Ancestral Histories

The following post is about two of my ancestors that I researched and found TONS of information about! John Henry Peterson is my great - great grandfather on my mom's side of the family. Hannah Brown Hibbert is one of my very first ancestors who learned about the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the missionaries in England and then later traveled to America.

John Henry Peterson

                John Henry Peterson is the son of John H. Peterson and Mary Jane Skinner and was born October 29, 1881 at Ovid, Bear Lake Country, Idaho.

                When John was only 5 years old his mother passed away. She gave birth to his sister, Jane Mathilda Kerstine Peterson, and twelve days later she died of milk fever. John was the oldest child of four children. Johns’ fathers’ sister took the two small boys, John included, and kept them for a year. John’s father batched it for a while and then he hired a house keeper, a Swedish immigrant who he later married, so that he could take the two boys back to live with him. Part of the time they batched and part of the time they had a housekeeper.

                John attended the district school, which was a one room school with one teacher for all of the grades. He was able to go to the Paris Academy for one term. He also went to the LDS University for a winter semester. John was called to take a missionary course at Brigham Young College at Logan, Utah. He ran out of money before the course was completed. With no place to go and with no money, his friend, Thornick, and him left school and took the train from Logan to Frankland. They then walked across the mountains from Frankland to Bloomington, Bear Lake. They did this in the snow because it was still winter. Then they rode from Bloomington to Ovid with a mail carrier.

                John’s father was a very harsh man. John was only home for a short time after school when his father told him to leave home, which John obeyed. He walked to Montpelier where he caught a freight train to Pocatello. He made arrangements to go to Twin Falls and drive a team of horses on a scraper, building a rail road and grade. He was only able to work a short time when it started raining. It rained for days, which prohibited him working. Small pox broke out in the camp during this time.

John caught a ride on a freight train to Pocatello, and then walked from Pocatello to Goshen where he found work on a farm for $15 a month. John also worked for Webster Sheep Company one spring during lambing season and for Eli Summers on his ranch one summer and with his sheep during the fall season.  In Ucon, John worked for Lee S. Robinson at his ranch. While working there he met Florence Mary Jeffs, whom he married March 27, 1907. John and Florence had 9 children, 6 boys and 3 girls: Spencer Henry, George Floyd, Florence Sylvia, Rozella May, Lee Sylvester, Von LeRoy, Goldn Virigil, Genevieve, and Harvey LeRoy. Genevieve died when she was 5 months old from leakage of the heart and whopping cough.

John bought 40 acres of land at Garfield, Idaho, where they build a home that they lived in from 1908 to 1934, with the exception of 2 years that they lived in Hibbard on R.S. Hunts ranch where John worked from 1910 to 1912. Over the years John rented several acres of land to different people. In 1934 John and two of his boys, Spencer and Floyd, went to Terreton, Idaho and rented 400 acres from F.A. Sweet. He later bought 160 acres from Mrs. F.A. Sweet, after the death of her husband. John and his family lived there from 1935 to 1958.

John was water master on the Harrison canal, and the west branch of the Harrison canal for 6 years. He served on the Garfield school board District #58 for 13 years, 1921 to 1934. He held the following positions in the LDS Church in the different Wards where he lived. He was always a Ward Teacher, a teacher in Sunday School, Counselor in Mutual, Superintendent in the mutual, Counselor in the Sunday School, member of the genealogy committee, chairman of the genealogy committee, High Priest teacher, and High Priest Group Leader.

On November 5, 1957, John was paralyzed from the waist down. He went into the LDS hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where he was operated on for a tumor on his spine. He recovered from the operation but was still in a wheel chair.

Hannah Brown Hibbert

            Hannah Brown Hibbert, the 4^th child of Mathew Brown and Sarah Wild, was born September 26, 1808, at Newton Heath Lancashire, England. Mathew Brown had a farm and a large head of dairy cows. Sarah was a silk weaver, a very good one. She spent hours every day at the loom. Sometimes she could make as much as $4.86 a week from her silk weaving. Mathew and Sarah had six children: Joseph, Henry, Ashton, Hannah, Thomas, and Mary. One day Sarah was taking milk to the cellar and she fell and hurt her hip and leg. She was never taken to the doctor but had to use a crutch the rest of her life and was in constant pain. She had her 6^th child, Mary, in this condition and Sarah got to the point where she couldn’t even walk. She died when Hannah was only 5 years old.

                At the age of 20, Hannah married James Hibbert, son of George Hibbert and Widow Mary Roe. They were married November 10, 1828 at Lancashire, England. James and Hannah had 7 children: Sara (who died at infancy), Mary, Sara, Hannah, James, Benjamin, and Daniel Wild.

                Hannah’s husband, James, was a cobbler who made and repaired shoes. He would either work at home or at a factory. He was a very good whistler and would whistle tunes and keep time with his hammer as he worked. Hannah was a silk weaver and usually worked at home.

