Fun Times in Utah

I thought I'd write a quick blog post to share with you why my blog was so quiet last week. The reason was that my husband and I traveled to Utah to attend our son-in-law's graduation from BYU-Provo. He graduated with a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Accounting. We're so proud of him!

On our way home, we visited Zion National Park. We'd never been there before. Wow! What a stunningly beautiful place!

We spent part of Monday, April 27th and most of Tuesday, April 28th in the park. We didn't even see all there is to see though. We'll definitely need to go back some day.

The shuttle service within the park was wonderful and very well-run. The shuttles travel along the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. Including the Visitor Center, there are nine shuttle stops along the Drive.

I took this photo at the Court of the Patriarchs shuttle stop.

This informational plaque tells visitors about these stunning sandstone cliffs.

In case it's difficult to read this plaque, here's what it says:

"Named for three towering figures of the Old Testament, these sandstone cliffs hold court over Birch Creek Canyon and this section of the Virgin River. In 1916 Frederick Vining Fisher, a Methodist minister, gave the religious names to the peaks. Today it is not hard to imagine how the grandeur of this view could inspire such reverence."

At the Zion Lodge stop, we hiked on the Emerald Pools Trail.

Here are a couple of photos I took while walking along this gorgeous trail.

I took so many photos during our visit to Zion National Park that I filled up two memory cards and part of a third card! Don't worry, I won't be sharing all of the pictures here though. I will be sharing more photos from our trip on my Jana's Place blog in the future.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 
 © 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Crazy Icicles

In a previous post, I shared some photos from our vacation in Utah. We were there the week after Christmas.

During the week we spent in Utah, the temperatures never rose above freezing. And it snowed at the beginning of our week-long visit.

As we drove around town, I saw lots of icicles. Even some cars had icicles hanging from them. Our car was no different.

See what I mean? Here are two photos of our car.



This isn't a sight I'm used to seeing every day since I live in a warmer climate. So, of course I had to take pictures.



I don't know who owns this car, but it looks like it had been sitting there for a while. Lots of snow and icicles.



There were some crazy long icicles hanging from buildings too.



And check out this row of icicles on this house and those snow-covered bikes and that car.



There were even icicles hanging from bushes.



We spent our vacation week in a beautiful winter wonderland and had a great time with our family. I'll share more photos from our trip in a future post.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 
© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Family Vacation in Utah

After Christmas, we spent about a week in Utah. We had so much fun spending time together as a family. Creating family memories is so very important.

It turned out to be a very cold week. And when I say cold, I mean freezing. The temperatures were usually in the teens and twenties during the days. Yes. It was frigid. The air felt like refrigerator air.

I live in an area that doesn't get snow. And our high temperatures in winter are pretty mild compared with Utah. So, it was quite novel for us to see it snowing and to spend a week somewhere with snow on the ground. We arrived on a Saturday and it snowed on Sunday and Monday. This is what we woke up to on Monday morning.



This is my husband scraping our car…while it was snowing. He was heading out to a store. Brave man!



Did I mention that we're not used to snow? Of course, I had to take pictures of the cold fluffy stuff.



It's really pretty.



Especially from inside a warm house. Haha!



The temperatures never rose above freezing that week, so there was plenty of time for ice to form on the ground. Unfortunately, at the end of the week, I slipped and fell on the ice. Yep. I did. Thankfully, it wasn't a hard fall. I was a bit sore, but I'm fine. And I'm so grateful for that.

I'll be sharing more pictures from our trip to Utah in a future post.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

 
© 2015 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Christmas Lights on Temple Square ~ Part 2

In a previous post, I shared some photos I took while our family visited Temple Square in Salt Lake City on November 29, 2013. That was the night the Christmas lights were turned on for the first time this Christmas season. What a beautiful sight!

Today, I'm sharing more pictures from our visit. I hope you enjoy them.

A photo of the Salt Lake Temple through the trees.



Lovely luminaries.



A beautiful nativity scene in the center of the reflecting pool.



Here's a different viewing angle of the nativity scene in the photo above. The magnificent building behind the nativity scene is the The Salt Lake Temple.



A close-up view of the nativity scene.



The Salt Lake Temple.



Merry Christmas everyone!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2012 - 2013 Copyright by Jana Last, All Rights Reserved

Christmas Lights on Temple Square ~ Part 1

In my Fab Finds post on November 22, I mentioned that I would be taking the following week off from blogging. Instead of spending time writing about my ancestors on this blog, I was spending time with living family members.

Last week, our family spent the Thanksgiving holiday together in Utah. We had a wonderful time.

On Friday, November 29, we all traveled to Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights on Temple Square.

For those who've never been to Temple Square, the magnificent building in these pictures is the Salt Lake Temple. Construction of this temple took 40 years to complete. The groundbreaking took place on February 14, 1853 and the dedication was held in April of 1893.

