My Beautiful Mom; She would be 98 Today.

Verona Shirley Perrins Tomlinson  Today she would be Ninety Eight Years Old.

130 years ago today, James Hepworth and Sarah Ann Kidgell were married.

     It is happening, Yeah! Just recently I received two pictures from  a fourth double cousin Kathy, whose second great grandparents are John and  Frances Hepworth. I have been hoping for pictures to come forth so I can compare the likenesses between the Hepworth double cousins.  Kathy sent me a picture of the John Hepworth's  butcher shop and 'Jim Hepworth'  is standing in front which you can guess I cropped him out to put next to 'Jim' Hepworth my great grandfather. What do you think?  Yes, I do think they resemble one another.
I have posted this picture of  Great Grandfather before so you might read again about what I wrote about him. 
                                                   James Fletcher Hepworth 

     GGrandfather James's cousin James is about three and a half years younger. Both boys are the fifth child born into the Hepworth families. And, both are butchers by trade. 
     Cousin James did not marry and only lived to be twenty eight years old.  I have not been able to find his exact birth date; only his death information which states he was born in Nov 1860 and died 21 Sep 1887 in Anaconda, Montana.  Hopefully more information will come forth about cousin James. How did he die?  Why was he in Montana?

     When G Grandfather James Fletcher was born he had four older siblings.  Julia-six years old, Samuel -4, Mary Ann -3, and Thomas -  almost 2.  Little Thomas dies just five months after James is born.

     James marries Sarah Ann Kidgell when he is  twenty five years old.  Sarah Ann is eighteen. 
 

  

One Hundred and Thirty Years Ago Today

James Fletcher Hepworth  and Sarah Ann Kidgell  30 Nov 1882

 They were married "in the Home of Thomas Hepworth."  

Witnesses were:  J.W. Jenkins

           Peter Olson [brother-in-law]

Thomas Hepworth 

Episcopal Bishop Daniel S. Tuttle

BY  Daniel S. Tuttle   

 
      I even have the picture of the 'Bishop' who married them.  However, he is not an LDS Bishop but a Bishop in the Episcopal Church.  This man was well known in the Salt Lake Area.  For many years he was a traveling Episcopal Bishop going from State to State.  James and Sarah  were baptized into the LDS Church and they continued to attend the LDS Church throughout their lives.   James's mother Mary stopped going to  the LDS Church and attended the St. Mark's Episcopal having her last three children baptized there.  His father Thomas stayed in the LDS Church but was not active.  So I am guessing it was Mary's idea to be married at the house and under the condition they be married by Bishop Tuttle.  More about Bishop Tuttle:    about D.S. Tuttle
    
      Oh so many questions.  How was the house decorated?  How many guests attended?  What did Sarah Ann wear?  Did they go on a honeymoon?  Just when did they live in the house next door to Thomas and Mary at 757 W 1st North [now 2nd North]?  Was it ready for them to move in or at a later date?

     James and Sarah live in Utah until about 1917 when James goes to Albion, Idaho to work in the Butcher Shop until his death in 1944 at the age of eight seven. It was a few years later that Sarah joins him in Albion.  She dies at the age of eight two in 1947.

     The journey begins in the life of James Fletcher and Sarah Ann Hepworth. 

Renée

 
         

Two Families -Twenty Four Children - Nineteen Children Live to Adulthood.

     Here are pictures of the Hepworth couples. Take the beard off of  Great Great Grandfather Thomas (top left) and ( I would say) he's was in his late thirties, maybe in his early forties.  This is the only picture I have of Thomas I have more pictures of  Great Great Grandmother Mary when she is older and will post at a later date.

     This picture of John and Frances A. I found in the Salt Lake Newspaper reporting about their fiftieth wedding anniversary.  ( I did a happy dance)  John was seventy eight years old and Frances A. was seventy two when this picture was taken.  I hope to find more pictures of this family to compare with my pictures (I gratefully  have) to see similarities between these double cousins.   
 
