr. James Garvin of St. Lawrence County. His obituary only listed his wife and children, no siblings. From The Watertown Herald in Watertown, Jefferson Co, NY, Saturday, August 8, 1891

(http://news.nnyln.net/)___________________________________________________________

In the 1860 US Census for Antwerp, Jefferson County, NY

Thomas Garvin is living next to Mrs. Jerry Carroll (Catherine Garvin Carroll).Living with Thomas is an elderly woman named Mary, 70yrs old from Ireland and named as Mother.

In the 1870 US Census for Philadelphia, Jefferson County, NY

We find the Jerry and Catherine Carl (Carroll) with an elderly woman named Mary Garvin living with them, age 70 from Ireland. I believe the Garvins' mother, Mary McCann Garvin, immigrated to the US with her children. Even though the age seems to be off with these two census records, I believe her to be the same woman and their mother.

(Census source: Ancestry.com)_____________________________________________________________

I have included a photo of the headstone for "Mary, wife of John Garvin, died June 9th 1870, in the 90th year of her age"In the 1970 Census she is living in Philadelphia with her daughter and it was taken in June of 1870, although the record shows it was recorded on the 28th of June and Mary had died on the 6th, I still believe this to be her headstone.

Burial Information:
Mary Garvin
Date of Death: ** 06-09-1870
Age: 90y
Spouse: John Garvin
Inscription: Mary, wife of John Garvin, died June 9th 1870, in the 90th year of her age
Cemetery (name/alt/alt): Savage-Varley Cemetery / Sterlingville (Catholic)
Village: Fort Drum
Town / County: Philadelphia, Jefferson County
Photo Number: 252-083 (available by email)
Burial ID: 57953

(http://www.nnygenealogy.com/pages/cemetery/cemetery.php)__________________________________________________________________

I have included the headstones of:

Dr. James Garvin, Pine Hill Cemetery, Morristown, NY

Jerry and Catherine Garvin Carroll and children in Sterlingville Village, Fort Drum, Jefferson, NY

____________________________________________________________

Our Ancestor, Jerry Garvin md Margaret Adderley and they are living next to Thomas Garvin in the 1870 US Census of Antwerp, Jefferson Co. NY. He immigrated the same year as John Garvin (according to John's obituary and Jerry Garvin's naturalization record). There is also another Garvin living near them in the 1870 census. A Margaret Garvin from Ireland with two laborers which in another census are listed as her sons. From headstones I have found I believe this Margaret may be the widow of Patrick Garvin who is buried in the same cemetery as Mary McCann Garvin and died soon after immigrating to the US (died 1853). I have collected several news articles on the Garvins in Jefferson and St. Lawrence county and some land records for Jerry Garvin. I believe that there is enough circumstantial evidence to assume Jerry is another brother in this family and I am progressing in my research along the Dr. James Garvin line in hopes of finding a link to him and thus to his ancestry in Ireland. If anyone has information that could help me, I would appreciate it. I would also like a historical document stating the parents of Dr. James Garvin. I found a short bio written about him that listed his parents but I have been unable to find where I put it or to find it again on line. I may eventually order his death certificate too if I can't find it.

These are some of the Garvins and Garvin relations that I have records on. I hope to post all of the records I have collected and what they tell me as I can get to it.

Here is a summary of some of their information and relationships:

Jeremiah Garvin: An Irish immigrant that arrived in New York in 1848 and settled in Antwerp, Jefferson County, New York. Lived with the William Adderley family and worked as a minor. Married their daughter Margaret Adderley and became a farmer. They had nine children together and the youngest was an infant when he died in Jefferson County in 1873. (marriage record from St. Mary's Church Marriage Records and the land records I have for Jerry were supplied from Jefferson County).

Thomas Garvin: A brother to Dr. James Garvin, born in Ireland, who immigrated and settled in Jefferson County, New York. He married a woman named Catherine also from Ireland and he worked as a farmer here until his death in 1891. His obituary says he was 75 yrs when he died, had been a resident of Antwerp for many years and left a wife and four daughters. See references to him above for more data and sources.

Dr. James Garvin: An Irish immigrant of Kings County that arrived in New York 1848. He studied medicine with a local doctor, Dr. William Robinson, in Antwerp, Jefferson County before moving to Woodstock, VT to attend medical school and graduated in 1853. He then moved to Morristown, St. Lawrence, NY (a neighboring county of Jefferson) and set up practice. He was married twice and raised a family with his second wife, his first wife having died early in their marriage. He resided in St. Lawrence county until his death in 1913. (from The History of St. Lawrence County available on ancestry.com)

John Garvin: A brother to Dr. James Garvin. His obituary lists Dr. Garvin as his surviving brother as well as Mrs. Jerry Carroll as his surviving sister. It also says that John died at age 82, in 1908, was one of the oldest and best known citizens of Antwerp, immigrated from Ireland to America in 1848 and is survived also by his widow and three children. See above reference for the obituary.

Catherine Garvin Carroll: Listed as a sister to Dr. James Garvin in the obituary for John Garvin of Antwerp. She is found living next her brother Thomas Garvin and mother Mary in the 1860 census in Antwerp and in the 1870 census in Philadelphia, Jefferson County, Mary Garvin is living with her family. I have not researched the Carrolls yet.

Mary McCann Garvin: Mother to Thomas, James, John and Catherine all of Ireland and settled in either Jefferson or St. Lawrence County New York. Probable mother to Jerry Garvin, but no link has been found yet. Born in Ireland and buried in Philadelphia, Jefferson Co., NY. Her headstone is pictured above.

Durkins: The oldest daughter of Jerry Garvin and Margaret Adderley, Mary Ann, married Joseph Durkin, a Canadian immigrant, in New York. They settled in Park City, Utah as did some of Mary Ann's brothers. Those that came to Park City worked in the mines. I have several news articles from The Park Record (available through Utah Digital Newspapers) on these families that settled here and their descendants.

Adderleys: A family from England that settled in Jefferson County, New York. The oldest daughter of William and Ann Adderley, Margaret, married Jerry Garvin in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence, New York on 30 April 1850 in St. Mary's Church. Margaret lived in Jefferson County until her death in 1899. I have the probate record for William Adderley Sr. that discusses the distribution of his assets and lists the married names of his daughters and has his son as executor. There is a sister of Margaret, Mary Adderley who married a Gorman, but I have also found a headstone for a Mary Adderley of about the same age and in the area who married a Garvin. I do not how these individuals tie in and who they are exactly. I have the film number for Wm Adderley's will, but have not looked it up yet. (FHL US/CAN film # 895396 the probate record was supplied by Jefferson County)

The Petersens and Renstroms of Huntsville Utah

2009-07-09T13:01:00.015-06:00

I am currently working on the autobiographies/biographies of Dad Renstrom and Mom Berg. In this book I am planning to include some interesting ancestral history for them so I have been researching further into what information I can gather on these families. The Renstroms are from Huntsville and this family begins here with the union of Caroline Petersen and Andrew Pehrsson Renstrom. Both families are well known in Huntsville and Caroline's father, Soren Lind Petersen is recognized as one of its first settlers. When I returned to Huntsville again for the annual Fourth of July parade and celebration, some Renstrom descendants still living there told me about a series of articles being printed on the Renstrom family in the local newspaper The Ogden Valley News. I was so excited that I began a subscription to this paper and am currently trying to locate the articles that I missed.

Soren Lind Petersen was one of the early settlers of Huntsville Utah. In the Huntsville Town History posted on the Huntsville website it mentions Soren L. with the following statement:

"Soren L. Peterson and Peter C. Geertsen, immigrants from Denmark in 1864, also served as missionaries there and encouraged many Danish converts to settle in Huntsville."

He arrived in Huntsville only four years after the original settlement was established in 1860 according to the History of Huntsville. In the Ogden Standard dated July 17th 1924, the program for the upcoming Pioneer Day celebration was announced. "Will Honor Old Settlers...Flowers will be presented by the Daughters of the Pioneers to the early residents whose names and the dates of their arrival follow...Soren P. Petersen, 1862..." In this account it was printed that he arrived in Huntsville in 1862 (but it also has his middle initial as P).

In his obituary printed in the Ogden Standard on November 26th 1901,

we learn that "He was the first Scandinavian settler in the valley and had lived in Huntsville since 1863." I will need to do further research to determine the exact year of his arrival, but he is recognized locally as one of the founders of Huntsville. The Huntsville church records (FHL US/CAN Film 25997) state that he was baptised April 28, 1859 by C. F. Frandsen. He was repabtised and confirmed in December of 1864, a common practice when a distant member joined with the saints in Utah. His first child, Caroline Petersen, was born in July of 1864 in Huntsville, Utah. I have yet to obtain a photo of Soren L. Petersen (sometimes found in records as Peterson), but I do have one or two of some of his children. I have written to the Huntsville Historic Library in hopes of obtaining more information and records. Their web page says they have several biographies and obituaries among other records.

Andrew Pehrsson Renstrom is an immigrant from Sweden. The Huntsville Church Records and his obituary tell us that he was baptised in Sweden on Nov 14th 1872 by C. J. Renstrom and his obituary says he came to Huntsville in 1873. His father had died before the family's immigration and baptisms in 1870. The church records also show that his mother Katarina or Catherine Christine was baptised May 4th 1872 by J. Lundquist. It would appear that she was the first to join the church and then her children. Katarina was also rebaptised Aug 1873 so I presume this is near the time that they reached Huntsville. From church, census and cemetery records, I know that Katarina, Carolina, Catherine Charlotte, Andrew and Eric August all came to Huntsville. I do not know if all of the siblings of Andrew immigrated to Utah or the United States and I do not know how many took the Renstrom surname. At least one daughter, Carolina who never married, is buried in Huntsville under the name of Ericksson. She continued with the patronymics taking her last name from her father Eric Pehrsson. Andrew took Pehrsson Renstrom and in the Huntsville Church records we find the youngest brother written as Eric August P. (Pehrsson?) Renstrom. His sister Catherine who married Soren P. Petersen is listed in the church records as Charlotte R (likely Renstrom as her name was Catherine Charlotte). Another interesting question I have is why is the mother Katarina buried as an Erickson? If she took her husband's name she should have been a Pehrsson. Her maiden name should have been Anderson/Andersdaughter as her father is Anders Ersson. The church records give her father's name as Anders Erickson so she could have gone back to her "maiden" name when her father died if she chose to end the patronymics in that generation. I would like to know the stories of all the children of Eric Pehrsson and Katarina Erickson. Where did they go (Sweden, Utah, elsewhere in the US?), what names did they take (Erickson, Pehrsson or Renstrom?). These multiple surnames make this work a little more confusing. A family group sheet I have of this family lists all of the children as Ericksson except for Andrew. On NewFamilySearch I found one record for a birth date for Andrew as an Ericksson. The record is from Sweden and it is a little off from the birth date we know, so I think it may be a christening date. I have contacted the individual who provided the record, but I have had no response so far. Andrew very well could be in Swedish records as an Ericksson and I would love to see some of these. The rumor, and I think it is a probable one, is that the Family took the Renstrom name after their baptism by the missionary C. J. Renstrom.

