Howard surname origins

From About.com (accessed 6/16/06):

Definition: Several possible origins include: 1) Derived from the Old Germanic name "hugihard", denoting one strong of heart, or very brave. 2) Derived from Germanic term "howart," meaning "high chief," "warden," or "chief warden." 3) From "hof-ward," the keeper of a hall
Surname Origin: English
Alternate Surname Spellings: HAYWARD (http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/
h/bl_name-HOWARD.htm)

From The Genealogy Tree: Howard and Allied Families (accessed 6/16/06):

HOWARD is an English patronymic name from the Norman given name HUARD and HEWARD, which came from the elements:
* hug = heart, mind + hard = hardy, brave.
and from an Old Norse name HAWARD, from elements
ha = high + varðr = guardian.
* HEWARD, HEWART, HUART are variations of the Norman form.
* HAWARD is a variation of the Norse.
* English/Norman patronymic versions include HEWARTSON, HEWERTSON, HUARTSON and HUERTSON.
* HAYWARD is an English occupational name that described the man who protected the enclosed forest or other land from damage by vandals, poachers, or animals. It comes from Old English:
o hay = enclosure + ward = guardian.
HEYWARD and HAWARD are variations.
o Some other variations are HAYWORD and HEYWORD...
The surname Howard has been worn by many distinguished bearers. . . It appears to derive from the Old Germanic name "Hugihard", denoting one strong of heart, or very brave. This first name has given rise to several other patronymic surnames other than Howard, including Huart, Heward, Hewart, etc., although another German term "howart", denoting "high chief", or "warden, could also have been the origin of Howard. Among the earliest written references we read of Huardus Houart in the Domesday Book in 1086, and one called Willelmus filius Huward was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls for Northumberland in 1170. In Ireland the name does duty for O'Hiomhair in county Clare, where it was formerly O'Hure.
(http://www.thegenealogytree.com/helpful-articles.htm)

From Genealogy.com (accessed 2005):

Origin Displayed: English

Spelling variations include: Howard, Howerd and others.

First found in Cumberland where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: John Howard, who settled in Virginia in 1622; William Howard settled in Virginia in 1635; John Howard settled in Virginia in 1634; James Howard settled in Virginia in 1656.

Motto: Sola virtus invicta.

Motto Translated: Virtue alone invincible.
(http://genforum.genealogy.com/howard/)

Coat of arms of the 18th Duke of Norfolk (from Wikipedia)

Correction to "History of John Richards Howard" and brief history of Harriet Spinks Brooks Howard

[Note: Although I originally ascribed this piece to Lucie James, the missing portion has turned up and the initials at the end are "D.S.H." I suspect these initials belong to (Sarah) Drucilla Sears Howard, the daughter-in-law of JRH and wife of John Fitz Alan Howard, second son of JRH through Harriet. Spelling and punctuation have been left as originally written.]

History of John Richards Howard

John Richards Howard, son of Richard Howard and Martha Richards was born September 18, 1841 at Fareham, Hampshire, England. His mother died when he was two years of age. His father was an officer in the British Navy and after the death of his Bother the boy was always asking his father to take his along when he went to sea. Then he was ten years old and the father was about to start on a voyage to South Africa on Her Majesty’s Troop Ship “The Birkenhead”, the boy was taken along by his father who told the boy, "I’ll keep you so long on the water you'll never want to see it again.” This was early in the year 1852, and on the night of February 26th, the ship struck a rock on Point Danger a mile from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa and sank in a few minutes. The boy John was asleep in a hammock and his father shook him to waken him and told him to get up as the ship was sinking and as he was not fully awake the father pulled him out of his hammock and threw him overboard into a life-boat that was shoving off; he landed with only one foot in the boat. In the life-boat were mostly women and children belonging to the officers of the ship. In a few minutes the ship sank carrying with it 462 men, mostly British soldiers and Sailors.

The life-boats drifted about until daylight when they were picked up by a ship called the Amazon and were taken back to England again. John was an orphan now and as his father had died in the service of the British Navy the boy became a ward of the Government and was educated and trained at Grenage (Greenwich?) Naval Station located eighteen miles out of London. He also graduated from Oxford University. (Note; father visited this training camp in 1898 when he was returning from his mission).

