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EMAIL US		bullet Dines MADSEN was born in 1662 in Tjorneby, Maribo, Denmark.

He was married to Johanna JENSEN on 29 Jul 1688 in Denmark. Children were: Oluf DINESEN, Mads DINESEN, Poud DINESEN, Hans DINESEN, Hilleborg Or Hyldeborg DINESEN.

bullet Abigail MARSH

Children were: James BACON.

bulletElizabeth MCCARTER was born in 1765 in Saint Georges, Lincoln Co., Maine. She died on 4 Oct 1823. Parents: John MCCARTER and Martha (McCarter).

She was married to James STANDISH on 15 Aug 1787.

bullet James MCCARTER was born in 1756 in Saint Georges, Lincoln Co., Maine. He died on 3 Dec 1821. Parents: John MCCARTER and Martha (McCarter).

bulletJames MCCARTER was born on 17 Nov 1686 in Salem, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Parents: (Poss) John MCCARTER and (Poss) Rebecca MEACHAM.

Children were: John MCCARTER.

bulletJane MCCARTER was born in 1745 in Saint Georges, Lincoln Co., Maine. She died between 1820 and 1830. Parents: John MCCARTER and Martha (McCarter).

She was married to Richard YOUNG on 31 Aug 1769.

bullet John MCCARTER was born in 1713/14 in Cushing, Knox Co., Maine. He died on 2 Jul 1792 in Cushing, Knox Co., Maine. Parents: James MCCARTER .

He was married to Martha (McCarter) in 1742. Children were: Jane MCCARTER, Martha MCCARTER, Mary MCCARTER, James MCCARTER, Margaret MCCARTER, Elizabeth MCCARTER.

bullet Margaret MCCARTER was born in 1764 in Saint Georges, Lincoln Co., Maine. She died about 8 Sep 1838 in Windsor, Kennebec Co., Maine. Parents: John MCCARTER and Martha (McCarter).

Children were: Nathan TOLMAN, Martha TOLMAN, James TOLMAN, Reuben TOLMAN, John TOLMAN.

bulletMartha MCCARTER was born in 1747 in Saint Georges, Lincoln Co., Maine. She died in 1788/89. Parents: John MCCARTER and Martha (McCarter).

bulletMary MCCARTER was born in 1753 in Saint Georges, Lincoln Co., Maine. She died on 5 Sep 1805. Parents: John MCCARTER and Martha (McCarter).

bulletAlexander MCFARLANE was born about 1773 in High Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland.

Children were: Janet MCFARLANE.

bulletJanet MCFARLANE was born on 20 May 1798 in High Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: Alexander MCFARLANE and May MCLAUCHLANE.

She was married to James MCKECHNIE PROC. 13 JAN 1816 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Children were: James MCKECHNIE, Elizabeth MCKECHNIE, John MCKECHNIE.

bullet Alexander MCKECHNIE was born on 9 Jan 1803 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Elizabeth LENNOX.

bullet Elizabeth MCKECHNIE was born on 8 Nov 1819 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: James MCKECHNIE and Janet MCFARLANE.

bullet Georginia MCKECHNIE was born on 5 Apr 1845 in Leith, Scotland. She died on 21 Feb 1912 in Georgetown, Bear Lake Co., Idaho. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Jean (Jane) Tinto BEE.

She was married to Richard John Moxey BEE on 7 Feb 1860 in Bountiful, Davis Co., Utah.

bullet Isobel MCKECHNIE was born on 5 Oct 1791 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Elizabeth LENNOX.

bullet James MCKECHNIE was born on 30 Mar 1794 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. He died in 1845. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Elizabeth LENNOX.

