52 Ancestors - # 9 Edith Louisa Gill

Welsh Flag

While Wales is a relatively small country it plays a fairly significant role in my family history.  Lines on both sides of my family go back to this corner of the United Kingdom.  With mystic stories of the knights, wizards, Druid priests and bards, the heritage is colorful and fascinating. Beyond the tales of King Arthur, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table, stories of the hard life of coal miner families, Tom Jones, the title Prince of Wales bestowed on the heir apparent to the English throne, I knew little about the country.

As I go back on my family lines, my great grandmother, Edith Louisa Gill Backman, is the first of my forebears on my direct line to have been born in Wales. So I decided it is high time to gather a few facts about this ancestral country. Continuous human history in Wales, or Cymru in Welsh, dates back to 9000 BC. With this extensive history I obviously won't have space or time to do more than mention a few highlights and perhaps some favorite tidbits of information I have unearthed.

The Iron Age was the period associated with the Celts who dominated the area until the arrival of the Romans in 43 AD.  The Romans retained control until the 5th century when they departed their outposts on the island.  This opened the door to invasion by the Anglo-Saxons.  In the subsequent splintering of the British language ad culture throughout the island, the Welsh people were the largest group to successfully retain their language and culture.  This continued through centuries of dominance by the English and incorporation into the United Kingdom.

The Welsh Methodist revival in the 18th century led the country to turn increasingly nonconformist in its beliefs and away from the UK's dominant Church of England.  The Industrial Revolution brought dramatic increases in population as a result of the explosive growth of the coal and iron industries.  I will stop here as it was in the late 19th century when my ancestors left Wales for the United States.

Dragons have always intrigued me so it was not surprise that the Welsh flag is one of my favorite national flags.  The white and green bars of the flag are associated with the Tudors who claimed Welsh ancestry while the dragon dates back to a dragon banner carried by the Welsh hero Cadwaladr in the 700s.  The flag is known as Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon.

The color white in flags is often used to represent peace and honesty while the color green is often used to denote hope, joy, and love.  In many cultures it also has a sacred significance.  The color red of the dragon is often used to represent bravery, strength and valor.

Let me introduce you to Edith or Edie as she was often called.  She was born July 20, 1870 in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales.  Located in South Wales, Pontypridd is about 12 miles north of Cardiff and is the gateway to the beautiful valleys of south Wales.  It is also famous for its Old Bridge which has stood since 1750.

Edith Louisa Gill

Edie's parents were David Richard Gill and Sarah Ann Hodges Gill. At the time of her birth she had three older brothers; David Richard Gill named after his father, Thomas George and Henery (Henry) Hodges Gill, an orphaned cousin who was adopted by her parents.  Two other siblings, Sarah Jane and William Henry, had not survived childhood.  Four other siblings would be born after Edie:  Elijah, Emily Jane, Albert James, and Joseph John.

Prior to her birth, David and Sarah joined the LDS Church and the family left Wales and set sail for the United States in 1878 aboard the Nevada. Departing from Liverpool, the ship arrived in New York on July 10, 1878.  Next the family traveled by train to Salt Lake City and eventually to Fillmore, Utah.  They would return to Salt Lake City and make that their final home.

On November 26, 1890, Edie married William Jacob Backman in Logan, Utah.  Logan was selected as it was the site of the nearest LDS temple.  The Salt Lake temple was not dedicated until April 6, 1893.  The happy couple would welcome their first child almost a year to the day later.  Little William David Backman (Bill) was born November 19, 1891 in Salt Lake City.  There would be a little gap in additional children as her husband would leave to serve a mission in Sweden.

Following William's return in 1893, the family would continue to grow.  In 1894, Evelyn joined the family.  A second daughter, Edith Louise was born in 1896 followed by Richard Samuel in 1899.  Little Richard would not survive the day.  Three more sons would be born to the couple:  Franklin Gill (Bud) in 1901; Herbert Spencer (Spen) in 1903; and, finally George Siegfried in 1909.

As difficult as it was to deal with the death of little Richard in 1899, a more difficult time would face the couple in 1902 when little Evelyn would become ill and pass away on November 16, 1902.  She would be buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.  Her death was very difficult for Edith to come to terms with.

