Christening Record of Isaac Law (1803-1876)

Isaac Law was born on December 19, 1803 in South Hiendley, Yorkshire, England and was christened February 5, 1804 in the Felkirk Parish. Here is a copy of the christening record:

Click on image to enlarge
Image from FHL 919298, item 3

Isaac is the last name in this (cropped) image. It indicates that he was born in 19 Dec 1803 and was christened on 5 Feb 1804. His father's name was John and his mother's name was Sarah. John and Sarah were living in South Hiendley.

Christening Record of Charles Law (1832-1862)

Charles Law was born December 19, 1832 in South Hiendley, a small town in the West Riding of Yorkshire. There is no record of his birth--this was still several years prior to the beginning of civil registration and the Church records only provide his christening information. Charles was christened January 27, 1833. Here is a copy of the record:

Click on image to enlarge
Image from FHL 919298, item 3

This image comes from the Bishops' transcripts of the Felkirk parish records. The originals are in the Borthwick Institute in York. We learn from this record that Charles, was the son of Isaac and Mary Law. He was christened on January 27, 1832. The parents lived in South Hiendley. Isaac was a cordwainer (a shoemaker). I can't quite make out the beginning of the curate's name, but the "bachcroft" is the ending portion of the name.

Isaac Brough Law and the 1880 Census

Isaac Brough Law does not appear in the 1880 census ... not that we've ever found, anyway. I was once hopeful of locating him, but I now believe that he simply was not recorded.

The 1870 census is the first to list Isaac. He appears in Paris, Rich County, Utah Territory (this was before the survey that determined that Paris was actually in Idaho).

image from Ancestry.com
click on image for larger version

The main portions of the census entry reads as follows:
Dwelling 5, Family 5:
Humphries, John, age 33, farmer, born in England
Humphries, Mary A, age 26, keeping house, born in Missouri
Humphries, Harriet A, age 7, at home, born in Utah
Humphries, John F, age 4, at home, born in Utah
Humphries, Samuel, age 2, at home, born in Utah

Dwelling 6, Family 6:
Humphries, Hannah, age 39, keeping house, born in England
Humphries, Hannah M, age 12, at home, born in Utah
Humphries, Frederick W, age 10, at home, born in Utah
Humphries, Isaac B, age 8, at home, born in Utah
Humphries, Sarah E, age 5, at home, born in Utah
Humphries, Marshal J, age 3, at home, born in Utah
Humphries, George A, age 3/12, at home, born in Utah

Isaac is listed here as Isaac Humphries; however, he and his older siblings Hannah Mariah and Frederick William were all children of Charles and Hannah Bocock Law. After Charles Law passed away (20 Sep 1862) Hannah married John James Humphries (2 Jul 1864) and Sarah, Marshal, and George are children from that second union.

Moving on to the 1880 census we find the family in Paris, Bear Lake, Idaho.

image from Ancestry.com
click on image for larger version

Dwelling 65, Family 65:
Humphreys, J. J., age 43, farmer, born in England
Humphreys, Mary A, age 35, wife, keeping house, born in Missouri
Humphreys, Harriet Ann, age 16, daughter, at school, born in Utah
Humphreys, John Thomas, age 14, son, at home, born in Idaho
Humphreys, Samuel S, age 11, son, at school, born in Idaho
Humphreys, Mary L, age 8, daughter, born in Idaho
Humphreys, Sarah L, age 5, daughter, born in Idaho
Humphreys, Charles E, age 9/12, son, born in Idaho
Humphreys, Hannah, age 49, wife, keeping house, born in England
Humphreys, Frederick Wm, age 20, son, at home, born in Utah
Humphreys, Sarah E, age 15, daughter, at school, born in Utah
Humphreys, Marshal J, age 13, son, at school, born in Idaho
Humphreys, George, age 9, son, born in Idaho
Humphreys, Clara, age 8, daughter, born in Idaho

You will note that Isaac's older brother, Frederick William is still there, but both he and his sister, Hannah Mariah are not listed. Hannah Mariah had married Thomas Harrison and shows up in the 1880 census living in Providence, Cache, Utah with her husband and two children.

Isaac is nowhere. After searching for him unsuccessfully throughout Idaho, Utah, and a little in neighboring states, I now believe that he was simply missed by whoever reported the information to the census enumerator.

Charles Law in the Deseret News, October 26, 1859

Charles Law appears in the following newspaper article which appeared in the Deseret News on October 26, 1859 (page 8). The article indicates that he spent some portion of 1858 in the Salt Lake City 13th ward and owed $2.00 in taxes.

click image to enlarge
image from Utah Digital Newspaper Project

This image comes from the Utah Digital Newspapers project at http://www.lib.utah.edu/digital/unews/ a terrific resource for family and local historians created by the Marriott Library at the University of Utah (see the entire page on their website by clicking here).