These two families met in Huntsville and joined with the marriage of Caroline Petersen to Andrew Pehrsson Renstrom on 27 June 1888. This article about their wedding reception was printed in the Ogden Standard on July 1, 1888. "...They were bound for the residence of Soren Peterson, and the occasion was the marriage of his oldest daughter, Miss Caroline Petersen, to Mr. A. P. Renstrom. The marriage ceremony had been performed at Logan and upon their return Mr. Peterson gave the young couple a reception...With the many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Renstrom, The Standard wishes them all the happiness that can come from the holy alliance which they have made."

This couple had ten children together, three of which died as infants and are buried near them at the Huntsville Cemetery. Andrew was a farmer and stockraiser, he served three missions to Sweden, was the third bishop of Huntsville and ordained a seventy in 1883. His wife died much earlier than he did and I did not realize until I started putting this information together that not only did she die during the time he was bishop, but they also an infant baby. I have the baptism, birth, and death list for the year 1907 in Huntsville. A. P. Renstrom compiled them himself and on the birth sheet we see the joy of writing in the name of his newest child and only a few months later writing in the name of his wife under the deaths for that year. How did he go on alone, with an infant and no wife to help him and being the bishop. He was about 50 when his wife died and he lived another 25 years without her. I know there were some difficult emotions and feelings on the Petersen side regarding polygamy. Soren did practice polygamy as did many members of the church during this time. I have found a few news articles with court cases the US vs. Soren L. Petersen for unlawful cohabitation. His children and wives went through difficulties because of this. I have been able to collect a few news articles on the death of Andrew P. Renstrom, but it was quite a treasure to find this newly printed article in The Odgen Valley News July 1, 2009 that gives a first hand account of his funeral from his daughter Miriam. "...Reminiscing about him later, I thought my father was born, lived, and died in the storms of winter. My mother was born, lived, and died in the sunshine of summer. They were difficult years for him and for us, but I am happy he traveled it alone and did not marry and have sealed to him another wife." I found this very interesting and even more amazing that he never remarried considering he was widowed with an infant child to raise. What a struggle he had in life among the blessings. "He spent his days reading and visiting old people and friends in town. On one of these visits, he must have fallen through or off an old bridge for he came limping home covered with dirt, scratches and some blood. Arnold put him to bed. He was rational but weak. After a few days, he grew weaker and on a Sunday morning, he seemed partly unconscious and Arnold in some alarm, said to him, 'Dad, I think you are dying.' He opened his eyes and answered, 'I've waited so long.' Those were his last words."

This article is from The Ogden Standard January 27, 1933 with information on the funeral for Andrew. His daughter also talks about the ceremony in the article above. I have also included his death certificate as well as a timeline. This timeline puts a few major events in his life in perspective with what was going on in the world at the time. His life events are in red so you can easily find them and the others are in black. On the website that helped me put it together, each event is color coded according to its historic category. You can print one up on anyone you want on their site free of charge. I look forward to receiving more of these articles from The Ogden Valley News on the Renstroms and hope to share them with you as they come.

Custom TimelineFor Andrew Pehrsson Renstrom
1857 to 1933

from http://www.ourtimelines.com/

1857:

Born in Sweden Dec 30th
1830-1860:
Underground railroad leads 100,000 slaves to freedom in US from before birth until age 3
1837-1901:
Reign of Queen Victoria (Hanover) from before birth until age 44
1852-1859:
3rd Cholera pandemic from before birth until age 2
1857-1866:
Transatlantic cable laid from age 0 to 9
1857-1860:
James Buchanan president of US from age 0 to 3
1857:
Dred Scott decision: Blacks could not be US citizens at age 0
1858:
India bill transfers government of India to England at age 1
1858:
Minnesota enters the union - 32nd at age 1
1859:
Oil Well at age 2
1859:
Oregon enters the union - 33rd at age 2
1859:
Darwin pub. Origin Of Species at age 2
1860:
South Carolina Secedes from the Union at age 3
1860:
Rifled barrel invented at age 3
1861:
North Dakota organized as a territory at age 4
1861-1865:
Abraham Lincoln president of US from age 4 to 8
1861:
South Dakota organized as a territory at age 4
1861:
Gold rush in New Zealand at age 4
1861:
The Apache Declare War on the US at age 4
1861:
Transcontinental Telegraph completed at age 4
1861:
Nevada organized as a territory at age 4
1861:
Colorado organized as a territory at age 4
1861:
Kansas enters the union - 34th at age 4
1861-1865:
Confederate States of America Exist from age 4 to 8
1861-1865:
Civil War from age 4 to 8
1862:
US Homestead act at age 5
1863:
Idaho organized as a territory at age 6
1863:
Arizona organized as a territory at age 6
1863:
Battle of Gettysburg at age 6
1863:
West Virginia enters the union - 35th at age 6
1863:
Emancipation Proclamation frees southern slaves at age 6
1863-1879:
4th Cholera pandemic from age 6 to 22
1864:
Louisiana organized as a territory at age 7
1864:
Nevada enters the union - 36th at age 7
1865:
Lister invents Disinfection at age 8
1865:
Ku Klux Klan founded at age 8
1865:
President Lincoln assassinated at age 8
1866-1868:
Andrew Johnson president of US from age 9 to 11
1866:
Walker, Mitchell 1st elected US black officials (Massachusetts) at age 9
1867:
Confederation of Canada at age 10
1867:
Alaska purchased from Russia at age 10
1867:
Nebraska enters the union - 37th at age 10
1867:
Dynamite at age 10
1867:
Diamonds discovered in South Africa at age 10
1868-1878:
War between Cuba and Spain from age 11 to 21
1869:
Trans-continental railroad completed at age 12
1869:
Suez canal opened at age 12
1869:
Cutty Sark built at age 12
1869-1876:
Ulysses S Grant president of US from age 12 to 19
1869:
Financial black friday caused by attempt to corner gold at age 12

1870:

Father Erick Pehrsson dies in Sweden 30 Aug at age 13
1870:
1st black US senator (Hiram Revels) at age 13
1870-1871:
Franco-Prussian war from age 13 to 14
1870:
US black men can vote at age 13
1871:
Great Fire destroys Chicago at age 14
1872:
Baptised in Sweden on Nov 14th at age 15
1873:
Immigrated to Huntsville, Utah at age 16
1873:
Color Photographs at age 16
1873-1878:
Depression, banks fail from age 16 to 21
1876:
Colorado enters the union - 38th at age 19
1876:
Telephone (Bell, Latimer) at age 19
1876:
Little Big Horn - Battle at age 19
1876:
American Centennial at age 19
1877-1880:
Ruthorford B Hayes president of US from age 20 to 23
1877:
Wax Cylinder Musical Recordings at age 20
1878:
1st commercial telephone exchange in US at age 21
1879:
Zulu war at age 22
1879:
Electric Light Bulb (Edison) at age 22
1881-1896:
5th Cholera pandemic from age 24 to 39
1881-1885:
Chester Arthur president of US from age 24 to 28
1881:
President Garfield assassinated (dies of med. care) at age 24
1881:
James A Garfield president of US at age 24
1883:
First Mission to Sweden at age 26
1884:
Motorcycle at age 27
1884:
1st subway at age 27
1885:
Automobile at age 28
1885-1888:
Grover Cleveland president of US from age 28 to 31
1886:
Induction Telegraph (Grandville T. Woods) at age 29
1887:
Married Caroline Petersen June 27th at age 30
1887:
X-Rays (Tesla, not Rontgen!) at age 30
1888:
70...77 rpm musical records at age 31
1888:
Great Blizzard of 1888 - 400 deaths at age 31
1889:
first child Catherine Moiselle June 23 at age 32
1889:
Washington enters the union - 42nd at age 32
1889:
Montana enters the union - 41st at age 32
1889:
South Dakota enters the union - 40th at age 32
1889:
North Dakota enters the union - 39th at age 32
1889-1892:
Benjamin Harrison president of US from age 32 to 35
1889:
Holerith invents the punch card at age 32
1890:
Oklahoma organized as a territory at age 33
1890:
Wyoming enters the union - 44th at age 33
1890:
Idaho enters the union - 43rd at age 33
1890:
Battle of Wounded Knee at age 33
1891:
Mormon prophesy of 'coming of lord' by 1891 unfulfilled at age 34
1892-1900:
six children born, one while gone, 2 die from age 35 to 43
1893-1897:
US Financial panic, depression from age 36 to 40
1893-1896:
Grover Cleveland president of US from age 36 to 39
1893:
Movies at age 36
1893:
New Zealand is 1st to grant women right to vote at age 36
1893:
Nikola Tesla invents Radio (not Marconi!) at age 36
1894-1895:
Chinese-Japanese war (1) from age 37 to 38
1894:
Plague in Hong Kong and China - 1 million die at age 37
1896:
Utah enters the union - 45th at age 39
1896:
Supreme court approves separate but equal segregation at age 39
1897-1901:
William McKinley president of US from age 40 to 44
1898:
Spanish American 1-year war at age 41
1899-1902:
Second mission to Sweden from age 42 to 45
1899-1902:
Boer war from age 42 to 45
1899-1923:
6th Cholera pandemic from age 42 to 66
1900:
Galveston Hurricane - 8,000 killed at age 43
1900:
Boxer rebellion in China at age 43
1900:
Hawaii organized as a territory at age 43
1901:
Oil discovered in Texas in significant amounts at age 44
1901:
Third law of thermodynamics postulated (W. H. Nernst) at age 44
1901:
Commonwealth of Australia founded at age 44
1901:
Max Planck formulates the Laws of Radiation at age 44
1901:
US President William McKinley assassinated at age 44
1901-1908:
Theodore Roosevelt president of US from age 44 to 51
1901-1910:
Reign of King Edward VII (Saxe-Coburg) from age 44 to 53
1901:
First British submarine launched at age 44

