Family History Questions – Part 2

*** Initial Disclaimer*** I’m getting a lot of this info from Church websites (e.g. new.familysearch.org, FamilySearch Family Tree, etc.) which doesn’t necessarily make it accurate. If anyone has access to records that dispute this info PLEASE let me know!

OK, so with all this reunion talk, it got me thinking about our family history, and when each particular root first joined the church.  This is Part 2 of

Dad’s side is a little more tricky.  Grandma Freeman’s side we know, with all four of her grandparents being baptized in Denmark and emigrating to Utah and California.

Grandpa Freeman’s parents were Jeremiah Reuben Freeman and Emma Jane Bodell.  All four of EJB’s grandparents were born in England, with most emigrating to/toward Utah, with her maternal grandstepmother (Elisabeth Morris) being buried on the plains in July 1856, and her paternal grandfather (Henry Bodell) being buried on the plains in 1863.  Anyone have any info on their respective pioneer companies, or how to find that out?  It would be interesting to find any details about those two deaths.

EJB was the daughter of Joseph Bodell and Emma Jane Farmer, both of whom were born in England.  Emma Jane Farmer was the second of seven kids born to James Morris Farmer and Sarah Trussler.  Her mother seems to have died either in labor or due to complications of childbirth, as her death date is 26 AUG 1851 and “Baby Farmer” was born and died AUG 1851.  Emma Jane was 8 yrs old when her mom and baby sibling died.  Two years later (1853), her father married Elisabeth Morris.  James has a confirmation date of 1 JUL 1848 (when he was 32), and Elisabeth’s baptism/confirmation are dated 6 OCT 1837, so it’s possible they met at church.

!!!WEIRD ALERT!!!  It’s possible they met LONG before that.  I’m guessing that there’s been a data entry/merge error somewhere along the line, because it seems this Elisabeth Morris is actually his widowed mother!  Was that allowed?  At first you’d think, maybe she’s just helping out with the kids and is just listed as living there.  BUT there is another kid listed between their marriage date and Elisabeth’s death date.  Anyone want to figure out what’s up with that one? 

That kid was Willard Biddle Farmer, born 26 OCT 1855 in Nottingham, and died 26 JUL 1856 “on the plains.”  He was nine months old.  Elisabeth Morris also died “on the plains” JUL 1856.  It couldn’t have been easy to have a baby, get on a ship, then start crossing the plains.  Emma Jane would have been 12 during the sea voyage, and was baptized 10 MAY 1856, turning 13 on 26 JUN.  Would her baptism have had to been in the U.S., or would there have been time to leave England in May and still get to Nebraska (or wherever) by July?    So at 13 years old, she’s already seen two mother figures and two baby siblings die, has crossed the Atlantic, and crossed the plains.  No doubt being the second oldest she’s got a lot to do to help with the younger kids as well.

To be continued…