He was married to Janet MCFARLANE PROC. 13 JAN 1816 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Children were: James MCKECHNIE, Elizabeth MCKECHNIE, John MCKECHNIE.

bullet James MCKECHNIE was born on 22 Aug 1817 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: James MCKECHNIE and Janet MCFARLANE.

bullet Jane MCKECHNIE Photo was born on 6 Jul 1846 in Edinburgh, Mid-Lothian, Scotland. She died on 24 Jul 1891 in Monticello, San Juan Co., Utah.
Jane McKechnie was horn in Edinburgh, Scotland 6 July 1846. Her father died when she was young and she, with her widowed mother, her aunt Georgina and Uncle John Bee, left Scotland for America on board the ship North Atlantic. They left Liverpool 4 September and arrived in New Orleans 1 November 1850. Jane told of her conversion to Mormonism, but, she said, "I kept it a secret in my heart from my parents." In time she made it known to her mother. In spite of the stern opposition of her mother Janet, her brothers and sisters, and even her minister (whom she felt kindly toward and tried to get to meet the Mormon elders,) she did not falter in her decision. Another opposing force was that of her employers. They were spinster ladies who had given her work since her husband's death and promised to endow her with their wealth if she would remain with them. However, the light of the Gospel burned deep in her heart and beckoned her on. Her desire even strengthened by the refusal of her minister to meet the elders, which also helped Jane to convince her mother and the Bee family that what they believed was true. Subsequently, they all joined the Church and all left Scotland together.

When they arrived in New Orleans, they took steamboat passage up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, a distance of: 1,200 miles. There the family parted, the Bees going to Council Bluffs and thence to Utah. When Janet Bee parted with her son Richard John M., there was hope in her heart of securing a home in Salt Lake City for Jane and the children.

Hardships at St. Louis were enough to make strong hearts turn back, but not Jane Bee McKechnie. She worked and struggled; she made shoes for her children from worn out coats discarded by the soldiers. The food she had to divide among them was scarcely enough for one person. In the spring of 1851 she went to Council Bluffs where in the nearby town of Little Pigeon converts were assembling, working, and saving to join Captain Thomas Howell's Company, which was to start west on 9 June 1852. This courageous and unfaltering widow finally obtained a team and wagon. The wagon was so packed with supplies that she and her three children walked the entire thousand miles to Utah. Corn was their only food, except a small ration of buffalo meat when it could be obtained.

This, in part, is the background of six-year-old Jane McKechnie, who grew up in Bountiful and later became the wife of Charles Eugene Walton. Somewhere along life's way while Jane was rearing her family, a strange and disturbing experience came to her. Her father, who had died when she was young, appeared to her and told her that he had come for her. Frightened and hesitant, she did not want to go. She told him of her children who still needed her. Then he said to her, "I will leave now but will come for you again when you are 45 years of age."

Jane had served as president of the stake Relief Society since its first organization. Her work carried her all over San Juan County to Moab and part of New Mexico and to Mancos and Cortez in Colorado. In buggy or wagon, in heat or cold, she seldom, if ever, failed in the duties of her assignment. That was the integrity of Jane, who as a young girl walked all the way across the plains as her mother said, "on a diet of corn and a small ration of buffalo meat when it could be had."

Jane had a joyous disposition and loved dancing. A letter written by her to "Dear Sarah" told of good times at a bow dance and picnic, a cap dance and picnic, an oyster supper and a dance when a glittering Christmas tree was the focal point of the festivities. The picnic was always a favorite on such occasions. Sometimes dances were broken up by rough cowboys who drove cattle over Utah, Arizona, and the Mexican border. Drunken fights and "shootin' up the town" were not uncommon.

Strange, that on a 24th of July celebration when flags were flying and streets festooned red, white, and blue bunting, that the dance was 'crashed' by a rowdy group, and a stray bullet, fired from the gun of a drunken cowboy struck Jane. They rushed her to her home where she died in the presence of her broken-hearted husband and son. A blood-stained floor bore mute testimony of a noble life wiped out on a rugged frontier. Her death was the fulfillment of her own father's statement when he appeared to her and said, "I will leave you now, but will come again when you are forty-five years old." Her death on the 24th of July, 1891, was eight days after her forty-fifth birthday.

