Ancestor stories

Last week we went to the Murray City Cemetery with sph-1 and Gertrude and her kids. It was an unseasonably warm May day (for Utah...upper 80s), but the kids did great, gathering around Gramma as she shared stories about our ancestors who are buried there.



I don't ever remember going to this cemetery before, so it was special to me to visit the graves of both sets of grandparents (Allen and Bertha Rose, Allan and Ivy), some great-grand parents (Grandpa P's parents:Martha and Hilmer), great-great-grandparents (Martha's parents: John and Eliza), and a great-great-great-grandmother (Eliza's mother: Keziah). There is also our Cousin Brian and as well as some S-beck relatives here. As we gathered around each grave Gramma told stories about the individuals, either from personal experience or family history. Here, Buddy is identifying all the letters on the headstone (he was delighted to recognize the word "NO" in Pearson!)

In this picture the kids listen as Gramma tells about her parents. Both Buddy and I-guy were impressed that Grandpa Pearson got to carry a gun while riding a train. And it was interesting to hear about how Grandma Pearson used to give free haircuts (she didn't have a hair cutting license) until she took the test years later and found out she really had known what she was doing all along!

Other things that we learned about our relatives include: Keziah was married at age 14! And she named one of her daughters Eliza Snow (Richards). She (Eliza) and her husband John started a store (we seem to have shopkeeping in the blood!) And their son Hilmer (sph-1 and sph-2 and betty boop's grandpa) lived to be 101! The kids were also interested to hear about Grandpa Hen's farm...but sad that he didn't raise pigs along with the cows and sheep he raised! There are more stories that I can't seem to remember right now (I knew I should have been taking notes!)

What other stories do you know about these ancestors?

It will only take a day!

That's what we hoped. Now it's a month later and it still isn't finished! The sprinkler system, that is. We started back in April and we're still working on it, but at least it's not an "every free minute working on it" thing... now it's an hour here and hour there. We have yet to hook up the timer/controller box, but that will hopefully occur this week!

We had wonderful help from Big D's twin (who dug the "hole to China"), Daddy -o(who has helped with everything, and is helping put the controller box in--I hope!), Peggy(who was still able to keep her manicured nails nice!), Semaj (thanks again for the tools), our good friends Paul (who helped with everything from the giant hole, to trenches and pipes) and Melody (who helped keep a certain Sweet toddler from disappearing into trenches!), and others who lent tools, expertise as well as backs and legs to help with the whole project. Once we get the sod laid in the back yard (slated for Saturday) our very own "back yard makeover" should be finished! It will be nice to enjoy the yard instead of just slaving over it all the time! (Finished product pics to come soon!)