Testamonial - Family History

A Testimonial for Family History

I will define the term “family history” as a study of a particular family and other events surrounding the family which when put into proper sequence becomes an historical account of their lives. There may be assumptions made, but the study should be based upon facts that not only concern their lives but also background and historical facts of the times and places where they lived.

In the last post, the movement of the Armstrong family was mapped from the time they left Pennsylvania until they arrived in Ohio. This post is related to the last post.
I have recently started to study and write the history of the James Potter Armstrong family. I had begun on this project several years ago, but I had set it aside for many reasons. One of the reasons was that it would have been nice to have started the history with the parents of James Potter Armstrong but I had absolutely no information about them, not even a name. This recent beginning again was not because I had more information, but I wanted to put into my mind the proper sequence of events and to perhaps to discover what caused them to be at different locations during their lives.
The lives of these fore fathers have always been of great interest to me. I have found that by studying and reconstructing their history, it puts me in close contact with them and helps me to understand and appreciate them even though they have been gone from this existence a long time. It seems to me there are two great benefits to becoming involved with studying the history of our ancestors: (1) the discovery of information that may shed more light upon earlier generations and (2) a knowledge and appreciation for the sacrifices they have made to my family.
I had often wondered why the Armstrong family had moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia. One of their son’s James Potter Armstrong had been born in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1801 and the next record was found in Randolph County in Virginia where James Potter Armstrong was married to Mary Taggart in 1833. This is a thirty two year period which is quite a significant period of time in most people’s lives. Why had they moved and when did they move?
The Armstrong’s were of Scot-Irish descent and probably joined with the Quaker beliefs in the community in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The father of James Potter Armstrong would probably have been born near the end of the revolutionary war and would not have been involved in that conflict. However, the War of 1812 came along about the time when he would have had a young family. If their religious beliefs were to avoid conflict, then they may have moved south into Virginia to avoid the conflict in the area (Chesapeake Bay) close to where they lived. The Jefferson- Louisiana purchase and the general movement westward may have contributed to a decision to go to Virginia also.
If all of this were true, then perhaps they would have moved before the War of 1812. A Census search of Virginia in 1800 revealed that no Armstrong’s were in the State at that time. However, by 1810, 73 Armstrong families were living in the State of Virginia and only one family, Robert Armstrong, was living in Randolph County, Virginia, the location were James P. Armstrong was married. Robert Armstrong was also the only family living in Randolph County in 1820. This little tidbit of information is probably the information I have been seeking for years, i.e., the name of the father of James Potter Armstrong. It remains to be verified, of course, but I believe it illustrates the importance of studying the history and events that were occurring at the times of the involved family.

RHB

Movements of The Armstrong Family 1801-1852

The attached two figues give the graphical details of the text on the last Blog. If you want to read these two images, you need to select the image and enlarge it before printing it.
RHB

The Armstrong Family

The Armstrong Family
By
Royal Harvard Brooks, Jr.[1]

Introduction
Royal Harvard Brooks, Jr is the grandson of Catherine Elizabeth Armstrong and Francis Harvard Brooks who was the daughter of Robert Alexander Armstrong and Mary Bennett. Robert Alexander Armstrong was the son of James Potter Armstrong and Mary Catharine Taggart, the principle subjects of this brief history.
Pennsylvania became a state in 1787, 15 or 16 years before James Potter Armstrong was born. Virginia became a state about the same time (1788), but, it wasn’t until 1863, as a result of the Civil War that West Virginia became a state. Thus, the state presently known as West Virginia was called Virginia at the time James Potter Armstrong was born (1801) and at the time he was married in 1833. James Potter Armstrong was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, but by the time of his marriage the family, probably, was living in Virginia. When they made their move from Pennsylvania and their length of stay in Virginia is not known. At this time of writing, neither the parents for James Potter Armstrong are known nor any of his siblings.
Pennsylvania was the place of arrival of most early Armstrong immigrants. History suggests that following clan custom, they came to join relatives who had pioneered earlier, but by 1790 most of the good land (and all the free land) in Pennsylvania had been taken. Many of the relatively new immigrants of the Armstrong’s began to filter west into Ohio or south into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Migrations south into the present state of West Virginia from Pennsylvania were basically confined to those areas to the north and east of the Allegheny Mountains which acted as a barrier to overland travel. This area is the head waters for many rivers that flow from these mountains making travel to the south and west relatively easy as opposed to overland travel. Many of these rivers are tributaries to the Ohio River, the western boundary of the state of West Virginia.
The area to the west of the great Ohio River was known as the Ohio Territory. In 1803, it became the 17th State of the Union. It was at this time that the great Shawnee warrior, Tecumsech, was attempting to gather a great coalition of Indian Nations to stop the spread westward of the Whites. The reader may obtain a better feeling of the circumstances of the westward movement and the feelings of both settler and Indian as settlers came from Pennsylvania and Virginia by learning some of the thoughts of Tecumsech as he talked to some of his Sioux brothers.
“The Sioux are a great and numerous nation, Tecumseh told the assembled chiefs, proud of their heritage and jealous of their country and rightly so. Long had the stories been told in their tepees and before their council fires of the troubles brought upon Indians east of the great mother of: rivers (Ohio) by the white men. No matter whether the Indians had offered peace or war, yet they had been pushed back out of their lands.
The times it had happened were too many to number. Had not the Delawares lost their home on the shores of the great eastern sea and been thrown back to the Ohio country? Had not the Onondagas finally split in the mountains of New York and those who had not remained there come to this Missouri country? Had not the same thing happened to the Shawnees, who long ago had been forced away from their warm coastal territory in the land called Florida, then forced to move again and again until finally, in the Ohio country, they too had split and most of them crossed the mother of rivers to seek peace? And what of the Cherokees and the Tuscarawas, the Pamlicos and Powhatans, the Susquehannas, Narra­gansetts, Cayugas and Senecas and a hundred other tribes? Had not all of them been pushed back? Were not all of them still being pushed back?
The Sioux must peel back the husks from their eyes and see what was coming. No longer was the great mother of rivers a barrier to hold back the white flood. No! Until last year there had come only a few scattered Americans, alone or in small parties, to penetrate deep into their country, coming in peace, they said, to trap and trade and no more, as the Frenchmen who were already there along the Mississippi were doing. But now the great white chief, Jefferson, had bought from the French, who had no just title to it, all this land and more and would soon be coming to claim it. At this very moment, as the Sioux were aware, a large force of whites under the young captains Clark and Lewis moved upstream on the Missouri to find their way across the great mountains far to the west and reach the western sea..
And heed well this fact: this young Captain William Clark was the brother of the white chief George Rogers Clark who had helped take Ohio lands from the Indians, as all assembled here knew. Other men would follow. It was always thus. Thirty summers ago the lands of the Shawnees .had seen the same; and though they had fought, yet they had seen their game destroyed, their forests leveled, their prairies burned, their lands taken, their villages ruined, their warriors killed. And now the Can-tuc-kee country and the Ohio country had become part of the Seventeen Fires-­individual States in the Union of the whites.
So it would happen here west of the mother of rivers. Not might happen. Would happen. Unless the union of the Indians became too strong for the whites. Already many tribes are ready, when the great sign is given, to join together in such union as one people; Senecas and Oneidas, Mohawks, Ottawas, Wyandots, Winnebagos, Sacs, Foxes, Kickapoos.
There are more. There will be many more than that. Fifty nations or a hundred joined into one to hold and protect what is theirs and to reclaim what has been taken from them. When the great sign is given, the Sioux should take up their weapons and come. Would they? “ (The Frontiersman -,A Narrative, by AllenW. Wckert)
The prophecies of Mormon made several millennia earlier had already begun to come to pass: “the Lord hath reserved their blessings, which they might have received in the land, for the Gentiles who shall possess the land. But, behold it shall come to pass that they shall be driven and scattered by the Gentiles ….” (Mormon 5:19-20)
As noted above in the words of Tecumsch, they would come and push the Red Man further West. Treaties were made, treaties were broken! And come they did! The word spread rapidly throughout the newly organized states and the colonies of President Jefferson’s real estate deal with Napoleon Bonaparte where one-third of the present USA was purchased from the French for $15 million, or for about 4 cents per acre. Before buying the land, Jefferson had hired fellow Virginians Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find out what was out there. They traveled 8,000 miles in 2 1/2 years, going to the mouth of the Columbia River and returned to give a detailed report of the vast area and its tremendous potential. The news of this acquisition gave the frontier people confidence that they could move west and still be under the protection of the US government.
Another very significant event occurred near the location where the Armstrong’s lived in 1801. They may have been involved in the conflict between the United States and Great Britain, called the war of 1812. This war was mainly fought in three regions.
The land fighting of the war occurred along the Canadian border, in the Chesapeake Bay region, and along the Gulf of Mexico; extensive action also took place at sea.
Of particular interest to our history of the Armstrong’s was the fact that Americans won control of the Detroit frontier region when Oliver Hazard Perry's ships destroyed the British fleet on Lake Erie (Sept. 10, 1813). This victory forced the British to retreat eastward from the Detroit region, and on Oct. 5, 1813, they were overtaken and defeated at the battle of the Thames (Moraviantown) by an American army under the command of Gen. William Henry Harrison. In this battle the great Shawnee chief Tecumsch, who had harassed the northwestern frontier since 1811, was killed while fighting on the British side.
The British appeared near success in the late summer of 1814. American resistance to the diversionary attack in Chesapeake Bay was so weak that the British, after winning the Battle of Bladensburg (August 24), marched into Washington, D.C., and burned most of the public buildings. President Madison had to flee into the countryside. The British then turned to attack Baltimore but met stiffer resistance and were forced to retire after the American defense of Fort Mchenry, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words of the "Star-Spangled Banner."
James Potter Armstrong was 13 years old; would his father have been involved in this conflict? This will a research subject as the search for the parents of James Potter Armstrong continues. The end of the war gave more confidence to the settlers that movement westward could be undertaken with even more security.

