Tag: Cook

52W Mark III – Week 38: Symbol

I have many farmers in my family tree. Most grew crops, although a few practiced animal husbandry on a small scale as a small part of their farming activities. Several had cows, although not to such a degree that I would describe them as having cattle, which to me connotates something more like ranching.

Two of my direct maternal ancestors had their brands recorded in a register published by the Utah state legislature, published in the Book of Recorded Marks and Brands in 1874. It records all brands used in the Utah Territory from its establishment to 1874.

My Gx4 grandfather, William Burgess (1794-1880) used a brand that looked like a number “2” with a flourished serif and an arch above. William’s eldest son with his first wife, Harrison, also had a brand recorded in the book. Harrison’s brand, recorded on June 5, 1867, was a sideways capital “H”, placed on the right shoulder. Harrison also used a cropped ear mark, consisting of two “v” notches out of the upper side of the left ear.

William Burgess’s brand

On another branch of my maternal line, my Gx3 grandfather Henry Lyman Cook (1803-1869) has a brand recorded in the book, dated December 2, 1868. The brand was a capital “H” which was placed at the right jaw.

Henry Lyman Cook’s brand

I have also found a subsequent publication of this book, compiled in 1901. However, I have not found any family in that edition. William, Harrison, and Henry had all passed away by then. My more recent direct ancestors were not farming at that time, while others had left the state by then. Sometime I may have to look into what records there might be for brands used in Alberta, where many of these people had settled.

52W Mark II – Week 23: So Many Descendants

The theme for this week’s 52 Ancestors Challenge is “So Many Descendants”. The approach I’ve chosen to take is to look at immediate descendants – children only – rather than foray into who in my tree might have the most grandchildren and beyond.

That said, I will take a moment to note my great x10 grandfather, Dirck Jansz. Dirck is the furthest back I’ve traced my direct paternal line, “van der Fluit”. One of my projects has been to find all known descendants of Dirck, a project which of course is nigh impossible and will never finish. That said, I’ve found about 864 direct descendants of Dirck.

Onward and upward, Dirck.

Of course, the person with the most children in my tree is a father. My great great grandfather, Horace Burgess, had nineteen children. He had nine children with his first wife, my great great grandmother Sarah Cook. Their eight child, and youngest son, was Milton Leo Burgess, my great grandfather. After Sarah died, Horace remarried, to Julia Josephine Lundquist, with whom he had ten children.

The woman in my family tree who appears to have had the most children is Horace’s paternal grandmother, Violate Stockwell. Violate and my great x 4 grandfather, William Burgess Sr., had 12 children, including my great x 3 grandfather William Jr. Violate had her first child, Harrison Burgess, a year after she married William. Violate was 19-years-old when Harrison was born. Violate was 42 when her last child, Vilate, was born. There is a 22-year difference between Harrison and Vilate. In fact, Harrison had been married for two years when his youngest sister was born.

Forget about so many descendants – so many kids! I highly doubt Harrison was put to work helping his mother with his younger siblings. I’m willing to bet that task fell upon the eldest of his sisters, Rosina, who was four years younger than Harrison. Needless to say, times have changed. My mother absolutely put me, the eldest of five, to work helping her with the household and with my younger siblings. It certainly provided me with plenty of life skills I am grateful to have.

52W Mark II – Week 20: Bearded

For the 52 Ancestors Challenge, we’ve gone from Bald to Bearded.

What immediately comes to mind is a comment a cousin of mine made on Facebook quite a while ago. Despite appearances, he is quite the huge heavy metal fan.

I have family history albums on Facebook, organized by time periods. I uploaded some photos of some 19th and early 20th century ancestors. As was the style for the men at that time, many had a significant amount of facial hair. My cousin’s comment was: “Awesome – those are some pretty metal beards!”

So please enjoy these pretty metal beards (and a mustache).

Top Row: Henry Lyman Cook (Gx3 grandfather), William Burgess Jr (Gx3), William Burgess Sr. (Gx4). Bottom Row: John Alexander Nelson (Gx2), Robert Nelson (Gx3), Johannes Jansz “Jan” Pater (Gx2).

52W Mark II – Week 7: Outcast

While my mother is not Mormon, her paternal line is, having been connected with the Latter Day Saints almost since its inception. By some accounts, my great x4 grandfather, William Burgess, joined the church in 1832. However, there are church records stating that he joined the church and was ordained a deacon on April 6 1830 – the date the church was formally established. Despite this, I suspect that William’s ordination date may have been “backdated” and the accounts that he joined in 1832 are correct.

William Burgess (1794 – 1880)

The church was founded by Joseph Smith. his successor was Brigham Young. However, the transition in leadership was not seamless. Joseph had actually designated his brother Hyrum as his successor; however, Hyrum was killed by a mob along with his brother in 1844. This resulted in a leadership crisis within the church.

While Brigham Young quickly took control and the majority of the church came to support him in short order, several other church leaders continued to maintain their claims to leadership. Among other things, this resulted in the establishment of other, albeit smaller, denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement. Many church members, including my ancestors, were caught up in the chaos created by the power struggle and church schisms.

Susan Turple 1818 – 1906

On another branch of my mother’s paternal line is Susan Turple, my great x3 grandmother, who was born in Halifax in 1818. Susan, her mother, and several of her siblings joined the church in the late 1840s. Susan was baptised into the church in 1849.

However, in August 1851, Susan found herself excommunicated from the church, because she had aligned herself with one of the factions who were not backing Young. Her mother and her siblings shared in that experience. After confessing her “error”, Susan was rebaptized and rejoined the church in October 1851. However, her mother and siblings ultimately left the church. This led to estrangement from her family.

The next year Susan struck out on her own and emigrated to the United States, with the goal of joining the Mormon migration to Utah. By September 1852, Susan was in Salt Lake City, where she was an outcast no more. Within weeks of her arrival, she married Henry Lyman Cook, who was fifteen years her senior. Together they had four children, including Sarah Florilla Cook, my great great grandmother.