Irene Callister McCullough

This picture is of my Great Grandmother Irene Callister (before she was a McCullough). She was about 18 years old in 1910.

Life is full of contrasts! The following is from the "Life Story" that Marene Ebert put together about Irene. It shows a different side of her than this picture depicts.

“As a teenager around Halloween, Mother and her best friend would dress up in their fathers' pants (girls did not wear pants in those days) and after dark would run through the neighborhood and tip over all the ‘out houses’. She and her friend wore their fathers' pants on other occasions...Mother said that she and her friend learned to jump the six foot fences as fast and as well as any of the boys in the neighborhood and never did get caught. One night Mother was dressed in one of her father’s best suits and as she and her friend, also dressed in her father’s clothes, were walking down the hill, she saw her father coming home from work. He had got off the street car and was walking up the hill from South Temple. As he was going on a trip the next day, he had gone to the bank and had quite a bit of money on him. As he was walking up the hill, he saw these “two bums” (actually Mother and her friend) walking toward him. Thinking they were going to rob him, he gave them a shove, knocking them down into the mud as he ran past them. Later that evening, when Mother came home with his best suit on, dirty and torn, he was so glad that he had not hurt her, that he wasn’t even angry with her.”

Gerry McCullough Ebert

Irene's birthday is November 8th. She was born in 1892. It would have been incredible to know her from her "out house tipping" days to those that the following was said of her:

“I remember that three months before she died at the age of 84, she gave a book review to a group to which I was invited. She spoke for about 45-60 minutes, not using a note. She had a tremendous memory and a thirst for knowledge of things of worth. She was not interested in reading trivial things. She was a peacemaker. My father had many good qualities, but he also had a bad temper and would blow up often. My mother was never a doormat, but at the same time, she would never lower herself to shout or argue. I admired her for this and I’ve always wished I could be more like her. I loved to talk to her about the Gospel and the scriptures. I know of no woman and very few men as well read and versed in the scriptures as my mother.”

Beth McCullough Henderson

Alexander & Almira Henderson

I am so pleased with what I have to share today!!! A few months ago a woman who was doing research for a friend of hers found my blog. Her friend is also a descendant of Nicholas Thomas & Jane Silcock. She e-mailed me and directed me to another descendant, Melvin Banner, who has written an amazing book (over 400 pages) about Nicholas Thomas & Jane Heath Silcock! I was able to obtain the LAST COPY he had! It is full of pictures and amazing stories from their lives AND the lives of their children. He has given me permission to digitize some of the book to share. So in honor of Alexander Shillington Henderson's birthday this week...

The meeting and marriage of Alexander Shillington Henderson and Almira Heath Silcock, from "Come After Us" by Melvin Banner.

Note: Alexander & Almira's 6th child was Nicholas Thomas Henderson, whose son was Jay Harold Henderson. So Alexander & Almira are my Great Great Grandparents.

"In 1874 a young gentleman, Alex (Alexander) Shillington Henderson, contracting work to dig the South Jordan canal came to Nicholas Silcock's farm to purchase hay for his teams. He was thirty years old and had been married, but his wife and only child had died. Henry Silcock said he was "flabbergasted at the large amount of money in this stranger's pocket." To Nicholas, it was just and ordinary visit from another customer and he was grateful for the cash. For sixteen year-old Almira, however, the visit from the man was electrifying. Alex was no stranger to her! She had seen him in 'a dream where it was shown to her the man she was to marry.' She told no one but 'was on the look-out from him' on his return trip. She made sure Alex had the opportunity to meet her. He fell in love with this tall, lovely young woman with 'black curly hair and flashing brown eyes.' They were married March 30, 1874, in the Endowment House. 'Alex purchased a tract of land on the bench adjoining the Silcock property and built Almira a home."

Jay Harold Henderson

Happy Birthday!

Dr. Jay Harold Henderson was born October 14, 1918.

He was my grandfather. He died when I was only 18 months old, so I have no memories of him.

I would love to hear your favorite memory of him.

Thanks for sharing!

funseekerfamilyhistory@gmail.com

Raymond Verne McCullough

I just love this picture of my Great Grandfather, Raymond Verne McCullough.

He was born October 12, 1892. He would have been 116 this week! He went by his middle name, Verne.

Raymond Verne McCullough was an accomplished lawyer.

Here is a case my mom & I have heard family share. If we have any details mixed up...or if you know some more stories that would be fun to share, e-mail funseekerfamilyhistory@gmail.com.

One case he had involved a murder charge against a woman for killing her husband with a butcher knife.

The pathologist for the prosecution explained how she must have stabbed him at close range in the kitchen. However, she said she threw the knife at him from across the room.

During the trial, Verne (the defense lawyer) led the patholgist through a series of questions about things that will bring the heart to the surface--such as when a person is breathing heavily, raising ones arms or if one is yelling.

