Mission photo upgrade

George Seward Kennington

Dorothy had this in her family history box.
Details are always better from the original.
Thanks for sharing it Mom.

Mississippi Mission Conference, 1906

Close-up of George sporting a handle bar mustache.

Elders Mississippi Conference May 28, 1906

Back Row - W.H. Hopkins, D. Gourley, R.M. Jyppson, W.N. Wignall, D. Powell, W. G. Hopkins,
O.R. Williams, C. Jenks, W.A.H. Hatch, L.W. Woolsey,
Middle Row - B.M. Crump, J.E.Gurler, D. Rowley, L.R. Baker, Pres. E.D. Buchanan, G.S. Kennington, G. Berry
Front Row - D. Smith, C. Lilyinquist, J. Jepsen

According to Wickipedia, there were 1018 members in the Mississippi Conference in 1906. Anyone know of a mission journal or other surviving artifacts from this period of George's life?

George Seward Kennington and Martha Emma Weber

George Seward Kennington and Ada Caroline Kimball

The Charles Weber Family

Charles and Johanna Weber and their family
In birth order: Elvera, Herbert, Elaine, Ardyth and Myrna, not shown, born in 1930.

Martha Weber Kennington wrote of her older brother:

"Charles Samuel, the brother who did so much to help me through the years. It was wonderful, the easy manner of his death. But it made the void all the more deep and lasting.
How I enjoyed him and Aunt Joan, his lovely wife, and family. Naturally since death is inevitable for all of us, one day all of us will be called to answer the final summons. May we all be as ready as he was. He chafed at inactivity. Unless he could accomplish something with his hands, life did not seem worthwhile to him. Even though he was aware of the happiness he shared with his family and sisters- work and lots of it seemed the only thing that made life seem worthwhile.
So even though there is happiness in the sweet memories of places and events we went with him, we miss him.
It was wonderful how rich and full he made his life and unselfishly did all he could to help others. Aunt Lena and I are witnesses and recipients to his out giving generosity and kindness..."
Martha Kennington 1959

Star Valley Historical Society

Take a look at the Star Valley Historical Society site. It's fantastic with lots of labeled photos and histories etc.

Many of Kennington and Weber photos are there too. But more little treasures are tucked in old envelopes, drawers and files.

It wouldn't hurt us all to look in our own family collections and donate electronic copies pertaining to Star Valley. It's a great resource literally at our finger-tips.

South Afton Sunday School 1929

"Compliments to Mothers
South Afton Sunday School
Mother's Day 1929"

What a great photo! Another slice of life for the Kennington family. You'll want to pull your magnifying glass out for this one.

• George, who was serving as Bishop, is second from the left with Garth next to him in a striped tie.
• Audine and Forrest are on the front row right above the "SOU" in "South". She has her hands clasped and he is in a dark sweater with a white shirt.
• Gwen is directly above Forrest 4 rows with her head cocked to our right.
• Cliss and Berniece are to her right - same row (on the left of the pillar).
• Bev is right below them and looks just like Audine, only bigger.
• Is that Gordon on the left of Garth - dark hair parted in the middle? If not, how about the boy over the top of the little boy in the bow tie on the front row - barely forehead and eyes showing.The little boy above Forrest in the checked sweater is dressed in a simular way to Forrest ; could that be Gordon? Any one able to help with that? Maybe Jeri can look?
• I couldn't find Martha, then it dawned on me that she would have been home with the new baby, Craig, just a few weeks old.

George Seward Kennington in his younger years

George Seward Kennington at the time of his mission to the Southern States. The caption on the lower photo says that it was taken after a bout of malaria and when his mother saw how gaunt and thin he looked, she cried. He seems thinner in the upper photo to me...anyone have an idea?

Update, Nov 6: Talked with Dorothy (Mom) this weekend and she remembered the pre-malaria picture to be below (leaning on his hand) and the post-malaria photo to be in the oval frame above where he is so much thinner.

Date unknown, but he seems in his 30's or 40's.
The hair has changed a little, from Missionary times, and his face looks older.
Anyone know more?

George S. Kennington farming

From Maude R.'s photo album with her caption. Forrest had reproduced this photo.