John still retained his love for the sea and when he grew up, he too joined the Navy and became a sailor. It was while he was on a British Ship between England and America that he became acquainted with some Mormon Elders who were going to England to preach the gospel. He and another sailor read the tracts and books that the missionaries gave them and listened to their message. In due time they became convinced of the truth of the gospel as taught by these Elders and decided to go to Utah. (This sailor’s name was McFadden, and they remained true friends till the last. Mr. McFadden went to Salina, Utah to live.) One night when their ship was in Harbor they slipped overboard and swam about a mile to shore, landing in New York. From there they made their way to Utah, traveling across the plains with the Arthur Brown company. He was in the employ of Brigham Young for many years and assisted in aiding the people who were coming to Utah by driving an ox team back and forth across the plains. He earned and saved his money to send for his sweetheart Harriet Spinks Brooks whom he had left in England. She arrived in 1866 and joined a handcart company bound for Utah. She pushed a hand cart all the way across the plains and upon her arrival in Utah she and John were married. Their children were, Richard Fitzalan who died at the age of sixteen years, John Fitzalan, Alice Fitz Alan, Josephine Mowbray, Marguerite Mowbray and a number of other children who died in infancy.

John brought the first mowing machine into Utah in 1864 and was also the first to introduce bathing in the great Salt Lake. The first bathing resort was at Haights property in Farmington and it was open to the public in 1870. John was in charge of the Toll Gate at Parley's Canyon for four years, and was also one of the first volunteer firemen and policemen of Salt Lake City. He was a member of the 93rd Quorum of Seventies and performed a mission to England in 1880 to 1882. He was also a block teacher and Tithing Clerk, and was employed at Z.C.M.I, as shipping clerk for ten years.

On September 10, 1883 his wife died and two years later he married Mary Brown, a young woman who was also an English convert. They had seven children, Vere DeAlbany, William Dealbony, Ernest Maltravers, Llewellyn DeBruce, Elizabeth Marie, Amy Vengham, and Ann Oldham Howard. For more than thirty years the family home was at 515 4th Ave., Salt Lake City, but in 1901 they moved to Sandy, Utah, and it was here that John passed the remainder of his years. He died at the home of his daughter Marie, in East Midvale on April 26, 1927 in his 88th year.

John R. Howard was one of the energetic pioneers who faced hardship and danger and who retained his faith in the gospel to the end of his days. He helped establish a commonwealth and a place in the valley of the mountains where others who came later might live in peace and comfort.

--D.S.H.


Harriet Spinks Brooks Howard

Harriet Spinks Brooks Howard, Daughter of Marie Stanley and Robert Brooks, was born in Morley, Norfolk, England, Dec. 4th, 1843

We have not been able to ascertain much of her life in England. She came to Utah in 1866, pushing a handcart across the plains, and married John Richards Howard upon her arrival in Salt Lake City.

Their home, except when her husband kept the toll gate at the mouth of Parley's Canyon, was at 515 4th Ave. Here she passed away in Sept. 1983 at the age of forty years. The names of her children are enumerated in the sketch of her husband's life.

From friends who knew her intimately we learn that she excelled in all the virtues of a true wife and mother, but the hardships of pioneering a new country proved to be too much for her to endure long.

--D.S.H.

Houses of the Howard family in Utah

Thanks to J.N. Simpson, we also have photos of the houses occupied by the Howard family.

415 4th South (map), Salt Lake City, Utah, taken just prior to demolition. This was their home until 1901, when they moved to the farm in Sandy (see below).


8800 South 1000 East (map), Sandy, Utah, with Ann & Amy pictured in front, circa 1910. Based on the street coordinates, it looks to me like the place where the house once stood is now the middle of Schneiter's Pebblebrook Golf Course. If this assumption is inaccurate, please let me know.

Several new photos of JRH, his wives, and children!

The following photos were graciously provided by a descendant of JRH, J.N. Simpson. For higher resolution images, please click on each image individually.

