Flashback Friday - Family History

Today is a special day for my church. Today we celebrate the thousands of pioneers who trekked under harsh conditions to settle in the state of Utah.

This is Enoch Eldridge Gurr. He is my great, great, great, great grandfather. (I believe that's right. There could be one less or an extra "great" in there.) Enoch was a farm servant and ploughman by trade. He grew up in the town of Northiam, a small town in southeastern England.

Enoch and his small family moved to the newly opened land of Australia to seek his fortune. He left his parents and 8 brothers and sisters, never to see them again.

While traveling on the ship for Australia, smallpox broke out. Enoch's wife, Sarah and their baby, Jane, passed away then were buried at sea.

After many months at sea and the loss of his wife and infant daughter, Enoch and his other children, William and Mary landed in Sydney, Australia in the spring of 1838. The following year Enoch remarried and they were blessed with 5 additional children: James, Susannah, Sarah, Peter, and Reuben.

One day two strangers appeared at their home. They were missionaries for the Mormon church. Soon after being taught, Enoch and his family were baptized as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Enoch and his family lived in Australia from 1838 until 1857. It was then, when Enoch and his family set sail on another ship to answer the call of Brigham Young to return "home" to Utah because of problems in Utah.

After 3 months on the ocean, they landed in San Pedro California. They traveled with the Ezra Curtis Company and suffered many hardships crossing the desert in Nevada. Enoch's daughter, Sarah, tells of nearly dying of thirst. Then when a little rain fell they were able to drink the water that collected in the animal tracks. She also told of eating soup made from rawhide.

Enoch's family arrived to Provo, Utah in 1857 where they soon made their home in Parowan and raised their family there.

Enoch Eldridge Gurr

Born: November 27, 1813

Northiam, Sussex, England

Died: March 12, 1887

Benjamin, Utah

I like to think of the legacy that has been created by my dear ancestors of the past. Every triumph, every loss, and every story are the fibers that, sewn together, make up for my beautiful "family quilt". Because of their sacrifices, I am blessed today.

This is a picture of my grandmother and some of her siblings. She is the little girl wearing a big bow in her hair.

The Gurr family. My grandmother is near the center wearing a dark dress and a corsage. My grandpa is standing directly behind her. She was a classy lady!

"No matter if a tree grows to more than a hundred feet in height, each leaf, each day, must return to it's roots for nourishment."

My family in 1998.