King Family History

KING FAMILY HISTORY

Compiled and typed by Sterling King Hixson, 1959.

(Re-typed for digitizing by Richard S. Hixson, April 2006. italics added.)

At the time of this writing, little is known of this family. Thomas Norton King and his wife Rebecka Copp were born somewhere in the State of Pennsylvania. [Census records show Thomas Norton King birth place in New York, and census records show the birth place for Rebecca Copp in Conneticut and Rhode Island]. The only child that I know anything about was Leander Henry, also born in Pennsylvania. The date of his birth was January 26, 1837. This family came to Utah sometime prior to 1866 because Leander married on April 12^th, 1866, in the state of Utah to Esther Elizabeth Young, daughter of Ebenezer and Margaret Holden Young.

Leander King was a restless sort of person and liked the outdoors life. He was well known all along the streams coming from the Uintah Mountains. Because of this desire for outdoor life, he was away from home a great deal and did not provide for his wife and one daughter, as he should. His one daughter, Mary Edith, was born in 1868 at Wanship, Utah. Because of this condition, his wife obtained a divorce from him sometime in the 1890’s and then married a Mr. Dorr Curtis in the month of October 1899. Mr. Curtis died in February 1901.

Leander lived the latter part of his life in Provo. Although I never remembered having seen him while alive, I did attend his funeral. He died on January 10, 1925.

I remember well that my brother Lafe and my father made the trip to his funeral. My grandmother lived either with us or near by and had much to do with caring for me after my mother’s death. She had a bad fall down the steps of a neighbor, Mrs. Sugden, and broke her neck. She was over 70 years of age at the time and was in a cast in the hospital for sometime. She passed away on February 15th, 1932, and was buried in the City Cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her father had a family plot, which was never used by either he or his wife. John Taylor, one of the president’s of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a brother in law to my grandmother King as he married her sister, and is buried in the same plot as she is.

A little effort has been made to establish where this family originated, but at this time nothing has been found. Grandmother King received her endowments on November 22, 1901, but as far as we know she was not sealed in the temple to either of her husbands. We are in the process of having his work done now. Grandfather King will have to be baptized and then they will have to be sealed.

Some family records show that grandmother King was baptized in the year 1857 and I also have a slip made out in 1902 showing that Frank Hixson of Wanship, Utah, the brother of my father, baptized her again in that year. Why she was baptized twice is not known. My uncle Karl seems to think that many people were baptized twice when records were lost in early days, or especially if they had been inactive and then when they wanted to go to the temple. It had to be done over where there was no record of it having been done before.

Since I am the only one left that is in a position to work on this family name, I will attempt to do all I can. The fact that there are no male children born in this family after Leander, the family name had died out.

Young Family History

YOUNG FAMILY HISTORY

Compiled and typed by Sterling king Hixson, 1959.

(Re-typed for digitizing by Richard S. Hixson, April 2006.)

The name of Young is one of the more common names known to us today. The name comes from several European countries. It has a different spelling in this country. The Germans spell it “Jonge”, as do the people in the Netherlands. Many of the branches of their family throughout the country say they have originated in Scotland and England.

People familiar with genealogy classify the Youngs in Utah as being either connected with Brigham Young or otherwise. Brigham Young’s forefathers came from England. Brigham himself was born in New England. Many families of Young have come from around the state of New York. Ours are connected with those coming from Long Island.

Our earliest known forefather in this line was Ebenezer Russell Young, born on Staten Island, New York, in the year 1786. We know that he married Margaret Lockwood on November 2, 1811, and must have had something to do with shipping as it is recorded that he drowned in Long Island Sound sometime in the year of 1814. The fact that he died so soon after his marriage is the reason he only had one child. He was born after his father died. His birth was November 14, 1814. Margaret Lockwood Young remarried and raised a large family by her second husband.

