52 Ancestors: #14 Mary Louisa Elder Nelson (1861 – 1916)

Mary Louisa Elder Nelson is my husband's great grandmother on his mother's side of the family. She is the mother of his grandfather, James Mark Nelson.
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Mary Louisa Elder Nelson was born on June 5, 1861 in Grantsville, Utah which is in Tooele County. The family pronounces her middle name, Louisa as "Lo-eye-za" with a long "O" and long "I" sound. Her parents were Claybourne M. and Mary Caroline Elder. They didn't live in Grantsville very long and in her first year the family were called to southern Utah. Her father was asked to take his sawmill and also to help with Indian problems. This proved to be a pattern in Mary Louisa's life as she lived many places throughout her life. She was mostly in Southern Utah in her formative years. Her family were some of the first settlers of Duncan's Retreat, a ghost town near Virgin, Utah. The settlement had a lot of problems with flooding of the Virgin River and was eventually abandoned. At age 9 Mary Louisa is listed in the 1970 Virgin, Utah census as Louisa.

Mary Louisa was 16 years old and cooking at a lumber camp in southern Utah when she met her future husband, Price William Nelson in 1877. They were married in the St. George temple on January 11, 1878.  He took her to St. George with his ox team on a load of lumber.  Her parents came along in a wagon drawn by horses.  When they got to Grafton the wagon broke down but her father let them take his horses and wagon and Mary Louisa's mother went with them to St. George.  Price William and Mary Louisa had their first child, Claybourne Edmund in November that year. 

We find Price William, Mary Louisa and their one year old son listed as living in St. John Village, Apache County, Arizona on the 1880 census.

Price William and Louisa had nine children together. We can follow the places the family lived by the birth places of the children. 

Claybourne Edmund (1878) and Price Williams (1882) were  born in Mesa, Arizona. Hyrum (1884) was born in Sunset City, Apache County, Arizona. James Mark (1885) was born at Lee's Ferry, Coconino County, Arizona. Mary Louisa (1888) and Rhoda May (1890) were born in Cave Valley, Galeana, Chihuahua, Mexico. Charlotte Lorane (1892) was born in Pacheco, Chihuahua, Mexico. Jonathan Pratt (1895)  and George Smith (1897) in Oaxaca, Bavispe, Sonora, Mexico. (Mary Louisa -back row - died at age 14 shortly after this photo was taken.)

In 1912 the Nelson family were among the refugees who had to leave the LDS Mexican colonies because of the Mexican Revolution. The family never returned and had to start over again in the United States. Price William states in his autobiography: 

We were "living in Oaxaca, Sonora, Mexico, at the time of the rebellion in 1912. The Mexican rebels soon after destroyed my whole life's earnings. I was pretty well-to-do at the time. I had a beautiful home right on the shores of the Bavispi River. The Mexican troops remained in our area about three weeks, taking me prisoner when they left, leaving my family penniless. After some time I was released to return to my home and family. On the twelfth of August 1912 we left our beautiful home and everything we had, never to return."

Price William and Mary Louisa with  their children still at home moved to the United States and settled in Utah. Mary Louisa only lived four years after their return to the United States. She died at age 55  on June 15th 1916 in Kanab, Utah. She was buried there but is also listed on her husband's headstone in St. George, Utah.

Mary Louisa was a polygamous wife and mother of nine children. She lived a hard pioneer life in many places and circumstances. Like many stalwart pioneer women there is very little written about her time on this earth.

Headstone in Kanab, Utah cemetery. The death date is incorrect.
The death certificate below shows the date as June 15, 1916

Sources:
nelson.forefamilies.com
FamilySearch.org
family records in possession of D. Larsen and R. Nelson
History of Claybourne Montgomery Elder
History of Price William Nelson

52 Ancestors: #5 David H. Cannon (1838-1924)

David H. Cannon is my great grandfather. He is the father of my dear Grandma Clara Burgess. There Has been much written on David H. including on my website: DavidHCannon.org. I will post his family members, a new portrait, photo and map in this blog posting.

Portrait by Dan Weggeland

David Henry Cannon was born on 23 April 1838 in Liverpool, England. His parents were George and Ann Quayle Cannon, both from the Isle of Man (an island between England and Ireland.)
David H. Cannon's family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1840 while living in England. In 1842 the Cannon family left for America on the ship, Sidney.  David's mother, Ann lost her life during the journey and was buried at sea. Four-year-old David had to be tied to the mast to be prevented from throwing himself into the sea after his mother. David remembered this devastating moment for the rest of his life.

Site where Ann Cannon was buried at sea.

David's father lost his life two years later. The orphan Cannon children later journeyed with the rest of the Saints from Nauvoo, Illinois across the plains to Utah and settled in Salt Lake City.

David H. served two missions for the Church. Soon after returning home from England he and his wife were called to the Cotton Mission in Southern Utah. David's family moved to St. George and he lived there the rest of his life. He always said that he hadn't been released from that mission. He later served as the president of the St. George Temple for over 30 years.