"George Kennington Farm" written in Aunt Cliss's hand.
In Forrest's hand below, "North of Afton about 1935"

Burton Store & Afton reunion

George Kennington "tending store" at the Burton Store Branch at Freedom. There he met Ada Kimball, his first wife, standing to the left.

Back row l-r: Dorothy, Forrest, Art, Gordon, Craig, Gene. Seated l-r: Gwen, Cliss, Carol. Audine, Helen, Colleen.

Children of George, Ada, and Martha with their spouses gather in Afton during the 1990's at a Reunion.

A Fine Spring Day

Standing left to right : Molly K. Lowe, Jen L. Gardner, Ida K. Jensen, Martha W. Kennington. Seated: Mary C. Lowe.

At family get together - two sisters, a sister in law, and two nieces - perhaps somewhere on the west side of the valley? My guess on the date is sometime around 1918 when Jen became a Gardner and Mary Call became a Lowe. Martha would have been married about 5 years.

I have a cute story on Jen. When she was elderly and in the care facility in Afton, we visited. She was questioning why she was still there, why she couldn't pass on. I patted her hand and said, "Well Jen, it's probably your genes." She gave me a look and said, "Jeans? Jeans? I can still fit in my Jeans!"
Jen was quite the character. Von told me about her sitting on her porch shooting the coyotes off the hill behind her house as an old woman. That's spunk!

Brigham City Reunion

Thanks for the great reunion! The setting was beautiful; Peach Days were fun. We enjoyed getting together with cousins and Gene, Colleen, and Dorothy - missed those who couldn't make it and hope to see them next time. Little kids keep growing up!

Mike and I tallied up a rough estimate on the way home and believe there were about 75 folks there.

The next reunion is in Star Valley in 2012.

We're building a contact file with name, phone number, email and physical addresses for all cousins. If you'd like to put your name in (and any part of the information) please email me at kkhamblin@gmail.com. It'll be kept confidential and only dispersed to family.

Thanks again for all the effort getting us together.

On the porch of the Red Brick House

Front Row: Gene, Ruth Craig, Clarice, George. Back Row: Grandma Martha, Bev, Cliss, Gwen, Garth.

Family life paused for a moment on the porch of the red brick house. Here we see a slice of the Kennington world around the time their father, George passed away.

Bev was probably still in high school, Cliss was married with two kids, Gwen and Garth were attending college, and Grandma Kennington must have wondered what the future held in store for her family.

It reminds me that the houses aren't the important part of life; the family is the lasting thing.

Pres. Kimball said: "It is important for us to cultivate in our own family a sense that we belong together eternally, that whatever changes outside our home, there are fundamental aspects of our relationship which will never change." (CR October 1974, pg. 61)

By the way, does anyone know of a picture of the whole family together before George passed away? That would be neat to see.

The Old Kennington Home... Then and Now

Photos courtesy of Clarissa Kennington Merritt (Top) and Grosjean Photography (Bottom)

A couple of views of the old red brick home on the north side of Swift Creek. The George Kennington family traded over to this acreage about 1930. They lived there until 1943. George's brother-in-law, Oz Low built the house and is shown with his children in the upper photo. The Valley's own Burger King now sits just next door to the south.

Reunion Reminder

Peach Days are coming to Brigham City and so are the Kenningtons!

Hope you're all planning on the George Kennington Reunion on the 11th.

Our family is excited to see everyone, catch up on the news and enjoy the festivities.

A.R. Kennington Family about 60 years ago

A. R. Kennington Family

Alonzo Richard Kennington Family

These kids were first cousins to the George Kennington family. We thank a cousin for sending it in. There's another great photo when these kids are adults - about 1955 or so. We'll get that out next time.

Forrest Kennington

Forrest Weber Kennington
1923-2000

Forrest's birthday is today. It seems fitting that we take a moment to honor his memory.

