John and Elizabeth Quayle

John & Elizabeth Quayle

Above is a photograph of John Quayle and Elizabeth Sharp, presumably with one of their children.

Elizabeth Sharp was born on Christmas Day in 1834, in Misson, Nottinghamshire, England to Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp. She is the sister of William Sharp (my ancestor), James Sharp, and Isabella Carlisle.

Elizabeth married John Quayle, a shoemaker born circa 1825–1828 on the Isle of Man, as consistently recorded in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses. His specific parish of origin has not been confirmed. Elizabeth and her family arrived in St. Louis in late November 1850 aboard the ship James Pennell, which sailed from Liverpool on 2 October 1850 and arrived at New Orleans on 23 November 1850. The passengers continued up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where they found employment and shelter. Elizabeth and John were married by 1852. Their eldest child Emily Emma was born in January 1853 in St. Louis. The 1860 Census has the family living in Meramec, St. Louis, Missouri. 1870 places them in Central, St. Louis, Missouri. 1880 places the family in St. Louis, where both of them died. By the 1880 Census, John had become a foreman in a pork house, probably the pork house of his brother-in-law James. The family seemed to have some difficulty accurately informing the census takers, their ages jump pretty wildly from the right year to up to nine years in difference.

Emily Emma Quayle was born January 1853 in St. Louis. She married Gustavus Crause on 16 March 1887 in St. Louis. He was born 1853 and died 1917. They had no children. Emily Emma died 1 February 1928 in St. Louis and was buried 3 February 1928 in New St. Marcus Cemetery, Affton.

John W Quayle was born 5 November 1855 in Illinois and died 12 May 1910 in St. Louis. He was buried on 15 May 1910 in New St. Marcus Cemetery, Affton. He married Laura Breitenstein on 19 June 1883 in St. Louis.

James H Quayle was born 15 February 1858 in St. Louis and died 6 September 1864 in St. Louis. He is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Isabella Quayle was born October 1861 in St. Louis and died 12 September 1864 in St. Louis, just six days after her brother James. She is also buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Margaret Quayle was born July 1864 in St. Louis and died 25 April 1866 in St. Louis. She is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery. Margaret was born the same summer James and Isabella died, and died before her second birthday. Elizabeth lost three children in less than two years.

Ida Quayle was born 29 June 1868 in St. Louis and died 13 November 1888 in St. Louis at age 20. She did not marry. She is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, Public Lot G, Grave 5.

Elizabeth Quayle, known as Lizzie, was born December 1870 in St. Louis and died 25 June 1903 in St. Louis at age 32. She married William Dugan in 1892 in St. Louis. They had two children: William Dugan (born 1894) and Isabella Dugan (born 1897, died 1900). Elizabeth is buried in Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis.

John Quayle died in St. Louis. The date has not been confirmed but he predeceased Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Sharp Quayle died on Thursday, 6 November 1908, at the family residence at 4825 Gravois Avenue, St. Louis. The death notice described her as the beloved mother of John Quayle, Mrs. Elizabeth Dugan, and Mrs. Krause, and the sister of James Sharp. Funeral services were held Friday, 7 November 1908, at 1:30 p.m. from the family residence. Elizabeth and James Sharp, according to records, did not join the LDS Church. They died within eight months of each other: James killed by a streetcar on 24 February 1908, Elizabeth passing on 6 November 1908. Elizabeth Sharp Quayle is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, Section Fischer, Block 292, Lot 3742.

Death notice of Elizabeth Sharp Quayle, St. Louis, November 1908.

James Sharp

James Sharp

James Sharp was born 7 January 1840 in Misson, Nottinghamshire, England to Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp. His birth is confirmed by a certified copy of his birth certificate from the General Register Office (BXCC548222). It records his birth on 7 January 1840 in Misson, Sub-district of Bawtry, Doncaster. His father is listed as Thomas Sharp, Labourer, and his mother as Elizabeth Sharp, formerly Cartwright — who was herself the informant, registering the birth on 22 January 1840. I wrote about James’ parents, the family’s conversion to the LDS faith, and the trip to America in his brother William’s biography, Sharp-Bailey Wedding.

Birth certificate of James Sharp, GRO certified copy, BXCC548222, Misson, 7 January 1840.

The Sharp family emigrated to America aboard the ship James Pennell, which sailed from Liverpool on 2 October 1850 under the direction of Christopher Layton and William L. Cutler, carrying 291 Latter-day Saint passengers. After a difficult voyage that included a severe storm near the mouth of the Mississippi that disabled the ship and nearly exhausted the provisions on board, the James Pennell arrived at New Orleans on 23 November 1850. The passengers continued up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where they found employment and shelter. The passenger manifest lists James Sharp, age 10, traveling with his mother Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp (age 45), brother William (age 24), and sisters Isabella (age 19) and Elizabeth (age 26). Their mother died in St. Louis on 17 February 1851, just months after their arrival. The account of the voyage is preserved at Saints by Sea.

Siblings William and Isabella eventually continued west with the Moses Clawson Company in May 1853, while James stayed behind with his sister Elizabeth in St. Louis. (Read more about Elizabeth here.) James and Elizabeth did not join the LDS faith with their mother (Elizabeth), William, and Isabella.

James married Eudora Elvira Mann 3 March 1863 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee. Eudora “Dora” was born 1 May 1845 in Nashville. We do not know much of the life story, so how he met Dora and married her in Nashville we may never know. The two made their home in St. Louis though. James worked as a pork packer and initially started out in business with Patrick Muldoon around 1870. Here is the run down of the St. Louis directories.

1869 [FHL #980635] James Sharp with Muldoon and Sharp at 1612 Biddle.
1870 [Gould’s p. 797] shows the same.
1871 [Gould’s p. 601] the same, but also lists Sharp, James pork packer r[esident?] at 1119 N 17th. {FHL #980,636]
1872 shows Muldoon and Sharp at 1015 N 17th [N 17th goes from 1701 Market North to Angelica.]
1875 [p. 1171] Muldoon and Sharp, Pork Packers and Provision Dealers, 904 B’way.
1885 Sharp, James, Muldoon and Sharp 904 to 912 S 2d, r 2715 Mills. [There are now 7 pork packers listed, only 1 in 1875.]
1887, James C. Sharp is listed as a clerk at Muldoon and Sharp.
1888 is Sharp, James and Co., same address, te no. 2208.
1890 James Sharp and Co. now includes Sharp, James C. as cashier and Sharp, George as Clerk. All 3 at 3641 Finney Ave.
1895 Shows both James Sharp and James C. Sharp as packers, George W. Sharp as Manager and William M. Sharp as Clerk at James Sharp and Co., 904 S 2d. James C. now resides at 4354 Morgan, the other 3 still at 3641 Finney.
1896 and 1897 now show William M. as manager and George W. as supt.; James and James C. simply identified as with Co. 1898 directory is missing.
1899 Company not listed. James C. (same address) is broker; George W. is just listed, at 1811 Laflin; William M. and James are just listed, still living at 3641 Finney.
1900 James C. at Sharp and Westcott; George W., clerk at Manewal Lange Bakery, 3204 Morgan; William M. litho., at home.
1901 James Sharp now resident at 4573 Page boul; James C. com. mer. 736 Bayard av; George W. still clerk at Manewal-Lange Bakery, resident at 3009 Easton. [William M. not listed]
1902 James C. mngr. Sharp Mnfg Co., 411 Fullerton bldg., r. 736 Bayard av; George W. and William M. are both clerks, residing at 3156 Easton av.
1903 James still at 4573 Page boulevard; James C., ins., 721 Olive, r. 3732 Washington Boul.

Death notice of James Sharp, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 24 February 1908.

As you can probably tell from the information above, James put his children to work and included them in the business. James retired at 55 and turned the business over to his boys. By 1898 they had run the business in the ground, supposedly because of their like for being horsey (horse-racing).

James and Dora had 5 children.

Eudora Mann Sharp born 13 January 1864 and died 11 January 1938, both in St. Louis. She married Alexander A Bryden, who worked in the coal business.

Ida Lee Sharp born 8 October 1866 and died 23 December 1946, both in St. Louis. She was unmarried. She worked as a school teacher.

James Carlisle Sharp born 26 December 1868 in St. Louis and died 4 November 1952 in Valley Park, St. Louis, Missouri. He married Emma Manewal (and divorced) and Madeline C Grimm. He had a department store. Emma was the daughter of August Manewal, one of the confederation of bakers who formed the National Biscuit Company (NABISCO).

George W Sharp born 10 March 1871 in St. Louis and died in 1964 in Sand Springs, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Apparently he married a lady named Effie Olive, but we know nothing more about his life or her. He was badly disfigured after being kicked in the head by a horse at 3 years old.

William Muldoon Sharp born 4 October 1874 and died 24 March 1915, both in St. Louis. He also remained unmarried.

Eudora died 3 March 1894 of cerebral meningitis. She was listed as living at 3641 Finney Avenue. She was buried in the Bellefontaine Cemetery 5 March 1894.

James died suddenly on Monday morning, 24 February 1908, at the residence of his son-in-law Alexander A. Bryden at 4573 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, at the age of 68. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that he was a retired pork packer who was killed by a street car on Saturday night, 22 February 1908, at Page Boulevard and West End Avenue. He died two days later from his injuries. The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon from his late residence at 4582 Page Boulevard, conducted by Rev. Dr. William Elmer of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church — a further confirmation, alongside Annie Thompson’s account, that James never joined the LDS Church. He was interred at Bellefontaine Cemetery on 26 February 1908. The death notice in the same paper, published 24 February, gave his age as 68 years, consistent with his 1840 birth year confirmed by the birth certificate.