Hand-painted dish belonging to
Edith Louisa Gill Backman

Edith was a kind, loving mother.  Her daughter wrote of how grateful she was for the help her mother gave her with her children, Donna and Jack, who were born just 13 months apart.  She helped Edith again when she was pregnant with her second son, Bill who was born in January 1925.  Shortly after his birth Edie was diagnosed with liver cancer.  She had surgery in February but her condition continued to deteriorate until her death on December 13, 1925.

My grandmother, Edith Louise Backman Martin, gave me the hand-painted dish pictured at the right.  This dish had belonged to her mother and she remembered it being used on many occasions on her mother's table.  

David Richard Gill Family
Back row:  Elijah, David, Independencia Ruth, Albert, and Joseph
Front:  Sarah Ann, David R. Gill, Edith and Thomas
Photo from Amber McKean family collection

 

52 Ancestors - #8 William Jacob Backman

William Jacob Backman
August 14, 1886 (age 18)

William Jacob Backman is my other paternal great grandfather.  I am fortunate to have a copy of a collection of his thoughts which has given me a better appreciation of the person he was.  I will be using many direct quotes to help you get to know him as well.

His life story begins in Sweden and had a bit of a twist as his parents joined were early converts to the Mormon Church.  As a result, he was one of the few Swedish children who were not baptized by a "Priest of the State Church." This created a bit of a situation for William at the age of seven when he was to start school and there was no legal or accepted religious documentation of his existence. Finally at the age of eight, he was able to start school with the help of a family friend.

As converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church as it was more commonly known, the family looked forward to the time when they could emigrate to the United States and move to Utah.  The opportunity for William and his brother Gustave came in the summer of 1877.  Gustave left Sweden with his Uncle John and William left under the care of John C. Sandberg, a LDS missionary returning to Salt Lake City.

William arrived in Salt Lake on October 6, 1877 and lived with the Aaron Jacobsen family until the following year when his parents, brother George, and sisters, Anna and Bertha arrived in July 1878. Shortly after their arrival, little Bertha passed away.  This was William's first experience with the death of a loved one.  As a boy of 10, he remembers his Mother's grief causing him the greatest pain at the loss.

Adjusting to life in America William remembers feeling shocked when he was teased by other boys as he tried to speak English.  To add insult to injury, they called him a Dane. It seems the boys thought all Scandinavians were Danish.  His English gradually became more fluent as he spent more time with the Jacobsens.

In the 1880 US census, the Backman family is shown as living on Second South in Salt Lake City.  The surname is spelled "Bachman."  The "h" and "k" in the name seem to be used interchangeably in many documents.  At the time the family consisted of his parents, Samuel and Hannah (Anna Johanna), brothers (Gustave and George), sister Anna and William.  Samuel is listed as working for the railroad.

In his memoirs, William explained the Backman name came from the Swedish Army to distinguish one of his ancestors from the multiple Swensons, Nilsons, etc.

William wrote about some of the jobs he did during his life.  He started working in 1879 at the age of 11.  His first job was weeding and thinning carrots and turnips for a man name Levi Reed.  Other youthful jobs included peddling vegetables door to door, delivering hats for a Millinery shop, and washing dishes at a saloon up Little Cottonwood Canyon. In 1883, he started work in the railroad's tinshop with his father. He would work as a tinsmith for the rest of his life.

At the age of 21, William noticed Ede Gill (Edith Louise Gill) standing by her gate visiting with another young man.  He stopped to talk and joke for just a few minutes. Even though he had known Ede for several years, those few minutes changed his life.  He courted Ede and they were married November 26, 1890.

The happy couple soon started their family.  A son, William David (Bill), was born November 19, 1891. In the fall of 1891, William received a call to serve a mission for the LDS Church.  With the backing of his brothers he departed for Sweden on February 20, 1892.  While his wife and young son were in the care of her father.

