Upper Level: Alva Keller 1809-1883 Roxcy Lucina Elliott 1810-1901

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Alva Keller 1809-1883 Roxcy Lucina Elliott 1810-1901

Alva Keller

Alva Keller

Parents: William Keller and Mary Flint
Born 17 Apr 1809 Cherry Valley, Ostego, New York

Emigration: Mormon Pioneer Overland Trail in Edward Hunter-Jacob Foutz Company. He was Captain of 10

Married (polygamist)

1) Roxcy Lucina Elliott 23 Jul 1833 Centerville, New York (Divorced?)
Note: it has been determined that Roxcy filed for divorce, but there is no record of a final divorce.

2) Maria Wight 30 Nov 1850

Eliza Saunders, 3rd wife

3) Eliza Saunders (whom he is buried with) 23 Jul 1854
Children: Alva and Elsie

4) Elizabeth Morris 14 Jun 1869 (Divorced)

Died 13 Jun 1883 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Buried Holladay Memorial Park, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Alva and Eliza's headstone

Obit: Deseret News (Newspaper in SLC) reported the following
Keller
In East Mill Creek, Salt Lake Co. at 8:40 p.m. June 13 1883 of old age. Alva Keller - aged 74 years, deceased, was born at Cherry Valley, State of New York. He was one of the pioneers of Utah having come to this valley with Bp. Edward Hunter, for whom he drove team across the plains. He was a faithful and consistent member of the Church and held the office of a High Priest."

SHORT BIOGRAPHY:

He joined The LDS church on December 5, 1835. He was ordained an Elder on April 6, 1840 by Brigham Young in Nauvoo, Illinois. He was a home teacher to Joseph Smith, Senior. He was part of the group of men instructed to destroy the printing operations causing unrest in Nauvoo.

Streets named after Alva

He and his wife, Roxcy, and daughter, Nancy Ann, came to Utah in September 1847. He was the first to settle along the bank of Millcreek in a two room dug-out. He later built a home. It is located at 2208 Keller Lane. This is just south and west of the intersection of Keller Lane and Alva Circle in the Millcreek area.

Sources

1850 US Census for Utah Territory (age 42)
Utah Pioneer of 1847 Microfilm 298441
Family Search
The Life History of Alva Keller compiled by Ruth Tolman (2nd ggranddaughter) who used information from DUP Pioneer Memorial Museum

Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11827914/alva-keller

Roxcy Lucina Elliott Keller

Roxcy Lucina Elliott

Born 12 Nov 1810 Salem, Orleans, Vermont

Died 30 Jan 1901 Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah

Roxcy's headstone

Buried Brigham City Cemetery, Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah
Note: Plot B-18-5-2

Sources

1850 US Census for Utah Territory (age 40)
Utah Pioneer of 1847 Microfilm 298441

Utah, Deaths and Burials, 1888-1946
Note: incorrectly gives her middle initial as E and her birthplace as Denmark
Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61331997/roxcy-lucina-keller
Family Search

CHILDREN he had with Roxcy

Orin Madison Keller

Born 9 Nov 1834 Centerville, Allegheny, New York

Died 3 Jul 1840 Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois

Sources

Family Search

Nancy Ann Keller Bigler

*Nancy Ann Keller

Born 9 Nov 1836 Log Creek, Caldwell, Missouri

Married Polygamist Jacob G Bigler 25 Nov 1855 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Nancy's headstone

Children: Roxcy
Died 9 Nov 1900 Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah
COD: Brights Disease (kidney inflammation) and Dropsy (edema - which is inability of body to rid itself of water)
Buried: Blackburn Lot, Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah

Sources

1850 US Census for Utah Territory
1870 US Census for Nephi, Juab, Utah Territory
Note: her husband is with one of his other wives
1880 US Census for Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah
Note: living with her son-in-law, Thomas Blackburn
1900 US Census for Brigham City, Box Elder, Utah
Note: still with son-in-law, her daughter, Roxcy, Thomas' wife, is dead
Utah Pioneer of 1847 Microfilm 298441
Family Search

Adeline Sophia Keller

Born 8 Aug 1839 Near Narrows, Illinois

Died 23 Aug 1839

Sources
Family Search

Mary Keller

Born 20 Dec 1841 Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois

Died 20 Sep 1843

Sources
Family Search

Asina Keller

Born 3 Nov 1850 Utah Territory

Sources

1850 US Census for Utah Territory

Memorial in Mormon Cemetery

William Thaddeus Keller

Born 12 Jan 1846 Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois

Died 12 Sep 1846 Winter Quarters, Douglas, Nebraska

Buried: Mormon Cemetery, Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska

Note: His name is first on the list - misspelled as Wm Thadeus Kelly

Sources
Family Search

Memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41419976/william-thaddeus-keller

