Heber Chase Kimball
Back to Profile

I live in a land called America, and when asked to state my nationality, I say "American." Compared to Old World standards, this country is quite new, only a little over 200 years old. Yet in this small time frame, this land of America, this "land of the free and home of the brave" (National Anthem) has had a most profound influence on the other nations of the world. When I think about this land, and its government, (flawed and imperfect as it is), the one descriptive word that comes again and again to my mind, the one word that above all others describes what America stands for is --Freedom. And I've often wondered if America, with its unique brand of freedom, that has had such an impact on the rest of the world, isn't of divine inspiration Given the nature and circumstances of this country's birth, it is truly a miracle that a ragtag band of revolutionaries could defeat the mightiest army on earth at that time - the Redcoats of the British Army, and their mercenaries, the Hessians (German soldiers).

I call myself an American, but my roots are deeply planted in England, Scotland and Ireland. I am fortunate that I can trace my lineage and heritage back through many generations of Scottish, Irish and English ancestry. I know who I am; I know my roots; I know who my progenitors are. Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) place a high value on genealogy, and tracing their ancestral roots. Thanks to extended members of my family, and their dedicated cause to family research, I can trace the arrival of my progenitors here in America, and their movement across the landscape to Utah. But more importantly, I can go backwards in time and place my finger on specific names that were my grandparents many generations removed. It's important to have roots, it's important to know that your ancestors were real people who lived in certain places and were subject to the circumstances of their time. For example, had my Scottish ancestors not left Ireland in 1843, to return to Scotland, they would have suffered the consequences of the Irish famine, the potato crop failure of 1846.

Through the efforts of family researchers, I have 24 documented generations of Blairs extending back to 1130 in Scotland and McKays to 1674 in Edinordinary, County Down, Ireland.

The earliest Blair of whom we have record was William de (of) Blair. (The name Blair originally meant a plain, a broad stretch of land clear of woods. Since such places were anciently chosen for areas of conflict, the name in time came to signify a field of battle.) He lived during the reign of William of Lyon, who succeeded to the crown of Scotland in the year 1165.

In the same year as William of Lyon became King of Scotland, the King of England raided southeast Scotland and reached Ayrshire on the west coast before William was able to halt him and force him back to England. My progenitor William de Blair was there to assist William of Lyon and for that assistance he was rewarded with a land grant in northeast Ayrshire upon which he founded the clan Blair of Blair.

In accordance with his new found wealth and social status, he began the construction of a castle, a fortified home common at this time in Scotland.

A typical, fortified clan house of the 12th century in Scotland

These 12th century structures, usually built only by landed gentry, were tall and narrow and contained three and sometimes four stories. In times of unrest, the farm animals were barricaded inside the lower floor, the barn area, while the family and servants lived on the upper floors. The main portion of the castle was built in 1205, with considerable alterations made to it in 1616. Remarkably the castle still stands, and up until 1986 had remained in the Blair family, nearly 800 years. For those familiar with Scotland, the Blair Castle "stands about one and a half miles from Dalry on the rising back of the east side of the stream Garnock, and is still well sheltered amid it ancient timber." (Maughn 1967)

I do not know how large the original Blair land grant was, but on a visit to England and Scotland in 1996, I went in search of the castle. It wasn't hard to find, except that I had a difficult time understanding the accent of the Scottish policeman from whom I asked directions. From the main road where I parked, it took me a good fifteen minutes to walk through the woods and fields to the front door of the castle. Seeking shelter from the rain, I stood under the door lintel. I wanted to knock on the door and announce that a cousin from far off America had come to visit, and could I have a look around the place. But I didn't. However, from just peering in the windows, it looked like a museum on the inside.

800 year old Blair Castle - Dalry, Scotland

The grandson of William de Blair, and holder of the birthright was named Bryce Blair. In his 70th year, he was hanged by the English.

During the era of Sir Bryce Blair, King Edward I continued England's brutal intrusions of Scotland and may have secured control of that country had not young William Wallace (Remember the movie Brave Heart), son of a Renfrewshire knight, awakened new national pride and resistance. It was difficult at first to see how our Sir Bryce Blair could join young Wallace, for the former was a dignified gentleman or at least 70 years of age.

But the part played by Sir Bryce Blair was ideal for the needs of young Wallace. History records how the latter hid in caves. Those caves were in New Cumnock, a wee burgh adjoining the Blair estate. Sir Bryce Blair supplied food, clothing, and ammunition for the struggle. When his efforts were discovered, Sir Bryce and his uncle were hanged in the Barns of Ayr by the English in 1296. (Maughan 1967:26)

The holder of the birthright, the one who inherited the lands and buildings always went from father to eldest son. This common consent rule of law held true for the Blairs until 1599, when, for unknown reasons the rightful heir Bryce Blair, a young boy of 10 was removed from the inheritance by his uncle, his father's brother, also named Bryce Blair.

