Wacky Woolsey - Holden Ho-down

So, I am researching Abigail Woolsey for Mom to create a history on her to give at a DUP meeting after the first of the year. So everything seems to be hearsay, and when there is documentation, I still have unanswered questions. (Does any one have any idea how many wives Edwin Holden had? Did Abigail indeed marry Holden on the same day as her sister? Since both girls were under age did he go to jail?) But just for a moment lets assume the information I found is true....

Then the topiary takes control....

...two full circles, three women all married to the same man (and there are at least two more wives) on two sides of the topiary....making one giant circle connected by me....Banjo music anyone?

I'm going to go take something for this headache. Bye-Y'all

The Smith Prairie Cemetery

This picture is taken from the corner where the cemetery road meets the main road. If you were to continue out to the rim on this road you would come to the location of the first home owned by Donald Louis Davison, my grandpa. You can still see trees around where the house sat on the google maps satelite image attached to this post. The house was moved by Grandpa's brother, Lawrence long ago. This road was used when the Davison brother's divided up the ranch when the partnership broke up. All the flat land and Wiley Gulch to the right of the position of this picture was given to Grandpa. The Cemetery is surrounded by land that belonged to my grandpa.

Most of the graves in the cemetery belong to family members. You can view pictures of all the current headstones as of June 2011 on http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2262842&CScn=Smith+Prairie&CScntry=4&CSst=15.

Blacks Creek Road going into Smith Prairie, Idaho

This is one of my favorite pictures from our summer trip. It is taken just over the rim from Chicken Flat headding for the bridge. You can just make out 2 logging trucks along the road. We had stopped for Wiggles to throw-up and saw the trucks comming, so moved close to the bank in a wide spot and waited for them to pass. It's a good thing we did too as the second driver was deffinately not familure with driving mountain roads and nearly tipped the truck over on us. Can you imagine what would have happened if we had met him in a narrow part of the road? It was a beautiful drizzly day. Just perfect for the drive in, no dust, not too hot, or too cool, just perfect. I don't remember the road being so long or steep before. There were so many trees before that it looks really different now. The fire changed the landscape drasticly.

Daugters of the Utah Pioneers

This week I turn in my paperwork for the DUP. I am very excited. I know I should have done this a long time ago, but am just getting around to it. I would have thought that my great great grandfather Joel Sidney Wright would have already been listed in the DUP index, but suprisingly wasn't. We are not certain how and when he came to Utah, but he married in Utah before the railroad, thus qualifying him as a Utah pioneer.

The Trip to Remember for a Long Time to Come

I was able to make a trip to Smith Prairie for the spreading of Great Uncle Curtis Jarvis's remains. It was a fantastic trip. I took a ton of pictures, and video, and more pictures. I visited Moris Hill Cemetery and Dry Creek Cemetery in Boise. I visited Smith Prairie Cemetery, the three most important family homesteads, plus the ranch. I got to see family, and meet cousin I had only heard about.

I visited with my Aunt Lois, who sent a ton of pictures home with me going back 5 generations. I visited with Uncle Dean, and talked about the where some of the old homesteads were. I was given Grandpa Homer S. Jarvis's purple heart. I brought home Grandpa Davison's discharge papers, Great Grandpa Jarvis's discharge papers, my grandmother's journal, and her grandmother's journal, as well as countless other precious documents. 

I am overwhelmed with it all, but don't have time to absorb what treasures I collected as I have to return all of it except the purple heart in two weeks.

I was also able to get parts for the motorcycle Nick is restoring for me, and give the girls a trip to remember. I also got to introduce the girls to their Uncle Donny, the same way I know him...a headstone in a cemetery.

Summer Full of Suprises

If you haven't noticed I have been absent for awhile. My genealogy quest, however, continued. Here is the run down.

Joan sent us pictures of John...not sure who all the people are, but I am working on getting them scanned to be posted later.

Found grandma Ruscetta thanks to Joyce....we finally got in contact with her.

Dad hasn't been doing well. So we had an impromptu to family gathering that was actually scheduled for the following week. It all worked out though. Nick started passing a kidney stone just before the photographer arrived and I took him home so he could rest, so he missed the pictures. Bob is in charge of the next one if Dad dies, if Dad doesn't I am in charge of the next one.

Traced the Davison line back and found the origins of the Indian attack story, but I still don't know exactly how it connects. I have a theory, but I am not going to voice it until I can back it up. I don't want to be miss quoted.

Still looking for John Watson. Teton-Newdale put up the internment board, but John is not listed. I pulled a list of cemeteries off the internet for Fremont county. I am going to check them one by one. Still have not heard from the Farnum sexton.I have a strong feeling that I will find a stone for him. It is just a matter of looking. Ran across a descendant of John's by the name of Chad, apparently he has run across the same problems I am encountering.

I decided to give more attention to the twelve grandparents Nick and I have between us. I have started compiling a list of all the information I have and what I need to look for. I then realized that I don't even have names for two of them...not that they have ever treated Nick as family.

I did a photo transcription that I am still working through on Sugar City Cemetery block 4, but should have everything posted shortly.

On top of everything else I have been horribly sick twice this summer. As I am the provider for our household it has taken a tremendous toll. Well, that is the update. Perhaps I will be able to post on at least a weekly basis going forward.

Braithwaite Reunion!!

Are you decended from Roland and Hannah Askew Braithwaite? If so, do I have news for you. A reunion is being planned for July 8th and 9th, 2011 in Manti, Utah. I'll post more details as they come available. The Twigs and Branches... book is being updated as well, and a new Braithwaite web site is being worked on. If you want to include your work on the family, contact me directly and I'll get you in touch with the coordinator.

As soon as I know more I'll pass it along. I'll even post the web address as soon as it's up.