Lusina Angelina Keller Bates

Lusina Angeline Keller

Born 6 Apr 1848 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Lusina's headstone

Married John A Bates 3 Mar 1862 Wanship, Summit, Utah

Children: Roxey, Emma, Samuel, Arthur, Hyrum, Mabel, Flossie, Irene

Died 2 Dec 1911 Francis, Summit, Utah

Buried Kamas Cemetery, Summit, Utah

Sources
1850 US Census for Great Salt Lake Territory, Salt Lake, Utah (age 3)
1870 US Census for Utah
1900 US Census for Elkhorn, Wasatch, Utah
1910 US Census for Elkhorn, Wasatch, Utah

Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7627496/lusina-angeline-bates

Roxy Angeline Keller Scott

Roxy Angeline Keller (went by Angeline)

Born 29 Apr 1851 Mill Creek, Salt Lake, Utah

Married 1) John Scott 11 April 1868 Millville, Cache, Utah
Children: Winifred, Mary, Jacob, Roxey

2) Tillman Benoni Clifford 18 Nov 1885 Millville, Cache, Utah
Died 19 Mar 1924 Elgin, Union, Oregon
Buried: Pine Grove Cemetery, Pine Grove, Union, Oregon

Sources
1880 US Census for Mill Creek, Salt Lake, Utah (age 29, widowed, gives her name as Angeline and her parent's birthplaces as Germany)
Note about the Census: I think this is her because she is the right age, the last name matches her husband, and the children have family names: Jacob Thaddeus and Roxey:
Jacob's death information - listing his parent's surnames
Picture and Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11726017/roxy-angeline-clifford

Roxy Angeline Clifford headstone

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From a Funeral Program

When I come to the end of the road

And the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little - but not for too long

And not with your head bowed low

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take

And each must go alone

It's all part of the Master's plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart

Go to the hills we know

And bury your sorrow among the trees

Miss me, but let me go.

The Line

Every minute someone leaves this world behind.
We are all in “the line” without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.

So while we wait in line -

Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready.

I'm My Own Grandpa

Many, many years ago when I was 23,
I got married to a widow
who was as pretty as could be.
She had a grown up daughter
who had a hair of red.
My father fell in love with her
and soon the two were wed.
This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life.
My daughter was my mother,
for she was my father's wife.
To complicate the matters worse,
although it brought me joy,
I soon became the father
of a bouncing baby boy.
My little baby then became a brother -in-law to dad
and so became my uncle though it made me very sad.
For if he was my uncle,
then that also made him brother to the widow's grown-up- daughter,
who of course, was my stepmother.
Father's wife then had a son,
who kept them on the run.
And he became my grandson, for he was my daughter's son.
My wife is now my mother's mother
and it makes me blue.
Because, although she is my wife,
she's my grandma too.
If my wife is my grandmother,
then I am her grandchild.
and every time I think of it,
it simply makes me wild.
For now I have become the strangest case you ever saw.
As the husband of my grandmother,
I am my own grandpa!

Quotes from the Prophets

President Gordon B Hinckley: "It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all, for each of us is a pioneer in his own life."

President Spencer W Kimball: "I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogical work, because it is the same great redemptive work!"

President Joseph Fielding Smith: " The responsibility on behalf of our kindred dead rests with equal force on all, according to our individual ability and opportunities...the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead."

The Passing of the Pot (Chamber Pot)

As far back in childhood
As memory may go
One household vessel greets me
That wasn't made for show
Beneath the bed twas anchored
Where only few could see
But served the entire family
With equal privacy
Some called the critter Peggy
And some the thundermug
And others called it badger
A few called it jug
To bring it in at evening
Was bad enough no doubt
But heaven help the person
Who had to take it out
Our big one was enormous
And would accomodate
A watermelon party
Composed of six or eight
When nights were dark and rainy
It was a useful urn
On icy winter mornings
The cold rim seemed to burn
At times when things were rushing
And business extra good
Each took his turn a waiting
Or did the best he could
Sometimes when in a hurry
To our disgust and shame
We fumbled in the darkness
And slightly missed our aim
The special one for company
Was decorated well
But just the same it rendered
That old familiar smell
Today this modernism
Relieves me a lot
And only in my vision
I see that homely pot.
(author unknown)

Poem about ancestors

Though steep is the path I follow today,
The footprints of time will show me the way.
For many have traveled a smiliar road,
And carried an equal of heavier load.