James was a founder of St. George’s Society and served as treasurer for several years. He was also a member of the Merchants’ Exchange and a veteran member of the St. Louis Lodge No. 5, I.O.O.F.

Funeral notice of James Sharp, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 1908.

For more on the Sharp family, see:

Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp — James’s mother, written by Annie Thompson
Sharp-Bailey Wedding — James’s brother William and Mary Ann Bailey
John and Elizabeth Quayle — James’s sister Elizabeth who also remained in St. Louis
Sons of Joseph and Isabella Carlisle — James’s sister Isabella who went on to Utah

Sons of Joseph and Isabella Carlisle

Standing (l-r): Frank Carlisle, Harve Carlisle. Sitting: Fred Carlisle, Joe Carlisle, Jim Carlisle.

I thought I would share this photo because I have it and do not know how many others do. This is the five sons of Isabella Sharp and Joseph Carlisle. Isabella is the sister to my William Sharp, who I have written about previously at this link: Sharp-Bailey Wedding. Here are some of the details of the family, but I do not really know much more. They have a pretty large family with plenty of family historians so I will let them write the Carlisle history (which I know they have probably already done).

Joseph Carlisle was born 21 July 1826 in Sherwood on the Hill, Nottinghamshire, England and died 17 March 1912 in Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah.

Isabella Sharp was born in December 1831 in Misson, Nottinghamshire, England and died 29 March 1904 in Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah. Her christening record, dated January 1832, establishes 1831 as her birth year. Both her Deseret News obituary and the In Memoriam published at the time of her death recorded her birth date as 21 December 1832 — the year is contradicted by the christening record, and whether the day was the 21st or 22nd remains to be confirmed by further research. Her parents were Thomas Sharp and Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp. If you search her brother, mentioned above, you can read more about her parents and family.

Misson is a small village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England, situated on the River Idle approximately one and a half miles from the Yorkshire boundary and three miles east-northeast of Bawtry. The village’s ancient name appears in historical records as “Mysen” or “Misne,” both of Danish origin, suggesting the area was first settled by Danes who came up the Trent valley to Gainsborough and then followed the River Idle inland. Until 1886 the parish straddled the Nottinghamshire-Lincolnshire boundary, when it was ordered placed entirely within the Bassetlaw division of Nottinghamshire. It was in this quiet fenland village, near the meeting point of three counties, that Isabella Sharp was born.

The Sharp family emigrated to America aboard the ship James Pennell, which sailed from Liverpool on 2 October 1850 under the direction of Christopher Layton and William L. Cutler, carrying 291 Latter-day Saint passengers. After a difficult voyage that included a severe storm near the mouth of the Mississippi that disabled the ship and nearly exhausted the provisions on board, the James Pennell arrived at New Orleans on 23 November 1850. The passengers then continued up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where they found employment and shelter for the winter. The passenger manifest confirms Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp (age 45), William Sharp (age 24), Isabella Sharp (age 19), Elizabeth Sharp (age 26), and James Sharp (age 10) all traveled together on this voyage. The account of the voyage is preserved at Saints by Sea.

Isabella’s mother, Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp, died in St. Louis on 17 February 1851, just months after their arrival. Isabella remained in St. Louis, was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and married Joseph Carlisle there on 18 May 1853. That same month her brother William departed St. Louis with the Moses Clawson Company, arriving in Salt Lake Valley in September 1853. Joseph and Isabella followed, also traveling with the Moses Clawson Company, and settled first in Millcreek, Salt Lake County.

The Deseret News of 31 March 1904 reported her passing under the headline “Early Settler Dead: Mrs. Isabella S. Carlisle Goes the Way of All the Just.” The notice recorded that she was born in Misson, England, 21 December 1832, emigrated to Utah in 1851 [she arrived in America in November 1850 but did not reach Utah until September 1853], and passed away at her home in Mill Creek on Tuesday last after a well-spent life of nearly 72 years. She became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1850 and endured with patience and fortitude all the hardships incident to the settlement of these valleys. The funeral was held from the Mill Creek Ward house on Friday at 12 o’clock noon.

An In Memoriam published at the same time recorded that Sister Carlisle was one of the first to join the Relief Society when it was organized in the ward in 1863, and was a great support to it financially. She served as presiding teacher in the third district for twenty-one years, and as first counselor in the Primary Association, third district. She was honorably released by Bishop James C. Hamilton. The funeral was held at the Mill Creek Ward house, where a large concourse of friends met to pay their last respects, Bishop Hamilton presiding. She was interred in the Mill Creek Cemetery.

In December 1933, three of Isabella’s sons — Joseph R. Carlisle, James S. Carlisle, and Harvey C. Carlisle — wrote to LDS Church President Heber J. Grant requesting reinstatement by proxy of their Uncle William Sharp and his wife Mary Ann Sharp, who had been excommunicated from the Church on 31 January 1879. President Grant consented by letter dated 16 December 1933, authorizing proxy baptism and, if applicable, restoration of endowments and sealing through Elder George F. Richards, President of the Salt Lake Temple. The letter was addressed care of Mrs. James S. Thompson — confirming that Annie Thompson, whose 1957 history of Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp appears elsewhere on Sagacity, was the daughter of James S. Carlisle.

Joseph and Isabella were married 18 May 1853 in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri.

Joseph Richard Carlisle was born 19 December 1854 in Millcreek and died 2 April 1935 in Salt Lake City. He married Lily Naomi Titcomb 29 November 1883 in Salt Lake City in the Endowment House.

Isabella Jane Carlisle was born 12 April 1857 in Salt Lake City and died 1 April 1928 in Salt Lake City. She married Joseph William Walters 3 January 1875 in the Endowment House.

Thomas Matthew Carlisle was born 12 April 1857 in Salt Lake City and died 10 March 1869 in Millcreek.

James Sharp Carlisle was born 4 September 1859 in Millcreek and died 2 December 1938 in Millcreek. He married Keturah White 11 February 1885 in Logan, Cache, Utah in the Logan Temple.

Ezra Taylor Carlisle was born 14 August 1861 in Millcreek and died 12 February 1862 in Millcreek.

Elizabeth Ann Carlisle was born 24 November 1862 in Millcreek and died 6 November 1881 in Millcreek. She was engaged to marry John Calder Mackay and obviously died before that marriage could take place. On 21 December 1881 in St. George, Washington, Utah Isabella performed Elizabeth’s eternal ordinances in the St. George Temple. Isabella also stood in as proxy as Elizabeth was sealed to John Mackay, who accompanied Isabella to St. George.

William Frederick Carlisle was born 14 November 1864 in Millcreek and died 5 January 1922 in Millcreek. He married Sarah Ann Rogers 23 December 1897 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Harvey Cartwright Carlisle was born 22 September 1866 in Millcreek and died 3 July 1935 in Holladay, Salt Lake, Utah. He married Lucy Carline Cahoon 21 January 1891 in the Logan Temple. After her death he married Amelia Annie Towler 16 January 1901 in the Salt Lake Temple. After her death he married Emily Steven McDonald 19 July 1923 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Herbert Towle Carlisle was born 23 August 1868 in Millcreek and died 25 October 1870 in Millcreek.

Orman Carlisle was born 8 May 1871 in Millcreek and died 9 May 1871 in Millcreek.

Carrie Brown Carlisle was born 18 November 1872 in Millcreek and died 15 July 1873 in Millcreek.

Ether Franklin Carlisle was born 11 September 1873 in Millcreek and died 4 May 1915 in Salt Lake City. He married Maude Miller Harman 10 November 1897 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Rosamond Pearl Carlisle was born 29 July 1875 in Millcreek and died 13 June 1921 in Murray, Salt Lake, Utah. She married Uriah George Miller 19 February 1902 in the Salt Lake Temple.

The family certainly lost quite a few children. But all those who lived to marry did so in an LDS temple, or its equivalent at the time.

For more on the Sharp family and Plain City’s founding generation, see:

Sharp-Bailey Wedding — William Sharp and Mary Ann Bailey
Elizabeth Cartwright Sharp — Isabella’s mother, written by Annie Thompson
James Sharp — Isabella’s brother who remained in St. Louis
Early Settlers in Lehi, Utah, before Plain City, Utah — Wayne E. Clark’s research including William Sharp (no. 68)
History of Plain City — Plain City’s founding families

The England Fire of 1974

Plain City, Weber County, Utah is not a place that conjures images of billion-dollar industries. Its name suggests modesty, and its streets deliver on that promise — quiet fields, small farms, and houses set back from roads that run straight and flat through Weber County. There is substantial residential development in the past two decades. Even then, this small town produced a remarkable concentration of American transportation entrepreneurial energy. At the center of it stands one man: Chester Rodney England.

When a fire consumed Chester’s lumber yard on the evening of 6 April 1974, his neighbors rose to defend him to allow him to rebuild. Among those neighbors were my grandparents, Milo and Gladys Ross. What they did in the weeks that followed is documented below — eight pages of signatures collected on lumber yard estimate forms, a newspaper clipping, and a typed petition text. This post tells the story behind those pages.

Chester and Maude

Chester Rodney England was born 12 November 1896 in Plain City to William and Ismelda Thueson England. He grew up there, attended Weber Academy, and in 1916 married Maude Vivian Knight — a Plain City girl herself, born in August 1897. One month after their marriage, Chester received a mission call to the Southern States. He was set apart on 5 December 1916 by Apostle Anthony W. Ivins and left his new bride on 6 December 1916, serving for two years. He returned to find Utah in the grip of the 1918 influenza epidemic, his wife under quarantine, and her sister Elizabeth Knight Ericson dead. His mother was also ill, and he spent a week with his aunt Laura England before he could be with his family.

