Quarantine!

Mom received an email from Cousin Nikki ...

Hi Margie and LaMar, I hope you are doing well during all this craziness. You might find this interesting. Years ago I went to Grandma and Grandpa Norman's house and they let me scan a bunch of photos in their albums. I remember Grandpa telling me about a time when their family was quarantined because they had caught an illness. He remembered being stuck at home for a while and he and his brother weren't allowed outside of their yard. Here is the picture of them during this time. Notice the cross in their window. He said that let people know the family had been quarantined. I think it was most likely the Spanish Flu. It seems like the math works out on the years.

Mom's Response~ Thanks Nikki! Ive never seen the first picture and the explanation of the cross on the door! Yes, on the terrible Spanish Flu in 1918, when Rex would have been about 3 and Gordon 18 months younger.  I remember when my Grandma Norman (Louella) told me that she and Herb were too sick to even care for the boys. And that it was the members of the Oddfellows and Rebekahs service organization that stepped in to help and care for them and their two little boys. Grandma said she doesn't know what they would have done without that help. So Grandma and Grandpa became members of the organization their whole life, as I remember, and held offices.

Taken from Herbert Lavar's Autobiography ...
That fall, along in November (1918) I took the flu. There was a terrible amount of flu then. There were many, many people dying with it. They took me home from work. The doctor got there and told the fellow who took me home to get me to bed and take care of me. They fixed me up and asked me if we had any liquor in the house. Mother (Louella) said she didn't know what it was, but I had just purchased a case of something for Fred Rassmussen. He got me part of that, and he rubbed me with it. He then made a "hot toddy" for me. The Odd Fellow's Grand Noble got a nurse who stayed for three hours. Then he got another one, and she stayed for a couple of hours. That is the way it was for two or three days. At least they had someone there to take care of me night and day. I went unconscious, and the doctor asked Mother if we had any relatives around. She said the nearest was in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. He said she had better get them because I couldn't live. That was an awful thing to tell her. 

The girl that was at the depot came and got the two boys and took them down to her house to take care of them. They were homesick and lonesome so she brought them back the next morning, and they had the flu. Mother was still up and going. I was unconscious for thirteen days, and when I became conscious I had a hemorrhage. I bled the washbasin nearly full of blood. They got the doctor to our home, and he packed my head in snow (there was snow on the ground because it was just a little before Thanksgiving). He finally got it stopped. Mother asked what she should do if I had another one.He said to get him and get him fast. About an hour and a half later I had another one. They finally got a hold of him, and I was still bleeding when he got there. He finally got it stopped and shook his head. He told Mother she had better get the folks because I could not make it. She asked what she should do if I had another one. He said I couldn't survive another one. That made Mother feel awful bad. I could hear what they were saying, but I couldn't say anything. An hour or two later, I had a third hemorrhage. They got the doctor and he came in a hurry. When he came in and took care of me, he said to Mother, "Mrs. Norman, if he can make blood as fast as he has been making it lately, he will be well." He said I was in better shape than when he first came down. It had turned red instead of black. That was the last hemorrhage I had, but I laid there and couldn't do anything. I got to feeling better so was able to sit up in a chair. We still had the nurses there, and Mother came down with the flu. She was expecting another baby, and it was quite a turmoil. 

When I got so I could go out, I went to pay the nurses because I felt they were the first ones who should be paid. I asked each nurse how much we owed them, and each one replied , "Nothing". The Odd Fellow's Lodge had taken care of all the expenses including the coal we had to buy from the lumber yard. I always maintained if it hadn't been for the Lodge, I wouldn't be here today. I paid them back. I couldn't do it all at once, but I did it as fast as I could. I figured if they could do that much good for me, they could do that much good for someone else. 

From Grandpa Rex Norman's History (this would have been a later quarantine)...

I was the oldest. I started school at the age of six. I can remember when my brother and sister both came down with Scarlet Fever. We were quarantined for over a month. The kids would bring my schoolwork home and place it on our fence for me. Dad had to live away from home during that period of time. I remember after about four weeks the doctor came and examined them and going over their bodies he found a couple of scales and kept us in for another week. We were sure mad and we called him Dr. Quack. We then had to fumigate the whole house. We had to stuff all the cracks and openings with rags and would do part of the house at a time.

