Family Tree

Although this says "Rosenberg Family Tree" it is the Cooper-Church lines.  Replace my mom's name with your parent or grandparent.  The print is also small and hard to read.  I hoped it would be more readable.

Sarah Ann Arterbury Church - Grandmother of Isabell Church Cooper

Sarah Ann Arterbury was the eldest daughter of Elias and Matilda Wallace Arterbury and was born on May 4, 1824, in Dallas County, Alabama. Her parents had been married on November 4, 1822, in Cahaba, Dallas County. Cahaba was the first state capital of Alabama. Both of Sarah Ann's parents died in Perry County - Elias on January 2, 1848, and Matilda on December 5, 1850.

Sarah Ann was taught the gospel by Haden Wells Church and was baptized on October 25, 1843. Haden was serving his first mission to Alabama at the time.

Sarah Ann married Haden Wells Church on December 19, 1844, in Perry County. The newly-weds were in Nauvoo on August 27, 1845 as Sarah Ann received a Patriarchal Blessing there on that date. They were each endowed in the Nauvoo Temple on January 9, 1846, and were sealed there on January 21, 1846 by "Prest. B. Young" with W. Richards and A.M. Lyman as witnesses.

Haden and Sarah Ann's first baby, Hyrum Smith Church was born in or near Nauvoo. At that time the Saints were being expelled and driven from their homes by mobs.

Haden enlisted in the Mormon Battalion and left his beloved wife and five-month old son to fare for themselves. Little is known about Sarah Ann and her baby, Hyrum, during their year of separation. Sarah Ann and her baby were members of the A.O. Smoot Wagon Company. The Smoot Company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on September 25, 1847, and it is assumed that Haden, Sarah Ann, and Hyrum spent the winter there together.

Sarah's husband was called on a mission to Great Britain from 1850-1852. The usual procedure was for the wife of the missionary to use her own ingenuity to provide for the needs of the family and to help support her husband while he was serving on his mission. Membership records of the Salt Lake Fourteenth Ward show that the Church family resided there from 1852 to 1860.

Haden served his third mission beginning in 1854. He returned around 1856. The 1860 Census listed Haden Wells Church as living in Salt Lake City with a household of eight with a real wealth of $600 and a personal wealth of $400. The eight living in the household would include Haden and Sarah Ann with their three children who were born before his third mission (Hyrum Smith, Haden Wells Jr., and Abraham Arterbury). Two more children had been added to the family following the third mission. Their only daughter, Paralee Amanda was born July 8, 1857, and the fourth son and final child, Robert Robbins, was born October 29, 1859. (The eighth member of the household was Catherine Gardner Church, a plural wife)

The next mission that Haden Wells Church and his family were called on to serve was to southern Utah. Because of the Civil War, President Brigham Young was worried that the sources for cotton supplies would be cut-off so he was determined to establish a "cotton mission" in St. George to make the Utah pioneers more self-sufficient. The prophet called 300 families to the Dixie Mission in St. George to promote the cotton industry. The Saints found out about this "call" as their names were read from the pulpit. Sarah Ann and her family had been living in the Salt Lake Valley for a period of 14 years and were quite comfortably settled.

President Young had seen the Dixie country in June and seemed to sense the problems that would arise from its settlement. So he called men and women who had already proven their dependability. Haden and Sara Ann Church filled this criteria. They and the rest of the Company were advised by their leaders "not to go on this mission unless they could go with whole hearts." The missionaries were told that their mission to raise cotton should be considered as important to them as if they were preaching the gospel among the nations of the earth. The wives were to go with their husbands "in the spirit of joy, cheerfulness and feel pleasure in going."

They arrived in St. George in December of 1861. By late February, 1862, the pioneers were able to move onto their selected lots to build permanent homes. The original plat map of St. George shows the Church Family Home to be Block 11 Plat A. The present address of this site is 35 West 100 South. This is one block south and about one-half block west of the St. George Tabernacle in downtown St. George.

Sarah Ann is fondly remembered in pioneer Dixie as one of the special mid-wife doctors. Her skills and services in this critically needed specialty are mentioned many times in the early historical records.

Haden Wells was called on another mission to Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia in 1969-1870. He was again called on another mission, his fifth in April of 1875, during General Conference. Six months later while faithfully fulfilling his missionary responsibilities, he died of typhoid fever at his former home in Shady Grove, Tennessee.

Sara Ann was described as a large woman, good-natured and a hard worker. She was a reliable woman, with great faith and charity. Her skills as a mid-wife sustained the family during her husband's missions.

Sarah Ann continued to live in St. George where she performed many unselfish labors of love and service for her family, her community, the Church and the Lord. The St. George Temple was dedicated in April 6, 1877, and she spent much of the remainder of her life laboring there. She died on July 29, 1889.

Part of her obituary read: "She was a faithful worker in the Lord's cause, and by means of her noble example, her kind and generous disposition and faithfulness in the discharge of her labors, she accomplished a great work both for the living and the dead. Sister Church was a woman of great force of character. She was a genuine Southerner, and possessed some of the best traits of character peculiar to that people, conspicuous among these were hospitality and self-denial. She died in the hope of a glorious resurrection together with her husband, having kept the commandments of God as made known to her."

(Biography taken from Haden Wells Church history compiled in 1991 by Hyrum B. Ipson)

Children of Sarah A. and Haden Wells Church:
Hyrum Smith Church (1846-1908)
Haden Wells Church (1848-1922)
Abraham Arterbury Church (1854-1916)
Paralee Amanda Church Miles (1857-1929)
Robert Robbins Church (1859-1915)

Her granddaughter, Sarah Ann is buried next to her.

The Utah Digital Newspaper Database

I have really enjoyed searching the old newspapers that are available on the Utah Digital Newspapers website.  I have mostly searched for news items that mentioned my mom and dad.  For example, in the Iron County Record I found a birth announcement for my father.  In the Garfield County News I found many articles telling about programs that my mom sang in and listed the song she sang.  Grandma Cooper used to sing in just about every funeral in town, and you can read her name in the many articles about funerals in Panguitch.  Aunt Gwen's name was listed as the pianist many times.  I found many obituaries of family members.  It is a really interesting source of history.

 One story I found was about the death and funeral of Gwen and Lynn Davis' 20 month old son that was run over by a delivery man backing out of the driveway near the Davis' home.  This happened July 28, 1938, on Grandma Cooper's birthday.  I had heard about this terrible accident many times.  You can read the article by clicking Here.

The Salt of the Earth - Fae Ann Cooper Rosenberg

Many people were not able to come to Mom's funeral so I am posting the talk my brother gave at her funeral.  Even if you heard it then, it's worth another read:

The Salt of the Earth
Some of you knew her as Fae Ann
Many of you called her Fae
Others knew her as Aunt Fae
Lots of kids remember her as Mrs. Rosenberg
Three of us were fortunate to call her Mom.

When I think of my mother, I think of love. In fact, she was the personification of love in my world. If you knew her well, you no doubt feel the same way.

Mom's life was all about love.

Mom loved fluffy white cats. Dad always pretended not to like them, but I think he was just a little jealous of the attention the cats got.