Another account from History of the Church states: In the early days of the Monticello Ward the pioneer settlers were very much annoyed by outlaw cowboys getting drunk and disturbing the social conditions generally, breaking up dances, etc. On one of these occasions, Sister Walton, president of the Relief Society, was killed, and one of the cowboys, a peaceable fellow, also lost his life.

Jane is our 2nd Great Grandmother Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Jean (Jane) Tinto BEE.

She was married to Charles Eugene WALTON Sr. on 22 Feb 1867 in Logan, Cache Co., Utah. Children were: Charles Eugene WALTON Jr., Frances Magnolia WALTON, Leona Jane WALTON.

bullet Janet MCKECHNIE was born on 13 Mar 1759 in Low Parish Paisley, Renf, Scotland. Parents: William MCKECHNIE and Margaret LINDSAY.

bullet John MCKECHNIE was born on 8 Mar 1823 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. He died on 3 Jan 1848 in Edinburgh, Mid-Lothian, Scotland. Parents: James MCKECHNIE and Janet MCFARLANE.

He was married to Jean (Jane) Tinto BEE on 12 Jul 1844 in Edinburgh, Mid-Lothian, Scotland. Children were: Georginia MCKECHNIE, Jane MCKECHNIE, John James MCKECHNIE.

bullet John MCKECHNIE was born on 17 Jan 1757 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: William MCKECHNIE and Margaret LINDSAY.

Children were: Marion MCKECHNIE, John MCKECHNIE, Robert MCKECHNIE, Isobel MCKECHNIE, James MCKECHNIE, William MCKECHNIE, Margaret MCKECHNIE, Alexander MCKECHNIE.

bulletJohn MCKECHNIE was born on 6 Mar 1785 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Elizabeth LENNOX.

bullet John James MCKECHNIE was born on 20 Apr 1848 in Edinburgh, Mid-Lothian, Scotland. He died in Apr 1854. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Jean (Jane) Tinto BEE.

bullet Margaret MCKECHNIE was born on 11 Nov 1800 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Elizabeth LENNOX.

bullet Margaret MCKECHNIE was born on 2 Feb 1761 in Low Parish Paisley, Renf, Scotland. Parents: William MCKECHNIE and Margaret LINDSAY.

bullet Marion MCKECHNIE was born on 4 Aug 1782 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Elizabeth LENNOX.

bullet Robert MCKECHNIE was born on 24 Aug 1787 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Elizabeth LENNOX.

bullet William MCKECHNIE was born on 19 May 1796 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland. Parents: John MCKECHNIE and Elizabeth LENNOX.

bullet William MCKECHNIE was born about 1735 in Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland.

Children were: John MCKECHNIE, Janet MCKECHNIE , Margaret MCKECHNIE.

bulletMay MCLAUCHLANE was born about 1775 in High Paisley, Renfrew, Scotland.

Children were: Janet MCFARLANE.

bulletIver Peitersen MEYER was born in 1712 in Rodby, Maribo, Denmark. He died about 1776 in Rodby, Maribo, Denmark.

He was married to Anna Catharina LAURSEN on 23 May 1770 in Rodby, Maribo, Denmark.

He was married to Birthe HANSEN about 1742 in Rodby, Maribo, Denmark. Children were: Kirstina IVERSEN, Jens IVERSEN, Jorgen IVERSEN, Hans IVERSEN, Hellena Rebecka IVERSEN, Peiter IVERSEN.

bullet Archie Harmon MONROE was born on 12 Feb 1889 in Saypo, Teton Co., Montana. He died on 28 Apr 1972 in Great Falls, Cascade Co., Montana. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

He was married to Martha Abigail BAKER on 14 Jul 1919. Children were: Anabel MONROE.

bullet Carlos Lloyd MONROE was born on 23 Jun 1883 in Fort Benton, Choteau Co., Montana. He died on 19 Jan 1979. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

He was married to Sarah BAKER on 10 Jul 1933.

