Willard, Utah & Our Ward Family

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Quick family history lesson. Our Ward family tree has deep roots for three generations in Willard, Utah. Willard was settled in 1851. It was originally called Willow Creek because of the numerous willows along the stream which flowed from the steep mountain canyon east of the settlement. Brigham Young sent George Welton Ward (1814-1882), our emigrant ancestor, to Willow Creek in 1853 to help settle the area. In 1859 Willow Creek was renamed Willard in honor of Willard Richards, an apostle of the Mormon Church. In 1870, Willard received its charter as a city and George Welton Ward was elected its first mayor.

Currently the Jared Welton & Stephanie Pratt family living in Wellesville to the north and the Adam & Amy Murray family living in Clearfield to the south are our closest family members living near Willard, Utah.

George Welton Ward was born in Leiston Suffolk County England the eldest son of John Ward (1786-1848) and Susannah Welton (1789-1869). George Welton lived on a farm with his parents during his early life doing the mowing and other light work on account of his poor health. He married Ann Trulock (1816-1860) on January 24, 1842, in London. After their marriage George Welton kept an “Inn” in Woodbridge Suffolk County for about six years. In 1847, George Welton and Ann moved their young family to Southhampton Hamshire, England. He became manager of an oil mill and stayed in that position until he came to America.

In 1849, George Welton and Ann were taught the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ by the

missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After thorough investigation, they accepted it and were baptized into the Church by Elder Thomas D. Stenhouse. George Welton Ward was the first and only known one of his father’s family to embrace Mormonism. When he did so he was required to make a choice between his share of his father’s estate and his newly found religion. Like Mary of old “he chose the better part” and stayed with his Church.

George Welton and Ann emigrated to the United States of America sailing from England in a little sailing vessel named “Ellen Marie”. They were twelve weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean landing at New Orleans about May 23, 1851. After landing they sailed up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to Council Bluff. In May 1852, George Welton and Ann emigrated to the great Salt Lake valley arriving October 9, 1852. A year later Brigham Young called for men and their families to leave Salt Lake and settle the territory both north and south. In the winter of 1852, George Welton and Ann moved to Ogden and then in the Spring of 1854 they moved to Willard Creek. George Welton and Ann had eight children. Their oldest chlld, William Ward (1842-1876), is our direct ancestor.

George Welton Ward served as first counselor to Bishop Alfred Cordon from 1857 to 1871 when Bishop Cordon died. George Welton became “acting bishop” from 1871 to 1877 when on September 9, 1877, he was ordained Bishop of Willard Ward. He held that office until his death August 18, 1882.

George Welton Ward entered into polygamy on June 30, 1857, when he married Mary Hankinson (1840-1882) in Brigham Young’s office. George was 43 and Mary was 17. The ceremony was performed by President Young himself. They were later sealed for “time and eternity” in the Endowment House by Daniel H. Wells on June 20, 1863. George Welton and Mary had seven children.

William Ward w

as 12 when his parents moved to Willard, Utah. He attended school during the winter months and aided his father in farming and stock raising. He was the oldest of eight children. He learned to shoulder responsibility early in life. His father was a good manager and always kept his boys busy. When William was just 18 his mother, Ann Trulock, died in 1860. He married Bishop Alfred Cordon’s daughter, Rachel Ann Cordon (1844-1911), July 24, 1861. They were married by Bishop Cordon. William and Rachel had nine children. Their oldest, George Alfred Ward, (1862-1898), is our direct ancestor. William and Rachel raised their family in Willard, Utah except for about 3 years they lived in Bloomington, Idaho. William was called on a mission to Malad, Idaho, March 10, 1876. In his labors with the Indians at Washakie, he not only taught them the Gospel, but plowed the land and sowed some of the first wheat raised there. He was untiring in his labors and worked in all kinds of weather. He caught cold and had pneumonia in the spring of 1876. He was very ill and when he was able to be moved they brought him home to his wife in Willard. He died on September 16, 1876, when he was 34 years old leaving Rachel with eight children and pregnant with their ninth.

George Alfred Ward was born April 17, 1862, in Willard, Utah, to William Ward and Rachel Ann Cordon. He was their first child. He was later joined by 8 siblings.

George Alfred was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on June 5, 1872. He was endowed in the Endowment House on December 20, 1881, the same day he married Mary Ellen Brewerton (1862-1923). Mary Ellen gave birth to six children, all boys. William Alfred (1882-1929) and Melvin Moroni (1884-1956) were born in Willard, Utah. In 1885, George Alfred and Mary Ellen took their two sons and moved to Almo, Idaho. They homesteaded on Grape Creek five miles northeast of Almo. Mary Ellen gave birth to Henry Edward (1886-1886), Orville Welton (1887-1977) (our direct ancestor), Asael Edwin (1890-1976), and Irl Bryan (1896-1961) all while living in Almo. George Alfred developed diabetes. There was no cure or help for the disease at the time. George Alfred and Mary Ellen moved back to Willard in 1896. They moved into the old Grandpa Brewerton place. William and Melvin stayed in Almo, Idaho and cared for the Grape Creek homestead. George Alfred died on 15 Oct 1898 at the age of 36 just two years after Irl was born leaving Mary Ellen to raise her five living sons. After his death, Mary Ellen built a brick home and moved into it. In 1905 Mary Ellen moved her three younger sons back to the ranch in Almo to join William and Melvin.

After her boys married, Mary Ellen moved back to Willard, Utah. Mary Ellen was killed in the Willard flood of 1923. The leading picture of the tomb stones above is where George Alfred Ward and Mary Ellen Brewerton are buried in the Willard, Utah cemetery.

I remember my mom pointing out a deep rock canyon every time we drove by Willard, Utah saying, “That’s where the flash flood came down and washed Grandma Ward’s house away killing her.” I recently went to Willard hoping to learn more about the flood and to locate exactly where Mary Ellen Brewerton’s house was located at the time of the flood. I found a house belonging to Alfred Ward. Below is a picture of the house at the time of the 1923 flood and one that I took recently.

I originally thought this house was purchased by George Alfred and that Mary Ellen Brewerton was living in it at the time of the flood. However, now I don’t think so. Alfred Ward (1849-1918), George Alfred’s uncle, bought this property from John Taylor on April 2, 1874. As far as I can tell, the house stayed in Alfred’s direct family. Hazel Dawn Ward Beecher, George Alfred’s granddaughter, writes that Mary Ellen had built a brick home on the Old Grandpa Brewerton place shortly after George Alfred died. It would seem more obvious that this is the home she returned to after moving back to Willard, Utah from Almo, Idaho. My search for the Mary Ellen Brewerton flood house continues.

Lest you incorrectly think I did all this research myself, check out the links below for more info and proper acknowledgement.

George Welton Ward history.pdf

George Welton Ward pedigree.pdf

William Ward history.pdf

William Ward pedigree.pdf

George Alfred Ward pedigree.pdf