Marriage and Children
The marriage of James Potter Armstrong to Mary Catharine Taggart in 1833 indicates that the Armstrong family, our subject of interest, relocated themselves from Chester county, Pennsylvania to Randolf County, West Virginia, sometime between 1801 and 1833, most likely after the war of 1812. This marriage occurred in 1833 in Randolph County, (possibly Elkins, the county seat), West Virginia or Virginia as it was known then. Little is known at this writing about either family. Future research will be the subject of the families of this couple. Family records (Pitts, 1994) and various census records always used the name Catharine as the first name of Mary Catharine Armstrong. In early research of this family, Catharine was the only name used in census and other records. The name Mary was never used. It took about 9 months of searching to finally locate the maiden name of Catharine Armstrong (wife of James Potter Armstrong). Her grand daughter living in California in 1910 supplied this information when her father William, the eldest son of James Potter Armstrong and Catharine Taggart, died. It wasn’t until the author visited the archives in that county where William lived, that this information was found (Brooks Research Report, Nov. 1995).
On November 13, 1833, not long after the marriage of James Potter and Mary Catharine, a great phenomenon occurred that has not been equaled since. For many hours the heavens were ablaze with shooting stars, flaming meteors, tongues and balls of fire and sheets of flame, darting in every direction presenting a grand and brilliant though terrifying spectacle. Many of these as they approached the earth seemed to go out or disappear. This brilliant and unusual display created great excitement and terror. Many supposed that the end of things had at last come, and hundreds prepared themselves accordingly and prayed for protection from the threatened calamity (Harrison County History).
Apparently, James Potter Armstrong and his wife, Mary Catharine Taggart, moved into Harrison County from Randolf County, West Virginia, about 1834/35 where their first son , William, was born. Where the family lived in Harrison County is not known. Since Clarksburg is the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, this location may well have been where William was born (1835). The distance from Elkins to Clarksburg is about 55 miles.
Victorian modesty caused people to try so hard to make the “stork” story true that the birth was often denied by protocol which demanded that doctors deliver children of mothers from under a sheet, a practice in Harrison County at the time of William’s birth. (History of Harrison County). Whether or not William was delivered by a physician is not known.
The population of Clarksburg in 1835 was about 500. There was only one store and perhaps only one physician. These were hard times in this frontier town and most everything had to be grown or obtained from the forests. The unbroken forests which originally covered West Virginia was inhabited by numerous animals, most of which have disappeared by mid nineteenth century. Buffalo were the first in size. They did not exist in great numbers due to the lack of forage, especially during winter months. The last known buffalo to be killed in Harrison County was in 1825. Elk was also found but not as numerous as deer and bear both of the latter contributed largely to the support of the settlers. Fruits, nuts and berries were found in great abundance. All of these were of use to the settlers. The sugar tree produced sugar in the spring and contributed much to the comfort of the settlers. Thus it should be noted that God our Father provided in these lands east of the mountains a great variety of fruits, nuts, and plants for use by the early settlers and perhaps was not excelled by any other part of the country.
Little is known of this Armstrong family, as no known journals or dairies have been found to supply personal family history. The early U.S. Census records were used to track the family and their lives as they moved westward. It seems certain that the siblings and parents of James Potter Armstrong moved together and that many of the Armstrong’s in the communities in which they lived were related. If one assumes that the census data is correct, this Armstrong family moved considerable distances as noted from the birth of their children. According to his own record, it was in 1839 that Robert Alexander Armstrong, was born in Chiveot, Hamilton County, Ohio. This is now a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio near the banks of the Ohio River. What was it that drew James Potter Armstrong and perhaps others family members to Chiveot, Hamilton county, Ohio? Perhaps, other family members who had moved there earlier? Whatever was the attraction, the great River was the fastest and surer way to travel there. The closest port on the river from Clarksburg was most likely St Marys on the Virginia side of the River.
The distance from Clarksburg, to St. Marys, West Virginia on the Ohio River is about 57 miles. By 1835, travel on the Ohio River was safe and affordable and the best way to get to the Cincinnati area. Whether or not they traveled by the river to that location is not known, but it seems likely according to the times.
One begins to wonder if James Potter Armstrong may have been some kind of a traveling minister as the next child is born in Morrow County, (possibly Washington Township) Ohio in 1842, Edwin D. Armstrong. Morrow and Marion Counties are located in the northern central part of the State of Ohio as shown on the map noted herein.
The exact location of the family when the next child was born is uncertain. The naming of this male child is a mystery also, in that he is named William J. Armstrong in as much as the first son was named William I Armstrong. He was born in 1844 as the fourth child. His name appears in the 1850 U.S. Population Census for the State of Ohio, Mahoning County, Goshen Township at the age of 6 years. It is quite likely that he was born in either Morrow or Stark County since the family lived at these locations before moving to Mahoning County where they were enumerated in the 1850 census. William J. lives only to be 8 years of age as he dies in 1852 on the 4th of October. The fifth child to be born to James and Catharine Armstrong is Lydia Armstrong, the only female child to come into the family. She is born in 1845. Due to conflicting information, the location of her place of birth is uncertain. When she was enumerated in the 1850 census in Mahoning County at the age of 5 years, her birthplace is given as Ohio. Ten years later at the age of almost 15 in the 1860 U.S. Population Census for Marion County in the Tully Township of the State of Ohio, her birthplace is given as Virginia the same as given for her oldest brother, William I. The 6th child to come into the family is Franklin born the 19th of June 1846, in the state of Ohio, probably in Stark County. He later dies at the age of 6 years. Both of the latter sons, William J. and Franklin, die in October and September respectively of 1852 and they were buried in the Iberia Cemetery of Morrow County. The last child to be born into the family is John Armstrong in 1848 in Limaville, Stark County, Ohio.
Did the Armstrong’s move back to Virginia for the birth of Lydia or is the census record in error? It is the opinion of the author that the census record is in error and that she was probably born in Stark County, Ohio. Why did they move to Limaville in Stark County from Morrow County where Edwin was born and then to the Goshen Township of Mahoning County? There is some indication that the family lived near Canfield in Mahoning County, if so, the distance from Limaville to Canfield is about 24 miles due east. But, why was the family temporarily located at these many locations for short periods of time? Their moving around in Ohio has occurred over about a twenty year period (1839 – 1859). A final question: was William J. Armstrong the biological son of James Potter Armstrong and Mary Catharine? Could he have been taken in by the family from a close relative?
By 1860, the Armstrong family had settled onto a farm in Marion County in the Tully Township. James Potter Armstrong remained on this farm the rest of his life. His life here and how the farm was obtained is the subject of the next Chapter.
To briefly summarize the movements of this Armstrong family: After James Potter Armstrong is born in 1801, he is found in Randolf county, West Virginia; then Harrison county West Virginia; then Hamilton county, Ohio; afterwards to Morrow county, Ohio; then to Stark county, Ohio and then to Mahoning county, finally settling in Marion county, Ohio probably about the year 1952. A map showing possible routes to these various locations is shown in Figure 1.
The thirty year period between 1801 and 1830 is an interesting period to contemplate. Surely there should be a record of some type left at their residences where the blanks could be filled in, but to no avail. When the father of James Potter Armstrong is known, then the family, perhaps, can be tracked from Pennsylvania to West Virginia and then to Ohio. It seems probable that other family members may have been at these locations finally helping James Potter Armstrong to settle down.
It is interesting to note that the center of The Church development and growth and where many sacred revelations were received by the Prophet Joseph Smith just ten years earlier occurred only 58 miles due north at Kirtland, Ohio and only 28 miles to Hiram, Ohio from Limaville. Had the Armstrong family been in this area ten years earlier would their history have been different?
[1] The basis for writing and constructing this history is to formalize the facts, events of the time, and the environs in such a way that additional information may be found by the writer so as to extend the genealogy backward to more of the fathers. Likewise, this document may be of interest to descendants so they may better appreciate the sacrifices made by their fathers.

