Where?

If you know where Greenville, Utah is then this blog is for you.  If you spent summers chasing snakes and frogs in lush green fields then the words you find here may resonate deep within your soul.  My childhood is filled with vivid memories of the annual Memorial Day trip to Greenville to place flowers on my grandfather's grave and visit relatives in Greenville and Beaver.   Even as a child, I never wanted to leave that peaceful place.  Greenville is a magical place that time seems to continually forget.

The first people started entering Greenville around 1857 but was settled in 1860 by a group which included many of my pioneer ancestors.  Many of the settlers were pioneers who had begun their journey from England, Wales and Scotland.  The town began with around 4 families. One of them, my Great Great Great Grandfather Samuel Edwards.  The first wedding in Greenville was that of my Great Great Grandfather, William Edwards who married Ellen Miller in April 1860.  They were married by William's father Samuel who was the Bishop at that time.  The Miller's married the Edwards.  The Edwards married the Morris family, the Morris family married the Blackett's and so on.    Although many of the original settlers family members have moved on, there are still a handfull of cousins who gather for the 4th of July and Labor Day in Greenville.   If my information is correct, longtime resident Bessie Edwards began as a postmaster in 1945 and even in her 90's, she is still seen working in her yard and leading the music at church on Sunday.

Modern conveniences were slow to come to Greenville.  Even though Beaver had electricity in the early 1900's, Greenville didn't have that luxury until 1941.  My mother was 6 years old at that time and she remembered reading books by a coal oil lamp until that time.  There is still no gas station, no store but I think that adds to the magic of this place.  People learned to rely on each other.   There were times of great joy and times of even greater sorrow.    As I have worked on genealogy and made many trips to the Greenville cemetary, I have seen the numerous graves of the chidren who passed at such young ages.  Those were hard times and the people who made it had an amazing work ethic and an even greater belief in a power much greater than themselves that kept them going and watched over them.   I wish I would have had the opportunity to run thru the fields of Aberdare with my great great grandfather and tell him that I see the great beauty that he did in his beloved farm with the Welsh name for over the river.

There are those who were born loving this place or those who just happened to leave Beaver and take a southbound road less traveled and saw the sign announcing that you had arrived in Greenville and just couldn't resist the urge to stay and plant roots of their own.

If you have photos or memories of your favorite Greenville memories, I would love for you to share them.