 Mary gave birth to thirteen children and eleven reached adulthood. 
     Frances A. gave birth to eleven children and eight lived to adulthood.  The family group sheet I found for John and Frances in 2010 listed nine children.  In my research of this family I found two more children not listed.  Found were Samuel, the first child and Elizabeth the last child.   Several of the children's names in both families were very similar:  As listed below.

Thomas and Mary's children:                              John and Frances A's children

• Sarah Julia                                                      Samuel
• Samuel                                                           John Fletcher
• Mary Ann                                                      Julia
• Thomas                                                          Frances Amelia
• James Fletcher                                                James
• Emma                                                            Mary A. 
• Cattharn                                                         Maria
• Jane Elizabeth                                                Charlotte
• Frances Amelia                                              Sara
• Eliza                                                               David
• Rose                                                              Elizabeth
• Joseph
• Alice                                                   

     I wonder if the two families had Thanksgiving's together?   I have found many newspaper articles about these families and no mention of the other family. 

 

Renee

Hepworth Families Cross the Plains

     This is Sarah Julia Hepworth the first child of Thomas and Mary Hepworth. She was named after Thomas's mother Sarah and Mary's mother Julia.  Sarah was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England and was fifteen months old when the Hepworth Families started their trek across the plains
     It took two months and nine days to cross the ocean from Liverpool to New Orleans.  From there they would go to Council Bluffs, (also referred as Council Point) Iowa to prepare to cross the plains. Thomas and John being city folk, I'm sure would need instruction on how to 'drive' the four oxen that would pull their wagon that the two families shared.  Two cows were purchased.  They would be at Council Bluffs for three and a half months leaving on 5 Jun 1852 with the John Tidwell Company. 
     The information I have comes from "Trail Excerpt" that others have written about this trek across the plains. Several journal entries mention the Hepworth family.  The one I will be quoting from is the George Kirkman Bowering journal.  It is one of the best journals of all 'trek's across the plains' I have read.  John Tidwell Company 1852 Trail Excerpt's  
     
     By now Mary and her sister Frances Amelia were at the advanced stages of their pregnancy's.  I can just imagine the discomfort and anxiety of these two women. Cholera is a big concern among the Saints and many of the Hepworth's traveling companions that crossed the sea safely only to have died of Cholera in the Council Bluffs camp.  Also, remember the tragedy of the steamboat Saluda explosion when again Saints they knew would be affected of this awful event.  (See post "Hepworth family lose sight of the shore".)  They  must have been grateful to have one another being so far away from home.  I'm sure all were grateful for their safety and health at this point. 
     The day before leaving Council Bluffs, Frances Amelia gives birth to a son who is named John Fletcher Hepworth. Picture below of John at about seventy years of age.     Thanks to Gina who lives in California.  She is the wife of my third cousin and  posted this picture on facebook.  I have cropped it and will post the full picture at a later date.  This is John and Frances Amelia's second son.  Their first son born Aug 1850  in Barnsley, England died seven months later of pneumonia.  He was named Samuel.  This follows the English pattern of naming children.  "The first son was named after the father's father."

  It is reported "Thomas Hepworth, 6 in family, one wagon, four oxen, two cows, two men fit for duty." On  5 Jun 1852 they set out on their long awaited journey    Below are the RULES of the camp. 

   

The wagons are divided into groups of fifty and the Hepworth's are in the group headed by Captain Thomas Robbins.   On 7 June the story goes ".......(while in Kanesville, just outside of Council Bluffs) some heavy showers of rain which continued more or less the afternoon, this caused the roads to be muddy, to mend the matter there were many old tree stumps, and sidling places to pass as Father Watton was passing round on of these places with our(Bro. Bowering is writing about this)  wagon it slipped part of the way down the bank of a kind of slew, that ran in the middle of the road, it had to be propped up until some of the luggage was took out.  In company with us was Thomas and John Hepworth with their wagon, they took their wagon past and came to render us assistance in taking our luggage and getting up the wagon, during this a heavy show of rain."  They went a few more miles through mud and water and had to climb a steep hill having to "double team."   They would camp near by the steep hill near timber and it was "very cold."  

