DearMYRTLE sbs#8 - Learn to Communicate Effectively

From: BARKER0106@aol.com
DearMYRTLE,
I am trying to find some information on a William Ogden buried in the Richfield [Utah] Cemetery. He died 4/20/1888. Would the cemetery have any information on the card on him other than death date? I am looking for a William B. Ogden who would have died in UT about that time and was a dentist. Any help would be appreciated.

DearBARKER,
There is no standard form or "card" detailing occupation, etc. of a deceased individual, although some sextant records are quite useful. Often, cemeteries are so small and obscure that there is, in fact, no office to consult for more details. Since I have not been to the cemetery in question, I cannot answer your question directly. However, I do have some good ideas for continuing your research. Let's see what my online research on your behalf turns up!

CEMETERY RECORDS:
I assume you found the entry for William Ogden using the microfilm version of "Cemetery records Richfield, Sevier County, Utah, part I" copied by Pauline L. Dastrup, FHL US/CAN Book: 979.255/R1 V3d, FHL US/CAN Film 874074 Item 7.

You are wise not to jump to the conclusion that this is the burial place of your ancestor just because of a similar name. SOURCE DOCUMENTS MUST BE FOUND TO SUPPORT OR REFUTE THE RELATIONSHIP.

Regarding cemetery books -- its wonderful when volunteers copy tombstone inscriptions and print them in newsletters or books. Maps and addresses for locating cemeteries are usually included. Such publications are typically placed in the local public library, with (hopefully) a copy sent to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. This last option makes the item available to a broad spectrum of researchers who take advantage of the microfilm lending program at 3,400+ local branches (known as Family History Centers) throughout the world.

PROBATE RECORDS
Whether or not an ancestor had a will, its possible that his estate went through probate. This is particularly true when children were involved, since until the mid-20th century in the US, women were not considered competent to take care of the little ones on the death of her husband.

Probate records list the known surviving family members. From this you might be able to recognize his wife and children, and decide this is YOUR William Ogden.

To locate the probate records I consulted the Family History Library Catalog online at: www.familysearch.org

By specifying the PLACE: Sevier, Utah
(Sevier is the county for Richland)
I found the following entries:

-- Estate and guardianship records, 1879-1894 Utah. District Court (Sevier County). Probate Division. FHL US/CAN Film 498411.

-- Probate records, 1865-1886 Utah (Territory). Probate Court (Sevier County). FHL US/CAN Film 497806 Item 2.

-- Probate records, 1865-1966 Utah. District Court (Sevier County)
Probate records, v. N-O 1920-1928, FHL US/CAN Film 482262. This last film will more than likely direct you to a probate packet number, located on another microfilm in this collection.

As a last resort, contact the Probate Court and District Court for Sevier County. Consulting microfilm first is faster, cheaper, and saves the clerks of the court from being bombarded by genealogists when their current workload of cases is often overwhelming.

Say what you will about fee-based web sites, there is just no getting past the fact that www.Ancestry.com has compiled the most impressive collection of Utah genealogy titles on the Internet. When I searched today, the list of titles is 3 pages long, so I made a separate page for them.

From: www.ancestry.com
Utah Since Statehood: Historical and Biographical. Volume I.
Chapter XVI: Transportation--Ox Team To Railroad
Credit Mobilier

"At a meeting of the directors in New York on October 29, 1863,Gen. John A. Dix was elected president, to succeed William B. Ogden, and Dr. Thomas A. Durant was elected vice president. Early in the year 1867 General Dix, Doctor Durant, Oakes Ames and others connected with the Union Pacific Company, bought out the moribund concern known as the "Pennsylvania Fiscal Company," which had been chartered by that state in 1859, with power to conduct a general loan and contracting business.

The new owners reorganized the company as a construction insurance company under the name of the "Credit Mobilier of America." The Credit Mobilier took
over the unfinished contract of Mr. Hoxie and before the close of the year 1867 had completed the railroad to Cheyenne, Wyo."

CENSUS Index at Ancestry.com came up with an interesting entry for William B. Ogden:

Year	Surname	Given Name (s)	County	State	Page	Township or Other Info	Record Type	Database	ID#
1880	OGDEN	WILLIAM B.	Weber County	UT	415	1 W Ogden	Federal Population Schedule	UT 1880 Federal Census Index	UT31626739

Promontory Summit is in current Box Elder County, once part of Weber County, north of Salt Lake City. Sevier County is found several hours south by car, let alone the wagon or horse of the 1880s. Was the William Ogden who was in 1888 buried in Richfield, Sevier County, Utah the same as William B. Ogden in Weber County on the 1880 census?