(More from Mom) I remember when we were little kids on Boxelder St. and had measles and mumps, etc., how the county health dept. (?) came and put up a quarantine notice on your front door. I don't know when that practice was discontinued. We'll all have to do some research on those interesting times.

Family History Fun - Compare a Face

Family history can be fun ... and it can be more than just dates and stories. Ever wonder who you look like? On the FamilySearch website, there is a "compare-a-face" activity you can do. Upload a picture of yourself, and it will compare your facial features to your relatives and give you a percentage # of how close you are. Now ... I don't really consider this an exact science, but it's fun.

Here's a peek at the some of the results for Chris and me ... 

So Chris had a high correlation to Dad ... my highest was 64% and that was to my great-great-great-grandfather Henry Sanderson (more on him later, he has a very interesting history and there's a surprising amount of info available there on Family Search!)  

Chris also got this cool chart ...

I'm not sure if this option was discontinued ... 

Dad and I both tried to find it and couldn't.

For me, it pulled up the top matches, then I could manually scroll through them across the top there to see the percentage. Mom, with a 46% match was still in the third spot on my comparisons. I seemed to favor the Norman side for first several spots, before the Westra side made an appearance. 

I was playing around, hit the + button and got the option to add photos ... so I added a few, of Wendy, Chris,  my kids, even Gray ... and a younger me! Check out the comparisons. 

So again, certainly not a science, and I'm sure different photos would yield different ... but hopefully somewhat similar results. It's fun to look at and learn a little about some ancestors you might not have investigated if they weren't your twin ... or 60% match ;)  

Ancestor's Immigration to Utah

Colton had an assignment in school, to spotlight how/when an ancestor came to Utah. Time to turn to Grandpa Westra! He got back to us with tons of information, and I mentioned that other grandkids might likely have similar assignments in the future, and that he had gone to so much work, that we should keep the document handy.

Immigration to Utah

Westra and Norman Ancestors

The following table provides a list of Westra and Norman Ancestors, listed in order of first immigration to Utah. Relationships are listed with respect to LaMar, Joseph LaMar Westra, and Margie, Marjorie Norman. Those ancestors who immigrated to Utah between 1847 and 1868 can be found on the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel website, see Notes 19. All of the ancestors in the following table can be found in the Family Tree part of the Family Search website, see Notes 20, Family Tree = (FT). 

Names	Dates	From – To	Notes
Elam Cheney & Hannah Compton	Oct 1847	Illinois – Utah	17
Agnes Baird (Adamson)	1848	Scotland – Utah	16
Moses Martin Sanders & Mary Jane Sparks	1849	Illinois - Utah	8, 10
Aaron Cheney & Mehitable Wells	1849	New York – Utah	18
Thomas Guymon & Sarah Gordon, and son Noah	1850	Illinois – Utah	21, 13
Henry Weeks Sanderson & Rebecca Ann Sanders	1850	Illinois - Utah	9, 12
Amanda Armstrong Fausett	1850	Illinois - Utah	10, 11
William Hurst & Susannah Webley	1852	Illinois – Utah	22
Edmund Wheeler Howell & Sarah Vail	1852	Iowa - Utah	6, 23
Archibald Anderson	1855	Scotland – Utah	14
Agnes Adamson	1856	Scotland – Utah	15
Archibald Erskine & Ann Jack McFarlane	1860	New York – Utah	2
Samuel Roberts & Mary Peat	1866	England - Wyoming	24
Robert Cushing & Carolyn Ayers	1866	England - Utah	3
Henry Charles Cushing	1866	England - Utah	4
John Cushing & Elizabeth Bird, and Laura Cushing	1874	England - Utah	25
Mons Anderson Norman & Julia Sharlotta Johansen	1886	Sweden - Utah	5
Solon Huff McGee & Emily Lucretia Robinson	1899-1900	Missouri – Utah	26
Ate Obes Westra & Geeske Egberts de Haan	Apr 1907	Netherlands – Utah	1

(1) Notes for Ate Obes Westra

Ate Obes Westra is LaMar’s paternal grandfather. He was born in 1868 in Achlum, Friesland, Netherlands. He met Geeske, who had been baptized earlier. Ate was baptized a member of the LDS church, 12 Apr 1902 in Groningen, Netherlands. He married Geeske in Oct 1902, and they had three children and immigrated to America in 1907, on the ship: The Canada, arriving in Portland, Maine, and came to Utah. Those three children died in Salt Lake City, shortly after they arrived. Ate and Geeske would have seven more children, and three of those children died young also. They resided in the Forest Dale Ward, 2256 So. 8th East in SL, which had a large population of Dutch immigrants. 

