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Thursday, March 31, 2011

1874 Marriage for Sarah Ann? Must be a mistake!

  Those of you who are familiar with the workings of New Family Search internet site; https://new.familysearch.org/en/action/unsec/welcome (It's now open to EVERYONE)
will understand my astonishment when a few months ago while accessing the records of the Kidgell's I found that a new marriage record had been added to Sarah Ann.  Someone had pulled in the name Thomas Mills; married Sarah Ann Kidgell on 21 September 1874 in the Endowment House.  I was sure it was a mistake and the way to 'make it go away' was to 'uncombine' (a nFS term) the record.  So, off to our Family History Center (which is less than a half mile from my home) to get help in doing this course of action.  Just as I was ready to 'hit the computer key' to take this record out (uncombine) I was asked this question by the volunteer at the FHC  Wm. Parker, "Look carefully at the date Renée - does it fit in with the information you know about your ancestor?"  
Me "Well..... yes, it is after her husband's death in 1872 and before a marriage to Herman Vogel around 1879-80." 
Bill "by 'uncombining' this record is not a permanent fix, the person who put this marriage record in can and likely will enter it again.  And, think about it, maybe this submitter knows something  you don't know"  
Me  "mmmm, so you think I should research this first?" 


   Well of course, I acted hastily, after-all just because it's not found in the family history (written or orally) doesn't  mean it didn't happen.
     I went to my favorite Utah site;  http://archives.utah.gov/research/indexes/index.html
and typed in Mills.  I found a Salt Lake County (Utah) Probate Court record for Sarah Ann Mills and a record for Thomas Mills with the same Series number and the 'Case Type' was recorded as DIVORCE.    I sent for the document and within ten days I got my verification!  
The divorce papers were filed on  
8 Jan. 1877 and the divorce was granted on 9 Aug 1877.
There were two handwritten records, one for the Plaintiff, Sarah Ann Mills written in good legible penmanship and one for the Defendant in very poor penmanship; very hard to read. 
Below I have transcribed the Plaintiff's record word for word.  
The Defendant's (hard to read document) say's Yes, they were married and Yes, he has not lived with Sarah Ann for over a year and Yes, they cannot live together in harmony and yes, she can be granted her married name of Kidgell.  




To the Hon. Probate Court of Salt Lake County, your petitioner Sarah Ann Mills a resident of Salt Lake City in said County respectfully represents that on the Twenty first day of September A. D. 1874 in said City she was joined in marriage with the Defendant Thomas Mills by Prest. Daniel H. Wells, that at and before her said marriage she was the Widow of Charles Kidgell deceased, and that since her said marriage with Defendant she has been and now is, his lawful wife, that after she had lived with said Defendant, in the marital relations about seven months she became fully satisfied in consequence of the cause pursued by said Defendant, his idle habits and neglect to provide for Plaintiff his said Wife, that support and maintainence which was his duty to do that she could not live with him in peace and union.  And Plaintiff informed Defendant that unless he intended to provide for her support and maintainence, he had better leave her, as she could not provide for her non support and that of Defendant and three of his children who were living with him by her own labor and  exertions and thereupon Defendant left Plaintiff and went to Utah County in his Territory to live or dwell with some of is children, that Plaintiff and Defendant have not lived together as husband and wife for nearly one and a half years, and as that she cannot live happily with the said Defendant her welfare requires that the bonds of matrimony thus existing between Plaintiff and Defendant should be dissolved and declared void which she prayes judgement of this Honorable Court.  Plaintiff further ask's that she may be restored to all the rights and privileges of a  femme-sole ((Law) a woman whose marriage has been annulled or is otherwise independent of her husband, as by owning her own property) with the right to resume her former name of Sarah Ann Kidgell and that such further and other relief may be extended to her in the premises as may be in accordance with equity and good conscience, upon the final determination of the case by the Court. And as in duty bound your petitions will ever pray.
This is Sarah Ann's (very own) signature
Sworn and Subscribed to 
before me this eighth (8th)
day of January A. D. 1877
E. Smith 
Probate Judge 