Chester wrote his own history late in life, and his voice is direct. After the mission he worked at the Amalgamated Sugar factory, farmed through the winters, bought a small Ford truck, and began hauling produce to the stores up through Cache Valley. “I found I could make more money doing this than farming,” he wrote, “so I turned the farm back to my father.” On 24 October 1919, his first son, Eugene Knight England, was born in Ogden. On 6 March 1923, his second son, William Knight England, followed. Two daughters, Rosemary and Carol, completed the family.

Milo James Ross
Milo James Ross (1921–2014)

In 1924 the Weber Central Dairy Association organized and asked for bids to truck milk from the dairymen into the dairy on 19 Washington Boulevard in Ogden. Chester submitted his bid, was accepted, and trucked the first load. He delivered milk in the morning and hauled potatoes up through Cache Valley in the afternoon. Gene and Bill grew up in the business. During summers Chester took them along on the long hauls, building a shelf of boxes out from the cab seat so they could nap on the road. He made sure they always had a bottle of pop at each stop.

During World War II, while Gene and Bill served in the military, Chester hauled Mexican bananas coming into the country at El Paso, Texas, distributing them throughout Utah. Gene served in the 77th Infantry Division at Okinawa, earning the Bronze Star for crawling under fire to drag a wounded soldier to safety — 129 men went up to the escarpment, 27 came back after 72 hours. Bill served in the Air Force in the Philippine Islands from 1943 to 1946. The two brothers found each other on Cebu using a coded letter — Gene had written his middle initial as “B” to signal his location — and Bill arrived with a mattress, making Gene the only man in his division sleeping on something other than a canvas cot. A letter written from the Hotel Keystone in San Diego in May 1946 — Chester on the road at age 49 — gives a picture of those years on the home front. He writes to his wife about a load of bananas, his plans to buy a semi-trailer, and his satisfaction that Gene and Bill are doing well.

Shortly after their return from service, Gene and Bill joined Chester hauling produce. Their first postwar hauls included lumber from Oregon back to Utah, and it was that trade that gave the family firsthand knowledge of the lumber market. The first diesel truck — a used 1940 Kenworth conventional — was purchased during this period. As the business grew, the company also ran two packing sheds and a storage facility for Idaho potatoes at its peak. Around 1957, an unforeseen change in the potato hauling market prompted Gene and Bill to file applications for ICC licenses to haul all kinds of freight, opening an entirely new range of products and geographic lanes. That same year, C.R. England offered 72-hour coast-to-coast service, the first such offering available to American shippers. The first trip east was made by driver Robert Gould in a new 1959 Kenworth, tractor number 17, hauling produce from California to Philadelphia.

In the 1950s Chester stepped back from trucking, leaving Gene and Bill to run what had become C.R. England & Sons. He returned his attention to Plain City. As he wrote: “Our sons retired me from C.R. England & Sons so I started building homes on our property in Plain City. I soon decided I needed a lumber yard if I was going to continue to build. In 1960 I built a lumber yard on the property just west of the home we had sold.” The family’s years hauling lumber from Oregon had given Chester intimate knowledge of the lumber trade, and that knowledge informed the decision. He built three homes on adjacent property and sold them to Keith Lund, Ray Cottle, and Blaine Gibson. He built 25 homes in Plain City and many others throughout Weber County. He built a 12-unit apartment complex in Roy. He took second mortgages from young couples who could not otherwise buy. “It was a great satisfaction to have young couples come and tell me they would never have bought their homes without my help,” he wrote.

Maude was with him through all of it. Born in Plain City in August 1897, she never really left. She served as president of the Plain City Primary, held positions in the Relief Society throughout her life, and attended the Ogden Temple with Chester twice a week when they could manage it. She died in Plain City on 12 February 1982, having lived there her entire 84 years. Chester moved to Salt Lake City after her death and died there on 5 January 1989. He is buried beside her in Plain City Cemetery.

The Sugar Factory

The sugar factory was woven into both families long before the fire. The Amalgamated Sugar Company plant at Wilson Lane, just south of Plain City, was one of the economic anchors of Weber County from the early twentieth century onward. Plain City farmers hauled beets to the rail dumps each fall for decades; the railroad that came to Plain City in 1909 arrived largely to move beet cars to that factory. Chester England worked at the sugar factory himself after returning from his mission in late 1918, spending two winters there before he turned to farming and then trucking.

Milo’s father, John “Jack” Ross, worked for Amalgamated Sugar much of his adult life, following the company between its Ogden, Burley, and Paul, Idaho plants as work demanded. That movement accounts for the geography of the Ross children: Milo was born in Plain City in 1921, his brother Paul born in the town of Paul, Idaho in 1922, and Harold born in Burley in 1924. Amalgamated Sugar built its Paul factory in 1917, and families from the Plain City area followed the work north. The factory experienced difficult early years — a postwar agricultural depression after World War I, and then the beet leafhopper blight that devastated crops through the 1920s and into the 1930s — but it survived to become, in time, the largest sugarbeet processing facility in the world. Chester England and Jack Ross were contemporaries who had worked for the same company in the same corner of northern Utah before either of them had settled into the lives their families would remember them by. For more on the sugar factory’s role in Plain City’s history, see History of Plain City Pt. 1.

The Cradle of American Trucking

Chester England’s 1920 Model T purchase was the seed of something considerably larger than one family’s business. Four major American trucking companies trace their origins directly to Plain City, and all four connect back to Chester. The Standard-Examiner and C.R. England’s own history have documented this story in detail.

C.R. England & Sons grew steadily through the postwar decades into one of the largest refrigerated carriers in the United States, eventually operating a fleet approaching 4,000 trucks and headquartered in Salt Lake City. Gene England served as president of the company well into his later years, still coming into the office daily at age 88. He died on 13 November 2024 at the age of 105. Bill England, who married Fern Hadley — a Plain City Hadley, the same family that signed the petition — died on 28 March 2018 at age 95. He spent his last ten years without sight but maintained, as his family recorded, an extraordinary optimism throughout. He entitled his life history “It Is As Good As It Gets.”

Carl Moyes had driven trucks for C.R. England in his younger years. In the late 1950s, Carl and his wife Betty started B&C Truck Leasing in Plain City. In 1966, when their son Jerry graduated from Weber State College, the family moved to Phoenix, Arizona and formed the company that would eventually become Swift Transportation — for many years the largest truckload carrier in the United States. Jerry Moyes later observed that he liked to say there was “diesel in the water” in Plain City, and that the people there were conceived in sleeper cabs.

In 1990, brothers Kevin and Keith Knight and their cousins Randy and Gary Knight left Swift to found Knight Transportation. All four had grown up in Plain City and gotten their start working for the Moyes family’s Swift Transportation. The Knights were also related to Maude Knight, who had married Chester England in 1916, making them family to the man who started the Plain City trucking tradition. Knight Transportation started with five trucks; four years after going public the company had between 250 and 300. Knight and Swift announced a merger in April 2017, creating Knight-Swift Transportation, valued at an estimated $5 billion with approximately 23,000 tractors and 77,000 trailers.

In 1976, Jeff England — Gene’s oldest son and Chester’s grandson — bought his first truck while still working at C.R. England as an owner-operator, initially under the name “Pride of England Enterprises.” In 1979, with three trucks and a haul contract moving produce from California to New York, he left the family firm to go fully independent. His wife Pat was his partner from the beginning. In the early 1980s he assembled a group of investors, purchased ten more trucks, and rebranded as Pride Transport Inc. By 2017 the company operated a fleet of 500 trucks. In 2012 Jeff passed ownership to his son Jay England. Jeff England said of his decision to leave: “I felt that I needed to do my own thing.” He was 76 at the time of that interview and still driving a truck a couple of times a month.

The fuel infrastructure serving these fleets also has roots in this region. O. Jay Call, who came to Willard, Utah in the mid-1960s, founded Flying J in 1968, naming it for his love of flying, and built it into the largest retailer of diesel fuel in North America. His uncle, Reuel Call, had founded Maverik convenience stores in 1928 in Afton, Wyoming. FJ Management acquired Maverik in 2012. The Call family’s fuel network and the England-Moyes-Knight trucking empire developed in the same northern Utah environment across the same decades.

In September 2022, representatives of all four trucking firms gathered at Peery’s Egyptian Theater in Ogden for the premiere of a documentary about their shared origins. Gene England, then 102 years old, was present on stage alongside Jeff and Dan England, Jerry Moyes, and Kevin Knight.

The Fire

On the evening of 6 April 1974, Chester England went over to open up the lumber yard. He was 77 years old.

He described what followed in his own autobiography:

As I opened the office door, the place exploded and was engulfed with flames. It had been smoldering during the night. We do not know what caused it but it burned everything. I ran in to get the invoices but the ceiling began falling and burned holes in my jacket so I could have lost my life. This was a terrible experience watching everything you have worked hard for go up in flames. I was down in bed for 10 days from shock. We had insurance on it but I had been buying so much merchandise that the insurance didn’t begin to pay for the loss. I appreciated the fire department and the ward members who worked so hard to help. It took many weeks after to clean up. My family thought I should retire and not build it up again. However, I knew I wouldn’t be happy without something to do so I started rebuilding as soon as I could.

The 1977 History of Plain City records the fire at “England Builder’s Lumber Company” and gives the date as April 6, 1975. That date appears to be a transcription error in the town history; Chester’s own autobiography gives 6 April 1974, and that account is the primary source. The fire also destroyed the adjacent Leigh Archery Company, operated by LeGrande Leigh and Robert Jones. The insurance fell short. Chester was 77 and his family urged him to retire. He refused.

