A bit of family history

Warning: This is another long post with lots of pictures. It's slightly personal, though not private - just meaningful to us, and is mostly here so that my kids can remember the cool things we learned about our family that day along side all the pictures we took.

Last week, we tagged along on an outing with Jake's parents and grandparents to experience a little bit of family history. Jake's grandma's great-grandfather was John C. Sharpe who raised sheep in Vernon, Utah and the house he built in 1888 is still there.

He served as bishop in Vernon for something crazy like 25 years. In books written by prophets like Heber J. Grant, we can read stories about times when these prophets visited his area, stayed in his house, and the interactions they had with him as bishop. John's wife was Sara Bethula (who went by Sula) and they had 2 boys Joseph and James (Joie and Jimmie).

Joie was Jake's great, great, grandfather. I think, anyway, I keep losing track. We learned all sorts of great stories while walking through the house, and when we got back, I read a bit in Sula's life history. I read stories about Porter Rockwell, a church history favorite, who actually hung out often in the very house we went to visit because his ranch was nearby. He was going to stay with them for a couple of days, and Sula wrote that John said to her, "Port's drunk, as usual, but he won't hurt you." Her baby was sick and fussy and Porter told her to thicken sweet cream with bread and give it to him and he would get better.

John and Sula had done very well for themselves, and she credits their financial blessings to one sacrifice they made, early in their marriage. The Prophet was passing through Vernon and needed some donations from the local members in order to continue on his journey. The Sharpes had decided that they would be able to give $1.50 out of the last $5 gold piece they had. Sula needed shoes and they didn't know where any more money would be coming from or when, so this was a big deal to them. The problem was they couldn't find anyone who could make change from their $5 piece, so they ended up giving him all of it. They were promised "posterity like the sands on the shore" for their faithfulness. (Although this must have seemed far-fetched to them since they only had 2 children in a time when most families had 10-12, or even more!) The next time someone made the 3 day journey into Salt Lake, John sent along an animal hide to be sold. He was hoping to get some supplies and the shoes that Sula needed so badly, but wasn't sure if there would be enough money from the sale. When the traveler returned, he not only had the supplies they needed and the shoes, but also came back with some left over money too. They had been given $10 from the sale of the hide, pretty much unheard of in those times. Sula says from then on, they were never without, and she knows it was because of the $5 they gave to the Prophet.

Walking up to the entrance of the house, how can you miss these beautiful front doors?! They have a glass screen door covering them up now, but wow! they are so rich and full of detail and texture.

Then you walk in and see this awesome staircase.

As best as I can remember, there was a parlor, an office, a fireplace room, and a kitchen downstairs, and 4 bedrooms upstairs, 12 foot ceilings throughout, and super high and fancy doorways. Not too shabby for 1888!

We came across all sorts of treasures inside - some original to the house, some collected over the years.

This chair is an original though, so this picture is of John C. Sharpe's great, great, great grandson holding his great, great, great, great grandson while sitting in his chair.

woah.

Jake's dad found this old D&C on a bookshelf, I didn't get too many details on it from him, but he did end up getting to take it home with him, so I'm sure we'll get to find out more about it later.

Some more random finds like this old iron and doll. The doll has the year 1802 stitched into her dress.

An old desk that I thought was way cool -

JD liked this old rocking horse -

Oh, and you know, the usual - Brigham Young's bedroom set!

This painting of the house was done from an old photograph, and the 2 people you can just barely see on the porch are John and Sula. I'm not sure who it is on the steps, though. (Maybe Joie and Jimmie?)

This building on the property served as a post office for awhile. Inside there was just a bunch of things stored, like old trunks with leather straps that the boys were dying to open, and this old tricycle that Jake was in love with.

The grounds were unbelievably beautiful for Vernon - a town way out there and not really known for its majestic views.

And the token outhouse picture -

And my post would not be complete without documentation of the kids being chased by the Mamarazzi. What, me? I couldn't help it, out by the barn was an old Willys truck and both were too tempting to use as backdrops for kid pictures.

Don't laugh, I very much avoid posting pictures of me, I much prefer to be the one always taking the pictures, but I do in fact exist, and here is proof - Jake and I in front of the cool old barn that is even older than the house.

JD loved this truck, we could hardly get him out of it, even when we angered the resident wasps by disturbing the nest they had built in the door and under the hood.

And one of all of them on a walk down the path to the front gate of their great, great, great, great grandfather's property from over 120 years ago.

How often do you get to capture that moment?