15 years ago
Saturday, June 27, 2009
June Trip Day 7 - Our Trip Home
Our last day started with literally a bang. At 5:55 AM a terrible thunder rolled through our motel room and the heavens opened to a driving rain and lightning storm. Needless to say we were awake for the day. The storm passed shortly and the rest of the day was HOT and HUMID. It got up to 97 with a heat index of 110. Not nice weather. We drove to Des Moines and flew out in the afternoon reversing our trip out there and arrived home about 9:00 PM. Boy were we tired but it was an enjoyable trip.
June Trip Day 6 (Cont.) - Edson Barney Property
One last thing I wanted to do was locate the lands that our ancestor Edson Barney owned in the Nauvoo area. I got the help of Elder Eickbush, who is a retired surveyer. We took the map the land office provided and drove off into the farm land east of Nauvoo where the Barney family once lived. The maps showed all kinds of streets but they no longer exist so this was quite a guessing game. Before we actually knew we were right Elder Eickbush figured out this was the largest part of the Barney land. It is directly north of the Nauvoo cemetery and directly east of the old Joseph Smith farm. The Barneys owned the land between the road and the tree line in the background.
We then drove around looking for where the other properties were and stopped at a couple of farm houses. At the second one we met an old farmer who was just saying goodby to his family as they were leaving. He pulled out his county map and low and behold we were right were we needed to be. His driveway was the eastern boundary of the Barney land. The picture below shows the Barney land under cultivation. There was once an old Mormon cabin there made out of brick but it is long since gone. He had one on his property that dated from the same time (the early 1840's) and he gave me one of the home made bricks from that house.
After the trip to the Barney land we went by the temple and got this shot as the sun was setting.
The other new thing in town was this statue of Joseph and Hyrum on their last ride. It is quite impressive as the site overlooks the lower level of the town and the Mississippi River in the background.
We then drove around looking for where the other properties were and stopped at a couple of farm houses. At the second one we met an old farmer who was just saying goodby to his family as they were leaving. He pulled out his county map and low and behold we were right were we needed to be. His driveway was the eastern boundary of the Barney land. The picture below shows the Barney land under cultivation. There was once an old Mormon cabin there made out of brick but it is long since gone. He had one on his property that dated from the same time (the early 1840's) and he gave me one of the home made bricks from that house.
After the trip to the Barney land we went by the temple and got this shot as the sun was setting.
The other new thing in town was this statue of Joseph and Hyrum on their last ride. It is quite impressive as the site overlooks the lower level of the town and the Mississippi River in the background.
June Trip Day 6 - Last day of the Reunion
We wished we had had the nice weather we had the prior day on this day. It was back to raining. We were to meet Charles at 9 AM but got off late and got off a little late. So by the time I reached the place on County Line Road where the others were parked there was no evidence of where the cousins were located. I hopped the fence where a gate was located where the cars were parked. This was a mistake as I then had to travel through undergrowth over a 100 yards eastward to where they were located at the little cemetery. It was an area about the size of a living room, completely over run with day lillies and weeds. It was surrounded by a pretty little wrought iron fence with a gate that faced the road which was down the road about 100 yards away. This first picture is the tombstone for Phillip Carter, John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter's son who stayed in Nauvoo when the Saints left. We all suspect that John might be buried here even though some think he is buried in the Fletcher Cemetery.
Here are Charles, Layne and me in the cemetery with the Phillip Carter tombstone behind us.
If you look closely to the right of the tree at the very top of the light green weeds you can see the top of the Philip Carter tombstone.
After this we returned to the Nauvoo campground and had a chicken dinner cooked in a cast iron pot just like in the old days. Joining us were the Eickbushes. We had become acquained with them when Charles had gone to the Land Record Office to find out about our family lands and when he went to a computer our Dominicus Carter was up on the screen already. The people just before him had been looking for us too. Charles ran out in the parking lot and found a couple, the Eickbushes. Sister Eickbush is another cousin. They are in Nauvoo serving in the temple. With their help and Jeff Zeck we agreed to try as a family to do two things: 1) Restore the old Carter Cemetery and possibly place a stone there in memory of John Carter; and , 2) search for the original painting of Hannah Knight Libby Carter which was last located in the Nauvoo area in possession of Dora Carter Bolt, who died in 2002.
Here are Charles, Layne and me in the cemetery with the Phillip Carter tombstone behind us.
If you look closely to the right of the tree at the very top of the light green weeds you can see the top of the Philip Carter tombstone.
After this we returned to the Nauvoo campground and had a chicken dinner cooked in a cast iron pot just like in the old days. Joining us were the Eickbushes. We had become acquained with them when Charles had gone to the Land Record Office to find out about our family lands and when he went to a computer our Dominicus Carter was up on the screen already. The people just before him had been looking for us too. Charles ran out in the parking lot and found a couple, the Eickbushes. Sister Eickbush is another cousin. They are in Nauvoo serving in the temple. With their help and Jeff Zeck we agreed to try as a family to do two things: 1) Restore the old Carter Cemetery and possibly place a stone there in memory of John Carter; and , 2) search for the original painting of Hannah Knight Libby Carter which was last located in the Nauvoo area in possession of Dora Carter Bolt, who died in 2002.
