Turn the Hearts...

Last week while we were in St. George I had a delightful Friday morning reading all about Henry Simmons, his wife Catherine Davies and their children who includes Hannah Simmons Gibb. So Henry and Catherine are my great great grandparents. This was on Family Search in Memories and I loved learning about them and then loving them. It was fun to read about their conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the sacrifices they made to come to Zion from England. Hannah was 18 months old when they came and she had “Black Canker” (severe Diphtheria) Her mother took her to someone that called himself a Dr. and he put gun powder in her mouth which did not help and caused her great misery. She then went to a real Dr. and she started to get well very slowly. Her front teeth were hanging by stringy nerves (from the gun powder) and her mother cut them off and threw them in the fire. Woah!!!

One other amazing fact- Henry built a home on a corner in Lehi and it was 2 1/2 stories high. I don’t know exactly what that means but his friends and neighbors teased him that it was too high. He said that he didn’t want to live in a dugout all his life and that a building would be built on this corner that reached to the heaven with a steeple. 40 years later a chapel was built on that site. Grandpa Milt Russon went to that church his whole life. It is not there now but Scott remembers it. His grandparents funerals were there. He told me he would show me that corner sometime. I want to go and see Henry and Catherines graves in Lehi. Matt went to the Lehi Cemetery the very day I had read about them and sent my this photo.

Ok, just one more amazing fact. Henry’s parents were Charles Simmons Jr. and Charlotte Foster. After Charles died his wife went to Australia with another son and his family. Guess where she is buried?!? In Sydney Australia!!!! It has the name and address of the cemetery in Sydney. Sooooo, I’ll get to visit my great great great grandmothers grave in Sydney. Can you believe it? MY HEART is TURNED and thankful.

I love you all.

mom and grandma

I'll try to send photos!