DIRECTION

Direction

Several years ago, as a gift to my children at a family reunion, I presented them with my personal history. One of the great realizations in writing this history was the fact that I was and we were as a family directed by the Holy Ghost throughout our lives. At moments of decision, I did not feel any direction, yet when I looked back at those decisions later I could see the hand of the Lord in every aspect of our lives.
This realization was forcefully brought to my attention again in a recent event that occurred with Anita and I. We had lunch in a little restaurant near Lake Oswego immediately across the street from a used bookstore. The lunch was delightful and at the conclusion of lunch, Anita made the comment and suggested that we go across the street and see what used books the store had to offer. She often visited this store when she was out away from home by herself, so she was well acquainted with it. I made my usual comment that it would be interesting, but we are supposed to be in the Family History Center at 1:00 so should we really take the time now, maybe later would be better ( It is husband trick to avoid shopping). I finally gave- in and so off we went across the street. The bathroom was the first stop for me while Anita began to browse. I finally came into the shop and as I began to browse for interesting books, my eye caught a locked book case standing near the check out desk. It was labeled: “Rare Books”. As I viewed the back spines of the books inside, one caught my attention, “The History of the Upper Ohio Valley” , Columbiana County, Volume II. I asked the store keeper, if I could have a close look at the book. After she opened the case, I observed the book to be in excellent condition. It was dated 1890 with a leather cover and gold edged pages. As I opened the cover, the price was noted as $75.00. My immediate reaction was: “well, that settles that, too expensive!” I continued to thumb through the book and noted that there were some biographical sketches of individuals that lived in the Goshen Township of what is now called Mahoning County. Umm! No, it is too expensive! I said to myself. The nagging continued in my mind and I called Anita over to show it to her. Her reaction was to go ahead and buy the book as it looked to her to be under priced. We love books as evidenced by our book case in the den at home where there is not room for any more books. Umm, “Go ahead you old tight wad and buy it, it looks like a good deal”. Anita had several other books she found that were out of print and so we bought them along with the rare Ohio book.
We arrived at the Family History Center on time and I took the Ohio book into the Center to show it off to the other staff who were there. They oohed and awed over it and said what a nice book. I scanned over the book again and after we finished our duty at the center we went home and I found a spot in the den book case to store it.
Over the past ten years, I have been trying to extend my Armstrong ancestors back another generation or two without success. I have found a great deal of evidence that many of the Armstrong’s noted in the vicinity of my research may be related but no positive connections could be made. In recent days, I have been reviewing the research I have conducted over these past years as I believed that some key information was hidden in this research data. On July the 2nd (Sunday), I was reading in the Gospel according to John and contemplated the first two miracles that the Savior preformed and the discussions he had with the Pharisees where they heard His words as he spoke to them symbolically, but they understood him not. I began to think about my linage and the gift of the Holy Ghost that I received when I was twelve years old. I knew that when individuals come into Christ’s church who are of the blood of Israel, that in general they do not experience a great manifestation of the spirit when they are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. But, if they are true and faithful, the Holy Ghost is always there. My thoughts were carried to the research on the Armstrong’s and to the history I was reconstructing of my second great grandfather, James Potter Armstrong. In my previous scanning of the Ohio rare book, I had noticed some mention of Armstrong’s that lived in the same vicinity of James Potter Armstrong. I decided at this time that I should include this reference in the history I was writing, so I went to the book and reread this reference noted earlier. I began to see that this reference may indeed hold a key to extending my research back several generations. It was at that moment that I saw the hand of Elijah leading my wife to discover a reference of incomparable value at the bookstore I was so reluctant to go and to buy. Why is it we are, so often, lead by the spirit unknowingly and we go so reluctantly? I thanked Anita that morning for her influence and finding.

