Francis Cooke

Francis Cooke was born in 1583 probably in England.  He is described in Leiden Walloon church marriage records dating from 1603 as a "woolcomber out of England".  He married Hester le Maheiu in Leiden, Holland with marriage intentions published 20 July 1603.  While in Leiden, Francis and Hester were members of the Walloon church.  Between 1611 and 1618, the Cookes were members of the Pilgrim Separatist congregation in Leiden.

Francis and his oldest son John, came on the Mayflower to Plymouth in 1620.  He left behind his wife Hester and his other children Jane, Jacob, Elizabeth and Hester.  After the Colony was founded and better established, he sent for his wife and children, and they came to Plymouth in 1623 on the ship Anne.

The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony.  It was written by the colonists, and signed on November 11, 1620 by 41 of the ship's 101 passengers, including Francis Cooke.  The painting below depicts Francis Cooke signing the Mayflower Compact.

The Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. 8, p23 notes that "Francis Cooke died the seauenth of Aprill, 1663." 

Francis Cooke is my 10th Great Grandfather.  His son John, who also came to America on the Mayflower is my 9th Great Grandfather.  John married Sarah Warren whose father, Richard Warren also came to America on the Mayflower.  Richard Warren is my 10th Great Grandfather. 

Notable descendents of Francis Cooke include Franklin D. Roosevelt, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Dick Van Dyke, Richard Gere, (George) Orson Welles and Brian Douglas Wilson, Dennis Carl Wilson and Carl Dean Wilson from the Beach Boys.

Notable descendents of Richard Warren include Ulysses S. Grant, Alan B. Shepard, and Sarah Palin.

William Mendenhall

William Mendenhall was born on April 8, 1815 in Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware.  He married Sarah Lovell on February 21, 1839.

William first heard a Mormon Elder preach early in the spring of 1841.  He was at once convinced of the truthfulness of the gospel and was baptized by Elder William A. Moor in Red Clay Creek on December 12, 1841.  In May 1842 he started for Nauvoo leaving his wife and two children at her fathers house in Delaware.  He worked at his trade of building brick houses all summer and then returned to Delaware to his wife and children. 

William returned to Nauvoo with his wife and children in May of 1843.  William was acquainted with the prophet Joseph Smith and was blessed by the patriarch Hyrum Smith and was in Nauvoo at the time the prophet and his brother were martyred.

William and Sarah Mendenhall's house still stands in Nauvoo and is located on the north side of Sidney Street just west of Page Street and the Ellis Sanders home. The approximate location of their home in Nauvoo is highlighted in red on the map.

William and Sarah were driven from Nauvoo leaving their home in June of 1852.  William, Sarah and their 5 children crossed the plains in wagons with ox teams.  They arrived in Salt Lake City in September of 1852.  They traveled in the David Wood company with 288 pioneers.  William was the 4th captain of 10 in the company.

To read more about the David Wood Company, go to the LDS Church History site.


A Deseret News article from 1852 shows all of the 1852 immigrants to Salt Lake City. Below is an excerpt just showing the 6th company.

William and Sarah settled in Springville, Utah.  In 1904 William wrote, "I have performed work for the dead in St. George, Logan, Manti and Salt Lake Temples. I am reasonably well at the age of 89 years and six months."  The photo below is of his home in Springville.

William Mendenhall died June 3, 1906 at the age of 91.

William Mendenhall is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Springville, Utah along side his wife Sarah Lovell. 

The coordinates of his headstone are N 40° 08.445 W 111° 36.186. The location is marked on the map with a green arrow.  William Mendenhall is my 2nd Great Grandfather from the Mendenhall side of the family.

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Eliza Catherine Pinnock Hunter

Eliza Catherine Pinnock Hunter was born in Coventry, Warwick Co., England on March 4, 1846. 

Eliza's baptismal record from Warwickshire, England shows that she was baptised on May 4, 1846, two months after she was born.
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The 1851 England census shows Eliza as a 5 year old girl.

When she was 10 years old her family converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  At the time, there was so much mob violence against the Mormons, that it was necessary to do all baptizing at night.  So on a cold night in December the Pinnock family were baptized in the Thames River after breaking the ice to have the ordinance performed. 

Eliza left England for America in 1862, one year before the rest of her family.  She turned 16 on the ship.  The passenger list from the Tabacott shows Eliza as a 16 year old "Spinster".

As I was looking through the passenger list for Eliza, I found what is an amazing coincidence.  My 2nd Great Grandfather on the Goodman side, William Nicholas Goodman and his brother Nathaniel were on the same ship with Eliza.  William was 20 years old and his brother Nathaniel was 19 years old and both of their parents had died several years earlier.  You have to believe that they were acquainted with Eliza.  They had no idea that 90 years later, their great grandchildren Karl Goodman and Wilma Mendenhall would get married.

After arriving in St. Louis, Eliza was placed into a company led by John D. T. McAllister with five other young girls, and they walked practically the entire way across the plains arriving in Salt Lake City in September of 1862.

Eliza stayed in Salt Lake City until her parents arrived from England the following year.  They were called to go to Iron County and settled in Cedar City where Eliza met and married Joseph Snadon Hunter.

Joseph and Eliza had 10 children.  As a mother, Eliza was exceptional.  She truly sensed her responsibility in rearing and caring for her children, and she tried to rear them in righteousness.

 

 

The 1900 census of the United States shows 54 year old Eliza living in Cedar City with her husband.  It shows that they had a 24 year old daughter, a 12 year old daughter and what appears to be a 12 year old niece from Tonga living in their home.



Eliza Catherine Pinnock Hunter died on November 26, 1913 and is buried in the Cedar City Cemetery. The coordinates to her headstone are N 37° 41.418 W 113° 03.773. The green arrow in the map shows the location of her grave. She is my 2nd Great Grandmother from the Mendenhall side of the family.

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Lyman Curtis

Lyman Curtis was born January 21, 1812 in New Salem, Massachusetts.  In December 1832 the Prophet Joseph Smith and Jared Carter came to the Curtis home and preached the gospel to the Curtis family.  Every member of the family joined the church.  Lyman was baptized March 14, 1833 at Milford, Michigan.

Lyman was a major supporter of the prophet Joseph Smith in the early days of the church.  He participated in Zion's Camp and married his wife Charlotte Iris Alvord while on the camp.  He spent two years helping to build the Nauvoo temple.  Lyman and his brother George stood guard over the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum Smith after they were martyred. 

Lyman was a member of the first company under Brigham Young as they crossed the plains.  He was one of the nine scouts in the advance party who rode into the Salt Lake Valley on July 22, 1847. 

Salem Utah

Eventually Lyman settled in Pond Town, Utah. He designed and built roads and canals. He was a successful lumberman and farmer. To honor Lyman, Pond Town was renamed to Salem, the name of the city where Lyman was born.

1850 Federal Census (Salt Lake City, Utah)

1880 Federal Census (Salem, Utah)

 

A surprise birthday party was held for Lyman and was documented in the Deseret News on February 9, 1881.

The Salt Lake Tribune announced the death of Lyman Curtis on August 11, 1898

Lyman Curtis is included in an  LDS Church news article that features biographies of the original 1847 pioneer company.

Lyman Curtis died on August 5, 1898 and is buried in the Salem City Cemetery. The coordinates to his headstone are N 40° 02.337 W 111° 40.208. The green arrow in the map shows the location of his grave.  Lyman Curtis is my 3rd Great Grandfather from the Goodman side of the family.   

  

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