John Richards Howard ......................... Harriet Spinks Brooks

Amy, Mary (Polly), Elizabeth Marie, and Ann Howard

Profile portrait of JRH's father, Richard Howard

Howard family headstone in Salt Lake City Cemetery

Richard Howard, father of JRH, listed as a cook on Birkenhead

I've often wondered why John's father wasn't listed on the rolls of honor that have been published for the Birkenhead. Recently, I've come across a few reports that there was a Richard Howard listed as the gun room cook on the Birkenhead (http://www.hermanus.co.za/accom/template/auto_guestentries.htm).

Previously I had entertained three other ideas regarding Richard Howard. First, I thought his name may have been listed incorrectly as the John Howard that we see on the lists. Second, I thought that maybe we had the wrong name for JRH's father, that maybe his name was really John and not Richard. Third, because the muster rolls went down with the ship, maybe his name was lost.

It would make sense to me that Richard was a cook on the ship or had some other fairly permanent role on the ship. The John Howard on the rolls is listed as an infantryman and I can't imagine taking a 10 year old boy to the front lines of the war. If JRH's father was a cook on the ship, however, it would make sense that he could make the round trip from England to South Africa with his father without too much trouble.

JRH listed as elder of LDS Church on 1881 British Census

As I was going through census data recently, I found JRH listed on the 1881 British Census as an elder of the LDS Church. Here's the original document (for a higher resolution image, please click on the image):

The Birkenhead, by the numbers

• Number of lives lost: 495
• Number of survivors: 193
• Number of minutes between striking the rock and the ship sinking: 20
• Rumored payroll carried by the Birkenhead: £240,000 in gold coins (about 3 tons)
• Distance from shoreline: 2 miles
• Number one cause of death among would be survivors not in a life boat: great white sharks
• Date of shipwreck: 26 February 1852
• Time of shipwreck: 2:00 am (Note: bad things often happen in the middle of the night, frequently resulting from judgment errors, e.g. Exxon Valdez 12:04 am, Chernobyl 1:23 am, Three Mile Island 4:00 am)
• Number of sailors drowned instantly after hitting the rock: 100

(picture: "Wreck of the Birkenhead" by Thomas M Hemy)

Is this the Sarah who was John's second wife?

I recently found a Sarah J. H. Howard who was buried in the South Jordan Memorial Park Cemetery (Grave Location: 6-84-4). Date of death was 16 Mar 1924 and burial date was 19 Mar 1924. She was born in Canada, died in Riverton, Utah, and her age at death was 81 years, 9 months, and 5 days according to the cemetery's information. That would have made her birth date 11 Jun 1842, which is pretty close to Sarah Herwin's birth year (1843) in Ancestral File. Furthermore, Riverton & South Jordan are not too far from Sandy, where John Richards Howard was living at the time. If anyone has any additional thoughts or information, I'd love to hear it.

Harriet Brooks traveled to Utah with the John D. Holladay Company, 1866

Harriet Spinks Brooks (see her entry on the website Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868) traveled to Utah with the John D. Holladay Company in 1866. This company consisted of 350 people traveling in 69 wagons. Its departure point was Wyoming, Nebraska, which is about 40 miles south of Omaha on the west bank of the Missouri River.

It must have been a wonderful reunion between John and Harriet when the wagon train pulled into the valley on 25 Sep 1866. The marriage date that I have listed for them simply says "Sep 1866." That means that they probably tied the knot sometime within the next five days after she arrived in the valley.

John had been baptized a member of the LDS Church in 1862. He probably would have been unable to travel back to England between 1862 and 1866 because, as far as I can tell, he had deserted the Royal Navy. I would venture the guess that penalties for deserters were harsh. From a previously posted history on this site, we know that after arriving in Utah John "earned and saved his money to send for his sweetheart Harriet Spinks Brooks whom he had left in England." Four years of earning and saving money to send for his sweetheart represents a significant amount of devotion and commitment. It's not quite the seven years that Jacob worked for Rachel, but it's pretty impressive nonetheless.

