Willden Family History

Pages 2 & 3 of the original letter written by Eleanor Willden to William Burt, widower of Eleanor and Charles's youngest daughter Louisa.

This is a copy of a letter written to William Burt by Eleanor Willden. Eleanor took care of William and Louisa's children after Louisa's death in 1883. Louisa was Charles and Eleanor's youngest daughter. Willie lived with his grandmother Eleanor from about eight months of age until he was three.

This letter was given to Gayle Stout by her father, William Wynder Burt who was the son of Willie who is mentioned in the letter. William gave the letter to his daughter Gayle in May of 2006. Gayle attempted to transcribe the letter and wasn't even sure who this Eleanor Willden was. The very next day, Gayle received an invitation in the mail to come to a family reunion for the descendants of Charles and Eleanor Willden!

This is a copy of a sheet of information handed down with genealogy books through the years. Charles and Eleanor lived in Cedar City Utah from 1852 until 1859, when they moved to Beaver

Louisa Willden Love, Cecilia Willden Jensen, and Eleanor Willden Ivie at a 1955 family reunion - all three granddaughters of Charles and Eleanor.

Charles and Eleanor Willden's fourth son, Feargus, stated in his journal that his father bought a farm "eight miles out from Kanesville". In 2006 Feargus's great grandson Edward Willden took these pictures of the Iowa countryside about 8 miles out from the old Kanesville city center. Kanesville is now Council Bluffs, and although Ed didn't know 'which' direction the actual farm was, he felt this is what the country around Kanesville looked like, then and now.

This picture was taken in 1957 at a Willden Reunion in Lindon, Utah. It shows five of Charles and Eleanor's granddaughters. On the back of the picture it identifies the women as: Roxie Willden Zufelt, daughter of Charles and Emma Willden Jr (Charles Turner Willden); Louisa Burt Love, daughter of William and Louisa Willden Burt; Celia Willden Jensen, and Violet Willden Dalley Pierce, daughters of John and Margaret Willden; and Eleanor Willden Ivie, daughter of Ellott and Christina Willden

Another view of the Charles and Eleanor Willden home in Beaver

This picture was taken in 2006 - it belonged originally to Charles and Eleanor Willden

Charles and Eleanor were buried next to each other in the Mountain View Cemetery in Beaver, Utah.

Interestingly enough, at one point whomever wrote the inscription on the flyleaf said that Charles and Eleanor brought this book with them from England. Please note it wasn't printed until 1852, by which time the family was already in Utah.