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Show k B1 Wednesday, April FAMILY HISTORY Unraveling the family mystery By Casey Christbisem Express Writer Ever since Edgar Allan Poe penned the first mystery novel, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," back in 1841 the genre has continued among the most popular in American Literature. There is a little crime detective in all of us that loves finding the hidden clues alluding to the book's end. Solving a puzzle has the same sort of draw and sense of satisfaction. Family history is a hobby older than the mystery genre, but its appeal is similar to Lila Caldwell. "Family history gets in your blood," she said. "It's a mystery with all these hidden clues you have to sift through. Where did they move to and why? After awhile you feel like you know these people." That is a benefit mystery novels and family history do not share. Characters in those novels, unless based on real life, will always need an imagination to make the come to life. Even if they are based on real life than there is typically very little connection con-nection we have with them except through the book. Family history differs in this regard because doing research is learning more of your own story. How did your Merlene Hall's seventh greatgrandpa's photo in a book dating back more than 1 00 years. The book was given to Hall by an aunt when she started developing an interest in family history. V- i t H ! i ' ' ) ' ''" John Cameron in his kilts family in the Cameron line from Scotland. Each office is independently owned and operated. Vt. : ..X if . nK,u.. f A nrtrtinn' of every sale ts t donated to the 1820West 1 Children's Miracle V Vernal'1 Hwv. 40. Ste F Network. $ 435-781-2 Hwy. 40, Ste F Network. 435-781 Outstanding Agents. Outstanding Results 16, 2008 family come to live in the United States? How about Utah? Through her research Hall has learned that her grandma walked with the 8th Handcart Company to Utah, the last group of handcarts to cross the plains. Caldwell learned her great-grandma great-grandma was 14 years old when she walked across the plains. Her grandmother's job was to walk alongside the oxen, steeringthem by touching a stick to their horns. Upon arriving in Salt Lake she received a calling from the LDS church to become a mid-wife. She delivered 1,000 babies without losing a single mother. Hall's passion is not only fueled fu-eled by these sort of discoveries about her own family, but also a small red book. A book that just so happens to be more than 100 years old. When Halll first began herhistorythebookwasgivento her by a family member. She and Caldwell both share this handing down of the hobby. Caldwell's passion was passed on from her aunt. Who taught her the excitement of the mystery early on in her research. Caldwell was searching for a death certificate cer-tificate - one she knew her aunt had at one time. However, every time she questioned her aunt, the reply was when she needed it she would find it. It went on was the first of Lila Caldwell's to come to America. He came r i Utah K.Hen Liub 823 0204 2500 9 CO ' HMi rX i :(. t a. W V " J , John Burton the IV. MplGSgtOWQ like this until after the aunt had passed. While doing research with microfilm she discovered her aunt had sent the certificate to Salt Lake to be put on film. Perhaps the most favored part of family research, for the two ladies is the answers that come without an explanation. Those clues that seem to appear out of nowhere. "I had been getting a lot of death certificates from a program that is available at the Family History Center," said Hall, explaining ex-plaining one such experience. "I put my grand dad Burton's name in the program and received a copy of the death certificate. I then put my grandmother Burton's name in the program and asked it to print. I went to the printer to get the copy of her death certificate and found, to my surprise, another record had printed first. This record was a birth of a female white-American, born in the town of Ashley, 'on July 9, 1902. At that time the town of Ashley was located north MCk- yf 1 '.1 ' Lila Caldwell's great-grandmother Ann Wardell married Thomas Herbert. They were photographed with their family she is the one sitting on the """" " ' y - M - - - rJ y : 111.. ' ' I : mmm-riltmif . , , m ,i , .... ..... ,-. J- . Several men in the Southam family served in World War II. Every home to their families. , . . . . I The original Southam homestead was owned by Lila Caldwell's great-grandmother, Katherine Cameron. Caldwell learned through her family research the man of the house died crossing a river on Christmas Eve. She said it was remarkable some of the things these people went through over the course of their lives. 