JOHN WILLIAM CHITTIM AND SUSANNAH STALEY CHITTIM
~Grandmother Nora's father's great grandparents~
~Grandmother Nora's father's great grandparents~
These are the grandparents of Eliza (Elida) Lard, the mother of Worth T Bellamy, Grandmother Nora's father. This has been a very confusing search. Between LDS Family Search and Ancestry.com, I have found so much variation in statistics that they might be different people, but enough of the same statistics that I'm sure they are all of the same person. I'm guessing the differences have come because of different people who are posting these "facts."
Family search and Ancestry both have John William Chittim being born in North Carolina in May 1800, but Family Search puts his christening in Warwickshire, England, which I am quite sure is not possible. His parents are William Chittim (about 1776) and Hannah Whitmire (1780). His parents were married in Coventry, England in 1796, so if he was born in North Carolina, they must have traveled there right after their wedding. Most of the sites, from descendants of their children, say that he was born in North Carolina, so I am inclined to go with that. I doubt that they would have rushed back to England to have him christened. I find it interesting that Dad has North Carolina connections too. William and Susannah (or Susan) Staley were married on September 6, 1823 in Randolph, North Carolina. Randolph is about halfway between Charlotte and Raleigh. Susannah was born on March 12, 1804, in Randolph, N.C., to Conrad Staley (1778-1883) and Catherine Kate Smith (1773-1865), the 4th of 13 children. Interestingly, her mother was 24 and her father was 19 when they were married. John William, Susannah's husband, died in 1847, only 47 years old, but they had either 9, 11, or 12 children by then. Family Search says 9, a descendant of his son says 12, and I could find 11. Susannah was 41 when she had her 12th (or 9th or 11th) child. She died on June 18, 1893, in Clinton County, Missouri, where she lived after her husband died.
JOHN ADAMS AND DEBORAH DAMON (DEMON) (EVANS)ADAMS
~Papa Ellis's father's great grandparents~
These are Syrina Billings Piercy's mother's parents. Syrina was Papa's grandmother. The Chittims, above, were very confusing because I found so much conflicting information, but these were frustrating because I found so little information. In fact, on Family Search, they are the end of the line, showing no parents for either of them. So we have work to do, for sure. When I Googled
John Adams, of course, I got the great patriot of the Revolution. Our John Adams was born in Dorsetshire, England in either 1750 or 1770 (Family Search date), and was married to Deborah Damon (Demon) in 1785. The marriage date is correct, I think, because I found a marriage record among a list, that came from St. Peter's Church in Dorchester England, listing the marriage of John Adams and Deborah Damon. In Family Search, she is listed as Deborah Demon. This record seems to clarify John's birth date. If he was born in 1770, that would make him just 15 years old when he was married. I tend to credit the earlier birth date of 1750. I couldn't find any other reference to Deborah Damon, and of course when I Googled Deborah Demon I just got random movies and books about demons. When I was writing the Ellis and Nora book, the name that I found on Dad's records was Deborah Evans. I don't know why or where he got that name. But that is what is in your book. So find Syrina Billings Piercy and trace her line back to John Adams and Deborah Evans and write beside it "Damon or Demon." I think her birth date of 1754 is correct, which would also point to 1750 as the correct date for John. This is St. Peter's Church in Dorchester, Dorset, England., where they were married. Interestingly, Dorset is on the coast of Southwest England, where Syrina's father's family as well as her mother's family was from... the Celtic area that was known as "the lawless coast" because of smuggling.
John Adams and Deborah Damon (Demon) both died and were buried in England. It was their granddaughter, Syrina Billings Piercy who emigrated to America with her husband Thomas Biggs after their conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1846.
*Birthdays*
Thankfully, our July birthdays won't be lost to history due to too little information or conflicting information. They are too important to be forgotten.
Dad turned 78 on the 16th.
Jonathan turnd 17 on the 22nd.
Jeremy's birthday was the 23rd.
Joel and Stephanie's 30th anniversary was the 24th.
Taylor's birthday was the 27th.
Devynne's birthday was the 30th
Maya turned 9 on the 31st.
Henry turned 7 on the 31st.