Dad didn't need to be jealous though, because Mom loved my dad and regularly mentioned how happy she was to be married to such a wonderful man.
She loved his dark wavy hair, and when dad turned gray, she loved that too. They had the happiest of marriages. I recall that they never argued in front of the kids and I never heard either of them raise their voices at one another. I'm sure they had their moments, but not in front of the kids. We were fortunate to grow up in a stable, and peaceful loving home.

Mom loved peace, and harmony in her home and in the world. Recently, when President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I mentioned that my mother would have been a more appropriate recipient. She hated seeing young men go off to war, because too many of her own friends never returned from battle.

My mother loved her children.
She always said that my older brother, Lynn, was the most beautiful baby anyone had ever seen. When Lynn got killed in a car accident in 1973 Mom was never quite the same. I'm sure that their reunion was a joyous occasion for both of them.

She loved her little curly-haired daughter, Karen, and made sure that her pretty little girl always looked just right. She frequently mentioned to me what a wonderful person Karen is, and how thankful she was for her.

I'm pretty sure that she loved me too.

Mom loved all of her five grandchildren, and enjoyed spending time with them more than anything else. She told me that Karen's oldest son, Lynn, named after my late brother, is the nicest young man she has ever known. Mom had a great sense of humor, and often mentioned how clever Jedd is. She was also impressed with Jedd's intelligence and ability to express himself. There was a special place in Mom's heart for Michelle. The two of them were fortunate to spend lots of time together, and developed a special bond between them.

My son, Mason, was special to Grammy too. She always said that he was the smartest little boy she had ever seen, and was thrilled that he was pursuing a career in music. I know she would have loved to see Mason's band play.

Grandma loved Kirsten too, and cherished every precious moment they were able to spend together. Last month, Mom taught Kirsten how to make Grandma's Famous Noodles, a favorite of kids and grand kids alike. On Christmas Eve, the day of Mom's death, we all shed a tear when Kirsten unwrapped a present that turned out to be a rolling mat for making Grandma's Famous Noodles.

I asked Mason what he remembers most about his grandmother, and he said,

"My favorite things I remember about Grammy are when she would sing and play piano for us and when she would make her homemade noodles."

She also loved her sons- in-law and daughter-in-law, and always made them feel loved, comfortable, and accepted - destroying the mother-in-law stereotype. She loved Karen's husband, and was crushed when he suddenly passed away at 44 years of age. When Karen remarried, Mom embraced Art with all of her love and acceptance. She loved my wife, Heidi as if she was her own daughter, and would confide in Heidi things she wouldn't even tell me.

There's a pretty little town in Southern Utah that played a special role in my Mother's early life. Mom loved PANGUITCH, and the people there so much. She always said the the finest people in the world come from Panguitch, and from my own experience, I wouldn't want to argue that point with her. Panguitch was her favorite place in the world, and always referred to it as home. The folks in Panguitch all remember Mom as Fae Ann, everyone's best friend.

Mom loved her schoolmates, and she looked forward to her regular class reunions in Panguitch. She said that her high school days were the most fun time in her life and I know that she cherished seeing her surviving schoolmates that she loved so much. They will miss her at their 2010 reunion. I'm so happy that Karen, Kirsten and I were able to take her to the reunion in 2009.

Mom was the youngest in her family, and grew up in a small house with two wild brothers, and four beautiful sisters who all adored their sweet baby sister. Mom loved her rowdy older brothers and had nothing but praise and adoration for them. She loved to hear Jim sing, and said that Grant was the funniest and most witty person she knew.

Mom loved her sisters too. Before Grace died, mom stopped by to see her whenever possible to visit her sister who spent the last part of her life crippled with arthritis. I remember the good times they had conversing for what seemed like hours to me, an energetic child.

Mom always said that Gwen was the most beautiful woman, and best mother there ever was. Gwen's husband, Lynn, was so beloved by my mother, that she named her first-born son in his honor.

Mom loved Jean. Mom has happily traveled great distances, to California, Arizona, Idaho, and Saint George to spend time with Jean. I remember how thrilled mom was when Jean moved to Tooele, and lived close bye for a short time.

Mom loved her sister Mae. They were fortunate to live in close proximity for many years. This closeness has afforded them many opportunities to get together. Mae and Mom were close to the same age, as were their children, therefore they had quite a bit in common, and our families shared many wonderful Thanksgiving dinners together.

Mom also loved the spouses and families of her brothers and sisters. She loved and accepted everyone, and genuinely enjoyed their acquaintance.

Mom loved her friends. She was always genuinely concerned about the well-being of her neighbors, and would do anything for them. She loved the good times they spent together, whether talking on the phone, playing pinochle, or attending Sons of Utah Pioneers' activities.

Mom loved music. There was always a song in her heart, or being quietly hummed or whistled as she went about her daily routine. Mom knew so many old-time songs, and now that she's gone, it's like a music library has burned down.

Everyone knows that mom loved to play the piano, but most folks are unaware that she was an excellent accordionist and even played clarinet and ukulele.

Mom loved to sing, and was honored to be one of the Joy Singers. Her angelic voice brought joy to every occasion. She loved singing with her grandchildren, and teaching her favorite songs to them.

She loved her job at West Elementary School where she worked as a teachers aid, librarian, and everyone's favorite class, music with Mrs. Rosenberg. The kids and faculty all loved her there.

In Conclusion:

My mother was the salt of the earth. Everything was a little bit better with her there. She made the bitter bearable, and the sweet even better.

I think it was David O McKay who said:

"Every person we come in contact with effects us to a greater or lesser degree."Those of us who have been fortunate to know my mother have been effected in the greatest degree. We are all better people for having known her. Her loving spirit has touched us all, and we will never forget her gracious life.

Haden Wells Church - Grandfather of Isabell Church Cooper

Haden Wells Church was born on August 29, 1817 in Franklin, Williamson County Tennessee. Haden's parents had moved from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and had gone 300 miles to Tennessee. It was in their newly established home that their first child, Haden Wells, was born. They had 7 more children while living there. Haden was in his teen years when the family moved a few miles westward to Shady Grove, Hickman County, where the 9th and last child of the family was born.

Mormon missionaries traveling through Tennessee met the Church family probably in the year 1840 or 1841. Haden embraced the Gospel in the early days. When the missionaries sang the first song, Haden knew they were speaking the truth and wanted to know more about what they had to say. Haden was 23 years old and not yet married. He traveled 400 miles to Nauvoo, Illinois to learn more. While he was there, he met the Prophet Joseph Smith and was baptized by him on April 5, 1841.

While serving his first mission to Alabama, he met and taught the Gospel to Sarah Ann Arterbury. She was baptized on October 25, 1843. She was the oldest daughter of Elias and Matilda Wallace Arterbury and was born on May 4, 1824, in Dallas County, Alabama.

Elder Church and his companion, Elder Brown held the first Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ever held in Alabama on February 10, 1844. At this time it was recorded that Elder Church baptized 45 new members.

On June 27, 1844, the missionaries were called back to Nauvoo after Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum had been martyred. Haden went back to Alabama about 6 months later where he married Sarah Ann Arterbury on December 17, 1844, in Perry, Alabama.