(1) Notes for Geeske Egberts de Haan

Geeske Egberts de Haan is LaMar’s paternal grandmother. She was born in 1878 in Niekerk, Groningen, Netherlands. She was baptized into the LDS church 19 Oct. 1901. She met Ate Obes Westra at the church in Groningen. They were married in Oct 1902. Geeske was Endowed 12 Feb 1908, SL Temple

(2) Notes for Archibald Erskine & Ann Jack McFarlane

These are LaMar’s 2nd Great Grand Parents. They were born (1828 and 1826) and married (1851) in Scotland and converted to the LDS church, and were baptized in 1852, and immigrated to the US. They came with one daughter on the ship: the S.S. Samuel Curling. It sailed from Liverpool, England on Sunday, April 22, 1855, and arrived in New York in 1855. They lived in New York City, N.Y. and Boston, Mass. A son and daughter were born in New York. The family came to Utah in 1860 with the Charles Ross Company.  Archibald was a tailor and had a sewing machine. Brigham Young asked him to make canvas covers for the wagons and the hand carts. In SLC, Archibald was the tailor for Brigham Young and made coats and dresses for Brigham Young's daughters. Archibald was a soldier and went to the Black Hawk Indian War. 

(3) Notes for Robert Cushing & Caroline Ayers

These are LaMar’s 2nd Great Grand Parents. They were born (1828 and 1823) and married (1852) in England and converted to the LDS church, and were baptized in 1848 and 1850 in England. They immigrated from England to the US in 1866 on the American Congress. They came to Utah, most likely in 1866 with two sons, Henry and James. The family settled in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

(4) Notes for Henry Charles Cushing

Henry was born in England in 1855 and Immigrated to Salt Lake City from England in 1866, age 11 with his parents, see Notes (3). Occupation: shoemaker. He was the first husband of Laura Cushing, LaMar’s great grandmother. Henry and Laura had three children in Salt Lake City, 1876-1880. Henry died in April 1880. Laura remarried in 1882, to Samuel Albert Hunt, and LaMar’s grandmother, Olive Laura Cushing was born of that marriage in 1882. Samuel deserted the family, and Laura had Olive sealed to Henry Charles Cushing.

(5) Notes for Mons Anderson Norman & Julia Sharlotta Johanson 

These are Margie’s Great Grand Parents. They were born (1859 and 1858) and married (1877) in Sweden. They had four children in Sweden, 1879-1885. Mons and Julia converted to the LDS Church and were both baptized 6 Oct 1886 in Sweden. The family emigrated the next day, 7 Oct 1886, to England, on the ship: Milo, where they are listed with the surname: Nauman. They sailed a week later, to America, 13 Oct 1886 on the ship: British King, where they are listed with the surname: Naumon. Mons changed his name to Mons Anderson Norman. They settled in Mt. Pleasant, Utah where they had 8 more children: 1887-1904. Most of the family are buried in Mt. Pleasant. The mother of Mons Anderson Norman, Hannah Olsson, came to America also, and died in 1888 and is buried in Fountain Green. Two siblings of Mons also immigrated, with immigration dates listed as 1883, and 1884, and 1908, with no source details. 

