Entries by Jeff Westover

History of Fort Johnson

Damon’s next stop was a visit to Fort Johnson in present day Enoch, Utah. Fort Johnson was named after Damon’s 6th great grandfather, Joel Hills Johnson. Joel Johnson had quite a history before he ever got to Utah. In the 1820s he patented a machine that made shingles. He joined the Church in 1831 and […]

Damon’s Family History Adventure

We’re pleased to announce the launch of Damon’s Family History Adventure. Damon is my 11 year old grandson. Over the course of three hot June days in 2024 we traveled 1,150 miles and visited 8 cemeteries, 5 historic sites, 2 temples and had a run-in with 1 wayward deer. Our mission was pretty simple: I […]

Getting to Know the Lost Generation

This incredible image was taken in Pinto, Utah between 1865 and 1870. It shows the old rock Church built by the pioneers there and members of the Pinto ward who gathered to take the picture. When I was with my Dad he had me put this image on his big screen and we studied it […]

Spiritual Experiences

I am spending a lot of time working on the history of my parents. It is a complex project. Anyone attempting to write the history of people they love is confronted with great challenges. How do you tell the story and get it right? How do you handle weaknesses? How do you handle their conflicts? […]

A Ghost Story of Murder

My 9th great grandfather on my maternal line is a man named Thomas Cornell. He was born on 21 October 1627 in Saffron Walden, England. He was the 4th of 13 children of Thomas and Rebecca Cornell. The Cornells emigrated to Boston when Thomas was just 11 years old and settled in Boston, where his […]