Hazel Draper and Lawrence Eugene Pence

Ida Mae Pence Whetsel

Georgia Lenora Pence Wheat and Wilbur Clark Wheat

George Corner Pence and Nora May Smith

Harvey - Mitze: 5 Sons

Merry Christmas! I had a chance here in Iowa during Christmas break to do some family history work. I have scanned several images to add to the blog and website. Some are family pictures and others are of individual grave markers.

“How very much I love our family-each and every one-
Dad and I shared a wonderful life on our Iowa farm.
I couldn’t have a better companion, or more choice sons
than Jerry, Michael, Steve, Gary, Rick-and then five
beautiful, talented, special daughters-Gayle, Renee, Christie,
Debbie, Kris. Also 25 healthy beautiful grandchildren-
Dad and I take great pride in our family. See you in heaven.”
Mom-Mary Louise Traasdahl Pence Devey

Letter From Mike

I hope everyone is doing well (especially Gary) and Jeff on his mission. Thanks for all your prayers for our boys and their families. I just wanted to report we had a great day at the Cardston Temple yesterday. We had a youth temple trip and Renee prepared a list of names on the new temple ready program (she is amazing at doing all this stuff). She had a couple from her family and mostly from the Pence family (actually Smith/Boyer). There were 9 men and 12 women. It was a great experience to do the confirmations for each of our great and great/great aunts and uncles included on the temple ready list. There was Harvey Alonzo, Daniel Elias, Ervin Jasper, Ruth, Myrtle, Aretha, Augusta, Mary, Bessie Ida, Elizabeth, and Ada Smith (all brothers and sisters). I met some of these family members when I was a kid including Daniel, Ruth, Bessie, Ada, Myrtle, Agusta and Ada that I can remember. Several of them were from Indiana - I remember Uncle Dan visiting us on the farm. We also had the Boyer family names including David, John, Abraham, Hiram, Daniel, Rudolph, Mary, Hannah, Eliza and Susan. After the baptisms and confirmations, Renee and I each did the initiatories. It was a pretty amazing feeling when I sat there for Harvey Alonzo Smith and had those ordinances performed as well as with the other Smiths and Boyers. I did not realize Dad was named after his Uncle Harvey Alonzo Smith (maybe some of you knew that). It seemed like a pretty thin veil as I could picture and feel Dad in my mind and it brought some tears. I sort of figured all this work had been done for these more recent family members, but appreciate Renee lining this up so I could participate in starting the work for these wonderful family members. We will be going to Cardston soon to start doing the endowments for all of these family members and sealings that will follow. So if anyone wants to come up or over to Montana, we can take you up to help out on getting this work done. We are in a bigger house now so have plenty of room for a nice vacation spot for you. I just thought some of you would be intersted in hearing about the great experience we had yesterday with our Pence/Smith/Boyer family (thanks again Renee!!). Love you all, Mike

Marriage License for Victoria Pence and JC Green, October 10, 1877 in Bartow County Georgia.

I was able to get a copy of this death certificate for Victoria Ann Pence Greene. She was the daughter of Noah Pence.

Harvey Alonzo Pence

Some old Pence family pics with Grandpa in them.