Plain City Will Consider Future of the Lumberyard

A newspaper clipping, attached to the first petition page, reported what happened next:

PLAIN CITY — The City Council here will hold a special session May 9 at 8 p.m. to make a decision on requests to rebuild a lumberyard and business destroyed by fire.

Requests that the city permit reconstruction of the lumberyard and Leigh Archery Co. came from Chester England and LeGrande Leigh and Robert Jones.

The council reported, however, that there have been some objections from citizens who do not want to see the lumber operation reestablished.

It also was reported there have been some questions as to the nature of the archery business being conducted. It has not been determined whether it is a commercial business or a manufacturing operation.

The requests to rebuild have been referred to the city planning commission for its recommendation. The recommendation is expected to be received prior to the May 9 meeting. All interested citizens are invited to attend the meeting which will be held in the City Hall.

The council also will consider various projects the city can carry out under the Utah Extension Service Program. Ronald Bouk of the service outlined various programs cities such as Plain City can conduct that may bring it awards and other benefits. The city must make application for such projects by May 31.

Some citizens did not want Chester to rebuild. And so his neighbors organized.

Milo and Gladys Ross

Milo and Gladys Ross
Milo and Gladys Ross, 30 May 1942

Milo James Ross (1921–2014) was born 4 February 1921 in a log cabin just north of Plain City. His mother, Ethel Sharp Ross, died of puerperal septicemia in August 1925 when Milo was four years old, leaving three surviving boys. Milo went to live with his Uncle Ed Sharp, Harold with Uncle Dale Sharp. They were raised in separate homes within a few blocks of one another in Plain City, the extended Sharp family absorbing the loss. For more on the Sharp family’s tragedies, see Sharp Tragedies.

Milo grew up working Ed Sharp’s farm — tending onions, hauling salt from the flats at Promontory, doing whatever needed doing. He played baseball with the Plain City Farm Bureau team and attended Weber High School.

Plain City baseball team
Plain City baseball team. Back (l-r): William Freestone (manager), Norman Carver, Glen Charlton, Fred Singleton, Elmer Singleton (1918–1996). Middle: Clair Folkman, Dick Skeen, Albert Sharp, Abe Maw, Milo Ross. Front: F. Skeen, Walt Moyes, Arnold Taylor, Lynn Stewart, Theron Rhead. See also: Plain City Hurler.
1937 Plain City Baseball Champions
1937 Plain City Baseball Champions. Back (l-r): Ben Van Shaar, Ervin Heslop, Ellis Stewart, Kenneth Taylor, Don Gibson, John Reese. Middle: Frank Hadley, Howard Wayment, Wayne Rose, Ray Charlton. Front: Keith Hodson, Howard Hunt, Wayne Carver, Lyle Thompson, Milo Ross.

In 1940 Milo met Gladys Maxine Donaldson (1921–2004) at a Plain City celebration. They married on 4 April 1942. Six months later Milo enlisted in the Army. He served in the 33rd Infantry Division, 130th Regiment, Company C, trained in weapons and earned expert ranking. He arrived in Hawaii on 4 July 1943 — the same day his son, Milo Paul, was born in Utah, a son he would not meet for three years. He fought through the jungles of New Guinea and the Philippines and was present at the Japanese surrender at Luzon in June 1945. He received two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star. His company received a Presidential Citation for outstanding performance during the seizure of Hill X in the Bilbil Mountain Province. For more on Milo’s military service, see Milo James Ross Military Medals and his 1997 oral history interview.

Milo Ross in uniform
Milo Ross in uniform at Fort Lewis, Washington

He came home and went to work as a contractor and builder, eventually building and remodeling hundreds of homes throughout Utah, mostly in Weber County. That work is why, when the time came to gather signatures for Chester England, he had a pad of lumber yard estimate forms at hand. They were his working tools. He pressed them into service as petition pages.

Milo knew Chester England personally. A childhood photograph survives showing Milo alongside Harold Ross, Howard Hunt, Josephine Sharp, and Janelle England on horseback — the England and Ross and Sharp children together in the neighborhood as naturally as their parents moved among one another. In his 1997 oral history interview, Milo recalled Chester among the Plain City men who had struggled during the Depression years, when banks failed and farms were lost. Chester was woven into Milo’s memory of Plain City going back to his earliest years.

On Horse l-r: Harold Ross, Howard Hunt, Milo Ross, Josephine Sharp (arm only), Janelle England, Eddie Sharp. In front l-r: Ruby Sharp, Lucille Maw, and Milo Riley Sharp.

The Petition

The typed text at the center of the petition read:

We the citizens of Plain City feel that Chester England should be allowed to rebuild his lumber yard. Since when do you kick a man when he is down/ Lets stand together and help Chester England when he needs a friend.

The headers on the petition pages identify the organizers: “By Gladys and Milo Ross — To Help Mr. England — Rebuild Back Up.” The forms were passed through the community in the weeks leading up to the May 9 city council meeting. One page was circulated by Joan Jenkins.

My father, Milo Paul Ross, had worked for Chester England as a teenager. He and his first wife, Victoria “Vicki” Feldtman (1945–2018) — married 5 March 1963 — both signed the petition. For more on Vicki, see Vicki’s Class Pictures. My grandfather Harold Ross also signed. The Sharp cousins — W.A. Sharp and Florence Sharp, children of the family that had raised Milo and Harold — signed as well. Maude K. England and Chester R. England signed the petition themselves.

Among the more than 340 signers, the connections to Plain City’s history run deep. The Moyes family signed in force — the same family whose son Carl had driven trucks for Chester England and whose grandson Jerry would found Swift Transportation. The Knights signed — relatives of Maude Knight England and future founders of Knight Transportation. Elmer Singleton (1918–1996), the Plain City baseball legend who pitched in the major leagues for five teams over fifteen years, signed with his wife Elsie. Cherrill Palmer Knight (1931–2021), who had served as Plain City City Recorder and was the daughter of Vern and Viola Palmer — also signers — added her name alongside her husband Thayne (1931–2018). Roxey R. Heslop, who contributed the school and cemetery histories to the 1977 Plain City history book, also signed. Hildor England (1896–1983), born Johnson, who married into the England family, signed as well. Gordon C. Orton (1924–2008), a Plain City general contractor and World War II veteran who served in the Philippines, New Guinea, and Okinawa, signed with his wife Leone. Vernal Moyes, who had served as a Plain City councilman, signed alongside his family.

The 1977 History of Plain City records the outcome: “Builders Bargain Center, formerly England’s Builders. This business was started and run by Chester England for many years.” Chester rebuilt. The community’s voice prevailed. For more on Plain City’s history, see the Plain City series on Sagacity.

Circle A Construction

Milo Paul Ross and Larry Aslett
Milo Paul Ross and Larry Aslett

My father’s career at Circle A Construction was built substantially on the same industry that had shaped the England and Ross families in Plain City. Circle A, founded in 1952 in Jerome, Idaho by Marvin Aslett, hauled sugar beets for Amalgamated Sugar for most of its operating history. For roughly 34 years, from around 1971 until Circle A transferred the Paul operations to AgExpress in 2004, my father supervised beet hauls across the Magic Valley, from the fields to the Amalgamated dumps at Paul and elsewhere across southern Idaho — the same plants Jack Ross had worked in a generation before.

Marvin Aslett and Milo Paul Ross
Marvin Aslett and Milo Paul Ross at Milo’s 20-year service recognition, 1990. See: Circle A Construction Honors.
Circle A truck in Paul parade
Circle A Construction truck in the Paul, Idaho parade, about 1985. See: Circle A Construction Trucks.

Marvin’s sons Larry and Steve Aslett ran the company alongside my father for decades. We called Larry “Uncle Larry” growing up. The Asletts took us to roundups in Mackay, to ranch country above White Knob. I worked for Circle A myself from 1993 through 1998. My first job in 1994 was washing and waxing trucks at the old Hynes beet dump in Paul after harvest. Jack Ross had worked for Amalgamated Sugar in Paul in the 1920s. My father hauled beets to Amalgamated in Paul for three decades. Circle A’s beet hauls fed the same company in the same town across three generations of this family’s working life.

Circle A trucks in front of Idaho Capitol
Circle A Construction trucks in front of the Idaho State Capitol, 2000

The Petition Pages

Below are all eight pages of the petition as collected by Milo and Gladys Ross in the spring of 1974.

Complete List of Signers

Names marked with an asterisk (*) represent uncertain readings of the cursive originals. Dates are given where confirmed through research. This list was transcribed from handwritten signatures; corrections and additions are welcome.

