Mitze and Mitty
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
4th Ward Chapel
Ogden, Utah
4th Ward Chapel
Harvey and Mary Louise Pence
were married June 6, 1946
Mother-Dad & Laree and Lawrence
Mary Louise Traasdahl
Learn more about Mary Louise on the Traasdahl Family History website:
https://sites.google.com/site/traasdahlfamilyhistorysite/families/traasdahl/mary-louise-traasdahl.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Otto Birger Traasdahl Comes to America
Otto Birger Traasdahl immigrated to the USA "by way of Canada" beginning March 19, 1913. He sailed from Trondheim to England on the SS Irma (part of the Allan line), and then from England to North America on the Victorian (also part of the Allan line). Information about these two ships is available online: Irma and Victorian.
The Victorian
Also see: http://www.norwayheritage.com/ or http://www.theshipslist.com/ and Norwegian Immigration Records
*Note: According to Norwegian records he left on the Irma (which was part of the Allan line) from Trondheim to Liverpool. From Liverpool he went to Halifax - St. John. He is on the Victorian manifest leaving Halifax, St. John, NB on April 5, 1913. His record states that he was born in Striden, Norway, age 23 years, married and a fisherman. His last permanent address was Trondhjem, Norway. It states that his wife, Anna Trosdal is his nearest relative in the country where he came from and her address is Strandvt (it looks like) 43 Trondhjem. He's never been in the US before and he paid his own passage. He is headed to Lago, Idaho - with $25 - never been arrested or deported or excluded from admission - paid his head tax already - he's 5' 11", fair complextion, fair hair, blue eyes and no distinguishing marks to report. --Renee Pence
The Victorian
Also see: http://www.norwayheritage.com/ or http://www.theshipslist.com/ and Norwegian Immigration Records
*Note: According to Norwegian records he left on the Irma (which was part of the Allan line) from Trondheim to Liverpool. From Liverpool he went to Halifax - St. John. He is on the Victorian manifest leaving Halifax, St. John, NB on April 5, 1913. His record states that he was born in Striden, Norway, age 23 years, married and a fisherman. His last permanent address was Trondhjem, Norway. It states that his wife, Anna Trosdal is his nearest relative in the country where he came from and her address is Strandvt (it looks like) 43 Trondhjem. He's never been in the US before and he paid his own passage. He is headed to Lago, Idaho - with $25 - never been arrested or deported or excluded from admission - paid his head tax already - he's 5' 11", fair complextion, fair hair, blue eyes and no distinguishing marks to report. --Renee Pence
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Newsroom article from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
I found this article on the Newsroom Web site of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. I thought you might find it interesting.
Click on the link below to view:
Christ of Latter-day Saints. I thought you might find it interesting.
Click on the link below to view:
Monday, August 17, 2009
Find A Grave
On this website I found an entry for George Corner Pence. It has links to the Smith's, Boyer's, and Schwarck's; and includes photographs of each person and of the gravestone.
Check it out!
On this website I found an entry for George Corner Pence. It has links to the Smith's, Boyer's, and Schwarck's; and includes photographs of each person and of the gravestone.
Check it out!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Harvey Alonzo Pence was ordained an High Priest on 6 Sep 1970 by
Spence W. Kimball who was ordained an Apostle on 7 Oct 1943 by
Heber J. Grant who was ordained an Apostle on 16 Oct 1882 by
George Q. Cannon who was ordained an Apostle on 26 Aug 1860 by
Brigham Young who was ordained an Apostle on 14 Feb 1835 by
Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris who were called by revelation to choose the Twelve Apostles
and were “blessed by the laying on of the hands of the Presidency,” on 14 Feb 1835.
The Presidency consisting of Joseph Smith Jr., Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams
(History of the church, Vol. 2, p. 187 – 188)
Joseph Smith Jr. was ordained an Apostle by
Peter, James & John who were ordained Apostles by
the Lord Jesus Christ
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
1900 Census Record for John Schwarck who was the father of Alonzo Lyman Schwarck who married Ada Ethel Smith who was the daughter of Elias Smith Jr. who was the grandfather of Harvey Alonzo Pence.
TRAASDAHL, OTTO B (1920 U.S. Census)
IDAHO , BANNOCK, GRACE
Age: 30, Male, Race: WHITE, Born: NORW
Series: T625 Roll: 288 Page: 70
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Otto Birger and Anna Pauline Traasdahl
Otto Birger and Anna Pauline Traasdahl with Elin and Osborne Otto.