                James and Hannah belonged to the Church of England, which was very strict. If anyone was caught working on Sunday, they could be put in prison. At the Church the children were taught the alphabet, a little reading and spelling. They were never taught how to write. Hannah and the children welcomed the first missionaries into England into their home and were very interested in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. James was not interested and told the missionaries not to come to his home and he did not want the Book of Mormon left at his home. Hannah and the children would listen to the missionaries when they spoke on the street corners, or sometimes they would go to the cottage meetings when they could get away. They read the Book of Mormon when James was gone.

                At the age of 39 Hannah and 3 children (Mary, Sarah, and Hannah) were secretly baptized at night on August 19, 1847. By the year 1856 all the children had been baptized. When James discovered this he was furious with his family. Hannah was determined she would come to America, so she started saving money from her weaving for boat passage. Hannah finally went to her father, Mathew Brown, and asked for money so she could come to America. Mathew Brown was a very wealthy man by this time. Mathew Brown told Hannah that if she went to America he would disown her and also disinherit her. He wanted her to stay in England and take care of him in his old age. He stayed true to his word, and Hannah did not go to America.

                After Hannah’s father died, she was 58 years old. She gathered her children together and asked for their help so she could have enough money for boat passage to America. She finally had enough to pay for her and her son, James (called Jim). The day Hannah and Jim left for the boat, she didn’t want her husband to become suspicious, so she left her night cap and night gown hanging on the bedpost, and cooked food and left it by the fireplace. Hannah knew that James would not let her leave England.

                The ship arrived in New York on June 3, 1864, and then by train to St. Joseph, Missouri, and then by a river Steamer to Wyoming, Nebraska. When Hannah’s husband, James, discovered that his wife was gone he was devastated and realized how much he missed her. He would have come to America but he was a very stubborn man and thought that if he did his wife would have won the battle. He went to live with his daughter, Sara and was a very unhappy man that died at the age of 60.

                Hannah  lived longer than her husband, her 3 sons, James, Benjamin, Daniel Wild, and her 2 daughters, Sara and Hannah Dalton. The only family she had left was her daughter Mary Hibbert Smith. Hannah lived with her half sister, Esther Maland, until her death on February 16, 1896. She was 88 years old.

Personal Life History

           I, Danielle Dawn Harrison, was born on July 10, 1990 at 11:53 in the morning. I was born in Provo, Utah where I still reside to this day. I get my name from one of my mother’s favorite dolls she had growing up. I am oldest in my family of 5 children, with 4 younger brothers; Chace Fal Harrison, Austin McKay Harrison, Benjamin Parker Harrison, and Kayden Lee Harrison.

            As a youngster I was a very independent child. There were many times where I would take my younger brothers out of the house, acting as a mom, and then was brought back by the police. One particular story relating to this is one morning while my mom was getting ready for work I took my younger brother, Chace, outside, put him in the stroller, and started walking to the park. I was 4 at the time, and Chace was 2. After getting a couple of blocks, a police officer stopped by and asked where I lived. When I told him, he escorted me back to my house, knocked on the door, and explained to my mother that I had wandered away. This wasn’t just the first time that I had done this.

            One of my best friends growing up, Lisa Boekweg, lived just behind my house. The only thing that separated my yard from her yard was a rickety fence. I would often sneak out of my house and climb over the fence so that I could play with Lisa. Lisa’s mom was a preschool teacher, which I was enrolled in. I loved going to preschool because not only was it fun, but I got to spend it with my best friend, Lisa! A couple years later my family moved around the block so that our house was across the street from Lisa’s house instead of behind. It was the only time I have moved in my life, and I didn’t have to leave my best friend behind!

            After preschool, I attended en elementary school in Provo that was about 5 blocks away from my house. It was called Franklin Elementary School. Because we lived so close to the school, I walked to school and from school every day. In Kindergarten, I was a very shy child. At this age I was diagnosed with a lazy eye, meaning I had to wear a patch over one eye to make the lazy eye stronger. On top of that I had to wear glasses. I was made fun of in school for this, which is why I became shy. I felt like I didn’t have any friends. This is how I felt through first grade as well. After first grade and half way into second grade, my eye became strong enough to where I didn’t have to wear the patch or the glasses anymore. I was so happy! I hated wearing that patch. In fact, often times when my parents or teachers weren’t looking, I would peel it open so I could use my eye to see, then when my parents or teachers would turn in my direction I would quickly stick the patch back on, sealing it completely. At the time I thought I was very clever, but my parents saw right through it.

            Through out my second grade, third grade, and fourth grade year in school, I loved school. I loved being with my friends and I loved learning. I am a quick learner and was able to pick up on things pretty fast, which I loved. In fifth grade I became more outgoing. I loved playing sports with the boys, especially kickball. In fact, during recess we had a kickball tournament that was put together between the fourth graders, fifth graders, and sixth graders, and my class won! It was so exciting for me! In fifth grade I also became very interested in English and spelling. In fact, I won the school spelling bee and went on to the district spelling bee. In the district spelling bee, I remember never being so nervous in my entire life! There were so many people there! It was so intimidating! During that time though, I discovered my lucky number. Let me explain. I was 11 years old at this time. At the spelling bee at my elementary school I was assigned chair number 11. At the district spelling bee, I was assigned chair number 11 again. And, during all this time I had computer 11 in my computer class. 11 was my lucky number, I just knew it! And it still is to this day.

