Thank You

This past year has been a great one for the Utah North Company as we have celebrated our 60th anniversary. The purpose of this blog is to give a taste of what is available at the Alpine Relic Hall, and an idea of what we do in our camps plus give research tips for pioneer histories and ideas for Project: Oral History. Project: Oral History is active - feel free to post comments.

Please continue to enjoy the past pages and visit our website for further information. We hope you come visit the Relic Hall soon.

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/utahnorthcompany/

Then What? Part 10 BLM Homestead Applications Step Three of Three

Part 10: BLM Homestead Applications

Step One is how to search on the BLM site for a homestead application. This is a marvelous index.
Step Two is how to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps.
Step Three is how to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

Case Study:
This case study is for John McCormick Wiser who was an original settler in Alpine but left by 1860 for Cache County. Tracing an ancestor from each place they lived adds immensely to a history. Land records are vital to tracking migration.

Step Three  How to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

I want the patent image too so I click on the tab "Patent Image" and this is the result - No Image Available. The national BLM site doesn't have all the patent images. Sometimes for Utah this site has a patent image and sometimes it doesn't. However, the Utah BLM site does have them.

To get to the Utah BLM site go here: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en.html. On the far right Utah is displayed. On the far left is a list. To get to the search for patents click on the following steps: first click on Information Center, 2nd click on Online Services; 3rd click on Land; 4th click on Utah Land Records; 5th click on Search for Plats. 

The arrow above shows where to type in the Document Number. John M. Wiser is 655. The following image is of the results.

By clicking on the number 140n010e the Patent Image is displayed and can be saved or printed.

Last, to get a copy of the Master Title Plat that shows where each property is located go back to the search field. Instead of entering the Document Number go to the upper box and enter the Township and Range information. The following image is an example of how to do this.

The following image is the result of this search.

The last step would be to order the actual homestead application from the National Archives.

For further information on finding homesteads on maps check out Lisa Louise Cooke's webinar on Using Google Earth for Genealogy. She explains how to use earthpoint.us plus historical map overlays. This is a very valuable resource. [click here]

Pioneer Handmade Doll & Weaving Loom

These two delightful artifacts are a hand made 12" doll played with by Alpine pioneer children and a weaving loom. They can be found in the Alpine Relic Hall.

Margaret Vance McCullough Photo & Artifacts

 

From the Then What? Part 9 Margaret Vance married Thomas Jefferson McCullough on 28 November 1849. She and her husband are in the Jackson County, Tennessee 1850 census record listed as having been married within the year. Family records show their only child, Mary Elizabeth, was born in 1851 and died 9 months later in Iowa. She and her husband traveled in the John Tidwell Company arriving in Salt Lake City between 10-23 September 1852 along with her father, Lewis Reno Vance and her brother John Wesley Vance. Her father died en route. The McCullough's and John Wesley Vance moved to Alpine in 1852.

They were prominent citizens. Margaret was Alpine's First Relief Society President, a position he held for 34 years. Her husband, Thomas, was the first Mayor of Alpine and served in that position from 1855-1883.

In the Alpine Relic Hall are many artifact items from this couple: Artifact 504 - a deed from Thomas McCullough to Mary Watkins, Artifact 522 candle stick brought across the plains from Tennessee by Margaret, Artifact 578 Wooden Peg & Square Metal Nail used in the construction of their home diagonally across from the Relic Hall, Artifact 625 Margaret's stachel, and  Artifact 643 book "Lectures to Young Men" owned by Thomas and the cloth binding was woven by his wife Margaret Vance McCullough.
 

A Guide to Putting Your Family in Social Context

Italian-American Family History by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack

 Although this book covers Italian-American family history it can used as an example for any ethnic group experience. Specific details on how to put one's ancestor into social and historical context and where to find the information needed are given. At the end there is a writing example showing how to apply what has been shown in the book.

