I found some fun information recently about my five-times
great grandmother Phebe Ann Morton Angell who I have been researching, and wanted to share with you!
I was doing some absent-minded web searching
the other day and started looking up her children and following sites I hadn’t
looked into before. One thing led to another, and I found a memoir by her
youngest daughter, Caroline! While this proved to be interesting in its own
right, it turned out to be a hidden gem of information on Phebe. Being the
youngest, Caroline was with Phebe as they journeyed with the rest of the early
Mormons from New York to Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois.
 |
| Phebe's daughter Caroline Francis Angell Davis Holbrook. Picture found at http://www.holbrook-family.com/reunion.htm |
Many of her anecdotes
include the phrase “mother and I,” giving me several first-hand accounts of
things that happened to Phebe, albeit from Caroline’s perspective. Here are a
few of my favorite highlights (in no particular order), with references to “mother”
or “Mother Angell” meaning Phebe:
- In Nauvoo, here the people built a temple and many fine houses and laid out a fine city. Brother Joseph Smith built what was called the Mansion House, which was his home at his death. Mother and I built us a brick house. It was only one room, finished and comfortable. We built it by our own industry and lived there till the mob drove us away.
- [In Nauvoo] Monday morning, when they started to the jail, Joseph on a black horse and Hyrum on a white horse, my eyes followed up the road as far as I could see them. I felt it would be the last time I would see them in this life.
- When in Missouri and brothers Joseph and Hyrum were in Clay County Jail, Mary Fielding Smith, Hyrum's wife, had a baby boy. Father Smith sent word to Hyrum: his wife had a boy, what shall it be named? He sent back word: when it was eight days old, have father come and name and bless him, and call him Joseph Fielding Smith. He is now President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Mother Angell washed and dressed him and laid him on his grandfather's arms for the occasion, and looked after mother till she was alright. The enemies were prowling around us at the time.
- When I was twenty seven years old, I was taken very sick. Many thought my time had come to go; I thought I would not. I asked for seven sisters to come and wash and anoint me with oil; this was done. I began to mend from that very hour and got well. The sisters said my feet were as cold as though I was dead. I have lived over fifty years since.
I love these references to Phebe that add a few more pieces
to the puzzle that is my great-great-great-great-great grandmother. While
Mormon history is not for everyone, seeing firsthand accounts of historical
moments that are important to my own culture through the eyes of my ancestors
is a really special thing for me. Regardless of religion or culture, there are
plenty of opportunities for you to find similar things in your family’s past
that resonate with you.
Have you ever stumbled on genealogical information or cool family history stories by accident? Tell me about it in the comments?
Tips
- Don’t be afraid to explore what might seem like peripheral people or names that aren’t your top priority. As this example shows, your target person may not have a journal or autobiography, but they might just show up in the journals of others. I found this particular document on a family history website created by the descendants of Caroline, and with a quick online search was also able to validate it as a real source. So keep an eye out for obscure paths to sources, and if you hit a roadblock in your searching, start following other names. You never know what you might uncover. Happy hunting!
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