2002 - 15 May

Archives from 2002

The Barrus Family News

Descendants of Ruel Melvin and Zina Emeline Hale Barrus

“Barrus Family Organization—Ruel Melvin Barrus branch”

There used to be a Barrus Family Organization but there isn’t one now. Under Lillian’s direction we are ready to move forward. Beginnings for our part of the organization are with each of you and with Lillian as she has worked on our family’s history through the years. Two tasks need doing:

1. Approve the by-laws, which are being patterned after by-laws of The Hale Family Organization

2. A representative is needed from each grandparent family. A representative would serve as a contact person and main record-keeper for their family.

It has long been a dream of Aunt Lillian’s to facilitate family history work by establishing this family organization. Soon we hope to become a broader branch, the Ruel Michael and Ida Princetta Hunter Barrus Organization. This can happen step by step as we communicate and cooperate with the other descendants of Ruel Michael Barrus. Later, descendants of Emery Barrus, another generation back, might choose to join with us in a strong organization which is dedicated to the sacred purpose of taking care of our family.

Notes from a 2000 meeting by Delsa Barrus Campbell

September of 2000, a meeting was held in Juniper to make plans for the Barrus Family Organization and to receive instruction from Lillian concerning the Family History work she has been doing for so long. The following notes were written the next day by Delsa:

I have always had a deep reverence for Emery Barrus, who was the first to accept the gospel in the Barrus family. At our meeting yesterday in Juniper on the 16th of September, 2000, this feeling was re-affirmed to me. These fore-fathers must be rejoicing that we, as a family, are planning this organization to bring a greater emphasis on getting the work done for our people.

I felt that the meeting was very well planned and conducted in a most orderly manner — the Spirit was there! We were amazed at the beautiful presentation given by Lillian. A life time has been put into the work she has done. She had everything so well organized and so beautifully presented. We truly love her and hope that this dream of a Barrus Family organization will be fulfilled.

Reunion Time!

Friday and Saturday, July 19th and 20th, 2002, the Barrus Reunion will be held at Deweyville Park, Deweyville, Utah. Camping, “archival diggings, ” food and music are being planned by the committee (See attached flyer.) The Country Store will be open.

Uncle Winford will be 90 on July 30th. We plan especially to honor him at this reunion. Realizing how very busy everyone is, we hope that you will be able to come for any part or for all of this gathering. We look forward to seeing you! ——The Reunion Committee

Gravesite of Elizabeth Gower Clark in Morgan

More than 30 years ago Don and I found the grave of Elizabeth Gower Clark in the South Morgan Cemetery overlooking Morgan Valley, UT. She is buried beside John Wood, her second husband. Both markers were crumbling and the inscriptions were hard to read.

On subsequent trips to the cemetery we weren’t able to locate the graves again although we tried. I obtained records from the courthouse to verify the location and still could not find the sites. As a schoolteacher I’ve taken students on yearly fieldtrips to the cemetery “to search for bits of recorded history” .A few years ago I offered five dollars to any student who could locate Elizabeth’s grave during our cemetery activity. Everyone tried, but no one found it.

A few days later our family visited the cemetery on Memorial Day. Suddenly our granddaughter Jessica and nieces Jill and Lisa called “We found Elizabeth’s grave!” and surely they did, right where I remembered it. But with a new granite head stone bearing the gold pioneer plaque “Faith in Every Footstep.” A matching head stone stood on the grave of John Wood next to Elizabeth’s. I felt deeply grateful to whomever had provided this beautiful memorial to our great grandmother, whether another branch of Elizabeth’s descendants or John Wood’s descendants.

I want my children to know of the gratitude I feel for Elizabeth, who taught her children true principles regardless of the cost. She is the mother of Ellen Victoria Clark Hale who is the mother of our Grandma Zina Emeline Hale Barrus, mother of my mother Rosalie Barrus Campbell. —Dorothy Campbell Little

A five-page sketch of the life of Elizabeth Gower Clark Wood was written by her daughter-in-law Ethel A. Shirley Clark, available on floppy disk. See “Items to Order” in this issue.

From a Nelson Family Newsletter:

Besides doing family history work, Aunt Lillian writes a newsletter each month for her children. The following excerpt from her March newsletter reflects her love and her testimony:

“I guess if I knew while I wrote one of these letters that it would be my last one to you, I would want to say a lot differently than I usually do. Recently I was reading from King Benjamin’s talk in the Book of Mormon. He knew it was going to be his last one, so gave great instructions to his people, which are important for us all.

The great people in the Old Testament mean very much to me. I learned to love the stories about them when I studied the “Old Testament” in Seminary, and telling those stories to our children and grandchildren was a special time of my life. In the past I have heard Zeldon bear his testimony about how much it has meant to him because of those stories that I told when he was a child.

“Now you are studying the “Old Testament” again. I hope you will tell those stories to your children and grandchildren to instill in their hearts those great qualities of faith and courage and love and all the rest.

“I have continued to do the usual, mixed bread, and I made more cookies, and I’ve done what I could on computer when I got some time for it. I get up at 5:00 a.m. I say my prayer, and I have so very much to be thankful for and so much to pray for, as I am concerned about each one of you, and so many more. I get dressed and next exercise, as I need to not let arthritis get me so I can’t do things…. and to do things for Grandpa — taking care of him is my priority…."

