Family History Sunday- Charles Augustus Stoddard 1820-1891

Charles Augustus Stoddard and Lucetta Jane Murdock

Personal histories of Lucetta and Charles indicate that they died as they lived- faithful followers of Jesus Christ.  Charles' parents, Curtis Stoddard and Pamela West were born in Massachusetts and Connecticut.  They married in 1803 and moved to Ohio sometime between 1812 and 1815.  

Lucetta and Charles' conversion to Mormonism is a story of faith.  Charles was baptized at 22 years of age on July 4, 1842 in Illinois.  Lucetta, born in Madison New York, was baptized on July 29, 1839 (she was the only member of her father's family to join the church) and moved to Illinois in 1841 where she taught school.  They married on May 27, 1843.

Their faith was to be tried as they passed through the  hardships and trials in the early days of the Mormon Church.  Records indicate that they sought refuge with Hyrum Smith's widow when the mobs burned homes and property in Nauvoo. Lucetta was associated in the first Relief Society in Nauvos and as a tailor by trade made  coats for both Brigham Young and George A. Smith to wear on their missions to England.  Each Coat  had 16 pockets for carrying books.

The expulsion of Nauvoo drove Charles and Lucetta with the Saints to Council Bluffs.  It was here their son and my Great Great Grandfather Hyrum Franklin (father to Edwin Stoddard) was born.  In 1852, they joined the Uriah Curtis Company and settled with the Saints in Utah making their home in Uintah.

 I took these pictures of their graves on a brilliant fall afternoon.  Their stories strengthen my faith.  It is almost midnight as I blog tonight.  The house is quiet and I fill a reverence for Charles and Lucetta- the first of the Stoddard family to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  They knew adversity, but they chose to overcome.  

I will never be asked to sew  coats with 16 pockets for future prophets, nor will I have my  home and property burned because I am a Mormon, but I have been asked to keep the link of faith strong which Lucetta and Charles began- I have been asked to fill my 16 pockets full of faith- 

Pein Air Art Invitational-Centennial edition

 I will never tire of coming to this place- to the land of the Ancients where beauty speaks from every rock, tree, and mountain top. 

 Coming to the Plein Air Art Festival has been on my bucket list for years, and I have always wanted to come with my dear friend Cali.  And on a whim, I achieved both.  There could not have been a more perfect day.

 We saw a demonstration by Artist, Bruce Gomez doing a pastel- It was amazing.  Gomez manipulated the pastels creating a masterpiece in a minute- beautiful.  He was an entertainer as well.

 We enjoyed his creation process and humor for close to an hour and then took a drive through the canyon and to the lodge for lunch.  We were awestruck on every turn.

 The park was quiet as summer visitors had returned home.  Zion in November- incredible.  I loved the day Cali and I spent here, breathing in the fresh, wonderful, beautiful air.

 My grandfather Max gave me the world of color and his Artistic talent trickled down to our son Seleck-  Cali helped him find it, develop it, and enjoy it.  

 Traveling with an artist is like seeing a view for the first time.  An artists shares with you lighting, shadows, shades, hues, tree branches, leaves- it all becomes wonderfully new.

Thanks Cali for sharing this day of wonder with me.  You have been such a blessing to our little family.  Your humor, warmth, love, and faith have inspired us and comforted us.  You are a treasure.

 The Plein Air Art Festival should be attended by every artist and art connoisseur, but it should be tasted by all the girls who once stood by their grandfathers while they painted.

 While I was hoping that the artist demonstrations might have been more informal, (I had imagined them all painting on the grass near the lodge like the artists do along the La Seine river in Paris) I will continue to come again and again to this amusement park for the eyes and the heart!

Family History Sunday- Hyrum Franklin Stoddard

My father Kimball had never been to the little railroad town of Uintah up Ogden Canyon when we sought out on our adventure.  I was determined to strengthen my bond with my Stoddard line and to come to know a little more about my great Grandfather Edwin Cleveland Stoddard, so I returned to his roots.

 This small railroad town is easy to miss if you aren't looking closely.  It is strange, but I felt such a connection to this place even though I had never been here before.  

 Edwin's Father Hyrum Franklin Stoddard was born at winter Quarters (Council Bluffs) on September 29, 1849.  He arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on September 29, 1852- barely 3 years old. He was baptized in 1857.

 Hyrum met Evangeline who had been working at a Dairy in the neighboring community in Fountain Green. Together,  they had four children, Sophia Jane, Margaret Marion, Hyrum Franklin Jr. and Edwin Cleveland.  Sophia Jane died when she was just 7 years old.

Hyrum was sealed to Evangeline Cleveland in the Salt Lake Endowment house on February 27, 1889 (My great grandfather Edwin was born just a few months later- June 2, 1889).  Hyrum never lived to hold Edwin in his arms as he passed away on February 19, 1889.    

 Hyrum had been serving as a bishop of the Uintah Ward for four years when he passed away on February 19, 1889. He was just 40 years old.

 Edwin never knew his father Hyrum.  Seems strange to think that Edwin Grew up without his father (his mother however, did remary in 1896) and then in just 29 years he would marry the love of his life, Jennie Smith,  only to bury her too  and  leave his two Children Ruth and Edwin without a father as well. 

 Time marches on, but history does truly repeat itself.  I can only imagine his quiet pain when Leo and Marie offered to raise his children. What did this stoic railroad man feel?

 I am still digging for answers, for the missing pieces.  I found an Autumn leaf at Hyrum's grave.  I treasure it.  Next to it I have written the number of a Jim Stoddard- answers perhaps.  Answers for the Stoddards and for those that bear the Stoddard name.  

 It's just a little railroad town, but it has become my railroad town,  The home of the Stoddards

Wednesday Write- Why I wander

 Five years ago November 1st my heart literally stopped.... I lay on a hospital bed in the ER and I was completely vulnerable- it was terrifying.  I remember when I came back, I was looking at the light from above the light- I was headed somewhere, and then I decided to come back.

 This experience was a pivotal moment in my life.  I knew I never wanted my heart to race again at 240 beats a minute-- I knew I needed life to slow down.  I knew I had to face my drive for perfectionism head on- I needed to realize my health was everything. 

 As a mother of five very active children, the change has not been easy, but the payback has definitely been worth it.  I now make conscious decisions about what I choose to do with my time  and the time of my children- And I choose to wander.  

 The decision to wander helps me see life differently.  I have to toss aside FOMO (fear of missing out) and spend my time with those who matter most doing things that enrich my life and bring me joy- joy so I can give joy back.  

 My wanderings have taken me on countless adventures.  Sometimes the destinations are known, but most often not.  I love wandering with "little people."  They laugh MORE and judge less. Seeing life through their eyes renews my perspective on life.  I get to experience "firsts" again with them.

 Autumn leaves, pumpkin patches, barnyard animals, hay wagon rides-- the simpler the wander the better.

 They wandered with me.  They loved the discover of this adventure!

 I am really quite easy to please- let me feel the wind through my hair, smell the Autumn air, and hear the giggle of a child- It's what I call a wander.  The best part about it is that it costs nothing and the experience is priceless.