Turning the Hearts....

The prophet Malachi prophecied these words:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Many people equate doing genealogy with the spirit of Elijah. I would like to share some of my feelings on this subject. Over the last three months while I have been doing research on Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy and his family, I have felt the spirit of the Lord more strong in my daily life. I feel more connected to my ancestors, and I feel that they feel more connected to me. I feel like I am a part of them, and now they are a part of me. I am grateful for the opportunity to do this , not only to benifit future posterity, but to benifit the past generations!

The Family

Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy was Born May 21, 1816 in Spafford, New York. He married three times. His first wife was Joanna Carter, and they married in early 1843 in Nauvoo, Illinois. She died April 1847 at Winter Quarters, Iowa. She left Lauren with two boys; Bryron Donalvin Roundy, born Jan 29, 1844; and William Heber Roundy, born Feb 5,1845, both in Nauvoo, Illinois. His second wife was Jane Ann Koyle. They married in April of 1848 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Together they had eight children. The first was Julia Rebecca Roundy, born 1849; Jared Washington Roundy born February 22,1851; and Loren Roundy born November 30,1853, those three being born in Centerville, Utah. Next they had Hyrum Koyl Roundy born December 12, 1854; Lauretta Roundy born May 12,1860; John Roundy born May 18, 1864; Lillian Jane Roundy born and Charles Roundy born on December 25, 1866. All of these childern were born in Springville, Utah. Jane Anne Koyl died April 25, 1867, after four short months of giving birth to the twins. Lauren then married Martha Jane Edmiston in April of 1868. They had three children together. Luella Roundy born December 25, 1868; Mary Ann Roundy born June 12, 1871; and Aldelbert Roundy was born March 16, 1872. All three of these children were born in Springville, Utah as well. Martha Jane Edmiston died on November 5, 1888. Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy died a widower (three times) on March 11, 1900 at the ripe old age of 85 with thirteen children.

Family Search and Other Genealogy Databases

Doing family Genealogy seems to be an overwhelming undertaking. However, computers and, Genealogy Databases make doing research much more simple. I went and searched Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy out on Familysearch.org. At this websight they have different tabs that help you look in different databases for information about your ancestors. I searched in the pedigree resource file, and actually found some pedigree charts that were quite helpful. I searched in the IGI, and I found dates for Lauren’s baptism, endowment, and sealing to spouse and parents. Lauren was an early convert to the church and lived in both, Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois. Next I searched in the SSD Index and actually received a nil result. I did a surname search in the catalog.loc.gov website and found many interesting books written by people with the last name Roundy, but no new information on Lauren. Next I searched on Heritagequest.com and found an 188o census record with Lauren Hotchkiss and all of his family members on it, while they lived in Springville, Utah. I searched on Ancestry.com and found a photograph of Lauren Hotchkiss, that I still need to print off sometime. Next I searched Rootsweb.com and my result was a nil search. I searched Google, for Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy and I got a lot of hits. Most of them were sites where people had posted his name along with some pedigree information that I already have. Finally, I searched for him on the Genforum.com, I found that many people are asking questions about the Roundy’s and especially a lot of people are asking about Shadrach, which was Lauren’s father. All in all, the search was fairly successful, but I would like to find some more personal stories about Lauren Hotchkiss, about his comings and going, and that sort of thing.

INDEXING- THE GUESSING GAME

For my family history class we had an assignment that we had to do a batch of indexing. Indexing in a program found on Familysearch.org that allows you to volunteer to help automate hand written records, such as pre 1940 census records. All you have to do is sign up on Familysearch to volunteer. Some of the hand writing was very difficult to read but I was able to manage ok. If I couldn’t read it I just put unreadable on the screen. I must say that I am so glad that we have computers in our day, because I would hate to have to write all that information, typing it all in was hard enough. When I searched for census records for Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy, I found that in every census record his name was spelled differently. In one census his name was spelled Loran, in another Lorin, and in another Lovis. Lovis? I thought about why it was spelled so wrong and after I had the indexing experience I knew exactly why. Those hand written census records from the 1800's are hard to decipher.

Vital Records

I’ve decided to research Vital Records for Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy. He was born in 1815 and he married 3 separate times to 3 separate women in 3 separate states. I am of the line from his last wife, Martha Jane Edmiston. He married her while living in Springville, Utah. He died in 1900 in Knightsville, Utah, and was buried in the Springville cemetery.
1. Cemetery records, Springville, Utah County, Utah: early to 1958. Film # 176659, this film is not located at the BYU Family History Librairy.
2. Cemetery records, Springville, Utah County, Utah: copied from the sextons' records by the Kolob Stake Genealogical Committee; typed by the Genealogical Society of Utah. Film # 6020000, this film is located at the FHL at BYU.
3. A brief history of Springville, Utah : from its first settlement September 18, 1850 to the 18th day of September, 1900. Film # 1059490 is located at BYU and film 164620 is not located at BYU FHL.
4. Record of (LDS) members in Springville, Utah, 1851-1892; historical record, 1851- 1875. Film # 26459 is not located at BYU and film 26458 is located at BYU FHL.
To order a death certificate for Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy I could contact the Utah County Clerks office at the Utah County Administration Building 100 E Center St., Rm 3600 Provo, UT 84606.
I could also go to the FHL at BYU and look at the film reels.
Possible substitutes for Vital Records include:
-Tombstone and Sexton Records
-Obituaries
-Personal Journal Entries
- Biographies
-Wills