Family Tree Diagram

This is a nice sketch of John Richards Howard's descendants that was given to me by a family member, but I'm not sure to whom I should attribute it. The signature at the bottom looks like "R. Hewlett." If anyone knows who deserves the credit, please let me know. I would be happy to give proper credit or delete it if the artist so wishes.

History of John Richards Howard (My father's father)

[Note: This piece was probably written by Lucie Howard James (1900-1980) as she was his grandaughter and seems to have been the most prolific writer of JRH's history. Unfortunately, I have only the first page of this history. If anyone has the rest of this history, I would love to post it on this site. Spelling and punctuation left as originally written.]

John Richards Howard, son of Richard Howard and Martha Richards was born September 18, 1841 at Fareham, Hampshire, England. His mother died when he was two years of age. His father was an officer in the British Navy and after the death of his Bother the boy was always asking his father to take his along when he went to sea. Then he was ten years old and the father was about to start on a voyage to South Africa on Her Majesty’s Troop Ship “The Birkenhead”, the boy was taken along by his father who told the boy, "I’ll keep you so long on the water you'll never want to see it again.” This was early in the year 1852, and on the night of February 26th, the ship struck a rock on Point Danger a mile from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa and sank in a few minutes. The boy John was asleep in a hammock and his father shook him to waken him and told him to get up as the ship was sinking and as he was not fully awake the father pulled him out of his hammock and threw him overboard into a life-boat that was shoving off; he landed with only one foot in the boat. In the life-boat were mostly women and children belonging to the officers of the ship. In a few minutes the ship sank carrying with it 462 men, mostly British soldiers and Sailors.

The life-boats drifted about until daylight when they were picked up by a ship called the Amazon and were taken back to England again. John was an orphan now and as his father had died in the service of the British Navy the boy became a ward of the Government and was educated and trained at Grenage (Greenwich?) Naval Station located eighteen miles out of London. He also graduated from Oxford University. (Note; father visited this training camp in 1898 when he was returning from his mission).

John still retained his love for the sea and when he grew up, he too joined the Navy and became a sailor. It was while he was on a British Ship between England and America that he became acquainted with some Mormon Elders who were going to England to preach the gospel. He and another sailor read the tracts and books that the missionaries gave them and listened to their message. In due time they became convinced of the truth of the gospel as taught by these Elders and decided to go to Utah. (This sailor’s name was McFadden, and they remained true friends till the last. Mr. McFadden went to Salina, Utah to live.) One night when their ship was in Harbor they slipped overboard and swam about a mile to shore, landing in New York. From there they made their way to Utah, traveling across the plains with the Arthur Brown company. He was in the employ of Brigham Young for many years and assisted in aiding the people who were coming to Utah by driving an ox team back and forth across the plains. He earned and saved his money to send for his sweetheart Harriet Spinks Brooks whom he had left in England. She arrived in 1866 and joined a handcart company bound for Utah. She pushed a hand cart all the way across the plains and upon her arrival in Utah she and John were married. Their children were, Richard Fitzalan who died at the age of sixteen years, John Fitzalan, Alice Fitz Alan, Josephine Mowbray, Marguerite Mowbray and a number of other children who died in infancy.

John brought the first mowing machine into Utah in 1864 and was also the first to introduce bathing in the great Salt Lake. The first bathing resort was at Haights property in Farmington and it was open to the public in 1870. John was in charge of the Toll Gate at Parley's Canyon for four years, and was also one of the first volunteer firemen and policemen of Salt Lake City. He was a member of the 93rd Quorum of Seventies and performed a mission to England in 1880 to 1882. He was also a block teacher and Tithing Clerk, and was employed at Z.C.M.I, as shipping clerk for ten years.

