Mary Hart family information

The following is an excerpt from A Story of William Hart and Jennie Ann Johnson Laws by Donna Laws Hemingway, a granddaughter. Clink on “Donna Laws Hemingway” in the labels links to read more about Donna and this now out-of-print book. She wrote the findings of her research in first person; so “I” refers to Donna.

Mary Hart was the daughter of William Hart, born 29 January 1802 and Frances Norton, born 27 December 1801. They had ten children, six boys and four girls, all born in Brandon, Suffolk, England, with the exception of John their seventh child who was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Mary was child number three being born in 1830, and the first daughter in the family.

The Hart family was more of a stable family [in contrast to her husband’s family, father was Benjamin Laws, who moved around and whose records are harder to find, DK]. They were in Brandon for several generations and evidently owned land. However, they were not a marrying family. I have looked for years for the marriages of our Hart Ancestors and they have all been hard to find. Many I have not found.

We have the picture of great grandmother Mary Hart. I had always said, "She must have Indian blood in her. She has a high forehead and just looks like an Indian to me." Everyone assured me that she did not have any Indian blood in her. She was born and raised in England and was all English. While I was in England I found that her Great Grandmother was a Skilks. I had never run into that name in England so I wrote a very knowledgeable researcher who had helped me many times when I was stuck on my research. He said, "Mrs. Hemingway, Skilks is not an English name. At the period of time you are searching, 1745, the manor houses were most happy to have dark skinned servants in their manor houses. Slaves were brought in, take your choice, Indians from America, Indians from India, Black people from Africa. They were sold to the owners of the Manor houses to work for them, and the men who bought them would give them their freedom to marry and have families, but they still worked for the owner of the Manor house. Well, I chose Indian, as her granddaughter looks like she has Indian blood in her. There is my funny story in my research. I have since found a family of Skilks. It would have had to have been her grandfather that would have been brought to England in the 1650's as a slave. But what ever, it is an interesting story to me.

Benjamin Laws Book

There appears to be a book available about Benjamin Laws, written by Donna Laws Hemingway, a great granddaughter, entitled He led the way: Life story of Benjamin Laws, 1825-1916. At one time it was selling on Amazon.com but is now out of print. The ASIN is B0071R30I, publication date 1987. It appears there is a copy on file at the LDS Family History Library, along with these other titles by Donna:

Anna Katrina Louise Christoffersen Petersen Bradford, 1872-1940

Frands Peter Petersen : a faithful obedient pioneer

A story of William Hart and Jennie Ann Johnson Laws

Obituary: Donna Laws Hemingway

Published: Thursday, April 24, 2008 6:10 p.m. MDT

Donna Laws Hemingway

1920 ~ 2008

Donna Laws Hemingway passed away peacefully, April 22, 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born April 24, 1920 in Blanding, Utah the daughter of Wilford Derby and Mary Laws. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1942. She taught school in Pleasant Grove, Blanding, Lehi, Utah and Eureka, Nevada. She married Donald W. Hemingway in the Salt Lake Temple on June 21, 1946.

She was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served as the first Stake Primary president in the London England Stake. She served as Young Women president and Relief Society president many times. She enjoyed taking groups of Young Women for temple service. She served four missions with her husband in Hawaii and Australia. She was a temple worker and a lifelong genealogist serving in the Family History libraries in Hawaii and Salt Lake City. She submitted tens of thousands of names of ancestors for temple blessings. Her greatest joy was monthly family home evening with her family. No visitor ever left her home hungry.

She is survived by her husband, Donald W. Hemingway and six children, David Hemingway (Gay Etta); Delwin Hemingway (Janice); Michael Hemingway, (LeeAnn); Mary Dawn Bywater (Ed); Flora Shumway; Jan Mecham (Ray, deceased); her sister, June Hawkins; 34 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple on April 25, 2008 from 6-8 p.m. and 10:00-10:45 a.m. prior to funeral services held April 26, 2008 at the LDS chapel at 135 North A Street at 11:00 a.m. Interment: Elysian Burial Gardens, 1075 East 4580 South, Murray at 4:30 p.m. Online condolences at www.larkincares.com

© 2009 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved

Below is the info on a book I am getting information from:

A Story of William Hart and Jennie Ann Johnson Laws by Donna Laws Hemingway

Available through LDS Family History Library on microfilm (2055457 Item 5) or at the FamilySearch Center at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City (929.273 L44).

William Hart Laws Born in Weeting with Broomhill, Norfolk, England

The following is an excerpt from A Story of William Hart and Jennie Ann Johnson Laws by Donna Laws Hemingway, a granddaughter. Clink on “Donna Laws Hemingway” in the labels links to read more about Donna and this now out-of-print book. She wrote the findings of her research in first person; so “I” refers to Donna.

WILLIAM HART LAWS

William Hart Laws was born 16 September 1850, at Weeting with Broomhill, Norfolk, England, the son of Benjamin Laws and Mary Hart. His parents were not married at the time he was born.

They were both farm workers in the little village of Weeting with Broomhill. Benjamin said he went out in the fields to work and Mary did not come. He went back to the living quarters and found that she had given birth to their son. On the 3 November 1850, they had him christened or baptized into the Church of England in the Brandon, Suffolk, England, Parish Church. He was given the name William Laws Hart. When I found this I knew why I had never been able to find the marriage of this couple.

You need to know a little about the living conditions and the area where they lived. Weeting with Broomhill had a population of 303 people in 1845, It was a farm area where they grew turnips, barley, seeds for hay, wheat and rye. Barley was made into malt which is the staple commodity of the county. There were lots of cattle, sheep and turkeys raised and sent to market. Basically this was a farm industry with many hired men and women to work. The pay was very low and they struggled to make a living. Having to pay only a few cents for a marriage was more than many could afford and many lived a common law marriage.

This was the situation at the time the Mormon missionaries came to Norfolk and Suffolk, England to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many listened and joined the church, Benjamin and Mary being two who were converted, Benjamin being baptized 27 March 1851. Mary could not be baptized without being married since she had their child. They were married 24 October 1851 at Thetford, Norfolk, England. Mary was baptized 30 December 1851, into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

These little villages are all within a five mile radius even though they are in two counties. In Utah we think of villages at that time being miles and miles apart like 10 to 50 miles. However, in England they are very close together, and the Parish churches were close enough together that everyone could easily walk to church. The Church was the center of their living. That is why we find the christening in one parish and the marriages in another, and the deaths in another. They just went where it was convenient, or where they felt the most comfortable in their situation.

Brandon where Grandpa William always said he was born is a good sized town of 2,000 people at that time. There was a marketplace and a shopping area. I am sure that is why it is the place he remembered in his growing up. He was christened in Brandon.

The Laws ancestors have been families that have moved and been rather difficult to find. They moved nearly every generation. In England they do not have a record in the Parishes of the moving in and out. William's father and mother must not have known their Grandparents, because they did the temple work, in the Endowment House and the St George Temple, for Grandma and Grandpa Laws, Grandma and Grandpa Hart, Grandpa and Grandma Norton and Grandpa and Grandma Bowers. This is all we knew of their ancestors.