I love family history. I absolutely love discovering and reading stories of my ancestors and their life's experiences. I love dreaming about what they thought, what they felt, what they dreamt. I love the realization that they are a part of me. Their blood runs in my veins. I love what I learn about myself when I dig into the history of my ancestors. I love remembering and honoring. I love that we are connected as a family through generations of time. I love creating my own family history every day I'm alive. I love sharing this love with my family.
These pictures are from Memorial Day when we visited the Beaver, Utah cemetery and hunted down the headstones of my great great great great grandparents Charles and Eleanor Willden.*
Both born in Yorkshire, England, they married in 1833 and were baptized by Mormon missionaries a few months apart from each other in 1843. Charles worked as a laborer in the steel mills. In October 1849 Charles and Eleanor took their family to Liverpool and took passage on the ship, Zetland. They arrived in New Orleans the day before Christmas with only one farthing and a few hundred pounds of oatmeal. They sold part to help them get tickets up to St. Louis. They stayed there for 3 months then took a steamer to Council Bluffs, Iowa. There they bought a farm of 50-60 acres with two houses on it for $20.
On June 2, 1852 they heeded Brigham Young's call to gather to Utah and left their homestead. They traveled across the plains in the 3rd company of Captain Thomas C.D. Howell and arrived in Salt Lake City on September 13, 1852. They stayed for 4 weeks and it appears that his reputation as a steel refiner had preceded him for Brigham Young had plans to put his skills to use in commencing the steel trade work in Cedar City. The family left on October 11 and headed south. They brought with them the first sheep into Iron County. They lived and worked to make the iron mission successful, but by 1859 it was deemed a failure.
The family chose to move and settle on land southeast of Beaver that they had passed years before as they had traveled south. Their place became known as Willden's Fort at Cove Creek, which is now known as Cove Fort. In the fall of 1865 they moved again and settled in Beaver. Eleanor was artistically inclined, a beautiful singer and dramatist. All four of her sons played the violin. Charles had the opportunity, at 63 years old, to return to his homeland as a missionary for a few months. When the St. George Temple was dedicated in 1877, Charles and Eleanor made the trip a few times to perform work for their ancestors. Charles died from a sudden stroke in 1883 at 77 years old. Eleanor passed away 10 years later and was laid to rest beside her husband. Charles and Eleanor left a legacy for their descendants of faith, obedience, love and service. They did the best they knew how to with what they were given in their lives and I am proud to be one of their descendants.
*Note: for my family reading this, here's the ancestry line: me, daughter of Lauren Ball, who is the son of Rulon Ball, who is the son of Leona Steele Conder, who is the daughter of Tryphena Willden Steele, who is the daughter of Charles Willden Jr, who is the son of Charles & Eleanor Willden.
Both born in Yorkshire, England, they married in 1833 and were baptized by Mormon missionaries a few months apart from each other in 1843. Charles worked as a laborer in the steel mills. In October 1849 Charles and Eleanor took their family to Liverpool and took passage on the ship, Zetland. They arrived in New Orleans the day before Christmas with only one farthing and a few hundred pounds of oatmeal. They sold part to help them get tickets up to St. Louis. They stayed there for 3 months then took a steamer to Council Bluffs, Iowa. There they bought a farm of 50-60 acres with two houses on it for $20.
On June 2, 1852 they heeded Brigham Young's call to gather to Utah and left their homestead. They traveled across the plains in the 3rd company of Captain Thomas C.D. Howell and arrived in Salt Lake City on September 13, 1852. They stayed for 4 weeks and it appears that his reputation as a steel refiner had preceded him for Brigham Young had plans to put his skills to use in commencing the steel trade work in Cedar City. The family left on October 11 and headed south. They brought with them the first sheep into Iron County. They lived and worked to make the iron mission successful, but by 1859 it was deemed a failure.
The family chose to move and settle on land southeast of Beaver that they had passed years before as they had traveled south. Their place became known as Willden's Fort at Cove Creek, which is now known as Cove Fort. In the fall of 1865 they moved again and settled in Beaver. Eleanor was artistically inclined, a beautiful singer and dramatist. All four of her sons played the violin. Charles had the opportunity, at 63 years old, to return to his homeland as a missionary for a few months. When the St. George Temple was dedicated in 1877, Charles and Eleanor made the trip a few times to perform work for their ancestors. Charles died from a sudden stroke in 1883 at 77 years old. Eleanor passed away 10 years later and was laid to rest beside her husband. Charles and Eleanor left a legacy for their descendants of faith, obedience, love and service. They did the best they knew how to with what they were given in their lives and I am proud to be one of their descendants.
*Note: for my family reading this, here's the ancestry line: me, daughter of Lauren Ball, who is the son of Rulon Ball, who is the son of Leona Steele Conder, who is the daughter of Tryphena Willden Steele, who is the daughter of Charles Willden Jr, who is the son of Charles & Eleanor Willden.
3 wonderful people have this to say:
Hey Linds! Thanks for this post, and for summarizing their lives and history, I wanted to read more of that pamphlet you let me see, but at the same time I don't know if I'd actually finish it! Oh well, I totally relate to what you said about your love for family history! In the Southgate Ward I remember feeling the Spirit from an Arbitrator sharing her testimony. Even though I don't remember much of what she said about family temple work, this feeling has never left me, I've known that if I could just grow into the Spirit of Elijah, it would be a little harder to let that habit go! It's so invigorating for me to just get lost on newfamilysearch!
This is awesome!
Thanks indeed for sharing! I'm always glad to know that you are into our family history, and if I have time to learn more about our family someday, I will join you on the quest! Though I must admit, I'll be searching for the experiences of some "doubters" along the way :)
I felt like I had come very close to where my ancestors came from when I travelled to France - to Europe in general.
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