Elder Church and his new wife were endowed in the Nauvoo Temple on January 9, 1846, and were sealed there on January 21, 1846 by President Brigham Young with W. Richards and A.M. Lyman as witnesses. Their first child, Hyrum Smith Church, was born on March 9, 1846 in or near Nauvoo. At this time, the Saints were being expelled and driven from their homes by mobs.

While on the plains, Haden enlisted as a member of the Mormon Battalion. He left his wife and 5 month old son and marched westward. He was paid $7 a month and received a clothing allowance of $42. He was also given a rifle which he was allowed to keep once he was discharged.

After they were discharged they traveled to the Great Salt Lake Valley through harsh conditions. They suffered from hunger and many illnesses. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley just a few days after Brigham Young's original pioneer company. After arriving in the valley, one of the projects the battalion members were involved in was the construction of the Bowery. This was the first public building built in the Salt Lake Valley.

Sarah Ann and her baby traveled across the plains with the A.O. Smoot Wagon Train Company. They arrived in Salt Lake on September 25, 1847, and it is assumed that Haden, Sarah Ann, and Hyrum spent the winter there together. It was a severe winter and the people suffered many hardships. Their second child, Haden Wells, Jr. was born the following fall on September 8, 1848.

A year later Haden Wells was called on another mission. Elder Church and others were to go with Elder Franklin D Richards, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church and assist Elder Orson Pratt in the British Mission. The missionaries arrived in Liverpool on April 19, 1850. Elder Church served until February 1852, and was released to go home.

Membership records of the Salt Lake Fourteenth Ward show that the Church family resided there from 1852 to 1860. It was during this time that Haden was sealed to three of Sara Ann's deceased sisters with Sarah Ann acting as proxy for Martha Jane Arterbury, Rebecca Caroline Arterbury, and Mary Louisa Arterbury. These sealings were in the Salt Lake Endowment House. Haden and Sarah Ann's third child, Abraham Arterbury Church was born on February 26, 1854. Just a few months after that Haden was called to serve on his third mission in the United States. He returned about 1856.

The 1860 Census listed Haden Wells Church as living in Salt Lake City with a household of 8 with a real wealth of $600 and a personal wealth of $400. The eight living in the household would include Haden and Sarah Ann with their three children who were born before his third mission. Two more children had been added to the family following the third mission. Their only daughter Paralee Amanda was born July 8, 1857, and the fourth son and final child, Robert Robbins, was born October 29, 1859.

He married Catherine Gardner Church as a plural wife on March 15, 1857. No children were born from this marriage. Catherine died on June 20, 1881, and is buried in St. George, Utah. Haden also married Matilda Rutledge on October 15, 1870 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City.

The next mission that Haden Wells Church and his family were called on to serve was to southern Utah. Because of the Civil War, President Brigham Young was worried that the sources for cotton supplies would be cut-off, so he was determined to establish a "cotton mission" in St. George to make the Utah pioneers more self-sufficient. The prophet called 300 families to the Dixie Mission in St. George to promote the cotton industry. The Saints found out about this "call" as their names were read from the pulpit during the October General Conference in 1861.

The first or main company arrived in the St. George valley in December 1, 1861. On December 5th, Haden was chosen to be a member of a committee of four to ascertain the best point to take out the waters of the Rio Virgin into a canal for irrigation purposes.

The pioneers lived in their wagons all winter until the town could be laid out by the committees. They planned a wonderful celebration for their first Christmas in the valley. It began to rain on Christmas and didn't stop for 40 days. The campground was a "sticky bottomless quagmire, and streams became raging torrents." Wagon covers and tents were very inadequate for shelter against the elements. The clothing, bedding, food, and fuel were soaked.

Haden Church was chosen as the first school teacher in the valley, on December 27, 1861. The first school house was probably built from willows or possibly a wagon with the tarps thrown back. There was a shortage of books and supplies, but some books such as the blue-backed speller, an arithmetic book, McGuffey's Readers,and the Book of Mormon found their way to St. George. Haden is also listed second as a member of the choir.

The rains finally stopped in February 1862 and the pioneers were able to move onto their selected lots to build permanent homes. In order to be fair, numbers of lots were placed in a hat. The names of the men were placed in another hat, and were drawn from each hat and handed to the man whose name was drawn. Most were satisfied with their lots, and some traded among themselves for ones they liked better. The original Church family home was on Block 11 Plat A. The present address is 35 West 100 South. This is about one block south and about one-half block west of the St. George Tabernacle in downtown St. George.

On March 17, 1868, Haden and many others were called to serve another mission in the southern United States. The missionaries left Salt Lake City on June 17. Five died in a tragic drowning accident on the way. Elder Church labored in Tennessee in September as was noted to be quite sick but had recovered. There was not much success in Tennessee so they next went to North Carolina and Virginia. Elder Church was left in charge of the branches in North Carolina and had much progress. He was officially released from his mission on May 24, 1870 and was back in Salt Lake City on October 10, 1870, bringing in a company of 70 people.

He was again called on another mission, his fifth, in April 1875 during General conference. Six months later while faithfully fulfilling his missionary responsibilities, he died of typhoid fever at his former home in Shady Grove, Tennessee.

His obituary reads:
Haden Wells Church was born at Franklin, in Williamson County, Tennessee, August 29, 1817; was baptized into the Church at Nauvoo by the Prophet Joseph Smith, April 5th, 1841. On October 8th he was ordained into the 8th Quorum of the Seventies by Prest. Jos. Young, and was ordained a president in the year 1851 in the same quorum, which position he held during his life time.

In 1843 and 1844 he filled a mission to the Southern States, and after the death of the Prophet was called back to Nauvoo. He, with the rest of the Saints, was driven from his home, and while at Council Bluffs he was enrolled as a member of the Mormon Battalion. He endured the privations of this journey across the deserts and was discharged there from in the Fall of 1847 at Salt Lake.

At the October Conference, 1849 he was called to take a mission to England. In the spring of 1854 he was called to the United States. At the October Conference, 1861, he was called to go south, when he settled at St. George. In 1868, he was again called on a mission to the Southern States. Again in 1875, at the April Conference, he was called to the Southern States, and while filling his mission, he died September 27, 1875 of typhoid fever, at his home, amongst his relatives, in Hickman County, Tennessee. All of the above missions he honorably and faithfully and died in his field of labor without a fear, being satisfied that he would come forth in the first resurrection.
Sarah A. Church (written by)

Elder Church was buried in the Church Family Cemetery near Shady Grove. The epitaph on Haden's headstone reads "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."

(Biography taken from Haden Wells Church history compiled in 1991 by Hyrum B. Ipson)

Panguitch City Cemetery

When we were visiting Grandma Cooper, we took a ride out to the cemetery nearly every day.  Granted there wasn't much to do in Panguitch, but I don't think boredom was the reason we went there.  One reason was my grandpa, Than Cooper was the Sexton of the cemetery.  He became the caretaker after retiring from sheep herding.  I don't remember him doing anything else but taking care of the cemetery so I assume he started that job in the late 50's or early 60's.  I was told that when he took over care of the cemetery, it was nothing more than a field of sagebrush and weeds.  He turned it into a very nice place.  I found a picture of the cemetery before he became the caretaker.  It can be seen Here. 

