The Wilson-Bingham Family History Web Log

This is a web log or "blog" about efforts to publish the Wilson-Bingham family history in the form of a single hardbound book. Major family names being researched include Wilson and Bingham. If you feel your family history ties into ours, please post a comment to one of the latest postings. Please subscribe to get instant updates.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Emma Wilson's Newspaper Articles

At the memorial for Maxine in July, I asked Bruce Young if he would be interested in helping find archived articles that Emma Wilson had written in various newspapers on the Wasatch Front. Here is a summary he just e-mailed to me this evening. There are more gaps than we had anticipated, so ANY information you can give which would help us uncover articles specifically written by her would be very welcome. Maybe you know some keywords or subject matter she would have written about. Or perhaps you have a few copies of articles we know for a fact she wrote which we could use to track down others like them.

Bruce said:

Rob,

Here's a summary of what I've found so far:

I've looked in a few issues of several of the papers that Grandma Wilson wrote for to get oriented.

Specifically, I've looked at
  • The Intermountain Republican (some issues of 1909--that's the last year BYU has microfilm copies of the paper)
  • The Salt Lake Tribune (a few issues from the 1920s plus the name and subject lists for 1942)
  • The Paysonian (from about 1917-1923)
  • The Provo Herald (some issues from 1913 and later)
I have so far found no reference at all to Grandma Wilson, but that may be because her articles in the issues I looked at were anonymous. I found nothing in the Paysonian I could link with her (except one item I'll mention below). In the Intermountain Republican, the Salt Lake Tribune, and the Provo Herald, I found news briefs and society notices from Payson from time to time, but all of these were short and anonymous. I'm afraid they give no great insight into Grandma Wilson, especially since I'm not certain which ones she may have written. But I could photocopy a few examples just to give a feel for the kind of thing she may have done.

My plan is to keep looking and see if at any point she did signed articles. I'll let you know as the research proceeds.

One thing I did find of interest, though: in an early issue of the Paysonian (1917 I believe) there was a front page list of who was on the ballot for an upcoming election. I believe that below the ballot there was a notice saying that for more information readers should contact Alfred R. Wilson, City Recorder. That would have to be Grandpa Wilson. At some point I'll return to the microfilms and make a copy of that page. I might also make a copy of an advertisement or two that are probably connected to the family (I remember one for clothing from T. H. Wilson and Son--or something like that).

Anyway, that's what I have so far. We may end up running into a treasure trove. But I'm afraid it's also possible that most of what Grandma Wilson did were the sort of short anonymous notices that really wouldn't be of much interest.

By the way, if you have more information that might guide me in my searching, let me know.

Best wishes,
Bruce

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Better Family Communications

I have an idea that will make it so easy for us to stay in touch as a family and I wanted to find out if you would be interested in trying it out. Stick with me for the next few minutes and you'll see how neat it could be. Pretty pictures are included (go ahead and click...they open in new windows).

Google.com has a new service called Google Apps. It allows groups like ours to choose Google's services (email, chat, document sharing, personal web pages, etc.). The setup to do this would only cost $10 for ALL of us, which I'll gladly pay out of my own pocket if there's enough interest. You wouldn't have to lift a finger to sign up because I would do that for you.

Email

With Google's email being part of Google Apps, it would never be hard to remember someone's email address again. We would all be signed up at the same email service under a single web name and with a single address book for the whole family!!

For example, I can sign up the domain name wilsonbingham.com with Google. Then I can give each of you email accounts at that domain such that, say, Bruce Young's email address would be something like bruceyoung@wilsonbingham.com. Mine would be robwatson@wilsonbingham.com. My wife's would be shannonwatson@wilsonbingham.com and so forth. All of our address books would automatically include everyone's email addresses. Oops on that last part. It doesn't automatically populate the address book, but I can pass along a master address book file that you can import and keep up-to-date.

Additionally, everyone could just keep sharing with other people the email addresses they already have. That's because through this one wilsonbingham.com account, you are allowed to check and send email through up to five other email accounts. You just tell Google how to check your other e-mail accounts and then all of that email flows right into your single Google account. (Some email providers do charge a fee for Gmail to access your inbox. Yahoo charges $1.66/month.)

It's easy to switch because you don't even have to tell other people what your new email address is. When you send or respond to emails, you can tell Google to make it so that when people reply to your message, they will be replying to an older address, if that's what you want them to see. (This part is free from Google.)

For example, if Bruce's old address was bruceyoung@hotmail.com and he writes an email to someone using his new Google email account, they would never know the difference. Whenever they reply, it will say bruceyoung@hotmail.com at the top of the e-mail, as if he had never moved to another address.

Bottom Line: You could easily never have to remember how to log in to multiple e-mail accounts again.

Chat

That's only the tip of the iceberg. If we all had a Google Apps Family account, we would also be able to have chats with each other, even over-the-web phone calls via Google Talk. Whenever you're logged into Google to check e-mail, you'll see who is online and available to chat with you, right in the same window as when you're doing your e-mail.

Calendar


Have you ever tried to coordinate a get-together or reunion with more than 3 people over the phone? Ever wish you all could all easily review each other's calendars or even share a common calendar? As part of Google Apps Family, we would all be able to see each other's events so that invitations to parties and reunions are super easy.


Personal Web Sites


Ever wanted to create your own web page for a business or to show off your kids or grandkids? Google has made it so simple. You don't need to know anything other than how to type and how to use a mouse. This feature would also be a part of our Google Apps Family account.

Photo Sharing
Picasa, which is also a Google service, allows you to upload hundreds of photos to the web to share privately or publicly, according to your preferences of whom you want to view them. I've set up a slideshow in a public album to demonstrate.

