Nathan Porter and Henry Mower Converted Elisha Cragun

Copies of pages from a Journal of Nathan T Porter, brother of two of my great great grandfathers: John President Porter and Lyman Wight Porter

Lyman Wight Porter

In his journal he spells Mower differently than the family spelled it.

t\
This Journal can be viewed on microfilm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Church History Library/

Elisha Cragun lived in Indiana for most of his life.

I was able to view and copy to a thumb drive this information. It is on microfilm at the Salt Lake City Church History Library.

There is another of Nathans Journal, currently restricted and being reviewed for approval for me to read that I am told directly mentions Nathan and Henry Mower teaching Elisha and his family. Henry's daughter, Susanna, married Simeon Cragun Sr. Simeon is my great grandfather.

Simeon Wilbert (Wilby) Cragun

Simeon Wilbert Cragun is my grandfather. I never knew him, he died 10 years before I was born. It's a fact I often regretted, that I never knew any of my grandfathers. Step Grandfather Kent Smith I vagely remember, he died when I was five.

Simeon was born in Pleasant View Utah, and died in Ogden.

Simeon married my grandmother Blanche Smith, his second wife, when he was 49 years old and when my grandmother was only 21 years old. Photographs of her confirm she was good looking and quite a catch. Simeon died years after the marriage or at age 63. My father was 14 at that time and ended up being the one expected to bring in the bread for the family.

His first wife Mary Ann Clifford died seventeen years after their marriage. They had six children together. She was only 31.

The way we children were brought up to believe is that the marriage to Blanche had it's issues. We were told that she was not a welcome step mother. That the discord among the children of Mary Ann and those of Blanches was great. As of this day the only living child of Simeon and Blanche is Howard. In asking him about the details he refused to discuss them with me. He just didn't want to talk about it.

Why Simeon left his farming in Pleasant View is uncertain. We do know he sold his farm to his youngest son Levi for a promissory note. We do know that he moved to Idaho to start up farming again. This did not go well. They were in American Falls, Idaho. Dad told me the situation there was so bad that they lived the winter in a dug out home, dug into a hillside. I was told by my father that Simeon was very smart on electrical engineering. He told me his father was the head engineer on the construction of the American Falls Dam.

Grandma Blanche seemed bitter over the marriage. Her deathbed words were, "don't anyone seal me to Cragun". Dad said she was angry that he never kept his promise to marry her in the Temple.

Family Search Family Tree currently has 29 sources documenting Simeon's life attached to it.

It will be interesting to have a chat with my grandfather in the next life. It will be interesting to see where grandmother fits into his life, if at all. Someone did seal them in the Temple against her wishes. Will she have recanted her wishes?

Below is Simeon's first family as shown in FamilySearch Family Tree.

Below is Simeon's family with Blanche Bingham. His son Royal is my father.

 

Reuben was adopted by Simeon, perhaps not officially, but Rube went by Cragun his entire life, as do his children and grandchildren.

Howard Blaine Cragun, The Only Living Child of Simeon Wilbert (Wilby) Cragun

The man at the table, that's Howard Cragun, the only living son of Simeon (Wilby) Cragun

This picture was taken September 2, 2012

Sitting Next to Howard is his wife Ruth Wood Cragun

Howard was born July 15, 1923

Hey, is that a root beer float on the table? I love root beer floats.

Howard's daughter, Claudia and her boyfriend, standing behind, are

assisting their return to Gig Harbor Washington where they spent much of their life.

What good people they are.

 

If you too are a descendant of Simeon, you would love to know him.

 

Everyone should have an Uncle Howard and Aunt Ruth. It was in a recent seminar on writing family histories that a speaker suggested in every life's story we write, that we share what we learned from the story. I will try and do that here and now.

 

From these two people I learned much. I guess the biggest thing is about the joy of being happy irregardless of the circumstances. I don't remember ever hearing a negative thing from them. The thought is in my mind, "The Joy of Being Happy". That's what I learned from Simeon's son, Howard. I'd like to think I am a little bit like him. I know he's had his share of struggles that go along with the good times, but I never ever noticed a hint of negativity while in his presence. He is always smiling, happy, and optimistic.

 

It makes me wonder what my grandfather Simeon was really like. Is Howard like Simeon? Am I a little bit like them both, I know I have some of Howard's optimistic traits. Was Simeon like this? I really do not know.