My mom went to Panguitch almost every year for Memorial Day when I was growing up.  Memorial Day, or "Decoration Day" as it was called, was quite an event.  We took flowers for the graves of every family member buried in the cemetery and spent quite a bit of time placing them on the graves.  Before there were many plastic flowers produced for Memorial Day, people cut fresh flowers to put on the graves.  Generally there weren't too many flowers blooming that early in the year in Panguitch, so we would take some from our home.  Mason jars from Grandma's house were collected to put the flowers in.  Grandma also saved special flower baskets for the occasion.  Grandma packed a lunch in a pail to take with us.  She planned to stay most of the day visiting with family and friends she would see there.  We always made a trip back out to the cemetery later in the day to see how it looked with all the flowers.

Being that it was a long day, my brother and I had lots of time to explore the cemetery.  I loved to walk around and look at the headstones.  There are so many I remember.  We were always sad to see when vandals had damaged them.  Sometimes when we were taking a ride around the cemetery during one of our daily trips, we kids would have Mom stop at our favorite monuments so that we could walk over and look at them.  Last summer my husband and I went to Panguitch for Pioneer Day.  We went to the cemetery and I got photos of many of the headstones I remember from my youth.  Maybe you remember them too? 



And who could forget John D. Lee?

John D. Lee pictures courtesy of Tom Todd Findagrave.com



William Talbot and the Panguitch Quilt Walk

My grandmother, Isabell Cooper had a very rich pioneer heritage.  Her mother's last name was Talbot and her father's last name was Church.  Her grandfather, William Talbot was a convert from England.  That is another very interesting story which I will save for another post.  He was one of the early settlers of Panguitch, Utah.  I never knew much about the Talbot family, but it turns out that William Talbot was somewhat of a hero.

Every June, Panguitch celebrates an important event from its history called The Quilt Walk.  They have created a small park and placed a large bronze statue to commemorate the story of how seven men made a journey over the mountains to Parowan in the middle of the winter to obtain food for their starving community.  The park also contains seven stone benches each engraved with the name of one of the seven men and a short biography.  The City of Panguitch has also placed seven green benches dedicated to the men on both sides of Main Street.


The inscription on the monument says:


The first group of pioneers came to Panguitch on March 16, 1864, from Parowan under the leadership of Jens Nielson.  They followed the route over the rugged Bear Valley, a part of the Spanish Trail.  Crops were planted, but the season was short and they did not mature.  The winter of 1864 was extremely cold and the snow was deep.  The closest supplies were either in Gunnison, 115 miles to the north, or Parowan, 40 miles to the west over the difficult Bear Valley Road.  Seven men, Alexander Matheson, William Talbot, Thomas Richards, Jesse Lowder, John Butler, Thomas Adair, and John Paul Smith left Panguitch to go to Parowan to get flour and food for the starving colony.  They had two yoke of oxen and a light wagon which they had to abandon at the head of Bear Valley because of the deep snow; they then proceeded on foot.  The only progress that could be made over this frozen, crusted snow, was to lay a quilt down, walk to the end of it, relay it and walk again.  In this way they reached Parowan.


Alexander Matheson recorded in his journal, "We decided that if we had faith as big as a mustard seed, we could make it and bring flour to our starving families.  So we began the quilt-laying in prayerful earnestness.  The return trip was harder with the weight of the flour, but we finally made it to our wagon and oxen and on home with thankfulness to the Lord of His goodness.  The whole settlement welcomed us, because we had been gone longer than expected.  There had been prayers, tears, and fears which turned to rejoicing and cheers."


I had not seen the bronze statue or park in Panguitch as I had not been there for several years.  One day I was reading on the internet about the Quilt Walk Festival in Panguitch.  This event was not familiar to me because Panguitch did not celebrate it years ago when my grandma lived there.  As I was reading, I saw the name, "William Talbot."  "Wait a minute," I thought. "I have an ancestor by that name!"  So I looked at the vital information for my ancestor and compared it to the William Talbot who was involved in the Quilt Walk.  It was the same person!  I was so surprised.


I never heard my grandmother talk much about the Talbot family and I don't know if she was aware of the story of the Quilt Walk.  She had a history of William Talbot in her belongings and nothing is mentioned about the historic event.  I wonder if William Talbot considered himself a hero?  I doubt it.  He probably considered the event another hurdle in his life story.

William Talbot's bench in Quilt Walk Park

My Grandmother's Mother - Charlotte Emily Talbot Church

"I was born in Summit, Iron County, Utah, January 10, 1864, and came to Panguitch the latter part of March the same year.  I was my mother's baby.  My parents were called here by President Brigham Young to help settle this country.  Father helped make the roads, ditches, and helped to build the fort which the people lived in to protect themselves from the Indians, who were very hostile and on the warpath.

There were in our family:  Mother, Father, brothers - Orson, Thomas, and William R, sister Lydia, and myself.  We were very poor as were all the settlers.  The settlers grubbed the brush and planted crops.  We stayed here in Panguitch for 4 years when the Indians became so bad we had to leave.  We went to Circleville to help strengthen that place against the Indians, and could go no place to live except the Meeting House.  There were 7 or 8 families cluttered in there together.  The President told father in answer to a letter that he was at liberty to go where he pleased to make his home.

We then moved to Beaver City, Utah where we remained until I was 14 years of age.  While in Beaver I was baptized in a river.  It was such a small stream that a dam was made with rocks to back up the water so that it would be deep enough.  I shall never forget the day or the place.  It was where you cross the bridge at the edge of Beaver.  I was 8 years old and was baptized by a man by the name of Jones.  He was commonly known as "Tinner Jones" because he was a tinner by trade.  I taught in the kindergarten class in Sunday School when I was still very young.  I used to sing when I was so tiny that I had to stand on the table.  I worked in the fields during the summer and learned to braid straw into hats.

We didn't have very good schools.  People had to pay the teacher so much a quarter.  I once went to a teacher by the name of Pratt.  She lived in a little house where she taught school during the summer months.  During the winter, she held school at the school house.  She used to have a little stool which was known as the 'dunce stool' and when we were unruly, she made us occupy this stool with a tall paper cap on our head.  I used to help her with her work to pay for my schooling.

I used to accompany my mother to Relief Society meetings, and on work meetings, would thread needles for those who were unable to see to thread their own.  I was always doing something, and my happiest days as a child were those that were spent in Beaver.

I was born with faith in the Gospel and have always had a testimony of it.  I have worked in the church organizations since I was old enough and have sung in the choir since I was 12 years of age.

We didn't have money to spend such as children do today.  When we went to a dance or a theatre or participated in any sort of amusement, we used to take potatoes, corn, eggs, or whatever produce seemed available for our tickets.  Traveling troupes of entertainers traveled by team and would tarry over and accept food for themselves and horses.  But these were the happy childhood days.  No one was rich and few were poor -- everyone was more or less independent.  While in Beaver, I used to go to the field to work and help my father plow, rake, and haul the hay and grain.  This was all done by hand.

At the age of 14, we again moved to Panguitch, and this has been my home since that time.  My 13 children were reared in Panguitch, all having been born here with the exception of Mary who was born in St. George.  Mary was also baptized in the St. George Temple.