     Almost one month later  to the day Mary has her baby, a boy they name Samuel.  On Sam's records throughout his life the birth place is recorded as Council Bluff, Pottawatomie, Iowa.  But in the journal of Mr. Bowering he writes; " July 3rd Saturday.  This morning went 11 3/4 miles arrived at Wood River 12 ft. wide, one foot deep, plenty of timber and a good place to camp.  Banks descending steep and some soft-but good going out.  The road now generally runs from one to two miles distant from the main Platte.  165 3/4 miles from W Qrs. 865 1/2 from GSL.  We had to stay sometime until the Seventh Company had crossed.  At this place the Wife of Thomas Hepworth gave birth to a fine Son.  In about two hours we all got safe over the river. ............."

This certainly supports in the "Life History of Thomas and Mary Hepworth"  by Leroy Brown 

"The wagon train stopped for three hours until the baby was born......." 

     On 2 Sep it is reported......."one cow belonging to Thomas Hepworth lost.  [We] traveled about sixteen miles camped near Black's Fork 6 rods wide 2 feet deep.  Good chance to camp, and a nice place though not much timber.  Had not been long in camp before Thomas Hepworth came in bringing his lost cow."   OH My, such persistence and determination whichs sound familiar in the Tomlinson family. 

     The following list of 'naming the wagons' is one of the most entertaining reading's of Pioneer Journals I have come across.   Just days away from reaching the Salt Lake Territory on 3  Sep 1852  the Capt. Rogers  group of wagons were again divided into two parts.  Hepworth's remaining with Captain T. Robbins.  It was decided to name the wagons.  Note number twelve. 

     When I read about "The Snapping Turtles"  these thoughts went through my mind.  Were they disagreeable just with each other or with everyone? After all they are brothers and sisters and had they just 'had it' with one another?   It was a few years ago when I read this and it awoke my interest so much about the John Hepworth family I spent one year doing research on this family.  After all, the descendants of the Thomas and John are double cousins. Never have I or my cousin Ardyth heard any mention of this family from our grandmother.   I have lots of old pictures of second great-grandfather and mother Hepworth, would the descendants of the John and Amelia Frances have pictures as well?  After my year of newspaper search  2010 I have found lots of information and  I did find and make contact with a descendant of the John side of the family who lives in Salt Lake but, unfortunately does not have information on her second great grand parents.   

     On 15 Sep 1852 the Hepworth's entered the Great Salt Lake Territory. Thomas and Mary may have settled at the Point of the Mountain to farm but, maybe for only a short time because in the 1856 State Census lists Thomas and family are in Tooele Co. in a small settlement named ET after Ezra Taft Benson who built a saw mill there.  Ezra was in the same wagon train as the Hepworth's.  This friendship may be why the Thomas Hepworth  were in Tooele Co. until 1860 when they moved into Salt Lake City according to the 1860 US Census.   Thomas started  butcher shop named "Thomas Hepworth and Sons."  John and Frances Amelia settled in  Salt Lake City, he also worked at a butcher shop just off Main street. 

Stay Tuned....... 

Renée

     

Hepworth's in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England

                                                                                                                                   The red area on the map of  England  is where Barnsley is located in the County of Yorkshire where my Hepworth ancestors lived for many generations. 

     When great-great grandfather Thomas and brother John left England  in 1852.  Both parents were living as well as two more brother's, James and William and a sister Sarah.
  Their father Samuel was born on 12 Feb 1793 in Barnsley. At this writing I don't have a confirmed birth date for mother Sarah.  Sam  married Sarah Jackson on 25 Jun 1820.  With great excitement I found the digital image of their marriage entry.  This record doesn't give the occupation of Samuel (a butcher) or the age of  Sam and Sarah or who their father's were. There is a Thomas Jackson as a witness but,  I don't know how he is related to Sarah.  What's so valuable about this record is their signatures.  Which means they were educated.  (Found on Ancestry.com)

.