June Trip Day 5 - Reunion Day 2 - The Tour
We decided to travel the next day all around the Nauvoo area to visit historical and family related sites. We started by going to Carthage where the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred along with his brother Hyrum. Here are those of us who went on the trip. In the back row was Jeff Zeck (a cousin who lived here locally and was our guide), Lance Carter and his wife Linzsay in front of him, Grandpa and Grandma in front, and finally Morgan Wise and his wife Cathy who is a Carter cousin. Not pictured were Jeff's mother, Charles Carter and his wife Jan, and Elder and Sister Eichbush. 
The Carthage Jail has a special spirit there. This picture below is of our guide Sister Picard pointing to the bullet hole in the door where the bullet that killed Hyrum Smith passed through the door.
Grandma wasn't behaving very well so we had to lock her up in the jail cell in the jail. Joseph and his group weren't in there the day he was murdered as it was too hot in there. We were grateful for the air conditioning, but especially Grandma who had to spend the day in the jail. (Just joking.)
From Carthage we visited several cemeteries who had cousins buried there and ended up in the area of Lima, Illinois. This was the site of Morley's Settlement. Our Carters - John and Hannah and William Furlsbury all settled here - near the woods at the back of the picture below. The historical marker mentions that Morleyville had between 400 and 500 Mormon settlers until September 1845 when up to 125 homes and outbuildings here were torched. Since our John Carter never joined the Church he stayed on here when the Saints left for the Rockies with his 3 children who also didn't join the Church. Isaac Morley, whom the settlement was named after, was sealed to John's wife Hannah Knight Libby Carter so she would have someone to look after her. One of the things we wanted to do here was find the Carter Family Cemetery which was located in the woods at the back of the picture.
Our little tour ended with a visit to the Hotel in Warsaw where the mobbers who took the life of Joseph Smith met to plan their deed. From there they traveled due east to Carthage. That route would have taken then right past the home of Alexander Wilkins who lived 3 miles to the west of Carthage. Grandma Wilkins actually heard the shots that killed the prophet and later witnessed mobbers riding past their home saying they had killed their ..... ..... Mormon Prophet. I have often wondered about this but it makes total sense once you see where the Wilkins lived and the route from Warsaw to Carthage.
After our little jaunt around the county we returned to Nauvoo. We had stopped at what we thought was the Carter property but couldn't find anyone home. We wanted to find the cemetery in the worse way.
We went to the Nauvoo Temple that afternoon and took in a session. Then we scrambled for a meal and then went to the visitor center and saw two outdoor shows - Sunset on the Mississippi and the BYU Ballroom Dancers. The skys threatened to open but we made it through the two shows with only a couple of sprinkles.
Jeff Zech and his mother had eaten dinner at the Nauvoo Hotel and found a man who knew where our Carter land was located so we agreed to meet the next morning and try again to find the cemetery.
The Carthage Jail has a special spirit there. This picture below is of our guide Sister Picard pointing to the bullet hole in the door where the bullet that killed Hyrum Smith passed through the door.
Grandma wasn't behaving very well so we had to lock her up in the jail cell in the jail. Joseph and his group weren't in there the day he was murdered as it was too hot in there. We were grateful for the air conditioning, but especially Grandma who had to spend the day in the jail. (Just joking.)
From Carthage we visited several cemeteries who had cousins buried there and ended up in the area of Lima, Illinois. This was the site of Morley's Settlement. Our Carters - John and Hannah and William Furlsbury all settled here - near the woods at the back of the picture below. The historical marker mentions that Morleyville had between 400 and 500 Mormon settlers until September 1845 when up to 125 homes and outbuildings here were torched. Since our John Carter never joined the Church he stayed on here when the Saints left for the Rockies with his 3 children who also didn't join the Church. Isaac Morley, whom the settlement was named after, was sealed to John's wife Hannah Knight Libby Carter so she would have someone to look after her. One of the things we wanted to do here was find the Carter Family Cemetery which was located in the woods at the back of the picture.
Our little tour ended with a visit to the Hotel in Warsaw where the mobbers who took the life of Joseph Smith met to plan their deed. From there they traveled due east to Carthage. That route would have taken then right past the home of Alexander Wilkins who lived 3 miles to the west of Carthage. Grandma Wilkins actually heard the shots that killed the prophet and later witnessed mobbers riding past their home saying they had killed their ..... ..... Mormon Prophet. I have often wondered about this but it makes total sense once you see where the Wilkins lived and the route from Warsaw to Carthage.
After our little jaunt around the county we returned to Nauvoo. We had stopped at what we thought was the Carter property but couldn't find anyone home. We wanted to find the cemetery in the worse way.
