George Graham

Born: December 14, 1847 in Thurnscoe, England

Died: 1877

Parents: Richard and Mary Woodcock Graham

Married: Ann Briggs on December 11, 1873 in Salina, Utah

Children: George William, James Richard

Overland Trail Company: Captain Ansel P. Harmon Company Left Florence, Nebraska in May 1862.

Relationship to Me: 3rd Great Grandfather (Graham Branch)

Second of 5 children born to Richard and Mary Woodcock Graham. Information on George has been very difficult to find. He came to Utah with his parents in 1862, but his mother died before reaching Zion, somewhere near the Utah/Wyoming border He married Ann Briggs in Salina on December 11, 1873 and their first son, George William was born the following year. In 1875 George's brother Richard was the first settler in Milburn, UT which is very near Fairview. George and his brother John soon followed. His second son James was born in 1876. The following year George passed away. I have not been able to find an exact date or cause for his death. Neither have I found a picture. It was stated in one of the documents I read while doing research that there is no known photo of him remaining today.

Mary Woodcock Graham

Born: March 10, 1820 in Darfield, Yorkshire, England

Died: September 11, 1862 near Casper, Wyoming

Parents: George and Rebecca Harrison Woodcock

Married: Richard Graham Sr. on October 5, 1841

Children: Elizabeth, George, John, Richard Jr, Rebecca

Relationship to Me: 4th Great Grandmother (Graham Branch)

Mary was the third of eight children born to George and Rebecca Harrison Woodcock. Mary and Richard were married in England and joined the LDS Church there. They left England bound for Utah on May 14, 1862 on the ship "William Tapscott" along with their five children. They arrived in New York and traveled by train as far as Florence, Nebraska. From here they joined the Ansel P. Harmon Company. During their journey across the plains their company was plagued by many illnesses, including measles, and many lives were lost. Among them was Mary, who died near Casper, Wyoming.

Ann Briggs Graham

Ann Briggs Graham

Born: January 22, 1853 in Chorlton Upon Medlock, Lancashire, England

Died: April 17, 1880 in Fairview, Sanpete County, Utah

Parents: James and Hannah Smith Briggs

Married: George Graham December 11, 1873 in Salina, Utah

Children: George William and James Richard

Relationship to Me: 3rd Great Grandmother (Graham Branch)

George William, Ann, and James Richard

Information on Ann Briggs has been somewhat difficult for me to find, aside from the facts listed above. She  had a twin named William who died when he was about 2 years old. She came to Utah with her parents, and married George in 1873. Their first son, George William, was born in 1874, and their second son, James Richard was born in 1876. Both boys were born in a one-room log house that George had built for his family in Fairview. The next year was a very difficult one for Ann, as she lost both her father and her husband in the same year. Although I have not yet found any information pertaining to the death of her husband George, I have found some information on the death of her father James. There was a drought going on in Fairview, and James had set off to Salina to get water, but had died somewhere along the way. Some passersby found his body and buried him along the roadside. Ann died in 1880, at the age of 27, leaving her two young boys orphans. The boys' grandmother, Hannah Smith Briggs, moved in with the boys and, with the help of her daughters, raised them.

Welcome to My Family History!

Creer Family Reunion 1906

If you are a patron of my original blog "Little Chucks Self-Sufficiency, Recycling, and Bargain Living" or my "Little Chuck's Pokemon History" blog, then I'm sure you have worked out that I like history, and particularly the history of my own family. The inspiration for this blog was a post I made on my self-sufficiency blog called "It's in My Genes" in which I told about a few of my ancestors and the things that they did to save money, raise a family, and sometimes even just to survive, especially those who crossed states, continents, and oceans to finally arrive in Utah. I hope that this blog will preserve some information for future generations, and I also hope that it will be interactive. If anyone has any information or memories to contribute, or any corrections to be made, please comment here or on my Facebook page so that I can improve my understanding of my family's history!