Coincidences with Family Roots

In 2008, amidst the turbulent onset of the Global Economic Crisis, I was hired as a contractor by Intermountain Healthcare to do Product Management. Despite the uncertainty of the times, I was reassured that my contractor status was only temporary and that I’d be offered a permanent position within a month. With the knowledge that contractors were often the first to be laid off during economic hardships, I wanted the stability and security of a permanent role. The nagging feeling that perhaps I had made a hasty decision in leaving my previous stable position only heightened my stress.

As the days passed, my hopes of transitioning to a permanent employee were repeatedly postponed due to Intermountain Healthcare’s cautious approach during this time of economic instability. As a contractor, I had the opportunity to work on a project with GE Healthcare, and I learned of a promising possibility—GE Healthcare might hire me as a Security Architect. With this new prospect in mind, I reached out to Jodi Morrison, GE’s personable and dynamic Human Resources manager. Each time we spoke, Jodi would offer hope with a tentative “maybe next quarter.” The waiting game continued, and I’d ask again the next quarter.

After two years of working as a contractor, I finally received the much-anticipated news that GE Healthcare was prepared to offer me a permanent position. This was such a relief. To complete the hiring process, I was required to meet with Jodi for an Employer Eligibility Verification, bringing along proof of identification to confirm my eligibility. This included documents like my passport and driver’s license.

During Employment Verification with Jodi, we discover we are second cousins.

As I sat across from Jodi in her office, the sequence of our discussion unfolded into a discovery of our common relationship. I handed her my documents and, with a warm smile, she checked them. Our small talk transitioned to me telling Jodi that I was related to Morrisons. The conversation then kind of went like this:

Jodi: Oh really, where are your Morrisons from?
Darrell: Southern Idaho.
Jodi: Really. Mine too. Where in Southern Idaho?
Darrell: Franklin, it’s a small town, right on the border of Utah and Idaho.
Jodi: Mine too (as she began to lean back in her chair).
Darrell: I’m also related to Jamisons there too.
Jodi: Really? My grandmother has a sister named Maggie Jamison.
Darrell: That’s my grandmother! I am Reed and Maggie Jamison’s grandson.
Jodi: My grandmother is Adele Morrison.
Darrell: Yep, I’ve met her lots of times. Aunt Adele.
Jodi: My mother is Mary Jo Morrison.
Darrell: Yep, I know her too. My parents are Gene and Lorraine Hansen
Jodi: You are Gene and Lorraine’s son! (It was obvious she had met them before).
Darrell: Yes.

As we exchanged stories and anecdotes, we were stunned to realize that we shared more than just a professional connection—we were, in fact, second cousins! Jodi and I could hardly contain our excitement as we shared this astonishing discovery. Amidst laughter and disbelief, this unexpected connection was so fun.

Our meeting that day not only marked the beginning of a new chapter in my professional life, but Jodi became more than just an HR manager or a friendly colleague—she became a cherished family member and a reminder of life’s serendipitous moments. Subsequently we saw each other at a Peter Whitehead reunion, generally held around Memorial Day each year. Both Maggie and Adele are daughters of Peter Whitehead. We had both attended these off and on in the past and just had never been to one at the same time. It was great when we met at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Franklin, Idaho at the next reunion.

As if the discovery of our familial connection wasn’t serendipitous enough, the timing of these events proved to be even more fortuitous. Toward the end of my waiting period, I received a life-altering diagnosis—cancer. Despite the risks, GE Healthcare took a chance on me. I was hired and offered the security I so desperately needed. I was able to get time off right after becoming a GE employee. I underwent a critical operation that removed the cancer, freeing me from the uncertainty I had about my future.

The timing of our family revelation, my employment, the support from GE Healthcare, and the successful cancer treatment brought me hope and gratitude. I continue to marvel at the “coincidence” of this experience with Jodi.

As with other coincidental experiences, this spurred me on to learn more about my Whitehead heritage. And it turns out that Jodi has been a major contributor in FamilySearch to our common Whitehead line. Much of the material I use in this chapter was contributed by none other than Jodi Morrison Deputy (her married name now).

Peter Green Whitehead, Spouses and Children

Peter and Martha Comish

Peter Green Whitehead endured a life marked by hardships, including the devastating loss of two spouses and four children. Then Peter himself died a tragic death when struck by an oil tanker along the highway.