His thoughts on families: "During the depression when our parents were having a hard time providing the food, clothing and services that they wanted for their children, my dad, George Seward Kennington, and I were fixing fence to the west of the house. I made the remark that I didn't think I would get married and have a family. He listened to me and then took exception to what I said. He stated that a family was our sole purpose for being on earth; that we should raise another generation, hopefully better than we were. That was our main purpose here in life! That made a lasting impression on me."
"At the time I received the farm in Tulelake, people were going around asking the new homesteaders what they planned on raising on their farms. The expected answer was potatoes, onions, sugar beets, or some such thing. I told Mrs. Cushman that I was going to get a wife and raise children..."
"I have appreciated the opportunities to serve both in the family and out. Any that we have given out, we have been blessed many times over for having done so. The blessings that have come to me have been far more than I deserve --my wife, family and finances. I don't know what lies ahead, but it has been a ball so far and I thank my Heavenly Father for it."

A History of Star Valley 1800-1900

For those of you who asked about the Star Valley Book, my mother said she shipped the last of them to Hastings Gift Store P.O. Box 1710 Afton, Wyo 83110 (307 -886- 3503).

We wrote it in 1989 and now the 3rd printing is sold out. I think there are about 3,000 books floating around. The first edition had a gray cover with red printing. On the second, we changed to the buff and brown cover. The last edition has a real nice shiny finish on the cover.

When you're looking at boxes of inventory sitting in the closet, you wonder if it will ever sell or if you will end up papering the walls with it. We are very grateful that people took an interest and seem to enjoy it.

Writing the book took a couple of years. Dad always maintained that it was important to commit the stories and events to paper while first hand accounts were available. It wasn't an easy task. He had the idea, expertise, really valued history and loved the Valley. He knew the "nuts and bolts" side of farming and ranching, machinery, geology, archaeology, etc. I did a little writing and drawing, so I said sure, I'd help. The first draft, (I thought it was the finished product) amounted to a glossary of place names and a detailed time line dealing with about 100 years of Star Valley's history and the various accounts available in other books, etc. I showed it to our cousin Ron who is now a rather famous historian. He read through and said, "It's a great outline, but where is the story?" I sighed and went back to the drawing board.

We must thank Mom who always supported us in the project. She has been the accountant for the past 20 years. Dad and I were lucky she kept such accurate records.

By the way, the high school taught Star Valley history from our book a few years back. The instructor told me that more copies of the book seemed to get "lost" at the end of the semester than any book she'd ever seen. I take that as a compliment.

Joseph/Josiah Kimber, the Mystery Man

Hunted up the Joseph Kimber file, (the step father of Annie Rebecca Seward). Unfortunately the program it was written in is now just code on my Macbook - I know I could do the tech updates - but.... here is the old 1997 research in all it's glory - including cutting off Joseph Kimber's name on the title page - sorry-

Several important things to remember about this man: First, he married Esther Frewin and became Annie's step father fairly early in her life, maybe she was as young as 10 when her mother married. So apart from her Grandfather Frewin, Joseph Kimber may have had more influence on Annie than any other father figure. It's a bit of a mystery why he wasn't mentioned more, but we need to remember that he died shortly after Annie's marriage, so grandkids would only remember the Esther's 3rd husband, Henry Hancock.

Second, Joseph appears to have been serious about his testimony. He took an active part in the early church affairs in his area and was a Presiding Elder. He bore testimony of the gospel to a young man who worked on the same farm, named Henry Ballard. Ballard became one of the early settlers in Logan and a driving force for the gospel. Ballard has several well documented spiritual experiences and kept a journal (lucky for us). The book, Henry Ballard: The Story of a Courageous Pioneer, by Douglas Crookston (ISBN 0-87579-889-6) has several Kimber/Frewin connections.

Third, Joseph, Esther and Annie, emigrated together as shown on the Amazon's ship log from the Mormon Immigration Index (see 2nd document). Why he doesn't show up with them on the trail over is a bit of a mystery, but he may have been driving cattle, etc. That's an area which needs more research.

Fourth and most important, he's a bit of a mystery man in the family department. He shows up as married to Ann Frewin, Esther's sister, on the early F.G. Sheets. Anyone explanation? She was born in 1816 and appears to have died in 1836. Next we find him married to a Mary Ann Owen in 1844. They have one son, Joseph Hirum, on the 1851 census. But there may be more children. The Cold Ash Parish Burial Record has three unaccounted Kimber children buried during this time: Edwin, infant buried 14 Aug. 1844; Ann, infant, buried 9 Oct 1848 and Elizabeth, 6, buried 3 July 1851. Even if their parents were Mormons, the children still might be registered and buried in the church yard. Since more information is now available, it would be good to search out the rest of his family. He and Esther were married in 1852. So they lived another 10 years or so in the area before leaving for America. They spent more time together than with either of their other spouses.

