Cari Lyn Petersen Tribute 2020

Missing this Child - 25 March 2020
Mom 

Sweet second great grandmother, Matilda, was a bigamist.

   

     One year ago, today, I started to blog about the WHERRETT line.  I am finally back after a difficult year.  My life has changed considerably in the last many months.  I am now a widow, a step-daughter has been added to the Family Tree on the Petersen side and a labradoodle puppy occupies my home.  Thank goodness for Chester.  He gets me up in the morning and keep me on my toes throughout the day.

     I have much support and love from my family, daughter’s Nicole and Lori, grandchild Audrey and grandchildren, Cassidy, Maddison, and Christopher and their spouses.  And of course, my great-grandchildren, four of them, two boys and two girls and another girl will join us in May. 

     Now back to Matilda, my sweet second great grandmother that came to Utah in 1864 and married George Tomlinson in 1865.  But, wait, Matilda left a husband in England in 1864 and never divorced  him.  What happened to him?  This is where the 'Soap Opera' begins. 

      I can assuredly describe Matilda as a very sweet lady because I have researched her life for a long time and I know in my heart she was of great character.  

     In forthcoming blog posts I will write about her life time as I have explored her paper trail.  

     Now the question is:  Being a bigamist did that put her in trouble with the law in England?

How about in the Utah territory?  How did the Latter-day-Saint Church view this?

This is Walcot Vineyard “The Countess of Huntingdons Chapel,”

near Bath, Somerset, England.

You can see the inscription on the arch between the two cement pillars. 

My Great-great grandmother ‘Matilda Jane Amelia Gay’

was Christened here on 1 October 1826.

Her birth date was 29 May 1826,

her father, William, was 24 and her mother, Eliza, was 30.  She was

the oldest of five children, all girls.

She married Edward Aaron Wherrett and they had two children together. 

She then married George Tomlinson in 1865 in Utah.

She died 20 April 1901, in Bountiful, at the age of 74, and was buried there.  

It's been ten years.

    

            FamilySearch.org just gets better and better.    In February  a new tool was added   titled "Calendar of Ancestral Moments."   This new tool  lets me see what important event happened in my family history on a particular calendar date.       I am loving this feature.    I am notified through  'Facebook Messenger'  on a day that  I have  an  ancestor  that is  born or married.    In    August  seven  events occurred   that I was notified of   reminding me of  a loved ancestor or  ancestor's to keep him/her in my mind that day.  A small way to keep connected and remembered.  
     To get  started, visit familysearch.org/campaign/calendar.  Log into your FamilySearch Account and your ancestor calendar should appear.   Give it a try-Here is the link;
  CALENDAR OF ANCESTRAL MOMENTS
For more  information   I click 'View Relationship' and I can see my direct  line  from me to my ancestor.  When I click the name I see a summary of  the ancestors vital information.  
Below is information  about one of my very favorite great-great grandfather.  

Charles Kidgell Jr. 
b21 August 1833

 Charles's parents were Charles Sr. and Caroline Loftus.  His mother died in 1845 when Charles was twelve years old.  He was their first child and only boy.  Five sisters followed Charles the youngest Helen, was one year old at his mother's    passing, she died the next year in 1846.
     Charles joined the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints on the 22nd of April  1850.  He first heard the gospel preached by Mormon Elders on the street and became intensely interested.   After a thorough investigation he joined and it was at this time he met and courted Sarah Ann Cashmore.  

     It's been many months since I have posted on my Genealogy Blog  and that makes me sad. 
I have great hopes I can get going again in doing Family History asap; something I enjoy doing.  What a person enjoys most should be put higher on the priority list.  Right?

     I appreciate everyone and anyone who drops by to read this blog. 

                                

          

Matilda's family address in Bath,England 15 Claverton Blg. Still exists today.

Upper left: St Thomas  at Widcombe
Lover left  Bath Parks and Gardens.  (I did visit
this place and have pictures.)
Main Picture:  Combe, Bath, England 

                 Pictures to the left are of North East Somerset, Bath England.    This area is where Matilda's    parents were born and lived all their lives.  When they married on 23 November 1823 their address was 15 Claverton Buildings, Bath, Somerset, England.    In my research I found a member of this family living at that same address until 1917.  Just  think about it, for  ninety-four years a family member resided at  that address.  