1903-1905:
two more children born, one dies from age 46 to 48
1903:
Airplane at age 46
1903:
Nikola Tesla patents logic gates at age 46

1904:

Mother Katarina Christina dies May 25 in Huntsville at age 47
1904-1905:
Russian-Japanese war from age 47 to 48
1904:
Radar at age 47
1907:
last baby born Jan, wife dies in July at age 50
1907:
Oklahoma enters the union - 46th at age 50
1907:
Plastic at age 50
1908:
Tunguska atmospheric object explosion at age 51
1909-1912:
William Howard Taft president of US from age 52 to 55
1909:
Union of South Africa formed at age 52
1909:
North pole reached by Matthew Henson of Robert Peary's exp. at age 52
1910-1936:
Reign of King George V (Windsor) from age 53 until after timeline
1910:
Japan annexes Korea at age 53
1910:
Halley's Comet at age 53
1911:
South pole reached by Roald Amundsen at age 54
1912:
New Mexico enters the union - 47th at age 55
1912:
Arizona enters the union - 48th at age 55
1912:
Alaska organized as a territory at age 55
1912:
Titanic sinks at age 55
1913-1920:
Woodrow Wilson president of US from age 56 to 63
1914-1919:
World War I from age 57 to 62
1914:
The Bra at age 57
1915:
Einstein's Theory of Relativity at age 58
1916:
Sonar at age 59
1916:
Irish Easter Rebellion at age 59
1917:
US enters WWI at age 60
1917:
Russian revolution at age 60
1918-1933:
Prohibition from age 61 to 76
1918-1920:
Flu epidemic - 25 million plus die from age 61 to 63
1919:
Shortwave Radio at age 62
1919:
League of Nations instantiated at age 62
1920:
Palestine established at age 63
1920:
Women receive right to vote in USA at age 63
1920-1929:
Roaring 20's from age 63 to 72
1921-1924:
Warren G Harding president of US from age 64 to 67
1922:
Insulin made available to diabetics at age 65
1923-1925:
Third mission to Sweden from age 66 to 68
1925:
Scopes trial on Evolutionary Theory at age 68
1925-1928:
Calvin Coolidge president of US from age 68 to 71
1926:
Sound in Movies at age 69
1927:
Holland Tunnel opens (New York City) at age 70
1927:
1st transAtlantic solo flight - Lindbergh at age 70
1928:
Penicillin discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming at age 71
1928:
Video Recordings at age 71
1928:
Television at age 71
1928:
Geiger Counter at age 71
1929-1939:
Great Depression from age 72 until after timeline
1929-1932:
Herbert Hoover president of US from age 72 to 75
1929:
Stock Market Crash at age 72
1930:
Pluto Discovered at age 73
1931-1933:
Chinese-Japanese war (2) from age 74 to 76
1933-1945:
Franklin D Roosevelt president of US from age 76 until after timeline
1933:
Radio Astronomy at age 76
1933:
Armstrong invents FM modulation at age 76
1933:
Soviet communist party purge at age 76

1933:

Dies Jan 22 in Huntsville, Utah

H. F. F. Thorup Letter

2009-04-18T14:32:00.006-06:00

Here is a letter written by Herman F. F. Thourp in 1881 while on his mission in Denmark. He has written a report about the progress of the work in his mission and the surrounding area. He was here serving under great personal trial as well. He had just lost his wife and baby and had to leave his three remaining children behind with relatives (see A Loss Too Great). I am in awe of the sacrifices that our early ancestors made to continue following in faith. I can see that a refiners fire was present in all of their lives preparing a solid foundation for the future generations to build on.

From the Deseret News published April 27, 1881

Correspondence

Compagnistrads 285,

Neestved, Sjelland, Denmark

March 22nd, 1881

Editor Deseret News:

On the 21st of October, 1879, I left

Salt Lake City on a mission to Eu-

rope, being called at the October

Conference and set apart by Apostle

C. C. Rich. He said that the Lord

should protect me on land and on

sea; many should listen to my coun-

sel and receive the everlasting gos-

pel, and I should also baptize many

into the Church of God. This, I can

say, has been fulfilled to the very

point. While leaving Salt Lake

City and Ogden, in company with

my brother, John T. Thorup, thir

teen more Elders were leaving

their homes to preach the everlast-

ing gospel to a fallen world--three

of them were for the States and the

others for Europe.

On the 28th we left New York on

the steamer Wyoming, first spend-

ing two days in New York, in seeing

all that could be seen in that time.

On November 7th we landed in

Liverpool, after a pleasant voyage

on the great waters. The cap-

tain was wondering at the fine

weather we had, and told some of

the first cabin passengers that he

had never experienced such good

weather in October; but, said he, I

have Mormon Elders on board, and

ever since I have dealt with the

Mormons I always had good luck.

At Liverpool we were kindly re

ceived by Prest. W. Budge and the

other brethren of the office. Here

seven of the brethren left us, leav-

ing five for Scandinavia. Left Liv-

erpool on the 8th, and landed in Co-

penhagen on November 11th. The

names of the brethren who landed

in Copenhagen were: Jacob Hansen,

of Bear River; Peter Nielsen, of

Washington; O. N. Stolk, of Brig-

ham City; John T. Thorup and H.

F. F. Thourp, of Salt Lake City. We

were kindly received by Prest. N.

Wilhelmsen and the brethren there.

We were appointed to our several

fields of labor the same day; my

brother, John T. Thorup for

Aarhuss Conference; my appoint-

ment was in the Copenhagen

Conference, in the south and west

branches--a very large district,

55 miles one way and

about 70 miles the other way.

I have labored here ever since my

appointment, as presiding Elder of

these branches. I can say that the

Lord has been with me, although I

feel my weaknesses and imperfec-

tions, but God has been my strength

and my protector, and to Him I

ascribe the honor.

I have had the privilege of bear-

ing my testimony to the Gospel of

Christ in 34 towns, 42 have been

baptized, and 33 of them I have bap-

tized myself, and hope to baptize

many more before leaving these

lands, which is fulfilling the Apostle's

word upon my head. While labor-

ing in this northern mission I must

say that President N. Wilhelmson

has been as a father and wise coun-

selor to me and to all of his fellow-

laborers, and he has our confidence

and our best wishes, he is respected

by all the Saints, and by the Gen-

tiles who are are our friends.

In this conference are eight El-

ders from Utah: F. Funk, P. A.

Vicker, Jacob Hansen, Isaac Soren-

son, H. I. Christiansen, Paul Ham-

mer, James H. Hansen and myself.

They are all good brethren, trying

to do their very best in spreading

the Gospel sound to our fellow men.

James H. Hansen is laboring in my

branch as traveling Elder, beside

five native brethren who sell pamph-

lets by going from house to house

and from town to town, and also

hold meetings wherever they have

an opportunity. This city, Neestved,

is a very hard place, and the Elders

could never get the Gospel into this

city for the priest and the mob.

Ever since last May the Spirit of

God has moved upon me in getting

to preach the Gospel in that city,

and last October I rented a place in

my name, where I moved the branch

office. We have held several meet-

ings there, and the Lord is blessing

us His servants. There are now six

Saints, and we expect two more to
be baptized in a short time. The

priests have tried to stop me, but

they have had no power.

The winter has been very hard,

and the poor have suffered a good

deal, and many of the Saints have

thus been tried very hard. Here

are many old Saints who have been

faithful all the day long waiting for

deliverance, but how shall they

come home? They have no relatives

in Zion; no one that they can write

to to get money to emigrate. I

trust that the Saints at

home will remember their poor

brethren and sisters in these lands,

when the Lord entrusts them with

means, and then assist such as are in

the Church and have proved them-

selves worthy of being gathered to

Zion, which, from past observation,

I must say has not always been the

case. Here are some who have stood

20 years and been faithful, and not

come home yet. Brethren and sis-

ters in Zion, help these out and the

Lord will bless you.

Ever praying for the welfare of

Zion,

I remain, your brother in the

Kingdom of God,

H. F. F. Thorup.

________

Still Here

2009-02-25T19:13:00.003-07:00

Sorry I have not updated this blog in a while. We have had a change in our family which has kept me from many of my projects. I am slowly working on a few that I will be posting in the next little while. Thanks to all who have contributed and helped in this work. I am excited to get going again.

On Hiatus

2008-12-24T02:24:00.003-07:00

I have taken the month of December off to prepare for the holidays with my family.

Look for me again in January.

How Do I View The Lessons?

2008-11-09T15:49:00.002-07:00

What Are These Lessons?:
The lessons I have posted are ones that I created to teach a class of family history researchers. They are designed to provide information, outlines, tips, resources and new ideas to help each of us in our research and should work for all skill levels. These lessons were created in PowerPoint and designed for use in a classroom setting. I have published them on this site for others to use in their home or to teach with. I have converted the lessons to be viewed without using PowerPoint or a PowerPoint viewer so all you need is the internet. I did not set up the lessons to run automatically but to be advanced click by click each time you are ready to move forward, as a teacher would use it . This way you can take as much time as you need to discuss a particular point or to study the slides.

How Do I View The Lessons?:
- Choose the lesson you want on the side bar and click to open the blog page.
- Click on the image of the lesson or the link to the lesson.
- This will open the lesson in a new window for you to view.
- Wait about 10-15 seconds for the lesson to load before you begin.
- Click on the image/slide, not the tool bar on the bottom, to advance the lesson.
- If it doesn't start when you click, try clicking again in a few seconds.
- Continue to click on the image each time you are ready to move on to the next part of the lesson.
- Return to the lesson blog page after viewing the lesson for additional tips and handouts in this topic.