Thomas was fifty eight years old when he married Sarah Ann who was forty two.  There is mention of a Thomas Mills in the Kidgell and Cashmore Histories (pg.44) of when Caroline Kidgell Higson (sister to Charles Jr.) ".......was baptised by Elder Kelly and her confirmation was 21 May 1854 by Thomas Mills into the Leigh, Bedford Branch Lancaster, England."  This might be the connection of Sarah Ann knowing Thomas.  Thomas's first wife died in England in December 1873 and I am assuming he came to Utah with his large family after her death 1873 and before September 1894?   
    




Saturday, March 26, 2011

1873 - Ellen Maria Kidgell marries!

Ellen Maria Kidgell first child of Charles and Sarah Ann. Remember she was born three weeks after arriving in the Salt Lake Territory under unpleasant circumstances, raining - leaking roof, bed on tree stumps to keep it out of the water, which I found out was a common Mormon Tale of this period.  But, part of the title of my Blog is - (family) TALES  Told!  
Ellen turned eighteen on 19 October and married Joseph Bithell on 30 December 1873.  He was twenty seven.  I don't have information of where they were married or by whom.  But, I do believe this picture was taken at the time of their marriage.  
Joseph was born 10 July 1846 in Birkenhead Cheshire, England however, his parents were born in Wales.  He came into the Utah Territory with his father Thomas, and six siblings in 1860.  Apparently, his mother died in England. 
Joseph and Ellen lived the first seven years in Ophir, Tooele, Utah a mining town where four of their seven children are born.  By 1882 they live in Salt Lake City.  Of the seven children only three live to be adults, Joseph James b 12 Oct 1875, Cora Mae b 17 May 1877, Charles Kidgel b 26 Jul 1878.  
Joseph dies in 1902 from a violent mining accident.  More information at a later time. 


Today Ophir is a 'ghost town'.



Have you ever heard of Ophir, Utah? 
Over ten years ago I purchased the  software program LDS Family History Suite 2  where I found this  picture with the 'Folklore' explanation of how Ophir got it's  name. 
Hilarious !!  I'm so glad I saved it because after searching the internet the top picture is no where to be found.
If only Ellen Maria kept a
 journal on;  
My Life Living in Ophir, Utah.
Information and Pictures about Ophir


Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Charles Jr. had a Life Insurance Policy!

"S. L. City, June 4th, 1872
"I take pleasure in making known to the public that my husband, Charles Kidgell, Jr. deceased, had his life insured in the Mutual Life and Savings Society of the United States, organized in this city, Hon. Frank Fuller, President; and I desire to return my sincere thanks to the company for their promptness in paying the policy of $3,000 previous to its failing due.  
"Sarah A. KIDGELL."


Monday, March 21, 2011

One Lovely Blog Award

Two weeks ago I was given this award by Nancy My Ancestors and Me and I don't want anymore time to go by without saying Thank You!
There are rules to excepting this award and that's what's been slowing me up!  I am to send this award to 15 other bloggers that I find.  I am working on this.  But, in the mean time I do appreciate being noticed by another blogger.  Who learns more by doing a Genealogy Blog?  Me of course!
I love to do research and to help others to search out their Ancestors. Thank You again and Nancy I do enjoy reading your blog!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

1872; A difficult year for Sarah Ann Kidgell.

1872 is a Leap Year.  President Ulysses S. Grant would be re-elected as President of the United States.  Yellowstone is established as the worlds first National Park, and 
the first color photograph is created. 
 The Kidgell family start the new year with a newborn son, Fred and their four other children; Ellen Maria, she is seventeen and in a year will marry Joseph Bithell. (30 Dec 1873), son William is twelve and will be thirteen in July, son James is ten, and daughter Sarah Ann (my great-grandmother) is seven and will be eight in March.  Charles and Sarah Ann are grateful, knowing they are very blessed to have these children and know how delicate life is after loosing four small children; such heartache.  
Charles's father Charles Sr. is no longer living in their neighborhood; he and his wife Ann have moved to Kansas to be with members of the Reorganized LDS Chruch. 
 Charles's sister Caroline Higson and family still live in the neighborhood, also 
Sarah Ann's mother and father,  Edward and Maria Cashmore are living next door.  Life in general is good but, oh how a 'moment in time' can change everything. 