Here is the noted reference:
“Sylvestor Armstrong, a well known farmer of Goshen Township, was born in Columbiana county, now Mahoning county, Ohio, September 26, 1846, and is the son of Joel and Mary A.(Thompson) Armstrong, the father a native of Ohio, and the Mother of Pennsylvania. ……………….Mr. Armstrong’s paternal ancestors came originally from Ireland, in which country his grandfather Robert Armstrong, was born and raised. Robert Armstrong in company with three brothers and a sister came to America in the latter part of the last century and settled in Pennsylvania. He afterward moved to Mahoning county, Ohio settling in Goshen township, on the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch (Sylvester Armstrong) and Robert Lewis, the stone residence of the latter having been erected by Mr. Armstrong in the year 1826. One of the brothers of Robert Armstrong was impressed into the service of the crown and was never afterward heard from. James, another brother, settled in Virginia, and became a prominent planter. William located in Louisiana, and became a general in the war of 1812. A sister, Mary, married a Mr. Burnside, and was the mother of Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, who served with distinction in the war, afterward became the governor of Rhode Island. Joel Armstrong, the father of Sylvster H., was a farmer by occupation and a well known citizen of this county. He was a prominent member of the Friends Church, and to him is due the credit of establishing one of the first Sunday-Schools in this part of the country, of which he was many years superintendent. He was born August, 1808, and died February, 1865. His wife was born in 1823, and departed this life May, 1880. These parents had eight children, six of whom are living at this time.” History of the Upper Ohio Valley, Vol II, Illustrated; Madison, Wis; Brant & Fuller, 1801 "
The above paragraph may prove to be the link needed to make a connection to my ancestor James Potter Armstrong.
RHB

In Search of the Parents of Francis Harvard Brooks

Figure 1 Crossing the border from Austria to Italy in the Alps

Figure 2 One of many beautiful castles on the road from Innsbruck to Bolzano

Figure 3 Geoff & Kylene Brooks in Austria
Figure 4 A view from the road of the city of Bolzano where we searched for records

Figure 5 Typical Architecture and Vinyards

Figure 6 One of many trams used for transportation from villages atop mountains to the city of Bolzano

Figure 7 A view from our balcony to adjacent buildings in the city of Bolzano

In Search of the Parents
of
Francis Harvard Brooks
By
Kylene and Gerffery Brooks[1]

Recently Geoff and I took a trip to Austria and Italy during Christmas time. The purpose of our trip was two-fold: we were returning for the first time to visit our missions together as well as searching for a record of our great-great-grandfather, Francis Harvard Brooks. Our Grandpa Brooks has done an extensive genealogy research on Francis Brooks however nothing has ever shed light on his parents, Michael and Anna Brooks, to take this line any further back in history. Geoff and I both feel strongly that we can play an important part in the research for Francis Harvard due to the fact that between the two of us, we served our missions in the area that was in 1862 Tirol, Austria (where we believe that he was born) and speak the languages (German and Italian) of that area and the records kept there.

Before going on our trip, we dug into the research already done by Grandpa Brooks to learn as much as we could about Francis Brooks. Francis Brooks came to America in 1882 when he was twenty years old. According to the two census records that he filled out (in 1900 and 1920) he was born in 1862. In the 1900 record he indicated that he was born in Tirol, Austria. In the 1920 record, he indicated that he was born in Tirol, Italy. In 1862 Tirol was a region that today covers South Tirol, Austria, Bolzano, Italy and Trento, Italy. Before our trip to Austria and Italy at Christmas time we were not aware that what is now the region of Trento, Italy was part of the region of Tirol, Austria in 1862.

Figure 1 Crossing the border from Austria to Italy in the Alps

There is a small “village” in the present-day region of Bolzano, Italy that is also called Tirol. We were very hopefully that Francis Brooks was born in this small village, however before we went to Italy we emailed the Archives of the Bolzano region in Italy explaining to them when we were coming and what we were looking for. They checked for us in the small village of Tirol and there were no records of a “Brooks” being born anywhere near 1862. They informed us that without knowing a specific city, only the region we would be searching for a needle in a haystack. For months before going to Austria and Italy, Geoff and I prayed and fasted for a help to find something while we would be in Italy. Several weeks before our trip we decided to go to the temple together. As we were leaving, Geoff did something I have never seen him do before. He stopped at the prayer roll box and wrote down a name and put it in the box. On the way out I asked him who he had written down and he said he didn’t want to tell me. I gave him a kind of confused look and then he said “Well I don’t know if I am allowed to write his name because he is dead but I did anyways.” Of course then, I knew exactly who he had been thinking of and wrote down.

Figure 2 One of many beautiful castles on the road from Innsbruck to Bolzano

On Christmas morning we departed from Salt Lake City at 8:30 in the morning only to arrive in Munich, Germany the next morning on December 26th at 8 am. After several days in Innsbruck, Austria we crossed the Austria/Italy border and headed for Bolzano. Bolzano is the “capitol” city of the Bolzano region. Although Bolzano is in Italy it has a stronger Austrian “influence” than Italian “influence”. The people in Bolzano speak both Italian and German. Their signs are written in both languages. The menus of their restaurants are not only written in both languages but include both Italian and Austrian dishes. The city is nestled into the side of the Alps and surrounded by vineyards built into the side of the mountain like staircases. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. Geoff and I loved every minute we spent in Bolzano which seemed like a city perfect fit for the two of us because of the Austrian/Italian blend in every part of it. On the first day that we arrived in Bolzano we went to the Archive which was on the 3rd floor of the public library. When we entered the room there was a long desk with four men sitting at it. I explained who we were, where we are from, and what we were looking for by saying that we were two American, I spoke Italian and Geoff spoke German and we had come to look for a man. Before I could continue, the old man sitting closest to where we were standing interrupted me and said pointing the men next to him “One, two three, four! Here are four men!” We all laughed and I explained about the specific man, Francis Brooks, who we were looking for.

Figure 3 Geoff & Kylene Brooks in Austria

It took me a short while to explain that although the man we were looking for did not have an Austrian or an Italian name we were pretty sure he was born in this region because of the census records he filled out stating in 1900 that he was from Tirol, Austria and then in 1920 that he was from Tirol, Italy. Also from the census records we believed that his father was from England and his mother from Austria (hence the English name.) It then took the archivists another short while to explain to us what we were really asking to do by searching all of the records of the region of Tirol in 1862 for one name. Bolzano is really just ½ of the region of Tirol at the time of Francis Brooks’ birth. In the region of Tirol there are hundreds almost thousands of small cities. At that time, the births were recorded by baptisms in the church of the town. There is another region next to Bolzano called Trento that was also a part of the Tirol region in 1862. They have just as many cities in their region. South Tirol in Austria was also part of Tirol in 1862. Again, there are hundreds or thousands of cities in that region. We told them that we understood it would be a miracle to find the record we were looking for. We had come to look through their records. We had planned to stay in Bolzano for three days.