How Do I Use The Viewer?:

Note: Opening the slide reel allows you to speed through the slides if you want to find one later in the lesson.

Don't Miss the Story in Family History

2008-11-08T22:10:00.008-07:00

I started this blog as a way to organize and share the records I collect with others. My focus is to find out as much as I can about who my ancestors were and what their lives were like using the records I can find. I have put together this lesson on how to find the Story hidden in these records we collect.

Click on this link or the image to view the lesson:
Don't Miss the Story in Family History.

Instructions:
How Do I View The Lesson?

Lesson Handout:

Open Handout in PDF

1940 Family Reunion

2008-10-18T00:04:00.012-06:00

I have been collecting news articles on my family in the Utah Digital Newspapers database for quite a while now. In my searching I found that my Lindeman family would travel from Salt Lake to Richfield, Utah almost every year and turn up in the society pages of the Richfield Reaper in town visiting with Mr. and Mrs. Rowley. This trip is about 165 miles and takes almost 3 hours to drive with today's roads and speeds. map it Mrs. Rowley and Mrs. Lindeman are both Thorups and they would often celebrate Mrs. Rowley's birthday with her.
Mrs. Rowley is Nephine Merabele Thorup - born 14 June 1890, married William Andrew Rowley
Mrs. Lindeman is Lizzie Henrietta Thorup - born 16 March 1894, married Russell Olonzo Lindeman
Both are daughters of Herman F. F. and Jensine Jensen.

Richfield Reaper June 20th 1940 Social News
I collected a few articles of their visits such as this one, but never had so many names been given. This must have been a big celebration for Nephine, her 50th birthday party. She had a much larger family gathering than usual and even had some come from Canada. It was interesting to have such a collection of names at a family gathering given in the newspaper. This is one thing I love about the newspapers. You can often make family connections based on the comings and goings of all the neighbors and their get togethers. The society pages used to be quite a gossip column and even an opinion or two from the reporter slip in once in a while which are always hilarious to read.

I recently came across some Thorup Photographs posted online by Gael Lindstrom (thanks a million by the way!) and found this Photo of a family reunion labeled "Thorup Family Reunion at the Andrew Rowley Home in Richfield, Utah June 16, 1940."
There was a photograph taken of the family at the reunion I have an article about!...And I actually found it! It is exciting to have these two pieces of recorded history put back together for us to see 68 years later.

If you can identify someone in the photo
please contact me or leave a comment. Thanks!

These are the names we have labeled thus far:

From L to R
Back Row: ?15 , child held ?16 , ?17 , Bertha Lindstrom, Wm Lindstrom, ?18, space across to man's head ?19 , Alvin White, Albert Bruening, Russell Lindeman
Row 2 and between: Lizzie Lindeman, ?6 , woman's head ?7 , ?8 , womans' head ?9 , child held ?10 , ?11 , man's head above/behind ?12 , child held ?13 , Wm Rowley, woman's head ?14 , Nephine Rowley, child in front is Lois Lindeman, Zina White, Gertrude Bruening, LeRoy Lindeman
Front Row: ?1 , ?2, child kneeling ?3 , Child sitting in front ?4, ?5

More Renstrom Surname Facts

2008-10-16T13:10:00.008-06:00

From Ancestry.com using the 1880 US census and other records, they have put together these charts on any given surname. Here is what they have on Renstrom.

Top Occupations for Renstrom in the 1880 Census:

Works in cor...means works in corn planter works

Renstrom years of Immigration from NY Passenger Lists:

Our Renstroms came between 1872 and 1875.

Renstrom Ports of Departure from NY Passenger Lists:

I don't have the immigration information yet on our family, but I will post it when I find it.

Renstrom Life Expectancy from S. S. Death Index:

I guess not many Renstroms died in 1951

Top Places of Origin for Renstrom from NY Passenger Lists:

Our Renstroms are Swedish

Renstroms in the Civil War from Civil War Service Records:

We have a lot more serving Now!

Enter your Surname

Catherine Charlotte Renstrom & Who is "Mantlo"

2008-10-15T13:11:00.010-06:00

Ok all you Renstrom descendants. I need your help on this one. I am seeking "Mantlo" who posted the following on Ancestry.com in July of 2000.

"Katherine Charlotte Renstrom
posted by: Mantlo Posted: 31 Jul 2000 11:12AM

my GGGrandma is Katherine Charlotte Renstrom, daughter of C.J. Renstrom from Stockholm, Sweden. She was born 5 July 1856, died 1882 in Huntsville, Utah. That is absolutely all I know - anyone else know some Renstrom history?"

We are the Huntsville Renstroms! I am anxious to respond but I have no contact information for him/her. From the other posts Mantlo has made I know that Mantlo is a surname in his/her family as well. If anyone knows who I am referring to, please direct them to this site as I have ample family information available.

I will post some of this information here:

This is my reply I posted on Ancestry.com
"The Renstroms of Huntsville are my family. I have recently started a blog where I am collecting family stories if you want to see it www.renstromrecord.blogspot.com. I am interested in where you got your information. I do have family records of a Catherine Charlotte, sister to our ancestor Andrew Pehrsson Renstrom. She was born in Sweden in 1856 and some of her family did settle in Huntsville. I don't have a lot of records on her but I do have genealogy on the family. The rest of the information you gave does not match what I have. We should compare our notes."

I think I know why you are finding it difficult to follow this line.

#1) CJ Renstrom is not the father of Catherine Charlotte from Huntsville. I do know who CJ is. The Huntsville church records list CJ Renstrom as the missionary who baptised this family. His full name is Carl Janson Renstrom.

#2) Her generation is the first to take the name Renstrom. Previously their name followed the pattern of patronymics. Her name was Catherine Charlotte Erickson before she took the name Renstrom. Her Father's name was Eric Pehrsson and his father's name was Pehr Ersson. It is our understanding that when they joined this new Church they all took the name Renstrom after the missionary who had baptised them.

Data on Catherine Charlotte Renstrom:

Born 4 Oct 1856 in Ramsjo, Uppsala, Sweden
Baptised 1872 or 1873
Married 3 July 1876 to Soren Peter Petersen
Died 17 Aug 1880

From the Huntsville Church Records FHL US/CAN Film
25997:
Soren Peter Peterson is the son of Peter Peterson and Maria
Born 1853 in Denmark
    His Father Peter Peterson is living here as well
      is the son of Peter Thomasen and Mete
      Born Jan 12 1821 in Denmark
    His Mother Maria Peterson is living here as well
      is the daughter of Soren Jensen and Bodel
      Born Oct 9 1823 in Denmark

Soren Peter Peterson's children are also listed
Maria Charlotte Peterson is the daughter of Soren Peter Peterson and Charlotte R.
Born Mar 22 1877 in Huntsville
Louisa Christine Peterson is the daughter of " and "
Born May 28 1878 in Huntsville
John Soren Peterson is the son of " and "
Born Sep 14 1879 in Huntsville

Catherine Charlotte is not listed here and the rest of the family is listed together so she is probably dead at the time of this recording. I will dig into these records a little more and see if I can find an accurate date.

One of her brothers is listed on the bottom of this same page

Eric August P. Renstrom son of Eric Pehrson and Catherine Kristine
Born Nov 8 1860 in Sweden

She was going by Charlotte and living in Huntsville with her spouse and three children and in-laws in the 1880 census recorded on June 3rd:

Petersen, Soren   White, Male, 27yrs, Married, Farmer, cannot read or write, born in Denmark, parents born in Denmark

, Charlotte    White, Female, 25yrs, Married, Wife, Keeping House, born in Sweden, parents born in Sweden

, Mary    White, Female, 4yrs, Daughter, born in Utah

, Louisa    White, Female, 2yrs, Daughter, born in Utah

, John    White, Male, 7 months, born in October, Son, born in Utah

Petersen, Peter    White, Male 59yrs, Married, Farmer, born in Denmark, parents born in Denmark

, Mary    White, Female, 57yrs, Wife, Married, Keeping House, born in Denmark, parents born in Denmark

Photos and more records will be posted soon.

How Common is the Renstrom Surname?

2008-10-04T17:44:00.008-06:00

I thought this was appropriate for the Renstrom Record:
This information is from the US Census Bureau and posted on this site mongabay.com

Renstrom is one of the very uncommon Surnames in the US
Guess which Surname is ranked #1 for most common in the US.

**Surnames**
Surname	Rank in US	# in US	Frequency out of every 100,000
Renstrom	32939	656	0.24
Smith	1	2,376,206	880.85

Renstrom Surname Distribution in 2000

"RENSTROM is identified by the U.S. Bureau of the Census as a surname with more than 100 occurrences in the United States for the year-2000 U.S. Census. In "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000", the Census Bureau tabulated the surnames of all people who had obtained Social Security Numbers by the year 2000.

RENSTROM ranks # 32939 in terms of the most common surnames in the United States for 2000.

RENSTROM had 656 occurences in the 2000 Census, according the U.S. government records.

Out of a sample of 100,000 people in the United States, RENSTROM would occur an average of 0.24 times.

Race / ethnic origin

The race categories shown in these files are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups: "White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only", "Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the last name of RENSTROM the Census Bureau reports the following race / ethnic origin breakdown:
98.17 percent, or 644 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only"
Insignificant percent, or Less than 100 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only"
0 percent, or Less than 100 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only"
Insignificant percent, or Less than 100 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native"
0.76 percent, or 5 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races"
0.91 percent, or 6 total occurences, were "Hispanic Origin"

____________________________________

Smith Surname Distribution in 2000

"SMITH is identified by the U.S. Bureau of the Census as a surname with more than 100 occurrences in the United States for the year-2000 U.S. Census. In "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000", the Census Bureau tabulated the surnames of all people who had obtained Social Security Numbers by the year 2000.

SMITH ranks # 1 in terms of the most common surnames in the United States for 2000.

SMITH had 2,376,206 occurences in the 2000 Census, according the U.S. government records.

Out of a sample of 100,000 people in the United States, SMITH would occur an average of 880.85 times.

Race / ethnic origin

The race categories shown in these files are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups: "White only", "Black only", "American Indian and Alaskan Native only", "Asian and Pacific Islander only", "Two or More Races", and "Hispanic".