(6) Notes for Edmund Wheeler Howell

Edmund is Margie’s 2nd Great Grand Father. He was born 1817 in New York. See Notes (23). United Ancestries has Edmund's death place recorded as Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa. Other records show that Edmund's death was at the Platte River in Nebraska while crossing the plains. (1852)

(7) Notes for James Sanderson 

James is Margie’s 3rd Great Grand Father. He was born 1804, and married 1827 in Massachusetts to Mary Jane Sparks and was converted to the church in New York in 1841 by his wife's brother, Quartus. He journeyed towards Nauvoo in fall of 1842 and stopped at Pittsburg. He arrived in Nauvoo in the summer of 1843. He worked on the Nauvoo Temple, Seventies license 21 Apr 1844, Good bass drummer. He moved to St. Louis in late 1844 to find work. He and his son, Henry, found employment there in the shoemaker industry. He brought his family down to St. Louis in early spring of 1845. They moved to a farm on the river, where the family sickened, and James died. New Era article on son Henry has death date for James as 16 Sep 1845. See Notes (8) and (9). 

(8) Notes for Mary Jane Sparks (Sanderson)

Mary Jane is Margie’s 3rd Great Grand Mother. She was born 1809, and married 1827 in Massachusetts to James Sanderson, see Notes (7). James died in 1845 in St. Louis. Mary Jane is listed also in FT with a marriage to Moses Martin Sanders, in 1847 in Winter Quarters, her daughter in law’s father. However, she immigrated to Utah with the surname of Sanderson. She immigrated with Moses Martin Sanders and a daughter, age 16, and a son of Moses Martin Sanders. See the trail, Allen Taylor Company, 1849. The sealing of Mary Jane to Moses Martin Sanders was later cancelled, approved by President George Albert Smith.

(9) Notes for Henry Weeks Sanderson & Rebecca Ann Sanders

Henry Weeks Sanderson & Rebecca Ann Sanders are Margie’s 2nd Great Grand Parents. Henry was born in 1829, in Massachusetts, and Rebecca was born in 1832, in Illinois. They married in 1850 in Iowa. One story about Henry: his parents were induced by a friend of theirs to add the middle name of Weeks, which was the surname of that friend. They were promised some valuable present, but this was never fulfilled. Henry’s middle name is listed also in some records as Wicks or Wix. He resided in Nauvoo from 1843 to 1846, helped in building the Nauvoo temple, was personal friend to Joseph Smith and family. He joined the Mormon Battalion in 1846. He entered the Great Salt Lake Valley just behind the 1847 pioneers. He returned east with Brigham Young's company late 1847, and married Rebecca in 1850 and came west again in 1850 with Rebecca, and with his mother in law and 4 siblings of Rebecca, in the Warren Foote Company Wagon Train. He lived at West Jordan, Union Fort, Fort Supply (Wyoming), Fillmore and Fairview, Utah. He engaged in many wars with the Indians in all of his residences. Information found in New Era of October 1989, "Nauvoo Teenager", pages 44-47. Autobiography started: Fairview, Jan 1884, continued until 1889 where he wrote much of it while serving time in the Utah Penitentiary for unlawful co-habitation. He died in Fairview in the home of his wife, Rebecca Ann. He is buried between his two wives in the northeast quadrant of the Lower Fairview Cemetery.

(10) Notes for Moses Martin Sanders

Moses Martin Sanders is Margie’s 3rd Great Grand Father. He was born in 1803, in Georgia. He married Amanda Armstrong Fausett in 1826 in Tennessee. They are listed in FT with 12 children, 1826-1853. Moses Martin Sanders married again, in 1847 in Winter Quarters to Mary Jane Sparks, see Note (8), who was the mother of his son in law. Moses Martin Sanders and Mary Jane Sparks immigrated to Utah in 1849, with a daughter, age 16, of Mary Jane, and a son of Moses Martin Sanders. See the trail, Allen Taylor Company, 1849. Moses Martin Sanders was known also by the name of Moses Masters Sanderson. He was ordained an Elder and Seventy 6 May 1839 in Quincy, Adams, Illinois. His first wife, Amanda Armstrong Fausett, would immigrate to Utah, a year later, in 1850, with most of her children., see Notes (11). 

(11) Notes for Amanda Armstrong Fausett

Amanda Armstrong Fausett is Margie’s 3rd Great Grand Mother, see Notes (10). She was born in 1810, and married in 1826, both in Tennessee. Her husband, Moses Martin Sanders, took a second wife, and immigrated to Utah in 1849 with the second wife and one son. Amanda immigrated the next year, in 1850, in the Warren Foote Company Wagon Train, with her daughter, Rebecca, and Rebecca’s husband, Henry Weeks Sanderson, and four siblings of Rebecca, see Notes (9). United Ancestries has her name as Amanda Armstrong FAUCETT. Patriarchal blessing 21 Sep 1844 by Patriarch John Smith.