Figure 4 A view from the road of the city of Bolzano where we searched for records

Before we could begin working, we were required to fill out several papers about ourselves. Both Geoff and I did this as required. The papers asked for our names, birthdates, where we were from, and our passport numbers among other things. They first let us look through the book of registries for the 8 or 9 large cities of the region of Bolzano. We always checked a year or two before 1862 and a year or two after 1862 when we were checking. It struck me as strange that in some of the largest cities in the region there would be listed only one or two names for an entire year. Sonear the city of Bolzano, Italy me years had many but there were many that had only one or two.

Figure 5 Typical Architecture and Vinyards

When we left the archive that evening, Geoff asked me what I wrote on the forms they had us fill out under where I was from. I told him that I wrote Utah, USA. He said he had written the same but as soon as he wrote it he realized what it might have felt like to be Francis Brooks filling out a census form. Neither one of us felt it was important to the archive there in Bolzano to write down a specific city. In my form, I wrote down the place I currently lived which just so happens to be 2,000 miles away from where I was born. It was an important lesson for us on perspective. We did not consider those questions to be of great importance to the archive. I was not about to explain in the space given for the purpose of searching through records that I was actually born in Columbia, Missouri but moved when I was only a year old and then grew up mainly in Washington DC only to go to school in Utah where I met and married Geoff. Why would they care?? It surely would not be important to them to know all of those details. This new perspective has opened our minds to looking at any and all possibilities of where the record of birth for Francis Brooks may be found.

Figure 6 One of many trams used for transportation from villages atop mountains to the city of Bolzano

The next two mornings we returned to the archive to look through 413 microfilms. Thanks to the help of one archivist in particular who searched with us, we managed in two days to look through all of them. Some were written in German, some were written in Italian, some where not legible. There was not a consistent format used. On one microfilm were sometimes several cities. Sometimes for some of the cities they did not have the records for the date range we were searching. Some cities had no records for that entire century. It was incredible tiring and taxing on our eyes and minds to concentrate like that for such a long period of time not to mention a hint of motion sickness from watching the film roll by. We did not unfortunately find any record of Francis Brooks in the microfilms. We did find out one important thing however. When we started looking through the microfilms we noticed at the beginning of each new roll of film was a stamp stating that the microfilm had been filmed by the Genealogy Society of Utah located on West Temple in Salt Lake City and had a reference number. We would be able to look through the other regions of Italy and Austria that made up the region of Tirol back at home in Utah.

We will keep searching back in the United States to see what records we might find to help us locate the city of Francis Brooks’ birth. Since we have gotten back we have heard from the U.S. government immigration Agency who could not find any record of Francis Brook’s application for citizen ship or declaration of intention. We want to look for a record of entry at one of the ports as well as look in the microfilms for the Trento, Italy region. We will continue to search and pray for guidance and help from heaven.

The Trip was very enjoyable and was nice for me and Geoff. We saw old friends which was nice. We ate great food that we had not had in such a long time. We grew closer to each other and had fun looking for the records. Italy and Austria are truly beautiful countries. The people are so nice and wonderful. It was truly a blessing for us to get to go and search for the parents for Francis Harvard Brooks.

Figure 7 A view from our balcony to adjacent buildings in the city of Bolzano

Note: Since the blog does not allow pictures to be inserted into the text, the reader must match up the caption with the picture. There is an extra picture taken on the steep road to Bolzano showing the vinyards below on the landscape
[1] Geoff and Kylene live in Provo, Utah. Geoff works in International Graphic Design/Web for “Stampin-Up” and Kylene holds the position of Constituent Liaison for Senator Robert F. Bennett of Utah.
They are the grandchildren of Royal and Anita Brooks of Wilsonville, Oregon.

Wedding of Sam Brooks to Garin Carroll

The Groom's Family
We recently returned from the wedding of the above named couple that was wed in the Oakland Temple. Sam is the son of my nephew, Karsten Brooks. It was a wonderful wedding and well attended by both families. After the wedding we drove to Pleasanton, California where to attended a luncheon at the Hilton Hotel. The guests were served a delicious lunch after which a wedding dance and cake cutting occurred. Some of the family and guests are shown here in a few pictures.

The Bride and Groom




Grandfather of the Groom

Excerpts from the history of Michael Bennett

Michael comes to the United States at an age of about 21 years, perhaps in 1849. The port of origin is unknown. Although documentation is not available, he probably comes into the port of New York from Europe. In New York he may have spent some time working to earn passage on ships going to San Francisco. In any event, we find him aboard the vessel, Columbus leaving New York on February 12, 1850. Overland routes to the West Coast were very treacherous at that time and very time consuming. The trip by ship may have been influenced by the 1849 gold rush at Sutters Mill as many were attracted to this part of the United States at that time. No family records are available and one can only make conjectures as to why he wanted to go to San Francisco at this particular time. The ship log for the Columbus indicates the “vessel was crowded beyond limits of comfort”. One can only imagine the discomforts and conditions aboard ship on this voyage. The Columbus arrived in San Francisco on June 6, 1850; a 114 day voyage from New York.
In 1855, five years after Michael arrived in San Francisco, a young woman arrives in San Francisco from Prussia (Germany). The exact location of her origin is unknown. She is Bertha (Betsey) Ettinger. On September 6, 1855, Michael and Bertha (Betsy) are married. The circumstances of their acquaintanceship are not known, but we can only surmise that people from the same national origin and the same religion usually gathered in one neighborhood. According to the 1900 U.S. Census record for Los Angeles County and the city of Wilmington, Bertha Ettinger Bennett, was married to Michael Bennett the same year in which she arrived. They were both Jews from Prussia/Poland and Russia/Poland respectively. As was often the case, families may have known each other in the old country and arrangements made for family members to meet after arriving in America.
Whether before or after his marriage, Michael engages in boot and shoe making business. With this as a source of income, children begin to come forth, the first being, Louis, in 1858 while living in Oakland, California. Sometime after Louis is born, the family moves to San Francisco and a second child, Mary is born on 11 November 1859. ( Mary Bennett is the author’s great grandmother who later marries Robert Alexander Armstrong). The 1860 Federal Population Census shows that the Bennett’s are living in the First District of San Francisco with two children, Louis and Mary. The Bennetts are enumerated in a dwelling with two other individuals. The first is Louis Kraft, a stable keeper, having personal goods of value equal to $500. His place of birth is Baden (Germany). The second person is G.F. Metcalf, a boot and shoemaker, the value of his personal goods is $100 and he is born in Maryland. Michael also gives his occupation as boot and shoemaker with personal goods having a value of $100. On this record, both Michael and Betsey are noted as being born in Poland. The relationship of the above two persons with the Bennett family is not known. It appears that Michael and friend, Metcalf, may have been in business with the stable keeper as a saddlers, making harnesses or perhaps making riding boots. The full document can be downloaded at http://www.wsdstaff.net/~dbrooks/RHBrooksFiles/MBHist.doc
Other research records are also availabile at this link that may be of interest to the reader.