When I was seventeen, I was married to Robert Church of St. George in the St. George Temple.  We came to Panguitch and settled on our land where we lived for a number of years.  Most of my children were born there.  My husband would farm in the summer time, and during the spring and fall would shear sheep.  During his absence, I would carry on the work on the farm.  When we started life on the farm, we had one cow, a little gray mare, and fifty cents.  Our first home was a log stable fixed up as best could be.  The door was homemade with an iron latch that was raised up with a buckskin string.  It opened toward the outside.

In one side of the hut was a fireplace made of cobble rock.  In the east side, looking toward the river, was a window with 6" x 10" glass.  This was the only window in the house.  The roof was of dirt and the floor was made from small pieces of board that we could pick up.  Our furniture consisted of a very small stove, a second-hand table with one leaf, two backless chairs , an old rocking chair, and an old corded bedstead made by a man in Beaver when I was a little girl.  Our cupboard was made by boring holes in the wall with birch pegs placed and boards laid across.  Scalloped newspapers were used to make the shelves look nice.  I had a new rag carpet that was given as a wedding gift from Grandmother Church.  The only pictures I had were some I had earned at Sunday School.  I was as proud of my home as I would have been had it been a brick one, as young people were happy regardless of their meager circumstances -- looking forward toward a brighter future."
(The above autobiography was written by Charlotte Church)

Added sketches on the life of Charlotte Emily Talbot Church:

Charlotte helped her father in the fields.  Her mother was a cripple so Charlotte had to help take care of her and the family.  They went to St. George each fall to get a load of fruit.  They would load up their wagon with a load of butter and cheese which they had made in the summer to trade for the fruit.  They always had a cellar full of fruit.

When her children were too small and too young to go to town, Charlotte help Primary in her home for the neighborhood children.  At that time she was president of the Primary.  As the children grew older and went to school in the winter, they would rent a house in Panguitch.  Charlotte would spend about a week white-washing and scrubbing the old house.

Charlotte cut and made the first dress she wore when she was 12 years old.  A seamstress, Mrs. Hankins, stood over her and showed her how to make it. She made her own clothes and did the family sewing after that.  She made her clothes by hand until her father bought a second-hand Singer sewing machine.  Se used that machine until after Sarah Ann was born.  Rob, her husband, then bought her a new sewing machine.  They wore denims for everyday wear and delane for winter.  Homemade shoes without lining and eyelets were what they wore for shoes.

One of her granddaughters added the following to her biography:

My grandmother gave birth to 13 children.  All but four of the children lived to raise families.  Every act of her life was to render service to someone.  She was not strong in body; she was tiny boned and very thin.  She had beautiful brown eyes and velvet skin.  She was very strong in the faith.  She suffered a great deal and would not have been able to physically accomplish all the good she did had it not been for her unusual courage and her desire to be of use to her fellow men.

 She was left a widow April 15, 1915, so she moved to St. George where she worked in the temple for 4 years.  Then she moved back to Panguitch.  She was very independent and never accepted charity.  She sewed, knitted, or took in boarders for a living.

She always paid a full tithing.  She was always the first one up in the morning and worked late into the night.  In her personal appearance, as well as in her household activities, she was immaculate.  She loved her children dearly, and others too.  She was loved by all who knew her.  She loved music, and her voice was beautiful in her late years.  She suffered a long time before she died October 7, 1933.  In my memory, she will always live as one of the dearest, finest women this world has ever known.

My Grandmother's Father - Robert Robbins Church

Father of 13 children, 6 boys and 7 girls. His father, Haden Wells Church was baptized by the Prophet, Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, IL. His father was a member of the Mormon Battalion, spent most of his life doing missionary work and died on his last mission to Tennessee. Robert's family migrated to Salt Lake City where Robert was born, then they were called by Brigham Young to settle St. George.

Growing up in St. George with his 3 brothers and 1 sister, they helped haul rocks to fill the swamp for the building of the St. George Temple. One 4th of July, the Church brothers went to Panguitch,

Church Family in 1887

Utah for the celebration. There he met Charlotte Emily Talbot. They ran a foot race together. Robert said, "I have met the girl I am going to marry." During their courtship Robert made the trip by wagon from St. George to Panguitch to see Charlotte. They were married September 14, 1881, in the St. George Temple. They settled in Panguitch.

He owned a farm 3 miles north of Panguitch on the Sevier River where he raised most of his children. Robert used to plant his crops in the early spring. He would water them once and then he would go away to shear sheep. Charlotte would take over the farm, crops and children until he returned. He also did a lot of freighting, hauling freight for the stores. All the family knew what hard work was, but they enjoyed doing it and were happy. Later the farm was traded for a home in town and a ranch home in the Little Valley. The family was proud of their home in town and each summer they would go to Little Valley where they milked cows, made butter and raised lambs. "Those were happy days - the trips to town and back on a jolty wagon with the team, old Flax and Sox pulling the wagon." They were always glad to get back to the Little Valley ranch home after a trip to town.

Robert Robbins was a good-natured man. He loved his family and his home. He had a keen sense of humor and was always cheerful company wherever he was. Friends and foes were welcome in Robert and Charlotte's home. They were very hospitable people. They worked hard on the farm or at whatever else they did to make a good living for their family, but they always had time for fun with their children. One of his daughters said, "Father seemed to be more happy when the whole family was along. All would get into the wagon on an afternoon and go sage hen hunting or do whatever Father thought we would all enjoy. Sometimes we all got a birch willow, put on a a line, bait the hook, and go fishing together, from the biggest to the littlest. He was so good and grand to all of us."

His daughter Sarah said, "Father was far from wealthy in material, earthly things and worldly goods, and nothing he ever did made him so, but his kindness enriched all our lives and the lives of all who knew him. All in all, he ws truly a wealthy man."

He developed Bright's disease, a painful kidney disease, and died on April 30, 1915. At his funeral, Dr. R. Garn Clark said of him, "Here lies one of the kindest men I have ever known. When I was a lad and used to drive cows to and from Panguitch to Three Mile Creek, the day was never too stormy, cold, or hot, that Mr. Church would not pick me up, winding in and out of the road to follow the cows. It was always a pleasure to be with this good man and sit by his side in a spring seat. He was always so pleasant. Robert Robbins Church belonged to that group who are the salt of the earth."

His obituary was in the Deseret News on May 29, 1915 as follows: "Panguitch May 26 - Robert Robbins Church, who died in Panguitch, April 30, was born in Salt Lake City, October 29, 1859. He was the son of Haden W. and Sarah Ann Arterbury Church. With his parents he moved to Washington County in the fall of 1861. They were among the first to help locate and settle St. George. He, with the rest of the family and in common with the people here generally, suffered the many hardships incident to the early settlement of this section. With his brothers he moved to Panguitch in 1876 where he resided until his death. In 1879* he married Lottie Talbot who has borne him eight* children. His wife survives him."
(NOTE: The paper printed errors. They were married in 1881 and had thirteen children)
History taken from life sketches written by his children George N. Church and Sarah Ann Church Ipson.