(12) Notes for Rebecca Ann Sanders

Some sources have birth place as Irving Township,Montgomery,Kane,Illinois. Pioneer: Summer of 1850, Warren Foote Company Wagon Train. See Notes (9). 

(13) Notes for Lucinda Harris Guymon 

Lucinda is Margie’s 2nd Great Grand Mother. See was a Pioneer: 8 Sep 1850 in the Aaron Johnson Wagon Train. See Notes (21). She came with her grandparents, and with her father, Noah. Her mother, Mary Dickerson Dudley, had died in 1845 in Nauvoo. The family moved to American Fork, and then to Springville. 

(14) Notes for Archibald Anderson

Archibald is Margie’s 3rd Great Grand Father. He was born in 1805 and married (1826) both in Scotland. He joined the Mormon church in 1847, and came to the US on the ship: S. Curling, and to Utah in 1855, in the Milo Andrus Company. In 1856, his wife Agnes and three sons, Archibald, John and James joined him. 

(15) Notes for Agnes Adamson 

Agnes is Margie’s 3rd Great Grand Mother. She was born in 1804 and married (1856) both in Scotland. She joined the Mormon church in 1847. She sailed from Scotland 23 March 1856 on the sailing ship, Enoch Train, with three teen age sons, and travelled to the Salt Lake Valley in the Daniel McArthur handcart company, arriving 26 September 1856. Her husband had made the trip in 1855, see Notes (14). The family moved to Spanish Fork in 1857, and to Fairview in 1880.

(16) Notes for Agnes Baird (Adamson)

Agnes is Margie’s 4th Great Grand Mother. She was born in 1781 and married (1799) both in Scotland. She married William Adamson, and in 1848, she was a widow. She immigrated to the US and to Utah in 1848 in the Willard Richards Company with two sons, Alexander and Dougal Adamson. 

(17) Notes for Elam Cheney and Hannah Compton

These are Margie’s 3rd Great Grand Parents. Elam was born in New York, in 1825, and baptized into the LDS Church in 1838 at age 12, and Hannah was born in England in 1804. She had married Edmund Wattis in England in 1824, and they had four children in England, 1825-1834. Edmund and Hannah converted to the LDS Church and were baptized by LDS Apostle, Wilford Woodruff in 1840. They immigrated to the US in 1842 on the Ship Chaos. Edmund died in 1844 in Nauvoo. Hannah then married Elam Cheney in 1845 in Nauvoo. They crossed the plains and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley 4 Oct 1847 in the Jedediah M. Grant Company. Their first child was born 10 days after they arrived in Utah. This child was one of the first babies born to LDS Parents in Utah. That child died soon after she was born. Margie’s 2nd Great Grand Mother was born in 1849, in Salt Lake City, Hannah Matilda Cheney. Hannah Compton was a widow, 21 years older than Elam Cheney. Elam would later marry four more wives, and have 43 more children. 

(18) Notes for Aaron Cheney and Mehitable Wells 

These are Margie’s 4th Great Grand Parents. They were both born in 1787, in Maine and New York, and married in 1807 in Vermont. Some in the family were baptized into the LDS Church in 1834. They moved to New York and then to Iowa, and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1849 with a son and his wife and an infant daughter, in the George A. Smith Company. Another son of Aaron and Mehitable, Elam had come two years earlier, see note (17). In the same pioneer company, with Aaron, was Aaron’s second wife, Sarah Griffith. 

(19) Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Website 

Those ancestors who immigrated to Utah between 1847 and 1868 can be found on the Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel website. The railroad came to Utah in 1868, so any ancestor coming to Utah after that date will not be listed on this website. To see more details about any ancestor listed on this website, enter into the search box, only the surname of your ancestor. A list will come up with all of the Pioneers on the website with that surname. Go to the ancestor you want to know more about, and click on his or her name. You might see sources, with journals, and perhaps a link to the Family Search website for that ancestor, see Notes (20). 