1880 CENSUS INDEX - Using the CD format from www.familysearch.org we find the following index listing for William Ogden in Utah:

OGDEN, Wm. Self <1821> M W Bir: ENGL Cen: UT Sevier Richfield
OGDEN, William B. Self <1823> M W Bir: PA Cen: UT Weber Ogden
OGDEN, William G. Self <1838> M W Bir: ENGL Cen: UT Morgan Enterprise
OGDEN, William Self <1855> M W Bir: ENGL Cen: UT Sevier Richfield
OGDEN, William H. B. Son <1862> M W Bir: UT Cen: UT Davis Kaysville
OGDEN, William T. Son <1870> M W Bir: UT Cen: UT Morgan Enterprise
OGDEN, Wm. T. Son <1874> M W Bir: UT Cen: UT Sevier Richfield

From this you can see there is the northern group of Ogden family members, and a southern group in Sevier County. By clicking on each entry in the index, other members of the household, and their relationship to head of household are indicated.

For instance, the William B. Ogden of Ogden, Weber County, Utah is listed as follows:

Relation/ Sex / Marr / Race / Age / Birthplace
William B. OGDEN Self M M W 57 PA Occ: Dentist Fa: PA Mo: PA
Malitda OGDEN Wife F M W 34 DEN Occ: House Keeper Fa: DEN Mo: DEN
Henry M. OGDEN Son M S W 31 IA Occ: Machinist Fa: PA Mo: PA

From this it would appear that the person you seek, William B. Ogden (Dentist), is found in Weber County in 1880, and that he is a distinctly different person from the William Ogden in Richfield, Sevier County, Utah. The names of the wives and children are different, so William B. Ogden was not enumerated at a vacation home to the south.

I should have followed my own advice -- GO TO THE CENSUS FIRST, it would have saved me from looking at those irrelevant Sevier County Probate microfilm entries. You must now concentrate your efforts on the northern counties of Box Elder, Weber, Davis and Morgan counties.

CHURCH RECORDS
Since your ancestor lived in the Utah Territory, it is entirely possible that he was a member of the LDS Church. You might want to check these microfilm collections of original records by going to www.familysearch.org , click on the Family History Library catalog and specifying the locality in question. Most of the early LDS Church records at the FHL are name-indexed in the "Early Church Information File."

HISTORY
For a historical perspective, you'll enjoy reading "Beneath Ben Lomond's peak : a history of Weber County, 1824-1900" by Milton R. Hunter and "A history of Weber County" by Richard C. Roberts. You should consult similar publications for Box Elder, Davis and Morgan counties.

NEWSPAPERS
Obituary indexes on microfilm at the FHL include the "Obituary index : 1870-1912" and the "Obituary index to Ogden Standard Examiner, 1888-1910" both by the local Ogden Branch Genealogical Library, Ogden, Utah. If you ancestor is more prominent, his obituary might also have been picked by by the Deseret News published in Salt Lake City, Utah. That's how I found two obscure [read that not famous!] ancestors obituaries during this same time period, though they lived a day's journey away from SLC.

UTAH PIONEERS
If your ancestors were in the Utah Territory before the striking of the "golden spike" completing the transcontinental railroad on 10 May 1869 at Promontory Summit, then they are considered UTAH PIONEERS. From the entry found at Ancestry.com it would appear that your ancestor's company may have played a big role in establishing the railroad link to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

-- Sons of Utah Pioneers (SUP)
3301 E 2920 S
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 484-4441
http://www.sonsofutahpioneers.org/

See in particular:
Conquerors of the West
SUP Sevier County History
SUP Weber County History
SUP Morgan County History
SUP Box Elder County History
SUP Davis County History

-- Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP)
300 N Main St
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 538-1050
http://www.daughtersofutahpioneers.com

See in particular:
Heart Throbs of the West, compiled by Kate Carter, 12 volumes, (1951).
Treasures of Pioneer History, compiled by Kate Carter, Vol. 4,5,6, (1955).
Our Pioneer Heritage, compiled by Kate Carter, 20 volumes, (1958).
An Enduring Legacy, 12 volumes, (1978).
Chronicles of Courage, 8 volumes, (1990).

I've done research at the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Office & Museum near the capital building in Salt Lake City. You request information on an individual, and a search can be made in the Historian's office for any lineage applications accepted on that name. A packet of information on the pioneer can be brought from the vault, so that you can review and photocopy the contents. I've seen diary entries and other unusual documents in these folders.

Hopefully, these ideas will bring you to a greater understanding of your Utah ancestor, William B. Ogden.

Happy Family Tree Climbing!
Myrt     :)
DearMYRTLE,
Daily Genealogy Columnist
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