This is my 4th great-grandfather, Morris Charles Phelps:
I love reading stories about the adventures and trials he and his wife Laura experienced as converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in its early days in Missouri and Illinois. Among other things, he was at one time imprisoned with the prophet Joseph Smith, Parley P. Pratt, and others. Morris’s wife Laura actually helped rescue him from prison. She was a brave woman of whom Joseph Smith wrote after her death: “Sister Laura Phelps, wife of Morris Phelps, died, aged 36 years. She was driven from Jackson county in 1833, was in the persecution of Missouri, in 1838, and went from Iowa to Missouri to assist in liberating her husband, and was left in the prison yard when he made his escape, willing to suffer all the abuses a savage horde could inflict upon her to set her companion free from the grasp of his murderous enemies. Her rest is glorious.” [History of the Church Volume 4, p. 513]. What a wonderful tribute and a treasure for our family.
A few years ago, I discovered (after having lived in this area for over a decade) that Morris Phelps was one of the first settlers of the neighboring town of Alpine, Utah. I knew a fair amount about his life prior to his migration to Utah, but not much about his life after. It was interesting to learn that he lived so close to my own home.
In reading a brief history of the town of Alpine, I learned that Morris was one of its first settlers. Here is a diagram of the fort that was built for protection from the Indians. The Phelps home was in the upper right-hand corner of the fort:
The history also states that Morris built a saw mill at the mouth of what is still known as “Phelps Canyon” and he sold his farm to John Rowe Moyle in 1864 prior to Morris’s move to Bear Lake, Idaho. This was interesting because I knew of a Moyle Park in Alpine. The park was created on the land owned by John Rowe Moyle and was donated to the city by his descendants some time ago. I went on a drive one afternoon and found not just a park, but a home-turned-small-museum, a restored “Indian Tower,” and several outbuildings.
I had a great time perusing some of the history books in the museum and walking the land where Morris and his family may have walked. I love connecting with my ancestors in this way, and was very excited to find this opportunity so close to home!
Do you have ancestors that lived or had life events close to your home? If you are unsure, you can use the Family Search Family Tree app to help you discover whether you do:
From the Home Page of the app, tap the “More” icon in the bottom right corner. Then, tap “Map My Ancestors.”
“Map My Ancestors” populates a map showing where life events of your ancestors occurred. Zoom in to your location to view events in your area. You can see that I have 10 events near Alpine, Utah.
Tapping on the “10” icon takes you to a list of people and tells you what event occured in that area. Tap a name to learn more. It’s that simple!
This would also be a fun feature to use when planning a trip. Zoom in on the area you will be visiting to see if any of your ancestors have life events that occurred in that area. Maybe you can add a stop to your travel itinerary!
I love that the “Map My Ancestors” tool from Family Search can aid discoveries that are close to home OR on the road. When is the last time you walked where your ancestors walked? I would love to hear your experiences. Leave a comment below to share!