(20) Family Search Website 

The Family Tree part of the Family Search website is a common tree for all mankind. You will have to sign in to this website with your LDS Account, username and password. When you are on the website, click on Tree to get to Family Tree. To find any deceased ancestor in Family Tree, click up on Find and input a name and one date. For any ancestor, you can see their family, and there may be sources and memories and photos about that ancestor. 

(21) Notes for Thomas Guymon and Sarah Gordon 

These are Margie’s 4th Great Grand Parents. They were born (1787 and 1791) and married (1809) in North Carolina, and moved to Tennessee. Sarah was baptized into the LDS Church in 1835. They came west in the Aaron Johnson Company, and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1850 with a son, Noah, and two of his wives, and six children, including Lucinda Harris Guymon, who was Margie’s 2nd Great Grand Mother, see Notes (13). 

(22) Notes for William Hurst and Susannah Webley 

These are Margie’s 3rd Great Grand Parents. They were born (1813 and 1812) and married (1831) in England. Some in the family were baptized into the LDS Church in 1843. The family immigrated to the US in 1849, on the Ship: The Ashland, with the parents and three children. They crossed the plains three years later, in the James Jepson Company, and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1852 with three children. 

(23) Notes for Edmund Wheeler Howell and Sarah Vail 

These are Margie’s 2nd Great Grand Parents. They were born (1817 and 1818) and married (1836) in New York. Edmund was baptized into the LDS Church in 1841. The family moved to Iowa and immigrated to Utah in 1852, in the David Wood Company, and Edmund died after one month on the trail. Sarah arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1852 with four children, and settled in Fairview, Utah. 

(24) Notes for Samuel Roberts and Mary Peat 

These are LaMar’s 2nd Great Grand Parents. They were born (1830 and 1829) and married (1852) in England. Samuel was baptized into the LDS Church in 1861. The family immigrated to the US in 1861, on the Ship: American Congress and they crossed the plains in 1866, with six children, and settled in Afton, Wyoming. 

(25) Notes for John Cushing and Elizabeth Bird 

These are LaMar’s 2nd Great Grand Parents. They were born (1815) and married (1836) in England. Elizabeth converted to the LDS Church in England in 1853. John and Elizabeth immigrated in 1874 from England, with their youngest child, daughter Laura, born 1853, who was LaMar’s Great Grand Mother. From the personal history of Laura Cushing, written 12 July 1933: 'Father, mother and myself left Liverpool on the Steamer Wyoming 2 Sep 1874 in Elder John C. Graham's company, arriving in Salt Lake City 23 Sep 1874.' Four of Laura’s older siblings had immigrated earlier, 1864-1870.

(26) Notes for Solon Huff McGee and Emily Lucretia Robinson

These are Margie’s Great Grand Parents. Solon was born in 1853 in Tennessee, and Emily was born in 1855 in Mississippi. They married in 1876 in Missouri, and 10 children were born 1877-1897 in Missouri and Oklahoma. Solon and Emily were baptized into the LDS Church in 1898. They moved to New Mexico and then to Utah, 1899-1900. 

O:\DOCUMENTS\Genealogy\Reports, Charts, Lists\Immigration to Utah, Westra and Norman Ancestors.doc

Now in Dropbox, DB Wendy-Mom Photo Project, FAMILY HISTORIES PROJECT, Ancestors Histories

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Long Lost Ancestors ...

This was a letter from Mom ...

Chris has been processing photos and putting them in our Dropbox Family Photo Project. 

 I had to research them on Family Tree to see who they were. Many more histories there.

The parent's in the middle of the front row are my 2nd great-grandparents on my mother's side: James Anderson, Sr. and Hannah Matilda Cheney. They were married 153 years ago today, on New Year's Day, 1866 (if my math is correct??) in Fairview, Utah. They had 9 children. It appears my mom (Zada) and her mom (Hannah) were named after one of the daughters (Hannah Alzada Anderson), who is your direct ancestor.

The father, James Anderson, was born in Scotland. The mom, Hannah Matilda Cheney, was born in Salt Lake. Her parents were married in Nauvoo. Her father was born in New York and studied medicine and surgery and did dental work for all the nearby ranchers. It is reported that one lady who came from a distance, had Mr. Cheney remove all her teeth at one visit. No deadening of any kind back them.