For the last name of SMITH the Census Bureau reports the following race / ethnic origin breakdown:
73.35 percent, or 1,742,947 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic White Only"
22.22 percent, or 527,993 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic Black Only"
0.4 percent, or 9,505 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only"
0.85 percent, or 20,198 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native"
1.63 percent, or 38,732 total occurences, were "Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races"
1.56 percent, or 37,069 total occurences, were "Hispanic Origin"

NOTE: Fields suppressed for confidentiality are assigned the value "Insignifcant"

The presentation of data on this site focuses on summarized aggregates of counts and characteristics associated with surnames, and, as such, do not in any way identify any specific individuals.

All data is dervied from David L. Word, Charles D. Coleman, Robert Nunziata and Robert Kominski (2008). "Demographic Aspects of Surnames from Census 2000". U.S. Census Bureau."

Map Your Surname
__________________________________________

I had a request for information on some of our other Surnames:

**Surnames**
Surname	Rank in US	# in US	Frequency out of every 100,000
Smith	1	2,376,206	880.85
Berg	637	48,480	17.97
Lindeman	6479	4,974	1.8
Renstrom	32939	656	0.24
Thorup	49159	402	0.15

It looks like our Thorup surname is even less common with only 402 Thorups listed in the United States as of 2000.

Berg Surname Distribution in 2000

Lindeman Surname Distribution in 2000

Thorup Surname Distribution in 2000

Map Your Surname
__________________________________________

Alternate Surname Spellings

2008-09-24T14:42:00.014-06:00

"Why can't I find my Ancestor's Records?" Have you tried alternate surname spellings? Here are four different records for the same Lindeman family spelled four different ways.

Using Alternate Surname Spellings for your Ancestor can open up a world of records that may not otherwise be found. Being flexible on locations, dates, spellings, and using nicknames or looking for them among relatives can all be useful in finding those missing records. Here is a presentation I put together using Kimberly Powell's outline posted on genealogy.about.com titled Top 10 Search Tips for Finding Alternate Surname Spellings and Variations. Click on this lesson link for tips, examples and other helpful websites that can guide you in your search.

Using Alternate Surname Spellings

Remember--click on the slide to advance the lesson, not on the arrows. Use it just like a PowerPoint presentation.

Another problem I have been having in locating Ancestors by the way their name is spelled is in the digital newspaper collections. OCR or Optical Character Recognition is an amazing new technology being used to index records. Rather than having a human read every page of every paper being digitized to create a searchable index, this technology allows it to be done in a single scan. Characters are recognized and "translated" into searchable text. In essence, the computer can now do the reading and searching for us in seconds, directing us to the exact page and location on that page that has the Surname we are looking for. Amazing, Wonderful, and saves us hours and even days. Read more on OCR

Unfortunately, this system does err at times, especially if the text being scanned is unclear, distorted, or incomplete. For example:
Utah Digitized Newspapers OCR does not read the surname Renstrom for some reason.
When I search this name I get three records, two of them are about the same article and the third is not a relation, yet I have found several more Renstroms in this same database. Why are they not indexed? Probably for the reasons listed above and possibly that the text is often too small to make out this particular letter combination correctly.
This article lists the name Renstrom several times clearly and was found in this database, yet I did not locate this article under Renstrom. I do not know what this name is indexed as, if I did I could type that in and hopefully find more records, but it is likely that it is indexed differently each time.

In the Northern New York Historical Newspaper Collection I am finding it difficult to find a particular family that I know was in the area at the time and should have news articles about them. Here is an example of a mis-indexed name from this database.
Click on this image to see a larger view. This has a wonderful example of incomplete letters confusing the OCR. Notice the top search result on the left and the enlarged image on the right. You will see on the right that the first name mentioned here in the newspaper image is Mrs. John D. Robillard. On the left you will see the OCR indexed this name as JuiiU D. Uobiliarti. Your eyes can fill in the blanks of the incomplete letters to a name that makes sense, yet the computer cannot or did not in this case. I searched the name "Dr. James Garvin" whose name you will see listed next in this news article. Fortunately, the Robillards are a relation and I was able to obtain this record on them despite the index error. I would never guess Uobiliarti as an alternate spelling to search.
Another example is in the next search result. This is an obituary for John Garvin, but I couldn't find it under John. You will notice in the image how a portion of the O is missing in the name John. Look at the word Obituary at the top. It has bled so much that it is difficult to make out. As humans using logic and context clues we are able to decipher it just fine, but not the computer. Luckily I was able to locate this obituary, once again through Dr. James Garvin. This article gave me the connection between these two that I was hoping for and told me of another sister that I did not know about.

Just because a name is not in the index does not mean the information is not there. Use relatives, dates and locations where you think you may find them. It will take a little more digging on your part, but the fruits of your labors will be well worth it.

Double Descended

2008-09-12T07:15:00.004-06:00

Here is a photo of the Herman August Thorup Family

Names from Left to Right and Back to Front:
Back: Christine Veronica Thorup (Rasmussen), Hyrum Emanuel Thorup, Nettie Neilsine Nielsen (Thorup), Joseph Thorup, Clara Romney (Thorup), John Theobald Charles Thorup, Johanna Caroline Ostermann (Thorup), Jensine Jensen (Thorup)
Front: Niels Rasmussen, Lara Augusta Marie Thorup (Rasmussen), Herman August Thorup, Mary or Marie Christine Christensen (Thorup), Herman Frederick Ferdinand Thorup, Anne Christine Anderson (Thorup)

This photo is a special one for my family because we are the descendants of two of Herman August Thorup's Children (Christine Veronica and Herman F. F.). In this family photo we see our ancestry come together.

This summer my sister married into my husband's side of the family and we just had our first huge group family photo with both of us in it. I am going to hold onto this photo for our posterity who will once again be double descendants and double related.

Anyone Speak Danish?

2008-09-09T17:09:00.005-06:00

My mother has an original passenger contract for our ancestor Herman F. F. Thorup. The bulk of the text is written twice, once in English so that makes it a lot easier. I did make out that it is for passenger: Herman Thorup age: 53 whose occupation is: Missionary. He is traveling from somewhere to Boston Massachusetts and they guarantee to get him there.

In the earlier years of mass immigration, there were several complaints by passengers of being "swindled" by their emigration agents. As a result, various laws were passed requiring agents to be certified by the government and for every passenger to have a signed and stamped passenger contract. They were to carry this with them for the entire journey to protect their rights and ensure they arrived at their desired destination under the terms originally agreed to.

Herman F. F. (Right) with mission companion in Denmark

Been to Park City Lately...?

2008-09-02T20:39:00.011-06:00

Do you know you have an ancestor who built two homes on the Park City list of Historic Homes? One is on their famous Main Street Walking Tour called the Durkin Boarding House or the Centennial House located at 176 Main Street. Check it out next time you go!

See How It Looks Today
Click on the red A to see it from the street

This Boarding House was built in 1901 and Joseph Durkin died only two years later.
The Park Record
October 12 1901
This article mentions Joseph Durkin working on the boarding house on Main Street.

The Park Record
April 11 1903
Here is the obituary for Joseph Durkin.

Here is an article on renovating the Boarding House:
The Salt Lake Tribune - Dec 30 2004
A piece of Park City history has a chance to bloom again
The Centennial House: A proposal would turn it into a modern restaurant, with condos and parking

"The Centennial House near the top of Park City's Main Street was built in 1901 as a boardinghouse for miners. The frame structure is aging rapidly, but Parkites Judy Jackson and Chad Carter have a plan to refurbish it."
"Joseph Durkin built the Centennial's frame structure in 1901 during Park City's heyday..."We just wanted to save this piece of Main Street history," Judy Jackson said...Every day when we came to work, the Centennial was staring us in the face," Jackson said. "One day, we looked at it and thought, 'We could turn this into a real jewel.' "
Today, it still functions as a boardinghouse and is home to seven renters. But owner Dale Nelson agreed to sell the Centennial to Jackson for an undisclosed sum if Park City would approve her plan for a historic rehab. The proposal would transform the ground floor into a restaurant and the second floor into two 1,800-square-foot condominiums."

The second home listed with the Historic Homes of Utah is the Joseph Durkin Home located at 22 Prospect Street and was built about 1885.

See How It Looks Today
Click on the red A to see it from the street

Next time you are in town, remember that you are part of Park City's History.

Using Cemetery Records

2008-09-02T11:19:00.009-06:00

Why should I use cemetery records? What can they teach me that I don't already know?

The Cemetery is an often overlooked wealth of Family information. Click on the following link to view my lesson on just what and how you can find this "hidden" information:

Using Cemetery Records

Instructions for Lesson Viewing:
Do not use the arrows at the bottom of the screen. When the window opens, wait a few seconds, then click on the page/screen in the box with your mouse to advance the lesson. The arrows at the bottom advance to the next slide, but if you use this you will miss all of the movements that occur on each slide.

Related Links:

Tiptoeing Through the Graveyard by Kimberly Powell

findagrave.com for free cemetery lookups and photo requests

US Newspaper Project for links to newspapers online in the United States

USGenWeb for links to free records posted by state, they often have cemetery records available

WorldGenWeb for links to information and records posted from countries of the world, sometimes have cemetery information

Here is an example of a Sexton's Record:
Sexton: "the person paid to care for a church and/or cemetery, to toll the church bell, dig graves, etc." from A to Zax
Sextons' Records are often kept at the office or church in charge of a particular cemetery. You can see from this document that there is a wealth of information here that is often not included on a headstone. These particular records collected: name, place and date of birth, parents names, religion and reputation as well as the date of death. It never hurts to ask the cemetery office if they have more information on your buried ancestors. Even if they only have the name of the mortuary, you can then go to them and ask for records there. Mortuaries very rarely go out of business but they are sometimes absorbed by a nearby mortuary. They would usually have a form for a family member to fill out during this process that you can gather more information from.