~OUR JULY~
I always look forward to July because it is the only month all summer that we get clouds and rain. It has been unbelievably hot, but then, a storm would blow in and we would get some sweet relief, even if it was only a few raindrops. Once in a while, it was a nice rain. One time, a storm knocked out the power in a whole block of downtown Safford, including El Charro. It was Tuesday evening, Dad's birthday and we were in the temple. Thomas and Jenn, as well as Mary and Tyson, were with us. As soon as Thomas got out, he was trouble-shooting and calling people about the blackout, but nothing could be done and he had to close the restaurant. It could have been worse; it could have been a weekend or Monday lunch, big times for El Charro. In spite of inconveniences, I still love our July storms; I just wish we had more of them this July. They were few and far between. We did get a good hard rainfall on the 31st that the kids enjoyed playing in.
As the birds enjoy the seeds Dad has put out for them, they dropped whole sunflower seeds to the ground, which then sprouted and became a beautiful sunflower.
The window feeder that Thomas gave Dad a year ago or so, is a favorite restaurant for our backyard flocks. Sometimes we get interesting and unusual birds, like cardinals or the Orioles below, but usually, the doves monopolize it, driving all the rest away.
Esther and some of her family came a day early for the 4th, so we got together on the 3rd. I was planning on taking meatballs to Rachel that night, so I just invited them over to our house and made enough for Esther's family too. Then that evening, Thomas's family came over to play. Mary's family was at Brentwood, celebrating with Tyson's parents who were caretakers at the camp.
Poor Isabel was feeling pretty sick, but she was a trooper until she tried to eat something.
For some unfathomable reason, Bridger and Luke were loading Maya up with heavy rocks for her ride down the slide.
She was such a good sport that they let her play bean bag toss with them.
Rachel posted an invitation to our 4th of July party the next day.
We even did body/face painting for the occasion.
And, of course, we went swimming.
Rebecca and her family were dressed in these cute white star shirts that she got at Walmart, so when everyone else wanted one, she went back and got more.
Other patriotic shirts were also sported that day.
It was fun, just hanging out with some of our favorite people.
Thankfully, Isabel felt better that day.
We (Tony) cooked steaks on Thomas's grill and everyone brought side dishes, including Esther's red/white/blue jello cake.
That night, Rachel had a Stranger Things party. Dad and I have never seen that show, but it surely seems popular with everyone else. We went over just to see what all the fuss was about, and got there in time to watch the kids set off fireworks.
The next evening, the 5th, we attended a Temple session with our friends and former presidency members and then went to Super Wok for dinner. It was so nice to catch up and see everyone. It's surprising that in such a small town...temple district...we never see them...even at the temple.
On Saturday, Dad performed the sealing for Sherri O'Neal and her new husband at the Gila Valley Temple, and then on Sunday, Mary invited us to her house for dinner.
That night, for the regular Sunday evening visits, she brought ingredients to make oven s'mores. They were a hit!
That was the night that Isabel had to go to the ER because she was vomiting uncontrollably. See pictures in Rachel's section.
On Tuesday, Ellie went in to have Karl straighten her broken nose. See pictures in Jeremy's section.
That night, we went to see The Other Side of Heaven2. We met some of our kids there, so it became another family party. I enjoyed the movie. Elder Groberg was one of our St. Johns conference visitors, so it made it special to us to see these events in his life.
Mary invited us to dinner again the next Sunday, for grilled, yummy pork chops.
On Monday, the 15th, the day before Dad's 78th birthday, we had a Masa Monday to celebrate. Rebecca was going to be gone the next day to Lydia to meet her incoming children and grandchildren, so she wanted us to have it early so she could participate. Rachel and some of her kids were already in California with Esther and her family. (Lots of pictures in their sections.) It was a very fun, festive party celebrating our dear patriarch. We had Masa, cupcakes for the kids and Rebecca's lemon meringue pie for the adults.
Tony, Rylie and Brandon came to represent Rachel's family.
The next morning, Thomas made breakfast for us and Mary's family and Rebecca (she didn't leave for Mesa until after breakfast)...hashbrowns, eggs, muffins that Mary made, and watermelon. We ate at their house.
