A few more items on the Caroline page

What better way to spend (Utah) Pioneer Day than to add information to our family website? I'm finishing up with the information so graciously passed along by cousin Rob McIntosh.

As mentioned in the previous blog post, in 1977 Rob solicited some recollections from Clover, Utah, resident Irene Russell about our ancestors, and she wrote three brief pieces:

• About the Grand T Ranch, which was the home of William Abram McIntosh.
• And brief sketches of Gertrude Christensen Johnson, half sister of our great-grandmother Nancy Lena Guhl McIntosh, and Carl Marinus Christensen Guhl, half brother of Nancy Lena.

Each sheds a little more light on the previously dim corners of our family's history. With everyone chipping in, a clearer narrative emerges. Also, thanks to Sue McIntosh Adams for sending along the photo of John Willard McIntosh to use with his history of Caroline.

Caroline, revised and expanded

Cousin Rob McIntosh sent along more -- great -- information about one of our most interesting and impressive ancestors: Caroline Elizabeth Caldwell McIntosh. I've revamped the main page, providing links to the sometimes lengthy content that was there previously, and links to some of what Bob just sent along.

In addition to the pair of histories we've had up for a while -- one by Ann Neddo and the other by John W. McIntosh -- Bob has sent along two letters written by Caroline to her son, and our (cousins) great-grandfather William Abram McIntosh (1859-1903).

Now, not only is the fact that we have letters written by her interesting, but the timeline makes it even more odd, as Bob pointed out:

Looks like while he was a student at Brigham Young Academy in 1889. Note: he was married with children at the time. Not sure how that worked out (family in St. John; him in Provo?).

Indeed, "Willie," as Caroline calls him, was married to Nancy Lena Guhl in 1883, and they had children. Be nice to know the story behind that.

Interestingly, Caroline spends a lot of time admonishing her son about "drinking and smoking." It's actually pretty funny.

I've also posted a link to a pdf document of the original aforementioned letters -- but in that same file there also are letters from a nurse in Billings, Mont., who, according to Bob, "cared for Aunt Roah [our Grandmother Mary Anne McIntosh Henderson's sister] when she had typhoid fever, and from Gertrude Amelia McIntosh (d. 1918)."

Still to come: Bob sent along a letter/oral history from Irene Russell, of Clover, Utah, who died at age 97 in the early 1980s. She wrote some sketches of a few family members that I'll transcribe as I get time.

Once again, thanks to Bob for this great information about our family.

A sad end to a colorful life

As I was browsing around for something to add to the Henderson Reunion website yesterday, I came across the newspaper obituary of my Great-Great-Grandfather Soren Peter Guhl. I've written about him before (click here), noting his ... um, eccentricities. But for some reason I was not quite prepared for the story of his death, told by a newspaper writer in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Soren had returned after his divorce from our Great-Great-Grandmother Mariane Madsen Christensen Guhl and his association with the Morrisite sect in Utah (and, perhaps, Soda Springs, Idaho).

Soren, of course, was the father of Nancy Lena Guhl, who was the mother of Mary Anne McIntosh, who married David Monroe Henderson.

I've added the text of the obituary to the Soren page on the family website, but will reprint it here. In order to place it into context, though, it would do you well to read the story from start to finish on the Soren page.

Death of Dr. Guhl

Dr. S.P. Guhl, an eclectic physician who had been living in Council Bluffs for some years past, died at his room, in the house at the corner of Broadway and Sixth Street, about 12 o’clock on Thursday night. The deceased, who had been a hard drinker for years, was taken quite sick a few days ago, and repaired to his room where he died, as stated, on Thursday night, friendless and alone.

Dr. Guhl came to Council Bluffs from Utah, where his wife and two daughters still reside. Not living happily with his wife he separated from her several years ago and came to Council Bluffs, residing with his aged mother until her death a year or two ago. During his residence here, the doctor was more or less interested in the labor movement, and in his sober moments was a man of considerable ability and force, but he was the victim of man’s greatest enemy, and during the last few years was bordering on imbecility. He was a man of about 50 years of age at the time of his death.

Among his effects was found a letter from his two daughters, which was dated at Clover Creek, Utah, January 16, 1881. This joint letter was well written and contained many terms of endearment. The photographs of the daughters, Mary and Lena, were enclosed in the letter. They are the pictures of two quite prepossessing young women, of intelligent countenances, and evidently bright girls.

The remains were taken charge of by Undertaker Morgan and were yesterday afternoon buried in the pottersfield by the county.

This may be a bit of a downer for Christmas Eve -- not "may be," it "is most definitely" -- but I wanted to share it anyway. And I will try to track down some more information on Mariane, as well, for a future posting and a page dedicated to her.