Sunday, March 1, 2026

Alma and Mamie Margaret Zabriskie ~~~ Pioneers of the Month ~~~ March 2026




















 

   MAMIE MARGARET TIDWELL 


 Mamie Margeret Tidwell was born 19 June 1844 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois to John and Jane SmithTidwell Sr. This was just eight days before the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred at Carthage, Illinois.

        Her father John Tidwell Sr., had joined the Church on 18 September 1835 in Clark County, Indiana. Her mother Jane joined the Church a week later on 25 September 1835 at the age of 23. They moved to Nauvoo,Hancock, Illinois on 6 November 1839 and witnessed the sickness that came from draining the swamps and preparing Nauvoo for a beautiful city that they would leave in just a little over six years.

        Her parents received their endowments on 3 January 1846 in the Nauvoo Temple, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. They left with the body of Saints in February 1846 when they were expelled from Nauvoo. By 1850 they were living in Pottawattamie, Iowa.

        Margaret's family came to the Utah Territory with the John Tidwell Company(her father was captain) in 1852. Her father John, was 45; her mother, Jane was 39; William Nelson was 20; Jefferson William was 15; Martha was 10; Mamie Margaret was 7; Sarah was 5; John was 3; and Emma Jane was an infant. She was actually born 12 September 1852 just before getting to the Salt Lake valley.

        They departed on with 340 individuals and 61 wagons in the company which began its journey from the outfitting post at Kanesville, Iowa(present day Council Bluffs). John had 2 wagons, 7 oxen, 4 cows, 8 sheep, and 6 hogs.

        Their daughter Margaret was baptized on 9 July 1852 at the age of eight as they were coming west. By 27 July they had made it to Chimney Rock. They traveled past Devil’s Gate on 19 August. The weather was beginning to be very cold in the mornings and nights.They made it to Fort Bridger by 5 September and stopped to repair wagons and rest. They reached the Salt Lake valley on 10 September 1852.

         By 1860 they were living in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah territory. She married Alma Zabriskie on 19 May 1860 in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete,Utah Territory at the age of 15. Alma was 24 years old. They later received their endowments and were sealed in the Endowment House on 27 September 1869 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Territory.

        Alma was born 19 August 1835 in Eugene, Vermillion, Indiana to Henry J.and Nancy Newgin Zabriskie. His family came to Great Salt Lake,Deseret in 1849 with the Allen Taylor Company. His father Henry was 60; his mother Nancy was 49; Jerome was 21; Charles was 19; Alma was 13;and Susanna was 9.

        Alma was the sixth of seven children born to Henry J. and Nancy Zabriskie. They had six boys and one girl. They had joined the Church in 1832 and had been in Clay County, Missouri with the Saints when they experienced such horrible tribulations. He had lost over 80 acres of land there along with buildings and animals. They had received their endowments on 3 February 1846 just a day before the main body of Saints were expelled from Nauvoo.

        They departed on 5 July 1849 with 246 individuals and 72 wagons in the company which began its journey from the outfitting post at Council Bluffs. From the account of David Moore who was a captain of ten: “Two letters were wrote and left here on the bank of the Elkhorn, one by the clerk of the one hundred and one by the clerk of Captain Allreds 50, for G.A. Smith stating the progress of the camps. We took a good sized pole and bored a hole in it and put our letters in, then pluged up the hole and set the pole in the ground close by the road so thatit could be seen by the company that was coming with Pres. G.A.Smith. This was called our post office.” They arrived in the Great Salt Lake valley on 10 October 1849.

        Alma and Margaret ha d twelve children, six girls and six boys, all born in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah Territory. Mary Elizabeth was born 31 May 1861; Martha Jane was born 25 February 1863; Nancy Elzina was born 26 February 1865; John Henry was born 17 November 1867; William Alma was born 13 November 1869 and died 9 September 1870; Jerome was born 13 November 1871; Anna Eliza was born 9 April 1873; George Albert was born 18 August 1875; Margaret was born 25 October 1877;James Franklin was born 9 January 1879; Charles Abram was born 17 October 1881; and Rosa was born 19 June 1883.

        Alma was a farmer all his life in the Mount Pleasant area.

        Margaret died on 20 September 1910 in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah at the age of 66. She died of Typhoid Fever. She was buried on 22 September 1910 in Mount Pleasant, Utah.

        Alma died on 16 June 1913 in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah at the age of 77. He died of Dropsey. He was buried on 19 June 1913 in Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah



    






 

Thursday, February 26, 2026

DO YOU REMEMBER THIS???

 

 


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Soon after 1930 an itinerant called on John K. (Madsen) in Mt. Pleasant and asked for a painting job.  During their conversation they decided that to paint a large roadside sign would be a novel and informative thing to do.  John K. had toyed with the idea of doing something of the sort to help direct ram buyers to his ranch.

