Grant Haws

My great-grandfather, Grant Haws, was the son of Joseph Forest Haws and Mary Francis Bowler and grandson of William Wallace Haws and Martha Barrett. He was born 29 June 1922 in Orem, Utah and died in Lehi, Utah on 2 October 1983. He married Florence Marie Dansie on 21 September 1949. They had seven children who are currently all still living.

One of his children, my grandmother, Marilyn Rae Haws Anderson related some of her favorite memories of her father. She included how he would take her to the gas station and buy her cream soda and how he would take her on daddy-daughter dates after coming home from his construction job. (A full podcast of this interview can be found on the right side of this blog.)

Grant Haws was a very hard worker and a loving father.  He is buried in the Lehi Cemetery in Lehi, Utah. A picture of his headstone can be found here, including information on where to find his grave.

Joseph Forest Haws

William Wallace and Martha Barrett Haws's third child was Joseph Forest Haws (my great-great grandfather). He was born on 19 December 1882 while the family settled in Arizona. He grew up in Mexico and married his wife, Mary Francis Bowler, on Christmas day in 1909 in Chihuahua. Together, they had nine children, all born between Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and Utah.

1920 United States Federal Census:

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1930 United States Federal Census:

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1940 United States Federal Census:

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In these censuses, Joseph Forest Haws stays in Utah. They give record of Joseph and Mary's children: Ruth, Joseph, Ervin, John, Lilian, Erma, Grant, and Lorin. It seems that this family migrated back to American between the time Ruth and Joseph were born (1910 and 1912). They eventually made it back to Utah, where Joseph Forest and his wife Mary stayed until they passed away. They are both now buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery in Utah.

[1] Joseph F and Mary Haws Household, Provo, Utah County, Utah, 1920 United States Census, Roll T625_1868, Page 3A, Enumeration District 213, Online Image, Ancestry.com, Accessed 27 October 2014.

[2] Joseph Sr and Mary Haws Household, Provo, Utah County, Utah, 1930 United States Census, Roll 2423, Page 9A, Enumeration District 44, Online Image, Ancestry.com, Accessed 27 October 2014.

[3] Joseph F and Mary B Haws Household Provo, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, 1940 United States Census, Roll T627_4227, Page 13A, Enumeration District 30-152, Online Image, Ancestry.com, Accessed 17 October 2014.

Barbara Belinda Mills and Martha Barrett Burial

Barbara Belinda Mills was William Wallace Haws's first wife. She was born on 1 July 1836. When William went to Mexico, Barbara stayed behind in Arizona. She passed away in Arizona on 30 March 1936, when she was almost 100 years old. This was quite a miracle! She was buried in the Pima Cemetery in Pima, Graham County, Arizona.

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At the time the Latter-day Saint people practiced polygamy, William Wallace Haws married his second wife, Martha Barrett on 8 November 1875 in the Latter-Day Saint Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. She followed him to Mexico, but at some point after William Wallace Haws died, she returned back to Utah. This was most likely related to the Mexican Revolution. (For more information on this topic check here). Because Martha returned back to the United States after William passed away, they were not buried together. In fact, Martha was buried in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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[1] Barbara Belinda Haws (1836-1936), Gravestone, Plot Sec 7-Blk 9-Lot 01A-Site 8, Pima Cemetery, Pima, Graham County, Arizona, United States, Online Image, FindAGrave.com, Accessed 22 October 2014.

[2] Martha Barrett Haws (1859-1916), Gravestone, Plot B-2-22, Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States, Online Image, FindAGrave.com, Accessed 22 October 2014.