        In 2001, I visited this beautiful city of Bath, England.  If  I had only known then what I know now;  15 Claverton Bldg. is the only building  of many numbered Claverton Bldg's that is the "least altered" bldg. today.  It was built in 1755 of Limestone ashlar: two story’s high, with an attic, and a basement.   In 2001, I actually could have visited  this very dwelling.    To see more click on this link:
Claverton Buildings     

     
Much Much more to come.
Sorry  for so much time in between
posts .  Things happen that are just out of my control   that keeps me from doing what I love most.     

   

Renée

  .

Matilda Jane Amelia GAY 1824-1901

🌿 Matilda Jane Amelia Gay Wherrett Tomlinson (1826–1901)

“Remember me in the family tree—
My name, my days, my strife;
Then I'll ride upon the wings of time
And live an endless life.”
—Goetsch

It’s time to place Matilda Jane Amelia Gay in her rightful place—with the correct name—in our family tree.

📜 A Marriage With Our True Biological Name

On Monday, 16 February 1846, in the Registrar’s Office of Bath, Somerset, England, Matilda Jane Amelia Gay married Edward Aaron Wherrett Sr. He was 21; she was 19, just three months shy of her 20th birthday.

Their marriage certificate is a treasured document, not just for the fact of the union, but because it holds something deeply personal: their original signatures, shown here in an enlarged view.

Not able to display at this time 

Unlike many 19th-century documents marked with an "X" in place of a signature, both Edward and Matilda signed their names in their own hand, suggesting they were literate—able to read and write. For me, this is the only tangible, personal piece of them I possess. It has even helped me verify Edward’s identity in other documents through handwriting comparison.

Wouldn’t a photograph of Edward or Matilda be a miracle? I believe in miracles. Maybe one day.

---

👣 Tracing a Name—and Untangling a Truth

Matilda is my father’s great-grandmother. My dad, Vern Wherrett Tomlinson, often told me that his middle name, Wherrett, came from his great-grandmother’s maiden name on his father’s side.

Dads know these things… right?

After Dad passed away in 1991, I found a Tomlinson family group sheet tucked away in one of his drawers. As a new family history researcher, I took this sheet—and Dad’s story—as fact.

But it wasn’t.

It took me two full years of digging, cross-checking, and slowly unraveling the pieces to realize the truth: Dad’s story and the group sheet were both incorrect. My persistence clung to what I thought was a verified family tradition, only to find that our family’s origin was more complex—and more fascinating—than we ever imagined.

---

👤 The Men in Matilda’s Life

Dad’s father, George Wherrett Tomlinson, was named after George Tomlinson, born in 1822 in England—Matilda’s second husband.

But here’s the twist: George Tomlinson was not his biological grandfather. That title belongs to Edward Aaron Wherrett, Matilda’s first husband, and the father of her two children, including our direct ancestor.

Did my grandfather, George W. Tomlinson, know this?
Was it a family secret, unspoken for generations?
I wonder.

What I do know now is that family stories must be researched carefully—not just accepted as fact—because sometimes the lore hides the real story.

---

🔍 From Tomlinson to Wherrett: A Journey of Discovery

I began researching in 1997, and it’s been a rewarding journey. One of the most profound discoveries was learning that Tomlinson is not our true surname. We are biologically Wherretts.

That said, Tomlinson is part of our family line, too. It appears on my father's maternal side, going back to his great-great-grandmother, Maria Tomlinson Cashmore.  That story will come much later. 

     

     

"No matter your background,.....by Veronica"

In this article, Veronica mentions RootsTech2017 and a keynote speaker Lavar Burton. Many classes and most keynote speakers (not all) are available for the public to view.  A wonderful way to learn what happens at Roots Tech and resources to learn how to do Family Search.   Just in case you didn't see the link to RootsTech2017 or the limk to one of the keynote speakers Lavar Burton here they are again.    Rootstech 2017   and
 LeVar Burton shares powerful thoughts on equality, race, history, and self-perception during his 2017 RootsTech keynote address.


Happy New Year!!!