The Temple was at the edge of town

David H. Cannon died on 27 December 1924 and was buried in the St. George City Cemetery

   David Henry Cannon's wives and children-

   First wife:
Wilhelmina Logan Mousley Cannon (1840-1918)
married: 15 January 1859 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
   Children:
David Henry Cannon 1860-1944 ​
Ann Mousley Cannon 1864-1865
George Quayle Cannon 1866-1884 ​
Elizabeth Munn Cannon 1869-1869 ​
Amanda Mousley Cannon 1870-1889 ​
Angus Mousley Cannon  1872-1947
Wilhelmina Mousley Cannon -1875-1927​
Lewis Ray Cannon 1878-1963 ​
Josephine Cannon 1881-1944 ​
Frank Cannon 1883-1961 ​

   Second wife: 
Josephine Langley Crossgrove Cannon (1848-1929)
Married: 19 October 1867 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
   Children:
Charles Crossgrove Cannon (1869-1870)
John Crossgrove Cannon (1871-1877)​
Mary Alice Cannon (1873-1874)​
Effie Cannon (1875-1875)​
Leonora Crossgrove Cannon (1876-1899)​
Erastus Snow Cannon (1878-1883)
Bayard Cannon (1881-1968)
Eugene Crossgrove Cannon (1883-1955)
Theresa Cannon (1885-1979)
Claude Cannon (1887-1976)​
Raymond Cannon (1890-1977)

   Third Wife:
Rhoda Ann Knell Cannon (1858-1945)
Married: 20 June 1877 in St. George, Washington, Utah
   Children:
Evaline Knell Cannon (1878-1959)​
Robert Knell Cannon (1879-1880)​
Wilford Woodruff Cannon (1880-1973)​
Clarence Cannon (1883-1883)​
Rhoda Knell Cannon (1885-1914)​
Walter Cannon (1888-1957)​
Clara Cannon (1891-1990)
Vernon Cannon (1894-1970)
Douglas Cannon (1897-1985)
Earl Cannon (1900-1985)
Harold B Cannon (1903-1992) ​

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Sources:
DavidHCannon.org
FamilySearch.org
Personal Histories by David H. Cannon
Journal of George Cannon
http://www.sedgwickresearch.com/cannon/dhcannon.htm

This is a  link to a painting by Amy Hintz. http://amyhintzeart.blogspot.com/.
She is the artist for "The Spoken Word"  We have a print of this.

This year is the 150th anniversary of the Panguitch, Utah Quilt Walk. My great great great grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Adair was one of the seven men who walked over the mountain in the snow to get food for the new community who were out of food. The snow was so deep that the men sank to their hips as they tried to get over the mountain. It was proving an impossible journey but they had to go to save their families. So they put a quilt down on the snow and knelt on it to offer a prayer asking for help in their desperate journey. After the prayer they realized that they did not sink into the snow while they were on the quilt. So these men used the quilts they had with them in their bedrolls and put a front quilt down as they picked up the last one behind them and walked 20 miles over the 8100 ft mountain to get food and carried it back again they same way. It was truly the answer to their heartfelt prayer.
This year for the 150th anniversary of the quilt walk there will be a commemorative trek. On June 11-13 2014 once again a group will follow in the footsteps of the quilt-walking men 19 miles over the mountain but "without the starvation and waist deep snow". There is a fee but you will be fed, have a support vehicle, entertainment, guides, porta-potties and it's only one way.
If you would like to participate in the trek which will be filmed visit:

Utah Pioneer Heritage Arts website  Flyer  Sign-up form

A YouTube video about the Quilt Walk and features Thomas Jefferson Adair:

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Here is a picture of Thomas Jefferson Adair in his later years:

And a link to a history written by his daughter:

http://adams.forefamilies.com/adair_tm.html

How I am related:

Me - Mom - Hilda Rose Palmer - Ann Adams Rose Watts -
Mary Elizabeth Adair Adams - Thomas Jefferson Adair

A descendant, Rich Adair is writing a series of letters about Thomas to his children.  I have learned a lot of wonderful new information from Rich's extensive research. 

Leave a comment if you are interested in these and I will ask him to forward them.

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From the Quilt Walk Marker

The Panguitch Quilt Walk History

In 1864 a group of hardy pioneers braved the

mountain snows to save their families from

starvation. This group of men encountered

snows that were impassable. According to their

faith they knelt on a quilt in a prayer circle.

The answer to their prayer was to walk on the

quilts. Thus we honor seven men as the

Panguitch Quilt Walkers. They are Jessie Louder,

Alexander Matheson, William Talbot, Thomas

Jefferson Adair, Thomas Morgan Richards, John

Lowe Butler II, and John Paul Smith.

Commissioned by
The Panguitch Quilt Walk Association