William Wallace Haws 1850-1840 Census

When you search for William Wallace Haws in the 1850 census, it's important to remember that he will not be with his wife and children. Because we know that he was born in 1835, he should have been around the age of 15 in the 1850 census. It is very likely that he lived in the household with his parents and siblings. This is exactly what you will find in the 1850 census:

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The 1850 census recorded a 16-year old William Haws in the household of Gilberth and Hannah Hawes in Utah. If we did not know who his parents were before looking at this census, there are clues that give evidence that this is most likely the William Haws we are looking for. First, this family lived in Utah in 1850. This matches William Wallace Haws's location in the 1860 census. This census also gives his place of birth: Illinois. That information also matches up with our records. If you look through the other William Hawses in this census, you will find that none match up with our records as well as this one.

The 1840 United States census is quite a bit trickier. This census only recorded the name of the head of household in each family. The rest of the family are represented by little tick marks, showing how many people were living in the household and their approximate ages. Lucky for us, William Wallace Haws's father had a fairly uncommon name. When you search for "Gilbert Haws" in the 1840 United States census, only one likely possibility shows. In 1840, Gilbreth Haws lived in Wayne county, Illinois. There were two boys in the household under the age of five and three were between the ages of five and six. William Wallace was most likely one of these boys. It does make sense for Gilbert and Hannah Haws to have lived in Illinois in 1840, because that was where the majority of their children were born, including William.

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[1] Gilberth and Hannah Hawes Household, Utah county, Utah, 1850 United States Census, Roll M432_919, pages 129B-130A, Online Image, Ancestry.com, accessed 11 October 2014.

[2] Gilbreth Haws Household, Wayne county, Illinois, 1840 United States Census, Roll 72, page 250, Online Image, Ancestry.com, accessed 11 October 2014.

William Wallace Haws 1860 Census

When researching census records, it is incredibly important to remember that they do not always contain correct information. When this happens, take a deep breath, and compare the information the census contains to your records and determine if it is the same family you are researching. Wrong information may have been given to the census taker or he or she could have just written it wrong. This was my experience while researching the 1860 Census for William Wallace Haws:

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At the bottom of this particular page, lists a Wm. W. Haws and his wife, Barbra, who lived in Provo, Utah. Although their names are shown differently, it seems pretty clear that this could be the couple, until you look at Wm W birthplace: New York. In all other records, his place of birth was listed as Illinois.  In this census, he was 24, putting his date of birth at 1836, which matches well with our other records. Barbra's age (23) and birthplace (Canada) also match our records. When looking at the children, it becomes clear that this is the right family. The children are listed as: Jane (6), Jno W (4), and Geo M (1). In the 1870 census, William and Barbara had Jane (15), William (14), and George (12). All of these children's names and ages match up in both censuses. They were all also born in Utah in both censuses and the two censuses were both taken in Utah county. It is pretty safe to say that this is the same family, even though some pieces had different information.

[1] Wm W and Barbra Haws Family, Provo, Utah County, Utah, 1860 United States Federal Census, Roll M653_1314, Page 899, Image 371, Online Image, Ancestry.com, Accessed 29 September 2014.

William Wallace Haws 1870 Census

A record type that I like to look into at the start of my research is census records. In the United States, they were taken every ten years (1900, 1910, etc.) and provide details of households by asking a series of questions that differ from census to census. These records are invaluable, because they group a family together and provide a snap shot into the life of that family for a specific period in time. When researching an individual person, it is best to look at the most recent census that person could have been in, then look in all the censuses taken during that person's life. The more recent censuses will usually be easier to look at and may provide more information.

William Wallace Haws died in 1895 in Chihuahua, Mexico. Normally, I would look in the 1890 census (because that would be the closest census taken before he died); however, the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire shortly after it was taken. This leaves us with the 1880 census. Unfortunately, after hours of looking through censuses on FamilySearch and Ancestry, there was no record of William Wallace Haws in the 1880 census. When looking at the births of the children, John Wallace was born in 1878 in Utah, while Charles James Haws was born in 1881 in Arizona. It is possible that the family traveled from Utah to Arizona when the 1880 census was taken and may have been missed. That leaves us with the 1870 census:

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This census shows William Wallace Haws, married to Barbara in Utah County, Utah. The census provides us with his age (35), putting his date of birth at 1835, which matches the information from his obituary and life story. It also shows that he was born in Illinois, also matching our records. William was listed as a farmer, giving us a little information on what his life was like when he lived in Utah. This census also lists his children: Jane (15), William (14), George (12), Ella (9), Mary (3), and Rhoda (6 months).