 

Howard recently turned eighty nine. I would say he looks pretty darn good. Of course Aunt Ruth looks good too, but she is a young chick and that's to be expected. My dad lived to age 95. So I guess I'm in for another 20 years or so, genetically imagining.

 

Howard is a country boy and a guitar picking singer. Aunt Ruth sings also. I guess genes don't guarantee talent to be the same, if I start singing I'm usually asked to stop.

 

Some of my favorite life's memories are digging clams at Penrose Point and steaming them at the Craguns place, competing in the watermelon eating contest at their resort in Montana, and playing in their home as a kid in Tacoma. Each with my aunt and uncle. Howard always had us doing things. Umm, those steamed clams. 

 

I think they read this blog occasionally, and hope they see it when they settle in their new digs at Gig Harbor. As folks, this post is for you.

 

I love them deeply and appreciate their kindness to me, recently and throughout my life.

 

I'd guess Simeon has watched his son from the life beyond with pride and with love. 

In FamilySearch Family Tree There Will Be Multiple Ways To Attach A Source To A Person

The first and easiest way to attach a source to a person in Family Tree will be to find it on FamilySearch.org, as I have depicted below, finding my father Royal Cragun in the  1940 Census.

 

All sources you find go into your FamilyTree Source Box by just dropping down  MY SOURCE BOX, as depicted below and adding it to the source box, your holding place for all sources you attach. From there you go to the person, click go to the source box, and you attach the person to the document. It's real simple.

 

The second way to put a source into the tree, and attach it to a person is to find a source that has its own unique URL. Find A Grave is an example of that, each memorial has it's own URL. Photos in Flickr, documents published in sites such as slideshare.net, and articles of documents on a blog have unique web addresses, or URL's. See photo below for an example.The URL here is long, that's OK.

 

The 3rd way is to have a document in hand or on a computer. I haven't seen, just heard rumors about the official word on uploading these to the tree. Ron Tanner, project manager told an audience I was in to just start scanning your documents. What I think will happen is that we will be provided a way to upload a document in to FamilySearch, then one button it into the source box. In the meantime I am using slideshare to upload documents or stories, Photobucket to upload photos, and my blog, this blog and my research blogs, to post the document with comments for a URL to attach.

 

I already have over 100 sources attached to my families in Family Tree.

It is an exercise of love, but it can be sort of exhausting to spend hours doing it.  

 

Please feel free to leave a comment that is a question. We have new missionaries to train this week so it might take me a day or two to respond. I had one comment that this seems exciting. He's right, it is.

 

 

 

 

Families Can Have Their Challenges, The Craguns Have

It's quite a paradox that with the concept of  "families can be forever" that the fabric of a family can be so easily torn apart. It often doesn't have to go very far up line to see it happen. Even in my case, my siblings and parents, all of us, have had our challenges. Even with that, I sense a bond and a quiet love for one another.

I wanted to make this point using my grandparents. Here in Utah, there are numerous Craguns, almost all with a grandfather, Simeon Cragun. Simeon was my dads dad, my grandfather. I thought of writing this after a brief Facebook interaction with a young woman who is married to a Cragun who likely is also  a descendant of Simeon. This picture is one of grandfather Simeon:

Prior to marrying my grandmother, Simeon was married to Mary Ann Clifford. Mary Ann died after 17 years of marriage, leaving Simeon and 6 children. (I think it was 6). Simeon was 41 at the time. Our family stories have it that Simeon was a successful farmer and businessman.





Eight  years later, Simeon married this cute young lady, my grandmother Blanche Bingham.

So, Simeon was headed toward the age of 50..... and Blanche?
She was, well she was almost 21. In our days we might call grandmother Blanche a trophy wife.

Simeon still has one son that is alive, Howard. Howard is a good man, flirting with the age of ninety. I have known Uncle Howard to always be a positive and understanding man. He looks for the best in others, and is patient with the seemingly negative. As that as his character, he doesn't say negative things about people, especially his family. Uncle Howard doesn't want to talk about his father in a bad way. He did infer there was a lot of strife between his brothers. I am guessing that included his half brothers, Mary Ann's children.

My grandmother had at that young age had already had it rough. Her first husband wasn't faithful to her and the discovery and stressed led to miscarriage of twins. So was Simeon a rescue to Blanche?

