Penelope was a pretty girl with blond hair, living in Hollands principal city, Amsterdam. Amsterdam in the 1630's was a fortunate place to be growing up. A city of bustle and beauty, teeming with Flemish Merchants, Jewish diamond cutters from Spain and Portugal. Huguenots- French protestants setting up leather working, glass blowing shops in their adopted country, where they had fled from religious persecution.
Penelope didn't give much thought to religion beyond Sunday Services with her family at the new church where in the noisy, milling crowd, many a flirtation had it's beginnings.
Penelope wore ribbons in her cap over her yellow ringlets, her eyes sparkled. Every day was an adventure. Something was always going on. A festival or outdoor concert, a ship sailing right up to the street wall. Not far from Penelope's home lived a young portrait painter named Rembrandt Van Ryn. They were friends. When Penelope married at the age of 20, her and her husband went to New Nether land to see if they could make a home there. On the 58th day at sea, the ship made landfall during a murky storm on the rocky shore near a beach. In fright and confusion the settlers shimmied down hand-burning lengths of rope into dories or rafts. Penelope with the help of others got her sick husband off the ship and found themselves on a barren strip of land with dense woods nearby. The people decided to press on to New Amsterdam but they did not want to leave Penelope but she refused to go and leave her husband. They promised to return with help to get them. After they left Penelope tended her husband through the night and in the morning they were set upon by 3-4 Indians with knives and tomahawks. Penelope's husband was killed and Penelope was scalped, stabbed in the shoulder and across her stomach exposing her intestines, leaving her for dead the Indians left. Penelope managed to crawl to the edge of the trees where she was able to find some dew on the leaves and the fungus excrescences and the gum from the trees to eat. She hid in the hollow of a tree for a week before seeing a deer running past her with arrows sticking in its flanks and then a dog came upon her and barked until the Indians came and found her. There were 2 Indians, a young one that wanted to kill Penelope and an older one that said no. He put Penelope upon his shoulders and took her to his came near what is known as Middle town in New Jersey. When Penelope came awake she realized the horrible pain was gone. Slabs of a sort of mud had been applied to her head and her belly was wound tightly with cloth. Her mouth was fuzzy and she thought she had been given some drugs of a sort. The Older Indian was standing over her and was talking to her in English. The Indian was named Tisquantum, Chief of the Lanni Le nape, part of the Al-gon-kin people, sworn enemy's of the Mohawks.
After Penelope was healed, rather than stay and be married to one of the braves the Chief had picked out for her, she risked her life to escape in a canoe. She landed in Gravesend in Long Island New York.
After being shipwrecked, widowed, scalped and taken prisoner by Indians, Penelope was taken to the home of Deborah Moody, she was the mayor and the first woman to lay out the town. Richard was one of her guards and with another guard found Penelope. Richard took an interest in Penelope. Richard was born in Nottingham England in 1610 with a castle as the view from his bedroom window. He had heard the stories of Robin Hood and had hiked in Sherwood Forrest. He joined the British Navy to get away from his father whom he was angry at for interfering in his love life.
After Richard and Penelope were married they went to New Jersey with several of their 10 children settling in Middle town. The old Indian came to visit her several times bringing gifts for the children. The town of Middle town grew up around the Stouts.
Life was hard for the Stout family, but they endured.
In 1705, at the age of 95, Richard died. Penelope wrote of her husband, "I was never unhappy with him."
Penelope died at the age of 110 in 1732 and is buried beside her husband on a farm, 3 miles west of Middle town. She left over 500 descendants.
Jimmy Stout, a retired jockey. William Bushnell who helped design the liberty airplane engine of WWI and a high speed railroad car in 1930's, and the Ford Trimotor airplane. Doctor A.B. Stout hybridizer of the day Lilly, and mystery writer Rex Stout.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
William Draper-my Great, Great, Great grandfather.
William Draper was born 24 April 1807 to William Draper and Lydia Luthrop, in upper Canada. In June 1832 William heard the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ preached by a missionary named Elder Miller and by others that were with him. Later he heard Brigham Young preach the same gospel and he knew it was true. William was baptized 20 March 1834. He took his wife and 2 children and left Canada for the sake of the gospel. William found a location where he could build a home and by hard work he provided a comfortable living for his family. They were quite poor as to worldly goods but William labored hard and prospered.
In 1835 William helped to build the Kirtland Temple and after he went on a mission back to Canada.
William attended the Theological school which was superintended by the Prophet Joseph Smith. There he was taught preparatory to the endowment for when the temple was finished.
On 6 April 1836, there was such an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord that William was unable to express it. but he said "the Spirit was poured out and came like a mighty rushing wind and filled the house, that many who were present spoke in tongues and had visions and saw Angels and prophesied and had a general time of rejoicing such as had not been known in this generation."
In 1838, William was set apart to go to Illinois to take charge and preside in a branch of the Church that had been previously raised up.
After William was swindled out of his home and land, they left for Morgan County Illinois and traveled 120 miles until the weather was so bad they had to stay for a week.