Adams, Alice
Adams, Allene C.
Adams, Calvin Rex
Allen, Jeanine
Alsup, Marguerete W.*
Alsup, Phil S.
Amussen, Doris Maw
Amussen, Richard W.
Ashdown, Rex R.
Ashdown, Virginia
Bacon, R.A.
Baker, Dean A.
Baker, Penny
Baker, Tom D.
Baker, Vivian
Beeler, Diana
Beeler, Jack
Beutler, Kandis C.
Beutler, Lloyd J.
Bingham, Dee
Bingham, Evelyn
Bingham, Farrell J.
Bingham, Junior D.
Bingham, Lorene
Bingham, Zona F.
Brown, Donna
Brown, Robert
Bullock, Duane
Bullock, Joyce W.
Bunn, Carol
Bunn, John H.
Burr, Adle R.
Burr, Arnold K.
Burr, Kenna F.
Burr, Lester
Burr, Roy D.
Butler, Donnette R.
Butler, Kenneth L.
Butterfield, Judy*
Calvert, Elaine
Calvert, Kent W.
Carver, Brent
Carver, Harold C.
Carver, Jane
Carver, Liland
Carver, Theone
Chase, Dannell
Chase, Ladd
Chase, LaRene G.
Chase, Norma P.
Child, Melvin E.
Chournas, Beverly*
Chournas, Chris*
Christensen, Barbara
Christensen, Darrell
Christensen, Ivan
Christensen, Ken
Christensen, Margaret
Christensen, Ted
Cliften, Elaine
Cliften, Robert
Close, Tom*
Cook, Dee
Cook, George
Cook, Harvey
Cook, Jennie
Cook, LaRae
Cook, Lyman H.
Corey, Dean
Corey, Fae
Costley, Elsie
Costley, Paul
Cowell, Florence
Crook, Carlene
Crook, Lane
Daley, Kenneth*
Daley, Thora
Dall, Kathie*
Davidson, Donna
Davidson, Kathy
Davidson, Marland L.
DeVries, Norm
Donaldson, Betty M.
Donaldson, David
East, Ava M.
East, Donald
East, Jimmy K.
Eddy, Beverly
Eddy, Max
Ellis, Carole
Ellis, Diana
Ellis, Donald B.
Ellis, Glen
Ellis, Janet
Ellis, Lynn
Ellis, Ray
England, Boyce
England, Chester R. (1896–1989)
England, Hildor (1896–1983)
England, Marvel S.
England, Maude K. (1897–1982)
England, Merlin
England, Mona
England, Orel W.
Eskelson, David Lon
Etherington, John E.
Etherington, Nelda
Fisher, Dorothy K.
Fisher, Robert W.
Folkman, Andrea
Folkman, Carl
Folkman, Clair
Folkman, Clara
Folkman, Cliff
Folkman, Jim
Folkman, LeRoy
Folkman, Norma
Folkman, Robert L.
Folkman, Viola
Foremaster, Bonne*
Foremaster, Pete
Fuller, Mary Lynn
Fuller, Rex
Fuhriman, Viola
Gallegos, Edith
Gee, Vilate
Giles, Lewis
Giles, Lucille
Grieve, Claramae
Grieve, Paul
Haas, Julie
Hadley, Barbara
Hadley, Connie
Hadley, Devaine
Hadley, Doug
Hadley, Gordon
Hadley, Howard
Hadley, Janet
Hadley, Karma W.*
Hadley, LaVirra*
Hadley, Lenora
Hadley, Mary Fee*
Hamp, Beth
Hansen, Gaylen G.
Hansen, Loren M.
Hansen, Nancy
Havseler/Tesseder, Christine*
Haws, Arlene
Haws, Darwin C.
Haws, Varnell
Heslop, Roxey R.
Higley, Shirley
Higley, Willard J.
Hill, Gary
Hill, Kae
Hipwell, Elmer
Hipwell, Joanne
Hipwell, Rosetta
Hobson, Connie
Hobson, Jack
Hodson, Delbert
Hodson, Lyle M.
Hodson, Mr. Ivan
Hodson, Ms. Ivan
Holmes, Doug
Holmes, Joanne
Hori, Nancy
Hori, Sam
Howard, Virgie
Howell, Kent*
Howell, Peggy J.
Hunt, Jan
Hurst, Vick*
Imlay, Nancy
Imlay, Terrence
Jackson, David W.
Jackson, George
Jackson, Mrs. George
Jackson, Mrs. Keith
Jackson, Keith
Jenkins, Ellen W.
Jenkins, Genevieve
Jenkins, Joan
Jenkins, JoAnn
Jenkins, Joyce
Jenkins, Quentin M.
Jenkins, Ronald
Jensen, Blaine R.
Jensen, Joyce
Jensen, June B.*
Jensen, Kit O.
Johansen, Barry L.
Johansen, Carol
Johnson, Judy B.
Johnson, Randy
Johnson, Rex L.
Jolly, Grace
Jolly, L.M.*
Jones, Kathy
Jones, Robert
Kapp, Clara Jean
Kapp, Leon
Kawa, Grant D.
Kelley, Bertha
Kelley, Gail
Kelley, Jesse R.
Kelley, Leona
Kennedy, Hazel
Kishimoto, Lorn
Knight, Argus*
Knight, Arson*
Knight, Cherrill (1931–2021)
Knight, Thayne E. (1931–2018)
Lakey, Dixie
Lakey, Tom
Large, Fred*
Large, Kay*
Larkin, Wade R.
Laub, William R.
Lord, Clarendon “Gene” (1929–2015)
Lord, Cline
Lund, Elizabeth
Lund, Eugene
Lund, Keith
Lund, Pearl
Mace, Rieths*
Mahoney, Kathryn
Mahnke, Eugene
Mahnke, Laura
Maw, Abram E.
Maw, Floy A.
Maw, Karen
Maw, Monna B.
Maw, Norma Jean
Maw, R. John
McFarland, Fenton
McMillan, Nola L.*
McMillan, Thomas A.*
Merrill, Paul O.*
Mikkelsen, Leo
Mikkelsen, Renee
Miller, Clarence
Miller, Ranae
Miller, Thomas A.
Miller, Veda L.
Moyes, Beverly
Moyes, Dale L.
Moyes, Edna
Moyes, Elaine
Moyes, Elbert
Moyes, Fentis*
Moyes, Ivan
Moyes, Juanita
Moyes, Kay H.
Moyes, LuJean
Moyes, Lynn V.
Moyes, Mable
Moyes, Orin
Moyes, Vernal
Nash, Augusta R.
Neff, Mr. Wayne
Neff, Ms. Wayne
North, Janet
North, Rick
Olofson, Mary L.
Olofson, Robert L.
Olsen, Ian*
Olsen, Mary
Olsen, Ron
Olsen, Yvonne
Orton, Gordon C. (1924–2008)
Orton, Leone
Overman, Curt
Painter, Cleo
Painter, Lee
Palmer, Douglas
Palmer, Lawrence
Palmer, Susanne
Palmer, Thelma H.
Palmer, Vern
Palmer, Viola (1908–2009)
Post, Bessie
Post, Judy O.
Poulsen, Bernard
Poulsen, Nora
Rasmussen, Don J.
Rasmussen, MaryLynn
Reese, J.D.
Rhead, Bonnie
Rhead, Steve
Rhead, Theron
Rhead, Vivian
Ritz, Mark
Robins, Jay*
Robins, Mildred
Robson, Amy
Roddomy, Ronald*
Rogers, Dennis O.
Rogers, Shareen
Roper, Mr. Rodney
Roper, Mrs. Rodney
Ross, Gladys (1921–2004) — organizer
Ross, Harold
Ross, Milo James (1921–2014) — organizer
Ross, Paul M.
Ross, Vicki (1945–2018)
Russell, Joe
Russell, Shirley
Sargent, Evona
Sargent, Kent
Saunders, Carl R.
Searcy, Hazel
Searcy, Kenneth J.
Seegmiller, Dale
Seegmiller, Marie F.
Sharp, Florence
Sharp, Laurel
Sharp, W.A.
Shaw, Jerrell B.
Shaw, Phyllis
Simpson, Archie W.*
Simpson, Florence
Singleton, Elmer (1918–1996)
Singleton, Elsie (–1988)
Singleton, VaCona
Skeen, Archie
Skeen, Charles
Skeen, Dick
Skeen, Lorraine
Skeen, Luella
Skeen, Wayne
Smith, LaWanna R.
Smith, Vernon J.
Sneddon, Dennis
Sorensen, Gordon A.
Sorensen, Karma
Sparks, Mildred
Stagge, Floyd
Stagge, Myrle
Statler, Lynda
Statler, Richard
Stevens, Debra
Stevens, Gwen C.
Stevens, John W.
Tafoya, Arthur
Tafoya, Via
Taylor, Alice
Taylor, Annette
Taylor, Call
Taylor, Clare
Taylor, Edna
Taylor, Elma
Taylor, Elvin L. (1920–2004)
Taylor, Elizabeth
Taylor, Fern
Taylor, Frances
Taylor, Gerald J.*
Taylor, Grant
Taylor, Idona Maw
Taylor, Jr.*
Taylor, Kathlene
Taylor, Kathy
Taylor, Ralph A.
Taylor, Rodney
Taylor, Rolla H.
Taylor, Ross M.
Taylor, Sheri
Taylor, Val
Taylor, Valoy (1932–2024)
Tesseder, Doug*
Thomas, Duane F.
Thompson, Gordon
Thompson, Lavina
Thompson, Margaret
Thompson, Marvel
Thompson, Merrvin*
Tippetts, Larry*
Truscott, L.C.
Truscott, LaVona
Valdez, Evelyn
Valdez, Raymond J.
Van Meeteren, Beth
Van Meeteren, Frank
Van Meeteren, Jean
Van Meeteren, Ron
Van Workom, Joyce*
Vaughn, Bert
Vaughn, Renee
Wakefield, Marilyn
Walton, Neale
Walton, Rhea
Weatherstone, Lorraine
West, George C.
West, Lillian
Westbrook, Herman
Weston, Becky
Weston, Brent
Weston, Eldon
Weston, Fae
Weston, Jae H.
Williams, Arnold A.
Williams, Charlotte
Williams, Delbert
Williams, F. LeRoy
Williams, Karen A.
Williams, Nadiene
Winder, Jane
Winder, Wayne
Wright, Norma

Bath, Birmingham, and Milton Abbas

Tonight we write from the deep countryside of Dorset.  We are staying in the little village of Milton Abbas with a cousin’s cousin.  We are both related to the Coley and Harris lines in Halesowen, England.  Peter and Cynthia Wise have taken us in a day earlier due to the fact we are not going to Merthyr-Tydfil, Wales now.  We will be with them two days.