Then What? Part 10 BLM Homestead Applications Step Two of Three

Part 10: BLM Homestead Applications

Step One is how to search on the BLM site for a homestead application. This is a marvelous index.
Step Two is how to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps.
Step Three is how to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

Case Study:
This case study is for John McCormick Wiser who was an original settler in Alpine but left by 1860 for Cache County. Tracing an ancestor from each place they lived adds immensely to a history. Land records are vital to tracking migration.

Step Two How to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps. 

Montana State University made a graphic locator to easily find the latitude and longitude of a homestead found in the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Dakota. It can be found at this site http://www.esg.montana.edu/gl/trs-data.html.

John M. Wiser's homestead information is listed in the search fields. Click on submit and the following result will appear:

By copy/paste the latitude and longitude can easily be put in the search field on Google Maps. The exact location is now known to be right off Center St. in Lewiston, Utah. The green arrow shows where the coordinates are and the red A balloon the closet street address.

Cheese Cutter

This artifact is a cheese cutter used in the old Alpine Mercantile Co-op, A. Marsh & Sons Store, & the Burgess Store.

Temple View Camp

Picture of Mt. Timpanogos Temple by Caroltonaut at Flicr.com

There were two Daughters of Utah Pioneers (D.U.P.) camps in Alpine in 1993 called Mountainville and Alpine. It was decided to split the two camps and make four. Box Elder Peak and Temple View were the two new camps. Each camp had 7 to 8 people. The Temple View camp came close to being named Hog Hollow by only 1 vote. Their homes in Alpine have a great view of the Mt. Timpanogos Temple, hence, Temple View.

At first, they struggled to fill the board but now, they have over 30 ladies in their camp.This camp has fantastic lessons enjoying power points, puppet shows, and worksheets. They put on a luncheon each time with party favors. This close knit group always has room for more and are so friendly.

Then What? Part 10 BLM Homestead Applications Step One of Three

Part 10: BLM Homestead Applications

Step One is how to search on the BLM site for a homestead application. This is a marvelous index.
Step Two is how to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps.
Step Three is how to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

Case Study:
This case study is for John McCormick Wiser who was an original settler in Alpine but left by 1860 for Cache County. Tracing an ancestor from each place they lived adds immensely to a history. Land records are vital to tracking migration.

Step One How to search on the BLM site for a homestead application

Utah is a Federal Land State. For every ancestor who lived in Utah it is wise to search for a homestead application. If they owned property they could have owned a federal homestead grant and/or county lands. This post is about finding federal land records. Go to this website: http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/.

Click "Search Documents" and search fields will display.

One John M. Wiser is listed in the results. Click on him and the following page will appear:

 

The patent number is listed as the Document Nr: 655; the Township (Twp) and Range (Rng) are listed as 14 N and 1 E. His land is in Section 5. He received 160 acres in Cache County. Notice what the meridian is. 

To Learn More about Homesteads and Federal Public Land systems check out the following webinars that are free online:

U.S. Measurement and Distribution of Public Land States [click here]
Homestead Records [click here]
Sections, Ranges, and Townships [click here]

Painted Wooden Butter Bowl

This gorgeously painted bowl was used to hold the butter by Mary Loveless, mother of David Loveless. It can be found at the Alpine Relic Hall.

Henreka Hanson Beck

Henreka Hanson Beck was a quiet, unassuming woman, with a heart full of humility. She married her husband in Denmark in 1856 and was baptized in 1865. When she immigrated to America her children were ages 9, 5, and 1. She and her husband, Frederick Jacob Beck, had seven children:

Emma Dorothea 1857 Marr: Michael Sylvester McDaniel

Julius Conrad 1860 Marr: Rhoda Francis Vance

Janius Jacobsen 1864 Marr: Mary Jane Hamnett    

Fredrick  Jan 1868 - Dec 1871

Ella Henrietta 1871 Marr: Esdras Martin

Maria Francisnia 1873 Marr: Edward Clark Cayton 

Joseph Henry 1875 Marr: Nora Henefer

 

Then What? Part Nine Heritage Quest - Margaret McCullough petitions Congress

 Here is Utah everyone can access Heritage Quest Online through their local library. This is a large and helpful collection.