While helping Rylie prepare a talk about how we can strengthen our families, we were learning about Otto Birger Traasdahl and talking about his picture. I asked Rylie what his name was, she said, "Ogre Hangaber Johnson".
Learn more about Otto and Anna on the Traasdahl Family History website:
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Obituary - Allen Rash
In Loving Memory...
Allen Rash
12/1/57 - 6/28/09
Allen Eugene Rash, 51, of Gilman died Sunday June 28th, 2009 at Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center. A celebration of Al’s life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, July 3rd at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. He will be laid to rest in Miller Cemetery at Union. Memorials may be directed to his family. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. The Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Al and his family, phone 641-844-1234.
Al was born December 1st, 1957 in Eldora, to parents Clyde and Grace (Smith) Rash. He attended school in Marshalltown.
In September of 1984, Al was united in marriage to Christine Schmidt in Hot Springs Arkansas. The couple made their home in Gilman, where they raised their children Erica and Danny.
Al was a gifted self-employed carpenter, who absolutely loved building things. He also enjoyed softball, having played slow-pitch for many years. Al was also talented in the wood-burning arts, model car building, and hitting 7s on the slot machines. He liked to go fishing and drive golf balls in his backyard.
Al’s early departure from this life will be greatly mourned by all who knew and loved him. Left to cherish Al’s memory, and celebrate his life is his loving wife Chris; his daughter Erica Carter of Joliet, IL; his son Danny Rash of Mankato, MN; his mother Grace Rash; his sisters: Elaine (Paul) Lindaman, Rose (Alex) Pence, Kathy Rash, and Terrie (Noel) Arnold; his brothers Stan “Sam” Rash and Rick (Gina) Rash. In death, Al has rejoined his grandparents, and his father.
Learn more about Allen on the Pence Family History site: https://sites.google.com/site/pencefamilyhistory/families/pence/alex-pence.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
View Harvey Alonzo Pence in a larger map
I am adding maps for each of our ancestors as a tool to better understand where important events happened in their lives. This is the first, and it still will need some editing, of Harvey Alonzo and includes his place of birth, death, burial, etc. Click on "View Harvey Alonzo Pence in a larger map" to explore these places for yourself--MGP.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
I just got my Family Tree Magazine when I got home - there is an article in there that was quite interesting. It's about The Norway Project where they are working to reconstruct family groups through community records - these family groups will be searchable online in the future.
The article says:
Grouped families aren't the only exciting aspect of this effort known as the 'Norway Project' according to Roger Magneson, a Family Reconstitution project manager.
"After we extract the genealogical information from the bygdebøker (pronounced beeg-duh-booh-ker), we'll merge into it data from the 1865 census, 1900 census and parish registers," he explains. "This will provide a rich database." FamilySearch, DIS-Norge, and the University of Tromsø have been indexing Norway's 1875 census (the current version at is incomplete); these data may be merged, too.
In a technological breakthrough, merged data will automatically link to individuals in the bygdebøker database. "Back in the 1980s, the intent was to use computers to merge single-event records into records describing an individual with multiple life events," Magneson explains. "But it required a genealogist to confirm that records matched."
It goes on to say that they will be posting the first searchable bygdebøker (translated that means 'community books' or local histories which document Norwegian farms back to the 1600s or before - entire households are sometimes listed with dates for births, marriages and deaths) by the end of June this year! Now for some even more interesting information for those of you with the patience and ability to endure getting through this post ... it states that:
"Preliminary data from the Norway Project show another interesting result. "In one clerical district, there were 957 family trees, but one tree accounted for 80 percent of the population. That means there was essentially one family in that district," Magneson says. If these data remain consistant across the country, "Norway is probably less than 400 unique families."
The Norway Project will line up those trees like a national genealogical forest, with overlapping branches but distinct trunks. But Magneson says this is just the start. Family Reconstitution already has data sets lined up from Scotland, Iceland, Britain, Mexico, the Polynesian islands, and Aztec and Eskimo sources. "The Norway Project is the pilot to do this for every country in the world."
So is that cool or what????
From Renee's post on MyFamily.com.
The article says:
Grouped families aren't the only exciting aspect of this effort known as the 'Norway Project' according to Roger Magneson, a Family Reconstitution project manager.
"After we extract the genealogical information from the bygdebøker (pronounced beeg-duh-booh-ker), we'll merge into it data from the 1865 census, 1900 census and parish registers," he explains. "This will provide a rich database." FamilySearch, DIS-Norge, and the University of Tromsø have been indexing Norway's 1875 census (the current version at
In a technological breakthrough, merged data will automatically link to individuals in the bygdebøker database. "Back in the 1980s, the intent was to use computers to merge single-event records into records describing an individual with multiple life events," Magneson explains. "But it required a genealogist to confirm that records matched."