In 1887, Mr. Cheney removed the thumb from the left hand of Josephine Peterson, then a little girl of 8 years. It had been ground between the cogs of a food chopper. No one could have done a neater or better job.

They traveled from Winter Quarters, Nebraska, on the 19th of June, 1847 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in early Oct. One of the first wagon trains to Utah.

Geeske Egberts de Haan - Biography

Geeske Egberts de Haan was born 23 February 1878 in Faan, Niekerk, Groningen, Netherlands, the third of eight children of Egbert Gerrits de Haan and Wilhelmina Hemkes Scheeringa. There were three girls and five boys. One of the boys died in infancy. Her father was a well-to-do farmer, but during the depression of the 1890’s, he lost everything. Because of the depression, the girls went to work in the big city of Groningen to work as housemaids. Geeske worked in the home of Brother Van der Werf, who was a member of the LDS church. She soon became exposed to the gospel and joined the church on 19 October 1901 and was baptized by Joseph C. Platt. She was 23 years of age. Geeske’s youngest brother, Jan, was later baptized, in May 1903 at age 18. None of her other siblings joined the church. 

Geeske met Ate Obes Westra about May of 1902 at the LDS church branch in Groningen. Ate was almost 10 years older than Geeske. After a six month romance, they were married on 16 October 1902 in Groningen. They were blessed with three lovely children. Wilhelmina was born 18 January 1904; Obe was born 7 February 1905, and Egbert was born 31 July 1906. 

Ate and Geeske had a prosperous laundry established during this time and in 4 ½ years saved sufficient funds for them to immigrate to America. They immigrated to the United States in April 1907 on the ship, SS Canada, sailing from Liverpool, 11 Apr 1907 and arriving in Portland, Maine, 20 Apr 1907. Their ages as listed on the ship roster were: Ate 38, Geeske 29, Wilhelmina 3, Obe 2 and Egbert infant. On the same ship were Geeske’s brother Jan, age 22, and also Antje Assenberg, age 24, who Jan would marry a month after they arrived in the Salt Lake valley. 

Geeske became pregnant shortly before their departure, and together with sea and morning sickness, did not enjoy a moment of her ocean voyage. Worse yet, they were robbed of all their money on the ship, but were given money by an unknown benefactor so that they could continue on to Salt Lake City. Fortunately they had purchased their train tickets in Holland.

Upon their arrival in Utah, they were invited to make their first home with their Dutch friends, brother and sister Hulshof, and lived at 445 North 12th West in Salt Lake City, until they were able to find and finance a home of their own.

Geeske was known by the name of Grace during most of her life in Utah. Most of the people who knew her could not pronounce Geeske, pronounced with a deep guttural sound on the G.

They had misfortune and trials soon after they arrived among the saints. Just four months after their arrival, their two boys died of “summer complaint” which was caused from hot weather and resulted in high fevers and extreme diarrhea. Egbert died on 18 Aug 1907, and five days later, Obe passed away. 

Another son, John, was born 31 Dec 1907. He lived to adulthood.

Ate was ordained an Elder on 6 Nov 1907, and on Wednesday, 12 Feb 1908, Geeske and Ate went to the Salt Lake Temple and received their endowments, were sealed in marriage together for eternity, and then had their children sealed to them: their two living children: Wilhelmina and John, and their two deceased sons: Obe and Egbert. 

Just a few months later, 21 Jun 1908, Wilhelmina passed away after being sick with scarlet fever. She was just four years old.

Sometime in the year 1908, a small two-room home was purchased at the end of 8th East, just south of Parkway Avenue, in Forest Dale Ward. There were several other Dutch families that lived in the neighborhood with names: Harenberg, DeBry, Neerings, Grundman, Stuurman, Meibos, Springer, Teerlink, Aardema and several others. 

Another son, George was born 13 Oct 1909. George lived just five months and died 17 March 1910. Another son, Joseph was born 23 Oct 1911. He lived to adulthood (this is Lamar's father ... check out Joe's Life History). Two more sons were born: Allen born 9 March 1913, lived 15 months and died 25 June 1914; and Alma born 30 April 1915, lived 9 months and died 15 January 1916. 