The Salt Lake Temple is the largest temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.



My husband and I had been to Temple Square before, but never at Christmas time.



These pictures will hopefully give you an idea of just how beautiful Temple Square is during the Christmas season.



But, being there is so much better. These photos simply can't compare with the experience of seeing the amazing beauty of Temple Square at Christmas time in person.



I'll be sharing more photos from our visit to Tempe Square in a future post.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Just Sitting Around…on a Shed

This fun photo was found in one of my Grandma Ingrid Gillberg's Books of Remembrance. I don't know if the structure these girls are sitting on is actually a shed or not. I'm just guessing about that. Is it a shed, a garage, or something else? What do you think?

Just why were my Grandma Ingrid (second from the left), three of her sisters, and a friend, sitting there having their picture taken? And who took the picture?



Here's a zoomed in view of these darling girls.



This is what my Grandma Ingrid wrote under the photo in her Book of Remembrance.



Transcription:

From left to right a friend

Annabelle McKendrick, Myself

Ida, Ruby and Edith. Taken

by our home on Grand Ave

Salt Lake City, Utah

about 1926

In 1926 my Grandma Ingrid and her three sisters in this photo would have been the following ages:

Ingrid - about 13 years old
Ida - about 10 years old
Ruby - about 6 years old
Edith - about 10 years old

Ida and Edith were twins. Did you notice how they were dressed alike? Well, except for the shoes. And I like how little Ruby is sitting there with her arms folded. And notice how Annabelle, Ingrid's friend, has her arm around Ingrid? Annabelle seems to be holding something in her lap too. I wonder what it is.

Don't these girls look happy…just sitting around…on a shed?

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

The Ronald W. Last Park – Provo, Utah

Our family recently returned from a wonderful vacation in Utah. While we were there, we went to the Ronald W. Last Park. Our daughter had found this park on a map some time ago. It turns out this park was named after my father-in-law's first cousin! How cool is that?



Here's a close-up view of the plaque on top of the sign.

What a beautiful tribute to Ronald W. Last. I especially love the last line - "Provo City is a better place because Ron Last was here!"



Transcription of Plaque -

This park is dedicated to the memory of

Ronald W. Last.

He is a reminder to those who follow his example, that each

individual can make a difference and everyone should try. He

served his community tirelessly for 39 years as an educator,

principal, and city councilman. He constantly gave of his time,

talents and wisdom, always contributing to the present and

adding great promise to the future. He will long be remembered

by countless students and friends who were touched by his many

public and silent random acts of kindness.

Provo City is a better place because Ron Last was here!

Here's a map showing the Ronald W. Last Park's location in Provo, Utah, courtesy of Google Maps.

The park is very pretty and as you can see sits right next to the Provo River. When we visited the park, the guys played Frisbee while my daughter and I had fun taking pictures.

Here are some photos of the park and the Provo River.

The Provo River is to the right of the trail in this photo, next to those trees and bushes.



A glimpse of the Provo River through the lush vegetation.



Here's another glimpse of the Provo River.



A view of the park looking south.



This bridge crossed the Provo River. It was a great place to get a better view of the river.



View of the Provo River while standing on the bridge.



The northern edge of the park.



Looking south.



I'm so glad we spent some time at this special park which was dedicated to one of my husband's ancestors.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

Carl Albert Gillberg's Two Declarations of Intention

For some reason, my paternal great-grandfather, Carl Albert Gillberg, filled out two separate Declarations of Intention to become a United States citizen – one in 1924 and the other in 1939.

I thought it would be interesting to compare the two documents. I've highlighted these differences in bold.

Declaration of Intention - Dated May 5, 1924¹



Information gleaned from the May 5, 1924 Declaration of Intention -

1. Name: Carl Albert Gilbert (Gilbert instead of Gillberg)
2. Age: 42
3. Color:  White
4. Complexion:  Light
5. Height: 5 feet 7 inches
6. Weight:  178 lbs.
7. Color of Hair:  Blonde
8. Color of Eyes:  Gray
9. Other Visible Distinctive Marks:  Left Forefinger Off
10. Place of Birth:  Stockholm, Sweden
11. Date of Birth:  8 January 1882
12. Current Residence:  142 Hawthorn Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah
13. Emigrated to the U.S.A. from: Eskilstuna, Sweden
14. Name of Vessel:  S.S. Canada
15. Last Foreign Residence:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
16. Marital Status:  Married
17. Name of Spouse:  Hilda Maria Carlson
18. Spouse's Place of Birth:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
19. Spouse's Current Residence:  142 Hawthorn Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah
20. Port of Arrival:  Chicago, Illinois
21. Date of Arrival:  18 September 1909

