James Briggs

Born: August 1828 in England

Died: 1877 between Fairview and Salina, Sevier County, Utah

Married: Hannah Smith on June 10, 1850 in Manchester, England

Children: William, Ann, Sarah, John, Eliza, Robert, James

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

Information on James Briggs has been quite difficult to find. I have not yet found an exact birth date for him, nor have I found the names of his parents. He married Hannah Smith in 1850, and together the two had seven children, four of whom survived to adulthood. It seems as though he and his family made the journey from England to Utah sometime in the early 1870's. This time frame makes immigration and emigration information difficult to obtain, since after the railroad reached Utah in 1868, records were no longer as meticulously kept about who had emigrated to the territory. He, Hannah, and their children, lived in Fairview. In 1877 there was a drought and James set out for Salina in search of water to bring back to his family. Somewhere between the two towns he had died on the road. Some passersby discovered his body and buried it along the roadside.

Daniel Graves

Born: March 18, 1806 in Yarmouth, England

Died: October 17, 1892 in Provo, Utah

Parents: Daniel and Mary Blanchflower Graves

Married: Elizabeth Sarah Baker on May 6, 1827. She passed away in 1838. Married Mary Newman on August 7, 1840.

Children by Elizabeth: Elizabeth Ursula, Edward, William, Jane Eliza, Isebel, Joseph, Robert, Marie Ann, James

Children by Mary: Joshua, Mary Ann, Lehi Moroni, Joseph Nephi, Henry Edward, Elizabeth Sarah, Ebenezer, Daniel Robert, Charlotte Maria, Alma

Overland Trail Company: Charles A Harper Company. Departed from Mormon Grove, Kansas July 25, 1855. Arrived in Salt Lake October 28, 1855.

Relationship to Me: 4th Great Grandfather (Rose Branch)

Finding information on Daniel Graves prior to him joining the LDS Church has been somewhat problematic for me, as most of the information I am finding has to do with he and Mary converting to the faith, their journey to Zion, and the events that took place after they arrived in Utah. Here is what I have come to learn so far.

Daniel was the 4th of 5 children born to Daniel and Mary Blanchflower Graves, and appears to be one of only two who survived to adulthood, the other being Anna Maria Graves Eastick. He first married Elizabeth Sarah Baker. To them nine children were born, of whom two survived to adulthood: Elizabeth Ursula and Jane Eliza. His wife Elizabeth Sarah passed away in 1838, and I have been unable to find any information about her.  Next Daniel married Mary Newman. They had ten children, six of whom survived to adulthood: Henry Edward, Daniel Robert, Charlotte Maude, Joseph Nephi, Alma, and Joshua. Mary Ann and Lehi Moroni died during an outbreak of small pox in England. Elizabeth Sarah died while crossing the plains. She fell from the wagon and the wheel passed over her head, killing her instantly. Ebenezer was born on the plains, and died in infancy while the family was living in Provo.

Daniel and the children were baptized into the LDS Church in December 1849, about a year and a half after Mary was baptized. On April 19, 1855 they sailed for America on the ship "Geminicus" as part of a company of 100. They left St Louis with Wagons and oxen, then joined the Charles A Harper company in Nebraska. On October 28, 1855 Daniel and Mary arrived in Salt Lake City, and soon after moved to Provo. In Provo, Daniel opened one of the first dance halls.

Daniel was educated to be a school teacher, and was a talented artist. He had beautiful penmanship and was skilled in drawing with pen and ink. In 1851 he won a medal at the World's Fair in London for a pen and ink sketch entitled "Life of Christ." He was very interested in agriculture and was one of the first to get on board with the growing of mulberry trees in Utah, in order to raise silk worms. Using silk from his worms, he had a fine silk vest made for himself. He became so proficient at this agricultural endeavor that he wrote a pamphlet to teach beginners how to raise silk worms, and gave lectures all around the state. On his property he grew walnut trees, and used the wood from them to make beautiful caskets for Mary and himself. In 1859 he organized the Utah County branch of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. In 1868 he propagated grapes and was quite pleased to show Brigham Young the vineyard he had planted in soil that was otherwise considered to be useless. In 1869 Daniel was elected as secretary of the Utah Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. He and Mary celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1890. Two years later, Daniel passed away.

Daniel and Mary's 50th Wedding Anniversary

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.

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!