During the first half of 1914, Ate purchased a small frame home at 2252 South 8th East. 

The last two children lived to adulthood: a daughter Alice, born 28 January 1917, and Edward, a son, born 23 July 1923. When their last child was born, Geeske was 45, and Ate was 54.

• (Left Photo) This is a picture of Ate and Geeske and their three children: Wilhelmina, Obe and Egbert, taken in Netherlands in 1907, before they immigrated to the United States. All of these children died within 18 months after the photo was taken. 
• (Center Photo) This is a picture of Ate and Geeske and their two boys: John and Joseph. Taken in Salt Lake City about 1912.
• (Photo Right) This is a picture of Ate and Geeske and their three youngest living children: Joseph, Alice and Edward, taken in Salt Lake City about 1930. John was probably serving his mission in the Netherlands. 

From the Life of Joseph A Westra ...

Joe's father was called on a mission to Holland and his mother took a job at the Forest Annex to help support her family. She kept the school clean and Joe had to help bring in the coal for the stoves. His mother was real strict and they were never allowed to go in the front rooms unless they had company. She kept a spotless home. They always had a nice garden and planted lots of vegetables. They had chickens and a cow. At a picnic at Lagoon Joe’s mother was badly burned when coffee was spilt in her lap. She was in bed for weeks, and Joe had to come home from school each day and scrub the kitchen floor. They had a nice bungalow type home at 2256 South 8th East. It had a long front porch and the family enjoyed sitting out there and visiting friends and relatives. The Westras had lots of friends from Holland, and they would always talk Dutch.

In 1950 she had a bad stroke, which left her unable to speak, and for 5 years she was this way. It was heartbreaking seeing her try to let you know what she wanted. She couldn't write either and was partially paralyzed. The family put her in a rest home, but she was not happy there. Joe would bring her up on Sundays in her wheelchair and have dinner, then take her to church and then back to the rest home.

Geeske DeHaan, born February 23, 1878 and died August 16, 1955 at the age of 77.  Ate Obe Westra, born December 5, 1868 and died December 11, 1946 at the age of 78.  There were 10 children born ...

• Wilhelmina was born in 1904 and died in 1908
• Obe was born in 1905 and died in 1907
• Egbert was born in 1906 and died in 1907
• John was born Dec. 31, 1908 and died in 1998.
• George was born in 1909 and died in 1910 
• Joseph was born in 1911 and died in 1965
• Allen was born in 1913 and died in 1914
• Alice was born Jan. 28, 1914
• Alma was born in 1915 and died in 1916
• Edward Paul was born July 23, 1923.

Geeske’s story epitomizes the trials that many of the early converts to the LDS Church had to endure. She showed much faith and dedication. When we see the gravestones, two of them, side by side, with three names on each, we can only begin to see the trials that Ate and Geeske endured. These headstones are in the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 South Highland Drive in Salt Lake City, Gilchrest section, next to the headstones of Ate and Geeske. 

The information in this article was taken from a variety of sources. The prime source was pages 1-5 of: ‘Cherished Memories of John and Melva Westra’ written by John Westra. It is a typewritten book of 265 pages that is titled on Page 1: ‘Biography of John Westra and wife Melva Mae Sander Westra’. It is on 8 ½ by 11 pages, two columns per page. Following page 265, there are another 39 pages of genealogical data: Family Group Sheets and Pedigree Charts, going back to the 1300’s. One copy of this book is in the possession of Joseph LaMar Westra. The book is also on the main floor of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Go to www.familysearch.org and click on Library Catalog. Set the Search box to Subjects or Last Names and enter the surname of Westra in the next box, and click Search.. Click on the entry titled: ‘Biography of John Westra and wife Melva Mae Sander Westra’ to see the book description and call number: 921.73 W529wj. 

Other sources: PAF data base and photos in possession of Joseph LaMar Westra, IGI searches and new Family Search, Netherlands Civil Records (birth and marriage certificates), www.ancestry.com search on Ate or Geeske Westra, Genlias (Google, search on Genlias), etc .

The PDF can be found in Dropbox.

Check out the HISTORIES AND BIOGRAPHIES page for Ate's History and more links.