In 1624, young Bryce married a farmer's daughter, Ester Peden, something unheard of in 400 years of Clan made marriage arrangements. Knowing he could never regain his inheritance, and fearing for his life, Bryce and his new wife Ester escaped to Ireland in 1626. They settled in Larne on the Irish coast. They were In Ireland to stay. The birthright stayed in Scotland, but my fourteenth set of grandparents were happy in Ireland. Descendants of Bryce and Ester stayed in Ireland for nearly 200 years, about as long as America has been a nation.

The abandonded ruins of Castle Adair on the Scottish coast. Ireland lies 20 miles across the sea.

The year is now 1843. Martha Blair, a descendent of Bryce Blair and Ester Penden, has married Joseph McKay, and are the parents of eight children. They have just moved back to Scotland. Both Joseph and Martha were born in 1799, the year George Washington died, in Dervock which is in the northern part of the County Antrim, Ireland. The 1840's saw the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. Undoubtedly Joseph and Martha returned to Scotland to better their living conditions. They moved to Johnstone, which lies adjacent to Paisley, both of which are southwest of Glasgow, Scotland. There were thread mills in Johnstone, which offered work for the children as well as the adults. The oldest daughter Mary was 20, while the baby Esther was not quite a year old.

During the 1996 visit to Scotland and England, I went to Johnstone to see where my sixth set of grandparents lived. Parking my car in the middle of town, behind a Safeway store, I went to the nearest establishment I could find open - a mortuary, to ask for directions. I was looking for Rankin Street, and the apartment house were the family lived. Also, I was hoping to see the thread mills if they were still standing. The director of the mortuary pointed out Rankin Street, which was just off the main square, and then took me to the library and introduced me to the librarian. When I told her I was interested in seeing the old thread mills, she pulled out several books which gave the history of the mills and showed pictures of them. I was delighted to see the pictures. I learned that there were seven mills in town,

The last operating thread mill in Johnstone, Scotland

There was a stream of water running through Johnstone which powered the mill's steam engines, some of which were converted to machine shops during WWII. Several had been torn down, a couple could still be seen lying in ruins along the banks of the stream and one was still in operation producing shoe laces. I found Rankin Street and the apartment where the family had lived.

The Utah Connection

In 1837, Heber C. Kimball, my great-great-grandfather, along with six others left Kirkland, Ohio bound for Liverpool, England where they began missionary work for their new church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, more commonly known as the Mormons or simply LDS. The church had been organized only seven years before in 1830 with six members. ( In the year 2000, the membership of the church is over eleven million.) These early missionaries met with tremendous success as thousands of English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish citizens heeded the message of a restored gospel. My Martha Blair and Joseph McKay progenitors were some of the new converts. By 1848, Mormon missionaries had established a branch of the church in Johnstone. The Mckay children were the first of the family to join the church, eventually followed by the rest of the family. For the next 8 years, it became the dream of the family to immigrate to America.

In 1856, Joseph McKay, the father, came first. It was the family plan that he should go ahead and prepare a place for the others to come. He, like all the other Mormon immigrants were bound for the land of Desert, the future state of Utah, which didn't achieve statehood until 1896. He came to Utah as a pioneer, and a poor one at that. He came with the ill-fated Willie handcart company. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, he arrived in Iowa City by rail, then the terminal of the railroad. The 1,300 mile journey that lay ahead would be covered by walking and pulling a handcart. It was late in the season when the company of 500 souls, 120 handcarts and 5 wagons left Iowa City. Arriving in Florence, Nebraska the first weeks in August, the group was encouraged to stay for the winter, but there were not enough tents, and really no place to stay. They elected to go on, leaving Florence on August 19th. They had a 1,000 mile journey ahead of them.

An extraordinarily early winter set in. Heavy frost in September made the nights cold. Many were improperly clad. Their food supply was inadequate. Frail members fell sick unto death and were buried by the wayside. The weeks dragged wearily on, made longer by delays for burials.

When they at last reached the pass in the Rocky Mountains (South Pass), the snow was too deep for many to cross. Relief trains with supplies had been sent to the stranded Willie and Martin handcart companies, but for many, help was too late. Of the original 500 members of the Willie Company, 77, nearly a sixth of their members had died. (Maughan 1967:35)

Joseph’s feet and hands had frozen, but they did heal. Three years later, he had earned enough money to bring the rest of his family to their American Zion, 18 members in all.

While in Johnston, Scotland, Martha, a daughter of Joseph and Martha Mickey married a David Fisher III. Martha and David Fisher were part of the 18 family members who joined Joseph Mickey in Utah. A daughter of Martha and David, Margaret Fisher, married Samuel Jones in 1881. Their first son was named David Fisher Jones who is my grandfather. Then comes my father Raymond Fisher Jones, and now come I Richard Kimball Jones.

I'll be the first to admit that genealogy can be boring to read, nevertheless knowing the history of one's family helps to preserve the unity of the family, and presents the individual with a unique identity in the otherwise overwhelming mass of humanity. With this identity, one is no longer just a number, but somebody special. We are the end product of countless generations of unique individuals who have gone before us, and who have each contributed a significant portion to our character, personality and psychological makeup. It's simply nice to know who we are and where we came from.

Back to Top