Peter’s first marriage was to Martha Elizabeth Comish on December 16, 1896. The couple was blessed with three daughters: Margaret Emma (Gretta), Phyllis, and Maggie. Tragically, Martha passed away at the tender age of twenty-five, shortly after giving birth to their youngest daughter, Maggie.

Note the dedication of the grave by Bishop L. L. Hatch who was also mentioned in 2: Bishops at a Funeral in Franklin, Idaho.

Peter goes on mission and the three daughters go to live with their grandmother Emma Jane Comish.

Following Martha’s untimely passing, Peter Green Whitehead found solace in his faith and embarked on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Southern States.

While Peter was away, the three young girls – Greta, Phyllis, and Maggie – were taken under the loving care of their maternal grandmother, Emma Jane Comish. Emma Jane cherished her granddaughters and nurtured them as if they were her own children. Her devotion to the girls provided a sense of security and comfort during this difficult time. We read about Emma Jane Howland Comish in 2: Bishops at a Funeral in Franklin, Idaho.

Maggie Comish Whitehead: “Grandma was just like a mother to us. We all loved her and Aunt Jennie.”

Peter and Martha Ella Morrison

Peter, after returning home from his mission married Martha Ella Morrison on December 18, 1907.

The youngest daughter Maggie (my grandmother) writes of Peter’s return home:

In May 1907 after school let out, my father came down to Grandma Comish and got his three girls. We started a new life on his farm north of Franklin, Idaho. It had a two room log house on it and a shanty. Our stepmother Martha Morrison had been teaching school and now she was pregnant as they were married in December. She didn’t feel good and dad didn’t have patience with us like Grandma Comish had, so the three of us girls started a new life. It was hard to leave Grandma as she was so patience [sic] with us. Phyllis and Gretta had to milk the cows. Dad had farm work to do. He had a thrashing machine he took out every year. We also had hired men at times. Mother was a good cook; she was real quick at what she did. As we got a little older, I had to get kindling and make the fires in the morning. Dad got logs out of the canyon and in the winter he sawed them up and made lumber to build a cow barn and to build on to our log house. He made three rooms and a pantry. We were so happy with it. Mother had a baby girl in October 1908, they named her Martha Vanona. He loved her so much. Then Peter Golden was born two years later. As she had her babies, I became their babysitter, and in the summer, I also took the cows to pasture and herded them at times in the fields and to keep them from getting into the grain and lucerin* [sic]. All of us girls help [sic] tromp hay, ride the derrick horse**. We also hoed in the garden and did most every thing. We had raspberries to pick. Mother bottled lots of fruit, put up pickles and filled the cellar full of good things to eat. One of my jobs was to help with the dishes when Phyllis and Gretta milked the cows.

Source: FamilySearch.org
1982 – 1983 Maggie’s Journal as transcribed by Gene Hansen (son-in-law)

*Lucerin or Lucerne is another name for alfalfa.
**A derrick horse is a reference to using a horse to provide the power to a hay derrick, which was used to lift hay, typically from a wagon to a barn hay stack.

In addition to Martha Vanona and Peter Golden, this marriage was blessed with Joseph William, Elma, Desta and Adele (Jodi Morrison Deputy’s grandmother).

Death of Desta and life saving of Adele

A tragic event occured when on July 22, 1917 Peter and Martha Ella’s 21 month old daughter Desta drowned in an irrigation ditch on the Whitehead farm. Desta was 20 months older than Adele.

Maggie Comish Whitehead said this about DeEsta’s passing:

…the ditch that went by the place that carried water off to different farmers. Dad used it all the time too but, that morning there was no water in the ditch, nothing but a little puddle. She fell down into the ditch and there was just enough water washed against the bank and that is the way she drowned.

Then there was another close encounter with death by drowning. Adele writes of how she almost drowned but due to the quick action of her older sister Phyllis, she was saved:

Statistics say a child can drown in two inches of water…when I was just a toddler around a year, I fell face down into a puddle of water. My sister, Phyllis found a limp body whose color was gone and lips turned purple. Through her quick action and knowing enough to roll me over a milk can while holding my tongue the doctor said saved my life.

Source: FamilySearch.org
History of Adele Whitehead Wright

Death of Martha Ella Whitehead

When Adele was only 16 months old, her mother Martha died. Daughter Elma wrote:

The Dr. said she died of the flu but Peter always said it was pneumonia because no one else in the family got the flu and it was very contagious.

Martha’s passing on October 22, 1918, took place during the tragic Spanish flu pandemic, which swept across the globe between 1918 and 1920. Notably, the fall of 1918 witnessed the most severe wave of infections and deaths. As one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, the Spanish flu infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide and claimed the lives of at least 50 million.