Grandpa and two families of grandchildren.
To top off a perfect birthday, Thomas, Jenn, Mary, Tyson all went with us to do sealings at the Temple. We had a stack of family members who were glad to finally get sealed together.
After the temple, we ate at Jumbo with everyone.
I saw this picture that Brad had posted and I wanted to share it with all of you. He looks so good and seems to be enjoying his life and his grandchildren.
After Rebecca got back to town with her children and grandchildren (Allison with Harvey and Lucy, Sara with Parley) she brought them over to see the great grandparents and play on Grandpa's playground.
One time, Thomas was at our house and I mentioned how much I wanted to have lights in the ceiling in our family room. He said he knew a great electrician who would come right over and do it. So he called Gila Electric and they came the next morning and put the lights in. It only took about an hour and a half and what a difference! I love it.
Our kids and grandkids are so much help to us. In the yard, garden, pool, house, everywhere, Mary and Tyson were there one day when Dad's new printer wasn't working, so they figured it out with a lot of help, via phone, from Jeremy.
Saturday the 20th, was the Pioneer Day celebration in the Gila Valley. We didn't go to anything, but our kids did, so look for pictures in their sections.
On the 23rd we celebrated Jeremy's birthday by taking the missionaries to El Charro. One of them, Elder Judi, reminded me of Brianna and Alex.
On Wednesday, the 24th, Joel and Stephanie's anniversary, Rebecca invited everyone over for pizza and swimming so we could all spend some time with her kids and grandkids before they had to go home.
On the 26th, we went to the Hiatt reunion in Pine. Lisa and Deon were in charge this year and they had a French theme. Paris is called the City of Light, so they based it around our need to seek light by staying close to Christ, the Light of the World. He even had an Eiffel Tower! Also, French pastries, but he couldn't neglect the brisket dinner even if it isn't French. Too many people, except Mary, love it. In fact, Mary brought Tyson to the reunion before they were married, and he fell in love with brisket. He said he married her for her brisket!
We had a very nice, though scattered representation from our children. Joel and Stephanie, Levi and Crew, who have a house in Pine, were already there when we got there on Friday. They stayed all day Saturday and participated in activities that day. They had to leave that night so they could attend a missionary homecoming the next morning.
Jeremy, Reygan and Ellie came up Saturday afternoon for a few hours. We were glad to see Ellie looking so good after her surgery. Karl had repaired her broken nose and it looked great. He says it still has some swelling, but it looked good to me.
Then on Sunday, Thomas and Jenn and their family,
and Mary and Tyson and their family all came early enough for pictures and church...and brisket.
The reunion, as always is a mixture, going from the sublime to the ridiculous. We had a few tiny babies and some silly games. In the top picture, Roma Lee is holding her grandson, Lincoln's newest son and Nancy is holding Brint's newest son. In the bottom picture, everyone got a kick out of throwing pies at Mona Lisa...aka Charlie Naegle.
For some reason, maybe the white hair, a couple of Karl's grandsons took a liking to Dad and wanted to sit on his lap.
Porch swing; Cutchen circle; Phil; craft table
Jan, Nancy, Tom; cakewalk to see who gets to throw pies at Charlie; Eiffel Tower all lit up
Phil came over to visit; Also Nancy and Reygan; Lincoln and red-haired son, Emily rubbing my shoulders and winning my undying gratitude.
Karen and Brooklyn came to visit; Eiffel Tower and pastry stand; Biggs circle; Maya and Lindsay in front of the Eiffel Tower
Dad and Joel going for the golf carts to drive up to their house; the family auction with Stephen Clouse, Betsy's husband; the gold pens engraved with Rudger P. Hiatt that Jeremy bought after a lively bidding battle with Chris Gibbons(he just couldn't let Chris get them when he wasn't even named Rudger); and the D Day plate Mother and Daddy got at a Rotary convention in Normandy, and Grandma Brinton's hanky that I bought.
This is Mila, Karl's granddaughter, who saw a huge elk cow behind the woodpile. She said she wanted to ride it, so Karl started taking video of her going back there. He figured as soon as the elk saw Mila it would run away, but no...it turned and chased her! It must have had a baby hidden somewhere nearby. It must be the season for nursing elk and deer. There was one hidden by Joel's house. See his section.