Charles had arrived in Salt Lake on September 26, 1857. The Bocock sisters had preceded him arriving on September 12, 1857. According to information passed down through the family Charles married Hannah Bocock on September 29 or 30, Elizabeth on October 1 or 2, and Emma somewhere between October 22nd and 29th. According to the Endowment House Sealing records Charles and Hannah were sealed on January 17, 1858 in President Young's office. Charles and Elizabeth were sealed on January 31, 1858 also in President Young's office. Charles and Emma were not sealed until March 12, 1859 in the home of B. L. Aaron Johnson. Following the completion of the Endowment House they were all re-sealed on August 31, 1861. These sealings can be viewed on Family History Library film 183395, Endowment House Sealings, Book C, pp. 264-265, 266-267, 334-335, and 550.

If the family was in the Salt Lake City 13th ward in 1858, then it was only until April, for in April they headed south with most of the other saints as Johnston's Army approached Salt Lake. Many went to Provo and Springville at this time. Most returned in July, but Charles' family hadn't ever really established themselves in Salt Lake, so they simply stayed on in Springville.

I did check through the Salt Lake 13th ward records for any evidence of the marriages that took place and for any move-in/move-out type records mentioning Charles or his wives, but to no avail. The record-keeping at the ward level wasn't very well done during this period of Church history.

Another Document for Charles Law (1832-1862)

It looks as if Charles Law appeared in the Deseret News, 26 Oct 1859, page 8. The "article" was entitled "Save the Cost!" and reports Charles Law among many others who are delinquent on their territorial and county taxes. The list indicates that he was in the Salt Lake 13th Ward in 1858 and was delinquent to the amount of $2.00.

If this is our Charles Law, this would indicate that upon arrival in Salt Lake City, Charles lived in the 13th Ward until the removal to Springville. Charles arrived in Salt Lake on September 26, 1857, subsequently married Hannah Bocock (and a little later, Elizabeth Bocock), and did not relocate to Springville until April 1857.

Link to the file in the Utah Digital Newspapers

Link to copy of the file posted to "The Law Family in Cyberspace"

More on Isaac's Birth

Ok. I went and checked the Church History Archives' records and found that the two record sets I thought were the same are not the same at all. Turns out that the Archives' "Record of members" for most wards are not listed individually in their catalog--they have to be looked up in a set of binders there in the Archives.

So the following item does not include membership records at all--it is more of an organizational record for the ward. There is mention of Robert Price (Isaac's father-in-law) but no mention of Isaac.

Author: Paris 2nd Ward, Bear Lake Stake
Title: Manuscript history and historical reports 1877-1970
Call Number: LR 6740 2

The "Record of members, [1877?]-1941" of the Paris 2nd Ward includes a variety of record types. There is "A Record of Births, Blessings, Baptisms, Confirmations, Re-Baptisms, Re-Confirmations, Ordinations, Received, Removed, Died, and Cut Off". In this record, Isaac appears on page 6 (entry no. 132) and we are provided the following:

Name: Law, Isaac B.
Parents: Charles Law - Hannah Bocock
Birth: 17 May 1862, Springville, Utah
Baptism: July 1873 by Wm Budge
Received: 21 Nov 1865
Removed: 20 Oct 1886
Remarks: withdrawn from Church membership by his own request

As some of you know, Isaac had his membership withdrawn due to the law at the time that disenfranchised members of the Mormon church (Mormons could not vote). He was re-instated at some unknown later date (if the withdrawn membership was ever considered official), and served as a missionary in the Central States Mission 1899-1902.

Moving farther into the records there is "B Record of the Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints of the Paris Second Ward, Bear Lake Stake of Zion, Part I". Coming to entry no. 62 we find:

Name: Isaac Brough Law
Parents: Charles Law - Hannah Bocock
Birth: Springville, Utah 18 May 1862
Blessed by George Gardner, 1862
Baptized by Wm Budge, July 1873
Married Susan Price, 17 Sep 1885
Received from Springville Utah, 21 Nov 1865
Ordained an Elder by Bp R Price, 24 Aug 1885

Next we come to the "Record of Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Paris 2nd Ward, Bear Lake Stake of Zion" where he appears in entry no. 35:

Name: Isaac Brough Law
Parents: Charles - Hannah Bocock
Birth: 18 May 1862, Springville, Utah
Baptism: July 1873, by William Budge
Died: 11 Jun 1910

The next section is the "Record of Ordinations", where entry no. 3 indicates that Isaac Brough Law was ordained an Elder by Robert Price on 24 Aug 1885. A reference on the line sends the reader to entry no. 108. Entry no. 108 indicates only that Isaac was ordained a Seventy, it doesn't indicate when or by whom the ordination was performed.

I also checked for mention of Isaac in the Springville Ward records to no avail. While I did not find Isaac, I did spot his father, Charles Law, and his half-sister, Sarah Elizabeth Law, in the small section labeled "Deaths in Springville". The following information is given:

Law, Charles
Date of birth: 19 Dec 1832
Date of death:

Law, Sarah Elizabeth
Date of birth: 7 Jul 1860
Date of death: 11 Jun 1861

Funny that there is not so much as the year recorded for Charles' death, which occurred 20 Sep 1862.