One will be able to read it as a PDF file at the PHPGedView web site at a later date.
RHB

Brooks Genealogy Blog: History of Hazel Vanessa Gibson

Brooks Genealogy Blog: History of Hazel Vanessa Gibsonhttp://www.wsdstaff.net/~dbrooks/RHBrooksFiles/HVGHist.doc

History of Hazel Vanessa Gibson

I've just completed a draft of the life of my mother, Hazel Vanessa Gibson. The draft will be available in the near future to those who have an interest in downloading it onto their computer. Here is an excerpt from her history, titled "I walked the Blues"
"In 1922 my father decided to take a long trip to Oregon and California as he had always wanted to see this country and he decided that he should go before he got any older. He was at this time 60 years old. Our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Furnace wanted to do the same thing, so we planned the trip together. My father resigned his position with the government and we sold or stored all of our furniture and many of our belongings as all we could take with us was what we could take in our car. The travel speed for our car was about 15 to 20 miles per hour so it would take us days to travel an appreciable distance. I remember well crossing the Snake River at Glenns Ferry. We traveled about 50 to 75 miles each day, stopping each nigh along a river or some campground provided by the state for over night travelers. Our route was through Boise, Caldwell, Payette, Idaho and then Baker, Oregon. It was on my sister’s birthday (Bertha) that we stayed all night at Baker, 23 June 1922. We continued on to Walla Walla , Washington where we stayed for about a month. We picked boysen berries on a large berry ranch. We then headed back to LaGrande, Oregon as we planned to go on to the Willamette Valley near Portland where we were told there was lots of work for berry pickers. We stayed in LaGrande all night so as to cross the Blue Mountains in daylight as it was an all day trip over bad roads.
Lots of travelers were in the campground that night. They gathered around the campfire debating whether it would be safe to start out the next morning in as much as it had been raining and the roads were thought to be muddy and dangerous. Pendleton was about 50 miles from LaGrande so it would be an all day trip. It was with great excitement and apprehension that we started out the next morning. As debated the previous night we found steep narrow winding roads in very poor condition. We would often get stuck in the mud and we had to place large rocks under the wheels of the car to keep it from rolling back down a steep hill or off the side of the road. Ethel, Martha, Bertha and I walked almost all the way across the Blue Mountains. Mother and George were unable to walk so they stayed in the car with my father. It took us the entire day to make the trip as we arrived in Pendleton late that evening. We stayed in Pendleton that night and found that the city was getting ready the big Pendleton Roundup that is held each year."
And so indeed, she walked over the Blue Mountains from LaGrande to Pendleton.
The entire text and graphics may be read at: http://www.wsdstaff.net/~dbrooks/RHBrooksFiles/HVGHist.doc
RHB

The subject is Francis Harvard Brooks, grandfather of Royal Harvard Brooks. His death certificate shown here is largely inaccurate in that his father provided the information and he was unaware of his past history. Our purpose here is to find a birth record. Since he was born in Europe specific location is needed. We hope that can be found on an immigration record. However, INS needs to have verification of his death Hopefully, the INS record will have a specific location for his birth place. In many of his records he always used Tyrol, Austria or Italy as the place, but since this is a large region in Austria and Northern Italy, more information is needed in an attempt to obtain a birth record. There is a small village in Northern Italy called Tyrol, which may hold some significance.
As noted in an earlier Blog, Geoff and Kylene Brooks will travel to the region during the Christmas and search some of the archives in the region to try and get information regarding the parents of Francis Brooks. The phpGed site has more research notes on the subject.
RHB

Family History, Our Challenge

Our Responsibility and Challenge

I’m sure that you know as well as I, the responsibility we all share in connection with Family History, but let me remind you of what the Lord has spoken regarding this subject.
President Wilford Woodruff said: “We want the Latter Day Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents and run this chain through as far as we can get it…. This is the will of the Lord to this people.”
“The exaltation of our Father’s children rests upon the completion of required ordinances, if all is to move forward on the road that leads to immortality and eternal life. The determination of accurate family history records and the work which follows in the temples are basic in this vast undertaking which the Lord has placed upon our shoulders” (President Gordon B. Hinkley).
As recorded in the 127th Section of the D&C, “For I am about to restore many things to the earth pertaining to the priesthood, saith the Lord of Hosts, and again, let all the records be had in order, that they may be put in the archives of my Holy Temple, to be held in remembrance from generation to generation, saith the Lord of Hosts.” The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote this at a time when his enemies were in pursuit of him, and yet the thing that was most pressing on his mind was ordinances for the dead.
“For we without them cannot be made perfect; nether can they without us be made perfect. Nether can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; ….”

Shortly after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young had a vision in which he saw and spoke with the Prophet who taught him about the order of the human family, saying: “Our Father in Heaven organized the human family, but they are all disorganized and in great confusion. Joseph then showed me the pattern, how they were in the beginning. This I cannot describe, but I saw it and saw where the Priesthood had been taken from the earth and how it must be joined together, so that there would be a perfect chain from father Adam to his latest posterity”

“Behold I will reveal unto you the Priesthood by the hand of Elijah, the Prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers, if it were not so the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming” (D&C 2)

Now, a comment about the Priesthood! We brethren often take a too narrow view of the Priesthood. We may restrict our thinking to service in social or temporal ways, blessings, visiting the sick, home teaching etc. Using the priesthood in that fashion is proper and necessary, but the great and grand use of the priesthood is to bring salvation and exaltation to the children of men.
Now regarding another point in the above reference: “to plant”, using an non agricultural definition, means “to fix in the mind”. Promises? What promises? “The promises made to the Fathers”

In the great order and scheme of things, before the world was, did you make a promise to those who would proceed you, “ if you come forth when the Gospel is not on the earth, I won’t forget you, I’ll make sure you have all the blessings that I will receive in the Gospel” Are your dead ancestors relying upon you to keep such a promise?

1 Ne:29: 1 “ But behold there shall be many – at that day when I shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;..”
A covenant is a two way agreement between us and the Lord. His arm is extended to us all the day long, but we must do our part in that covenant making process. Where do we make covenants? In our temples! How do we learn and understand what these covenants mean? By frequently attending the temple! And what is it that allows the temple doors to stay open so we can be recipients of that learning and understanding? It is family history.
How frequently do you believe the temple would be open, if we only preformed the work for the living? Once a month? Once a week? There are faithful saints in this temple district that are working at family history. It is because of them that our temple stays open with sessions every 30 minutes.

Help is needed and Available, No Excuses!

Never in the history of mankind has there been so many records organized, cataloged, microfilmed, photocopied, alphabetized as there are today in various archives. We are without excuse in helping to organize our families, the human families, as Brigham noted as being disorganized and in confusion. President Hinkley said: “The computer in its various ramifications is accelerating the work and the people are taking advantage of new techniques being offered to them. How can one escape the conclusion that the Lord is in all of this? As computer facilities improve, the number of temple grows to accommodate the accelerated family history work”. The computer has truly come forth by the hand of the Lord to fulfill the promises made to the fathers.

A number of years ago, I gave some of my blood to support a DNA study at BYU. Along with the blood sample was my 4 generation pedigree chart. My grandfather was born in Northern Italy, perhaps Austria. His father was English and his mother was Austrian. I share the DNA from these groups of people plus that from Scotland and Germany. To put some order to the human family is a great undertaking which is the purpose of that study.