            During my sixth grade year I auditioned for a part in our class play that was being put on for the entire school. It was Shakespeare’s, Taming of the Shrew. I wanted the main role. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the part. But, I was able to be the narrator. In the end I am glad I was able to be the narrator because of one key factor: I didn’t have to memorize any lines! All I had to do was read the narrative.

            During my junior high school years I attended Dixon Junior High. Nothing very memorable happened in this time of my life. I was a good student. I had perfect attendance, perfect grades, and I was even in the orchestra. I had friends that I liked to hang out with and I loved to learn. During this time I also joined the summer swim team. This enrollment changed my life forever. I loved swimming. It became something I really loved doing. In fact, I continue to swim to this day! I was on the high school swim team and on the club swim team for my city from junior high until I graduated high school. I even swam for three years on the college intramural swim team. It is something that is part of me, and I love it!

            Looking back, most people hate their high school years. But I loved mine. Sometimes I even wish I could go back! Yes, I know it’s crazy! In high school I was a good kid. I had perfect attendance, I had perfect grades (for the most part), and I was involved in the National Honors Society, orchestra, and the swim team. My freshman and sophomore years were uneventful academically. In swimming however, I was the only freshman in my school to qualify for the state championship meet at the end of the season. My best stroke is breaststroke, and I had qualified in the 100 yard Breaststroke event. I remember being so nervous right before my race, but in the end I dropped time and it was such a great experience. My sophomore year I made it back to state but this time instead of just swimming the 100 yard Breaststroke, I swam the 200 yard Individual medley, the 200 yard Medley relay, and the 200 yard Freestyle relay. I went on to swim those same 4 events my junior year and my senior year.

            My junior year in high school my mom noticed that my back had a funny curve to it. I couldn’t straighten my back. It was curved outward, making me look like the Hunch Back of Notre Dame. My mom decided to take me to a specialist to see what the problem was. It turned out that I had a disease called kyphosis, more specifically called Scheuermann’s disease. My back was curved more than 80% of what the natural curve was supposed to be for a normal person with a normal spine. It was getting progressively worse, and if continued untreated I would have severe complications as an adult. I needed surgery. I had a decision to make; whether to have the surgery in the middle of my swimming career, or wait until after I was done with swimming to have the surgery. At this point of my life I had a goal to swim in college. I wanted to swim for Brigham Young University. Having surgery could jeopardize any chance of achieving that goal. It was a tough decision to make, but in the end I decided to go ahead with the surgery after the state championship swim meet during my junior year. Today I am glad that I made that decision. I was able to heal and recover quickly and get back into my everyday life, which included swimming. The surgery actually improved my ability to swim. I was able to fix my technique on my strokes and get faster times in my races. I had a great high school swim experience. Unfortunately, I did not achieve my goal in swimming for Brigham Young University, but I am grateful that it didn’t work out. I have had so many experiences in life that made me realize that swimming for Brigham Young University was not the right path choice for me.

            After high school I worked for Provo City at the pool as a lifeguard, which I had for the past couple of summers. I had applied and been accepted to Brigham Young University Idaho and wanted to save money for my first semester. I loved lifeguarding! It was awesome because not only was I around water and the pool, but I was able to get tan while working! It was the best. In fact, to this day I still work for Provo City at the pool. Now I am a supervisor and have the opportunity to take on more responsibility. I still love it! I have worked with people who have stayed my friends to this day. I have been so blessed knowing and being able to interact with the people I have met through working at the pool, and I am so grateful for them.

            Brigham Young University Idaho has been a great experience for me! When I first enrolled I had every intention of transferring to Brigham Young University in Provo after 1 year, but that didn’t happen. I fell in love with the school, the faculty, the intramural swim team, and the students. I came into Brigham Young University Idaho wanting to major in nursing. In high school I had the opportunity to intern in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at the hospital and fell in love with it. After 2 tries of applying to the nursing program and not getting in, I decided to switch my major. I wanted to get done with school fast and didn’t want to have to wait year after year until I was accepted. I changed my major to Health Science with an emphasis in Public Health. After a time, I realized that I didn’t even really know what that major meant. I wasn’t passionate about it. One day I was my Grandma Rasmussen’s house with my family and my cousin, who is a nurse, was asking me about what I was studying at school. I felt somewhat ashamed at the fact that I really didn’t have a major that I was really interested in. I told him about my desire to be a nurse and how that didn’t quite work out. He then began telling me about a position involving HealthCare Administration. As he was explaining his experience with HealthCare Administration, I was very intrigued. I wanted to know more about it. Needless to say, my current major is HealthCare Administration, with a minor in Child Development. I enjoy this major and minor a lot. It is very interesting to me and I think that I can be happy with this career choice.

            As of now, I am currently taking online classes from Brigham Young University Idaho, working at the pool, and working at a residential treatment center for teenage girls. I am saving up money and spiritually preparing to serve as a fulltime missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission. I am so excited for this opportunity and am so excited to serve the Lord and His children whole-heartedly. I leave in September and had received my call in April. It has been quite a wait, but I am still so excited to be able to serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength.