Our Mayflower Ancestors

I vaguely remembered I was related to William Bradford, but I couldn't remember exactly what he did or what early American settlement he led - my early American history knowledge is definitely lacking. This Thanksgiving season, however, I checked out some books on the pilgrims to read with my kids and I was awakened to this exciting family connection. Through Relative Finder and FamilySearch I found out he is my ninth great-grandfather and those websites also revealed I'm related to five other individuals who sailed on the Mayflower! (Relative Finder really is super cool to see what famous people you're related to - or even if you're related to the people you know. Through creating a family group with my in-laws, I found out I was 4th cousins with my sister-in-law!) Now I feel some definite celebrity status because of my relationship to the pilgrims. Wow! The material out there on these Mayflower Ancestors is vast, but for teaching my kids, I was excited to see there's one of those classic Living Scriptures videos about Bradford ;)

We're related to all these people through Bradford's gr-gr-gr granddaughter, Wealtha Bradford Hatch. Wealtha was a friend to the numerous Indian tribes living near her home of Farmersille, NY and in 1832 at around 28 years old, she joined the Mormon church after reading the Book of Mormon and feeling convinced of its truthfulness. She was so anxious to join, she was baptized in a hole in the ice rather than waiting for spring. She was married to Orin Hatch and died in 1841 in Nauvoo, Illinois. 

Photo source

For your information, here's a little blurb you can use to brag about them at the Thanksgiving table ;)

William Bradford - 9th great-grandfather. He was one of the first to sign the Mayflower Compact and went on to serve as Governor of the Plymouth Colony. "His journal Of Plymouth Plantation covered the years from 1620 to 1657 in Plymouth....and is regarded as the most authoritative account of the Pilgrims and the early years of the colony they founded." Photo source.

William Brewster and Wife Mary who came with their nine-year-old son and our ancestor, Love. William Brewster and his wife Mary are my 10th great-grandparents. In England, William Brewster lended books to teenage William Bradford who was exploring the beliefs of the Puritans. In Plymouth, he became the senior elder and religious leader of the colony and eventually an advisor to Gov. William Bradford. Brewster was the only university educated member of the colony and preached often. It was said of him, "He was tenderhearted and compassionate of such as were in misery," Bradford writes, "but especially of such as had been of good estate and rank and fallen unto want and poverty."^[5]  Photo source

Mary Brewster "was one of only five adult women from the Mayflower to survive the first winter in the New World, and one of only four such to survive to the "first Thanksgiving" in 1621, which she helped cook.^[3][4]"  photo source


Francis Cooke - 11th great-grandfather. Like the others, he came over as a separatist and was an active member of the community, although he did not participate on religious leadership or politics. His wife Hester and children came to America 2 1/2 years later to join him. We are descended from their son Jacob, who married Stephen Hopkins daughter Damaris (see below).

Stephen Hopkins - 11th great-grandfather. Lots to read about him. According to Wikipedia, he was "one of forty-one signatories of the Mayflower Compact, and an assistant to the governor of Plymouth Colony through 1636.^[2] He worked as a tanner and merchant and was recruited by the Merchant Adventurers to provide the governance for the colony and assist with the colony's ventures. He is known as the only Mayflower passenger with prior New World experience, having been shipwrecked in Bermuda in 1609 and then serving for several years under Capt. John Smith at the Jamestown Colony." Whoa, cool! His daughter Damaris married Francis Cooke's son Jacob Cooke (see above).

Signing the Mayflower Compact. Photo source

What a heritage! I won't ever think about the Mayflower Pilgrims the same way again, and I can't wait to visit Plymouth Harbor, MA someday to see the replicas and museums there!

Happy birthday Chelsea Christine!

Chelsea Christine Moncur was born March 20, 1980 in Lewistown, Montana. It's hard to deny what a beautiful little girl Chelsea was. I don't know much about this angel who died at two years old - what her temperament and personality was like, what her home life was like, but I'm aways seeking to know more. I believe Chelsea's spirit is alive and thriving right now - busy and happy and full of purpose at this very moment. I believe she knows about each of us and when allowed, can assist and minister to us from the other side. I can't help but believe she is also touched that we still remember her and her short life on earth. I can't wait for the moment we embrace and to be able to see her grow and reach her full potential as a resurrected woman someday. I love you my sweet cousin!

Our ancestors' missing children

As I've been researching the Larson family over the years, I've come across a few death records of children of John and Caroline Larson that were not in their family tree and not sealed to them. I was never quite sure whether these children belonged to them or another John and Caroline because I hadn't researched it further and so I kept it on the backburner.

However this week as I was watching this very moving experience (34:43-42:25) of a woman who discovered a sweet little girl who was missing from a family's record and hadn't been sealed to them, I had the impression that I needed to go back and figure out whether those children I had previously found belonged to the John L. Larson family. That very night I looked at the records more closely and in a death register for a little boy - Loderick Yorgo (George) Larson - I saw he lived in the 19th ward in Salt Lake City. That was a huge clue because I knew John L. and his first wife Caroline lived there. Based on this residence, I was able to feel confident enough to add Loderick to the family - a little boy almost two and a half years old who died of measles. There was another child, Caroline Victoria, who died at 13 months old from marasmus, which in the historic medical literature referred to not being able to absorb nutrients from food. She was born in Brighton, which matches John L.'s second wife Caroline Ramstrom's residence, and her birth date was perfectly in between two other siblings, but I still was feeling like I needed to be more sure before I added her. Then Sunday morning as I was listening to this beautiful song, I was thinking about how the Savior invites us to come to know him one by one - "with hands they did feel and with eyes they did see" - and how each person in this life has or will have that opportunity. I thought about the healing that may be taking place in heaven for the Larson family who waded through so much trouble and heartache here on earth as they come to know the Savior better. I thought about the innocent children born to that troubled family and Caroline Ramstrom Larson's love for her children despite her circumstances. Then, this message came powerfully to my mind "My little girl, she is mine! I love her. Please seal her to me". I was overcome with emotion and I replied, "I will!". I knew then that Caroline Victoria Larson was Caroline Ramstrom Larson's daughter and I could add her to the family and have her sealed to them. How joyful and beautiful is a mother's love for her child and the very thought that our children can be ours forever thanks to our Savior is something more than beautiful.

Some Christmastime Memories

So I've been making slow progress in uploading, tagging, and captioning Grandma and Ken Raleigh Sr.'s photos to FamilySearch (so they're preserved for our posterity) but progress it is! I've done about 330 photos and have about 100 photos left! I'll share the complete album soon, but you can check out the ones of Ken Raleigh Sr. on his FamilySearch page as well as Debby and Kathy's. Below are some Christmastime memories I found from those collections as well as a few from my own scrapbook.

L to R: Kenny, Mike, Debby, Kathy

Christmas 1959, Springbrook Way looking towards the front door. This is what it looked like before the basement was built ;)

December 1967: (L to R) Back: Mike, Steve, Kenny Debby, and front: Kathy holding Jeff, Chris

Chris and Jeff showing off their Christmas loot, 1974

Steve in the backyard showing off the snow

Steph and Jansyn at the family Christmas party, 1987

Steph giving Santa her Christmas wishes with Justin, Brian, and Lauren in the background, 1988. Ha, don't you just love Brian in the background?

Steph opening her present at the family Christmas party. Don't you love how little kids have to be right there to see what the other kids got? L to R in the background: Jen, Tyler, Kallin, Amanda, and Reid (correct me if I'm wrong).

Super bad quality photocopied print I have, but I love this family Christmas pic of you guys! Nick's confident pose and Tyler's cute little mullet :)

Merry Christmas Raleigh/Furse family!!

The Hatch family during World War II

Every once in a while I get on a World War II kick. I just finished the novel, "The Nightingale" which is about two sisters in France during World War II. It reminded me that I had written a paper in college about my own grandparents' experiences during World War II. Here's the excerpts about Grandma Barbara Hatch Furse and her family. See the original version with footnotes here:

December 7, 1941 started out as a calm Sunday morning. Within hours, the United States would never be the same again. While many Latter-day Saints were in their Sunday meetings, the United States' naval base in Oahu, Hawaii was being bombed by Japan. As a result of this surprise attack, 2,403 Americans were dead and the United States was now fully a part of World War II. Across the Pacific Ocean in the little town of Farmington, Utah, a ten-year old girl named Barbara Hatch had just gotten home from church. Her family turned on the radio to hear the shocking news that America was under attack.

As the war set in, supplies became more scarce and so rationing coupons were implemented to control the types and quantities of food available. Metal was in demand, and as an elementary school student my grandma Barbara remembers collecting scrap metal and having competitions at school to see who got the most. My grandma also remembers rationing gas and sugar and receiving rationing coupons...She also remembers a German POW hollering at her as their truck drove by one day. He yelled, "I'm gonna bring you something tomorrow!" and the next day he threw her a little trophy.

Barbara's mother Edith Hatch many times in her life foresaw events relating to her family. In 1942, Barbara's older brother Spencer was preparing to join the Navy Air Corps and head overseas to fly in the Pacific Theater. His mother was concerned about him and told him, "Spencer, if you do (go over there), you'll find yourself floating in the Pacific Ocean." On January 2, 1945, Spencer was attempting to take off from the aircraft carrier when his plane developed engine trouble. He made a water landing about 100 yards in front of the carrier and before he knew it the whole plane was submerged. The area of the ocean he was in was highly dangerous - seven miles deep, the carrier was bearing down on him and sharks were in the area, but thankfully he was rescued and suffered no major injuries. Yet through that experience he directly fulfilled his mother's prophecy. 

Barbara also recalls the emotional toll the war took on her brother Spencer. He came home on leave one winter and she could sense that he was sad to head back out again. As he walked away from their house, this torn, twenty year-old young man grabbed a fistful of snow and threw a defiant snowball. 

"In 1945 Spencer saw aerial combat in the Pacific at the Philippine Islands, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He shot down three enemy planes...[and his own plane] was seriously shot up from ground fire but he was able to get his plane back to the aircraft carrier for a safe landing...He was recommended for the Silver Star, was awarded the distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals 'for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in action against the enemy.'" source

One of the most poignant moments for Barbara was not long after Pearl Harbor. At ten years-old she came home from school one day rather upset. Her mother sensed something was wrong and in response to her mother's questioning Barbara broke into tears. "They're gonna bomb us and kill us all!" she cried. As a good mother does, Edith took her daughter and reassured her, telling her that as long as we keep the commandments our country will be blessed, protected, and will prosper (2 Nephi 1:9, 20, 31).

Barbara around ten years old

Barbara with Clark Adams, Dale Tingey and Buck Adams in 1947

Spencer shaking hands with Dwight D. Eisenhower. White-haired LDS Church President David O. McKay is off to the general's right.

Spencer Fearnley Hatch

Witnesses to the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies

Did you know our ancestors witnessed the death and suffering of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies first-hand? I didn't until recently. I have grown up hearing of the unimaginable sacrifices of these pioneers - they were composed of mostly converts from Scandinavia and the British Isles who were taken across the plains very late in the season. That, combined with an unseasonably early snowfall led to great suffering and death.

Tragic Incline by David Linn

Prairie Angels by Leon Parson

Ever Onward by Joseph Brickey

Hallowed Ground by Ron Richmond

In 1856, 23 year-old William Woodward (Barbara Hatch --> Spencer Hatch --> Marinda Woodward --> William Woodward) was traveling home from a mission to England and because of the timing, he ended up traveling home with the James G. Willie Company.  He helped build handcarts, was appointed as leader of a group of hundred and served as clerk for the company from October 1 until arrival in Salt Lake Valley, writing for a time in the official journal for the journey. William Woodward spoke and preached at evening gatherings and dealt first-hand with leading and watching over the sick, dying, dealing with the dead and all the stresses of that journey. They arrived in Salt Lake City on Sunday, November 9, 1856. William recorded in his journal “we were dirty & lousy, body lice by the hundreds were on our people.” (source)

Elizabeth Ann Player (Kenneth James Raleigh Sr. --> Harold James Raleigh --> Hyrum Blandchard Raleigh --> Elizabeth Ann Player) at age 17 immigrated from Wales (a convert of Dan Jones’ mission) along with her sister Emily. They came with the John A Hunt Company which traveled most of the way with wagons, not handcarts. The Hunt Company started behind the Martin Handcart company and stayed in close proximity most of the journey, arriving Dec. 10, 1856. This company may have been one of the latest arriving companies of pioneers to the valley during the period of Mormon migration. No one died in this company, but suffered the extreme cold, frostbite, hunger, other hardships. Another girl her same age writes of her experience here, giving us a glimpse of what it may have been like for Elizabeth. Imagine camping in freezing temperatures for two months and going through Emigration Canyon in December, through drifts of snow so deep you repeatedly fall. As these freezing and starving saints were arriving, Brigham Young asked local church leaders and members to take those in who had no place to go. Elizabeth and sister Emily were taken in by Bishop A.H. Raleigh and Elizabeth married Raleigh in 1857.

I like to imagine what lasting impact that unforgettable journey had on these ancestors of mine. I wish (and look forward to) asking them more about their experiences some day.

The Larson Mystery, part 2

Over the last five months I've been digging into the John Larson mystery. I've procrastinated posting about it, hoping to have the the mystery completely solved and the loose ends tied up, but as things usually turn out, it became more complicated than that. I also found plenty of sadness in their lives and have been waiting to find more redemptive experiences so I could display the story in a hopeful way - one that comes full circle. Well, life is complicated, messy, and often we can't see the happy ending yet, so why should I wait to tell their story? As I continue to research I will continue to share, but in the meantime I might as well jump in and write about it now, and I think we may together through our own lives and experiences find redemption in the long-term story of the Larson/Raleigh family.

As I left off with the last John Larson post, we have some Mormon Swedish roots. But were those Mormon Swedes who immigrated to Utah polygamists too? I was trying to figure it out. I am related to John Larson through my father, whose father is: Ken Raleigh Sr --> Leona May Larson --> Oscar Nephi Larson --> John Larson. So, John is my great-great-great grandfather. Who was he? Why did his great-grandson Ken Raleigh live such a troubled life? Why did his granddaughter Leona May struggle so much too? (More on her in a later post). What are the names of my ancestors going back further into Sweden? I feel like moving backwards in history would help me answer some questions.

Rather than confuse you with the complex research process I went through, let me tell you a story:

There was a man and woman named Johan Larsson and Carolina Molander who had a daughter named Martha Carolina. They lived in southeastern Sweden in the mid 1800s.

(above: household record of the family)

in 1856, their daughter Martha dies at one and a half years old. Around the time of this tragic event, it appears her parents have joined the Mormons.

(A note from the family's state church record dated June 12, 1857. Still trying to completely translate this, but it says something at the very end to the effect of "...to be Mormons" and another column notes they moved to a city called Norrköping in 1857.) 

Joining the Mormon church wasn't an easy thing to do in Sweden at that time. You could be publicly shamed by your former church and even thrown in jail by the government. To strengthen the idea they joined the Mormons, I found a record of a Johan and Caroline Larsen who sailed to Utah with a company of Saints in 1858 whose ages match the Swedish couple above. I want to assume all these Swedish records are of our Larsons, but there are some date discrepancies with the records of our Larsons once they got to Utah. As I'm learning, real genealogists cannot do too much assuming. I'm pretty confident the proof will eventually come as I keep chipping away at it, and then we can more confidently add to our Swedish line further back into Sweden.

Where our story confidently continues is in Utah. Between 1861-1863, John married two sisters who hailed from Sweden as well - Anna Helena and Caroline Ramstrom, who is our ancestor. I finally figured this out from a divorce record I got a hold of last April through the Utah State Archives. Whether John was married to all three women was my mystery - and it has been solved! John was a polygamist but it wasn't pretty. After the marriages, the two Ramstrom sisters lived in a home in the village of Brighton while his first wife lived at 200 N, between 200 and 300 W in Salt Lake City. At least ten children were born to John during those first 20 years in Utah - three surviving from first wife Caroline O., and seven from third wife Caroline R. First wife Caroline O. and family actually lived in the 19th ward during the time that Alonzo Hazleton Raleigh was bishop (1856-1877). Alonzo is also our ancestor! A lot more about him will be coming because I am so interested in digging more into his story. Our Larson and Raleigh lines seem to first collide during the twenty years the Larsons lived in the 19th ward, but in 1924, Alonzo Raleigh's grandson Harold James Raleigh married John and Caroline Ramstrom's granddaughter Leona May Larson (Ken Raleigh Sr.'s parents). There is more significance to the Raleigh/Larson connection than I think we realize. In the spring/summer of 1876, as Alonzo H Raleigh was dealing with the divorce of his wife Caroline Lucy Curtis, two of John Larson's wives were divorcing him.

(July 22, 1876 Salt Lake Tribune, p. 4)

The divorce record between John and first wife Caroline O. (referred to in the article above) goes into a little more detail about her physical abuse and even threats to her life by John. Polygamy was often difficult to live for those early members of the church, but the abuse in this case was not the norm based on records and the history I've read. It is tragic and inexcusable. First wife Caroline O. struggled emotionally and mentally the rest of her life, ending up at the Provo Asylum (now called Utah State Hospital). Her hospital records state that she experienced sudden physical attacks on others and hallucinations that her children were being ill-treated. The record attributes her mental state to family troubles and that it began in 1876 - which is the year she divorced John.

Such a sad story - but what happened to the other wives and his children? I have bits and pieces of information which I hope to share. I just feel grateful to have had the life I've had, coming from the abusive generations which preceded me. Every person has the power, most effectively through Christ, to overcome abuse and trauma to break negative family patterns. Our family lives have gotten dramatically better, thanks in large part to the religious observance and teachings of our grandmother, Barbara Hatch Furse, to her children.