On September 10, 1883 his wife died and two years later he married Mary Brown, a young woman who was also an English convert. They had seven children, Vere DeAlbany…

A few thoughts on the way we do family history on the internet

Often the paradigm for doing family history work is that we start with ourselves and then find all our ancestors, which results in a large pedigree or family tree that resembles an inverted pyramid. Many of the individual family history sites on the internet are in this format. This can be beneficial to some people, particularly nuclear families and a few cousins who share much of their ancestry in common. However, I don’t think this model is maximally effective for collaborative family history efforts. Why do I believe this? First, only you and your biologically full siblings share exactly the same pedigree. Everyone else has other people in their pedigree who are not your ancestors and therefore probably interest you very little. Second, these efforts frequently lack focus and concentrated effort when it comes to collecting and disseminating the histories of single individuals or families. Families usually collect a bundle of names, but, in the end, they know very little about any one of their ancestors. Even when large extended families find common ancestors who interest them, they often get spread too thin to really delve into the personal histories of these people.

Therefore, I think that a more effective way of doing family history on the internet is by picking one or two ancestors and focusing on them. This format lends itself more readily to collaborative efforts as dozens and sometimes even hundreds of people will share that common ancestor. This ancestor then becomes a rallying point for several generations, which helps people to connect and interact, it imbues families with a sense of pride and identity, and it provides a collection point for family history information.

One of the trials of family history work is that as families get larger and have more descendants, information and artifacts often become haphazardly dispersed. Let’s say, for instance, that one of your ancestors has four prized possessions: an old family photograph, a journal, a family Bible, and a beautiful old armoire. As things usually go, one child will get the photograph, another will get the journal, another will get the family Bible, and another will get the armoire. With the passage of time, these artifacts get spread out among children and grandchildren, and eventually nobody knows they exist, except for the person who actually possesses the artifact. The beauty and blessing of the digital age is that we can now easily share almost all of the information listed. The photograph and journal could be digitized and sent as email or posted on a blog or internet site. In my family, for instance, I’ve inherited a 1921 photograph of John Richards Howard, his son, John Fitz Alan Howard, and his grandson, Gordon Maxwell Howard. If I hadn’t posted it on this blog site, nobody would know that I have it and nobody else would have access to it. PDFs or transcriptions of notes written in the family Bible could likewise be shared. The only thing that can’t easily be shared is the nice armoire, but that’s okay because there are many things in life that are more important than nice armoires.

Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to share photos, writings, and audio & video snippets. And, once again, a blog or website that acts as a family rallying point is the ideal location to share this information. Establishing a web presence with with a blog is relatively simple, particularly with a program such as Google's Blogger. Anybody can set up a blog page for an ancestor. It’s free and requires virtually no understanding of webpage design. Furthermore, a blog is the ideal format for the exchange of ideas and information. Material that is posted on the blog is available for all to see, and anyone visiting the blog can comment on the content. This is great for family history because histories and photos can be shared and commented upon. Comments may include new stories, websites, or resources that were previously unknown to the original poster. Even if all a person wants to do is say hi and leave his or her name, it at least lets us know that that person exists and is interested. Every contribution counts and makes a difference.

So what I would encourage is that people pick an ancestor or a single family (for instance a pioneer or pilgrim family) and establish a web presence for that person or family. In this way, all of that person’s or family’s descendants will be able to join in on the dialogue and all will be benefited by the exchange of information. I became interested in John Richards Howard for a few reasons. He had an amazing, fascinating life that spanned 85 years, 3 continents, and a number of challenges and hardships. And, because I bear his surname and Y chromosome, I’m interested in learning a little bit more about his life. Through blogging I'm able to share the information that I have with others, and I hope to be able to learn more about him from visitors to this blog site.

Bibliography, Maps, and Internet Links

Bibliography

• Addison, Albert Christopher. The Story of the Birkenhead. London: Gresham Press Unwin Brothers Ltd, 1902.
• Addison, A.C., and W.H. Matthews. A Deathless Story: The Birkenhead and Its Heroes. Uckfield, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press, 2001.
• Bevan, David. Drums of the Birkenheard. Larson Publications, 1972.
  
• Bevan, David. Stand Fast: Sinking of the Troopship Birkenhead. New Malden, Surrey: Traditional Publishing, 1998.
• Corbett, Scott. Danger Point: The Wreck of the Birkenhead. Toronto: Little, Brown and Company, 1962.
  
• Esshom, Frank Elwood. Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah. Salt Lake City, Utah: Utah Pioneers Book Publishing Co., 1913.
  