That night was the activity portion of the reunion. We stayed for part of it...the fashion show, complete with bobble heads that Emily made...but went to bed early and missed the talent show.
On Sunday, we took the obligatory family picture. Thomas and Jenn's family and Mary and Tyson's family were in it, but I regretted that Jeremy and his girls and Joel and Stephanie and their boys weren't in it.
A gathering for church. It was truly a spiritual feast.
Deon conducted and spoke; I gave a report on our missionaries-Docker, Albert, Harrison; Mary bore her testimony along with a grandchild from each family. It was so touching to me, I wept with gratitude. It is just what we pray for every day, that our children will stay close to the Lord.
Waiting for dinner
Babies and brisket
Old folks; Reygan and Ellie; Biggs family circle; Natalie Morgan, Emily's daughter, who sings the Hiatt Family Name Song, came and played ukuleles with Brianna.
After dinner, Thomas, Jenn, Mary, Tyson drove over to Joel's with us to see their fabulous house and property. I love the outside as much as the inside.
We drove to Gilbert after we left Pine. The next day we had lunch (we got Chick-Fil-A) at Esther's; Mary caught us brushing our teeth the next morning; Thomas and Mary helping with things that needed to be done at Lydia.
The last day of July is always special as it has 2 birthdays close by so that we can participate. Maya turned 9 and Henry turned 7 on the 31st. They invited us over for dinner and ice cream cake.
~NATHAN AND SHAUNA~
Bethany with some of her pretty friends. I wonder if being pretty is a requirement in that group 😉
Bethany with some of her pretty friends. I wonder if being pretty is a requirement in that group 😉
Joshua's preservationist pictures. These are some of my favorites.
Hannah and Seth with his family at the Fort Collins Temple.
Jovie is a budding artist; who loves pizza and princesses.
Hannah and Seth are moving into Nathan and Shauna's newly refurbished and decorated basement while Seth finishes school. I know how much we appreciated having an available parents' basement when our kids were going to school.
Palmer and Jovie
Bethany and Palmer took some friends and spent a few days at the cabin.
~JOEL AND STEPHANIE~
Lindsay and Junie celebrating the 4th of July
Joel and Stephanie and their boys spent some time in the cool pines at their lovely home.
On Friday of the reunion, after we got to the cabin, we went with Joel and Stephanie and the boys to a restaurant in Pine. It was actually pretty fabulous food 😋
Jan and Kristen went with us to see their house.
And their baby deer. A doe had hidden her faun in the bushes by Joel's back porch and left it there, safely tucked away while she foraged for food. It stayed there, without moving, all day! Later, she came back to get it, but we were all there watching, so she sat as far away as she could while keeping an eye on us. Finally, after everyone left, she came and got her baby. It was about the size of a football, all curled up in the leaves.
They bought this sweet little A-frame cabin. It has 3 bedrooms and a bathroom and a nice little kitchen. I think they are thinking about renting it out.
~DANIEL AND CONNIE~
Parker posted this picture of the sight of the snow-covered mountains in the sunset that he saw on his way home from work in the caverns.
Parker posted this picture of the sight of the snow-covered mountains in the sunset that he saw on his way home from work in the caverns.
Daniel's family also grilled steak for the 4th of July celebration.
Shannyn with her lifeguard friends and coworkers.
Emma at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.
Shadrach and Hannah enjoying the Millerton Lake in California with friends.
Analynn and Emma, again at Glenwood Caverns, with a friend.
Some more of Connie's Amazing cakes that Shannyn is posting.
Emma got her braces off! Wow! What a beauty!
Shannyn took a friend to Glenwood Caverns were Parker is a trail guide.
Their new barn from the road; feeding the babies their bottles
Jonathan turned 17 on the 22nd. His Amazing Connie cake.
Shannyn went to Missouri to visit Devynne for a week or so and thankfully, took lots of pictures.
Also Bennion Family pictures from Devynne.
Devynne's birthday is the 30th, and I saw this picture on Instagram. I don't know if Analynn was in Missouri or if Devynne was in Colorado, but that cake looks so so good!
