Pioneer Day 2013

In honor of Pioneer Day, I thought I would post the photos I took at the Historic Penrose Cabin in Farmington, Utah.  I have been to the cabin a few times, but had never been inside.  

This is me, back in the early 1990s, outside the gate at the Penrose Cabin

This last trip to Utah, we were able to get a hold of the DUP group that cares for the site and they unlocked the gate so we could see the interior of the cabin.

Our group was Marjorie Castle, Kathryn Berkowitz, Rebecca, Katrina and I.  

Charles W. Penrose left England and travelled, as a pioneer, across the plains, arriving in Utah in 1861.  This cabin was built in Farmington, Utah, for he and his family to live until another home could be built for them.  (This cabin is located behind an amazingly beautiful stone chapel in Farmington that I never remember to take a photo of, so I got this off Google Maps!)

There is basically one corner of the museum that has artifacts from Charles W. Penrose:

There are several items, including Charles' "dress suit" (which he is wearing in several photos), his rocking chair, and a portrait.

There were also many histories and photos in a binder on the front table.  To see photos of the histories, and all the photos I took at the cabin, click HERE.

It was lovely to get to see the interior of the cabin!

Rebecca, Katrina and Lora Nehring at the Historic Penrose Cabin

Direct line ancestry: Charles W. Penrose --> Frank W. Penrose --> Lu Penrose --> Kathryn Bond -->  Lora Marshall Nehring

Penrose Family Reunion

The Penrose Family Reunion was held on 18 July 2013 in Utah.  It was held at Mark and Shelly Evans beautiful home in the east Salt Lake area.  This is the second bi-annual reunion and I am SO glad I got to go this year!!  I drove out to Utah with Rebecca and Katrina, and my mom was able to come this year too!!  (She won the prize for having travelled the farthest, from Alaska!)

Cousins!! - Kristen Castle Dean, Jennifer Castle Critchlow, Lora Marshall Nehring, and Laurel Castle DeGroot

It was great to see my cousins and meet so many new ones!  I even found out that I have the "Penrose toe"!  (That is when your second toe sticks up farther than your big toe.)  Who knew?!

The reunion is a gathering of the descendants of the "Great Eight" - the children of Frank and Ruth Penrose: Marjorie, Dixie, Mil, Penny, Lu, Ann, Bud and Jean.  There was great food, swimming, prizes and lots of good conversation and catching up!

To see all the photos that I took at the reunion, click HERE.

The children of the Great Eight:

back row: Lloyd Drecksel (Dixie), Robyn Thompson (Penny), Sheila Penrose (Ann), Samuel Penrose Thomas (Jean), Larry Penrose (Bud), Jeff Thomas (Jean). front row: Kathryn Berkowitz (Lu), Marjorie Castle (Lu), Peggy Smith (Mil), Kathy Jones (Ann)

And the children of the children of the Great Eight:

back row: Lora Nehring (Lu), Shelly Evans (Ann), Patricia Kingston Quirk (Mil), Phyllis Vetter (Ann), Merb Jones (Ann), Erik Kingston (Mil), Kait Kingston (Mil). front row: Kristen Dean (Lu), Julie Smith (Mil), Jennifer Critchlow (Lu), Laurel DeGroot (Lu).

When we were taking this photo, someone directed that the people that were 45 and up had to stand in the back.  At first I was kind of bummed to be old enough to stand in the back row.  Then I looked around at the company I was standing with.  All these amazing, gorgeous women!  I suddenly felt very privileged.  We all have all inherited those great Penrose genes!!  (Erik too! : )

Here are the descendants of Dixie:

Alex Drecksel, Jill Drecksel, Paul Drecksel, Debra Howard, Gary Howard, Lloyd Penrose (attended but not pictured: Willie, Linda,  Tristin, Hilary and baby Jaxon)

Mildred:

back row: Ray Kingston, Vicky Kingston, Erik Kingston, Jim Quirk; middle row: Sha-Sha Kingston, Lauren Quirk, Sarah Quirk, Patricia Quirk, Julie Smith, Kait Eckman; front row: Gaylon and Peggy Smith

Penny:

Robyn Thompson, Terri James, Cloe James and Summer Thompson

Lu:

back: Nyle Critchlow, Marjorie Castle, Brent Castle, Kristen Dean, Tyler DeGroot, Laurel DeGroot, Kathryn Berkowitz, Lora Nehring. middle: Jennifer Critchlow, Tate DeGroot, Braxton Dean, Beckham and Brooklyn Dean (twins), Kaitlin Dean. front row: Dallin DeGroot, Brady Critchlow, Max Critchlow, Lucian Critchlow, Parker DeGroot, Katrina Nehring, Rebecca Nehring

Jennifer made these pedigrees of the family members who were there at the reunion

Ann:

Mikey, Mai-Mai, Phyllis Vitter, Gunther, (I don't know, sorry), Merb Jones, Kathy Jones, Sheila Penrose, Shelly Evans, Kelsey, Mark Evans.  (attended but not pictured: Sally and Bill Knowles)

Bud:

Kathy and Larry Penrose

Jean:

Samuel Thomas, Jeff Thomas, Linda Thomas, Wendy Thomas

(I didn't leave Marge out, she didn't have any children.)