Documents & Spreadsheets

Doug Wilson maintains an extensive family list of his own with contact information, birthdates, and other facts. But, he has to email revisions as attachments whenever he makes changes, which can sometimes be a pain. Besides the already great address book features of Google's Gmail, with Google's Documents & Spreadsheets (also part of Google Apps Family), he can just create the document in an online word processor and update it whenever he needs to. If people need to read it, he just shares it with them and they can simply open the document in their browser to see the latest. I can't think of an easier way to permanently capture, share, and collaboratively edit biographies and other family histories.

Easy Access
I know this sounds like a lot to remember but it's really very simple. Google provides a single "Start" web page for getting to ALL of these features in a single click. You can even drag things around on the page to put them where you want them. There's also a "mobile" version of these features for those of you with cell phones, or (gulp!) if your kids have them.


So, What Do You Think?!

Would you personally use a Google Apps setup for simplifying family communications? I'd like to hear from at least 10 people to get this started. Then we can work on inviting others to join in the fun. I won't take a "no" personally, so don't worry. Please reply in the comments section below with a yes or a no, and any other comments you have about it.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Jeremiah Bingham Sr.: Revolutionary War Soldier

I decided to search more earnestly for data on the Bingham side of the family and was able to uncover some meaty sites that give more information than I previously had in my family tree. In my searching, I found some work that people had done about Jeremiah Bingham, Sr., my 5th Great Grand Uncle, who is the son of my 6th Great Grandfather Joseph Bingham (our Jeremiah Bingham, from whom we descend, is the son of Joseph Bingham, Jeremiah Bingham, Sr's brother). All of this is part of The Bingham Genealogy Project. I'm certain that if we all did some searching around on these sites, we'd find a wealth of extra relatives who might even be eligible to receive temple ordinances.



Some interesting things I encountered about our family on another web site about the town of Cornwall, Vermont:



On the long since discontinued road which ran north from near the lands now owned by F. H. Dean, formerly the residence of Mrs. Sherwood, to the early home of P. B. Warner, were several settlers, among whom were Jabez Watrous, Rev. Benjamin Wooster, Abbott Tambling, and Henry Daggett; the last two named built a dam across the stream and erected a saw-mill, but soon abandoned the enterprise. Some distance west of the road, near the brook, John Gilman owned one hundred and thirty acres, on which his grantee, Daniel Huntington, lived until 1803. Deacon Jeremiah Bingham and Merrill Bingham afterwards occupied that place.



...



In 1783 Thomas Hall pitched several hundred acres, including the present farm of William Wright. His son David settled southwest from his dwelling. He sold fifty acres of his land in 1791 to Nathan Ingraham, afterwards owned by Pitts Ingraham. Elisha Hurlbut bought a lot of Hall in 1795, and in 1798 sold to John Boynton. William Wright is a grandson of Pitts Ingraham, Mrs. J. K. Wright being a daughter; S. C. Parkhill and Mrs. H. J. Manchester are also his grandchildren. South of Thomas Hall's, on the road to West Cornwall on land now owned by H. F. Dean, the earliest settler was Jeremiah Bingham, jr., a nephew of Deacon Bingham. He was a soldier of the Revolution. In 1793 he sold to Deacon Jeremiah Bingham.

...



Deacon Jeremiah Bingham, who has already been mentioned, was one of the original members of the Congregational Church, and was chosen one of the first deacons. He was a soldier of the Revolution, and took an active part in the battle of Bennington, and was connected with the quartermaster's department of the garrison at Ticonderoga before the surrender of the fort to Burgoyne. He was a man of indomitable energy and unusual intelligence, a thorough student of the Scriptures, and a conscientious believer in the truths therein inculcated. He frequently wrote poetry for his own edification. He died at the age of ninety-four years.

...



Town Organization, etc.--The town was organized on the 2d of March, 1784, by the election of the following officers: Moderator, Jeremiah Bingham; town clerk, Joel Linsley; selectmen, Samuel Benton, Jeremiah Bingham, Eldad Andrus; treasurer, Hiland Hall; constable, Barzillai Stickney; listers, Nathan Foot, Roswell Post; highway surveyors, Eldad Andrus, Stephen Tambling, William Jones, Isaac Kellogg.



...



The Congregational Church of Cornwall, the first religious organization in Cornwall, was formed on the 1st of July, 1785, with the following members: Jared Abernathy, Stephen Tambling, James Marsh Douglass, Jeremiah Bingham, Roswell Post, Daniel Sampson, Mary Chipman, and Elizabeth Ives, and during the few weeks following August 21 Jesse Chipman, Mrs. Post, Mrs. Tambling, Nathaniel Cogswell and wife, Joel Linsley, Ethan Andrus, Isaac Kellogg, Hiland Hall, and Mrs. Ives were added to the number.



On the 20th of July, 1787, a call was extended to the Rev. Thomas Tolman, and accepted on the 30th of August. Being the first pastor, he received as his right the lot of land set apart by the charter for the first settled minister, and in addition received from the town "a settlement." The first deacons were Jeremiah Bingham, Hiland Hall, and Father William Samson. The first meetings were held in Captain Benton's barn; afterward at his house and the house of Joel Linsley. The first house of worship stood west of the highway on which the old red school-house formerly stood. It was completed, probably in the spring of 1791, and first occupied in the following autumn. Mr. Tolman was dismissed at his own request on the 11th of November, 1790.

And, in case you were wondering, as I was, why Jeremiah and James (sons of Joseph Bingham and Ruth Post) appear to have the same birthdate of 17 Apr 1760, it's because they were actually twins.

What I can't seem to account for, though, is why Joseph Bingham, one of their siblings, also has the same birthdate as I can't seem to find more information as to whether there were actually triplets in this family.