Amanda with Robin Hood statue near Nottingham
Nottingham Castle
A Robin Hood shrubbery at Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Town Center
Nottingham Council House

Yesterday went terribly wrong.  We left a little late from Walkden, got stuck in a traffic queue for 1.5 hours in Stockport meaning we had to drop our visit to Chatsworth House.  Then we decided we better drop Mattersey and Misson on my Sharp family line to at least make Sudsbury Hall.  We then found out the M1 was closed with miles of traffic queue so we had to take side roads to Nottingham.  There we saw the Robin Hood sites and made our way to Sudsbury for their manor house.  Well, all the side roads were occupied with motorway traffic so we were delayed, we got lost, and in the end missed the last time to get into the home.  We got pictures with the house but Amanda was devastated we didn’t get in.

Amanda Ross at Sudbury Hall
Sudbury Hall rear

In defeat, we made our way to Hagley, near Halesowen, near Birmingham last night.  We checked into our little hotel and ran into Halesowen where we found the church of St. John the Baptist.  Interestingly, as we wandered the cemetery, we found loads of Coley, Willett, and Harris tombstones.  Many were modern, but there were a few in which I am sure they are cousins I have in my family history file.  That made it worth it.  The other deceased I will have to do some research on to trace them back to the family and connect them in.  Hopefully I can find another person who has done research on some of the same lines and can help me with my research.  We shall see.

St John’s in Halesowen

Today we toured Romsley, Hayley Green, and Bromsgrove near Halesowen, more sites of Coley ancestry.  We wandered and took more pictures in St. Kenelm’s church.  There were more Coleys and Willetts found there.  I was pretty excited.  None as old as in the Halesowen church, but you never know. 

Tombstone of John Crumpton (1817-1869) my first cousin six times removed

We hopped on the Motorway and went through Worcester, Gloucester, and finally to Bath.  There we saw the Royal Crescent, some of the Victoria Gardens, and the Roman Baths.  It is a beautiful city.  We enjoyed ourselves.  From there we wandered to Milton Abbas way out in the countryside.  We drove several miles through one car-width lanes to this village.

Bath Royal Crescent
Jane Austen Center
Bath Roman Baths
Looking down to the Roman Baths
Roman floor at Bath
Bath Abbey
Amanda Ross in Bath

We are still figuring out what we will do tomorrow.  At any rate, it should be fun.

Bath Circus

Plain City Hurler

Here are four more clippings from my Grandparents, Milo & Gladys Ross. Grandpa talked quite a bit of baseball in Plain City from his youth. I have shared this photo too where he and Elmer played together on the same team. Visiting with Grandpa, multiple baseball players came up, but Elmer was the one that went on to some fame. Plain City’s history includes excerpts on Elmer.

“Plain City hurler recalls years as major leager

“Relives baseball days; wishes he could start over

“PLAIN CITY – “Baseball is more than a little like life – and to many, it is life.”

“This now famous quote came from the lips of sportcaster Red Barber. But its meaning probably best parallels the philosophy of a mischievous-appearing 66-year-old with a flat-top haircut who toiled on the mound through 28 seasons of professional baseball and now wishes he was just starting his career.

“Elmer Singleton, whose right arm challenged now Hall of Famers while pitching for four major league teams, still lives and relieves at his Plain City home the game he feels has no equal. The lifestyle involved with the sport has been to the liking of the baseball veteran and his wife, Elsie.

“For his contribution to the game, Singleton will be inducted into the Old Time Athletes Association’s Utah Sports Hall of Fame in Salt Lake City ceremonies on Nov. 14.

“”I probably don’t deserve this,” Singleton said modestly of the upcoming induction. “It’s quite an honor for someone coming from a little town like this.”

“The lease Plain City native got his baseball start in that town. His father, a semi-pro, himself, started him pitching at the age of 10 years. While still a teenager, Singleton recorded a 15-0 record as a pitcher in both the A and B divisions of the Weber County Farm Bureau League.

“”We had a good team. The catcher was (the late) Dick Skeen. And, do you know what? I pitched to his son Archie when he was catching in the Boston Red Sox organization,” he said.

Following his good showing in the county league, Singleton was a highly sought-after item. He had been interested in the Cincinnati Reds since they had a class C farm team in Ogden, but a contract dispute nixed that. “They’d only offer me $75 a month and I wanted more,” he said. At the age of 20 he signed with the New York Yankees.

“During that next 28 years he spent four in the low minors, seven in the major leagues and the remaining 16 years with a number of teams in the Pacific Coast League. He took one year off when his oldest son was born.

“Although many of his most memorable performances came in the PCL, he pitched well with the Boston Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Senators and the Chicago Cubs. “Hell, I helped Cooperstown pick up a lot of Hall of Famers,” he quipped as he told of pitching against the likes of Henry Aaron, Ted Williams, Jo DiMaggio and Stan Musial.

“Probably his best major league season was 1959 while with the Cubs as he led the National League in earned run average with a 2.72. “That was the year the Braves won the pennant and I was able to beat Warren Spahn 1-0 in a late season game. I also had wins that year over the Pirates’ 20-game-winner Bob Friend, the Giants’ Sam Jones and the Pirates’ Vernon Law.”

[Interesting side note, the 1959 National League pennant was actually won by the Los Angeles Dodgers, not the Braves. The Braves one it the previous two years, 1957 and 1958.]

“The ageless Singleton later pitched a shutout for the Pirates at the age of 41, and hurled a no-hitter for Seattle of the PCL at 43.

“Regarded as a very hard-nosed athlete, Singleton chuckled when told of former Ogden Reds’ manager Bill McCorry telling Ogden newsmen in 1949 that “Elmer will make it. He’s about two-third ornery and that’s the main ingredient for being a good major league pitcher.”

“”Back then, knocking batters down was legal,” Singleton said. “I remember the day when pitching for the Pirates, the Braves were working us over pretty good so Manager Billy Herman put me in and told me to take care of things. I knocked everybody in the lineup down except Spahn and, ya know, the Braves didn’t score another run off me for more than a year.”

“Singleton displayed a “not guilty” expression when asked about his reputation among baseball players and t news media of throwing a spit ball. He wouldn’t confirm nor deny loading them up, just said “I had a good slider. My slider always broke down.”

He placed the blame for the present high salaries among players on the team owners.

“”The players any more don’t read the Sporting News, its the Wall Street Journal. I’m sure players enjoy playing the game as much now as we did, but they just want to be paid more for it. They turn everything over to their agents while they play.

“”But the owners brought it on themselves. It used to be a business for owners, but now its just a pasttime and tax writeoff,” Singleton said.

“After finishing his baseball career as a PCL coach in the Pacific Northwest in 1961, the Singletons resided in Seattle until returning to Plain City four years ago where they obtained the second oldest house in the town and remodeled into a comfortable home.

“He has no regrets over a life of baseball. “I wish I could start it all over. Look! I still have two straight arms,” he said has he extended them.

“What does he do to occupy his time now?

“”Oh, I help my brother some on his farm, garden a little and help people who need help. I also watch some baseball on television but sometimes that really disturbs me,” he answered.

“Tidbits from the Sports World

“Elmer Singleton of Plain City, righthanded hurler of the Pittsburgh Pirates, looks for the Pirates to be serious contenders for the National league pennant during the 1949 season. Elmer is at San Bernardino, Calif., now, awaiting the opening of spring training for the Pirates this coming week.

“Singleton started his baseball career with the Plain City Farm Bureau team prior to World war II.

“He pitched for Idaho Falls, Wenatchee, Kansas City and Newark before going to the majors. He joined the Yankees first and was later sold to the Boston Braves for two players and $35,000 cash.

“Pittsburgh obtained Singleton from the Braves for a fancy sum. He is ready for his third season with the Pittsburgh club.

“Last year Elmer lost three games by single runs. He was used most as a relief pitcher last season. He hopes to take his regular turn this season.

“Before leaving for the coast Singleton said: “I believe the National league race will be a thriller right down to the wire. Naturally I’m pulling for our club to come through and land the pennant.

“”My ambition in baseball is to get to play in a world series. I hope to realize this dream before closing my diamond career.

“Elmer Singleton Rates Praise

“The “best pitched game” ever witnessed at Seals’ stadium went down in the record book as a defeat for Elmer Singleton, San Francisco right-hander, writes James McGee, San Francisco newspaperman.

“Singleton started his baseball career with Plain City in the Weber County Farm Bureau league back in 1938. Since that timehe has worn a number of major league uniforms.

“Writes McGee: “The big Seal righthander pitched 12 1/3 innings of no-hit ball against Sacramento, April 24, yet lost 1 to 0.

“”That was the best-pitched game I ever saw,” his manager, Tommy Heath, declared. But, as it turned out, it was not quite good enough. Singleton, who set a Seals stadium record and etched his name in Seal history, had the bad luck to meet a tough opponent, Jess Flores, Sacramento’s veteran righthander.

“Flores was effective. The Seals got to him for eight hits, compared to the three singles from Solons finally wrenched from the reluctant Singleton. But the three Solon hits came in succession in the first half of the thirteenth inning, Eddie Bockman, spelling Manager Joe Gordon at second base; Al White and finally Johnny Ostrowski did the damage, Bockman scoring.

“Singleton admitted he was tiring in the thirteenth.

“”It wasn’t that I pitched to so many hitters. It was the strain of the thing,” he said. “All through the early innings I knew I had a no-hitter going. I had to be careful with every pitch. I never pitched one before and I wanted it.”

“Umpire Don Silva vouched that Singleton was careful.