They sometimes drove north rather than south, after arriving at Thistle, when approaching from the east via Price, Utah.  Modern road maps were not as easy to obtain nor as complete as they later became ~so strange, prospective buyers could benefit by some additional directions on a sign.

The coming of the painter was timed right.  While riding to Thistle he and John K. explored and evaluated various possibilities.  The place most favored by John K. was on the face of a mountain west of Thistle.  But because of its inaccessability they decided against the location.  At last they settled on the jutting rock protruding from the north mountain that faced the big bridge leading to the south road.  Mt. Pleasant was approximately 35 miles south of Thistle.

There was an almost smooth surface on the protruding rock and it provided an excellent base for a sign.  An area of about 25 by 30 feet was marked off and painted black and white.....

It was an immediate attention getter and could be seen by anyone approaching it from any direction.  John K. was pleased with the sign and with the workmanship.  The paint proved to be of superior quality and was repainted only once during its years after a layer of rock slipped off the sign several years following its initial painting.

A nephew of John K's, Allan Madsen, was an art student, and he was hired to repaint the sign.  That second coat endured, remaining on the rock-point until the new Highway 89 improvement program demolished it, in order to widen the road.  The State Highway department office personnel are unable to furnish the date of the demolition.  They say only that it was in one of the early years of  the 1960's.

Monday, February 23, 2026

VICTORIAN SCRAPBOOKING

 








The tops of candy boxes, cigar boxes, calendars, etc. were collected and put in scrapbooks. These three are all embossed 3 dimensional designs. The scanned image does not do them justice. The colors are warm and beautifully added to the over-all effect. It is hoped you will use them in some of your scrapbooks, as I plan on doing. These particular pictures are taken from Maggie Peel Ericksen's Scrapbook.

Sunday, February 22, 2026

JAMES PERRY NEFF

 



1875- 1945
Son of  John Neff and Sarah Lundberg
Was married to Sabrah Margaret Reynolds 6 Feb 1914
He died in Pocatello, Idaho but was buried in Mt. Pleasant, Utah

Friday, February 20, 2026

MANTI TEMPLE ARTICLE ~~~(From the Elva Guyman Collection in Our Archives)

 






This is a repost.  We posted the photo of the Manti Temple above but inadvertently left off the article. 





Some of the article was cut off when clipped out of the paper.

Thursday, February 19, 2026

LORETTA MAE TURPIN SHELLEY

 


Loretta Mae Shelley

October 10, 1946 — February 13, 2026

Fairview

Listen to Obituary

Loretta Mae Turpin Shelley, passed away on Friday February 13th, 2026 at her home in Fairview at the age of 79.

 She was born on October 10,1946 in Fairview, Utah to Myron Bernard and Laura Suzanna Turpin and grew up alongside her older brother, Maurice Wayne Turpin. She married her high school sweetheart, Ervin W. Shelley on October 15,1965 in the Manti, Utah Temple, and they shared 60 wonderful years of marriage.

 Loretta was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and served faithfully in many callings, including Relief Society, Primary and Young Womens. One of her favorite callings was serving as the Humanitarian Coordinator. She had a special place in her heart for humanitarian work and was still knitting hats up until the week she passed.

   Together with her husband, Ervin, she served as an ordinance worker in the Manti Temple.

 Loretta will be remembered for the deep love she had for her family. They were her world and the reason for everything she did. She was an accomplished seamstress and spent countless hours sewing clothes and toys for her children. She was a wonderful cook and made sure her family had home-cooked meals and time together around the table. She loved being in the mountains, hiking, and spending time outdoors with her family. She loved spending time with her grandchildren. She adored her granddog, Cooper, and looked forward to his daily visits and going for walks and rides with him.

 She was a loving wife, mother, and homemaker who found joy in serving others. A faithful and humble disciple of Jesus Christ, Loretta’s smile, quiet example and influence in the lives of her family will never be forgotten.

 Loretta is survived by her husband Ervin W. Shelley, her children, Daniel Ervin (Marci) Shelley, Jared Duane (Selena) Shelley, Stephanie (David) Hawks, Michael Shelley, Karen Lynn (James) Roberts, Spencer Craig (Rachael) Shelley; twenty-four grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and  her older brother, Maurice Wayne Turpin. She was preceded in death by her parents and one great-granddaughter.

 Funeral services will be held Saturday February 21, 2026 at 11 a.m. at the Fairview 3rd ward church building, 131 E 100 N, Fairview, Utah.  A viewing will be held Saturday morning at the same location from 9:00 -10:30 a.m.. Interment will be in the Fairview City Cemetery.

 The family wishes to express heartfelt appreciation for the kind and loving care from family members, Fairview 3rd Ward Relief Society, and many friends.

To Watch Funeral Services Live, Click Here. The Live Zoom Link will Activate at 10:45 a.m. MST prior to services