APRIL ANCESTERS

       JOHN SUTHERLAND CAIRNS TODD         
2 April 1830                 Scotland             

John Todd joined the church in Scotland when he was 21.  When he was 25 he sailed to across the ocean with 403 other Mormons. One of those was May Orr whom he married a year later. They raised a faithful family in Pleasant Grove Utah. He worked hard as a farmer and freight hauler they had 7 children.  

Grandma Page's great great grandfather.

                                         LORENZO SNOW                                             

3 APRIL 1843               MANTUA OHIO

You can read about Lorenzo Snow in the Teachings of Presidents of the Church so I will just share a couple of things I find interesting.  Lorenzo Snow loved learning and highly valued education. While attending Oberlin College he became more and more dissatisfied with the teaching and had many unanswered questions.  His sister Eliza was in Kirtland and a member of the church. She invited him to visit and there he found the answers he was looking for.  He was a seeker of truth and was totally committed when he found it.  When he was President of the Church he was visited by 2 Chinese dignitaries.  They were really his son in law (Brigham Morris Young) and his friend dressed up as Chinese men.  President Snow was completely fooled and had a very friendly visit with them.  When the deception came to light he thought it was such a wonderful joke he sent them to Pres. Joseph F Smith to fool him, which they did. He must have had a good sense of humor.

He had 10 wives and we come through his 5^th wife Harriet A Squires.

Lorenzo Snow is Grandma Lou's great grandfather.

MARGARET PEIRCE WHITESIDES (YOUNG)
18 APRIL 1823                PENNSYLVANIA

Born: April 18, 1823; Ashton Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania

*My grandpa Young said that Pierce is spelled Peirce. You may find it both ways in the records.

Margaret’s parents were Quakers who lived in Brandywine Pennsylvania.  Her father was a prosperous farmer and her mother was well educated, and gifted writer. 

When Margaret was a young girl, she got sick after playing on the ice pond and had fever and heart trouble for many months. One evening two men were passing their farm and felt prompted to stop at their home.  The men introduced themselves as Latter-day Saints.  They asked if there was sickness there and Margaret‘s mother took them to her bedside.  The Elders took Margaret’s hand and told her if she would obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ and put her trust in Him she would be healed.  The next morning she was well and back on her feet.  The doctor came by later the next day and was pleased how well the medicine he left had worked.  When her mother told him that they had not taken any of the medicine but it was “faith in God” that had healed her, the doctor said,”What! Have the Mormon’s been here?”

The Pierce family did not ever know the names of the Elders that had visited them.  The next summer another set of missionaries came to their area and they were taught the gospel. In January 1940, they had the opportunity to have the Prophet Joseph Smith teach in their home.  They were impressed with the Prophet and were baptized the next day in the pond with 6 inches of ice to cut through.  Margaret had to wait to be baptized until April because of her health concerns.

Margaret was faithful to the gospel.  She lost her first husband, a Mr Whitesides, after only a short time of marriage.  Margaret became Brigham Young’s 19^th wife. 

Grandma Lou's great great grandmother.

SARAH ELIZABETH SMITH (ROSS)
22 APRIL 1837               ENGLAND

Sarah was the 3^rd wife of James Darling Ross.  He lost both his previous wives.  He was serving a mission for the church at age 33 and was staying with the Smith family. Sarah was 21 when they married.  James and Sarah had six children. Sarah Darling Ross and a brother who died on the ship or soon after arriving in America. Four children were born after settling in Salt Lake City Utah one of which was George John Ross grandma Lou’s grandfather.   It seems that they traveled to the U.S. in the 1860's.  Sarah became blind in her later years and was cared for by her son George and his wife Mary Romney Ross. Mary says this about her mother in law, “She was a wonderful women never complained did all she could for herself…. Taught me many a lesson of courage and patience.”

Grandma Lou's great grandmother

HOWARD NEWELL PAGE
25 APRIL 1921       WESTPOINT, UTAH

                Grandpa Page was the youngest child of 12.  He was 10 years younger than his next oldest brother.  He served in the Navy as a pilot flying a Hellcat off the ship in WWII. Howard loved baseball and was a very good hitter (the cleanup hitter) and he played left field. Grandpa met Grandma on a line up date.  He married Elaine Todd Aug 26 1947. I remember when Rick and were dating Grandpa came in the room in Grandma’s housecoat, slippers and shower cap…silly but sound familiar? He had our attention but I cannot remember what he wanted.