Family history has a very special meaning to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Our genealogy is part of family history, Temple work is part of family history. Biographies and the written history of our lives is family history. Our prophesying and inspiring thoughts are family history. Family history defines who we are!
The importance of family history as defined here is illustrated in the scriptures in 1Nephi. “ And it came to pass that my Father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt. …. And thus my father, Lehi, did discover the genealogy of his fathers.
I may ask, what was the price that was paid for this information? We live in a different time and the Lord has made records available to us in other ways.

“And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore that I might engraven upon them the record of my people. And upon the plates which I made I did engraven the record of my father, and also our journeyings in the wilderness, and the prophecies of my father, and also many of mine own prophecies have I engraven upon them”.

“ What could you do better for your children and your children’s children than to record the story of your life? ….. Get a notebook, my young people, a journal that will last through all time and maybe the angels will quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your comings and goings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies.” (Spencer W. Kimball)

How many have in your possession a copy of your genealogy as Nephi of old had? My I encourage each of you to have a copy. Not just parents, but each one within the sound of my voice, husbands, wives, children. No matter how young or how old, each person needs to have a copy of their genealogy. It is truly a priceless possession. If you don’t have it , get it. We will do what we can to help you.

I have made available to my family my genealogy as it has been published on the internet. Of Course it is not complete. But, I’m working on it. Those of my deceased ancestors are available to the public. My family may have access to all the living by a user name and a password. To obtain a copy all they need to do is go to the internet and print it out. If they don’t have internet access, they can go to any Family History Library and use the internet there. They can even contribute their own family information through the use of a user name and password.

My family also may observe my activity and progress of my research on various genealogical lines, funerals that have occurred, admonitions, serious thought and contemplations by going to the Brooks Genealogy Blog. They can even contribute information they have or make comments through their user name and password.
Take advantage, my brothers and sisters and children, of all the Lord has given us to do his work. The magnitude of it is incomprehensible, but we must go forward.

“If the assignment seems impossible, we must move ahead. If the process is tedious, we must move ahead anyway. If the records have been lost, if the obstacles and opposition seem overwhelming, we will move ahead anyway. When we determine to do as the Lord commands, we move ahead”. (Boyd K. Packer)

“Lets us think over these things, and pray to the Lord to open the way, and the way will be opened by which we will learn about our ancestors. And when the time comes that we have done all we can in a natural way, the veil will be drawn aside, and the Priesthood behind the veil will minister to the Priesthood in the flesh, and reveal many things that we could not ordinarily obtain knowledge of here; but we will get them by this kind of revelation” (Charles W. Penrose)

This is my prayer and hope, in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ.

Shauna Lee Brooks Hull

Fifty years ago, this young lady was born to Royal and Anita Brooks. She is a descendant of Hazel Vanessa Gibson Brooks (Grandmother) and is in the remarkable image of her. She is of the same kind thoughtful disposition. A birthday celebration is planned for this eventful anniversary. RHB 

FAMILY HISTORIES

Some years ago I published a history of one of my great grandfathers, Michael Bennett, he immigrated to the United States about 1850. He was born in Poland and since he was married by a Jewish Rabbi, I assumed he was a Polish Jew. As discussed in his history, he no doubt changed his name to an English name. His wife, Bertha Ettinger, was of the same religious background and may have come from the same general European area which was called Prussia. How they met or became acquainted is unknown. They had a large family, fifteen children, many of which died at an early age. Nevertheless, Michael has hundreds of descendants. As many of those as could be identified are given in my historical account.
The Bennett history was published as a CD and I sent it to a few of his descendants. With the exception of one or two few have expressed an interest in this history or have the time to contribute to it. I have sufficient information to publish histories of other grandfathers, James Potter Armstrong, Henry Elliott Gibson, Francis Harvard Brooks, and others, but I hesitate to go to the same degree of effort due to the lack of interest. I have established a Genealogy Blog where at various times I have published some of my on-going research, or bits of information that may be of interest. My present thinking is that I will from time to time publish in my Blog historical information regarding my fathers for those persons who have an interest in going to my Blog and reading what is there. RHB

Raymond Webb's Funeral

Raymond Alma Webb' Children and his first wife Carol

We attended the funeral of Ray Webb who passed away on Setember 5th 2005. The service was held in the Santa Clara Stake center in Santa Clara Utah on September 9th. The following are a few excerpts from his obituary:
Raymond Alma Webb, age 77, died Monday, Sept 5, 2005 in St. George, Utah following a lengthy illness. Ray was born in San Francisco, California on July 8, 1928, the first born child of Alma Ivor Webb and Ethel Louise Gibson.
Ray married Carol Clayton in the Logan Temple. They are the parents of three children, Mark, Christy and ReNee. They were later divorced. He later married Jean Franklin. They had a daughter, Lisa, and they were later divorced.
On march 29, 1977, Ray married Sharon Crider in Riverside, California. They were later sealed in the St. George temple on September 28, 1984.
He will be greatly missed by his wife, Sharon of Santa Clara, Mark and Kathy Peip Webb of Peoria, Arizona; Christy and John Pulsipher of Clifton, Virginia; Renee and Kevin Bergeson of Bountiful, Utah; and Lisa (Marie) of Graham, Illionis; as well as his brother Ronald and Vivian Webb of Aiken, South Carolina. Ray had 14 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren.
Ray and I enlisted in the U.S. Army in September, 1946 and we were assigned to the same army units for basic and technical training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; sent to Manilla, P.I. and Toyko, Japan. I have fond memories of our association then and when I moved to Oregon with my Mother and Siblings when the Webbs invited us to live on their farm near Junction City Oregon before I enlisted in the army.
My brother, Loren and his wife Julie attended the funeral with me and my wife, Anita.
RHB

This is Isaac Hall, Father-in-Law of John Armstrong. He was born in Blooming Grove, Ohio in 1817/18. He was a Civil War Veteran. He died in 1907.

RHB

Research on connected families

Side Line Research
The research on the Armstrong families and the Brooks family is at a stand still at the present time. It seems reasonable to give consideration to other families that are connected to our lines, but not directly connected. An example of a family that I am currently giving consideration to is the Hall Family. A great Uncle, John Armstrong, married a woman by the name of Malinda Hall. John was last son to be born to Catharine and James Potter Armstrong. If one will go to the PHP Gedcom site, the relationship between ourselves and the Hall family can be easily seen.
Isaac Hall was the father of Malinda and after his wife passed away he lived with his so-in-law, John Armstrong. Isaac was one of seven children of the William Hall and Mary Cook Family. Mary’s father was Captain John Cook, a Revolutionary war veteran, from New Jersey where he entertained General George Washington while General Washington was in New Jersey. My research will probably end with the William Hall and Mary Cook Family and with as many of their grandchildren as I can find.
Isaac Hall was married several times, but I will probably conclude my research with his first wife, Hannah Crawford. Coincidently, William Irwin Armstrong, John Armstrong’s oldest brother, married an Ella Crawford after he moved to California in 1862. However, Ella Crawford was born in California.
The PHP Gedcom site will expand this family as I the research unfolds and the identity of various family members are confirmed. So, I hope you will visit often.