The email came from a relative, Betty, whose Frewin ancestors landed in New Zealand. Our side of the family had to suffer cold winters for religion:)

Again, I apologize for the roughness of the scanned text, but it's just a draft and can certainly be improved upon.

If anyone has info they'd like to share on this, please leave a comment or send it to my email at kkhamblin@gmail.com.

Annie Rebecca- Schoolteacher

Going through an old scrapbook or mine, I found this 1960's article about Annie Rebecca being the first woman school teacher in Star Valley. (She is William Henry Kennington's Wife)

Several facts I had forgotten about. It looks like the log school house was located on the same block where the current elementary is in Afton. Anyone know any different?

I see that the error of her coming with only her widowed mother is perpetuated here. Actually Josiah/Joseph Kimber was her stepfather at that time. It's time we had his history. I'll publish it next time.

Also interesting about Charles Dickens and Nick Wilson. The facts do check out - Dickens lived on the same street where she worked for a pawn broker. He even visited the ship she emigrated on and wrote an article about the Mormons. He had daughters about her age. Wonder if she was just a curiosity or if he actually knew her enough to have conversations, etc. Nick Wilson was an adult with a family when they and the Kenningtons all lived in Ovid. They're on the census records. If you haven't read the Little White Indian Boy by Nick Wilson and E.N. Driggs, you'd enjoy it.

Why is history always more colorful and mysterious after 100 years?

Weber Reunion

The reunion was great! Lots of information shared, a great copy of the portrait of Samuel and Verena was available - I'd never seen it in color - so that's a treat.

They compiled a history in the first person about each of the original family and had a descendant present it while photos were being shown. All that material and more is on a CD or DVD. They may have more. Contact Judy: judy@legacyfundingusa.com for details.

The Webers went to a lot of work and really made a nice day for the rest of us. Thanks Gerry and Judy!

Talk turned to Schmiedrued and the subject snowballed into a trip in 2013 if anyone is interested. Don't know details or have things organized yet, but ideas are hatching. There are a few photos farther back showing the area- it'd be a fantastic trip - especially with cousins.

Address for Weber Reunion Sat.

Cobble Creek Stake Center
8150 S. Grizzle Way (5410 W.)
West Jordan, Utah

Time: 10 a.m. Historical presentation in chapel with a power point presentation then to the cultural hall for lunch.

Please bring a salad, main dish or dessert, enough to feed 12-15 people. Ham and Rolls will be furnished.

CDs and other things will be available. If you have family artifacts to display there will be a place.

Hope to see some family there!

WEBER REUNION JUNE 26TH

A fast heads up for all Weber cousins-

The reunion has been changed from Freedom to West Jordan - same day- just different location because of travel issues for the balance of those folks wanting to come.

Jerry and Judy W. still ask everyone to bring artifacts for the display table and copies or discs to share information you may have. They say there will be material from the 1975 Weber history book, improved photos, etc. For lunch we're also asked to bring a pot luck dish.

We'll post their email reminder as soon as it arrives. Otherwise I bet you could give them a call to get on the mailing list.

It should be a great opportunity to meet some Weber cousins and make new connections for family history work. Hope to see you there!

Richard Kennington Probate Records, 1881

Before the Bear Lake and Star Valley chapters in the Kennington family, there was Richard and Mary Ann's experience in Tooele. Above is a copy of Richard's probate record as they settled his estate in 1881. He was born Oct. 18, 1804 in Louth, England and passed away Oct 12, 1879 in Tooele.

Because Richard and Mary Ann crossed the Plains as handcart pioneers in 1856, it's easy for us to see what they came with, but hard to say what all they left behind in England. Probate gives us a glimpse of what they accumulated in Utah.

Tooele was a common place for new folks to settle. In 1860 the Kenningtons had a home and lot in the old fort part of Tooele. They were with folks they knew in England such as the Atkins who had a part in the Kennington conversion. The Lee family's children were raised with the Kennington kids in Tooele, went on to the Bear Lake area together and eventually married.