Declaration of Intention - Dated July 24, 1939 ²


 
Information gleaned from the July 24, 1939 Declaration of Intention -

1. Name:  Carl Albert Gillberg
2. Current Residence:  4810 St. Elmo Drive, Los Angeles, California
3. Current Occupation:  At Home
4. Age:  57
5. Sex:  Male
6. Color:  White
7. Complexion:  Light
8. Color of Eyes:  Gray
9. Color of Hair:  Blonde
10. Height:  5 feet 8 inches
11. Weight:  188 lbs.
12. Other Visible Distinctive Marks:  Left Forefinger Off
13. Race:  Scandinavian
14. Nationality: Swedish
15. Place of Birth:  Stockholm, Sweden
16. Date of Birth:  8 January 1882
17. Marital Status:  Married
18. Spouse's Name:  Hilda M.
19. Date of Marriage:  3 April 1901
20. Place of Marriage:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
21. Spouse's Place of Birth:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
22. Spouse's Date of Birth:  17 February 1878
23. Spouse Immigration Information:
    1. Entered the United States at:  Salt Lake, Utah
    2. Date of Entrance:  9 July 1910
    3. Current Residence:  Los Angeles, California
24. Number of Children:  Eight
25. Children's Names, Dates and Places of Birth:
    1. Margit – 20 July 1902 in Sweden
    2. Maimi – 4 October 1907 in Sweden
    3. Ruth C. – 17 June 1911 in Salt Lake, Utah
    4. Ingrid A. – 5 November 1913 in Salt Lake, Utah
    5. Helen A. – 4 September 1915 in Salt Lake, Utah
    6. Ida M. – 26 October 1916 in Salt Lake, Utah 
    7. Edith E. – 26 October 1916 in Salt Lake, Utah
    8. Ruby H. A. – 15 July 1920 in Salt Lake, Utah
26. Current Residences of Children:  Los Angeles, California
27. Previous Declaration of Intention:  About 1924 at Salt Lake City, Utah
28. Last Foreign Residence:  Eskilstuna, Sweden
29. Emigrated to the U.S.A. from:  Eskilstuna, Sweden; Quebec, Canada
30. Lawful Entry in the United States:  Port of Entry Not Shown
31. Name at Entry:  Carl A. Gillberg
32. Date of Entry:  17 September 1909
33. Name of Vessel:  Canada

As you can see, there are definite differences in the amount of information provided in each of these declarations.

Obviously, the 1939 Declaration of Intention provides a lot more information, including the marriage date and place for Carl and Hilda and a list of their children with each child's date and place of birth. How great is that?

If you find a Declaration of Intention for an immigrant ancestor, congratulations! That's awesome! But don't stop there. Check to see if your immigrant ancestor filled out additional Declarations of Intention. Your immigrant ancestor may be like my great-grandfather Carl, who filled out more than one.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

---

1 Utah State Archives and Records Service; Salt Lake City, Utah; County: Salt Lake; Record Group: Salt Lake County, Third District Court Declarations of Intention Record Books, 1896-1959; Series: 85108. Ancestry.com. Utah, Naturalization and Citizenship Records, 1858-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.^↩

2 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887-1940; Microfilm Serial: M1524; Microfilm Roll: 54. Ancestry.com. U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. ^↩

Fearless Females: March 9 ~ Hilda's Declaration of Intention

Lisa Alzo, author of The Accidental Genealogist blog, has once again presented us with the opportunity to honor our "fearless female" ancestors by providing 31 blogging prompts for the month of March.

Blogging Prompt for March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.

Hilda Maria Carlsson Gillberg

On August 12, 1939 in Los Angeles, California, my great-grandmother, Hilda Maria (Carlsson) Gillberg, signed a Declaration of Intention¹ to become a United States citizen.  According to this document, Hilda was born in Eskilstuna, Sweden on February 17, 1878.  She and her husband, Carl Albert Gillberg, were married on April 3, 1901 in Eskilstuna, Sweden.  Carl was born in Stockholm, Sweden on January 8, 1882.

Hilda Gillberg's Declaration of Intention
From Ancestry.com
(See Footnote)

Hilda and her mother, Karin Johnsson Carlsson joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sweden.  They decided to come to America.  Carl agreed.  Karen emigrated from Sweden to the United States several years before Carl and Hilda.  The 1910 census states Karen's year of immigration as 1891.

Carl, along with two of Hilda and Carl's three daughters, emigrated from Sweden to the United States next.  Hilda and Naomi, the youngest daughter, stayed behind in Sweden.  Carl entered the United States at Chicago, Illinois on September 18, 1909.  Karen, Hilda, and Carl all worked to earn the money needed for Hilda and Naomi to immigrate to America.