[1] William and Barbara Haws Household, Provo, Utah, Utah, 1870 United States Federal Census, Roll M593_1612, page 293B, online image, www.ancestry.com, 25 September 2014.

William Wallace Haws Burial

While researching a person's life, I find that it is often best to start with the latest time of their life. More records will be available that occurred closer in time. This is why I started my research for William Wallace Haws with any death information I could obtain.

FindAGrave.com is a great resource to find headstones of deceased people. It is here that you can find the headstone of William Wallace Haws. Someone has also included a short life sketch and has connected him with his spouses, children, and siblings. This is a great resource for anyone who is seeking to start their own research for this family.

 

Above is a picture of William Wallace Haw's headstone. It clearly was not constructed well, in fact, a relative went to visit this headstone and saw that it was falling apart, so he built the supports that are being used. Through his obituary, published in The Deseret Weekly, March 23, 1895 (seen below), we come to know that this plot of land is part of the colony cemetery in Mexico. His obituary also contains a detailed life sketch and reveals that his funeral was very popular, showing that William Wallace Haws was an important man in the lives of many. 

 

William Wallace Haws.

Colonia Pacheco, Chihuahua, Mexico, March 9, 1895.--I regret exceedingly to be under the necessity of informing you of another unexpected death in our little colony in which we are bereft of a valuable worker and faithful fellow-laborer, that of Elder William Wallace Haws, who departed this life at 8 p.m. on the 6th inst. of pleuro-pneumonia, after one week's illness. He was born in Wayne county, Illinois, U. S., February 18, 1835, and was the son of Gilbert and Hannah Haws. He was baptized by Apostle Erastus Snow in Salt Lake City, November, 1848. He located at Provo in the spring of 1849, helped to build the first old fort on Provo river, and was put on military duty when 14 years of age. He served in the fight with the Indians when Joseph Higbee was killed and several others wounded; was made captain of a company of infantry, and sent to Echo Canyon to meet Johnston's army in 1857; helped to build the fortifications and was eventually commissioned a major. He was a member of the Provo police force for twenty years. He was ordained a Teacher in 1852, a Priest September 23rd, 1855, and a Seventy January 31st, 1860. On his 59th birthday he was ordained a High Priest by Elder John Henry Smith at this settlement. He filled a short mission in 1871 to the United States and labored chiefly in Illinois among his relatives. He moved from Provo in 1879 to Arizona in response to a call for volunteers, and located on the Mogollon mountains. In December, 1882, he moved to the Gila river where he lived two years, when he moved to Mexico in company with twelve others, arriving at Casas Grandes February 10th, 1885. Elder George Lake of Colonia Dublan is now the only one left of this twelve remaining now in Mexico. He farmed for the Mexicans during that summer, and removed in December of the same year to Colonia Juarez. In the spring of 1887 he removed to Colonia Pacheco, being among the early settlers in the Corrales basin. As a pioneer he was a success, being a man of remarkable physical and endurance.

The funeral services were held at 2 p.m. on Friday, the 8th inst., in the meeting house, when comforting and instructive remarks were made by Patriarch Henry Lunt and Bishop Jesse N. Smith Jr. His son, George M. Haws, expressed his thankfulness to the Saints for their kindness to his father and family during his sickness. There was a large attendance at his funeral and a heavenly spirit prevailed. He was buried under the shade of the majestic pines of the Sierra Madras in the colony cemetery, the grave being dedicated by Elder Henry Lunt. He leaves a large family, having been the father of twenty children, eighteen of whom survive him. He was grandfather to thirty-eight children, thirty-three of whom are living, who, with a host of friends, mourn his loss. Henry Lunt.