It goes on to say that they will be posting the first searchable bygdebøker (translated that means 'community books' or local histories which document Norwegian farms back to the 1600s or before - entire households are sometimes listed with dates for births, marriages and deaths) by the end of June this year! Now for some even more interesting information for those of you with the patience and ability to endure getting through this post ... it states that:
"Preliminary data from the Norway Project show another interesting result. "In one clerical district, there were 957 family trees, but one tree accounted for 80 percent of the population. That means there was essentially one family in that district," Magneson says. If these data remain consistant across the country, "Norway is probably less than 400 unique families."
The Norway Project will line up those trees like a national genealogical forest, with overlapping branches but distinct trunks. But Magneson says this is just the start. Family Reconstitution already has data sets lined up from Scotland, Iceland, Britain, Mexico, the Polynesian islands, and Aztec and Eskimo sources. "The Norway Project is the pilot to do this for every country in the world."
So is that cool or what????
From Renee's post on MyFamily.com.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
George Corner Pence Death Notice in Grundy Register
George Corner Pence Death Notice published in The Grundy Register, Thursday, June 05, 1930.
These newspaper clips were found and imaged by Renee Pence--Thanks!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I am going through some old letters and found this one from Mom. They were getting ready to return home after serving in the Chicago Temple. Thought you would all enjoy her testimony and words...
"We leave with mixed emotions and grateful hearts to have had the opportunity in learning and progressing through our journey in life. Being worthy to stand at various posts in His Holy House.
"Indeed it is humbling to lay my hands upons sister's heads saying - having authority - and pronouncing the most beautiful blessing of all given in the Initiatory Ceremony.
"Or presenting a sister at the veil as she shed's tears for a loved one or family member.
"Sitting in those two special chairs in the endowment room as your companion officiated and together administer those sacred covenants and tokens.
"Or standing at the celestial doors looking upward to the most beautiful chandelier, with its thousands of glass prisms glittering and shining in all its glory.
"Or kneeling at the alter in the robes of the Holy Priesthood as families are sealed for time and all eternity.
"Or witnessing a father hold his crippled daughter tenderly in the baptismal font as she is baptized over and over again for sisters who have been dead hundreds of years.
"Hearing the beautiful scriptures and prayers given each day in our prayer meeting. Just being one of those dressed in white called and set apart to assist in this glorious work is the ultimate and most gratifying of our life's experiences.
"Dad and I thank all our children from the bottom of our hearts for helping to make this possible. For your love and support. For the daily prayers of all our dear grandchildren and our sons and daughters.
"We will be eternally grateful!"
--Letter from Grandma Pence posted by Christie
"We leave with mixed emotions and grateful hearts to have had the opportunity in learning and progressing through our journey in life. Being worthy to stand at various posts in His Holy House.
"Indeed it is humbling to lay my hands upons sister's heads saying - having authority - and pronouncing the most beautiful blessing of all given in the Initiatory Ceremony.
"Or presenting a sister at the veil as she shed's tears for a loved one or family member.
"Sitting in those two special chairs in the endowment room as your companion officiated and together administer those sacred covenants and tokens.
"Or standing at the celestial doors looking upward to the most beautiful chandelier, with its thousands of glass prisms glittering and shining in all its glory.
"Or kneeling at the alter in the robes of the Holy Priesthood as families are sealed for time and all eternity.
"Or witnessing a father hold his crippled daughter tenderly in the baptismal font as she is baptized over and over again for sisters who have been dead hundreds of years.
"Hearing the beautiful scriptures and prayers given each day in our prayer meeting. Just being one of those dressed in white called and set apart to assist in this glorious work is the ultimate and most gratifying of our life's experiences.
"Dad and I thank all our children from the bottom of our hearts for helping to make this possible. For your love and support. For the daily prayers of all our dear grandchildren and our sons and daughters.
"We will be eternally grateful!"
--Letter from Grandma Pence posted by Christie
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
I thought you might find it interesting.
Click on the link below to view:
Click on the link below to view:
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Elin Traasdahl Stewart Death Certificate
Husband: J.M. Stewart Jr.
Father: Otto Birger Traasdahl
Mother: Anna Pauline Erickson
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
FamilySearch Record Search
The website lets you search scans of original documents for doing family history work. Very Cool! Check it out!!