“”He had great stuff. His fast ball was good, but his curve was particularly good. And he was hitting the corners of the plate all the time,” said Silva. “His control was almost perfect.”

“Walked Four

“Singleton walked four men, one of them purposely. He retired the first 18 men to face him before he faltered and walked Bob Dillinger, first man to face him in the seventh.

“In the seventh, the Solons had him in jeopardy for the only time until they finally scored.

“Singleton was within one out of tying the Coast league record for no-hit innings when Bockman got the first hit, a sharp roller through the hole between third and short, in the thirteenth.

“Dick Ward, pitching for San Diego in 1938, went 12 and two-thirds innings of a 16-inning game against Los Angeles without a hit. He eventually won, 1 to 0.

“Ironically, the greatest game pitched at Seals stadium in its 22-year history was pitched in virtual privacy. Only 790 spectators were there at the start with about 1000 fans leaving the park before the end of the game.

“Sports Tid Bits

“Great Falls postmen have accepted the challenge of members of the Ogden post office and have wagered $125 that the Electrics finish ahead of the Reds in the 1952 Pioneer league race.

“Harold Stone of the Ogden post office department informed this corner of the acceptance Saturday night. Two years ago the Ogdenites lost a similar wager.

“George East, landowner of some of the finest duck shooting grounds of the area, is living like Noah of old at his home in West Warren. Genial George says that instead of duck problems, the trash fish from the lower Weber are visiting him and drinking out of his flowing well.

“The ducks have been winging their way annually in George’s direction for nearly four score years. Some years there has been so little water that the migratory birds have avoiding George’s feeding and nesting grounds. Not this year, however, George says as there is more water flooding the pasture lands than in many, many years.

“Herb Woods went out to look the situation over this week. George told Herb he could find his favorite blind by use of maps and a deep diving suit – but Herb did not want to get his nose wet.

“Hal Welch, our so-called game expert, says there is consternation among the sportsmen about the pheasants that will be lost because of their nests being destroyed by the floodwaters. He admits that there will be no shortages of mosquitoes for sportsmen, however.

“Screwy Situations

“The 1952 baseball season still is an infant but here are some of the crewy things that have taken place:

“An umpire – Scotty Robb – got fined, for pushing of all people, Manager Eddie Stanky, of the St. Louis Cardinals.

“Leo Durocher of the Giants protests Augie Guglielmo’s call of a third strike on one of his hitters but nothing happens. We thought questioning a third strike meant automatic banishment.

“A Phillie, Stan Lopata, fails to run from third base with two out, the batter reaches first on an error and Lopata is left stranded as the next batter is retired. And Manager Eddie Sawyer was coaching at third.

“”The Giants are leading the Braves by two runs in the eighth inning yet Leo Durocher lifts his number four hitters, temporarily Henry Thompson, for a pinch slugger. You don’t lift your number four batter in any situation, says wise baseball men, but then who says Thompson (not Bobby) is a number four hitter?

“Roy Campanella, a good number four hitter, bunts in a tie game. Another old baseball adage is that “you don’t bunt your number four hitter.” We disagree with that one. In this case Campy’s bunt paid off for the Dodgers as the next batter singled home the winning run.

“W.S.C. Loses

“PULLMAN (AP) – Idaho defeated Washington State 15-12 in Northern division gold matches Saturday.

“B. Elmer Singleton

“PLAIN CITY – Bert Elmer Singleton, passed away Friday, January 5, 1995 at his home in Plain City. He was born June 26, 1918 in Plain City, Utah, a son of Joseph and Sylvia Singleton.

“He married Elsie M. Wold January 20, 1939 in Ogden, Utah.

“He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

“He played professional baseball for twenty-four seasons, originally signing with the New York Yankees Baseball Organization. His chosen vocation provided he and Elsie the opportunity to live in Pittsburgh, Pa., Boston, Mass., Chicago, Ill., Havana, Cuba, [Caracus, Venezuela], Seattle, Wash. and several other cities in the Midwest and on the West Coast.

“He retired from professional baseball in 1964 and returned to Plain City in 1980. Upon his return he actively lobbied for the Meals on Wheels program for Plain Cities Seniors. He helped with 4-H programs and worked with gifted children.

“He was chosen as Player of The Year for the State of Utah in 1939. He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. He was chosen as the Pacific Coast League most Valuable Player for years 1955 and 1956.

“Surviving are his sons, Joe F. of Chugiak, Alaska and Jerry E. of Tacoma, Washington and his brother, Don R. of Plain City. He has two grandchildren, Joe E and Shelby J., residing in Anchorage, Alaska.

“He was preceded in death by his loving wife Elsie on January 31, 1988 and brothers, Earl and Harold.

“Funeral services will be held Thursday, January 11th at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd.

Friends may call at the mortuary on Wednesday, January 10th from 6 to 8 p.m. and Thursday 10 to 10:45 a.m.

“Internment, Plain City Cemetery.

Back (l-r): William Freestone (manager), Norman Carver, Glen Charlton, Fred Singleton, and Elmer Singleton. Middle: Clair Folkman, Dick Skeen, Albert Sharp, Abe Maw, Milo Ross. Front: F. Skeen, Walt Moyes, Arnold Taylor, Lynn Stewart, Theron Rhead.

Casper Wyoming Temple Open House

We took the opportunity to attend the Casper Wyoming Temple Open House on 31 August 2024. We planned the weekend to do some sightseeing and visit some church and family history sites. I am reposting as this has updates on 3 additional ancestors that also came through the Overland Trail.

We left on the Friday morning with the hope of making it all the way to Casper before nightfall. We took old US Highway 30 through Soda Springs and Montpelier. We made a stop to visit the grave of my Grandmother in Dingle.

Aliza, Lillian, Paul, James, and Hiram Ross at the graves of Bud and Colleen Lloyd

We drove through Cokeville and reminded the kids of the story of the Cokeville miracle. As we drove along the old highway, I pointed out the old railroad Y that used to go to the Stauffer mine that was located in Leefe, Wyoming. I spent the first summer or two of my life at Leefe while my dad was tasked with tearing down and removing the mine with Circle A Construction. We stopped in Kemmerer to refuel and also drive past the first J. C. Penney store. We made a quick stop at the Parting of the Ways along the California, Mormon, and Oregon trails.

James Ross at Independence Rock

With four kids, we often stop at rest areas. As you can see above, we stopped at the one at Independence Rock. The rock is nearby and doubles as the parking location to visit the rock.

We finally made it to Casper about sunset. We ate an amazing Italian meal at Racca’s Pizzeria Napoletana and checked into our hotel.

Casper Wyoming Temple

We got up early, dressed appropriately, and headed out to visit the Casper Wyoming Temple. It was beautiful. Much smaller than I had anticipated. It is definitely one of the smallest temples, but that is because of the population and distance to other temples. It will supposedly have five stakes in its temple district, some of which will still come from a long distance to attend. Don’t let size fool you, it still has all the distinct parts of a temple and related quality. I think I may very much prefer the intimacy of the smaller temples. It actually reminded me of the Helena Montana Temple on size and flow.

Ross family at the Casper Wyoming Temple Open House

The temple does not have an adjoining chapel, but it does have a distribution/visitor center. We watched the video, enjoyed waiting in the line, and got to see the whole temple. If I were asked, there are a couple of design changes I would make for flow, but this temple will not regularly see these types of crowds or have those issues.

Ross family with the Casper Wyoming Temple

We hurried back to our hotel, changed, loaded up the car, checked out, and headed off to our next stop: The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper. I did not take any pictures there, but it was very well done. I enjoyed the visit, helped the kids with their junior ranger activities, and learned a few things. Part of the museum had its own little room and video dedicated to the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies.

We stopped at Independence Rock again on our way headed west. We walked around the massive rock and looked at a number of the signatures carved into stone from over 160 years ago. It was hot and we needed to get our little doggies along to Devil’s Gate.

I will write about this more in a bit, but Devil’s Gate was a major landmark on the trail going west for all pioneers on the trails. But Devil’s Gate became more than a landmark and became a historical site in the tragic fall of 1856. Fort Seminoe was based there on the west side of Devil’s Gate, but it had been abandoned earlier that same year. It was that fall that the Martin Handcart Company found itself stranded in the snow. Days later the stranded handcart company moved into a nearby cove to get away from the wind, snow, and cold. That cove is now known as Martin’s Cove.

The Sun Ranch from Devil’s Gate, now The Martin’s Cove: Mormon Trail Site

We found the visitor’s center much more hospitable than some of our ancestors. As I worked through my family history, I had some of my own ancestors who passed through this very Devil’s Gate and area. Here are my ancestral lines that came across on the Mormon Trail. I had counted only 3 while in Casper, but hadn’t realized the Williams clan came over in two separate trips.

William and Mary Ann Sharp in 1853. Wagon train. Moses Clawson Company. William and Mary Ann met in the wagon train and married in Nebraska in 1853. William and Mary are my 3rd Great Grandparents.

John Williams in 1860. Wagon train. John Smith Company. John came over with his two sons John Haines (1829) and Richard (1838). I don’t know why his son David went separately in 1864. I am a descendant of John through David. John is my 4th Great Grandfather.

Johanna Benson in 1862. Wagon train. Joseph Horne Company. Johanna came over with some of her children and their families, her daughter Agneta, came over in 1864 with her family. Johanna is my 4th Great Grandmother.

William Edward Stoker in 1863. Wagon train. Unknown Company. William was traveling with his family, including the baby Mary Ann. William is my 3rd Great Grandfather, Mary Ann is my 2nd Great Grandmother.