• Kerr, J. Lennox. The Unfortunate Ship: The Story of H.M. Troopship Birkenhead. London: George Harrap, 1960.
• Phillips, Douglas W. The Birkenhead Drill. The Vision Forum, Inc., 2004.
  
• Scribner, Cecile James. Every life with a purpose. Santa Rosa, Calif.: Trusthouse Book Co., 1988.
  

Map Links

• Danger Point, South Africa
• Fareham, Hampshire, England
• Portsmouth, Hampshire, England Webcam
• Salt Lake City, Utah

Internet Links

• BBC - Hampshire (Up to date news coverage of the Hampshire area)
• Birkenhead: Passenger List (Has listed "Boy, J R Howard" beneath a listing for a man by the name of John Howard, private, 2nd Regiment. There are no other Howards listed)
  
• Birkenhead-Built: An Unrivaled Legacy (A listing of the ships built at Birkenhead, including its namesake ship)
• Birkenhead vs. Titanic (A website comparing the two disasters)
• Gansbaai (South Africa) 150th Commemoration (This is probably the most complete website regarding the Birkenhead)
  
• Break-up of the Birkenhead wreckage (A sketch of the way the wreckage landed on the ocean floor)
• "Loss of the Birkenhead" by Sir Francis Hastings Doyle (A poem describing the tragedy)
• Mormon Pioneer Overland Trail database (John Richards Howard is not listed in this database, nor is the "Arthur Brown Company")
• Painting of the Birkenhead (A single painting of the Birkenhead)
  
• Paintings of the Birkenhead (3 paintings of the ship)
• Survivors of the Birkenhead 50 years later (Also a very nice website with some personal accounts of the incident)
  
• The Birkenhead Disaster (lists "Private John Howard")
• The Dive Spot (a scuba diving guide to the Birkenhead wreckage)
  

Brief History of John Richards Howard, attributed to his granddaughter, Lucie Howard James (1900-1980)

What was the cause that motivated men like John R. Howard to give up the life they loved - the sea - to swim to shore; seek out this new religion, Mormonism; to join it in face of great hardship and trials? John was of a royal line, had been educated at Oxford. His future was assured and safe and yet when he heard the gospel from two young missionaries on their way to England he knew that it was true. The first missionaries sent to England were mighty men of faith who traveled without 'purse or script'; often leaving families back in the States.

At any rate John was never the same again. When he finally reached Utah he became a close friend of Brigham Young who asked him to take an ox team and travel back and forth along the pioneer trail to help new immigrants across the plains.

He was the first man to build a home outside the sixth ward fort. All of his children were born here except one. He also filled two missions to England and collected his genealogy while there. He was a charter member of the Genealogy Society, holding membership #12.

When he returned to Utah he attended the School of the Prophets. He was a scholar and a gentleman, but most important he retained his testimony of the gospel all of his life.

1921 Photo with Son and Grandson

John Richards Howard in 1921 at the age of 80 with his son, John Fitz Alan Howard (52), and his grandson, Gordon Maxwell Howard (22).

Timeline for JRH

18 Sep 1841. Born to Richard & Martha Richards Howard in Fareham, Hampshire, England

30 Sep 1841. Baptism at Holy Trinity Church (map, photograph, website), Fareham, Hampshire.

12 Apr 1843. His mother, Martha Richards Howard, dies

23 Aug 1843. His father remarries to Rosina Ann Masters

26 Feb 1852. Survives shipwreck of the Birkenhead, his father dies in the shipwreck

7 Apr 1861. 1861 England Census has a 20 year old (he wouldn't have quite been 20, but almost) John Howard of Fareham, Hampshire, listed an ordinary aboard HMS Faleon of the Royal Navy.

15 Oct 1862. Baptized a member of the LDS (Mormon) Church

1863? Travels to Utah with the Arthur Brown Company

1864. Brought the first mowing machine to Utah

Sep 1866. Married Harriet Spinks Brooks (1843-1883)

2 Nov 1867. Endowed & sealed to Harriet Spinks Brooks in the Endowment House

3 Feb 1868. Son, Richard Fitz Alan Howard (1868-1884), born to John & Harriet

27 Nov 1869. Son, John Fitz Alan Howard (1869-1953), born to John & Harriet

1870. Introduces the practice of “public bathing” at Haight's property in Farmington Bay

8 Aug 1870. 1870 US Census lists John R. Howard living in Kaysville, Utah (map), with his wife, Harriet, and his two sons, Richard and John. Occupation is listed as "clerk in store."