His final demonstration was piercingly convincing! He brought a similar knife to show the jury. Suddenly from across the room he threw the knife into the wall near the jury. With the knife sticking into the wall, he told the jury to think about it. (He had practiced for some time throwing the knife in his basement to be sure he could throw accurately and have a chance to convince the jury.)

The jury was convinced, she was declared "not guility" was released.

To read more about this trial go to: http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com/history7.html#powell
Thank you to Leslie Cates for e-mailing this information!

Who was this "Guy"?

Guy Messiah Keysor


(He would have been 192 this week!)

Born: October 6, 1816 in Black Rock, New York



Guy Messiah Keysor is my 3rd Great Grandfather.
He is the father of Ruth Susan Independence Keysor. She married William Morris McCullough. Ruth & William McCullough are the parents of Raymond Verne McCullough. Raymond Verne & Irene Callister McCullough are the parents of Beth McCullough who married Jay Harold Henderson.

Guy Messiah Keysor was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and baptized April 1, 1843. He helped to build the temple in Nauvoo and participated in the exodus with the Saints in 1845.

When they reached the Missouri River in July 1846, he enlisted in the Mormon Battalion (see http://www.mormonbattalion.com/history/roster.html) and marched as a private in Company B (Jesse D. Hunter, captain) to San Diego, California.

It was on this march that he lost 90% of his eye sight. His journal tells of marching as long as one week without any water. Yet they would dig wells every day trying to find water. In most cases this work was in vain, for very few of the wells came in, in time to be of use to them. He also tells of building roads over trails which mountain goats could scarcely travel. They had nothing but hand tools to work with. Because of all these hardships that he endured, he lost his eye sight.

He was at Sutter's Fort in 1848 when gold was discovered (see http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=10303510), and remained in California until 1850, when he came to Utah and settled in Salt Lake, where he lived for many years. During this time he petitioned the Government many times without success for some compensation for the loss of his eyesight.

He worked on the Salt Lake Temple in spite of his blindness as a stone mason.

He went to Richfield about 1878 at which place he died October 3, 1885, a faithful Latter-day Saint.

There is a marker for him at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

He is buried in Richfield, Utah.

If you know more about this wonderful man please let me know! I would like to hear what you know about him! E-mail me at funseekerfamilyhistory@gmail.com.

Thoughts from Grandma Beth: "Bide Your Time"

Grandma Beth typed the following on March 22, 1978.

Today I decided that I must write in my journal for I heard something today that really touched my heart that I knew to be true, because while Sister Jasmine Edmunds was relating to me the incident, the Holy Ghost witnessed unto me the truthfulness of what she was saying.

I gave the lesson today in Relief Society and part of the lesson was on Adam and Eve. I was stressing that just as it stated in the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, Adam was the first man and the first flesh upon the earth. I quoted from Joseph Fielding Smith, Pres. Joseph F. Smith and an official statement of the First Presidency of the Church that this was the case and that Adam and Eve were born of parents and did not evolve from earlier flesh via the evolutionary route.

After the lesson Sister Edmunds came up and told me of something that happened to her brother, President Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency of the church.

It was at conference and he was slated to be the last speaker in the morning session. He had his talk all prepared, but because time ran out, President McKay said that Brother Romney would be the first speaker in the afternoon session. Brother Romney, between sessions, prayed about his talk that he had prepared and felt strongly that he should not use it and that he should talk on something else.

When he was called on to speak, Brother Romney said that the Lord literally put words in his mouth and that he spoke how Adam was the first man, the first flesh of the earth. (This was in the days before the general authorities had to turn in a copy of their talk ahead of time) He said afterwards that many of his friends that felt that this did not harmonize with the scientific theories of the day called him and said “Did you really mean what you said about Adam being the first man on the earth?”

I have found just in the years that I have lived that man’s theories come and go, but God’s words---whether in the scriptures, or through the mouth of his prophets are truths that will live forever.

I can remember so well that when I attended the University and took quite a number of anthropology classes, that all the books and all the professors stated most definitely that the only way men came to America was by way of the Bering Strait. Since that time there have turned up so many evidences of the Vikings, Phoenicians and other peoples that came to America by ship, that I’m sure there is no scientist today that would dispute this.

Therefore if the theories of men are not in harmony with the revealed truths of God, bide your time, the truths will stand, many theories of men will not. I have found this to be so.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Beth M. Henderson

McCullough Family Reunion

Thank you to all who came to the McCullough Family Reunion in August at the Sandy Skating Rink. It seemed like all who attended had a great time. In the next two weeks Mom (Lael) will be sending out the picture CDs to those who signed up.

Enjoy some pictures of this fun event.

Some of the Girls

From Left to Right
Marene Ebert, Dianne Bailey, Marie Arnold (holding Hyrum Arnold), Lael Henderson (holding Sadie Henderson), Peggy McCullough, Pam McCullough, Gayle Sundberg, Pat McCullough, Grace Henderson, Vicki Henderson

Some of the Boys

From Left to Right
David Henderson, Robert McCullough, Lee McCullough, Rick Ebert, Scott Henderson, and
Craig McCullough