Simeon eventually ended up starting a dry farm in American Falls Idaho. One lesson I have personally learned, having personal financial success one time does not guarantee a next time. So went it with Simeon. The American Falls farm was a bust. The family lived in a dug out area in a hillside. Their living environment was terrible.

Now this family thing, long term, is complicated. There is a lot we don't understand. What we do know is that we live beyond this life on earth, and that the family unit is the foundation to that next estate. My grandmother told us she did not want to be sealed in the temple to Simeon. She said he promised her he would take her to the temple and didn't. Will her perspective change, has it? We don't know.

What we do know is that while we are here  on earth we have the choice regarding our hearts and attitudes. What impact that has beyond the grave, we shall find out. What impact we can have for good while we are here is significant.

We can't become best friends with all of our long lost cousins, but we can be friendly with them and end the traditions strife we may have inherited. Even as siblings we may not be bosom buddies. But we can love each other and overlook our issues for the benefit our our children as well as ourselves. Nothing but good can come from our doing good.

There are many reasons I write the blog, one being an effort to have a positive effect on the Craguns and their attitudes.

Back to Simeon. His dying words were to my father. They were regretful words of how he let his son Levi and him be separated because of his anger toward Levi. This article goes into that, click here.

Here is a link to the 1910 Census showing Simeon, Blanche, Hazel, Levi, adopted Reuben, and new baby Ella Viola, click here.

Life Story of My Grandmother Blanche Bingham Cragun Smith

The Life  Story of

BLANCHE REBECCA (BINGHAM) Grundy/Cragun/Smith

Born 20 January 1886 Passed away 28 March 1964

And the brief history of 

Wilbert Simeon CRAGUN

This account was tape-recorded by Bertha SOUTH Cragun (wife of Blanche’s son, Royal W. Cragun) and given to another of her son’s (Howard Blaine CRAGUN).    I, Ruth WOOD Cragun (wife of Howard) am documenting it as it was previously typed. The quotation marks identify verbiage quoted in the recording. Additions of fact, by both Bertha and Ruth are made and are noted.  Individual Ordinance Summary #000-6648-8974 

“I was a happy child and so was my sisters and brothers. My mother (RUTH: Sarah Rebecca GUTHRIE Bingham) was a wonderful housekeeper and cook. The house was always full of good smelling food and was always clean. That was what made our home—a mother there to greet us with love.

 Mother made our mittens and coats and we had leggings but I don’t think she made them, but she may have. When we came home from school she always had a little lunch for us and if it was winter we could go out in the snow and play fox and geese or make butterflies. We came in wet and cold and hungry. My mother knew how to make a child, or a man, happy with good food. We had three good meals a day and lunch after school, which would be whatever we wanted. We all grew up happy. When I was a little girl I used to go with Aunt Mary Farr (Papa’s sister) and the other wife of Lorin Farr when they had to help me on the seat in the Ogden tabernacle.

There was 9 of us children. 6 girls and 3 boys:  I worried over my Mother long before I should. for I was always afraid she would die. When I was naughty Mother wouldn’t let me kiss her goodnight and that would break my heart. Mother could trust me with her babies and never worry. I was the oldest child. I remember my mother telling of me, and my brother when we were just little tots, that Grandpa gave me a wax doll. Beautiful doll, and quite a big one. At that time wax dolls was the best dolls made. Grandpa gave my brother (he was not 3 yet) a carpenter set and when spring came we went out to play and he was the Dr. and he was going to make my doll well. Mother said she heard screams and she ran out just in time to see my doll’s head fall over the chopping block.

 I guess I had bad luck with my dolls because when Ella was big enough to run around, while I was at school, she had another of my wax dolls and chewed the cheeks off of the doll. I was a blonde with reddish shades in my hair and it was curly. I had 16 curls about 12 to 14 inches long and freckles on my cheekbones and over my nose.

My first date was with a boy that was my cousin. He also was a great grandson of Lorin Farr, the first mayor of Ogden. Then soon after that I fell in love with Reuben B. Grundy, and 2 years later was married to him. Mother taught me housework so when I married I could keep house and take care of my children”. (RUTH: And I believe it was also because Blanche was a devoted daughter and her mother desperately needed added help with the children).