“Country Store “to be Open at the Reunion

Crafts, Art, “penny candy” and Family History disks are among planned items for the Country Store. The “Store” has generated enough profit in the past to keep our dues at only $5. per family. Everyone is invited to participate by donating anything you’ve made or whatever you have a surplus of that you think others might enjoy buying at the “Country Store”.

A Message from the President — Noreen Nelson Larkin

In March of 2002 we held a planning meeting for our reunion, to be held July 19th and 20th. I mentioned a dream I had several years ago. The committee asked me to share it with the rest of the family.

I dreamed we were at a family gathering of the Melvin and Zina Barrus family and Melvin was there. I was surprised to see him as I knew he had been dead for about twenty years. So I asked him about that and he said, “Where else do you think I would rather be?”

It left me with a strong impression that they still care about their family here on earth and desire us to work together to help one another, and do what is necessary to be united as an eternal family.

It is easy for us to lose track of our extended family and not be available to encourage or help when needed. I was reminded of that last week when my cousin Verda Black Baker’s husband died. About a year ago she moved just a few blocks from me and I wasn’t aware of that until now. I could have been more support through this trial.

Today I read parts of the history of Ruel Melvin Barrus written by himself and daughters Lillian and Verla. I appreciate the testimony he left to us there. May we all work together to do those things he would desire of us.

From “The History of Emery Barrus” -By his son Benjamin F. Barrus

….Freeman Nickerson and his family including (his son-in-law) Emery Barrus and family who left New York in 1839, left Nauvoo in August, seven years later; crossed the Mississippi River and again took up the line of march. They wintered at Sheridan Point, Iowa in 1846 and 1847, their stock living on the buds and limbs of small trees felled for that purpose.

They built log houses and covered them with split boards. On January 22, 1847, Freeman Nickerson died and his wife made the rest of the journey with her son Levi.

In the spring of 1847, they again took up the line of march westward, arriving at Winter Quarters too late to accompany the pioneers on their journey to Salt Lake Valley, so Emery Barrus and his family again built a house and fenced a farm on which they planted and harvested considerable produce. Here they re­mained until the spring of 1850 when they again started on the westward journey.

They traveled in Appleton Harmon’s company, and Emery was appointed hunter for the company. He would travel ahead of the wagon train, and when he could find buffalo close to the road he would shoot one down and wait for the wagon train to divide it up. The cholera was in the wagon train in front of them and the one behind them and the captain advised them to eat as little meat as possible.

The Barrus family arrived in Grantsville in October 1853. Their son Owen was born in December 1853, two months after their arrival. By the spring of 1854 the inhabitants of Grants­ville had become quite numerous. The Indians made a great deal of trouble for the settlers in early days. They had to herd their stock on the range in the daytime and stand guard at night to keep the Indians from driving them off.

In those days there were no carding machines. Davenport and Wilson each had a flock of sheep. Mother Barrus would take the wool right from the sheep’s back, card and spin it into rolls, make the rolls into yarn, and the yarn into cloth and stockings, and the cloth into clothing for the family and neighbors. Her home was called a regular manufacturing plant. When a carding machine arrived in Provo, Hul­dah Barrus would take the wool there, driving a pair of colts they had brought across the plains, and get the wool made into rolls. She also made thousands of pounds of cheese and butter. Emery brought 46 head of loose stock, besides the oxen that were yoked to the wagons across the plains.

Not a fruit tree or shade tree was growing in Grantsville in 1853. Brother Sceva, John Clark, and James McBride, were the first to plant fruit trees. Emery Barrus built many good houses and was the first in Grantsville to erect a barn.

In 1855 the grasshoppers were so thick that they darkened the sun and destroyed the crops. Consequently 1856 was a year of famine. A good horse would not buy a sack of flour. They were without bread for months, living on sagos, thistles and roots.

Two-Year Officers:

Noreen Nelson Larkin, President
Vernon Austin, 1st Vice President
Bevonne Campbell Birch, 2nd Vice Pres.
Conley Campbell, Secretary

Continuing Officers:

Lillian Barrus Nelson, Historian
Noreen Nelson Larkin, Chronology
Carla Nelson Exeter, Finances/Minutes
Ruel Barrus, Nominating Chairperson
Dorothy Campbell Little, Newsletter

Representatives will be installed from the families of Leola, Winford, Verla, Lillian, Rosalie, Delsa, Ruel and Neil to continue serving as each family’s contact person. The Representative should be the main “record keeper” for that family. Families should plan to nominate their Representatives at the reunion.

Dues

Your financial support has always been appreciated. The suggested amount of $5 per family (pay to Carla) and The Country Store continues to cover reunion and mailing expenses.

Items to Order (2002):

The following titles have been made available by Aunt Lillian on 3.5” computer disks: Set of three disks—$3.
¨ Barrus GED
¨ Groveland Homes, Family Missionaries, Address List, Cemetery Record
¨ Histories

E-mail your order .... and we will try to have enough copies available at the reunion for everyone who wants them. Soon available— a CD containing Melvin and Zina’s photograph album.

If you have questions, contact:
Noreen Nelson Larkin, President

Conley Campbell, Secretary