Richard was a butcher in Tooele. The story told by Uncle Bert Kennington in 1953 is a gem:
"Richard continued in the trade of butchering for about 5 years [after coming to Utah], then being too old to continue longer, went back to raising vegetables for a livelihood. In his profession of butchering, he would take orders for work to be done, then travel from house to house filling his assignments. One Saturday night he lacked two orders of getting his week's work completed. Sunday morning, rather than break his promise and inconvenience a customer, he butchered the two remaining pigs. Upon his arrival home, the Ward teachers came and bluntly informed him he would have to make a public confession and ask forgiveness for breaking the Sabbath. His answer was that all he had to do was pay taxes and die. This led to his being disfranchized [sic] from the church."

Back to the probate. It shows a few things:
1. Mary Ann signed with her mark. She was either ill and unable to write or she hadn't learned and they address her as Mary, not Mary Ann.
2. Richard and Mary Ann still had their daughters and extended family in the area to help them. Sarah Jane was married to David Adamson. Eliza married John England. Mary Ann married Samuel Armatage.
3. Son William Henry and his wife, Annie Rebecca were in the Bear Lake area with their family. 4. Dick, the bachelor uncle, may have been with his mother during this time. We know he eventually ended up with William in Star Valley. Does anyone remember the story?
5. The personal estate inventory is extremely modest compared to today's standards, but it is very typical of inventories ranging back 200 years in both the United States and England.

Please feel free to leave comments or add information. I think the off button had been on. Sorry if you've tried to leave a comment. By the way, photos of Richard and Mary Ann Kennington are back a few posts.

The Afton Town Layout

Again from the Star Valley book, here is our drawing of Afton's layout. It may help you get your bearings on the photos. Remember that Jenks had climbed the east hills to get a good aerial view of the new town. The cemetery wasn't in place. The William Henry Kennington homes and sheds are on the block between Jefferson and Madison along 6th Avenue. The barn would eventually be built south of 6th Avenue. I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong) that the farm ground ran down to Washington.

Jenks' Photo of Afton from Star Hill

Another Jenks' photo - this one taken from Star Hill with Gardner's Mill at the bottom of the photo. This is the road up Swift Creek. Certainly changes from then till now. I see a big difference in the trees for one thing. They don't seem so thick along the creek. Obviously the town has filled in over the past 120 years. Dirt roads must have been a mess in the spring. (I drive one to work each day and during wet weather I come home looking like I've been mud bogging). The Kennington place is just off the picture to the left. If you follow the creek to the west you can see where the red brick Kennington home would be built on the north side of the creek and the west side of the main street.

We'd love to read comments from anyone with more information or thoughts. I wonder if there isn't a box full of Jenks' glass negatives in an attic or the back of an Idaho museum somewhere. I'd love to see his work made into a book. Anyone know the Jenks family?

From Maude's photo album

Here's a look at the little home of Annie Rebecca which is on the west end of the block in the Jenks' photo. Forrest photographed this from Maude Ranzenberg's album. She had everything labeled.

A story about the old house from Forrest: Apparently there was an addition between the kitchen and another room. Over time the house settled and there was a gap in the floors. One of the family members lost a silver dollar down the gap and was unable to recover it. So they told the rest of the family and when the little home was demolished a generation later, the dollar was recovered and returned to it's original owner.

Bert was Annie's youngest son. He was a tall man - especially compared with his petite mother. Esther's mother, Annie's daughter, had passed away and Esther was raised by Annie. By the way, Esther was also a school teacher, as was Maude. They followed in their grandmother's footsteps.

The Jenks Photograph of the Kennington Place

Jenks was a photographer from Montpelier, Idaho. He apparently traveled around the region marketing photos of the ranches and farms. Here is his aerial view of early Afton.

This one is taken from the slope above Graveyard Canyon before the ground was broken for the Stake Tabernacle. The Kennington place is on the lower right. You can see the two homes on either end of the block. The sheds are about half way between the houses. Looks like lumber for the barn is being stockpiled across the road to the south. If you look close, you can see the original little cabin. There's more about these photos in our book, A History of Star Valley, 1800-1900. We put a drawing in there labeling the streets and buildings as far as we knew them.

