Coincidences with Family Roots

Around Our Neighborhood

Years ago, when I was living in Mesa, Arizona, a neighbor mentioned that they had seen Elder Boyd K. Packer taking walks in our neighborhood. Being a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a General Authority of our church, his presence generated considerable stir among the neighbors. Initially, I thought it unlikely that such a prominent figure would be strolling around our streets, but my skepticism began to change when I learned he was visiting a relative, a woman named Lillian Millett. Affectionately known as “Grandma Millett” in the neighborhood, Lillian was a professional genealogist. It was believed that Elder Packer sought her help with his family history research and that provided a more plausible explanation for his visit. In hindsight and considering Grandma Millett’s advanced age at the time, I think it more likely that Elder Packer’s presence was motivated not only by a desire for her expertise, but also to assist her in documenting their shared ancestry in our church’s historical libraries.

A decade after this experience, while researching my own family history, I discovered a surprising connection to the Packer family. It turned out that my great-great grandmother, Emma Jane (Howland) Comish, had a sister named Helen who married into the Packer family. As I pulled on this thread a bit more, I uncovered a link between the Packers and the Penrod family, which our daughter Emily became a part of by marrying Clay Penrod. And I found that our next-door neighbors, Mark and Jane Millett, also shared these family history ties via the Packer connection. It was fun to see this picture of connecting families expand from one family line, which not only increased my understanding of my own ancestry but also deepened my appreciation for our joint pioneer heritage.

On the left of this diagram, you see Henry Howland and Martha Case, who were the parents of three daughters, Helen, Emma and Martha (not shown). As shown, I am a direct descendent of Emma Jane Howland as is of course, our daughter Emily.

To the right of the Howlands, you will see a line of Packers through Jonathon Taylor Packer’s first wife, Sarah Ewell, who died having only one child Nephi Ewell Packer. Nephi married Helen Rachel Howland, my great-great grandmother’s sister. She with Nephi Packer moved first to southern Utah and then continued to Arizona and became pioneers in Latter-day Saint communities there. Among those pioneers were the Penrods, who after helping to settle Provo, Utah, some of the Penrod family moved to Arizona. Two of the children of Helen and Nephi Packer married two children in the Penrod family (Nephi Taylor Packer & Mayzetta Penrod and Liola Penrod & Martha Senora Packer).

A brother of Mayzetta and Liola Penrod was Albert Penrod. Emily’s husband Clay Penrod is a direct descendant of this Albert Penrod.

Liola Penrod had a twin brother Liona, also known as Leonie, whose daughter Dorothy married Earl Millett and so from this angle these Packers and Penrods relate to the Milletts.

To the right of center, another wife of Jonathon Packer’s begins another line of Packers that trace down to Grandma Lillian Millett who married William Howard Millett, the brother of Earl Millett who married Dorothy Penrod. This is another angle where the Packers relate to the Milletts.

To the far right, through yet another wife of Jonathon Packer is the line that leads to Elder Boyd K. Packer.

Finally, at the bottom we see Mark Millett, our dear neighbor and former bishop, who is linked to this Millett/Packer family that I discovered in my research. We have such fond memories of our next door neighbors, including Mark and his sons rescuing me on my roof top when an unfinished re-roofing job was hit by a thunderous monsoon, to calling our daughter Heidi home for dinner by calling over to her second family, the Milletts who was playing with her ‘big sister’ Becca Millett.

Across The Plains

The journey into this discovery begins with the journey of Henry and Martha Howland’s family crossing the plains. At the very beginning the family suffered a loss as Henry died on the banks of the Missouri River. Martha then faced the decision to continue across the plains with her three daughters, Helen age 8, Emma age 5 and Martha age 3. Her parents sent a message to come back to Pennsylvania and forget her connection with the Latter-day Saints. She chose instead to cross the plains to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

Newel Comish, grandson of Martha Howland writes of the journey to Salt Lake

The Henry Hollands were scheduled to be baptized into the L.D.S. church June 15, 1852. Unfortunately Henry became seriously ill with cholera, which at the time was rampant among the Saints on The Trail. He died of the disease June 13, 1852. So Henry just barely missed becoming a Mormon in the flesh. About the same time, a Mrs. Leonard, who had taught the Howlands the Gospel, met her untimely death when the ox team she was driving ran away and killed her. The bodies were buried in separate graves just west of the Missouri River beside the Mormon Trail.

…

Emma Jane’s mother, suffered great hardships on the trail to Salt Lake and, while there, as did the other Saints. But being educated and formerly accustomed to a more refined life, she might have felt their trials and tribulations more keenly than other than her less cultivated friends. Nonetheless, all suffered greatly, as their graphic diaries disclosed.

…

As already intimated, the widow Martha and her family rolled roughly but safely in her covered wagons drawn by oxen into the Great Salt Lake Valley. Immediately she was confronted with how to make a living, unlike some beefy, heavy, strong women who fortunately did man’s traditionally hard work, she could not substitute for man in the fields or mines or on the road. Martha was a tall, slender, dignified but frail and sickly lady. Most manual occupations were too difficult for her. So she returned to her former profession.

…

In Troy, Pennsylvania between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, inclusive, she taught school. Naturally, she assumed the same line of work in Salt Lake, where the demand for teachers was great. Indeed, Martha was among the first pedagogues in the valley. There she taught the young for four years.

Biographical Sketch of Emma Jane Howland Comish – by Her Son Newel H. Comish, Santa Barbara, California, October 4, 1965

You can click links and images to go into Darrell & Rose Hansen’s Family Roots genealogy pages for more details about these ancestors.

Martha Diana (Case) Howland
(My g-g-g grandmother and Matriarch of the Howlands)

Posterity of Martha Howland

Jonathan Taylor Packer (Patriarch of the Packers)

Posterity of Jonathan Packer