Tuesday, August 5, 2014

What’s Your Ancestor Score?

How many ancestors names have you found in the first 10 generations of your lineage?

Randy Seaver issued a challenge to identify the number of ancestors you’ve discovered by generation.  He points to posts by Crista Cowan and Kris Stewart.for background information on the challenge.

Many genealogy bloggers are responding to the challenge.  Like them, I created an Ahnentafel list from my database then counted the number of persons I’ve discovered by generation. 

We have 1023 ancestors in those 10 generations starting with ourselves.  Counting the number of discovered ancestors we’ve found by 1023 give us our Ancestor Score..My score is73.5%

Here’s my ancestor score chart by generation:

Ancestor_Score

How many ancestors have you found in the first 10 generations of your lineage?

No matter who you are, there are holes in the generational charts in your genealogy.  Never feel that there is nothing left for you to do in your ‘genealogy’ even if Aunt Mae has ‘done it all’.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Aldura Marie Hammer Ashton History

Mrs. Aldura Marie Hammer Ashton was born in Lehi, Utah on 21 April 1862, theHammer Aldura younger
daughter of Hans and Julia Marie Reese Hammer, old residenteers of Lehi.  Her parents were converted to the Latter Day Saints faith in Bornholm, Denmark in 1853, and immediately began preparation to immigrate to America.  They reached Salt Lake City in 1854, where they lived for four years.  In 1858, they moved to Lehi which was their permanent home.  Their children grew up there and joined the neighboring children in the social and religious activities of the people and the town.  Aldura's father had the first livery stable in Lehi.

When Aldura was five, her mother was called to pass on to her heavenly home, leaving the little brood of children to their fathers care.  He needed a help mate and soon married Anne Christine Orego.  She tried her best to be a true mother to them all, and the children learned to love her.  Aldura had seven brothers and sisters of which only she, George, Margaret grew to maturity.  Margaret and Aldura have always been companions, associating with the same group of young people and growing to womanhood together, marrying young men of the town.

Although they were separated for a few years, they have never grown apart at heart.

At the age of eight, Aldura was baptized, on 15 October 1870.  She took an active part in Sunday School and other organizations of the church.  As she grew older, she affiliated with the Relief Society and was an active worker.  She was on the Old Folks Committee for many years.  When she lived on Lake Street, she married Henry Ashton on 23 June 1884.  Henry was the son of two other pioneers of Lehi, Thomas and Arminta Lawrence Ashton.  Their first home was in Lehi in the corner house at 500 West Main Street.  After their first child, Ethel, was blessed they moved out of town on to a small farm owned by Henry's father and built a one room house.  They
began their life as farmers there.  The remainder of their children were born there and four of them died in the home.  After a few years of hard struggle, they build a two room brick house 

They were very proud of the home and it still stands as a monument of their thrift and economic heritage.

All was well in that little home, until her husband Henry received an injury while doing some work at the sugar factory in Lehi from which he never recovered.  After a few years of suffering, he died on 24 June 1907 of pneumonia while in Los Angeles, California.  He left a widow to raise their small family of remaining children.

A few years after Henry's death, she sold their home on the farm and moved to town into a home at 100 South and 500 West.  Aldura was independent by nature and was not afraid to work.  She took in all kinds of work and also went out by the day as a helper until her health began to fail her.  At this point in time, her daughter Mable died, which was a blow from which she never fully recovered.  She steadily declined and grew frailer, suffering all of the time.  She was forced first to use crutches and then into a wheel chair with arthritis.  She was an invalid for twenty one years.  She gradually grew worse bodily.  During her last year of life, she was almost completely helpless.

During the last fourteen years of her life, she lived with her only living daughter, Ethel Ashton Huggard in American Fork, Utah.  Ethel worked to repay her mother for her birth and rearing by patiently waiting on her.  She lovingly tried to make the best of her ability to alleviate her mothers agonizing pain with constant care to make her life more bearable.  On Monday, 29 April 1935, the Lord saw fit to ease the pain by calling her home.  She died with full faith of a glorious resurrection, knowing she would be reunited with her parents, husband and deceased children.

She is survived by one daughter, Ethel Huggard of American Fork, two sons, Warren
Ashton
of Salt Lake City and Marvin Ashton of Lehi.  She is also survived by a sister, Margaret Cox of Lehi, seventeen grandchildren, and five great grandchildren and a number of relatives and a host of friends who tried with Ethel to alleviate her suffering and comfort her in her affliction. 

Mother the sweetest, dearest word of tongue or pen,
Mother whose voice or smiles, we never on Earth will hear or see again.
Mother who listened to our woes and healed our pain,
Mother who guided us and tried our minds to train.
Mother who suffered so; like our Lord upon the cross,
She is still our Mother and her going is our loss.

What is the meaning of life, we wonder as we gaze,
Upon the still loved form that cannot raise.
The head from off the pillow made of silk and lace,
No matter when or how or what the time or place.
Sob may stifle us, agony may almost smother,
As we look upon the marble that fashioned our dear mother.

How patiently she suffered no earthly soul here knew,
So straight and beautiful she was yet how warped her body grew.
How she danced and laughed so full of fun, she'd rollick
Willing to help those who needed help, joining in every frolic.
It behooves us to wonder what our fate may be,
Will our crafts capsize before we cross life's sea.

Yes, it behooves us all to ponder what our fate may be,
And comfort instead of sneering at the cripple that we see.
Adults may say old crip and children lips may jeer,
But you don't know what may happen within the coming year.
You may be straight and slender, beautiful to behold,
Disease not only strikes the weak, but also hits the bold.

As I gaze back in memories book, I see a form so straight,
Eyes a sparkling, lips that smile and graceful was her gait.
She was the life of all the crowd a good time she did enjoy,
Care free and happy a friend of every girl and boy.
The cross of cruel suffering was given her to carry,
Along slow agony of torture year after year did tarry.

Let's profit by the good in life, forget what seems bad,
Remembering what is happy, forgetting what is sad.
Mother has joined her loved ones and happy be they all,
She has just gone home, yes gone home to God.
You'll plant her earthly temple 'neath a consecrated sod.

For now had come to her a happy release,
She is resting there in comfort, upon her face in peace.
Peace for the first time in years, no strain upon her face,
Resting in the arms of Christ, yet her suffering we can trace.
Children your mother has just gone to her well earned rest,
Try to believe the creator know and gives to us what is best.