Ebenezer Jr. married Margaret Holden on May 1, 1836, in New York State. He was a merchant in hardware and evidently was very successful. He raised a large and very fine family of which my grandmother was one of his children. My grandmother King, born Esther Elizabeth Young recalls the two missionaries that came to their home and converted part of the family. The missionaries were John Taylor and an Elder Appleby. John Taylor was with the Prophet Joseph Smith at the time he was martyred in the Carthage Prison (jail) and later became president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints himself. These two elders married two of the daughters of Ebenezer Jr., which probably cause the whole family to join the Church. This marriage of John Taylor to Margaret Young resulted in President Taylor being my mother’s uncle, making the President being my great uncle.

Ebenezer Jr. as the result of these important changes in his life sold all his belongings and prepared to move to Utah. He brought what food and hardware he could with him and arrived here in Utah sometime in the 1850’s. He proved his ability as a good merchant by establishing three hardware stores in this area. One was in Salt Lake of First South Street between Main and State. I believe the store was just west of the Federal Reserve Bank building. The second store was opened in the Sugar House district and finally he built his third one in Wanship, Utah. The family prospered and was very active in community life and in the Church. Ebenezer Jr. was bishop of the Wanship ward for many years. My grandfather Hixson was a counselor to him also.

Esther Elizabeth Young, my grandmother, married Leander Henry King on April 12^th, 1866. This coupled had but one child who was my mother, Mary Edith. Her history along with more about her mother will appear in my own family history along with that of the Hixson’s. Ebenezer Jr. died at Wanship on November 23, 1890. His wife preceded him in death by five years. Many of the family have died and others have scattered throughout the West. Some still reside in Wanship. Ebenezer Jr. bought a burial lot in the Salt Lake City Cemetery but never used it. He and his wife are buried in the Wanship Cemetery. President John Taylor and some of his family used the lot and my grandmother King is buried there. At the present time, the remaining Young’s and some of the Taylor descendents are attempting to seek where Ebenezer Sr. parents came from, and it is believed that in due time a lead will be established as much micro filming is being done in England making thousands of records available for our use. The features of this family indicated they no doubt came from Scotland or England.

Hixson Family History

HIXSON FAMILY HISTORY

Compiled and typed by

Sterling King Hixson, 1959.

(Re-typed for digitizing by Richard S. Hixson, April 2006.)

The earliest known Hixson in our line at the present is Jodiah Hixson. We don’t know anything about him or where he was born other than it is supposed that he was born in the United States. The name of Hixson is not at all uncommon. Many contacts have been made but no connection has been made with any other lines. I have contacted a Mark Hixson of the General Electric Co. in San Francisco and uncle Karl Hixson has contacted a family in Los Angeles who are members of our own Church, but to no avail in establishing a line with them. I contacted a Hixson in Tennessee and there are many families in that state. There are so many in one area that a community is named Hixson. They all seem to think they originated in England. The following names comprise my pedigree:

Jodiah Hixson born 1724.

Mathew Hixson born 1757.

Richard Hixson born 1787 in Ohio.

Mathew Hixson born 1811 in Ohio.

James M. Hixson born 1833 in Indiana.

Vantyle M. Hixson born 1866 in Wanship, Utah.

Sometime in the early 1850’s my grandfather James M. Hixson came to Utah and settled in East Mill Creek, a community just to the Southeast of Salt Lake City. It was there that he made acquaintance with the Ranck family and married one of their daughters by the name of Margaret Elizabeth. They were married on November 27^th, 1862. Shortly after that at the request of President Brigham young they moved to Wanship, Utah, and with tow other family settled that area. At the time it was on outpost and they had to fear hostile Indians. This town was named after a great Indian chief. Grandmother and her husband built a house known as the farm and it was between Wanship and Hoytsville. Later they built a house in the town of Wanship where they lived in the winter months. As the community grew, the need for an organized ward of the Church was evident. The Young’s settled there (my great grandparents on my mother’s side, and when Ebenezer R. Young was made Bishop, grandfather Hixson was made his first counselor. They built the church house out of native lumber and stone that was a beautiful landmark until just recently (1958) when it was destroyed by fire. Grandfather Hixson died 11 years before I was born. Grandmother Hixson lived to be 93 and I knew her well. She is one of the standout events that have affected my life to now. She was a sweet, kindly person and was liked as well as any person ever born. Many times have I spent vacations with her and been around when the neighbors would bring the sick into her front room so that the doctor from Coalville could operate on them. Many operations were performed successfully then that would be very risky in a modern hospital today. She told me many times about grandfather guarding the telegraph lines against the Indians.