Children:
Mary Emily Church (1882-1968)
Robert Robbins Church (1884-1956)
George Newman Church (1886-1972)
Charlotte Church (1889-1896)
Sarah Ann Church Ipson (1891-1972)
Isabell Church Cooper (1893-1979)
Rhoda Church (1896-1896)
Abraham Arterbury Church (1897-1897)
John Dunning Church (1898-1985)
Verda Church Kenney (1901-1932)
William Wallace Church (1903-1904)
Haden Wells Church (1905-1964)
Lydia Church (1907-1986)

The Abraham Church Family Home

If there is a person in our family tree that most everyone has heard about, it is Hayden Wells Church.  He heard the missionaries preach the gospel in Tennessee and went to Nauvoo, Illinois to meet Joseph Smith and was baptized by him.  Hayden Wells Church served 3 missions and died on his last mission in the home of his family in Tennessee.  He is buried in the family cemetery there.  There is another blogger that I have been following for awhile who has written a lot about the Church Family in Tennessee.  He is called the Amateur Mormon Historian.  He has written about many members of the Church Family and about their history in Tennessee.  The writer has also visited the location where the Church family home used to be. 

The Church home was in Shady Grove, Tennessee.  There is an interesting story connected to the house.  After the Church family sold it, and after being owned by several different people over the years and then abandoned in the 1950's, it was finally bought by Minnie Pearl. Many of you may not know who Minnie Pearl is so I will explain that she was a entertainer who performed at the Grand Ole Oprey in Nashville and appeared regularly on a television show called Hee Haw.  Click for more on Minnie Pearl.  She was creating a tourist attraction to go with her stories of her hometown she told on stage.  The town she talked about was called "Grinders Switch" and she wanted to include the log home in her fictitious town.  She bought the home and had it disassembled log by log and moved near Centerville, Tennessee where "Grinders Switch" was to be located.  The house was never reassembled and sat deteriorating until nothing useable remained.  If you would like to read the entire account go here and here.

I read the story about the house, looked at the pictures of the home, and realized that I had the same picture in my possession that had been Grandma Cooper's.  I never knew before what the picture was until I read his blog.   

Abraham Church home in Shady Grove, Tennessee
Written on the back of the picture:  "Dad's (Robert Robbins Church)
 cousin sent this to me.  He thought a lot of them."

 

History of Nathaniel Cooper

My grandpa, Nathaniel Cooper, the son of James Michael Cooper and Mary Henrie Cooper was born in Panguitch, Utah on July 2, 1892.  He was the oldest of four living children.  His older brother, James Ephraim, died before he was born.  He had two younger brothers:  Jed and Joseph Traverse "Trav", and a younger sister Christena "Ena."  

Mary and James Michael Cooper    

Than, Trav and Ena

When Than was 13 years old, his father died of pneumonia.  His father had been sick for about three days when he died on December 21, 1905, four days before Christmas.  Pneumonia was one of the main causes of death at the time.  His father's death left his mother with four children ages 13, 10, 5 1/2, and 2 1/2.  What a sad Christmas it must have been that year for their family.  Grandpa had to quit school and go to work as a sheep herder to provide for their family.  His mother, Mary was quite sickly and had poor eyesight.  She came from a large family.  Her father James Henrie, had 3 wives and 28 children.  I think it is likely that she had some help from her family with the children because the US Census reports from 1910, 1920 and 1930 show Mary and the children often lived near her parents or near my grandpa.  By 1910, his brother Trav must have joined him in the sheep herd because the 1910 Census shows that Trav's occupation was also a herder. 

 
He was 21 when he married my grandma, Isabell Church on July 4, 1913.  Grandpa and Grandma had grown up together.  In fact, they were baptized in the Sevier River the same day.  They made their home in Panguitch.  Their first child named Thad, was stillborn some nine months later.  They were very sad to lose their first little child.  Grandpa must not have been home at the time of the birth, because Grandma's brother, George Church, signed the death certificate as a witness.  The death certificate says that the baby perished at birth and no physician was present.  Eleven months later, their daughter Grace was born.  Grandpa and Grandma were blessed with seven more children:  Grace, Gwen, Jim, Jean, Grant, Mae and Fae Ann.  They were all very dear children and musically talented.  They were very proud of them.  As his own family grew, Grandpa continued to provide for his mother, brothers and sister.  He did this for many years, until his brothers and sister graduated from school and married.  His mother then lived with his brother Jed. 

The 1920 Census shows that the family lived between 2nd-3rd East Street.  It says that they owned the home and had two children who would have been Grace 4 years old, and Gwen 2 years.  Grandpa's mother, Mary lived next door.  She was 53, Trav 24, Jed 16.  Also living with her were Ena - age 20, and her husband, Thomas Schow.

Grandpa registered for the WWI Civilian Draft when he was 24.  I believe this was in June 1917.  The registration card says that he was married and had two children.  He listed his employment as a farmer and livestock worker and his employer the Henrie Brothers.  The Henrie Brothers were his mother's father and sons (her brothers).  James Henrie brought the first herd of sheep into Garfield County and that herd continued on the range there for about eighty years.  Grandpa indicated that he was exempt from the draft because he was the only support for the family.  Grandpa later worked for Scotty Haycock.

The 1930 Census shows that Grandma and Grandpa lived on East Main Street.  The Census also says that they owned their home that was valued at $1500.  Grace was listed as 15, Gwen 13, Jim 9, Grant 6, and Mae 4 1/2.  Grandma would have been pregnant with my mom, Fae Ann, at the time.  The East Main Street description could have meant homes that were in the area of East Main.  I doubt that they were actually living on Main Street at that time because my mother was born in a red brick house at 294 East 100 North.  There are no addresses listed on the census so it's hard to determine where anyone lived. 

Grandpa and Grandma were away from each other a great deal of their married life.  Grandpa was a sheepherder and spent most of his time at the sheep herd.  He would be gone for long periods of time, staying with the sheep in the mountains during the summer and at a lower elevation in the winter.  Grandma would take the children and spend most all of their summers at the herd with him.  Grandma wrote in her history that he was a good, hard-working man, and a good husband and father.  There are very few women who loved their husbands any more than Bell Cooper loved Than.  She thought he was so handsome and she loved him dearly.

Agriculture along with cattle and sheep were the main industries in Panguitch at this time.  The herder lived in a sheep wagon wherever the sheep were grazing.  This meant enduring the cold of winter, and it is especially cold in Panguitch in the winter.  It can even be cold in the summer.  The sheepherder's life was not an easy one living year round out in the elements and being away from home for lengthy periods of time.  My cousin told me during the depression Grandpa was watching a few other men's herds of sheep in addition to his own.  These men owed money to the government and so the government came and took away all the sheep, including Grandpa's.  This was very hard for the family.  They had very little as it was, but to lose all his sheep meant no income for them.

Another explanation of this situation comes from a book that was written in 1949 by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.  Following is an excerpt:  "During the terrible Depression that followed World War I, about 1921, the "State Bank of Garfield" closed its doors and ruined the sheep and cattle industry in Panguitch for years.  Many of the livestock men had borrowed money and mortgaged their herds, and they lost them.  Until this happened, Panguitch was the richest little town in the State per capita.  After this for a year or so everyone was broke.  Then in 1924, a group of public spirited men who were descendants of the faithful old rugged pioneers decided to try a new bank.  This was called "The Panguitch State Bank."  This bank functioned for six or seven years then closed its doors in 1930-31.  This left the people and the sheep and cattle men flat broke.  In the good old days before this happened it was a common thing for the sheep men to get $6000 and $8000 for their lambs and wool each year and everyone was prosperous and happy."