John and Agneta Nelson in 1864. Wagon train. William Preston Company. Agneta is the daughter of Johanna Benson who came over in 1862. John and Agneta are my 3rd Great Grandparents.

David D and Gwenllian Williams in 1864. David is the son of John mentioned above. Wagon train. William S Warren Company. Gwenllian came with her sister Mary. Both married on the ship in Liverpool before setting sail for Utah. Gwenllian and Mary’s parents, David and Margaret Jordan, came over in 1872 crossing the plains by rail. David and Gwenllian are my 3rd Great Grandparents.

That gives me 10 ancestors that crossed the plains by wagon, none by handcart that I can tell. The unknown companies were all wagon trains as there were not handcarts those years.

Devil’s Gate – 2024

Every single one of these seven ancestors of mine who came west on the trail would have passed through Devil’s Gate. Here I stood on this sacred ground and snapped this photo of my daughter, my descendant and their descendant, at Devil’s Gate.

Aliza Ross at Devil’s Gate

It took me a bit more work, as I am not as familiar, to find those family lines of Amanda’s that also would have passed along the Mormon Trail to the west before the railroad made it much, much faster and safer. It took me several occasions over a couple of weeks to spend the time to research all these lines.

Henry and Ann Jackson in 1852. Wagon train. James C Snow Company. This is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents.

Regina Hansen in 1853. Wagon train. John E Forsgren Company. Her son, Hans Hansen, also accompanied her on the trip. Regina’s husband stayed behind. Regina is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandmother, Hans is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.

Grave of Hans Hansen in Plain City, Utah. Edith Sharp Ross’ stone is the stone at 10 o’clock from the top of this stone, my Great Grandmother.

David Buttar in 1854. Wagon train. William Empey Company. He appears to have traveled alone. Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.

Birthe Jacobson in 1854. Unknown if wagon train or handcart company. Birthe’s daughter, Maria Jacobson, also accompanied her on the trip. Her husband Jorgen died in Missouri as part of the trip. Birthe is Amanda’s 5th Great Grandmother, Maria is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandmother.

Harriet Housley in 1856. Handcart company. Edward Martin Company. Harriet’s son, George Housley, also accompanied her on the trip. Two other children came later. Harriet is Amanda’s 5th Great Grandmother, George is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather.

Richard and Christine Hemsley (1836 – 1915) in 1857. Handcart company. Israel Evans Company. This is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents.

Ole and Anne Jensen in 1861. Likely wagon train. Unknown company. Amanda’s 5th Great Grandparents.

John Crompton in 1862. Wagon train. Joseph Horne Company. John also had his daughter, Hannah Crompton, with him. John is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather, Hannah is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother.

Anna Nielsen in 1862. Wagon train. Christian Madsen Company. She traveled alone. Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother.

Joseph and Penelope Thompson in 1862. Wagon train. John Riggs Murdock Company. Their son, Joseph Thompson, also accompanied the family. Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents, Joseph is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.

Joseph Wayment in 1863. Wagon train. Unknown Company. Appears to have come alone. Although his parents and most of his siblings would come later by rail. Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.

Axel Boyer in 1866. Wagon train. Abner Lowry Company. Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather. Also traveled with the Keeps, other ancestors of Amanda.

James and Ann Keep in 1866. Wagon train. Abner Lowry Company. Their daughter, Sarah Keep, also accompanied the family. James and Ann are Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents, Sarah is Amanda’s third great Grandmother. Also traveled with Axel Boyer, other ancestor of Amanda.

Richard Hemsley (1801 – 1866) and his later wife Sarah in 1866. Wagon train. William Henry Chipman Company. Amanda’s 5th Great Grandfather.

Peter Peterson in 1866. Wagon train. Joseph Sharp Rawlins Company. Peter is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather.

That is the Hemsley line alone, Amanda’s Dad. I count 26 ancestors of Amanda’s Dad that came through Devil’s Gate.

James, Lillian, Hiram, and Aliza Ross at Devil’s Gate Mormon Handcart Visitor Center

Amanda’s Mom’s line, the Holden family, has the following:

Edwin and Ruia Holden in 1852. Wagon train. Uriah Curtis Company. Their son, Henry Holden, also accompanied the family. Edwin and Ruia are Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents, Henry is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.

Jesse and Temperance McCauslin in 1851. Wagon train. Unknown Company. Temperance passed away in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She did not make the trail in Wyoming or Devil’s Gate. Their daughter, Louisa McCauslin, also accompanied the family. Jesse is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather, Louisa is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother.

John and Adelaide Roberts in 1863. Wagon train. Thomas Ricks Company. Their son, Hyrum Roberts, also accompanied the family. John and Adelaide are Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandparents, Hyrum is Amanda’s 2nd Great Grandfather.

Thomas and Mary Ashton in 1851. Wagon train. Morris Phelps Company. Mary also passed away in Iowa. She did not make the trail in Wyoming or Devil’s Gate. Their son, Joseph Ashton, also accompanied the family. Thomas is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather, Joseph is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.

Sarah Jarvis in 1854. Wagon train. Job Smith Company. She came with some of her family, but not with her son, Amanda’s ancestor, George Jarvis. Sarah is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandmother.

George and Ann Jarvis in 1853. Wagon train. Unknown Company. George and Ann are Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandparents. George is the son of Sarah Jarvis mentioned above.

William and Rebecca Finch in 1854. Wagon train. Daniel Garn Company. William and Rebecca are Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandparents.

Joseph Finch in 1853. Wagon train. Joseph Young Company. Joseph is the son of William and Rebecca Finch mentioned above.

John and Hannah Davis in 1851. Wagon train. Eaton Kelsey Company. Their daughter, Mary Jane, also accompanied the family. The family also has Davies listed for their last name sometimes. John and Hannah are Amanda’s 4th great grandparents, Mary Jane is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother.

John Evans in 1866. Wagon train. William Henry Chipman Company (same company as Amanda’s Richard Hemsley above). His wife, Sarah, died on the trip from the United Kingdom in New York. His son, John Evans, also accompanied his father and brother. John is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather, John is Amanda’s 2nd Great Grandfather.

James and Elizabeth Boyack in 1855. Wagon train. Milo Andrus Company. James and Elizabeth are Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents.

James Boyack in 1853. Wagon train. Appleton Harmon Company. James is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather. James is the son of James and Elizabeth Boyack above that came in 1855 across the plains.

Margary Waterhouse in 1855. Wagon train. Milo Andrus Company. Margary is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother. She came across with the same train as James Boyack’s parents, presumably that is how she met her future husband. The Company arrived 24 October 1855 in Utah, James and Margary married 23 November 1855 in Springville, Utah.

That is the Holden line alone, Amanda’s Mom. I count 26 of ancestors of Amanda’s Mom that came through Devil’s Gate. As an aside, I also looked at her biological line (as she is adopted), and not a single one of her biological ancestors passed through Devil’s Gate.

James riding while Hiram, Lillian, and Aliza Ross pull a handcart at Devil’s Gate Mormon Handcart Visitors Center

We also stopped and visited with the sixth crossing of the Sweetwater River. This was the location where, like the Martin Handcart Company, the Willie Handcart Company also got stuck in wind, snow, and cold in 1856. Their rescue occurred here.

The next day, on our way to Grand Teton National Park, we made a stop at Fort Washakie, Wyoming. This is one of the alleged graves of Sacagawea. We stopped and remembered her, whether her final resting place or not.

All in all, I was surprised by my own connection to the Mormon Trail. I had never considered that I have 7 ancestors who had literally came this way. Or that my children have 59 ancestors that literally come this way. They passed by Independence Rock, through Devil’s gate, and two of those 59 suffered with the Martin Handcart Company. I will write more on the Housleys later as there have been other interesting interactions with that clan since our marriage.

Nellie Neal’s 2nd Grade Class

Back (l-r): Nellie Ward Neal, Carl Hodson, Kenneth Taylor, Paul Ross, Howard Singleton, June Etherington, Una Cottle, Hugh Taylor, Rex McEntire, Lyman Skeen, ?.  Middle: Marguerite Maw, Lucille Maw, Ruth Hipwell, Frank Hadley, Kent Jenkins, ?, Golda Illum, Ruby Sharp, Lloyd Olsen.  Front: Atholeen England, Alice Maw, Lucille Hadley, Myrine McFarland, Verla Lund, Ruth Carver, ?, Rae Knight.

Here is a class photo from what is believed to be a 2nd Grade Class taken outside the old Plain City School in Plain City, Weber, Utah.  I have at least two family members in the photo, Paul Ross and Ruby Sharp.  I have added family history to the individuals below, question marks either denote an unknown person or dates.

Nellie Ward Neal (1903-1997)

Carl Hodson (?-?)

Kenneth Paul Taylor (1922-1996)

Paul Ross (1922-1932)

Howard Bullock Singleton (1922-1997)

Margaret June Etherington (1922-1957)

Una Cottle (1922-1982)

Hugh Grieve Taylor (1922-1994)

Rex Lee McEntire (1922-2003)

Lyman Maw Skeen (1922-2008)

?

Marguerite Della Maw (1921-2009)

Lucille Maw (1922-1994)

Ruth Hipwell (1922-2013)

Frank Howard Hadley (1921-2008)

Ryan Kent Jenkins (1922-2002)

?

Golda Lucinda Illum (1921-2000)

Ruby Elaine Sharp (1922-2017)

Lloyd Christian Olsen (1921-2000)

Atholeen Jane England (1922-1986)

Alice Maw (1922-2004)

Lucille Hadley (1922-2010)

Myrene McFarland (1922-1997)

Verla Lund (1922-1933)

Ruth Carver (1922-2007)

?

Rae Knight (1922-2006)