The website lets you search scans of original documents for doing family history work. Very Cool! Check it out!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
John Boyer 1860 U.S. Census
John Boyer Census Record 1860
He was the son of John Boyer and Susanna Bauer
John Albert Boyer Census Record 1880
He was the son of Daniel L. Boyer and Hannah Gephardt
He was the son of John Boyer and Susanna Bauer
John Albert Boyer Census Record 1880
He was the son of Daniel L. Boyer and Hannah Gephardt
Friday, January 23, 2009
Noah Pence Census Record 1860
The record shows Noah (38) and Nancy (36) with their children Sarah Frances (11), (William) Anderson (8), and John Henry (6). Victoria is born in 1861. It also lists Christina Pence (41), who was Noah's sister living with them at the time.
I found Census Records for Noah Pence up until his death in 1900, visit the Noah Pence website.
I also found Census Records for Elias Smith Sr. and Elias Smith Jr. and there is more to find...
The record shows Noah (38) and Nancy (36) with their children Sarah Frances (11), (William) Anderson (8), and John Henry (6). Victoria is born in 1861. It also lists Christina Pence (41), who was Noah's sister living with them at the time.
I found Census Records for Noah Pence up until his death in 1900, visit the Noah Pence website.
I also found Census Records for Elias Smith Sr. and Elias Smith Jr. and there is more to find...
Monday, January 5, 2009
Irene Marie Traasdahl King
ST. GEORGE - Irene Marie Traasdahl King, 84, died Thursday Jan. 25, 2007 at the home of a daughter in Hurricane, Utah.
She was of Norwegian ancestry, the sixth of eight children born to Otto Birger Traasdahl and Anna Pauline Erickson who immigrated to America in search of religious freedom. Irene was born in Thatcher, Idaho on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1922.
Irene attended school in Grace and Preston, Idaho and graduated from Ogden High. She married Newel L. King in the Logan LDS Temple on June 6, 1941.
Irene dedicated her life to the loving service of her family. The life she lived was an example of her love of Christ. Surviving are four daughters, Sonja Ann Freeman and husband Ron of Hurricane, Judy Larsen and husband Scott of Santa Clara, Utah, Angela Meyer and husband Val of Oroville, Calif., Lana Carlson and husband Brad of Phoenix, Ariz.; and son, Ted King and wife Cindy of Lewiston, Utah. Irene is also grandmother to 24 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.
Also surviving are one brother, Edward (Ted) Traasdahl of Phoenix; and a sister, Mitzi Pence of Pleasant Grove, Utah. Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Newel Lavere King; three sisters, Beverly, Elin and Ann; and two brothers, Osborne (Frosty) and Carl.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday Jan. 30, at 12:30 p.m. in the Lewiston Fourth Ward chapel, 16 S. Main, in Lewiston, with Bishop Donald Baldwin conducting. Friends and family may call from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. prior to the services. Interment will be in the Lewiston City Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Allen-Cranney Mortuary. Condolences may be sent to the family at Allen Mortuaries.
ST. GEORGE - Irene Marie Traasdahl King, 84, died Thursday Jan. 25, 2007 at the home of a daughter in Hurricane, Utah.
She was of Norwegian ancestry, the sixth of eight children born to Otto Birger Traasdahl and Anna Pauline Erickson who immigrated to America in search of religious freedom. Irene was born in Thatcher, Idaho on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1922.
Irene attended school in Grace and Preston, Idaho and graduated from Ogden High. She married Newel L. King in the Logan LDS Temple on June 6, 1941.
Irene dedicated her life to the loving service of her family. The life she lived was an example of her love of Christ. Surviving are four daughters, Sonja Ann Freeman and husband Ron of Hurricane, Judy Larsen and husband Scott of Santa Clara, Utah, Angela Meyer and husband Val of Oroville, Calif., Lana Carlson and husband Brad of Phoenix, Ariz.; and son, Ted King and wife Cindy of Lewiston, Utah. Irene is also grandmother to 24 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.
Also surviving are one brother, Edward (Ted) Traasdahl of Phoenix; and a sister, Mitzi Pence of Pleasant Grove, Utah. Irene was preceded in death by her husband, Newel Lavere King; three sisters, Beverly, Elin and Ann; and two brothers, Osborne (Frosty) and Carl.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday Jan. 30, at 12:30 p.m. in the Lewiston Fourth Ward chapel, 16 S. Main, in Lewiston, with Bishop Donald Baldwin conducting. Friends and family may call from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. prior to the services. Interment will be in the Lewiston City Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Allen-Cranney Mortuary. Condolences may be sent to the family at Allen Mortuaries.