This document states that Hilda entered the United States at Sault St. Marie, Michigan on July 4, 1910 on the Canadian Pacific Railway.  At last, the family could be together again!

On the date this Declaration was signed, Hilda was residing in Los Angeles, California.  The document also states that Hilda had eight children and provides the names, birth dates and birthplaces for each of them.  Also mentioned is that these children were all residing in Los Angeles, California at the time this document was signed by Hilda in 1939.

1. Margaret Gillberg –  Born July 20, 1902 in Sweden
2. Naomi Gillberg – Born October 4, 1907 in Sweden
3. Ruth Gillberg – Born June 17, 1911 in Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Ingrid Gillberg – Born November 5, 1913 in Salt Lake City, Utah (my grandmother)
5. Helen – Born September 4, 1915 in Salt Lake City, Utah
6. Ida – Born October 26, 1916 in Salt Lake City, Utah
7. Edith – Born October 26, 1916 in Salt Lake City, Utah
8. Ruby – Born July 15, 1910 in Salt Lake City, Utah

Hilda actually had ten children.  She didn't list the other two, Judith Maria and Carl Martin.  Judith was the oldest child and died in 1914 in Salt Lake City, Utah and Carl died in Sweden when he was only a little over a year old.  Hilda must have only listed her eight surviving children.

Hilda became a United States citizen on November 20, 1942.  I have her Certificate of Naturalization which is contained in one of my Grandma Ingrid's Books of Remembrance.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last 
 

---

1 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Naturalization Records of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Central Division (Los Angeles), 1887-1940; Microfilm Serial: M1524; Microfilm Roll: 55. Ancestry.com. U.S., Naturalization Records - Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.^↩

Sepia Saturday 152 ~ “What’s In The News?”

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.

Today’s Sepia Saturday photo prompt (at end of post) shows a library full of studious young men reading books. The photo I am sharing today doesn’t show a group of young men in a library.  Instead it is a photo of an older gentleman, casually dressed, sitting outside. It is a photo of my paternal Great-Grandfather, Carl Albert Gillberg. Why this photo was taken and who took it, I can’t say.  What I can say is that I’m glad the photo was taken. I found this special photo in one of my Grandmother Ingrid’s Books of Remembrance.

Carl Albert Gillberg
in Salt Lake City, Utah

Carl looks like he’s reading a newspaper. Wouldn’t it be fun to know what he was reading about? Unfortunately, there is no date for this photo. But there is a handwritten note underneath it, written by my Grandmother Ingrid Gillberg (Carl’s daughter). She wrote, “My Dad, sitting on the steps of our home on Grand Ave in Salt Lake City, Utah.”

I’m wondering if my Grandma was mistaken about this home being on Grand Avenue, because when I looked for Grand Avenue on Googlemaps, the only Grand Avenue in Salt Lake City is inside a cemetery.

(Since writing this post, Wendy Mathias of Jollett etc., informed me that there is a Grand Street in Salt Lake City. After checking this out on Googlemaps, this looks to be the likely candidate for where this photo was taken.  Thanks Wendy!)

This photo must have been taken sometime between 1909 and 1930. I surmise this because Carl immigrated to the United States from Sweden in 1909 and by the 1930 census he and his family were living in Los Angeles, California. Both the 1910 census and the 1920 census show Carl and his family living in Salt Lake City, Utah. So, sometime between 1920 and 1930, Carl and his family moved to California.

Carl was born in Stockholm, Sweden on January 8, 1882. He passed away in West Covina, California on May 3, 1963 at 81 years of age. He was a hard-working family man, and did his best to provide for his family. As part of my research, I compiled a list showing Carl’s known occupations.

Occupations for Carl Albert Gillberg:

Before 1909 - According to Canadian Passenger List - Tinsmith in Sweden
1910 Census - Laborer - Tending Mason
1920 Census - Baker at Bakery Company
1930 Census - Baker at Bakery
1940 Census - Vegetable Peddler - Private Truck

That last occupation in 1940 somehow makes me sad for Carl. But, this was during "The Great Depression" so times were hard for most everyone. According to the 1940 Census, Carl was engaged in Public Emergency Work, and was seeking employment. I wrote a previous post about finding Carl and his family in the 1940 census.

While Carl worked as a baker in Utah, he was able to bring home flour sacks which his wife, Hilda, used to make clothing for their children and quilts for the family. I wrote a previous post about this. If you’d like, you can read it HERE. These were humble immigrants who did the best they could to provide for their family.

This is a photo of Carl Albert Gillberg taken in La Puente, California in 1962, the year before Carl passed away.

Carl Albert Gillberg
1962

If you’d like to see “what’s in the news” with other Sepia Saturday participants, just click HERE.




Thanks for reading!

Jana


Copyright © Jana Last 2012