Given the timing of Martha’s passing, it is possible that her death was related to the Spanish flu outbreak. If that were the case, the Whitehead family was indeed fortunate that no other family members became infected. On the other hand, Peter’s belief that Martha’s death was caused by pneumonia cannot be discounted, as secondary bacterial infections were a common complication during the pandemic. Ultimately, without conclusive evidence, it remains unclear whether Martha’s death was directly connected to the Spanish flu or if it was caused by pneumonia, as Peter believed.

Again, Peter was left with a small baby to care for (Adele) in addition to seven other children. Their ages at Martha Ella’s passing were:
Margaret Emma – 20
Phyllis – 19
Maggie Comish – 18
Martha Vanona – 9
Peter Golden – 8
Joseph William – 6
Elma – 4
Adele – 1

Peter and Jesse Elizabeth Merrill

Adele writes about the period of time after losing her mother and then Peter marrying Jesse:

Dad kept the family together with his three older girls raising the others until I was five years old and he married Jessie Elizabeth Merrill. My sisters still took care of us. Four years later we had another sister, Elizabeth (Betty).

Source: FamilySearch.org
History of Adele Whitehead Wright

Peter and Jesse were married on January 3, 1923. Their daughter Elizabeth (Betty) Whitehead was born on March 29, 1926.

Oldest son Peter Golden dies on June 6, 1923.

Peter and Jesse had only been married about six months when another tragedy struck the Peter Whitehead home. Peter’s son Peter Golden died in an accident with a farm wagon. I remember my grandmother Maggie telling this story to me in vivid detail and how tragic it was. I was a teenager at the time when I spent the summer at my grandparent’s home. So, I wasn’t apt to write it down. But I do remember the story and knew that as you would expect was full of heart break. I was able to find my grandma’s memory from an interview that my Uncle Delmar had with grandma.

Maggie Comish Whitehead said this about Golden’s passing:

Elma, Adele and Vanona were still living [at home] when Golden was killed in an accident coming from work one day. He was 13 years old. He was driving a team of horses pulling a wagon and they wasn’t hooked up very good and the neck yolk came off and he was clinging on to the lines and it pulled him forward and out of the wagon. When they found him the wheels of the wagon was on his chest.

Peter Golden was almost 13 years old at his passing. His death certificate indicates that he was killed instantly when run over by a wagon.

Second son Joseph William dies on March 26, 1936.

Peter’s son Joseph married Selma Mockli on August 15, 1934. Unfortunately their married life was short-lived as Joseph tragically died from an appendicitis operation on March 26, 1936.

History of Peter G Whitehead by Elma Whitehead.
Source: FamilySearch.org

Daughter Betty dies on July 17, 1941.

Peter and Jesse’s daughter Betty was like an older sister to my mom.

It was a sad day for the Whitehead’s and all the extended family when Betty was killed at 15 in a car accident by a drunk driver on July 17, 1941 along with two other passengers.

Peter Whitehead – a leader in Franklin, Idaho

Peter Whitehead played a significant role as a leader in Franklin, Idaho as can be seen by this news clipping.

Peter also served as a Bishop of the Franklin Ward. See FamilySearch.org.

Peter Whitehead dies when struck by an oil tanker truck.

On October 1, 1945, Peter Whitehead while driving calves along the highway was struck by an oil tanker truck and died from his injuries on October 4th.

As shared by Jodi Morrison Deputy:

Head injuries and a possible skull fracture was suffered Monday afternoon at :30 o’clock by Peter G. Whitehead of Franklin in a traffic accident which happened approximately one-half mile south of the Nashville crossroad on Highway 91, between Preston and Franklin. Mr. Whitehead is in a critical condition at the Preston Memorial Hospital. Mr. Whitehead was walking along the east side and off the highway, driving some calves while his companion, A. C. Hull of Whitney, drove the car slowly south. A chicken truck, driven by Sylvan Call of Clifton, approaching from the north, turned to pass the slowly moving car just as an oil tanker of the Collette Line of Salt Lake City, which was also coming from the north, driven by Edward Clark Smith, of Salt Lake City, attempted to pass the chicken truck. The oil tanker passed the other truck, but as it completed the pass and pulled back on the highway the back wheels of the truck skidded somewhat in the gravel on the east shoulder of the highway and bumped Mr. Whitehead as he was coming up from the barrow pit. The impact threw him some 12 feet and Mr. Call, driver of the chicken truck, was the first to notice that the man had been hit. Dr. Leo Hawkes of Preston was called and Mr. Whitehead was removed

(Hand Written): Injured Monday, Oct. 1, 1945; Died Thursday, Oct. 4, 1945, 7 o’clock.