~REBECCA AND SCOTT~
Star shirts for the 4th of July
The Atkinsons at the lake.
Dallin and Sara have left New York for Virginia where he is serving an internship with an architect firm. Before leaving, they visited NYC.
Parley loving the beach in Virginia.
Their apartment building and the view from their deck. They live in an old, historic part of town, in a nice, roomy apartment.
Dallin's first day of work as an architect.
They are near a cool park.
Parley's teepee bed
Lillian and Kellin enjoying water sports in Southern Utah before he got sick.
His tonsils were so bad that there was nothing else to do but remove them. He had a pretty hard recovery, as most do who get their tonsils out after childhood...as Esther and Tyson can attest.
Polly and friends on the mountain
DeWitt and Polly went to Washington for a few days and then helped Allison bring her babies to Arizona.
Face time magic with the grandparents. They pretend to throw a toy through the air and it lands, magically, right in front of the kids.
Having fun in WA
Parley and Harvey greeting each other at the airport. It took a few minutes and a toy to overcome the initial shyness.
They loved Papi's backyard rabbits.
Lucy loved everything!
Parley and Harvey really bonded and enjoyed playing together. Nothing like a cousin/friend.
At Grandpa's playground
They were here for the Pioneer Day celebration, parade and picnic
At Rebecca's pizza/swimming party.
Playing in the pool with Grandma Becca was the best!
And just enjoying being together.
They made a trip to the catwalk before everyone left.
Adorable grandchildren
Dallin is as enthralled with gorgeous architecture as Joshua is.
Taylor's birthday was the 29th, after his family finally got back home.
~JEREMY AND ERIKA~
Jeremy and Erika made a trip to California, enjoying their beautiful, not-so-hot weather.
Little Queen Victoria
Tayte "helped" Ellie recover by trying to experience the same thing she was going through after her surgery...not being able to breathe.
Reygan helped Daynen with a movie he was making.
At the reunion
Ellie and her doctor/uncle Karl at the reunion.
~RACHEL AND TONY~
What a sick little mama; at our house on the 3rd.
Feeling better, and proud, on the 4th.
Rylie painting a flag on Luke
The whole Alder clan on the 4th
Stranger Things party on the 4th
Isabel had such a hard time keeping anything down for several days, and finally had to go to the ER again. They determined that she was dehydrated and gave her an IV which helped a lot. Logan got bored, so he entertained himself braiding her hair and playing with the medical equipment.
Big Gender Reveal. Logan wanted a girl; Isabel wanted a boy.
Rachel has had critters at her house...as always.
Rachel and Luke and Brynlie and Camille went to California with Esther and her family. Isabel and Harrison went up in the middle of the week to finish off with their families.
Mormon Battalion monument
Camille made a memory wall of pictures about her fabulous trip
Logan with his firefighter team and a picture of an area where the fire was burned out.
It was nice for him, and Isabel when he was able to go home for a few days.
We had a wonderful gully washer in the middle of the month that almost flooded Rachel out.
At Rebecca's pizza/pool party
Rylie with one of Rebecca's bunnies and a post by Brandon showing how they will look in 40 years or so.
Brynlie and Camille have been a lot of help to Rachel at Ashley because after her surgery she can't lift anything for quite a while yet; a temple visit.
It's always a thrill (in spite of the look on Camille's face) to run into family at the store.
~ESTHER AND SHAD~
They came to Safford the 3rd and 4th to help us celebrate Independence Day
Lifeguarding; raising the flag; patriotic girl; at Rachel's Stranger Things party
Esther and Shad and their family spent a week in San Diego for Shad's continuing education seminars and just for fun. They took Rachel and Luke and Brynlie and Camille, and Isabel later.
Sand sculptures
Wave boards in their condo.
Stripes are all the rage. Perfect for California; in the back of Melissa's car. Melissa, Sara and Cutchen attorney's were also there, as well as Lisa and Deon, who were invited to go with Sara and Charlie.
At the beach; Mormon Battalion Monument
After Harrison and Isabel arrived; It was cold enough on the beach to cover up with a blanket; you never get too old to need your mom to put sunscreen on you.