HIS DAYS IN NAUVOO

Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy lived in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois from about 1839 to 1846. Illinois was made a territory in 1809, and later gained statehood as the 21st state in 1818. Hancock County was created on January 13, 1825 and was formed from Pike County. The County was named after John Hancock, a prominent figure of the Revolutionary period, a Major General of the militia, President of the Continental Congress, and the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The city of Nauvoo was originally called Commerce. Commerce was a swampy area down by the Mississippi River, near the boarder of Illinois and Missouri. The Church bought the swampy land and drained it, so the members of the Church could move there. Nauvoo became a city in May of 1839, after the prophet Joseph Smith Jr. renamed the city Nauvoo (Greek meaning “beautiful place”). Latter Day Saints often referred to Nauvoo as "the city beautiful," or "the city of Joseph."
The smaller community of Commerce had few buildings so construction began promptly to meet the immediate demand for housing. Elements of Joseph Smith's generalized city plan, known as the "plat of Zion" (first introduced in 1833) were used in the street layout and lot allotments in Nauvoo. The community was characterized by wood frame homes with outbuildings, gardens, orchards and grazing plots on large lots laid out on an orderly grid system. In the spring of 1840, John C. Bennett, the Quarter Master General of the Illinois State Militia converted to Mormonism and became Joseph Smith's friend. John Bennett's experience with Illinois' government allowed him to help the Prophet craft a city charter for Nauvoo. Based closely on the Springfield, Illinois, charter, the document gave the city a number of important powers, including the establishment of municipal court, a university, and an independent militia unit. After the charter was passed, John Bennett was elected Nauvoo's first mayor. The city grew quickly as the members of the church gathered. At its height Nauvoo's population was the largest in the state with almost 20,000 people. Many new residents came from the British Iles, being new converts to the Mormon Church.
The members thrived in Nauvoo. Nauvoo was the home to a new and beautiful LDS temple. However, citizens in neighboring towns and counties began to grow weary of the Saints in Nauvoo. Soon mobs began to torment the Saints that lived in the outskirts of the city. Many attempts to take Joseph Smith from his home were unsuccessful, until a former LDS general authority, William Law, played an important role in acquiring a warrant for his arrest in 1844. Joseph Smith, along with his brother Hyrum, and two other Church Officials were taken to Carthage jail. Here they were assassinated by an angry mob.
After the death of Joseph Smith, the Saints remained in Nauvoo until they were ordered to move by the Illinois State government. In 1846, most of the Saints packed up their belongings and headed west to find a more peaceful settlement.

Census

I searched Census Records for Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy. I was able to find him in the 1880, 1860, and 1850 Utah territory Census. For some reason the 1870 Census didn’t have him. I searched for about two hours looking for any information I could find about Lauren Roundy in the 1870 Census. I looked under his parents names and did find anything, but I found his son, Jared, at that time was 20 years old and living with a family by the last name Wild in Springville, Utah. His son, Jared Roundy’s occupation was listed as a farm laborer, and I am wondering if he worked on their farm the day the census man came. But I couldn’t find anything on Lauren Roundy in that year, which I thought was kind of strange.
I found it very interesting to look at Lauren Roundy’s value of possessions. In 1860, he had 350 dollars worth of land and 1600 dollars worth of personal belongings. An additional side note is my 5th great grand father, Shadrach Roundy, had 2000 dollars worth of land and 1000 dollars of personal belongings. I thought that was quite a bit for the time period.

LAUREN HOTCHKISS ROUNDY

Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy was born in 1816 in up state New York. He is the Son of Shadrach and Betsy (Quimby) Roundy. When Lauren was about 15 years old his father Shadrach joined the Mormon Church and moved his family first to the Kirtland, Ohio area, and later to Missouri and Nauvoo, Illinois. It was in Nauvoo that Lauren met and married Joanna Carter. When the Mormons were compelled to leave Nauvoo and trek west, Joanna Carter died at Winter Quarters, Iowa, leaving Lauren with two young sons. He arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in late 1847, and later settled in the Springville, Utah area. He owned a 160 acre homestead and farmed for an occupation. As his second wife he married Jane Ann Koyl, and from this union seven children where brought into his family. Jane died young and left Lauren with a house full of children. A few years later, Lauren remarried Martha Jane Edmiston, who bore three more children. Martha Also died young in 1880 and left the responsibility of raising the family on Laurens shoulders.
Through his long years of sorrows and hardship, Lauren remained loyal to his faith and served in the Spanish Fork bishopric and as a high councilor for many years. His greatest hobby was the development of fine horses, for which he was famous throughout Utah Valley. Lauren was also a veteran of the Indian war. Lauren died at age eighty-five at Knightsville, Utah, in March of 1900. The children that were still alive when Lauren died were (in the order of age): Byron, William, Jared, Hyrum, Lauretta, John, Lillian, Luella, Mary Ann, and Adelbert. It was Lauren Roundy’s type of man who opened the American frontier, and helped make our land a great nation. He truly was a hard working man of integrity.

This Blog is dedicated to all those out there looking to feel a bond with Roundy ancestors. I will focus on the Lauren Hotchkiss Roundy Family first and then follow with other ancestors in my line. It is a project in the making and I plan to continue to add to it as time goes on and as I found new little tid bits of family history. So I hope all of you enjoy!