While he enjoyed the social aspects of religion and the values it encouraged, he had never had strong feelings for the doctrines of any organized religion.  His time in Sweden was filled with internal conflicts.  He suffered horribly from homesickness for his wife and little boy and struggled to reconcile his feelings toward religion and preaching it to others.  The financial panic of 1893 provided the final push he needed to return early from his mission.  With money becoming tight for all of his family members back home, he received a letter from his wife with a few dollars in it that she had earned to laundry.  He felt the time had come for him to return home and look after his family.

William Jacob holding little Bill, Ede,
Ede's sister Ruth holding Lyn in front of the
Backman home at 24 Jeremy Street

Upon his return to Salt Lake his life seemed to pick up right where is left off with his wife.  He
struggled a bit with his now almost two-year old son.  Father and son struggled to get close until the birth of his new sister, Evelyn (Lyn) in 1894.  With his mother so involved with the care of a new baby, little Bill discovered his Father again.

The family would continue to grow with the birth of Edith (Babe) in 1896.  The joy at the birth of a second son, Richard Samuel on April 30, 1899 would be short lived as the little infant did not survive the day.

Another son, Franklin Gill (Bud), was welcomed on July 30, 1901, Herbert Spencer (Spen) joined the family on December 12, 1903, and finally, George Siegfried on October 9, 1909.

As William wrote in his memoirs, the family enjoyed a pleasant life and always had enough to meet their needs in comfort.  There were difficult times as well included the death of little Lyn at the age of eight in 1902.  Ede would begin suffering from the symptoms of liver cancer.  She would pass away on December 13, 1925 leaving a gaping hole in William's heart.

After a few years, William married a widow, Mary Ann Haywood Gillespie in 1929.  They would enjoy watching their children's families grew.  William passed away on September 17, 1943.

52 Ancestors #2 Edith Louise Backman

Edith Louise Backman

For my second ancestor, I selected my paternal grandmother and wife of John Eldridge Backman. They were a beautiful couple and it just didn't seem right to separate them for long.

Edith was born June 30, 1896 to William Jacob and Edith Louise Gill Backman.  As was the custom of the time, she was born at home.  Edith was the third of seven children: five boys; two girls.  She was preceded by an older brother, William David, who was born in 1891 and an older sister, Evelyn, who was born in 1894.  She was followed by four brothers:  Richard Samuel in 1899; Franklin Gill in 1901; Herbert Spencer in 1903; and, George Siegfried in 1909.

Edith, nicknamed Babe, she remembered her home as a place filled with love and guided by kind, understanding parents.  The family home at 42 Jeremy Street would be welcoming place for generations of offspring.

42 Jeremy Street with little Bill, William, Edith,
Ruth Gill and baby Evelyn

The family knew its share of grief as two of their cherished little ones did not survive childhood.  Little Richard died shortly after his birth and Evelyn passed away in 1902 at the age of eight.

In 1918, she met her future husband, John Eldridge Martin, a young farm boy/soldier from Oklahoma.  In January 1920, the young couple traveled by train to Oklahoma where Babe get meet and get acquainted with her Martin family.  She recalls this as a wonderful time quilting with "Mother Martin" and her new sisters. There was a lot of laughter and good food shared during the visit as well.

Donna, Edith & John

The newlyweds lived with her parents at 42 Jeremy Street.  It was here their first child was born on November 5, 1919.  Unfortunately, little Edyth died at birth.  The young parents were devastated which made it easy for them to stay on at the Jeremy Street house.  Their second child was born on May 16, 1921.  Little Donna had lots of beautiful, black curly hair and brought joy and happiness to the young parents.

Early in 1922, the young couple bought their first home at 221 North 8th West in Salt Lake City.  It was here that their first son, John David, was born on June 19, 1922.  Babe remembered missing her mother tremendously as she took care of the two little babies.  She commented that with the patience and love of her husband she was soon able to "grow up" and care for the babies by herself.

Donna and little Jack were joined by brother William (Bill) in January 1925.  Shortly after Bill's birth, Babe's mother was diagnosed with cancer.  She passed away in September and the little family was asked to move back to Jeremy Street to help her father and his young sons.