At dinner with all the Hiatt lawyers (Brown, Naegle, Crider, Cutchen)
The Brown family enjoying the cool beach house
While Esther's family was gone, their house was being painted, inside and out. This is what they saw when they drove up, then how she made them repaint it.
Before; During...
After...This is how it looked when they got home.
Mary and Tyson, Thomas and Jenn and their kids all went to Sunsplash on the 28th, so they took Soren and Brody with them.
~THOMAS AND JENN~
Jenn's summer posts
At our house on the 4th
At Dad's Masa Monday birthday party
At their house on the 16th for Dad's birthday breakfast
I took this picture of Rebecca in front of his fireplace. It's a work in progress, but it is coming along nicely.
Thomas bought a jet ski from someone who gave him a good price.
For Pioneer Day, Jenn ran in the 5k race. So proud of her.
A family proud of their mom
Jenn's mom, Anna, came for the 24th celebration; at the parade and picnic; don't she and Maya look so much alike?
And fireworks
Thomas and Jenn and their family went with Mary and Tyson's family, and Soren and Brody, to Sunsplash
At the reunion, holding Lincoln's baby
Mona Lisa smiles: Kirtlyn; Thomas; Hyrum; Maya
After the reunion, their family went to the lake to try out their new jet ski. They had a great time and are looking forward to going again before it gets too cool.
Maya and Henry are twins...2 years apart. Their birthday is the 31st of July and they invited us over for dinner and ice cream cake.
~MARY AND TYSON~
For the 4th of July week, Mary and Tyson went to a Richins family reunion at Brentwood. Tyson's parents are caretakers at the camp. They pitched tents and got dirty and loved every minute.
"Here, Mom, for you!"
They caught crawdads
Painted pillowcases
Raised the flag; and made tie-dye shirts
And got really dirty having fun.
Playing with cousins, in both families, is great!
When Rebecca's kids were here, they wanted to have an evening without kids so they could visit and play and not worry about kids. They asked Mary to keep Parley, Harvey and Lucy.
Getting ready for Grandpa's birthday party
At Thomas' for the birthday breakfast
Swimming fun at Rebecca's and Grandma's
Ethan likes to watch a show, have some cookies and sleep on Grandma after he swims.
At Rebecca's pizza/pool party
A desert rat, thankfully, a dead one, in their backyard.
And quail eggs
A perfect July sunset
Sunsplash fun!
At the reunion
Mona Lisa smiles: Brianna, Lindsay, Carson; Jared
Enjoying the last rain of July
~MISSIONARIES~
Docker in Boston...Cambridge; with high school kids; at a baptism; and Mexican food?
Albert in California...San Rafael? With a Spanish family; tiny frog; with his companion
Harrison, where he serves, at the school for special needs children in Gilbert
~SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT~
Whenever we see kids interested in our missionary board, we smile...a lot.
So true
Alex asked his mom to spike his hair then take a picture...movie star in the making?
I love Mark Twain's pithy observations
This is me!! I actually do that.
I did a double take when I saw this. I thought Rachel was standing next to an old man. I didn't see that she looked older too. If she looks that good when she is old, she doesn't need to worry about aging.
Allison posted this...self-explanatory
Yes. Don't forget it.
Here are some of the Primary age cousins singing Families Can Be Together Forever at the reunion.
And Scott, being a grandpa, with two darling little cousins enjoying each other.
Finally, I love this picture of the big, strong welder/firefighter, secure enough that he's not embarrassed to carry his wife's Motherhood bag in one hand and her pink purse over his shoulder...and then post it, himself, on Instagram!
~LAST WORDS~
In this month celebrating both Dad and the pioneers, it is appropriate to encourage you to read a book about Dad's (your) ancestors who pioneered the Lehi Valley. It is called Forty Years Among the Indians, by Daniel Jones, the leader of the Lehi company. The whole book is fascinating, but the account of the Lehi company begins with chapter XLV (45). You can download it to Kindle or whatever book app you have, through Gutenberg.org. It is in the public domain so it is free. Dad read some of it to me and it has an easy style and lots of interesting details. Try it. It's part of your history.
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