Monday, September 27, 2021

Flash of Possible Prophecy

 Jolted by a photo this morning of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

From Wikimedia Commons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.O International

This is one of those thoughts of potential prophecy that is not a fixed, future point in the time continuum, but an opportunity for thought, choice, agency, and responsibility.

Sunday, September 26, 2021

My Handcart Ancestor and Her Traveling Companion

 he evidence is pretty solid that our Elinor* (1789-1861) was the traveling companion of Mary Taylor Mayo (1791-1856) in their travels to America and on the Pioneer Trail. Mary is the one who died just short of South Pass on the Overland Trail. She died September 13, 1856, in Nebraska Territory and was buried in Oregon Territory when the Ellsworth Handcart Company stopped for the night at Pacific Springs.

There are two contemporaneous lists of the members of Ellsworth's Company that departed Iowa City on June 2, 1856. Neither one is in alphabetical order. The people are generally grouped by families. Interestingly, Elinor is not grouped with her daughter, Jane Vaughan Lewis (1827-1890) and her family. They travelled from Britain to the United States in different ships within weeks of each other. However, Elinor and Mary Mayo are listed together on both lists.