We went to the Nauvoo Temple that afternoon and took in a session. Then we scrambled for a meal and then went to the visitor center and saw two outdoor shows - Sunset on the Mississippi and the BYU Ballroom Dancers. The skys threatened to open but we made it through the two shows with only a couple of sprinkles.
Jeff Zech and his mother had eaten dinner at the Nauvoo Hotel and found a man who knew where our Carter land was located so we agreed to meet the next morning and try again to find the cemetery.
June Trip Day 4 - On to Nauvoo While Dodging Twisters
Friday morning dawned with rain and lighting. In fact there was a tornado watch in the county just to the north of us. That storm was heading southeast right into the northern suburbs of Chicago, where we could have been. That part of Chicago never got a tornado but had terrible hail and heavy rain that flooded out highways, etc.
We took off to the southwest as we headed across the state to Nauvoo. We had off and on really heavy rain interspersed with cloudy but dry weather. We drove all the way to Keokuk, Iowa, where we stayed the night. No sooner than we got there than they had a tornado warning for Fort Madison just 15 miles north of us and across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo. In fact our cousins who were staying in the campgrounds at Nauvoo were evacuated to the men's restrooms at the campground. No tornado set down there but the path of the watch traveled the path we had driven just hours earlier.
That late afternoon we went over to Nauvoo to see my cousins and plan out what we wanted to do for the weekend.
We took off to the southwest as we headed across the state to Nauvoo. We had off and on really heavy rain interspersed with cloudy but dry weather. We drove all the way to Keokuk, Iowa, where we stayed the night. No sooner than we got there than they had a tornado warning for Fort Madison just 15 miles north of us and across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo. In fact our cousins who were staying in the campgrounds at Nauvoo were evacuated to the men's restrooms at the campground. No tornado set down there but the path of the watch traveled the path we had driven just hours earlier.
That late afternoon we went over to Nauvoo to see my cousins and plan out what we wanted to do for the weekend.
June Trip Day 3 - To Elgin, Illinois
We spent half of the next day traveling from Cedar Rapids, Iowa across the northern part of Illinois to Geneva, IL. Geneva has a great genealogical society that works out of a closet sized room in the historical society. It is only open from 1 PM to 4 PM on Thursdays and Saturdays. Fortunately we were there on a Thursday. We wanted to go there because they have a huge local computerized genealogical data base you can only access there. Barb again had family from here and though she didn't find the ancestral connection she wanted, we did pick up quite a bit of collateral data and listings for obituaries that we picked up later that afternoon in Elgin. But Geneva is an adorable town which is a lot like Carmel, CA with little shops lining the street and tons of character. Too bad we didn't have time to explore here. (But the pocket book appreciated that fact - mine anyway.)
We went on to Elgin and hit the local library where they had all the local newspapers on microfilm and using the indexes we gathered in Galena we harvested quite a few news clippings - obits, birth and other records.
That night we stayed in Elgin and Barb was so sad as we were only 30 miles or so from her old stomping grounds in Chicago. As things turned out it was good we didn't go on into Chicago on this trip.
We went on to Elgin and hit the local library where they had all the local newspapers on microfilm and using the indexes we gathered in Galena we harvested quite a few news clippings - obits, birth and other records.That night we stayed in Elgin and Barb was so sad as we were only 30 miles or so from her old stomping grounds in Chicago. As things turned out it was good we didn't go on into Chicago on this trip.
June Trip - Day 1 - 2 Des Moines - Amana - Cedar Rapids
We flew out of Fresno on June 16th to Dallas/Fort Worth and then on to Des Moines. We were supposed to get into Des Moines at 9:30 but our flight was delayed until almost 10:45 so we were shot by the time we got into our hotel. The next day we drove over to the Amana Colonies where Barbara has ancestral families. We first stopped off at the courthouse in Maringo and spent a couple of hours going through the birth, marriage and death records for the county and found so tidbits of information for Barb. We then went on to Amana and went to a play - Neil Simon's Odd Couple with Barbara's cousins - Bill and Barb Schreiver and Flo Shoemaker. They are pictured with Barb below outside the restaurant we ate at that evening.
Pictured L to R - Bill S, Barb G, Flo, and Barb S.
This was the store across the parking lot from the restaurant. Maddy Ward, our granddaughter, should like this.
That evening we went with the Schreivers to Cedar Rapids. Bill took us on a tour of the flooded out parts of Cedar Rapids. It looked horrible - block after block of totally ruined homes. They live within site of the Rock River but are high up on a hill where they were safe. We spent the night sharing genealogy as Bill is a genealogy nut too.
Pictured L to R - Bill S, Barb G, Flo, and Barb S.
This was the store across the parking lot from the restaurant. Maddy Ward, our granddaughter, should like this.That evening we went with the Schreivers to Cedar Rapids. Bill took us on a tour of the flooded out parts of Cedar Rapids. It looked horrible - block after block of totally ruined homes. They live within site of the Rock River but are high up on a hill where they were safe. We spent the night sharing genealogy as Bill is a genealogy nut too.
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