This picture came courtesy of the Star Valley Historical Society, which is a great resource for old photographs. We would never wish a hospital visit on anyone, but a trip to the halls of the Star Valley Hospital is a real treat because of all the S.V.H.S. photos on display. They are building a fine collection.

William Henry Kennington barn and old cabin on Afton place

William Henry Kennington moved his families to Star Valley in about 1885. He took up land at the mouth of a small canyon on the east of the Upper Valley. His history is well documented. He raised a large family and instilled a solid value system in the children. Their descendants are spread far and wide.

When one of his sons died suddenly, he buried the boy at the southeast corner of the homestead; the land became the Afton Cemetery - and Graveyard Canyon took its name. The National Guard Armory sits on the northeast portion. Homes occupy the potato patch on the east, and the old barnyard. The old fairgrounds and now the hospital and nursing home are on the south west corner.

If William Henry hadn't donated the cemetery ground, the whole land usage in that area might have been different, perhaps industrial instead of residential. Luckily we can still have a good idea of what the Kenningtons saw 100 years ago as they settled the valley.

William Henry Kennington Reunion abt. 1915

Since we're getting ready for family reunions, I thought you might enjoy a look at one of the early Kennington reunions. Unfortunately there's no label on the back, but it looks like somewhere up Swift Creek or Grey's River about 1910-25. They're in a stand of thick timber, so probably up a canyon, but not so far that they would miss chores for long.... Anyone know where? Maybe the South End or West hills?
The ladies on the right were the aunts - maybe Molly and Belle? Everyone looks ready to rough it. I would guess the plucky little gal with her hands on her hips in the middle would be Maude K. Ranzenberg.

The George Kennington reunion in Brigham City and the big Weber one in South Jordan (moved from Freedom) will be outfitted a little differently. We'll all look pretty polished compared to this group, but important things will remain the same.

Getting re-acquainted with family is great. We will miss the ones who have passed on and enjoy seeing the new arrivals. The little kids will be running around laughing, the moms will be supervising the food, the dads will relax and visit, and the teenagers will be wishing they could get back to their friends - unless other cousins bring really "interesting" friends with them. Most importantly, we will reaffirm the fact that we are all part of an eternal family. See you this summer!

The George Kennington Children

The day of their mother's funeral, March 24, 1960, her family gatherd at Aunt Cliss' for a family photo. It's the only photo of all George's surviving children together that I know of.

What a great group of people. They were so nurturing to all the nieces and nephews such a secure feeling to be cared about by so many aunts and uncles. I believe there are about 35 grandchildren.
From my perspective as a middle grandchild, each aunt and uncle had a speciality which could let us survive in our own little world (mine was a deserted island). Aunt Ruth could take care of the doctoring, Uncles Gene and Craig, Aunts Audine, Gwen and Berniece could make sure we were educated. Uncle Forrest (Dad) could grow the food and build the houses. Uncle Arth could cut our hair, Uncle Oz could build all the water works, and Uncle Tilman the vehicles. Aunt Bev could fix the phones, Uncle Gordon our feet, Uncle Garth our college education and Aunt Cliss could supervise us all. The other aunts and uncles were great moms and dads - important rolls in little kids' lives.

What wide diversity! It reflected the opportunities and interests of the family. They accomplished so much in the face of the Depression, the death of their father, limited economic opportunities and WWII. They set the mark. They have (and are still) giving us a wonderful legacy. Thank You!

Attention Kennington/Weber Folks

In case you didn't get in on the mass emailing, here is a reunion announcement:

Dear Family Member

Many, but not all, have heard from me before. I am Gerry Weber, Jr., oldest grandson of Fred & Hazel Weber. I (with the help of many others) am organizing a family reunion for all of the descendants of Samuel & Verena that I can find. I knew that just finding as many descendents as I could would be a formidable task but I had no idea how much work it was really going to be. My best estimate is that there are over 1500 households & over 7000 living descendants.

It will be fun to get acquainted with such a large family. It will also be wonderful if everyone would bring histories, photos, and any artifacts to display. It would be wonderful if those who have computer skills would put all of their photos & histories on CDs & make extra copies to share.