This couple was the parents of 10 children of which 9 lived long and useful lives. Welcome Ray died when only 2 years old. My father was the third child of this marriage and born in Wanship on October 5^th, 1866. He was raised in that township and met my mother who also was born there. Father was married to mother, Mary Edith King, on October 4^th, 1892, by my mother’s grandfather, Ebenezer R. Young, the bishop. The ceremony was performed at Coalville, Utah. They were sealed to each other in the Salt Lake Temple shortly after, when the temple was completed and opened.

My father and mother lived in Warship at the start of their married life. Dad worked on the railroad section crew for some time, and then purchased a grocery business. Some few years later they decided to move away and try something else. They settled in Park City, Utah. This was a mining community about 25 miles closer to Salt Lake Valley. Dad worked in the mills where the gold and silver reached their final stages of processing. Up to this time, Lafe, Lee and Lisle were born in Wanship. Lee died about a year and half after birth of spinal menigitus. He was buried in the family plot at Wanship. Glenn was born in Park City shortly after the turn of the 20^th century. At this time the family made another move to try to better themselves. They went to Stateline, Utah, a mining camp close to the Utah-Nevada border. I believe the nearest town in that area would be Ophir. My brother Lafe has told me about their experiences while in that mining camp and they shared their good fortune with their bad with many friends that they made while there. Dad was a good photographer and made many pictures that Lafe has in his possession now. At that time the art of photography was the big and coming thin g. It was here that brother Glen became ill and the folks took him to Salt Lake City for treatment. What ever it was cleared up but it was decided to move into the city for better living conditions.

Dad bought into a livery stable business where the present Greyhound bus depot is, West Temple and South Temple on the Southwest corner.

They rented a house at 353 West 3^rd north, a house setting back off the street. Lafe recalls that they were force4d to move and at that time they bought a house at 727 4^th Avenue. At that time, around 1905, the Avenues were conside3red the show place of the valley. It was in this house that I was born on April 12^th, 1913. In 1906 dad sold his interest in the livery stable and went to work for the Utah Light and Traction Col., where he remained until he was pensioned in 1939. He said the reason for this change was that he could foresee the automobiles eventually crowding the horses out of the picture.

I faintly remember the influenza epidemic and the World War 1. It was at this time that mother became ill. After some length, she went to the hospital and was operated on. They found that she had cancer. Her mother at this time fell and broke her neck and was in a cast in the same hospital. Mother was brought home on August 19, 1919. She died and was buried in Wanship on August 22^nd.

Within a short time Lafe married and then Glenn was married. In 1923 Lisle married and my Grandmother King took care of me for some time. She lived close by. On February 14^th, 1924, dad married Agnes Lusty, and old acquaintance from Coalville and also connected with the family in as much as she was the sister of Lafe’s mother in law. Agnes took over the care of the home but shortly after dad bought a house at 1390 South 11^th East in the city, close to the parents of Agnes. It was here that I was further raised until I married Ellen.

Dad lived until retirement age in 1939 and then spent a winter in the Hawaiian Islands while Lafe and his family was stationed in Hilo. Just before Christmas in 1942 dad suffered a mild heart attack and on April 3^rd, 1943, died while working in his garden. He was buried my mother out at Wanship. At the time of this writing, Lafe, Lisle and Glenn are alive, as is Agnes. Some dates that are interesting that are connected with dad are the following. He was ordained a Seventy on January 19, 1914, by Joseph W. McMurrin, and to the office of a high priest on April 29^th, 1928, by George E. Wooley. He received his patriarchal blessing on March 15, 1888, by John Smith. His marriage to Agnes was in the Salt Lake Temple by Apostle Joseph Fielding Smit

Post Cards From My Grandpa Hixson

My Grandpa Hixson died in Salt Lake City when I was nearly 4 years old. We were living in Grace, Idaho, at the time of his death. I don't remember him but love him still the same, because of all the stories I remember hearing from my Dad. And these post cards, found after Dad passed away, has made my Grandpa real to me. He speaks of me, wishing I could stay with him, that I would be no trouble at all. My sister Judy had just been born and he was feeling bad that he and Grandma Agnes weren't able to help. Grandpa was not well and passed away on the 3rd of April, 1943.

