George and Mary Swainston Descendents

2009-02-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

Hello Bonnie Lillywhite.
Thank you for commenting on this blog.
I am not responding in time for Christmas but the family history book is truly exciting.
At our last family reunion we had an auction as a fundraiser to support the family organization and there were some truly fun framed photos prints of members Ebeneser's line.
Both our current president Al Cordon and vice president Ben Horne are in your same line.
Their emails should be available on the George and Mary Family website.
Email me if you don't have the website address. I ame assuming you found this blog through the website.

Tim Swaintson

2009-02-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

There were pictures taken of the last reunion in Lava Hot Springs.
I tried once to make tham available on line but I was not succussful. I will try again. We really did have an enjoyable time at the last reunion and it was exciting to met some family menbers who came to a reunion for the first time.

2009-02-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

I am not the George and Mary Family Oranization President any more but last night I was able to be an a conference call with the new Family leaders as they were planning a reunion for June. When I was President the past presidents were so generious about sharing to help me get up to speed. Ben Horne (Ebeniser) who is the VP is the same generation as I am but younger and has a better grasp on the new tecnology which can be used to help connect our family.

As the plans for the reunion get finalized I think the information will be available on the family website again.

Grateful for the comments.

2009-02-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

My wife Shauna and I have been serving part time in The Inner City Mission Project here in Salt Lake with a Spanish branch. It seems we have been on a dead run for the last two years.

It has been a while since I have checked the blog an was excited that there had been some comments. This was the exact purpose for the blog. While I was president I got a real desire to help connect the Swainston family. After studying the options and consulting with Margret (George JRs Family) who maintains the family website I determined that even though I am not an experienced blogger.
Anyone with helpful comments to make this a very worthwhile project your comments are very welcome.

For those of you who left an email I will respond with an email as well as comment here on the blog.

It Has Been aLittle over a Year Since the Family Reunion

2008-07-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

It has been little over a year since the great Swainston family reunion in Lava Hot Springs. We had over 50 family members come. Some for the first time. Thanks to cousin Al Cordon who was a great leader in planning the reunion. He also took over the role as President. It as exciting to have Ben Horne be elected as Vice President. It was also exciting for Elaine Swainston to get a chance to serve again as Secretary with her two assistants. As leaders we have Al and Ben form Ebenezer's family, Elaine and Janet from Albert's family and (I am embarrassed, I forget her first name, help me out) Bernard from Mary Ann's family.

2007-06-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Cousin He...:
Here Is Our England Connection for Our Ancestors
>>>EBENEZER JAMES SWAINSTON was born the 24 March 1850 - Darby Hall, Kingswarden, England
Died 7 March 1913 in Stettler, Alberta, Canada at the age of 64.
Married - HARRIET ANN HUGHES - IN THE ENDOWMENT HOUSE IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH,on the 7th April 1881.
HARRIET ANN HUGHES was born the 1 Sept. 1864 in London, Middlesex, England.
She Died on the 10 July 1921, in Marysville, Idaho at the age of 57.
She Married Her 1st & Only Husband when she was 16 years of age. SHE HAD 13 CHILDREN ! AUNT MYRTLE YOUR GRAND MOTHER, WAS # 5 >
She was born in Smoot, Wyoming, on their 2nd Homestead !
And MY MOTHER MABEL WAS # 9 was born in Thayne, Wyoming in 1899, on their 3rd Homestead !
I THINK I WILL MAKE COPIES OF THE FAMILY GROUP SHEET THAT I AM GETTING MY INFORMATION FROM !? IT WAS COPILED AND WRITTEN BY MY MOTHER, IN HER OWN HAND WRITING, back before Copy Machines were even thught of !?
My Mother Passed Away back in 1963 ! I am the Youngest of the Five Children that she had !? And there are ony 2 of us Left here on the earth ! My Brother Lyman,( who was named after Dr. Lyman Horne, inasmuch as He Save His Life, when He was Born !? And So My Mother Named Him Lyman ) Lyman is now 77, and I will be 73 on the 19th of June.
AND I AM ALSO SENDING To YOU > VIA SNAIL MAIL > THE 5 PAGE ARTICLE THAT I HAVE WRITTEN UP AND ENTITLED "THE SAGA OF EBENEZER JAMES SWAINSTON " And I am sending it out to alot of Swainston Cousins. And we will be having Our (Bi) Semi Annual Swainston Family Reunion on the 22nd & 23rd of June in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.You have A Wonderful Day,

Sincerely

Your Cousin

Alfred Swainston Cordon

Sharing Family History

2007-06-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Wayne
I have cantacted Lois Bernard who also is a Thomson to ask her about sharing her email address with you. She has done a lot of family history research and has expressed a desire to work with others in putting together family history. In interacting with Lois and Tony I have found them to be very fun cousins. I have asked Lois if she would contribute to the blog. Wayne if you would like to contrubute some fun and interesting (somthing you are excited about) family history you are welcome to email it to me an I will post it.

Thanks

Intruduction to this Blog

2007-05-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

This blog is created for the descendants of George Swainston and Mary Groom. There are two types of entries that are hoped for to be put on this blog. First is authenticated history with sources and who is furnishing the history. The book "A Swainston Family History" that Theron Lane Swainston Jr. published in 2003 is a good example of authenticated histories. The book is 530 pages but only has brief entries for many family members. It is hoped that this blog can be useful for the family histories, legacies and traditions which can be shared with multiple generations.

The second type of entry is the stories that are not authenticated. As my great Uncle Harold put it, or maybe it was my great Uncle Bill, (both sons of Heber Swainston) there is no reason ruining a good story by sticking to the facts. An example is a story that is told of Uncle Bill. He had horses and beef cows. The story goes that one day a man came and wanted to buy a horse from him. So they went out to look at the horses. The man picked out the horse he wanted and Uncle Bill told him "You don't want that horse. It doesn't look too good."
The man said "No, that is the horse I want."
Uncle Bill countered "No, that horse doesn't look to good"
The man countered "That horse looks fine for me."
At that Uncle Bill agreed to sell him the horse.
The next day the man was back and very upset. He accused Uncle Bill of selling him a blind horse.
Uncle Bill told him "I kept trying to tell you it didn't look to good."
At a Heber Swainston and Rosa Lane reunion about 5 years I told the story to Max Palmer a grandson of Uncle Bill. Max said he had never heard that story before. Viva, Uncle Bills youngest daughter was standing nearby so I asked her if the story was true. She said the story about the horse was not true. It was a cow.

My father, Heber Campell Swainston, said that the early reunions he remembers there were many stories that didn't necessarily stick to the facts. I think it is important to share these stories too but I point out that if they are not authenticated then They must be concidered as one which is not bound by the facts.
I have been a officer in the George Swainston and Mary Groom Family Orgainization for the last six years. During this time I have pondered the legacy of our grandparents. In 1852 they joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints while living in Beachwood Green, Hertfordshire, England. They had the desire to emigrate to Utah. It took 20 years for the family to save enough money to send Albert George Swainston the oldest son to America. It only took a year in America to earn enought to go back to England and bring his next younger brother Ebenezer James Swainston back to Utah and Idaho with him. Over the next six years they worked together to earn enought for the rest of the family. It took until 1882 to get the whole family to America. Mother Mary insisted that she would be in the last group to leave, refusing to leave any living child in England. Mary's resolve over 30 years is a legacy and inspiration to me.