He was married to Rose SWAN on 17 Nov 1904.

bullet Carlos Lloyd MONROE was born in 1851 in Ransom, Hillsdale Co., Michigan. He died in 1863. Parents: Harmon R. MONROE and Esther CROMMER.

bullet Carlton Leroy MONROE Photo was born on 30 Nov 1849 in Ransom, Hillsdale Co., Michigan. He served in the military between 1870 and 1875 in Kansas & Dakota Indian Territory. In 1872, he was moved to Dakota Territory for 3 years under Gen. Hazen at Ft. Buford. He died on 10 Feb 1936 in Great Falls, Cascade Co., Montana. He was a Teamster for the I.G. Baker Company in Montana. He was a Cattle Rancher in Montana. He resided at 619 6th Ave. south in Great Falls, Cascade Co., Montana.
Carlton Leroy Monroe was born 30 November 1849 at Ransom, Hillsdale, Mich., the first child Of Harmon R. Monroe and Esther Crommer.

His father's health was sickly. He had what they thought was consumption and died just 3 years after he and Esther were married leaving her a widow with 2 small sons. The second son, Carlos Lloyd, was born the same year 1851 as his father's death.

His mother later married an Aaron Pixley, who was a well-digger, and a half sister, Roby Pixley, was born 14 Jan. 1859, and later a half-brother, James Washington Pixley, was born 19 Feb. 1861.

In 1863, Carlos Lloyd was down in a well and was overcome by damps and his stepfather went down to try and get him out and was also overcome. His mother was again left a widow.

Before he was 21, Carlton ran away to St. Louis to join the army and fight in the Civil War, but was too young. He worked in St. Louis and came west on a boat to Ft. Benton. He enlisted in the Army March 26, 1870, at Ft. Scott, Bourbon Co., Kansas.

At this time, the Indian wars were being fought and one of the places he was stationed was Ft. Gibson, Indian Territory (Oklahoma). He wrote a letter from here to his mother on July 12, 1871, asking her help in getting his release from the Army. He wasn’t successful in this endeavor as records show he served 5 years before being discharged on March 26, 1875 at Ft. Stevenson, Dakota Territory. He was a private.

Carlton ran a freight business between Ft. Benton and Helena, Montana. He drove 4 wagons with 16 oxen and was called a bull-wacker as he used a long rawhide whip. He used to drive through Great Falls, Montana, before that city was established.

He and his wife Marias moved to Choteau, Teton County, Montana shortly after they were married. They homesteaded at Willow Creek, 23 Miles west of Choteau. The nearest post office was Saypo. He was a cattle rancher. All the children were born at the ranch except Carlos and Ethel, as they lived there close to 20 years.

While they were living on the ranch, Marias made butter to sell to all the ranches around, as they were milking up to 20 cows in the summertime. She also raised chickens and had lots of eggs to sell. The money she got from the eggs and butter she would save to buy school supplies and clothes for the children to go to school with.

They were pioneers of the Old West, and one of the first settlers to take up a homestead in that part of the country. Carlton helped build the first school house, 3.5 miles from their ranch home. The children would drive to school in a buggy hitched up to 2 horses.

The ranch house was built close to a very nice mountain stream where lots of native trout were plentiful. Also plenty Of wild strawberries, gooseberries and currants grew on the ranch. Marias put up lots of jelly and jams from these. They had plenty Of good milk, butter, eggs, and homemade bread, and meat such as beef, pork, chicken, ducks, and turkeys. They also grew all the vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, pumpkin, tomatoes, rutabagas, radishes, onions, and many other kinds.