RHB

Francis Harvard Brooks

I have written a brief history of my grandfather, Francis H. Brooks, but I have not published it at this time. Several years ago while studing the census records in California for Francis Brooks, I realized that he may have been born in Italy and not in Austria. (More on that discovery later). My grandson, Geoff Brooks, filled a mission in Austria and he has had a interest in the Brooks line of ancestors. He wants to return to Austria and Italy this year with his wife that also served a mission in Italy. We have agreed to buy his airfare to Germany if he will try to find the birth record of Francis Brooks whom we believe was born in Dorf Tyrol, Italy. He is doing some extensive internet research in preparation for this trip. I will include a copy of his email to me regarding his progress as noted below.

Hi grandpa.
I have been very busy with various aspects of this research. I have been spending a lot of time on the web trying to pinpoint which landes archives will have the best chance of having the record. Because of what i have found i highly doubt that the record we are seeking will be in the church in dorf tirol.
The more i have been looking it seems that almost all records have been collected and put together in several locations, i.e. Land archives. I have found 2-3 that i think will have the record. The first is in Bozen. I have the contact information for that archive and i have been working with my friend ENGIN (a friend i made in
innsbruck) to contact them and ask if they have the records from the Dorf tirol. Engo tried last week to call but he didnt realize the number was in italy and not austria, Different country codes, so he thought the number was disconnected. He is going to try again this week. If he is unable to get a hold of them i also have thier email address and i will send them an email towards the end of this month start of next month and see if i can find anything out. I also have been able to make some contacts over there with some church geneology people (ward members). I have one in austria and Ky, my wife, has been trying to get a hold of someone in one of her wards in italy that does genelogy. The second location is the tiroler landes archive. They have mircofilm there from several cities that has to be ordered before hand. (that is in innsbruck) I am trying to find out whhich cities are available. A lot of this is very hard to work through from over here. And i dont think there is enough time to to it all while we are over there. So i am trying as hard as i can to set some things up before hand.. The biggest problem is my german is a bit out of practise so i am taking longer to understand how it works there.
there also might be a land archive in Milan. Both Bozen and Milan are close to Dorf Tirol. I have recently found something that says it wasent until 1939 that it was austrias job to gather records of birth, deaths, marriages ect. Before that time it was the job of the state recognized religous orginizations - on assignment from the government. i.e the catholic church. the article went on to say that many foriegn guests come to tirol to look for thier ancesters hoping to find and complete there family tree. Unfortunatly geneology is only possible if you know the exact village where the baptism, marriage,or death took place. Once you know the place then you need to order the microfilm and look through it. it says that most common on the mircofilms is name registers. It also says that tirol is the first autrian state to have all of the church materials on mircofilm. Ok if that stuff didnt make much sense its because it was translated from german from the tiroler landes archiv webpage it had a whole bunch of tips and information to other sites. So i have not been working on this and i have not forgotten about you, its just been that i have been working on a different aspect of the research. It is so interesting. I am really just trying to insure that our time in austria and italy is best used and that the records that we need are available and that we know where we need to go.
Love
geoff
Anyone reading thsi blog that can assist us in our search in Austria and Italy should contact geoff atgbrooks@gmail.com
RHB

Thoughts of a Genealogist

The hobby of genealogy occupies the spare time of countless numbers of persons who are seeking their roots, i.e., their ancestors. I understand why this is so as I read and study the Second Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, “Behold I will reveal to you the Priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the Fathers and the children shall turn their hearts to their Fathers, if it were not so the earth would be utterly wasted at His coming”. We know that Elijah has come and he has indeed planted in the hearts of the children the promises made to the Fathers. The Lord has not forgotten His promises made to the House of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He did that by sending Elijah the prophet. He truly is planting in the hearts of the children the promise to Israel by Elijah. Many in the world do not understand why they have such a strong interest in their Fathers, but I do. Once Elijah has planted this thought in our hearts, the result is that we turn our hearts to our Fathers and we remember them. The best way to remember them is to find out who they were and receive unto ourselves the joy of our heritage. I suspect that if we could recall our preexistence, and knowing how many of our fathers would come forth onto this earth when there would be no Gospel because of the wickedness of men, we promised them, that when we came to earth when the Gospel is present, that we would remember them and the sacrifices that they made so we could have what we have today. But, many of us who have the most, are caught up in our worldly pursuits and we ignore what Elijah is trying to do. The consequence of planting in our hearts the promises made to our fathers is Genealogy.
I have gone to some effort and expense in making my genealogy available to my kindred, but I see that few have an interest. My PGV web site has been visited by few, but it is probably because few know about it. I plan to broadcast the news of this site to my kindred and invite them to it. Hopefully, it will spark an interest in their Fathers. RHB

Armstrong/Clark Connection

As posted on April 8, 2005, and after a more careful study of the 1850 U.S. Population census, Mahoning County, Goshen Twp; wherein James Potter Armstrong is found living with his wife and six children and others, a John Armstrong also is noted on Pg 562 of the same Census record as shown below:
John Armstrong age 45 farmer Ohio
Pheby A. age 39 New York
Louisa age 17 Ohio
William age 8 Ohio
Clark age 6 Ohio
Sarah A. age 4 Ohio
Mary I. age 2 Ohio
All are born in Ohio except wife, Pheby.

The most interesting person in this family is Clark Armstrong. He has been given the name “Clark” which is a little unusual for an Armstrong given name. As noted in the Blog of April 4, 2005, William Armstrong, the first born son of James Potter Armstrong, files a marriage application to marry Elizabeth M. Clark in 1854, about 10 years after Clark Armstrong is born. Furthermore, Clark Armstrong is found living with William Clark (father of Elizabeth M. Clark) family in the 1860 Census, Mahoning County, Smith Twp. Ohio.
A search of the 1860 Ohio Census for a John Armstrong with a wife Pheby results in nil. He is not to be found. On the other hand, Clark Armstrong, age 24, is found in the 1870 Ohio Census, Mahoning County, Smith Twp. He is apparently married to a Julia M., age 27; no children. In the 1880 Ohio census, Mahoning County, Clark Armstrong is found, age 36, with his wife Julia, age 39, and a son, William, age 9. William is probably their first born son and therefore, their marriage probably occurred about 1869.

Questions:
1. Is John Armstrong, noted above, the brother of James Potter Armstrong?
2. Is the wife of William Clark, Mary A. (born abt 1811), an Armstrong? Perhaps a sister of James and John? (If this is true,, Clark Armstrong left home at an early age to live with his Aunt and Uncle, William and Mary Clark)
3. What are the circumstances in the John Armstrong home that would cause Clark Armstrong to leave and live with the Clark family?

Research Needed:
1.Guardianship records in Mahoning County, 1850 – 1860
2.Wills and Probate records for Mahoning County, 1850 – 1870
3. Track William Armstrong, son of John Armstrong, and search for his records. RHB

Ancestry View

The view of my ancestry as noted in the first post of this blog is incorrectly noted. It should be the following: http://royalbrooksfamily.pgvhosting.com/This link will take you to the correct site. Sorry for the confusion. RHB