We intend to present a history of Samuel & Verena, their early lives, conversion, journey to America and much of the early history of Freedom & the family. This has been gathered by Jolynn Barneck, granddaughter of Lena & Willie Jenkins.

The best option to feed the large crowd that we are anticipating is to ask everyone to bring a main dish, salad or dessert to feed 12 – 15 people. That way the cost and work can be evenly spread to everyone.

Following our family presentation, we will serve lunch in the Cultural Hall, enjoy visiting and viewing pictures etc. Tables will be set up for displays. Then we will travel the short distance to the cemetery and gather around Samuel and Verena’s gravesites for a short service.

Please bring your families and join us in beautiful Star Valley June 26, 2010. We hope it will be an enjoyable and informative event, and that we will gain a greater perspective and understanding of our Weber Family history. The younger generations may not be thoroughly aware of their heritage, and this will be a good opportunity for them to see and hear where we come from.

As you receive this email be aware that I have probably included only about 1/3 of the descendents of Samuel & Verena. Would each of you forward this email to all of your family members? It would be better for all to receive it twice than not at all. I am sure that there are typos in much of my data entering & obsolete information as well. If each family would reply to this email with correct & current information on themselves it would be appreciated. This is especially true of those who receive this from a family member rather that directly from me. I am interested in name, pedigree, address, phone # & especially email address.

If there is enough interest it would be great if we could establish a web page or blog for Samuel & Verena’s extended family. That way everyone could add to it & get other information they don’t have.

I am excited about this reunion and hope to see as many of you there as possible. I think it will be great to be together and establish connections that we may be able to maintain in the future.

Sincerely,

Your Cousin,

Gerry Weber

A Pioneer Day Celebration

Update: October 10, 2010: Just found a full shot of the float photo. The back is captioned: L-R: Hary Hale [?] , ____Moffit ?, Annie Rebecca Seward Kennington, unknown, Elizabeth Lee Kennington in striped top, _____Anderson [in flowered top], unknown with baby, Eliza Ann Lee Hale, sister to Elizabeth K, in black top, ___Moffit right of curtain, unknown, unknown. Standing: Mother Hill, unknown girl, ____Cazier.
This 24th of July photo gives us a glimpse of our grandmothers' world. Annie Rebecca and Elizabeth Ann are 2nd and 4th from the left. Elizabeth's sister is second from the right. They resemble each other.

This photo is interesting on several levels:

• First, it illustrates what 24th of July decorations looked like around the turn of the century: lots of fabric tacked on to a farm wagon or bowery stand of some sort. Enlarge the photo and look at the framework of rough cut lumber which has been tacked together. Annie and Elizabeth both died before 1920. Here they still look vigorous, but older, so I would guess it's taken around 1905-plus or minus a few years.
• Second, the older women in the photo represent the first wave of settlers into Star Valley in the 1880's. The mix of ages may point to something to do with the Relief Society organization. The younger woman holding a baby on the front row makes it look like an presidency of some kind. Maybe someone out there could fill us in on the details.
• Third, their clothing indicates that a degree of prosperity had come to the area and commodities (fabric and notions) were easier to get. They are dressed up for the occasion. I wonder how hot some of the older women were in their dark colors and several layers. July in Star Valley is the time to begin haying and harvesting the gardens. It's usually warm, dry and dusty with a wonderful scent of pine in the air.
• Lastly, the body language seems to indicate that all the women are comfortable with each other. You can almost hear the photographer telling them to get closer so he can get everyone in.

If anyone has observations or comments on the photo or who the other ladies are in it, please contact us. We'd love to know more.

Richard Kennington (Uncle Dick)

Also Elizabeth?

Elizabeth Ann Lee Bracken Kennington

Ann(Annie) Rebecca Seward Kennington

William Henry Kennington

Richard and Mary Ann Davison Kennington

Had a request for photos, so I dug through the file.
These pictures are courtesy of Uncle Ira, who was the youngest son of William Henry and Elizabeth Lee Bracken Kennington. If I remember the story right he had them colored and framed. They were passed on to his son Emenson and now are with a grand-daughter. Apparently Richard's picture was damaged and taken from the frame. Or the more I look at it, I wonder if it isn't a different photo? Mary Ann's picture is still matted and framed. I cropped the frame off because only parts showed.