I remember that Grandpa rolled his own cigarettes.  One cousin described it this way:  "I was always fascinated when I watched him roll his own cigarettes.  From a small cotton bag with a draw string he would pinch out some tobacco, spread it on top of a small, white, thin paper and roll the paper up in his rough, brown fingers, lick one end with his tongue, like Elmer's glue it stuck.  Then he would reach in his shirt pocket, pull out a stick match, strike it on the heel of his boot, and "light 'er up."

I remember him sitting in the corner chair of the parlor rolling then smoking his cigarette.  I don't know what year he quit smoking, but I know that he quit "cold turkey" at some point when I was a child and didn't pick it back up.  That must have been hard for him since he smoked most of his life.  He also quit drinking after he retired.

When I was going through Mom and Dad's things I found a letter that Gram had written to my brother Lynn after he had his back operation.  He had just been made a deacon and she was congratulating him.  She told him that grandpa had been just about Lynn's age when he had to quit school and go to work in the sheep herd.  She told him that he was around lots of men who were probably not a good influence, but she said, "I think he did pretty well for himself, don't you?"  It was a sweet letter confirming what I always knew, that she loved my grandpa.

When Mom and I were in Panguitch in 2009 for her 60th Class Reunion, we ran into a man who told Mom that he had been up to the sheep herd with Grandpa and how much he liked him.  He said that Grandpa was a lot of fun, and that he was a very good cook.  He said that they had some pretty good meals while he was staying with him.  This pleased my mother to have someone say some kind words about her father.

Grandpa was a small man, probably 5'9 or so.  He had small hands and feet.  I think his shoe size was a 6 1/2.  He had brown eyes and brown hair (his draft card says black)  His skin was tanned and weathered from spending so many years out of doors.

When Grandpa retired from being a sheep herder, he became the caretaker of the Panguitch City Cemetery.  He took much pride in making the cemetery beautiful.  When he first took over the maintenance of the cemetery, it wasn't much more than a field of sagebrush.  He turned it into a beautiful place of rest for the dead.  Grandpa was known to have an excellent sense of humor.  He said of his job at the cemetery, "I never knew I'd be so successful, who would have known I'd have so many people under me?"
 

I remember when we were visiting my grandparents in the summer, on a hot day Grandma would say that we should take a milkshake out to Grandpa working in the cemetery.  So we would go down to the local drive-in and get him a milkshake then drive out to the cemetery to take him his treat.  In my memory I see him in his overalls and hat standing out in the cemetery near the little white storage shed leaning on a shovel.  He would see us coming and have a big smile on his face.  When we greeted him he would probably tell us some news he'd heard and gladly accept his frozen treat.
 

Grandpa and Grandma enjoyed sharing their last years together after his retirement from sheep herding.  They had spent so much time apart during their married life, it was nice to spend the "golden years" together.  When Grandma broke her leg while getting off a horse at the sheep herd, Grandpa bought her a car, a little 1957 Chevrolet so that she would be able to go places.  Grandpa drove a pickup and it would have been difficult for her to get in and out of the truck.  He called the car "the little red wagon."  Both Gram and Grandpa were pretty proud of that little car.

When I went to Panguitch to visit in the summers, quite often Grandma and Grandpa would meet us at the intersection of I-15 and Hwy 20, the road that goes from I-15 to Hwy 89.  They would be waiting in the little '57 Chevy watching for us to come so that they could take us the rest of the way to Panguitch.  Our family had one car at the time and Dad was headed to Cedar City to spend time with his mother, so my Grandma and Grandpa would pick us up so that Dad didn't have to drive to Panguitch.

Grandpa often kept a few sheep in the yard after he retired from being a sheepherder.  As a result there were always sheep droppings on the lawn and the grass was purposely not mowed.  It was left for the sheep to eat.  Every spring when we would go to visit, there would be new baby lambs.  The lambs were cute but we did not like the big sheep so much.  In fact, Grandpa told us to stay away from them, so it wasn't much fun playing in the yard when he had sheep.

One cousin recalled, "One spring we went up to his sheep camp, and he gave me a lamb of my very own.  I held the lamb on my lap as we drove back to Grandma's house where Grandma fixed a bottle of warm milk with a black nipple, and it was my responsibility to feed the little thing.  He was so soft and scared.  I think Grandma let him be the lawn mower that summer, and I don't know what happened to him after that.  Don't know if I want to think about it."

Grandpa had a barn, corral and chicken coop in the back of the lot.  I remember a time that he had a big pig.  We liked to stand on the boards of the fence and look at it since that was quite a novelty to us.  We liked to throw things into the pen for the pig to eat.  It seemed he would eat almost anything.  One time my brother threw a smoke bomb in the pen and the pig ate it.  We thought it was funny but Grandpa didn't.  He told us to stay away from the pig.  Also out back by the barn was the outhouse that the family had used before they built a bathroom inside the house.  We thought that was pretty interesting too.  Grandma kept chickens in the chicken coop and gathered eggs daily.

There was an irrigation ditch that ran across the yard dividing the barn area from the house area.  There was a little bridge that went over the ditch because water was running through the ditch most of the time.  Once a week or so, Grandpa would put a board in the ditch to make the water flood into his yard.  This was the way he watered his lot.  He paid to have a share of water which allowed him to have the water for a certain number of hours once or twice a week.  After the water had flowed into the yard flooding the grass area, he put the board back  in the ditch returning the water to the main irrigation ditch.

Grandpa got up early and went to bed early.  It had been that way all his life.

Every day he wore the same basic clothes:  denim overalls, a long sleeve shirt, work boots and a Stetson hat.  He owned one for summer and one for winter.  Under the overalls and shirt he often wore long-handled (long sleeve and long leg) underwear.  It didn't matter if it was the middle of July, he wore his long sleeve shirt and overalls.  He'd often say, "God, ain't it hot outside!"  No wonder he was hot!  He never changed his clothes to compensate for the weather.  He wore the same pair of overalls for months.  He didn't like it when Gram washed them.  I guess he liked them stiff and dark indigo blue.  He drove an old Chevy pickup.  I remember seeing him drive around town, very slowly, hat on, with his arm resting out the window.

Grandpa would always mutter, "You betcha!"  That was the one thing you could count on hearing him say.  He would go about whatever he was doing and periodically say, "You betcha!"  He was also hard of hearing, so you had to talk loudly to him.  My grandma loved him dearly.  She thought he was the most handsome man.  Everything she said about him was good.  I knew my grandma loved my grandpa.
 

A cousin recalled a story about Grandpa when she was there visiting.  "One Sunday morning the boy gathering fast offerings - his name was Jack - came to Grandma's.  Grandpa was sitting in his chair and saw little, shy Jack standing in the doorway, waiting for Grandma to get her money for the envelope.  Grandpa said, and I quote - "Well, for God's-sake Jack, come on in!  Don't stand there in the door looking like a jack-ass."  Jack replied, "Thank you, Mr. Cooper," and took one small step inside the house."
 