William was close to the Prophets family. Joseph's father, the first patriarch gave William a blessing and then William and his family started out on their journey again. They traveled on uninhabited country roads and came to a place in Caldwell County Missouri which was about 4-5 miles from Far West. There was a small branch of the Church there so William bought a snug little home with a blacksmith shop and 7 acres. He had 1 yoke of oxen, 1 house and 2 cows. corn and pork were plentiful, corn being the main bread stuff, so William set to work at shoe making and made his family a comfortable living.
William was in the crowd when the Prophet Joseph and his brethren were carried off never to be seen again.
When William returned home he found the heads of his oxen lying in the road. All he had left was a cow and a horse to make a team to leave the State in the spring.
When Williams family left to travel West, they were with out incident until the latter part of March. They came to a small town called Attas on the border of the great Mississippi Bottom in Illinois.
In 1850, there was a new settlement started on what was then called South Willow Creek, about 20 miles south of Salt Lake. William was asked to come and settle there. William moved his large family and the settlement became large enough that it warranted a branch of the Church to be organized and William was called as the bishop.
Then later William moved his family to Spanish Fork and purchased 4 houses and lots with about 80 acres of land which 50 acres could be farmed. William grew enough grain for his family and had plenty to share with others.
In 1863, when the grasshoppers and crickets destroyed the crops one yea,r the following year, he had failed crops. Wood was hard to come by and he had 4 houses to keep going. The oldest boys had grown and married and left home which only left small children and only had the mothers to help him.
William moved his families to Moroni where he bought 15 acres of land and a share in a gist mill.
The following is a testimony by William;
"I William testify of the truth of the everlasting gospel as introduced by the Prophet Joseph Smith. and I also join the labor to call upon all men, Jew, gentile, bond and free, Priest and people to home and abroad; all who have not obeyed the gospel to listen and hear and believe and be baptized. Now I will come to a close on the day (Dec. 11, 1881) which makes me 74 years old and the husband of 5 wives and father of 51 children and grandfather to about 100 children and great grandfather to about 20 more. Now I leave my blessing upon them all and ask Heavenly Father to seal the blessing of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob upon their heads, and that they may be honorable members in His Church and Kingdom, even so, Lord let it be. Amen"
In 1835 William helped to build the Kirtland Temple and after he went on a mission back to Canada.
William attended the Theological school which was superintended by the Prophet Joseph Smith. There he was taught preparatory to the endowment for when the temple was finished.
On 6 April 1836, there was such an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord that William was unable to express it. but he said "the Spirit was poured out and came like a mighty rushing wind and filled the house, that many who were present spoke in tongues and had visions and saw Angels and prophesied and had a general time of rejoicing such as had not been known in this generation."
In 1838, William was set apart to go to Illinois to take charge and preside in a branch of the Church that had been previously raised up.
After William was swindled out of his home and land, they left for Morgan County Illinois and traveled 120 miles until the weather was so bad they had to stay for a week.
William was close to the Prophets family. Joseph's father, the first patriarch gave William a blessing and then William and his family started out on their journey again. They traveled on uninhabited country roads and came to a place in Caldwell County Missouri which was about 4-5 miles from Far West. There was a small branch of the Church there so William bought a snug little home with a blacksmith shop and 7 acres. He had 1 yoke of oxen, 1 house and 2 cows. corn and pork were plentiful, corn being the main bread stuff, so William set to work at shoe making and made his family a comfortable living.
William was in the crowd when the Prophet Joseph and his brethren were carried off never to be seen again.
When William returned home he found the heads of his oxen lying in the road. All he had left was a cow and a horse to make a team to leave the State in the spring.
When Williams family left to travel West, they were with out incident until the latter part of March. They came to a small town called Attas on the border of the great Mississippi Bottom in Illinois.
In 1850, there was a new settlement started on what was then called South Willow Creek, about 20 miles south of Salt Lake. William was asked to come and settle there. William moved his large family and the settlement became large enough that it warranted a branch of the Church to be organized and William was called as the bishop.
Then later William moved his family to Spanish Fork and purchased 4 houses and lots with about 80 acres of land which 50 acres could be farmed. William grew enough grain for his family and had plenty to share with others.
In 1863, when the grasshoppers and crickets destroyed the crops one yea,r the following year, he had failed crops. Wood was hard to come by and he had 4 houses to keep going. The oldest boys had grown and married and left home which only left small children and only had the mothers to help him.
William moved his families to Moroni where he bought 15 acres of land and a share in a gist mill.
The following is a testimony by William;
"I William testify of the truth of the everlasting gospel as introduced by the Prophet Joseph Smith. and I also join the labor to call upon all men, Jew, gentile, bond and free, Priest and people to home and abroad; all who have not obeyed the gospel to listen and hear and believe and be baptized. Now I will come to a close on the day (Dec. 11, 1881) which makes me 74 years old and the husband of 5 wives and father of 51 children and grandfather to about 100 children and great grandfather to about 20 more. Now I leave my blessing upon them all and ask Heavenly Father to seal the blessing of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob upon their heads, and that they may be honorable members in His Church and Kingdom, even so, Lord let it be. Amen"
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