1) Census images can be found in the census search. There is a different index and type of search here than those used at Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.com. If you haven't found your ancestor on the other census records try searching here.

2) Over 28,000 family and local histories listed. This is a great place to start to find what has already been done by others. What is available for Utah?

3) PERSI Archive. Incredible is the word to describe it. Find articles in periodicals, in fact, over 2.3 million articles. This is an index. Once a desired article is found search the periodical lists at a local university or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City to get a copy. If not available, information is listed to contact Allen County Public Library who will copy the article for a small fee.

4) Revolutionary War records. At the side of the search field there is a button for learn more. A very lengthy description of what this database is and has is listed. Worth checking.

5) Freedman's Bank records.These are invaluable for finding information regarding an African-American Ancestor.

6) U.S. Serial Set. Did your ancestor petition congress for relief? This was a common thing. One can search by place, name, or keywords. The case study shows further information.

 Case Study for Heritage Quest Online

In the Place field "Alpine, Utah" is typed in.

 One result is found for Margaret McCullough.

 By clicking on her name the following field shows up:

By clicking on the Section 1 option above the original report is shown. The example is below:

 

This document has rich information in just a few paragraphs. Thomas J. McCullough served in the Mexican War from October 23, 1847 to July 31, 1848, his wife has a pension, his military rank and regiments are listed, as well as his marriage date.

When ordering the pension file from National Archives be sure to also obtain Thomas J. McCullough's service record, see if he was awarded bounty land, and most especially the final payment voucher. One can order using forms on the National Archives site. Perhaps a quicker and less costly way would be to hire a researcher in the D.C. area who is familiar with the records to obtain the files. I recommend two professional genealogy sites: Certified Genealogists or Association of Professional Genealogists.

Highland Camp

Highland Utah from The Timp Trail by Scott Barlow at Flickr

The Highland Camp began in 1982 with 15 women. Monthly meetings are rotated monthly at members homes and are eagerly attended. Refreshments are provided afterwards. They own and run the Highland Cabin on 10400 North at Heritage Park. Members of their group provide tours upon request. Further information is available on the cabin at the Utah North Company website. Click here to go to the website.

Then What? Part Eight Historical Context

Experts usually write articles about various subjects and publish them in magazines, journals, quarterlies, etc. These all fall under the category of periodicals. There are national periodicals, regional, state, county, family/surname, ethnic, historical, and many others.

Where to find them? Major repositories of periodicals can be found at a local university. Online JSTOR has a major holding of titles. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has a tremendous collection. Other libraries throughout the U.S. also have holdings. University libraries are exceptionally diverse in their holdings - and what they don't have can be inter-library loaned to them. For a short 11 minute video on finding periodicals click here.

Here is the website for the Western Historical Quarterly. This is an example of a regional periodical. To view the website click here

Universities publish periodicals. This one has an online index beginning in 1959. Often historical articles can be found helpful to research. If one has a subscription or is at the BYU Harold B. Lee Library they can see the original articles online, not to mention the actual collection in the Periodicals section of the library. Click here for the website.

Ethnic groups, religious groups, family groups, surname groups, and many others have periodicals. Journal of Mormon History is a great site because it's entire index is online click here.

Every state has a quarterly of some time, sometimes more than one. Utah Historical Quarterly and other publications are available in full text for free online. Check out the list below of content. In addition to the quarterly they have the Utah Centennial County History Series - full book - online, etc. Click here to go to the website.

Every state has periodicals. Utah, for instance, has The Utah Historical Quarterly. It is online for free. There are articles about land records, court records, tax laws, prison experience, occupations, locations, mining and many other topics. Click here to go to the website.