Another cousin said, "I stayed with Grandma and Grandpa when Mom would go out of town for a couple of days.  I remember Grandpa being very kind to me.  He was always joking and funny, and always pleasant.  He would go to bed early - before dark and he was an early riser.  Grandma always fixed breakfast for us.  There were three meals a day and usually a dessert of some kind.  Breakfast was usually homemade bread warmed in the oven with butter, eggs and oatmeal.  Lunch was the largest meal of the day which was usually steak or hamburger and potatoes, and cake or pie or cookies.  Dinner was a light meal around 4:00 in the afternoon.  Mother and I would go to the cemetery often and visit Grandpa.  He kept the cemetery looking great.  He enjoyed that job.  He usually had little Puddles, his dog with him.  If I remember correctly, Puddles came up missing a couple of days before Grandpa passed away.  We also went to the sheep herd often to visit Grandpa and sometimes Grandma was there also. Mom and I would go to their house often and Mom would play the piano and we would all sing.  Grandpa always enjoyed that.  Sometimes when I would go uptown, Grandpa would be there visiting with people.  I can just see him in Uncle Jed's store, the S&C Mercantile.  I never remember hearing anyone saying a bad word about Grandpa.  I always felt that he was well liked.  He was a character and that's what I think people thought about him.  My memories of Grandpa are very fond ones."

As I said before, Grandpa went to bed early.  Sometimes he would watch the "fights" on television then he would turn in for the night.  After that we would have to be quiet so that we would not disturb him.  I don't know why since he could hardly hear us when we talked to him when he was awake.  One cousin said that Grandpa loved boxing.  He loved to discuss it and often listened to matches on the radio, or watched them on television.
 

Another cousin recalled, "I remember as a little girl Grandpa coming up to Salt Lake to see the boxing matches at the Utah State Fairgrounds.  He would get all dressed up in a suit and white shirt, no tie and his brown hat.  His forehead was as white as snow, contrasting with his brown leathery face, a result of wearing hats 24/7.  He was amazed at all the traffic, and swore, literally swore; he couldn't figure out how everyone knew where they were going."

She also said that, "Grandpa would make STRONG coffee in an old beat-up percolator, with egg shells, coffee grinds, and who knows what else.  He would pour it in his old cracked coffee mug, and then lay a spoon on top to see if it was strong enough.  It really looked like the spoon was floating on top of the coffee, it was so strong, but in actuality he was balancing it on the opposite edges of the mug."
 

One aunt told me that whenever Grandpa got a letter in the mail which he had to sign and mail back, he would sign it, "Oblige Than Cooper."

Many of my cousins said that they had been up to the sheep herd to see Grandpa.  One cousin said that once he met Grandpa up on the river that runs from Panguitch Lake.  Grandpa brought the sheep down to water and they had a picnic there at the river.  He said they were there most of the day.  He said Grandpa was a good grandpa and he enjoyed being with him.

Although I don't have many memories of being with my grandpa, I remember being in my grandparent's house and being around my grandpa.  He was a loving, funny, and sometimes grumpy old man who swore frequently frequently but it was just the way he was because of the life he had lived.

He didn't care much for religion and complained when the widows in town went to the temple after their husbands died, had their temple work done and were sealed to them.  He loved my grandma.  He always called her "Ma."  He worked hard to provide for his family and for his mother, brothers and sister.  Although he had some weaknesses and faults, I have to give him credit for taking that responsibility of providing for his mother for so many years.
 

I remember going on outings to Zion's at Easter and Grandpa turning the crank on the ice cream maker.  He was always glad to have us come and visit.  I remember him sitting in his overstuffed chair in the corner of the living room reading his paper or smoking a hand-rolled cigarette.  I remember him sitting at the table in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee.  I was 14 years old when he died and I am grateful that I knew him the little that I did.  I loved my grandpa.

Grandpa died of a heart attack in the Panguitch Hospital on August 23, 1970.  We had been there visiting them a week or so before he had the attack, and had returned home because the new school year was going to start.  He had not been feeling well for a couple of days before the attack.  He was nauseated and Gram was worried about him.  Before he died, my mom called Gram on the phone and asked how Grandpa was.  She replied, "Just as handsome as ever."  Gram was devastated when he died.  Not many women loved their husband like Bell Cooper loved Than.  They endured all the years of being apart from each other, endured times when money was scarce, and enjoyed their last years together.  Grandma lived another nine years without him until she died on March 22, 1979.  They are buried in the same Panguitch City Cemetery that my grandpa cared for.

My Grandpa, Nathaniel Cooper's Family

My mom always told me that they didn't know much about the her dad's family, the Coopers and Henries.  In fact, I had been given the impression that there wasn't much worth knowing.  But I discovered the opposite. One of the first surprising facts I discovered was that Grandpa's mother, Mary Henrie was the daughter of a polygamist with three wives.  As I mentioned before, I had spent a lot of time in Panguitch while growing up, and I had never heard anything about an ancestor being a polygamist.  Grandpa's mother was one of 30 children.  Her father, James Henrie, was the first Stake President of Panguitch.  Mary's grandfather, William Henrie, had lived in Nauvoo near the prophet Joseph Smith.  They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1848 and settled Sessions in present day Bountiful, Manti, then returned to Sessions. The Henrie family was later called to settle Panaca, but William Henrie chose to not follow the call.  He felt he was old and had moved enough.  He decided to stay in Bountiful alone where he died and is buried.  His wife Myra Myall Henrie went with her sons to Panaca and then to Panguitch.  Mary's father, James Henrie and his brother owned the first saw mill, tannery, shoe shop, and the Myers and Henrie Store in Panguitch in addition to owning much livestock and fine horses, fine farmland and ranches in the area.  Mary came from a well-to do and well-respected family.

Because I had been told that we didn't have information on my grandpa's family, I started to research both the Henrie and the Cooper families.  One of the first very useful sources of information I found was the website Findagrave.com.  I did a search on the internet for the name "William Henrie."  I found a link to the Findagrave website where there was a complete history about James Henrie. 

Findagrave is a website that provides free access to a database of cemetery records.  The website contains listings of cemeteries and graves from all around the world.  Cemeteries in America are organized by state and county, and many cemetery records contain maps (with GPS coordinates supplied by contributors) and photographs of the cemeteries. Individual grave records sometimes contain some or all of the following data fields: dates and places of birth and death, biographical information, cemetery and plot information, photographs (of the headstone, the individual, etc.).  A basic memorial will only display the name and dates of the person and have a picture of the cemetery where they are buried. 

One reason I like this website is that you can find biographies and pictures of the person.  Another reason I like it is that there is a link on each memorial that, if the information has been provided, you can go from the person by clicking on the link, to their father or mother and children.  For example, you can search for my mother's grave by entering her name, birth and death dates, and burial location. To see how this works, go here.  This is the basic search site.  If you want to see my mom's memorial, go here.  From there you can go to my dad's memorial, to my brother Lynn's memorial or to either of my mom's parents. 

Over the last couple of years I have entered or have become the manager for many graves of my ancestors.  I have tried to add biographies and/or pictures to my ancestor's memorials. I have also tried to link children to parents through the electronic links on the memorials. I think this is a great way for families to learn about their ancestry and connect with other family members.