Family at home on Jeremy
Donna, Babe, Jack
Bill, Jack & Evelyn

In late 1928 or early 1929, the family moved to a home of their own at 1054 Harvard Avenue.  It was here that son John would meet his future wife (the little girl next door), Iris Lunn.  The family lived here for two years and welcomed another daughter, Evelyn on October 30, 1930.

The Depression hit the family hard and in 1932, they decided to move to Ogden in hopes of finding a better situation.  This was a very difficult period for the family as Father Jack was injured in an automobile accident and finances were extremely tight.  Babe remembers gathering around the kitchen table with the little ones on Saturday mornings making out the grocery list.  They would then count the money in the kitty and make a new list leaving off the things they could do without.  Tomatoes were 25 cents a bushel and Babe canned tomatoes and "windfall" apples the children were able to gather.

While the family made some wonderful friends in Ogden, Jack decided to put in for a transfer to the Salt Lake Sears store and move the family back to Salt Lake.  Late in May 1936, the family returned to 42 Jeremy Street.  The family would remain in this home until the 1950s and all the children had gone out on their own.

Babe had a beautiful singing voice and provided comfort for many families when she sang at funeral services.  She sang in many choirs and performed duets on several occasions with one of her neighbors, Earl Martin (no relation).  She was also an accomplished pianist and accompanied many church groups.  She remembered playing many times with one of her children snuggled next to her on the piano bench.

Nanny, as she was known to her grandchildren and great grandchildren, was my first piano teacher.  I am so grateful for her patience and love as she worked with little fingers as they struggled to hit the right notes and get the timing just right.

Nan baked wonderful bread and cinnamon rolls.  Many of us looked forward to the warm birthday cinnamon rolls she delivered with a smile on our special day.  At both the Jeremy house and her later home on Pierpont, she had a large drawer where she stored her flour.  All of the granddaughters remember spending happy moments sifting flour for Nan wearing a dish towel apron.

John and Babe at home

From the mid 1950s to their deaths, Nanny and Gramp lived on Pierpont Avenue.  They created a
wonderful welcoming home with a beautiful patio and a yard.  Many special events and simple Sunday evening get-togethers were enjoyed with family and friends.  The kitchen was a magnet for both the female and male members of the family.  There was always a bottle of cold creme soda in the refrigerator and a cookie or two in the cookie jar.  Cleaning up after family functions was not a chore as laughter and teasing among aunts and cousins made light work of the job.

Childhood memories of time spent with Nanny:

• Going to lunch at Keely's (a downtown Salt Lake restaurant that had mirrors lining facing walls creating endless images of diners) followed by a movie or shopping
• Walking along the tracks by the Jeremy house
• Creating "crossed swords" from crossed straight pins placed on the railroad tracks for a train to run over
• Singing along to Sons of the Pioneers records
• Eating breakfast with Grandpa and drinking Postum
• Changing Pinocchio's nose

Edith Louise Backman Martin passed away March 11, 1983.  Her family cherishes the many memories of wonderful times spent with her.

Jack and Babe with their first car

Why Unravel the Maze

As my family can attest, I have spent many years climbing my family tree.  Sometimes the journey has been exciting and sometimes frustrating but the more I gathered the vital facts of an ancestor's existence, the more I wanted to know about the person.  

Sadly, I discovered I do not descend from very many dedicated journal writers.  But I have discovered other items that have provided insight into a few of their lives.  Other sources have provided interesting information about the places where they lived and events that happened during their lives.  These have helped bring these people to life again and keeps me looking for ways to learn more.  

One of the more difficult journeys has been building the family tree of my husband's grandfather.  Joseph Samuel Marrom died before my husband was born but his story has all the elements of the American dream. His family has proven to be very elusive.  My husband, his sister and I have worked for several years hoping to unearth leads to move beyond just the names of his mother and father.

In an effort to reach out to Marroms scattered throughout the world, I started a blog, Marrom Quest.  Follow the link to learn more about Joseph and how he came to America.   http://marromquest.blogspot.com/

In future posts, I will share some of treasures I have discovered how I was able to discover them and why they mean so much to me.  As we unravel the maze of how I came to be where I am today, please feel free to contribute comments on places you may recognize, people you may know and suggestions on how or where to find information that would expand understanding and appreciation of the journey.