Carlton only went to town twice a year for groceries to get sugar, flour, salt, and spices and dried fruit in 25 lb. Boxes. He would always go in a team and wagon, as he would get supplies to last 6 months. They had one of the best ranches in that part of the country, and generally put up about 250 ton of hay every year, and around 100 head of cattle to take care of and feed in the winter. Life on the ranch wasn’t easy, but there was always plenty to eat and a warm place to sleep.

Stoves were mostly wood, as coal was not to be had, and there was plenty of jack pine with lots of good pitch that made a good hot fire that would last for hours without adding more wood. For lights they made candles of tallow and white rags. They had coal oil lanterns, but being so far from town, they were reserved for use in the wintertime.

Winters were very long and cold, with temperatures at times reaching 40 degrees below zero. The snow often was 2 feet deep, and drifts in places 15 to 20 feet high. The kids one winter made tunnels in the drifts with caves large enough to stand up in. Most of the children were educated in the little log school house except the younger ones after they moved to Choteau.

In November of 1891, Carlton, Marias, and 3 children, Carlos, Archie, and Etta, along with Marias’ brother, William Belcourt, and wife Mary and 2 of their children, Mary and Elizabeth, and another brother, Daniel Belcourt, wife and daughter, went in a covered wagon to Lethbridge, Canada, to get script from government land that Marias and her two brothers were entitled to and exchange for U.S. Money. It amounted to about $500 for each of them. On the way home, their horse, Croppy, ran away and they kept saying gently "Ho, Ho, Croppy" over and over until he calmed down, stopped and stood trembling. He was named Croppy because he had cropped ears.

Marias was anxious to get home, as she was expecting her 4th child, Christian Eve. She was named Christian after a Swedish girlfriend who lived in Fort Benton, and Eve as she was born on Christmas Eve. Archie was named after a friend who was at the ranch when he was born. He was disappointed when Etta was a girl, as he wanted a baby named after him. The friend was sick and knew he was dying, as he was poisoned by an Indian woman who asked him to let her fill his pipe. He died a slow death, and was buried in Choteau. Hilda was named after a Swedish girlfriend of Carlton’s, and Etta named her sister Florence Bell. Bell for Belcourt. Frank was named after Frank Salmond, a neighbor, and Etta also named Ethel Margaret after her great aunt Adelia Crommer Cooper. They called her Etta after Carlton’s half sister’s (Roby Pixley Dillsworth) oldest daughter Etta. When she was baptized 17 Oct 1915, they named her Etta instead. Adelia Crommer Cooper died at the age of 23 at the birth of her baby girl; the child lived.

About 1906, they decided to move to the town of Choteau to give the smaller children a better education. Carlton ran a livery stable, but failed in this business. Marias was a very good cook, and know especially for her turkey dressing and mincemeat. When the hotel in Choteau wanted a turkey cooked for a special occasion, they would always get Mrs. Matt (Carlton was called Matt) Monroe to cook it.

Later in 1912-13, they moved to Great Falls, where they ran a rooming house. Christian Eve was working in Great Falls, and influenced her mother and father to sell their home in Choteau and make the move to Great Falls. There were still 5 children at home - Silas, Wallace, Hylda, Frank, and Ethel. Florence Bell had died of typhoid fever on the 22nd of June 1906 - the first of 10 children to lose in death. Carlton worked as a night watchman for the Great Falls Brewery for awhile.

When their son Archie got married in July 1919, he and his new bride, Martha Saker, lived for awhile at the folks boarding house, In 1924 Archie bought 2 homes on the south side of town - 812-8th Ave. So. He lived in the largest house and rented the three room house next door to his folks. Frank, the youngest boy wasn’t married as yet so he lived with his folks. They paid 918.00 a month rent.

As Carlton had served in the U.S. Army he received a pension and this is what they lived on. To supplement his income he worked for the city watering the grass on the boulevards on some of the streets on the south ride of town. He had a cart that the hose wound around and he would push it to where he could hook the hose to the hydrant, unroll the hose and water the lawn. Then move on to the next block, He did this for a number of years until the city decided to let the homeowners water the boulevard in front of their property.

