About My Ancestors

Where did your ancestors come from and when did they settle here?  This is a long and complicated question.  You will need to go back and look at our genealogy books for specifics.  For example, both Pam and I have ancestors that came from England on the Mayflower, so we have some of the first ancestors that came the America.

However,  generally the "Carlson" ancestors were converted by early LDS missionaries in Malmo Sweden and traveled to America by ship and then railroad to Utah.  His name was Isaac Carlson.  He then sent for his girlfriend to come to America and married her in Utah. We have a handwritten 2-3 page letter/journal of his that tells about his life.  He also went back to Sweden on a mission.

My grandpa, Ray Carlson, married Myrtle Adams.  Thus we have the early ancestors of the Adams that were from the northeastern United States.  We have a book on their ancestors. They named their first son after Myrtle's father, who was named after his father, Joseph Smith Adams.  They were early converts to the LDS church and lived in Nauvoo.  

On my mother's side, Edith Ward, the Ward's were converts from England.  However, her grandmother was a Durfee (Durphy) and an earlier ancestor was a Cahoon.   Both families were in Nauvoo.  The Durfee family originally came from France and went to England.  They had a castle in France, that the older son received their heritage. Our ancestor moved to England to seek his fortune. Sometimes Durfee is spelled Durphy.

Many of our early ancestors fought in the American Revolution, and their descendants came west with the Mormon Pioneers in 1847.  

American revolutionary war: Ebenezer Durfee 1761-1847 was one of them. He was a cavalry soldier and was defending West Point in New York.  It appears his unit was authorized to wear captured British red uniforms with white facing lapels by General Washington.  I believe the uniforms were captured by Captain John Paul Jones.

MORMON BATTALION MEMBER:  In fact, our ancestor, Francillo "Frank" Durfee was forced by mobs from Nauvoo, where he lost his wife, Miriam Jones, due to mom violence. They had to flee Nauvoo, IL. to winter quarters, Nebraska territory where he was asked to join the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War, C Co. and marched off with them from Kanesville, leaving his two little sons with another family (not sure if they were relatives or not).  He was assigned to be one of the "hunters" and was given a better rifle.  We have a story of him and his nephew (Jarvis) shooting a bear that attacked them.  The bear was shot through the heart.

He was sent back with the "sick" to Pueblo , Colorado.  It appears he was one of the healthy soldiers sent with them, because after they arrived, horse thieves or Indians stole some of their horses and he was sent with the group to recover them.  They followed their trail to Fort Bridger, Wyoming territory, and caught up to them, but the horses were gone.  Not sure what they did to those who stole the animals.  While they were there, they met up with Brigham Young and the 1st wagon train to Utah, and he went with them into Salt Lake.  His name is one of those on the monument.   After, arriving in Salt Lake, he made the trip back to Winter Quarters to pick up his sons and bring them west.  Along the way west he married another Miriam Jones to  help him with his children and they had other children. 

In Utah they were assigned to go to the Ogden area where members of C Co. of the Mormon Battalion were asked to settle.  He did so.  He was elected Lieutenant of the local militia during the American civil war and protected the settlements and telegraph from Indians.

Later he was asked to go and help settle an area near Salmon, Idaho.  He was actually one of the church leaders assigned.  But the Indians attacked and killed many of them so a rescue party from Utah came up and they returned to Utah. There is a brief history of this in the book on Durfee.   After that he moved and lived near Logan, Utah (actually Providence, Utah were he is buried).

What stories do you know about them? My mother told me that a professional genealogist had traced the "Ward" line back in England to one of the Judges, who judged the trial of Captain Kidd the Pirate, and ordered him to be hanged. 

One of my relatives who was on the Mayflower had the distinction of falling overboard, and was rescued.  He later married a young lady from the Mayflower and they had a baby daughter. Unfortunately, both him and his wife died during the first year here.   The baby was taken in by another family and raised but kept her original name.  One of her descendants fought in the American Revolution.

Who was the oldest relative that you knew?    The oldest one I have a vague recollection of as a baby was my Great Grandma Adams.   

What do you remember about him/her?  I remember that I was to call her "Grandma Great." 

Is there anyone "famous" among your ancestors?   See the above stories.   In actuality, I believe within the southern area of Idaho, my own father  Joseph "Joe"  Carlson was fairly well known. Particularly among the ranchers, cowboys and rodeo people.  He served many years on the Cassia County Fairboard with the fair in Burley.  He also raised and raced Quarterhorses, and participated in chariot races in the winter months.  He had many winning horses.  He was also a founding member of the Cassia County Sheriff's Mounted Posse and rode many years with them.  He usually carried the American flag. On a couple of occasions when they were missing one of their members, his wife Edith, rode with them since she was such a good rider.  He was fairly well known Cassia County Idaho. He was also one of the main fundraisers for a new LDS church in Albion. His father Ray Carlson, did a lot of work on building the church that was near the college.

My mother, Edith Fae Ward Carlson was also well known.  In high school she was a cheerleader.  She held many LDS church assignments. Later she was recognized as a Grand Marshal of the Cassia County Fair parade with her twin sister Edris and she wrote the history book of Albion with Love before her death. The best thing was that both her and dad really loved me a lot!

Did you have a family tradition, celebration or a recipe that has been handed down for generations? Probably the best known one is for Sugar cookies, that came from Grandma Nina Ward to my mom, now to us. 

Do you have any objects that belonged to an ancestor? 

In addition to the below pictured items, we also have:

* Many of Grandma Nina Ward's coal oil lamps and dishes.  Edith marked them on the bottoms.

* Great Grandpa Isaac Carlson's Bible.  We gave it to Jared who has his middle name, who we named him after.

* Grandpa Ray Carlson's tools, he was a carpenter and left them to me.  Also here's all metal wheel barrel.

* My father, Joe Carlson,  many items.  But especially, his Savage Model 99E 308 cal. lever action rifle, which he has killed many a deer with.   His, Colt Woodsman 22 cal. pistol that he has packed many a time on the mountains.  

* My mother, Edith Carlson, we have too many items to write down, but her numerous journals and photo books tell her story.  She also wrote the book, Albion with Love.  Her journals are in the old restored trunk of grandma Nicholas.