( From Kidgell and Cashmore Histories sent to me 3 March 2011  from D. Gedge, descendant of Fred Kidgell) 
"Charles is brought home in great pain from being kicked in the chest by a horse. 
This wouldn't have been a quarter horse that did the kicking--this would have
 been a draft horse.  One must remember that there were
 no miracle drugs available to help fight pneumonia.  
It would only take a few days for the inflammation to have the upper hand."  Charles is only thirty eight years old!


One year before (24 April 1871)  Charles's death he received his Patriarchal Blessing, given by John Smith.  (Sarah Ann was also given a Blessing)  He was faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the very end. My feelings of great great grandfather Charles Kidgell Jr. are he was a loving and supportive husband to Sarah Ann and a great father to his children.  

Deseret News
Obituary
May 1, 1872
"Died ----In this city, on the 25th [22] instant, after one week's illness, of inflammation of the lungs, Charles Kidgell, Jr. Born Aug. 29 [21] in 1832 Birmingham, England.  Bap. Apr. 1852. Arrived in this city, Sept 5 1855.  Lived and died in the full faith of the Gospel." 


This isn't the end of Sarah Ann's grief.  Four months later a diphtheria epidemic broke out in the area.  Sarah's two sons William and James contracted the disease.  One can imagine how Sarah Ann with the help of her mother desperately cared for the young boys day and night fervently praying for their recovery.  I suspect, daughter Sarah Ann  was also very sick because written on the back of a picture I have of Great grandmother (Sarah Ann) states it was "taken after being sick for a year."     
The younger son James Edward will die first followed fourteen days later by William Henry. 


In my possession are two acrostic's written by Francis Tuft Whitney to help comfort Sarah Ann and Ellen Maria.  I have no idea how Brother Whitney knew the Kidgell family.  He lived in Parowan, Utah which is over two hundred miles from Salt Lake City.  
   To refresh your memory; an acrostic is a composition usually in verse in which sets of letters (as the initial or final letters of the lines) taken in order form a word or phrase.  In this case the acrostic's begins with letters;
   S A R A H  A N N  K I D G E L L                    J O S E P H  J A M E S  K I D G E L L   
This is my great grandmother Sarah Ann Kidgell Hepworth  b1864-d1947

I will close this post with the words of great great grandfather Charles from his letter dated 17 June 1853 (posted earlier) " I feel to praise my God that he rose up a prophet and established his church and kingdom and I have had the opportunity of embracing the gospel and I know that it is the Church and Kingdom of God and besides it  there is no other."   

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Ninth child Fredrick Cashmore Kidgell

My favorite cake is coconut!
     Is it Fredrick or just plain Fred I ask myself.  All the records I have seen (minus a birth record) is just 'Fred' but, for some reason you think he must have been given the more 'formal' name.  Fred is the ninth child of Sarah Ann and Charles born just before Christmas day.  My great-grandmother Sarah Ann would be seven years old and I'm sure she felt this newborn to be a wonderful Christmas gift for their family.   
When he was a young boy, it really made him happy when his mother or sisters made a coconut layer cake.  At school one day they were going to have a picnic, and each child was to bring something for the lunch, then put the food altogether. [A potluck lunch]  His sisters [Ellen and Sarah Ann] made him a coconut layer cake.  They dressed him in a little velvet suit with short pants and sent him on his way with the coconut layer cake.  When he arrived at the party he just didn't want to put his cake with the rest of the food, so he climbed up a tree and sat there and ate the cake.  No one could get him to come down.  (Story written my his daughters, Melba K Gedge and Stella Lily K. Olsen)