He liked to keep active so he would walk to town, which was about a mile one way, every day when the weather permitted to visit with the old timers he would meet. He always walked with a cane. He didn’t need it but carried it to ward off the dogs along the way, He carried himself straight and proud probably due to his army training,

When he was 66 yrs. old he suffered a stroke that left him bed ridden end unable to talk or write. He had beautiful penmanship and after his stroke his writing was illegible. Carlton Leroy died 10 Feb. 1936 at his home in Great Falls Mont. His faithful wife, Marias, then went to live with her youngest daughter, Ethel Margaret Baatz;. I use to love to hear Grandpa tell of his early life and as a bullwhacker etc. but no one ever thought then of writing these stories down so a lot of what I have written is from mine and father's (Archie Harmon) memory.

He use to come over to our house and you could tell that when he saw Mom's Book of Mormon lying on the table he would have loved to have read it. He said the Priest of the Catholic Church wouldn't allow them to read literature of another church, There were two little habits he had that rather irritated my Grandmother; when he’d wipe his glasses on her clean starched kitchen curtains, end when he'd line his peas up on the blade of his knife to eat them. I would watch fascinated when he did this to see if any would roll off. He had a sore on his nose that I have wondered if it could have been cancerous as it never did heal, Rather than argue with Grandma about. anything he would leave the house and go for a walk. I have never heard him say anything unkind about her, He'd say, "She's a good woman". He loved my mother as she was always kind and respectful to him,

When he had his stroke Mom would bathe him and change his bed. She never scolded him when he had an accident, as she knew how embarrassed he was that tears would come to his eyes, He would try so hard to talk and because he was unable to he would get tears then also,

I feel it was a great blessing and privilege to have lived so close to my grandparents and to love and know them. My father would never allow us to be disrespectful to them in anyway. Even when Grandma would scold us for something one of our cousins did. We were never allowed to talk back,

I will always remember the delicious turkey dressing Grandma made and her mince meat pies. No one could make it as good as Grandma. She loved to play bridge and 500 and would invite friends to their home far an evening of cards and refreshments, At Christmas time she loved to take me and my brother, Shirley, to her church to see the Nativity Scene in the foyer, She would cell a taxi as she suffered from rheumatism and it was difficult for her to walk to the bus stop. She could neither read or write but she had a remarkable memory as she could hear a recipe on the radio and remember it. She knew money and if the clerk in the store had given her the right change. They were wonderful people and a great example to their posterity. I look forward to someday meeting them again in the life after this.

Compiled and written by Granddaughter, Anabel Monroe Terry, Rt. 1, Box 1620, Paul, Idaho 83347 2 Sep 1988.

Carlton is our Great Grandfather
Parents: Harmon R. MONROE and Esther CROMMER.

He was married to Maris BELCOURT on 1 Oct 1882 in Fort Benton, Choteau Co., Montana. Children were: Carlos Lloyd MONROE, Etta Adelia MONROE, Archie Harmon MONROE, Christian Eve MONROE, Silas Leslie MONROE, Wallace Wesley MONROE, Hylda Maria MONROE, Florence Bell MONROE, Francis Eugene MONROE, Ethel Margaret MONROE.

bullet Christian Eve MONROE was born on 24 Dec 1891. She died on 24 Sep 1970. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

She was married to Ed HEDMAN on 7 Apr 1921.

bullet Ethel Margaret MONROE was born on 29 Dec 1904. She died on 6 Aug 1967. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

bulletEtta Adelia MONROE was born on 6 Jun 1886 in Saypo, Teton Co., Montana. She died on 9 Feb 1978 in Lemon Grove, San Diego Co., California. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

She was married to Henry Marion VICKERY on 17 Oct 1906.