  

     Added to my joy is this digital image record of a marriage of Samuel's parents John Hepworth  and Anne Johnson,(grandparents to Thomas and John) married 10 Jun 1789 in Barnsley.
This record does mention the occupation of John, (a) Butcher.  That makes three generations of Butchers that I have found.   And, take note of the signatures.  Priceless.

     Familysearch.org and Ancestry.com  are the two internet sites I search for English Records for my Ancestors.    Family Search is free where Ancestry costs $300.00 a year.  The best thing about Family Search is it keeps Ancestry improving to keep ahead, which is the reason digital  images of records can be found on Ancestry where only the text information is found on Family Search.  There are some selected records in digital images on FS but, Ancestry is best.  I'm very grateful.

Renée

Tried and true since 1972 Pennsylvania Pumpkin Cookies

                     Another Halloween and only one Halloween Tradition is left in the Petersen household. Gone by the wayside is carving eight or nine pumpkins into the many faces of jack-0 lanterns to make a Pumpkin Totem Pole. 
     Baking Pennsylvania Pumpkin Cookies I still do; a recipe given to me by a neighbor when we lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania a borough of Pittsburgh.  Since 1972 I have baked these cookies only at Halloween time.  I give them to my neighbors (instead of cookies at Christmas; they love it.) and the last few years I bake about 175 cookies for the high school students of daughter Nicole who teaches English at Southridge in Kennewick.  (They love them too.)
     Last week I tried doing something different with the recipe by adding more spices other than cinnamon like cloves, nutmeg and ginger.  I got this idea from a recipe I saw on Pinterest.  Not a good Idea. Yesterday, I spent the day baking and frosting over two hundred cookies using the tried and true original recipe.   This is the best recipe ever.  

Happy Halloween!        Renée

More information of families left behind.

        Mary and Frances Amelia's parents were James Fletcher and Julia Lightfoot.  James was born on 16 Feb 1807.  

Birthday for James I found using FamilySearch.org  on a Christening record that records his birth date and christening date which you don't always find both dates on such a record. Always happy when this happens.   His christening occurred at Saint Peter Church in Liverpool, England on the

 5 April 1807.  

     Julia's  birth date is not exactly known.  It was just in the last year that I found her maiden name of Lightfoot.  Yeah!  

I have found a christening record for a Julia Lightfoot for the date 1 Feb 1801 and listed only one parent, William Lightfoot.  If this is her, she would have been twenty five when she married James who is nineteen.  

Below is James and Julia's record of marriage.  

 This record is from the Church of St. Anne, in the Parish of Liverpool and County of Lancaster in the year 1826 reads like this:

James Fletcher of this Parish, Painter and Julia Lightfoot of this Parish, Spinster were married in this Church by Banns with consent of _______(blank)________________ this twenty ninth day of

June  in the year of One Thousand eight hundred and twenty six 

by me Wm. Blundell Minst. 

This Marriage was solemnized between us James Fletcher Julia Lightfoot

in the Presence of  Charles Fletcher, Lydia Saulby. 

It's always a thrill to see signatures of my very own 

Great Great Great Grandparents. 

Both can write their names which means they were educated. 

It is hard to make out the J in  Julia.  To me it looks like maybe the pen skipped or it didn't copy well.  I see the same Minister that married James and Julia married James's parents Samuel and Ann Fletcher who are (I'm guessing) dead by 1826.

The witnesses Charles Fletcher I do not have information if he is a brother to James or an Uncle and Lydia I have no clue who she is. 

I'm quite sure Julia dies before 1841; I have found an indexed record in the year 1840 for a Julia Fletcher in Liverpool. I  would need to send for the original record to know for sure.  It should list her husband's name and occupation.  

In the 1841 English Census I found James Fletcher (Indexed as a Janet Fletcher)

a painter, with daughter Mary age nine living in Liverpool.  They are living  with another family named Scholey.     I beleive Frances Amelia who is about thirteen is working as a servant in another household. 

When Mary and Frances Amelia leave for America in 1852 it's a possibility their father James is still living.     

Next post:  Thomas and John's families who were left behind in England. 

Renée