3 and 4 Generations of Hixsons

Our "newest baby" with his own newest baby, making it 4 generations.

From left to right: myself, Parker, Scott, Jefferson, and my dad. Dad holding our newest baby, Scott Richard Hixson, with myself looking proud.

A Tribute To Dad

A TRIBUTE TO STERLING KING HIXSON AT HIS FUNERAL ON 13 SEPTEMBER 1997 BY HIS SON RICHARD STERLING HIXSON

May I begin by expressing how beautiful and reverent both the flowers and music are. They are both some of heaven on earth.

To four, fortunate children, my two sisters called him daddy and we two sons called him dad. Twenty-two called him grandpa, and sixteen great-grandchildren called him either grandpa Sterling or grandpa “H”, and to countless others he was also affectionately called “grandpa”. To the rest of the world he will be remembered simply and lovingly as Sterling, but a few, perhaps, may still remember him by his nickname, Bud.

It is fitting that one of all those pay tribute to dad. I requested to be that one, and pray for the spirit to be with me as I represent all of us children and grandchildren.

To you, his children, you have been blessed to have such a dad. He was one in a million, and to him you must be grateful. He helped to bring you into this life. He raised you and he taught you the correct principles of life. Under his care you learned to be good people. By his example alone, you knew, and know, how to pattern your lives. I admonish you to continue to follow that example, in order that we will be worthy to once again be with him where he is today.

To you grandchildren, and yes, to all of you who called him grandpa, you have the best grandpa in the whole wide world. To you very young ones, you may mostly remember that he was old and couldn’t hear too well, and kept asking, ‘what did you say?’, or you may even remember that his arms looked bruised and thin. While that is all true, it isn’t how I remember him when I was young.

I remember taking him a hot dinner, when he was on night shift at the Grace Power Plant. Mom would fix a plate of hot food, from our evening meal, put the plate in a big, straw colored basket, cover it with a dish towel, and I would carry it down the hill to the power plant and up the long, narrow stair way to his office, where I sat and watched him eat his hot meal, while I visited and looked at the meters and switches on the big board in front of his desk.

This was much like the last story dad told Luan and me. It was Sunday, the 24th of August, just three weeks ago, when we took him a hot sunday dinner. Dad said to us, “I remember when my dad was a street car operator in Salt Lake. My mother died when I was just 5 years old and I did a lot of things with my dad. I remember eating breakfast with him when he had early shifts. He packed enough food for both of us. We would go down to the barn and he’d find out what car he’d been assigned. He’d put the trolley up and get it ready, then go in and turn on the heaters on the seats. He would lift one of the seats up and put the sandwiches on the heater so it would toast them. That was fun; I looked forward to that”, he said.

I remember that he painted houses and repaired electric razors for extra money... in the winter, we made home made ice cream, using the ice from the water that froze as it leaked from the cracks in the sides of the flume.

He was very particular and even a perfectionist.... When he came home from work he would start picking up and straightening to help mom, and he would always help do the dishes. His desk and belongings were immaculate. Papers would be lined up in even fashion, nothing crooked. It was always strait and organized....

All of us remember Saturday chores with dad, that included cleaning windows, inside and out. He would be on one side and we would be on the other. He’d point to spots he could see that were not clean, even though we thought they were.... The lawns needed to be mowed the right way. He was always teaching ‘if it was worth doing, it needed to be done right’.

I remember our first television and wire recorder. He loved to watch Ed Sullivan, Perry Mason, Carol Burnett, and the Honeymooners. We loved to laugh with him as he enjoyed their comedy.

Saturday nights were family home evening nights for us, and we always had home made hamburgers with all of the trimmings. He would turn the bun upside down and toast it on the greasy, hot frying pan. When I became a teenager, and wanted to go out with my friends, I had a difficult time deciding between my friends and the home made hamburgers with my family.

