Stephanie Santistevan-Swett

My great great great grandmother, Maren Marthine Halseth, was such a strong woman of faith. She joined the church in Norway at the age of 17. She then came to the U.S. by herself, against the will of her parents, leaving her entire family behind. She crossed the plains, settled in Salt Lake, married my great great great grandfather and had 12 children (10 girls and 2 boys)! I can't imagine the faith it took to leave her family behind and travel to a country where she didn't speak the language or know a single person. Eventually, her father and siblings joined the church and came to Salt Lake as well. Her story is a beautiful example of faith and sacrifice.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Doris Slutsky

Henry Fayette Ferrin was born 10 March 1837 to Joseph Merrill and Chloe Paddock Ferrin in Dorset, Bennington, Vermont. In 1840 the family had settled in Watertown along with other cousins from New England. Mary E. Frazier was born 11 June 1837 to Thomas Jefferson and Angeline Bailey Frazier in Ticonderoga, Essex, New York. They married 8 October 1857 in St. Paul, Minnesota. After attending the Watertown public schools, Henry succeeded his father in the marble/stone cutting business at age 16. Local histories named this the oldest stone business under one management in New York state. "The premises occupied are large and commodious and a full force of marble cutters, sawyers and polishers are busy at all time. Mr. Ferrin is enterprising, progressive, and well merits the success he has achieved.” An undated business card of his stated, "H. J. Ferrin's Marble Works, #2 White's Block Public Square, American and Italian Marble Monuments and Tomb Tables.” One undated and un
Read more

Laura Hennessee's 4th great-grandfather

William Grady William Grady is my 4th great-grandfather. He was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1817, the son of Irish immigrants. He lived in a number of places including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Virginia, and eventually settling in Montgomery County, Maryland. He was a school teacher in his early adulthood and then became the county surveyor in Maryland. That was an elected position. He also served one term as a Maryland Delegate.  In 1839, he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was well acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith, Orson and Parley P. Pratt, Lorenzo Snow and others. It is unknown the specifics, but he was not able to emigrate to Zion. He continued to try to live the life as a Latter-day Saint, serving as an Elder, and presiding over a branch. At his death, his obituary (published in the Deseret News in 1906), stated that "notwithstanding he had much opposition to contend with, even in his own family doing all in their power to hinde
Read more

Ken Rogerson's mother

A memory of my mother, Louise Lawrence Rogerson Ken Rogerson, May 2020 When I was about 14 years old (pre-internet, pre-cell phone, pre-GPS, etc. etc.) I had an older friend who could drive. One summer night, we were out – driving around, getting ice cream (maybe or maybe not toilet papering someone’s home) and just having a good time. It was 1 am. I didn’t have a curfew, but I was NEVER out this late without agreeing with my parent’s beforehand that I would be. I hadn’t done this. I thought, “No big deal. I’m safe. Mark is a good driver. All will be fine.” And it was. I got home just before 3 am. I tiptoed into the house hoping to slip into my bedroom unnoticed. My mom was sitting in the living room. I thought my life was over. I thought she would be angry. I thought I would be grounded. But she just stood up, kissed me on the forehead and said, “I’m so happy you are home and safe.” Then she went to bed. The next day, my father was a bit angrier than my mom. During our discussion abou
Read more