“We had a lovely son we named Reuben Bingham Grundy (later in life he used the name Cragun - his stepfather’s name). My husband Reuben left me for another woman. My cousin fixed up a divorce and in 1 month I was a widow, which at that time there wasn’t many divorces. The grief caused me to lose twin girls at about 3 months pregnancy. I always wanted twins. After the divorce I had to leave my baby sometimes, but most of the time I kept him with me while I did house work. On 6 Feb. 1906 I married Simeon Wilbert Cragun.”

(BERTHA:‘Wilby’, as he was called, had two children (by his previous marriage to Mary Ann Clifford) still living at home at the time of the marriage. He and his brothers operated a large fruit farm in Pleasant View and shipped fruit all over the United States. The Cragun Brothers Wholesale Fruit and Produce firm was started in 1887. Wilby had his own farm and it was here that Blanche and Wilby started their marriage. Blanche was now mother to Reuben and  Hazel and Levi, Mary Ann’s children). She worked hard on the farm and while in the Pleasant View Ward taught Relief Society for a short time and was also 2^nd counselor in the Relief Society for a while. Wilby was active in community work and was called on often to administer to the sick. It was said that he had ‘the power of healing’. Hazel and Levi each married and started their families, then Blanche had a daughter, Viola, born here.

          Year after year the drought continued in Idaho and wheat was about 25 cents a bushel. The ‘great depression’ was also upon them and it became increasingly impossible to continue to live on the dry farm, so the family had to look for better support. Wilby's health was also failing  so, it was decided that they would move to Payette, Idaho where Blanche was able to operate a dining room in a hotel there. Land could be ‘homesteaded’ free of cost and Wilby wanted to see if he could make a go of farming in Idaho.

          While operating the dining room in Payette, the family became acquainted - and very good friends with - Kent Smith who was living at the hotel.  Viola was old enough to help and was a great assistance to Blanche in the dining room. The dining room in such a small town, with bad times and little money anywhere, wasn’t very good for rearing a family and they returned to Pocatello, where they hoped both of them could find employment. Blanche was able to get work, cleaning offices at the railroad depot and Wilby worked occasionally for the city and for the railroad. Kent later followed them to Pocatello where he lived in a one-room cabin near them.

Royal remembers Kent bringing he and Glenn a baseball bat to play with. One time he showed Royal a picture that he treasured of a beautiful woman – Kent’s mother – with black hair and snapping eyes. His mother had died at the time Kent was born. One time, while Kent was at work, their little house burned down and his precious picture, and all of his belongings were lost.  

Kent was an electrician, but much of the time he had to take whatever jobs he could find. He worked on the American Falls Dam when they constructed that. Reuben, now a teenager, worked on cars and owned one. Kent offered to help the family with groceries if Reub would drive them to American Falls, where he was working. They went over and enjoyed a little outing with Kent, in spite of some very rough roads they had to travel to get there. When the dam was

finished Kent treated the entire family to the big celebration the town had commemorating the completion. Howard was born by then and my, how Kent loved that baby.

He became so fond of him that no matter where they went from then on, Kent kept in touch and tried to be near to help whenever he could. The family went to Shelly, Idaho and helped Kent open an electric shop where he did contracting. This venture didn’t work out and Kent was deeply in debt to supply houses. He told them he could not pay but that if they would hire him, he would work out all of his bills and he did this.  The wholesalers were in Salt Lake so he moved there and paid off every cent.  

          About 1915, Wilby decided to turn the farm over to his son, Levi, and move to Idaho and take up dry farming. In order to homestead the farm in Arbon Valley, they had to live on the farm part of each school year. This made it difficult for the children to attend at both the Spring and Fall terms of school. There was year after year of crop failure and living there was very primitive. At first, there was only a dug-out in the hillside, then a large tent and finally a small home. End of Bertha’s comments) 

          “We lived in a place called Pauline, Idaho. We got our first car there. We lived in a place close to the mountain. Church was way across the valley, so we didn’t get to it very often. We went to the city in the winters, as the snow would get so deep the children couldn’t get to school. Sometimes it was American Falls or Pocatello, sometimes we got to go to Ogden. We were there the winter my little Vera died. How terrible not to have her! She was 6 years old when she died. My Father in Heaven has answered my prayers in raising my children. Many times I was alone on the dry farm – 120 acres – and just about all the men were away working, so us mothers were alone a lot. I never felt alone because I always had a prayer in my heart for God to keep us safe. I had sick children all alone and Father in Heaven answered my prayers, also when I had any of my grand children. Sometimes they would take very sick, no phone so I couldn’t get the elders, so God knew and answered my prayers. I know He is the living God and Jesus Christ lives. I had 6 children. My little Vera went to school from Sept. to March – then in 2 weeks she was dead (typhoid). My oldest child was Reuben, then next a daughter, Ella Viola, next Vera, then a son, Royal and a son Glenn and then Howard Blaine – the baby of the family”.

