Somehow we ended up with a family tradition that our ancestor Wilford Woodruff Luce (1838-1906) was really a son of Church President Wilford Woodruff (1807-1898). Very improbable, but not actually impossible, so it had to be investigated. One of my early theories, although apparently not the right one, was the Law of Adoption. I worked…
Category: Genealogy
William Hickman Jr.
Two babies born in pioneer Utah, no more than a footnote to history and maybe that’s why they’re so often confused. One was a son of the notorious William Adams “Wild Bill” Hickman. The other was not. They were born just a few days apart in February 1850. William Adams Hickman, Jr. is easy. He…
Will Luce and the Pony Express
Family tradition says Wilford “Will” Luce (1838-1906) rode Pony Express. His daughter Nan (Luce) Leonard wrote in her autobiography: “Before my Father married my Mother he carried mail on the Pony Express from Utah to Nevada. The ride was rough and dangerous, and I can remember him telling us children how in Skull Valley he…
Our Shifting Indian Heritage
When I was growing up my mom told me my dad’s mother (Evelyn Horn) was full-blooded Cherokee, so I was 1/4. I had no reason to doubt it. We all lived with Grandma for awhile when I was a baby, so Mom knew the family story first-hand. When I was 15, I met my dad….
Loyalist Ancestry
I joined the United Empire Loyalist Association as a descendant of Anthony Walliser. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a reminder that many old American families have ancestors who fought on both sides of the Revolutionary War. The Wallisers had…