Tombstone Rubbing:
Here are a few tombstone rubbings done on Pellon with a crayon. I love doing rubbings as it is a way for me to take home a part of history. It is the next best thing to being at the actual cemetery. I have a part of something that was there and shows the headstone in actual size. I have tried using other materials to do rubbings but I prefer the pellon and crayon. It is less messy and easy to transport and save without fear of damage. Rubbings are also very helpful when the tombstone inscription is faded and worn. A rubbing can bring the text back into plain view and give that important date or relationship you were seeking. Then there are those times when the sun and the headstone or your flash and the stone line up just right to make the inscription not show up on film. You don't always know this until you get home and it is nice to have the rubbing so you can still have record of what is written. Make sure you learn the rules of the cemetery you plan to do rubbings at as some do not allow it.

What I Bring to the Cemetery:
- camera
- extra batteries
- pen and pad of paper
- pellon (found at local fabric store)
- crayons
- roll of butcher paper (found at local craft store)
- scissors
- water bottle or two
- rag
- map of cemetery with plot locations of ancestors

I bring a roll of butcher paper as it is less expensive and I can use one long sheet for the larger tombstones. The water and rag are to clean off the stones which are often not photo ready. The pen and paper are to make notes as I go along. Sometimes thoughts will come while I am there that I want to remember. I may want to write down locations of graves I took photos of that I did not plan on beforehand. I may have questions about relationships revealed that I want to remember to look up later. I may come up with more questions to ask at the local office while I am there. It comes in handy sometimes. The scissors are to cut the pellon and paper to the size I want. I have found that the darker crayons work the best, but you can experiment with different colors. I never use tape to hold the material still for a rubbing. I use another set of hands or brace it myself. I don't like to disturb the stones any more than needed.
For more details and other tips/suggestions on doing Tombstone rubbings,
read How to do a Tombstone Rubbing by Kimberly Powell

If you have any comments, tips, suggestions or links to add, just leave a comment.

A Loss Too Great

2008-08-26T00:25:00.001-06:00

Herman F. F. Thorup or Herman Frederick Ferdinant Thorup, is no stranger to hardship. I find that anyone who lives on this earth endures great suffering of some kind before they leave it but there are a few people who seem to get more than enough for creating good character. For some, the tragedies they suffer seem to be greater than one can bear. My great great grandfather, Herman F. F. Thorup is one of these people. He endured many painful experiences beyond what I am writing about today, but for now we will look into this window of time when he suffered the loss of his entire first family. Herman was born April 19th 1849 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Here he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at age twelve and served his first mission at age 18 to Denmark. He was released early to emigrate with his family to the United States and they were able to settle in Utah. He married Sophia (Sophie) Augusta (Gustava) Johnson on May 28th 1872 at the age of 23. One year later their first child was born, May Josephine (B: July 10 1873). They had a total of four children together. Based on the dates of their children's births, this photo should be of May and Albert with their parents taken about 1876. Their third child, Christina lived less than a year. I do not know her cause of death yet, but I am looking for it and will post more information as I find it. A little over a year after this their fourth child was born, Sophia, and a few weeks later in October of 1878, Herman's dear wife Sophia died, probably from complications of childbirth.

A little over a year after this Herman F F arrives in England on November 7th 1879 with his brother John T. Thorup to be missionaries in Europe (again). This is a portion of a newspaper article announcing the safe arrival of a group of Elders (the Thorups among them) printed in The Millenial Star. How difficult it must have been to leave his three young children with no mother to care for them to serve this second mission for the church.
Where did his children go while he was gone?

Here we have two Census Records for 1880:

This one for Salt Lake City shows Neils Rasmussen with his wife Laura (Augusta Marie Thorup) and two children. - Albert and Mary Thorup, ages 5 and 7, nephew and niece to Neils. He left the two older children with his sister and brother-in-law in Salt Lake City.

Where is the Baby?

Here we find that he left his baby girl Sophia with his wife's side of the family in Spring City, Utah. She is just one year old and is granddaughter to John and Eliza Johnson.

Herman FF did return safely in July of 1881 and was reunited with his family. Herman did remarry and began to have more children when tragedy struck again.

Diphtheria

In 1884, Salt Lake and surrounding areas suffered with a Diphtheria outbreak. It was not an uncommon illness to find but it was usually able to be contained through strict quarantine rules. However, in 1884 it was unable to be stopped and it swept through many homes. Our poor HFF Thorup was forced to endure the loss of the rest of his three children from Sophia Augusta.

Here are two articles from the Deseret News dated December 24th (Christmas Eve) and December 31st (New Years Eve) of 1884.

All three of his children die of Diphtheria in 1884 within a few weeks of each other. He also had a fourth child die from his new wife at this same time of croup. Croup was often caused by the Diphtheria bacteria before immunizations and it came with deadly strength. You will also notice in this article that Neils Rasmussen lost a son at this time too.
I cannot even imagine how he survived this. He pushed on in life only to suffer a great deal more but his life is a true example of strength and trust in the Lord. His life continues to strengthen his posterity. A loss too great to even imagine and with more ahead is hard to fathom, but it was a meaningful mission that left a great legacy of faith for us to follow.

Their Children:
May Josephine (b. 7/10/1873 d. 1884),
Albert M. (b. 11/5/1874 d. 1884)
Christina S. (b. 10/14/1876 d. 8/22/1877)
Sophia C. (b. 9/17/1878 d. 1884).

"Iwo Jima"

2008-08-05T22:21:00.006-06:00

"Lest They Be Forgotten - Iwo Jima"
By Larry Cappetto

movie trailer with Keith

Lest They Be Forgotten

It Runs in the Family

2008-07-24T22:51:00.017-06:00

Here is an article from The Park Record dated July 28th 1916 that Lin Floyd sent me to share with the family. Lester Berg is in a play called "The Fairy and the Fountain." At this time he is only six years old.

This is from the Ogden Standard Examiner dated January 7th 1926. Keith is in a play at the Huntsville Opera House with his parents when he is only four years old. Gladys is Arnold's sister.

Yes, it runs in the family!

Pioneer Day from 1906

2008-07-24T10:58:00.008-06:00

102 Years Ago, both sides of our family are celebrating
Utah's Pioneer Day.

HOMAGE IS PAID TO THE PIONEERS
The Salt Lake Herald, July 25th 1906

The Thorups are in Liberty Park in Salt Lake City where over 1500 people gathered and the living pioneers were honored including a lunch under the "famous" trees there planted by our ancestor Herman F. F. Thorup. John T. Thorup is mentioned in the article twice, he is the son of Herman August Thorup and brother to Herman F. F. and Christine Veronica Thorup Rasmussen. There are photos of events at the park on July 24th 1906 and some very cute articles about the celebration.

HUNTSVILLE TO HAVE A TIME
The Ogden Standard, July 21st 1906

In Huntsville the General Committee is busy carrying out a large celebration of their own for the Utah Pioneers. Among those on the committee are Moselle Renstrom, Carrie Renstrom and Adam L. Petersen. Carrie Renstrom is Caroline Petersen Renstrom, her brother is Adam Lind Petersen and her daughter is Moselle Renstrom. There are other Petersons listed in this article but I do not know if they are related. There were a few Petersen(son) founders in Huntsville, ours being Soren Lind Petersen who is the father of both Carrie and Adam.

This photo was taken almost 80 years after the above celebrations in June of 1986. These are the trees at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. I am the one in the middle.

How to Locate My Ancestor's Will

2008-07-22T07:37:00.019-06:00

Steps to locating a Will
Steps to locating a Will

Have you ever wondered how to find the will of your ancestor? Not everyone left a will, but there are often probate records available even if there isn't a will. What can I learn from these records? How can they help me in my research? How do I begin? The above lesson I put together to help you through these steps and answer these questions.
How do I view the lesson?

I found an online surname index to wills in the United States using many of the films located at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

www.sampubco.com

Click on the state you want, then the county, then find the surname you are looking for. This person has taken the United States index to wills films at the Family History Library in Salt Lake and has posted all the names on this site so you know if there is a will for the person or surname you are looking for. Then you can send him some money and he will look up the actual will for you. He doesn't list the film numbers, but he does list all of the dates and locations so you can easily find which film the will is on.
You don't need to have him look it up for you. It saves you a step if you are planning on looking up the will yourself and it will let you know if your ancestor has one on file or not. He does not have all the indexes on the site but he has a lot and it is a current site so he may continue to post more.

View Lesson Handouts in PDF

If anyone wants to add information or tips, just leave a comment.
Thanks!

Deaths of Father and Mother Thorup

2008-07-17T17:30:00.026-06:00

Our Immigant Thorup Ancestors
Herman August Thorup and Marie Christine Christensen Thorup:

Herman August Thorup

What we can learn from this article:
-Died Aug 21, 1907
-Born Aug 11, 1826 in Copenhagen, Denmark
-Baptised into LDS church April of 1853 (26yrs)
-Clerk of the Copenhagen conference for many years
-Emigrated to America in May of 1868 (41yrs)
*note: look for naturalization papers
-Lived in Chicago until Aug of 1869
-Lived in Provo until Sep of 1873 (47yrs)
-moved into Salt Lake First Ward LDS church
-Active member in the ward
-Cause: his body failed him

What we can learn from the Death Certificate of
Herman August Thorup

-His address: 731 So 9th East in Salt Lake City
-His middle name: A. is for August
-He resided at this address for 34 years -White Male
-Born: Aug 11 1826
-Age: 81 yrs 9 days
-Widow (wife died prior to 1907)

-Father: Lars C. Thorup born in Denmark
*note: Family records have his father as Christian Larsen Thorup
-Mother: Johannah Holm born in Denmark
-Occupation: None
*note: He used to be a carpenter, I don't know what else yet
-Informant: John T. Thorup who lives at 729 So. 9th East
-Buried in City Cemetery (Salt Lake City Cemetery) on Aug 25, 1907
-Died: Aug 20, 1907 at 2:20 PM
-Was attended by physician William L. Carmon from 503 Brigham St. for one day prior to death
-Cause: Uremia - loosely used to describe the illness accompanying kidney failure or renal failure. It is blood poisioning where waste products normally excreted from the body are retained in the blood. Symptoms are anorexia, lethargy, muscle cramps, confusion and coma.

