Willard, Utah & Our Ward Family
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 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.
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
Alfred Ward house; Willard Flood 1923
Former Alfred Ward house; November 2009