A Bit of Genealogy...

When you live in Wyoming, you frequently get the question, "How did you end up here?", as if something must have gone awry in your life that caused you to be here. The short answer is that I love it here and I choose to be here. But that's just why I stay here, not how I "ended up" here. Here is part of the story of how I ended up here:

My mother's family has been in Wyoming since her great-great-grandfather came to Evanston in 1879. His name was Henry Code. Henry was born in England and came to the states as a young man to join his sister in Salt Lake City. Although not a member of the church, he bought passage with a wagon train of Mormon Pioneers. He later joined the church, married,moved to Evanston, and had a large family. Henry was a gun and locksmith and repaired sewing machines. Henry built the first model steam engine in the Salt Lake Valley. Henry had no hands. He lost both of them in a childhood accident caused by careless use of gunpowder.

I have lately been given a copy of his obituary. Here is the text (from the January 21, 1911 edition of Evanston's local paper):

After an illness of two weeks, Henry Code, the pioneer gun and locksmith of North Evanston succumbed to pneumonia and jaundice early yesterday morning.

The deceased was born Aug. 21, 1836 at Lincolnshire, England, and came to America when 22 years of age. He removed in Utah with the pioneers in 1862, and came to Evanston in 1879, having resided here continuously since that time. He was married to Myranda Whipple at Salt Lake in 1873, and to this union several children were born. His wife passed away several years ago and his daughter, Mrs. Fred Lowbaker died last week. He is survived by a brother in California and a sister in Salt Lake. Also by two sons, David Burton and Charles Code and two Daughters, Mrs. Wm. Titmus and Mrs. Wm. Barnes of this city. Another daughter, Mrs. R.D. Freeman, resides in Idaho.

Mr. Code was an exceptionally clever man, and though a cripple, with both arms cut off at the elbows, followed the vocation of gun and locksmith in Evanston, raised a large family and does not owe anyone a cent.

This is certainly a creditable record. Mr. Code at all times held the respect of this community as an honorable, upright citizen.

Although I take exception to the word "cripple", I was extremely pleased to finally be able to read the obituary, along with a history of Henry Code, written by his friend. Henry is one of my heroes and one of the people I most look forward to meeting in the hereafter. Henry didn't know that someday he would have a great-great-great-great-granddaughter who was missing a hand and looked to him as an example, but he couldn't have conducted himself any better if he would have known.

Henry made his own prostheses and I am sure he will be marveling from the spirit world at all the implements available to Jane. I am also sure that along with her family on Earth cheering her on, the loudest cheer of all will be coming from Jane's great-great-great-great-grandfather, who knows Jane's struggles and her potential better than any of us.