Marie Christine Christensen Thorup

What can we learn from this article:
-She sometimes goes by Mary
-Wife of Herman A. Thorup
-Has at least 45 grandchildren
-President Joseph F. Smith spoke at the funeral among others named
-Respected woman
-Born Sept 19, 1824 in Myrup, Rjolland, Denmark
-Baptised into LDS church April 9, 1853 (28yrs)
-Left Denmark May 8, 1868 with husband and family
-Lived 15 months in Chicago
-Arrived in Utah August 12, 1869 and settled in Provo
-Has one grandchild on a mission to Norway in 1905
-Came in the first railway train from Omaha to Ogden
-Moved to SLC in 1873 to the First Ward and stayed.
-A good humanitarian
-An active member of LDS church
-Husband is living
-Has four living sons and one living daughter in 1905
-Has 16 grandchildren, three children and nine grandchildren have died by 1905
*note: Is this an error? 45 grandchildren to 16 grandchildren- It is hard to read the first number. Let me know what you think.
-Has one grandchild on a mission to Norway in 1905

What we can learn from the Death Certificate of
Marie Christine Christensen Thorup
-Has her name as Mary Christina C. Thorup
-Address: 731 South 9th East Salt Lake
-White Female
-Born: September 19, 1824
-Age: 80 years 9 months 14 days
-Married, name of spouse not given
-Father: Christen Hansen born in ~~Norway~~, Denmark

-Mother: Elsie K Hansen born in Denmark (check the K, family records say her middle name is Kirsten)
-Informant: John T. Thorup from 731 South 9th East
-Buried: City Cemetery (Salt Lake City Cemetery) on July 20, 1905
-Died: July 13, 1905 at 8AM
-Cause: Senile Debility - Alzheimer or dementia or organic brain syndrome and the body begins to deteriorate as a result
Dr: Samuel H. Allen of Salt Lake City

How to trace my line to Adam

2008-07-15T00:05:00.013-06:00

I have made a few charts that show family lines back to Adam and I have received several requests for information on how to do this. I will post an outline here of how I did it. Using a program developed at BYU called the Relationship Finder, I was able to connect my family to some members of Royalty. This program uses the family group information provided in the Ancestral File to link together related individuals and trace lines back to famous LDS church leaders, pioneers, presidents, early settlers, and European Royalty. The amount of information you will get back from this program is based on how much family information you have in the Ancestral File. From here I was able to use a genealogy chart I purchased from Stevenson's Genealogy in Provo, Utah. This chart was put together by Archibald F. Bennett for the Genealogical Society of Utah called the Kinship of Families. I have a scanned image of it here, but my scanner is tiny so I had to piece it together. I called Sevenson's Genealogy for permission to post this chart and the manager said that he knows of no copyright on it, so here it is. You can get a good copy from Stevenson's. They traced the lines of a few of the modern day Prophets back to Royalty and then using these records of the Royalty and the Biblical records they were able to trace them back to Adam. So, I used the Relationship Finder, and the Ancestral File to tie my family into one of the members of Royalty on the Genealogy Chart I got and simply followed it back to Adam.

Instructions for Using the Relationship Finder

Relationship Finder
http://roots.cs.byu.edu/digroots

What Can This Do For Me?
Based on the information in the familysearch.org Ancestral File database, the Relationship Finder can link you to several famous people in your ancestry! These include LDS Church Leaders of old and present, Presidents of the United States, Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Members of the Early Pioneers, Travelers on the Mayflower, and European Royalty!

How Can I Make My Own Report?

First you need to find your Ancestal File Number
1) visit www.familysearch.org
2) click on the SEARCH RECORDS tab at the top of the screen
3) click on ANCESTRAL FILE to the left of the screen
4) type in the name of a DECEASED ANCESTOR and search
5) Click on the name of your ancestor to bring up their information
6) At the top of the screen to the right of their name you will find (AFN: ---)
7) If you want to move further down the pedigree, click on the Family Icon to the right and select another AFN

Second you need to go to the Relationship Finder
1) visit http://roots.cs.byu.edu/digroots
2) under the Main Menu on the left select #1 CREATE A SELF REPORT
3) Type in the AFN in the first box and left click the mouse
4) Click on the FINISHED button
5) Select the boxes for the groups you wish to search or click on SELECT ALL
6) In a few moments your report will appear!

How Do I Make a Copy?
On the top left of the screen you will find your print/save options
This is also where you can see how your line connects with theirs

HAVE FUN!

I have contacted the programmers of the Relationship Finder to ask them if the program would still work when the new family search is launched. They said they are preparing for this change and their program will be adjusted accordingly so it should continue to work. This program is free to use although you do need to set up an account by simply creating a username and password.

To make the spiral I used a program on line called festisite, however I had more names than the program would allow me to enter so I had to finish the spiral on photoshop. I hope this is helpful. You are welcome to post any questions you may have in trying to duplicate this and I will try to help.

Death of Solomon S. Lindeman

2008-07-13T22:19:00.043-06:00

Solomon S. Lindeman was a teacher but it was difficult to make enough money to support his family so he became a carpenter. This work kept him from his family much of the time and they still did not have much money. In early 1907 (or late 1906; from the following letter we learn he has been in Utah at least since Januray) Solomon heard of good employment opportunities in Salt Lake City and left his family in Colorado for the time being to see if he could make a better living for them there. He began working in the Garfield smelters and had rented a small room in Salt Lake City.

On Feb. 11, 1907 he wrote this letter home:

After 70 days, return to
S. S. Lindeman
Garfield
~~Salt Lake City~~, Utah.

GARFIELD, Feb 12 1907 UTAH.

Ella M. Lindeman
   Florence
125 E. 5 St   Colorado

PAGE 1:

Garfield Feb 11 - 7 [1907]
Dear Ella today was pay day
and will send you my check
you keep the 100 & send me
the $6.50. I wish you would
show this check to several of
those skeptic people who
think I am not getting what
I say I am. I got those pictures
of the Ass with 3 heads one at
one end & two at the other Ha Ha It is
plain you show plain too
I see Moses the Lord of Creation
got the Post Office That Iriga
tion scheme is comming along
all right well if we dont
like it out here we can go
back and have a home to go
to I would like to get the
place paid there it will
not be hard for me to make
a living It will be worth
all it cost for you folks
to see this great County

PAGE 2:

If you folks could come as
cheap as I did If I would
go to work for the D & R G
[D&RG= The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad]
in 2 or 3 months I could get
a pass to bring all out here
They only pay $3.50 on the
Bridge gang I heard John
Lo..ing went to work in
the car shops for the D. & R. G.
in Salt Lake at $4.00 for 10
hours That might suit
me but I kik this work
and dont like to quit here
if I got fired I would try
that too I am going to stay
here till April any way
I got a long fetter from
Lela she didn't say any
thing about coming home
She said I should tell
Russel to quit writing to Ger
tie as she is no nice girl
The weather is very nice &
has been all this month

PAGE 3:

It is colder than it was
in January but the snow
is all gone and the ground
is dry The Mountains are as
white as sheets We hear of
many snow slides up the
Canons [Canyons] around Park City
and East of there The Mountains
remind me of Sang De Chris-
to when we went over
marshal Pass tower so
high in the air and white
with snow I have the ad-
vantage over you the Mor-
man boys dont look at
a Gentile woman but the
girls are after them [a]lot
Ha Ha My shoulder still hurts
me I guess it is rheumatism.
I can hardly get my coat
on my side is all right
I still have the plaster on
it I am nearly out of
shoes and foot wear is

PAGE 4:

so high out here I am almost
afraid to buy I got a pair
of lowshoes last summer
but they are too thin and I
had to pay $3.50 for them
If you could get a good cheap
pair and if someone [is] ever
coming out send them to
164 S 2nd West. Salt Lake
House It would cost too much to express them
Well I will close to hear
from you
So good night
a Kiss and a hug
Pa, Pa.

S. S. Lindeman Killed

Emery County Progress - May 25 1907     Salt Lake Herald - May 19 1907

From these articles we learn how Solomon Lindeman died. He exited a street car near his home on 2nd West and 2nd South in Salt Lake City.
Click to see where Solomon died
He then walked behind the car to cross and was hit by another street car coming the opposite direction. Ella Martha Miller Lindeman, his wife, arrived a few days later to get his body. In the Salt Lake Herald on May 19th 1907, we learn that Mr. Lindeman was a member of the Odd Fellows, a Yeoman, and a member of the Carpenters' Union. Mrs. Lindeman was going to check with the local lodges (these local groups) before making funeral arrangement. I am still not sure why she wanted to check with them unless it was to see if any were willing or able to help her in this matter. There are several articles of the Odd Fellows holding memorial services for members, but I could find no article of one being held for Solomon in Utah. The Odd Fellows were an organization known for helping others in need. I have written to the Salt Lake IOOF (International Order of Odd Fellows) for more information on Solomon's membership. I will update this post if I hear back from them. The Yeomen was an institution with more of a financial base.

This is a section from the Salt Lake Herald a few days after Solomon died. This article tells us the address where the Brotherhood of American Yeomen would meet (269 E 3rd South in Salt Lake) at the Yeoman Hall. We also learn that there is an Odd Fellows Temple on Market Street. The Rebekah lodges are the female members' groups of the Odd Fellows.

Here is more information on these groups:

The International Order of Odd Fellows
To Improve and Elevate the Character of Man
"In 17th century England, it was odd to find people organized for the purpose of giving aid to those in need and of pursuing projects for the benefit of all mankind. Those who belonged to such an organization were called "Odd Fellows". Odd Fellows are also known as "The Three Link Fraternity" which stands for Friendship, Love and Truth."

The Brotherhood of American Yeomen:
"The Brotherhood of American Yeomen, founded in 1897, was one of a vast number of fraternal benefit assessment societies established toward the end of the 19th century. The Lodges were called Homesteads, and there was a strong Christian element to the Rituals and Ceremonies, which also praised the Magna Carta and the English language. The Homesteaders was the result of a schism within the Yeomen.
In 1917, the Yeomen changed its financial footing to assure greater stability, and in 1932 it transformed itself into the Mutual Life Insurance Company. The order is now extinct."

Yeomen History
"The society was popular from the start, the founder evidently having formed a plan of mutual insurance that seemed reasonable and just and which provided for a surplus fund for reserve. The name, however, did not altogether suit and before the articles of incorporation were filed it was changed to Brotherhood of American Yeomen."