4 bedroom, 2 bath home on comer lot Fenced in back yard. Large parking area. All appliances included! Call Jan or Karen today! and west of the now existing Vernal. Ver-nal. Her parents were listed as Ira and Hattie Burton of Ashley. This baby was my mother's little sister." This was unknown member of Hall's family, one that no one had ever mentioned. It is these sort of experiences that explain Caldwell's comment about almost al-most knowing those whose research you are doing. The things both ladies have learned have changed how they perceive their family and its origins. It has not only taught them about those before them, but also about themselves. The Uintah Basin has two great resources for doing history work; the regional room at the Uintah County Library and the Family History Center. Both are open to anyone in the public, and are best utilized together say Caldwell and Hall. The two have also found helpful resources on the Internet including ancestry, com and worldvitalrecords. com. !v v 4 3- . J ' i - i t -t. Over 6 acres of land up Dry Fork Canyon. Amazing homesite located on it. Price reduced to $86,900. Call Jan or Karen today! 1 Uintah County Regional . History Center Located in the Uintah County Library 155 E. Main Street, Vernal 789-0091 ext 4 http:www.uintah.lib.ut.us Family History and Research Materials Vernal Express newspapers newspa-pers on microfilm beginning in 1891 through 2007 Thousands of history photographs, including the Leo Thome collection, local lo-cal material and the Vernal Express collections Over 400 folders of collected information on a variety of topics and individuals indi-viduals Family history books Uintah High School yearbooks from 1918 to the present Oral History transcriptions transcrip-tions for over 250 interviews inter-views Death and cemetery records Outlaw Trail Journal, published semi-annually Biographies of former Uintah County residents Western magazines, which is one of the largest collections in the West Local history publications publica-tions Come in and visit. They can help with school papers as well as family history projects. one of them survived to return 1 4 -"" V j JSW!--- 3 bedroom, 1 bath home whardwood floorinq, remodeled kitchen, Updated water heater and furnace, also has central air. Vinyl fencing, large shop out back. Call Ian or Karen today! Cmwuuuty April Baby Book Shower, Prime Time 4Kids, 10-11 a.m., Early Literacy Packet with $15 donation to the Ultnah County Literacy Commission. Golden Age Center Dances, 155 S. 100 W. Vernal. Every Friday night 8 to 10 p.m. Kays Band, all are welcome. Winter Kundalini Yoga classes. Wednesdays 12-12:45 12-12:45 p.m. & 6-7:30 p.m. Call Margaret 781-8711 for more information. TOPS club meets in Vernal City offices, 447 East Main, on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. 6th Annual American Indian Art Show, Western Heritage Museum, 328 E. 200 S., April 6-30. Call 789-7399. 12-Step Recovery Program, meets Thursday, 7 to 8 p.m. at 2100W.Hwy 40. Open and anonymous. Call 790-7917. April 16 Creating A Family History in Passage Express-Part 3 Sign-up Required-Vernal Required-Vernal Family History Center, 7 p.m. Call 789-3618. 789-3618. Hearing Specialist, Robin Traveller at 10 a.m. Golden Age Center, 155 S. 100 W., Vernal. Free, call Diane 790-2966 for more information. Auditions for "Annie' Outlaw Trial Theater, 7 to 9 p.m. at the Western Park Ice Rink, 302 E. 200 S., Vernal, www. MyArtsCouncil.org. April 17 Meet the Candidates! Mark Raymond and. Anthony Byron Candidates for the Uintah County Commission at Western Park at 7 p.m. Open to the public. Utah Geological Survey Geologist Doug Sprinkel, 7 p.m. at the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park, Vernal. Call 789-3799 for more information. Uintah Basin Energy Symposium Committee meeting at 3 p.m. in the Law Library at USU. 1680 W. Hwy 40, Vernal. Uintah Basin Christian Academy Groundbreaking for a new 32,000-sq-ft building. At 2 p.m. Solving Your Brick Walls -Vernal Family History Center, 7 p.m. Call 789-3618. 789-3618. HAzel Bentley, Instructor. April 18 8th Annual Uintah Basin Research Conference, Western Park, 302 E. 200 S., Vernal, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hosted by Utah State University - Uintah Basin. Open to the public. SEP SEOP Trade Day - schools closed. 'Imagine, Remembering the Fab Four' Uintah High School Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Tickets at Davis Jubilee, Bitter Creek Books and the door. www. MyArtsCouncil.org. April 18-19 State Team Penning, Western Park, 302 E. 200 S., Vernal. Continued on B3 Hos an event? Post it for free on our community calendar at t Jan Sharp 823 40GO '4 1 |