 

Case Study Historical Context

Joseph Howell Evans went  to prison for polygamy. There are several articles in the Quarterly about the prison, photos, every day life, and details. One detail is that Rudger Clawson was the first prisoner for polygamy. Joseph H. Evans the second. They were bunk mates. Rudger kept a journal, so looking for his journals would also prove fruitful in obtaining further information on the details of Joseph H. Evans' life.

"Mason" Beck

Frederick Jacob Beck, as a bricklayer, acquired the nickname of "Mason Beck." He served a five year apprenticeship to learn his trade. Born 13 February 1831 in Flad, Hjorring, Denmark to Jacob Beck and Dortha Christensen. He served in the War of 1864 between Denmark and Germany. He and his family immigrated to the United States from Hamburg to New York on the ship S.S. Kenilworth from 25 May 1866 - 16 July 1866. The ship caught fire three times en route and was condemned at New York. Afterwards they traveled by rail to Nebraska where they joined the Joseph S. Rawlins Wagon Company. In 1868 they moved to Alpine and Frederick practiced his trade of brick layer as well as being a farmer. He served several times on the City Council.

Honey Bee Camp

Honey Bee Blooms by Inkie mama at Flickr

The Honey Bee Camp began in 2012. One industrious member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers asked her friends and neighbors to form a group and they are going strong. This delightful group of women enjoy the monthly program with a luncheon afterwards.

Then What? Part Seven Occupational Records

There are three super free collection databases to use when doing any kind of research: WorldCat, Google Books, and FamilySearch Catalog.

Case Study:

Joseph Howell Evans, from census and court records, was listed a blacksmith on Temple Square and at City Creek Canyon. Play with the search terms. Utah Blacksmith brings up 359 hits. The 2nd one fits the pioneer time period. Worth looking into. One of the best things about this database is that is contains many university and historical society databases. In addition to topics one can search by name. It is worth scrolling through all the hits. An advanced search can be done to limit the number of hits.

Google Books pulls up a biography for an Alpine, Utah blacksmith by the name of Benjamin Bates. Many of the books are in the public domain. By clicking the tool symbol to the far right (not pictured) you can download the entire book in .pdf form.

There are a number of ways to search the FamilySearch catalog for occupational records. The first choice, perhaps, would be to search by place. For example, Utah, Salt Lake, Salt Lake City - Occupational. The example below covers Blacksmiths in Utah. By doing a subject search the following book pulls up. There are several entries within it for Joseph H. Evans.

Thomas Hemingway Photo

Thomas Hemingway born on 11 November 1790 in West Hallan, Derbyshire, England died on 9 May 1872 in Alpine, Utah. He had such a desire to come to Utah, but his wife, Martha Levious, was afraid to cross the ocean. In 1864, he left his wife in England and set out alone at age 74 walking hundreds of miles. He came to Alpine and stayed with his daughter, Mary Hemingway Healey (wife of John Healey.) In 1872 Thomas and his wife died within six weeks of each other. She in England and he in Alpine.

Parents: William Hemingway and Hannah Taylor

Children:
William (born 1819)
Thomas, Jr. (born 1821) married Martha Robinson
Robert (born 1823 - died 1829)
George (born 1826) married Ann Healey
Mary (born 1829) married John Healey
James (Joseph) (born 1832)
Samuel (born and died in 1835)

Then What? Part Six Researching Utah Newspapers

Utah Digital Newspapers is the first place to go when looking for historical newspapers. 

There are more than 85 different newspapers scanned and available on the Utah Digital Newspapers Site. One of the largest statewide papers is the Deseret News. As of today's date they cover 1850-1910. A rival newspaper was the Salt Lake Tribune. The time period currently covered is 1871-1919. Of the 29 counties in Utah, currently 27 are represented in some way on this website and it is still growing.

To know what newspapers are available for a particular state and place the best overall index is the Library of Congress Chronicling America site:

Click on the pink US Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present button. There are search options for state, county, and even city. For Utah they list 593 papers. After clicking on the newspaper title then click the holdings button at the bottom of the page. Locations of where the newspaper is held either in original or microfilm appear. Be aware, this list is not entirely up to date or complete. To track a newspaper one of the best places to start is at the public library. They usually know, or even check with the local university library.

