Wilson Bingham Book Progress Report - May 2006

In This Newsletter
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I. PROGRESS REPORT
II. THE WISHLIST
III. THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I. PROGRESS REPORT
When it rains, it pours folks. The computer that I had all my files on had a hardware failure and it's "in the shop". The delays caused by this were more than I had anticipated and have somewhat thrown off the publication schedule.

But I've had some time to think and re-evaluate what we're doing here. It seems that this project could be so much more interesting and expansive if we just give it one more year. It almost seems like perfect timing as well, since just heard from Danny he is planning a big Wilson Bingham reunion for June 2007 to honor the 100th anniversary of Alfred and Emma's marriage. How neat would it be to be able to distribute copies of the book at the reunion, with all of us there together?!

Therefore, if there aren't any objections, I'm officially changing to publication date to July 2007. (If there are objections, please let me know what's on your mind.)

Meanwhile, as I wait for my files to be backed up, I thought I'd fill you in on some things that have been happening.

1) I'm sure many of you have heard by now that there is a memorial service planned in July for Maxine Wilson, wife of Ray Wilson. She passed away September 15th, 2005 and we will honor her memory at Payson Cemetary on Saturday, July 1st. There will be a picnic lunch that same day at the Lion's Pavilion at Hobble Creek Canyon in Springville, UT. More specifics on time and what to bring to the lunch are forthcoming. In the meantime, directions to the park are:

Take I-15 exit 260 (first Springville exit from the south and second from the north). Go east towards Springville on 400 South. You will go through a total of 3 stop lights to the first stop sign and turn right onto 1300 East, which shortly becomes Canyon Road. Follow Canyon Road about 4-5 miles and turn right immediately past the golf course into Kelly’s Grove. Lion’s part is the second (middle) pavilion on the left. It’s about 10 minutes from the freeway to the park. Gordon Wilson says it’s also one of the best golf courses in the state if anyone is interested.

2) Not a whole lot of progress, as I mentioned before, due to another set of computer issues. I had even been backing up my files faithfully...until a day before the crash happened. So, there are still some files I need on that computer. I have been keeping the manuscript itself backed up more often than anything else, so things are still okay there. It's just the supporting research I want to refer to that is inaccessible.

3) So, to keep your interest (and to prove that this is not a case of the Emporer's clothing), here are a few fascinating quotes from the manuscript. This first excerpt is about Thomas Henry Wilson and is based on a note Ann Stringfellow included in an adaptation of a Daughters of the Utah Pioneers history originally written by Thomas' daughter, Jane Speigel. Ruth Young refers to it in a history she wrote.

[Ann] added a note about the butcher shop that we often heard our Mother, Emma B. Wilson, tell. At that time there was no wrapping paper and customers carried their meat home on a sharpened stick. Emma told how her father [Thomas Henry Wilson] kept sharp sticks for that purpose and that she sometimes was the one who went to the butcher shop to bring the meat home when she was a child.

Of Jeremiah Bingham, Emma B. Wilson, his granddaughter, wrote:

Jeremiah was in Missouri when Joseph Smith was martyred. He was well acquainted with the prophet at one time and was his bodyguard. There was but six months difference in their ages and they were the same size and at times liked to wrestle, a form of sport they both enjoyed.

And, we must not forget the strength and nobility of Emma B. Wilson herself (Emma Jane Powell Bingham), or (Great) Grandma Wilson to most of us. She wrote:

I, Emma Jane, was comfortably sandwiched in between two older sisters and two younger ones. There were no regrets that I was not a son, yet later in my life I felt it in my heart to supply that need of Father's to a limited extent. Although a blacksmith, he also owned a farm in Salem Field and during several summers, I assisted in hauling hay, thinning and hoeing beets, and even learned to milk a cow. I married Alfred R. Wilson in the Salt Lake Temple on June 26, 1907. Alfred had been employed in Salt Lake City for the year preceding our marriage and we lived there at 110 West 1st North for 3 1/2 years. During that time our first two children were born, Marjorie and Alfred Raymond (Ray). Alfred became ill during the last year of our residence in Salt Lake so we moved to Payson in January 1911. Our second son, Joseph Harold, was born that year, followed by Elmo, Boyd, Jane, and Ruth. Alfred died on January 24, 1928.

II. THE WISHLIST
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1) The outline is still pretty current in terms of what is still needed. Please download a copy of it and see if you can provide information on anything highlighted in yellow. The book can't be finished without this information. Thanks.

2) If you have any computerized versions of your genealogy information, no matter how complete or incomplete you believe it to be, please forward it to me via e-mail. You can send it as a GEDCOM or PAF file.

3) I need up-to-date summaries of the following family groups and individuals...

• Ann and Val Stringfellow and their descendants
• Paul and Lisa Kitchen and their descendants
• Alfred Raymond ("Ray") and Maxine and their descendants
• Joseph Harold and Dorothy Wilson and their descendants
• Emma Jane and Clarence Gull and their descendants
• Elizabeth and John Wilson (does anyone remember the circumstances surrounding their birth/death?)

4) If you have a special ancestral photo you want included in the larger photo album, please send it to me and I will scan it into my computer, digitally restore it if necessary, and send it (the original and the restored computerized version) back to you. I can also scan negatives and slides for preservation and so you can easily order larger reprints online or from Wal-Mart. Please include any information you know about the photo, such as dates, names, places, and stories.

5) So far I have the contact information for Grace and Dale's descendants, and I've e-mailed them all, but with no responses so far. Except for my own uncles (Doug and Allen Wilson) I don't have descendant contact information from anyone else yet. Please send me the email addresses, mailing addresses, and telephone numbers of your descendants so that I can begin to include more people in the effort of this book.

6) I'm anticipating a need for people to help with "on the ground" research such as going to museums or monuments (mainly in Utah) to photograph artifacts related to our history, find source documents and bibliographies, etc. to make the book as useful as possible. Let me know if you have an interest in volunteering to help with this.

III. THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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Thanks so much to Doug and Allen Wilson for their efforts to honor Maxine and Ray with the memorial and picnic this July.

Thanks to Danny Holmes-Gull for the "catch-up" conversation we had tonight on the phone and for the wonderful things he's planning for June 2007.

Thanks to all for your time and willingness to see this through to publication.