We were all asked to bring any Penrose photos, documents, stories, etc. that we could share, as there would be a scanner there.  I had loaded up all my info on a memory stick before I left Kerman, and at the reunion, I went to hand it to Nyle, who was scanning away, and when I opened my thumb drive, I was startled to see only the case!  I traced my steps back to the car and searched it too.  I called home, and Kevin checked the computer, and sure enough, there it was sticking out of the back of the computer!  D-oh!!  So, Kevin loaded it all onto Google Drive and I was able to retrieve it to add it to the mix. : )  Thanks sweetheart!! 

Kevin took this photo of my memory stick, still in Kerman

It was a wonderful evening and I am so proud to be a member of such a great group of people!! 

Earlier in the day, the girls and I had been on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, and we took a tour of the Conference Center.  We went through a room that had portraits of all the Apostles and then into a room that had busts of all the prophets.  As we stood there, I could see another room, beyond where we were standing, that had more paintings in it.  I asked our tour guide what was in that room, and she said it was portraits of all the modern-day Apostles.  I said, "my 2nd great-grandfather is in there," and she said, "Go!"  The girls and I hurried down the hall and found the portrait of Charles W. Penrose, and took a couple of pictures.  Perfect timing! : )

Direct line ancestry -->  Charles W. Penrose and Louise Elizabeth Lusty --> Frank William Penrose and Ruth McQuarrie -->  Lu Penrose --> Kathryn Bond -->  Lora Marshall Nehring

Camann photos

Remember how excited I was a while back when I found all the Camann children!

My dad has been visiting us through this summer and he brought a box of family history that his father, Don Caman, had compiled.  I have been going through the box and scanning all the documents and photos, etc.  Yesterday, I came across a photo, and dad and I were trying to figure out who it was, as (sigh!) there was no name or date on the back of the photo.  (SOAPBOX: Write on the backs of your photos people!!)

We could tell it was a Camann, as it bore a striking resemblance to Carl Camann, as seen in this not-so-great copy of a photograph of Augustus Camann (my 3rd great-grandfather) and his brother, Carl Camann (on the right, in the right-hand photo):

But, we decided, the clothes were telling that this was not Carl, so, could it be their father Christoph Friedrich Camann??  His clothes were definitely an older style.

Then I saw this photo!!  I knew who it was before I turned the photo over.  That is what I love about family history!  You connect with people you have never met, and you KNOW them, even though you have not shared the same time on the earth.  I knew!  This is a photo of my 4th great-grandmother, Louise Friedericke Grobengiesser Camann!!

Isn't she marvelous?!!  What a beautiful photograph!  I turned it over and nearly started to cry when I saw her name written on the back of the photo.  I was instantly connected to her and all I know about her and her life!  Wonderful!!

And there was more!  In another file I found many of the other members of the Camann family! 

1. Frederich August Camann

2. Augustus William Camann

3. Wilhelm Julius Camann

4. Louise W Camann - no photo

5. Charles (Carl) Gotthilf Camann

6. Johannes Heinrich Camann

7. Paul Leberecht Camann - no photo

8. Augusta Louise Camann

9. Anna Lydia Camann

10. Martha Henriette Camann

And then, a few folders later, I found this paper, that confirms that the original photo we found was, indeed, Christoph Frederich Camann!

It is so thrilling to find wonderful photographs like these!! I love the photo of a young Augustus William Camann and the Civil War photo of his brother, Wilhelm!

I know this one is not a Camann (although her daughter would be by marriage), but I had the same reaction to this photo as I did to the one of Louise.  I am fairly certain that this is a photo of Anna Teressa Halligan, my 2nd great-grandmother. 

This photo looks very much like the photos I have of her daughter, Annie, but again, the period clothing make it seem more likely that this is Anna.  

What an absolute thrill!!  These women are so important to me and I am so happy to be able to have faces to put with the names!!

Direct line ancestry: Christoph Friederich Camann --> Augustus William Caman --> William Harrison Caman --> Clarence Chapman Caman -- Donald William Caman --> Donald William (Caman) Marshall --> Lora Marshall Nehring