Source: FamilySearch.org

Devoted Whitehead Sisters

During my teenage years, I had the opportunity to work at my Grandpa Reed Jamison’s mink ranch in Franklin. One of my fondest memories is of my Grandma Maggie waking up early to prepare breakfast for my grandpa and me after we had completed the initial morning chores, which included watering the mink. Another recollection I treasure is returning to the house after feeding the mink, our second set of chores, and witnessing Grandma on her phone, catching up with her sisters. This was a daily routine for her, as she cherished her strong bond with her siblings—a bond my cousins can all attest to.

Following my grandpa’s passing on May 11, 1982, my grandma began consistently writing in her journal. After her passing, my dad and mom discovered this handwritten journal, which my dad then transcribed.

I would like to share a some excerpts from my grandma’s journal that illustrate her unwavering devotion to maintaining close contact with her sisters. And, these journal entries show how very important contact with her sisters were to her. I have bolded her sister’s names.

Wednesday May 19, This morning just as I was eating breakfast; Elma phoned and said they were going to Lava Hot Springs and if I would like to go. So they took Phyllis and me. We took lunch and drink. We enjoyed the hot water. Just as we got out of the pool a bus load of school children came and they filled the pool, laughing and squealing and having a good time…

Thursday May 20. Today I worked out in flower garden, dug some grass and weeds, then this afternoon, Elma and Bessie Porter came to see me, and they brought me a book from the Preston South High Priest quorum. The book was “One Silent Sleepless Night’ by President Spencer W. Kimball. We had a nice visit, then Vanona phoned, she and Stewart just got home from the temple. They have started working in the temple. Then Rebecca Kirkbride came to see me. I have had so many phone calls; so many people are so kind and good to me. It has been a peaceful day.

Friday May 21. I sent thank you notes to several people. I had to walk up to Phyllis to get stamps from mail man. While there, Elma phoned said that were to get their wood permit at rancher station, so Phyllis and went for a ride. We saw lots of new homes in Mapleton. Thelma Womack brought me some dirt for my flower bed. Valerie stopped to see me; she was on her way home. We went down to the cemetery she stayed all night with me.

Monday, Oct 11 This morning Vanona went after eggs, stopped to see me…

Tuesday, Oct 12 This morning I phoned Adele, she still having a bad time with her back.

Handwritten Journal of Maggie Whitehead Jamison1982 – 1983

Source: FamilySearch.org

And just one more coincidence

Last year, some stakes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Salt Lake City area hosted an event known as the “Old Testament Tabernacle Experience.” This event featured a life-size replica of the Tabernacle that Moses and the children of Israel used during their journey through the wilderness, as described in the Old Testament.

My wife and I were excited to hear about the Old Testament Tabernacle event in our area, and we eagerly volunteered to lend a helping hand. Prior to our shift, we had the chance to explore the presentation ourselves, marveling at the intricate replica and taking in the symbolism.

When it was time for us to report for duty, we headed to the chapel for orientation. As we reached the door, we were warmly welcomed by a friendly greeter. To my surprise, I instantly recognized her—it was Mary Jo Morrison! After exchanging pleasantries, I excitedly introduced myself as her cousin Darrell. Mary Jo, is my mom’s first cousin, and is Jodi’s mom and Adele’s daughter.

We engaged in a fun conversation, catching up on family news. I asked about Jodi’s twins and shared the exciting news that our daughter Heidi was expecting twins too. Mary Jo, with a knowing smile, acknowledged that twins can be quite a handful, but at around three years old, they become best friends and constant companions. We also learned that we lived in the same stake and were within minutes of each other’s home.

Mary Jo’s passing

Tragically, we learned of Mary Jo’s passing on March 20, 2024, when Jodi announced the news on Facebook. The funeral service was held at our stake center, which provided me with the opportunity to attend, offer my condolences to Jodi, and reconnect with other relatives.

During the service, I happened to recognize Cheryl Johnson, Vanona’s daughter, whom I had previously met at a Peter Whitehead reunion. We sat next to each other, and our proximity allowed us to catch up and reminisce about our shared family history. It was a bittersweet moment, as we mourned the loss of Mary Jo but also appreciated the opportunity to come together and cherish our family bonds.