26 May 1871. Daughter, Mary Fitz Alan Howard (1871-1871), born to John & Harriet. She lived for less than 2 months, dying on 28 Jul 1871.

22 Mar 1872. Daughter, Martha Fitz Alan Howard (1872-1872), born to John & Harriet. She lived for less than 24 hours, dying that same day.

18 Aug 1873. Possibly married to his second wife, Sarah Herwin (1843-?)

25 Jan 1875. Daughter, Alice Fitz Alan Howard (1875-1924, RootsWeb), born to John & Harriet

31 Jul 1877. Daughter, Josephine Mowbray Howard (1877-1962), born to John & Harriet

4 Oct 1879. Daughter, Marguerite Mowbray Howard (1879-1925), born to John & Harriet

1880. Stillborn child

5 Jun 1880. 1880 US Census shows John R. Howard living in the Twentieth Ward of Salt Lake City with his wife, Harriet (36), and children, Richard (12), John (10), Alice (5), Josephine (2), and Marguerite (8 months). His occupation is listed as “shipping clerk.”

1880-1882. Mission to England

1881. 1881 England Census lists a John Howard born in Fareham, Hampshire, living at 156 Willow St, Leicester St. Margaret, Leicestershire, England (map). The record notes that he is married, and his occupation is listed as "Elder of the Ch of J.C. of Latterday Saints."

10 Sep 1883. Harriet, his first wife, dies in Salt Lake City at age 39 and is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery (Grave Location: UK6828) that same day.

28 Aug 1884. Marries his third wife, Mary (or Polly) Browne (1863-1913)

25 Dec 1885. Daughter, Vere D’Albini Howard (1885-1939), born to John & Mary

26 Nov 1887. Son, William D’Albini Howard (1887-1921), born to John & Mary

1890. Most of 1890 US Census lost in fire, including portions relevant to Utah.

12 Feb 1890. Son, Ernest Maltravers Howard (1890-1918), born to John & Mary.

6 Oct 1890. Manifesto is proclaimed by LDS (Mormon) Church President Wilford Woodruff, bringing an end to the practice of polygamy.

30 Feb 1893. Son, Llewellyn D’Braose Howard (1893-1913), born to John & Mary.

13 Oct 1897. Daughter, Elizabeth Marie Howard (1897-1973), born to John & Mary.

1898. According to one of the histories, he was returning from a mission (presumably to England) in 1898.

12 Jun 1900. 1900 US Census incorrectly lists him as John "A." Howard, but given the documented names of his wife and children, it's fairly indisputable that this is John R. Howard. He is listed as living in the Salt Lake City 4th Ward, Utah, with his wife, Mary, and children, Vera, William, Ernest, Llewellyn, Marie, and Josephine. Occupation is listed as "manufacturing agent."

8 Jan 1901. Daughter, Amy Vengham Howard (1901-1987), born to John & Mary.

2 Jul 1903. Daughter, Ann Olding Howard (1903-1951), born to John & Mary.

11 May 1910. 1910 US Census lists him living in the Sandy Ward, Utah, with his wife, Mary, and children, Ernest (19), Louis (16), Marie (12), Amy (9), and Anne (6). Occupation is listed as "farming."

25 Jun 1913. Mary, his third wife, dies in Provo at age 50 and is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery (Grave Location: G_10_8_3E) on 28 Jun 1913.

26 Apr 1927. Dies at age 85 in Sandy, Utah.

29 Apr 1927. Buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery (Grave Location: G-10-8-1E).

Greetings

My name is James Howard, and I am a descendant of John Richards Howard. I'm starting this blog with the hope that it will help descendants and relatives of John Richards Howard share stories & photos and make contact with each other. More to come in the future.