No troubles I face are new to this earth,
That man has not faced from time of his birth.
The route has been charted and roads have been paved
By legions before me who were stalwart and brave.

Their steps never faltered nor courage grew dim,
For they trusted the Lord and let Him led them.
If my faith and my trust remain steadfast and true,
God will guide and protect me in all that I do.
- Dolores Karides

The Elusive Ancestor

I went searching for an ancestor.
I cannot find him still.
He moved around from place to place
and did not leave a will.
He married where a courthouse burned.
He mended all his fences.
He avoided any man who came to
take the US census

He always kept his luggage packed,
This man who had no fame,
and every 20 years or so,
This rascal changed his name.
No one else inthis world is
searching for this elusive man,
so I play "Gene-solitaire"
To find him, if I can!

I'm told he's buried in a plot,
with tombstone he was blessed;
but the weather took engravings,
and some vandals took the rest.
He died before the county clerks
were appointed to keep records
No family Bible has emerged -
In spite of all my efforts.

To top it off, this elusive ancestor
who has caused me many groans -
left me even one more challenge:
He brothed a lady,
by the name of "Jones"!
(Got this from a publication
put out by the DUP organization
that names the author: Merrell Kenworthy)

Poem: Heaven's Door

If I should go before you,

If life on earth were through;

I'll stop just inside Heaven's door,

and there I'll wait for you.

You've but to look 'cross star filled skies,

Past the moon and then beyond;

To know my leaving could never break,

This heart's undying bond.

And if you should go before me,

If your journey on earth were through;

You know I will be close behind,

I'll never be far from you.

Across the span of time and space,

This love will reach this far;

For you'll always carry a bit of my heart,

No matter where you are.

Allison Chambers Coxsey©1995 ~ All Rights Reserved

Which Shall It Be? by Adelaide Proctor

Which shall it be?

"Which shall it be? Which shall it be?
I looked at John and John looked at me,
And when I found that I must speak,
My voice seemed strangely low and weak:
˜Tell me again what Robert said,"
And then I, listening, bent my head.
This is his letter:˜I will give
A house and land while you shall live,
If, in return, from out your seven,
One child to me for aye is given."

I looked at John's old garments worn;
I thought of all that he had borne
Of poverty, and work, and care,
Which I, though willing, could not share;
I thought of seven young mouths to feed,
Of seven little children's need,
And then of this.

˜Come, John,said I,
We'll choose among them as they lie
Asleep. So, walking hand in hand,
Dear John and I surveyed our band:
First to the cradle lightly stepped,
Where Lilian, the baby, slept.
Softly the father stooped to lay
His rough hand down in a loving way,
When dream or whisper made her stir,
And huskily he said: ˜Not her!"

We stooped beside the trundle bed,
And one long ray of twilight shed
Athwart the boyish faces there,
In sleep so beautiful and fair;
I saw on James rough, red cheek
A tear undried. E'er John could speak,
He's but a baby, too," said I,
And kissed him as we hurried by.

Pale, patient, Robbie's angel face
Still in his sleep bore suffering's trace.
˜No, for a thousand crowns, not him!"
He whispered, while our eyes were dim.
Poor Dick! bad Dick! our wayward son”
Turbulent, restless, idle one”
Could he be spared?
Nay, He who gave
Bade us befriend him to the grave;
Only a mother's heart could be
Patient enough for such as he;
˜And so," said John, ˜I would not dare
To take him from her bedside prayer."

Then stole we softly up above,
And knelt by Mary, child of love;
˜Perhaps for her ˜twould better be,"
I said to John. Quite silently
He lifted up a curl that lay
Across her cheek in a wilful way,
And shook his head: ˜Nay, love, not thee,
The while my heart beat audibly.

Only one more, our eldest lad,
Trusty and truthful, good and glad,
So like his father. ˜No, John, no!
I cannot, will not, let him go."

And so we wrote, in courteous way,
We could not give one child away;
And afterward toil lighter seemed,
Thinking of that of which we dreamed,
Happy in truth that not one face
Was missed from its accustomed place;
Thankful to work for all the seven,
Trusting the rest to One in heaven."

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Alva Keller 1809-1883 Roxcy Lucina Elliott 1810-1901

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