So where does this leave us on the question of Isaac's birth and associated documentation? Here is what we have:

Source 1: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "Record of members collection 1836-1970", CF 375 8, reel no. 5220 (Paris 2nd Ward, Bear Lake Stake).

In this source Isaac's date of birth is provided 3 times: once as 17 May 1862 and twice as 18 May 1862.

"Record of births, blessings ...", page 6, entry 132 - 17 May 1862, Springville, Utah
"B Record of Members of the ... Paris Second Ward ... part I", entry 62 - 18 May 1862, Springville, Utah
"Record of Members of the ... Paris 2nd Ward ...", entry 35 - 18 May 1862, Springville, Utah

In 1862 May 17th fell on a Saturday and the 18th on Sunday--I'm not sure that this helps determine which day is correct, but it could, if we had some more clues ...

There are no civil birth records during this period in Utah. The census records are our next best sources and they don't ever include the day. In fact, the census information is all over the calendar when it comes to Isaac's birth date:

Source 2: 1870 Census - age 8 - birth between 2 Jun 1861 and 1 Jun 1862 (supports the 17/18 May date)
Source 3: 1880 Census - have never found him in this record.
Source 4: 1900 Census - age 39 - birth in May 1861 (doesn't support)
Source 5: 1910 Census - age 47 - birth between 16 Apr 1862 and 15 Apr 1863 (supports)
Source 6: Isaac's cemetery headstone - 18 May 1862
Source 7: TIB Card for Isaac - 18 May 1862

So all told, we have no truly contemporary records. Of the later records we have 4 which support the 18 May 1862 date and only one which supports May 17th. In addition we have two census records which support a May 1862 date and one that does not. While there is nothing conclusive it does appear that May 18th is the more likely date of birth.

In Isaac's mission diary, I thought he might begin with a bit of biographical information--he does not. When the diary was reproduced and disseminated a birth date of May 18, 1862 was given in the brief biographical section which preceded the transcript of the diary proper.

Anyone have any further sources to suggest? Letters, diaries, family bibles?

Collaborative Research Logging & Documentation

Here begins an experiment in documenting genealogical research. This blog is intended as a spot where descendants of Isaac Brough Law can collaborate, discuss, and document the events of his life and then extend beyond his life to his ancestry and his descendants.

Let's begin with his birth. My records indicate the following:

Isaac Brough Law
birthdate: 17 May 1862
birthplace: Springville, Utah, Utah Territory, USA
father: Charles Law
mother: Susan Juchau Price

NOTE: LDS Church Historical Dept, Bear Lake Stake, Paris 2nd Ward Record of Mmber lib film #16245 shows date of birth 18 May 1862. Historical Department library film #16244 Part 1 pg 6 line 132, Bear Lake Stake, Paris 2nd Ward Record shows his date of birth as 17 May 1862. We have chosen to use 17 May 1862.

What sources should we cite for Isaac's birth?

The ward historical records referenced above are listed in the Church Archive's catalog and the Family History Library's catalog in two completely different ways (and neither agree with the note given above)

The LDS Church Archive's record for these films is given in the following manner:

Author: Paris 2nd Ward, Bear Lake Stake
Title: Manuscript history and historical reports 1877-1970
Call Number: LR 6740 2
Access Number: 287229-ARCH

The Family History Library also has a copy of this microfilm. Their catalog record looks like this:

Author: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Paris 2nd Ward (Idaho)
Title: Annual genealogical report, Form E, 1907-1948; record of members, [1877?]-1941
Record of members [1877]-1941 -- FHL US/CAN Film 7178
Form E 1907-1948 -- FHL US/CAN Film 7179

I have omitted a lot of extraneous data on each of these--just given the most salient details. It's interesting to me that nothing is the same: authors, titles, or call numbers. When citing this source, I am torn as to how to cite this item. I want to cite the Church Archive's form since they are the actual repository of the original documents; however, the FHL film is much more readily available (through 4,000 Family History Centers worldwide). Citing both would be an alternative but would also make the citation much larger, more unwieldy, and perhaps more confusing.

These ward records are not the best evidence of birth that one could hope for. This record was retrospectively compiled many years after the event. The birth occurred in Springville, Utah in 1862 and was recorded in Paris, Idaho in 1877 or sometime later. I'm sure that there have been searches in the Springville records for evidence of this birth (I seem to recall even doing this myself at one point or another). I think I'll undertake it one more time and record definitively what records I searched and what I did or didn't find concerning this birth.

Is anyone aware of any family bible or other family documents which might give Isaac's date of birth?

There are other documents which would provide Isaac's birthdate and/or place of birth:

1870 census indicates he was 8 years old in June of 1870 (placing his birth between 2 Jun 1861 and 1 Jun 1862).

1880 census would give a similar approximate year but I haven't been able to find him in this census.

1900 census indicates he was born in May 1861 and was 39 years old in June of 1900 (placing his birth between 2 Jun 1860 and 1 Jun 1861).

1910 census gives his age as 47 years in April 1910 (placing his birth between 16 Apr 1862 and 15 Apr 1863).

Anyone have a photo of his headstone?

Anyone know of other contemporary documents which might give his birthdate?