bullet Florence Bell MONROE was born on 4 Sep 1900. She died on 22 Jun 1906. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

bullet Francis Eugene MONROE was born on 20 Apr 1903. He died on 12 Oct 1945. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

He was married to Esther STEDMAN on 15 Oct 1930.

bullet Harmon R. MONROE was born in 1826 in New York. He died in 1851 in Ransom, Hillsdale Co., Michigan. Alice Eichholz, Ancestry's Red Book, Michigan
Michigan then became a lumbering and mining state, and with the new industries new people and new settlement came too. The first land office opened in 1818, but the difficulty of traveling to the territory hindered extensive migration. It was considered more dangerous to attempt to navigate Lake Erie than the Atlantic Ocean.

Alice Eichholz, Ancestry's Red Book, Michigan
Federally funded lighthouses and harbor improvements, steam navigation on the Great Lakes, and the completion of the Erie Canal were instrumental in increasing the flow of Americans to Michigan. New Englanders and descendants of New Englanders, having previously migrated to New York, began moving to the area. New roads within the state and others connecting to adjacent states made Michigan even more accessible. For the most part, settlers came from New York, Ohio, and Indiana. They were not the very rich or the very poor and were typically farmers, generally young, and usually married.

He was married to Esther CROMMER on 26 Nov 1848 in Ransom, Hillsdale Co., Michigan. Children were: Carlton Leroy MONROE, Carlos Lloyd MONROE.

bullet Hylda Maria MONROE Photo was born on 5 Jan 1898 in Fort Benton, Choteau Co., Montana. She died on 27 Nov 1989 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., Utah.
Hylda Maria Monroe was the 7th child in a family of 10 children. Her parents were homesteaders. At the time of her birth, her father was a cattle rancher. Previous to this, he had run a freight business.

When she was 8, her family moved to Choteau, Montana, where the younger children could get a better education. When she was 14, the family moved again to Great Falls, where the family ran a rooming house.

When Hylda was 16, she met her future husband, Jim Leverich. They met at Griffith Park in Great Falls where the young people in town would go to socialize and dance. They dated for 4 years before getting married at age 20. As Jim was only 20 and too young to get married in Great Falls without his parents’ consent, they eloped to Fort Benton to get married.

Jim’s mother Mary Louise was not happy about the marriage. One of her reasons, besides age, was that she felt Hylda was not accomplished because she could not play the piano. As Hylda would later say, neither could her mother-in-law. Mary wanted to have the marriage annulled, but relented when she found out that Hylda had since become pregnant.

Times were tough for Hylda’s mother-in-law, as she had recently been divorced and still had a young son Bryan to care for. This may have contributed to her initial negative reaction to her new daughter-in-law. Partly because of this strained relationship, Jim and Hylda decided to leave Great Falls in 1919 with their newborn daughter Marie and move to Grand Junction, Colorado. Jim’s father had recently moved there and was able to get Jim a desk job with the narrow gauge railroad.

The family didn’t stay long in Colorado. Jim hated his desk job and wanted work where he could be outdoors. He took a job as a switchman for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in Salt Lake City. They moved their family in 1920, which soon grew with the birth of Jim that same year.

They initially rented a house near downtown Salt Lake on the west side. In 1924, they bought their first home, which was brand new, on 264 Wilson Avenue. The house was located in what was, at the time, farm country being converted to residential land. Everything south of 21st South in Salt Lake in 1924 was rural farmland. Even Wilson Avenue was considered out in the sticks by many.

Their family soon grew to 5 children. Mildred, or Mid, was born in 1925, and the twins, Keith and Kent, were born in 1927. Hylda’s husband Jim worked 7 days a week as a switchman at the Roper Yards not far from their home to support his family.

When the Great Depression came, Jim was required to take 4 days a month off. He was fortunate that he was able to keep his job, as many of the men in the neighborhood were put out of work. On these days off, Jim and Hylda would frequently pack up the kids, along with a picnic lunch, and drive to Lambs Canyon nearby for a picnic.

