My Younger Big Brother - Blaine Dawson Tonks

I Need Your Help!!

I'm trying to write my brother Blaine's history, but since he is no longer with us I can't just ask him.  I need your help and need your memories of him by August 1, 2012 for our Tonks Family Reunion.

• Blaine was born on: March 3, 1947, in Ogden, Weber, Utah  
• Parents: Franklin Smith & Flora Almina Dawson Tonks
• Blaine was named after: His mother's brother, Blaine Dawson, who pasted away at birth and is buried in the Henefer, Summit, Utah cemetery.
• Brothers & Sisters:  Larry Frank (Sharon Rees), Jolene (Ray Smith), Veloy (Lee Dickson), Dawna (Raymond Millgate).
• Died:  July 21, 1996,in Roy, Weber, Utah
• Buried: Morgan, Morgan, Utah in the South Morgan Cemetery
• Married: Patsy Dalene Clark, on 2 Nov 1966, Riverdale, Weber, Utah
• Children:  Brett, Casey, Stormy

I would like to know more about his:

• Marine experiences, buddies, places stationed, date parade was help in Salt Lake City Utah honoring his platoon before they left, grades & ranks, and anything else you can think of.
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• High School experiences:  friends, FFA participation, and anything else you can think of.
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• Church experiences:  was he in Boy Scouts?  Camps he went on? 
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• Married Family Experiences: 
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• Married Family Vacations:  where, when, who all went, hotels or camping, how long?
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• Work Experiences:  where, when, Venezulia work experience.
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• Hobbies:

If you have any pictures or any memories, please send them to me via my email.

Thanks for your help with this challenging project.

St George Family History Expo Experience

More than 1500 avid genealogists were gathered this weekend in sunny St George Utah for the Family History Expo–and Ray & I were one of them & loved every minute of the excitement:

1. There was a full exhibit hall with software, genealogy how-to books, gadgets with internet and smart phone apps.
2. Classes on these same topics to interest all levels of expertise and knowledge.
3. Ask-the-Pros booth manned by genealogy experts.
4. Prizes given away every hour.

We were there with some wonderful friends from Sandy, Fred & Janis, this is the 4th year we've gone down together, and we have a blast.

The lines for registering were extremely long, so we just stepped out of line and enjoyed the exhibit hall, perusing all the booths, talking to the experts who manned them & extracting as much info from them as we could.

 Susan Easton Black, who is a professor of Church History & Doctrine at BYU in Provo. She is also an author of several books related to Joseph Smith Jr, and the early hsitory of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave the Keynote Address "Your Family History Starts Here".  When she stepped up to the tall podium she disappeared behind it because she is so short, but cute and jolly, so she had to step beside it so we could see her... she has a really good sence of humor.

Afterwards we all went to our separate classes, going 4 separate ways, and meet back at different times for lunch or dinner breaks, were we would talk & compare the different topics.  There were such classes as:
   1. Top 10 Data Issues in new FamilySearch & How to Avoid Them
   2.  Internet Family Tree Building with AGES-online
   3.  Basic Sources: 1775 - 1815
   4.  How to Document your "Common Man" Ancestors in British Land Records
   5.  Diseases, Disasters & Distress: Bad for your Ancestors, Good for your Genealogical Research
   6.  Interview Like a Pro & Get Stories - not just Answers!
   7.  Getting the Scoop on Your Family History in Newspapers; and it goes on & on.

We had a wonderful time.

Make this your priority next year, last weekend in February, and enjoy the excitement of learning & having fun while doing it.

Go to Family History Expo to see what other expo's there are in your area.

What I love about Cemetery's - Tonks/Derricott

Today I went to the South Morgan Cemetery in Morgan, Utah, and just walked around looking at headstones.  I don't know why they interest me so much, but I think it is because to me it is history.  I love to see the names, and then look at the dates and wonder who they were, and what they did.  Some of them have the Pioneer Handcart plaque on them, and it makes me think of the struggles they had to go through just to be here at that time in their lives, in this great country.  I reflected on my past as I recognized teachers of my school days and church attendance, parents of freinds that I had been in their homes, and friends and relatives that have been taken back to their maker too early in their lives,  Cemeteries to me are good memories and a lot of cherished history of people who made Morgan what it is today. 

Some of my ancestors who are buried here are my:

Great Grandfather William Tonks, b: 19 July 1832, Willenhall, Staffordshire, England, d: 29 March 1912.  He  became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 17 July 1850, at Willenhall, Staffordshire, England.

Great Grandmother  Martha Derricott Tonks, b: 24 May 1828, Wrockwardinewood, Shropshire, England,  d: 14 Sept 1911.  She became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 22 Aug 1844, at Willenhall, Staffordshire, England.

William and Martha emigrated from England in the spring of 1856 on a sailing vessel, and were three months on the ocean.

William was a locksmith by trade, and readily received employment at his profession after landing in New York.  They remained in New York City until the early spring of 1859, when they took passage around by way of New Orleans, up the Mississippi-Missouri river to Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Preparatory to taking out on the long and arduous journey of over one thousand miles to Salt Lake City, Utah, they engaged with a man by the name of Bucannon.

They had not gone very far on their journey when their old jade team about gave out; they decided to cut the wagon box in two, making a two-wheeled cart instead of the whole wagon. There not being much luggage, the little box cart easily held it. Their children, George Moroni & William Henry (about one year old), rode in the hind end of it. William & Martha walked the whole distance from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Salt Lake City, Utah.

While the company was camped for dinner, Martha, nearly overcome with fatigue and privation, went and sat under some trees or bushes to rest and soon fell asleep. The company soon went on its way, William supposing that she was somewhere in the company. When she awoke from her tired sleep, she trudged along to try to catch up with the train. She had not gone far when she reached a river or large creek and was in the act of removing her shoes and stockings to wade across when along came a company of men on horseback. They kindly took her across the stream and without hesitation took her to the wagon train, who had stopped to search for her.

In the month of October they reached Salt Lake City, tired and worn out from the long journey, but with thankful hearts that they had reached Zion safely and alive.  William helped to make the first wrought iron nails ever made in Salt Lake City for John Taylor.      Forging Iron Nails from YouTube

Martha Derricott Tonks died September 14, 1911, in Morgan, Morgan County, Utah in the South Morgan Cemetery.  William Tonks died March 29, 1912 and was buried nest to his wife, at Morgan, Morgan County, Utah in the South Morgan Cemetery. 

Family History Expo St George

Heading south this weekend for the annual Family History Expo in St George.  This will be the 4th year we and some friends (Fred & Janis R) have gone.  It is so much fun... and of course warm this time of the year (at least we hope so).  If you ever get the chance, go to one of them... they are all over the country.  Just go to www.familyhistoryexpo.com to look at what they offer in Family History & learning experiences.  By the way, the company operates out of Morgan/Croyden Utah. They offer all kinds of classes and this one runs from Thursday with a tour of St George with Glenn Rosen (TV & radio host), then classes Friday starting at 2:00 to 8:30pm, & then Saturday from 8 to 4:30pm.  Keep posted for more details later.