           

      

What Price A Debt Unpaid?

Promissory note from Levi Cragun

My father, Royal Cragun, passed this on to me. He told me this note was debt to be paid to my grandmother and grandfather by his son Levi as payment for the farm Levi took over.

My grandfather Simeon Wilbert Cragun became bitter and apparantly cut off all relationships with his son. 

I assume there were other issues, such as my grandmother being 28 and my grandfather 49 when they married. I sense that didn't go over very well.

So what price? A big one. Grandfather Simeon told my father, on grandfathers death bed, he was sorry he let it come between them.

So if by chance this bitterness has affected the Cragun legacy - let it be over with, OK?

Simeon Cragun Part 2

Simeon Wilbert (Wilbey) Cragun

Click here for a related post: What price a debt unpaid

I say part 2 in the title to reference Simeon, my grandfather as I am a grandson from his 2nd marriage. I am hoping some of my 1/2 cousins find this site and this article.

I am going to share a few things about our grandfather and wish I knew more of him. Truly when an old man dies a library burns. In my case I became interested in family history when most of the old men and woman have passed on. I would love to have them tell me stories.

Simeon has one son from Blanche Bingham that is still alive. His name is Howard Cragun and I have asked him to provide me any information he can provide.

There are a lot of Craguns in Utah and more are from his first wife, Mary Ann Clifford than from Blanche.

Blanche Rebecca Bingham Cragun

My grandmother, Blanche was 28 years younger than Simeon when they were married. Mary Ann had died 8 years earlier. Blanche was 21 years old, Simeon 49. Is it fair to say Trophy Wife? Was that a problem with his family?

From my knowledge our side of the family has had no contact with our 1/2 cousins. I don't know why.

It seems my grandfather moved away from his other children after marrying my grandmother. I get the sense he had little contact with them after that. I'd like to know for sure. I wonder if there was resentment about her age, someone so young? My grandmother, Blanche had had a previous marriage annulled.I don't know if that was a problem. His name was Grundy. He worked on the railroad and she discovered he had another family at the other end of the railroad so to speak.  She was pregnant when she discovered this and was so upset she miscarried.  (Cecil Cragun writes me that the anulment part of this story can't correct due to Reubens birth. I will research this, I may have some facts wrong, however, there have been several times I had been told about Grandmother Blanche having a miscarriage. ).
Our family was told that Simeon had been quite successful in Utah. We were told he sold his farm to his son, Levi with an agreement to be paid at a later date. We were told he was never paid and he was quite bitter over this, angry and bitter. I am told by my father Royal Cragun he carried this anger until he died.

Things must not have been real peachy for my grandmother, being married to Simeon. Before she died she told the family not to seal her in the temple to him. (Someone did that anyway, Oh Well).  She said he promised to marry her in the temple which he never did. We hear stories that they were continually poor. He moved her to American Falls, Idaho to set up a dry farm that never panned out. We have been told their housing was a dig into a hillside with tarps as covering. I've lived in Southern, Idaho, and winters can be brutal. I can't imagine living in that condition.

My father was an electrician. He credits his father for going that direction. Simeon, as I recall, was an important part of the construction of the American Falls Dam. It would be interesting to see if that helped their life financially.

I guess there are lessons to be learned from my grandparents.  Perhaps the biggest was in some of my grandfather Craguns last words. My father was with him as he passed away. Dad told me that grandfather Simeon told him, the biggest mistake of his life, was letting the debt from his son cause him to lose his relationship with him.

Comments are open, and I hope some day to have someone leave me greater insights to this very incomplete story.

There has been some confusion in our family as to his correct name. He went by Wilby with my fathers era. 

1920 Census RE: Family

Simeon Wilbert (Wilbey) Cragun

Vera Cragun Death Cert

Vera was the daughter of Simeon Cragun and Blanche Bingham.