It was a family event when dad called to our attention the car’s speedometer. He loved to have us all watch as the numbers slowly turned over to all the same numbers, such as all eights or nines....

He was never at rest until he had found and fixed every last squeak he could hear in the car.... I remember him teaching me how to drive in our old, stick-shift, pickup truck when I was fourteen. In addition to learning how to shift and use the clutch, he would have me see if I could keep the left side tires on the yellow line, trying to teach having control of the vehicle.

After moving from Grace to North Salt Lake and Bountiful, mom went to work. He would meet her downtown, to bring her home, and we each wanted to go with him.... He taught a lot about life as we watched the people walk up and down the sidewalk, as we waited for mom to finish her work. We are sure there were times that he would have preferred to go get mom by himself, so they could be alone together.

He loved baseball, especially the new york yankees, and each year the world series was a big event. He would tell us what was going on and we had our own personal, on-sight, color announcer.

He took the time to do things with his kids and their friends, including coaching little league, and trips to ensign peak.

The back yard was a special place. It housed his sun dial, the specially made play house for the girls, the homemade miniature golf courses with his sons, made with tuna fish cans, and the B-B gun target contests with his grand sons....

The grandchildren remember the quarters he would give them to buy a treat, or the magic tricks with the apple, the candy he would “blow” into a candy wrapper, and the dime that magically turned into a quarter. (Perhaps that is where all of the quarters came from to give to the grandchildren)....

He would teach them dutch songs, like “klap eens in je handjes blij, blij, blij, op je bolle koppetje alle bei. Zo varen de scheepjes voor bij, zo varen de scheepjes voor bij”.

He played the piano by ear and today we can think of that as we hear a piano medley.... Remember his money clip and how some of us now follow his example and have neatly folded, all in the same direction, dollar bills? - or more than dollars for those who are rich.

One granddaughter said, “I also loved it when he called me his “princess”. He said it in a way I felt I was the only one he said that to. But I knew he always called his daughters, and the other granddaughters, that too”......

Another said, “I’ll always remember grandpa “H” as a master-story teller. You wouldn’t have to talk long to him, to get him started on an interesting experience in his life, involving him or his family. I remember how descriptive and detailed he was and how much emotion and love for his family was revealed during his accounts of the past. Listeners became enthralled and entertained as grandpa was able to reminisce and even laugh at himself”.

Jana said, “I only met him twice, but those two times I noticed a peaceful attitude, a willingness to do whatever was asked of him”.

One grandson said, “I remember many wonderful things about grandpa, but two things stick out the most: his beautiful smile and laugh - it was very contagious; the second was his yellow toyota truck and our picture with all the grandkids piled in the back of it”.

Another grandson remembered the trips to Carmacks for donuts and root beer. Grandpa would always say, “grandma won’t let me come home unless I spend all this money”. He would also pay money for four-leaf clovers.

Still another grandson said, “grandpa used to leave the Chevy un-locked, hoping someone would steal it”. (He didn’t like the color blue). And almost everyone remembers how he would always drive away with his car door open, the door shutting by itself, as he pulled away from the curb.

It was also expected that anyone who was to get married had to seek his permission and approval first, and then, when that was done, without exception, each new person felt accepted for who he/she was.

Finally, the greatest of all of the memories and legacy, is his love and caring for everyone. Attention to others included: anonymous contributions, cards, letters, phone calls, visits, a touch on the shoulder, a hug, a genuine compliment, a tiny ring for each child and grandchild, generous tips and the paying of the bill.....and so much, much more. This is the dad, and grandpa, we all knew.

Luan’s mother wrote the following poem, that I pray will be an everlasting message to all of us:

What blessed heritage to be- a good ancestral family.

‘Tis more they give than wealth and fame

to carry on untarnished name. I’m like a plant with roots and stem-

so much of me is part of them. Will others follow, proud to see

that part of them is part of me.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

5 Hixson Generations- Richard Sterling 1939- Sterling King 1913-1997 Vantyle Mack 1866-1943 James Monroe 1833-1902 Mathew 1811-1872