For example, Lehi Free Press. The holding dates are few. By researching this newspaper and making many phone calls it has been found that the original newspapers are at the Lehi Public Library in bound volumes. They can be viewed by appointment. Brigham Young University (BYU) has a microfilm copy from 1951-1999. Yet, the microfilm isn't complete. The years 1953 and 1954 are missing. By using microfilm and original newspapers all the years can be found and searched. Unfortunately it isn't digitized which means viewing it page by page. A search of American Fork Citizen and Pleasant Grove Review also reveal that BYU has major microfilm holdings for these papers as well.

Other Online Newspaper Locations for Utah

Google Newspaper Archives has Deseret News articles http://news.google.com/newspapers  including more current ones. It also have many other newspapers. This is free site. Be aware that often the obituaries are frequently not here. The Deseret News editions in full are on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City as well as Universities, Public Libraries, Genealogical Societies, and Historical Societies. If you cannot find the obituary you want, search the newspaper on microfilm.

NewspaperArchive.com has a large collection for Salt Lake Tribune and the Daily Herald. Again, be aware that not all collections are complete. For example: researching in Alton, Illinois the obituaries I wanted did not come up. However, the Hayner Library in Alton has the complete collection and produced the obituaries. It is important to always find out about the collections and indexes you are searching. NewspaperArchive.com can be accessed for free at the Family History centers in Alpine Tabernacle, Mt. Timpanogos right across the street from the Mt. Timpanogos Temple, and probably the Highland FHC in the South Stake Bldg. Also the Family History Library at BYU as well as the Family History Library in Salt Lake City have these websites. A great place to get a multiple newspapers subscription for a good deal is at Godfrey Memorial Library.

GenealogyBank.com also has some holdings for Utah Newspapers. It is currently quite small.

 

BYU Harold B. Lee Library Digital Collections  The Millenial Star click here is located in Mormon Publications 19th and 20th Centuries collection. This is an important collection for those men who served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church to England and the British Isles. These men often were reported about or sent in letter reporting their missions. This information can greatly add to a history.

Case Study for Utah Newspapers

A search for Joseph Howell Evans in the Utah Digital Newspapers (click the exact search box) produced the following results:


1) Joseph Howell Evans  0
2) Joseph H Evans          44
3) Joseph Evans              507  (This is such a common name that this list would not be very fruitful)
4) Joe H Evans               0







A search for Joseph Howell Evans narrowed to Utah at NewspaperArchives.com produced the following results:

1) Joseph Howell Evans 4
2) Joseph H Evans         23
3) Joseph Evans            4,160
4) Joe H Evans              1
These search produced hits up to current time period. To be actual it would need to be limited to the time period desired.

A search for Joseph Howell Evans in the Millenial Star Newspaper Collection using quotation marks produced the following results

1) Joseph Howell Evans  0
2) Joseph H Evans          17
3) Joseph Evans              17 
4) Joe H Evans                0 

George Clark Photo

George was the husband of Catherine featured last week. As one of Alpine's pioneers he cleared brush, plowed and planted, some days only with an onion, salt, and bread for his dinner. He would go to church bare-footed when he couldn't afford shores. He was loved by the young people for his outdoor amusements and games. He build a lovely rock home on 2nd North and 2nd East and his fruit orchard went up 2nd East to the cemetery. He later served as Mayor of Alpine, also served as city councilman, road supervisor, and water board member. He was Superintendent of the Sunday School.

CHILDREN:

Frederic Charles 1851 Marr: Angelia Vance

Sarah Ann 1853 Marr: David Stoker McDaniel

Mary Ellen 1856 Marr: Edwin Okey, Jr.

Charlotte Elizabeth 1859 - 1859

Willard Oliver 1862 (Died 22 Aug 1863 while crossing plains)

George Alfred 1864 - 1867

James Alvin 1869 - 1872