The Carpenters' Union:
"the primary purpose of the Carpenters Unions were to reduce the twelve-hour day, six-day week and to increase the daily wage of $2.25. Peter McGuire, the Father of Labor Day, and the First General Secretary of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, had organized these Local Unions and imbued them with a spirit of bettering the lot of their fellow workers."

Mrs. Lindeman Sues Utah Light and Railway Company

These Articles tell us that Mrs. Lindeman with the help of the administrator, J. Boyd Gordon, sued the Utah Light & Railway company for the sum of $50,000 damages.

*note: Because Mr. J. Boyd Gordon was an administrator rather than an executor we can safely assume that Mr. S. S. Lindeman died intestate or without a will. An executor is someone named in a will to handle the eatate of the deceased and financial distribution, when there is no will then the court appoints an administrator to handle the financial affairs of the deceased. This also means that there should be probate records concerning this appointment. They may be in Salt Lake or in Colorado, but I will look into this later if I have time. I'm sure the court accounts of the above suit are interesting as well.

Mrs. Lindeman and Mr. Gordon made a case of negligence on the part of the Utah Light & Railway company for not sounding warning signals. The jury awarded Mrs. Lindeman $9,120 for damages. The Utah Light & Railway company motioned for a new trial on the grounds that this was an excessive sum of money, the jurers were prejudice and that there was lack of evidence in the case.

*note: What was $9,120 worth in 1907?
From Measuring Worth
In 2007, $9,120.00 from 1907 is worth:
$207,569.60    using the Consumer Price Index
$157,671.26   using the GDP deflator
$472,888.89   using the value of consumer bundle *
$866,930.23   using the unskilled wage *
$1,074,246.31   using the nominal GDP per capita
$3,729,066.58   using the relative share of GDP
The above link will give a detailed explaination of each of these methods of calculation. The first one, The Consumer Price Index, I believe is the most relavent to our case.

The case was retried and the final sum awarded Mrs. Lindeman was $4,000. With this money she was able to pay off their home in Colorado and send their oldest son to school to learn the linotype machine. Eventually he found work in Salt Lake at the Salt Lake Telegram (newspaper). He sent money home until the family moved to Salt Lake City where he continued to help support them.

These newspaper articles also tell us:
-Solomon was killed instantly
-where he was when he died (2nd W and 2nd S SLC)
-that he was near his home at the time
-who his wife was (Ella M. Lindeman)
-that he had 5 children
-where his family was living (Florence, Colorado)
-his death date (May 17, 1907)
-how he died
-that he was a laborer
-groups he belonged to

Utah Death Certificate of Solomon S. Lindeman

From the Death Certificate We Learn:
-Died in Salt Lake
-was taken to LDS Hospital
-his "usual" residence was Salt Lake City
-he was a resident for 1/2 day at the place of death (I assume they must mean the actual physical spot where he died for this as he was living in Salt Lake prior to his death)
-his name, Solomon S. Lindeman, white male
-married, no spouse name given
-birth date, Aug 19 1851
-Father: Robert Lindeman of Pennsylvania
-Mother: Sarah Snyder of Pennsylvania
-Occupation: Carpenter
-Informant for death certificate: Mrs. S. S. Lindeman of Florence, Colarado
-will be buried in Florence, Colorado upon arrival
-the doctor who attended him said he died at 9PM on May 17 1907
-Cause: Injuries - lac. wounds fractur 3 ribs

Headstone of Solomon S. Lindeman in Florence, Colorado

Smith to Adam

2008-07-11T12:52:00.003-06:00

Iris Gardens

2008-07-10T16:25:00.011-06:00

Grandpa LeRoy Lindeman loved the iris. He had several variety of this flower in his large iris garden at his home. He knew each one well. It was exciting for me to find these articles about his grandfather Herman F. F. Thorup in the newspaper. He also loved the iris and had his own iris garden.

The Murray Eagle - May 31 1928

The Murray Eagle - June 4, 1931

Here is a photo of Herman F. F. Thorup in his flower garden and by his green house behind his flower shop.

This is a photo of Herman F. F. Thorup in front of his flower shop. The sign reads:
SOUTH EASTERN NURSERY
EVERGREENS.ROSES.SHADE
& ORNAMENTAL TREES
SODS.PLANTS.CUT FLOWERS
FLORAL DESIGNS. ETC

Grandpa Lindeman also has this beautiful flower framing his headstone.

Death of Mrs Renstrom

2008-07-09T21:39:00.012-06:00

Caroline (Carrie) Petersen Renstrom Died of Bright's Disease.
Bright's Disease: now known as acute or chronic nephritis; kidney disease. It is very painful.
It is interesting how different sources can give you different and sometimes conflicting information. Take these two newspaper articles for example. From the first we learn the following:

Salt Lake Herald - July 17, 1907
- She went by Carrie at least sometimes
- Her husband A. P. (Andrew Pehrson) Renstrom was a bishop
- She was also an active member of the church as president of the Young Ladies' Mutual Impovement Association (Young Women's President)
- She is survived by her husband (so he lived beyond 1907)
- She is survived by seven children
- She has living brothers and sisters
- She was 47 years old (est: born 1860)
- A well liked citizen
- Died at 8 AM Yesterday (est: died July 16, 1907)
- Died in Huntsville
- Died of heart trouble that she had been suffering from for a while
- She was operated on for this heart problem a few months prior but never fully recovered
- When the funeral will be
- She will be buried in Huntsville

This is quite a lot of information! Now lets check another paper.
This one is from Odgen, the local newspaper for Huntsville as well and see what this can tell us. This article was printed two days later.

Odgen Standard - July 19, 1907
- Died of Bright's Disease which she had been battling for a while
- Husband is a bishop
- Died in Huntsville
- Died early yesterday morning (est: died July 18, 1907)
- Was operated on two months ago because of the Bright's Disease
- She appeared to be recovering very well
- Daughter of Soren Peterson
- Born in Huntsville July 29 1864 (est: died 10 days short of 43rd birthday)
- She had 10 children, seven are still alive in 1907
- Husband and many relatives still alive in 1907
- A well liked citizen
- Active church member

It is very interesting to see how various records can differ on the information they can provide you. Both sources are valuable in what they do tell us, but on the conflicting information, how do we learn which is correct. We must look for yet another source. Let's see what her death certificate can teach us.

Caroline Peterson Renstrom death certificate filed July 20, 1907
- Caroline Renstrom white female died in Huntsville
- Born July 29, 1864
- Age 42 yrs, 11 mo, 17 days
- Died July 16, 1907
- Born in Huntsville
- Father: Soren L. Petersen born in Denmark
- Mother: Anna Nilsen born in Denmark
- Married, but no spouse name listed
- A. P. Renstrom of Huntsville was the death certificate informant
- Buried in Huntsville on July 20, 1907
- She was attended by a physician for the month prior to her death
- Chief cause of death was Heart Failure and Dropsy (congestive heart failure)
- She had been suffering with this for 90 days
- Contributory cause was Bright's Disease
- She had been suffering with this for 3 years

This clears up some of our questions:
- She had been suffering from both Heart Disease and Bright's Disease, both contributing to her death
- We have learned her true death date and age at death
- The newspapers gave us her husband's name and valuable information on her children
- The death certificate gave us her parents' names and birth places

You can see that the more sources you find, the more you can learn the truth about someone. Each source is a clue, a puzzle piece that gives us a little bit, but when put together we begin to see a much clearer picture. Not only did these sources clear up the details of her death, they opened more doors of places to search for other family members to link together.

When I do family history work, I truly do feel like a detective and I am very driven to find another way in if my pathway gets blocked. My mind speeds through all the possibilities and I try each one until I have a crack in the wall to work my way thorugh. I love this work and I learn to love the people I research as well. It is like they are alive again. I find myself mourning for them when I discover they lost a child and when they die. I see a lifetime of pain and hardship in only a short amount of time and it is difficult to see how they survived it. I am strengthened by their examples. The hard work they did to help each other and to better the community. The inner strength they had to carry on despite the difficulties they faced. They are our families and we are a part of them. A part of this legacy.

Lindeman-Clawson Marriage

2008-07-09T18:01:00.012-06:00

Coming And Going

Box Elder News July 13 1911:

"Mayor Blackburn performed the marriage ceremony that united Russell Lindeman of Salt Lake City, and Miss Ella Clawson of this city, the event taking place on Monday last. Mr. and Mrs. Lindeman went to Salt Lake City where they will make their home."

This article tells us that they were married on Monday July 10, 1911...(unless Monday last means the monday before last in which case they would have been married on Monday July 3, 1911).

"Where Storms Are Made"

2008-07-06T21:19:00.009-06:00

The Ogden Standard Sunday Oct 7, 1888

This is a newspaper article that includes Soren Peterson [Petersen] Jr., Soren Peterson and Andrew Renstrom all of Huntsville, Utah. They took a small expedition together among other men from Ogden and Huntsville to the top of Mount Ogden to view a newly completed observatory. The views from the mountain and even their jokes in conversation are recorded by the author of the article who ascended with them. Attempts were made to get a photograph of them all while they were at the top, but the conditions were never right. The article says, however, that two would be taken on the plateau below the summit on the Huntsville side of the mountain. I would love to find a copy of this photo! It goes on to say that .."Then we shall hasten to Huntsville, partake once more of the hospitality of Mesers, Peterson, McKay and Renstrom and taste Mrs. Renstrom's excellent cookery..."

Peterson vs. Petersen:

Some family members insist on the point that it is the family of Petersen not Peterson based on the family's roots. However, many of the records I have found the Petersen family in thus far, their name is written as Peterson. This is not to deny that the name was, used to be or should be Petersen, it is to say that standardized spelling is a recent Practice and many people didn't bother to ask "How do you spell your name?" People wrote what they heard and that was fine. I have found multiple original records of my Lindeman surname spelled differently in each. I have a whole PowerPoint presentation on multiple spellings of surnames so I can go on and on. The point I wish to make today is that just because someone wrote their name with an o rather than an e does not mean it is not your family.

Lemmon Lineage

2008-07-01T11:12:00.007-06:00

The Gunny

2008-06-19T20:51:00.007-06:00

"We gave you freedom, and there is no thing in this world more precious than being free."