With their modest 2 bedroom home on Wilson Avenue, life was cozy with 5 children. The living room couch was also a fold-out bed for the two girls, and the three boys shared the back bedroom.

The house was heated by a coal-fired furnace. Ice for the ice box was delivered by horse-drawn ice wagon at first and later by ice truck.

During World War II, all three of Hylda’s sons, as well as the two daughters’ husbands, served.

As Jim typically had to work on Christmas, Santa Claus would come Christmas Eve and presents were opened at midnight. After their kids had grown and started families of their own, Hylda and Jim would traditionally hold the Christmas Eve party at their home for their children and grandkids.

The 60’s were a hard time for Hylda and the Leverich family. Jim died in 1962 at age 64. In 1966, Mid’s husband Jack died of a heart attack at the age of 45. Their family was living in Oregon at the time. Mid was terribly depressed after Jack died. She and 2 of her 3 daughters moved in with Hylda. In October 1966, Mid went next door, found a gun, and committed suicide. Hylda was the one who discovered her daughter next door.

After Mid and Jack died, Patti, the 17 year old, was placed in a foster home in Oregon. The youngest daughter, Judy, was raised from about age 12 to adulthood by Hylda. This sudden new parenting responsibility likely kept Hylda very busy, providing companionship, and helping her cope with the loss of a husband, son-in-law, and daughter in a brief period of time.

Hylda lived to be 91. Although struggling with the rigors of old age, she never lost her mental faculties or sense of humor.

Hylda is our Grandmother
Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

She was married to James Perry LEVERICH Sr. on 5 Jun 1918 in Fort Benton, Choteau Co., Montana. Children were: Marie Hylda LEVERICH, James Perry LEVERICH, Mildred Louise LEVERICH, Keith Edward LEVERICH , Kent Monroe LEVERICH.

bullet Silas Leslie MONROE was born on 7 Nov 1894. He died on 29 Jun 1972. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

He was married to Gertrude RASMUSSEN on 7 Apr 1921.

bullet Wallace Wesley MONROE was born on 26 Jul 1896. He died on 13 Sep 1961. Parents: Carlton Leroy MONROE and Maris BELCOURT.

He was married to Edith PETERSON on 12 May 1923.

bullet Claus MORTENSEN was born on 20 Mar 1765 in Tjorneby, Maribo, Denmark. He died on 20 Apr 1822 in Utterslev, Maribo, Denmark. Parents: Morten CLAUSEN and Anna HANSEN.

He was married to Anne NIELSEN about 1792 in Denmark.

bullet Hans MORTENSEN was born on 25 Mar 1759 in Tjorneby, Maribo, Denmark. He died on 12 Apr 1807. Parents: Morten CLAUSEN and Anna HANSEN.

He was married to Marie LARSEN in 1788 in Maribo, Denmark. Children were: Morten HANSEN , Christiane HANSEN, Lars HANSEN , Egler HANSEN, Margritte HANSEN , Dines HANSEN.

bullet Karen MORTENSEN was born on 22 Nov 1767 in Tjorneby, Maribo, Denmark. Parents: Morten CLAUSEN and Anna HANSEN .

bullet Margrethe MORTENSEN was born on 22 Nov 1761 in Tjorneby, Maribo, Denmark. Parents: Morten CLAUSEN and Anna HANSEN .

bullet Abraham MORTON was born on 28 Mar 1762 in Athol, Worcester Co., Massachusetts. He died on 20 Aug 1839 in Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois. Parents: Benjamin MORTON and Mary DEXTER.

He was married to Phebe LANGFORD on 20 Aug 1782 in Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois. Children were: Noah MORTON, Phebe Ann MORTON, Hannah Lucretia MORTON, Abraham MORTON, Clarke MORTON, Joseph MORTON, Benjamin MORTON.

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