Happy Holidays to everyone! Please enjoy a reflective Thanksgiving poem written by Ellen M. Ferris (1843-1876), daughter of Charles Drake Ferris (1812-1850) and niece of Warren Angus Ferris (1810-1873). This poem was published in a Buffalo, New York newspaper (date unknown). Ms. Ferris clipped this and over a 1000 published poems which she admired (including her own) and placed them in her commonplace book collection. The poetry can be found in the Ferris/Lovejoy collection of family papers at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

THANKSGIVING

By Ellen M. Ferris

Through sombre aisles and vaulted roof

The organ-tones are swelling,

Their grand and solemn harmonies

Of some high service telling;

And now in murmurs soft and low,

And now in cadence thrilling,

With under-tones of melody

The singers’ voices filling.

“All glory be to God on high”-

So chant the choral voices-

“In whom we live and breathe and move,

In whom the world rejoices;

Who sends the sunshine and the rain,

With food for all the living;

To Him our grateful hearts we raise

With praises and thanksgiving.”

A mother to the chancel rail

Her little child is leading,

With rich thank-offerings to God,

Who heard her anguished pleading.

But while for mercies great and strange

Her costly tribute paying,

Forgets the mercies day by day

Upon her path arraying.

For each day is a miracle

Of blessing and forgiving;

God’s tender pity, like the sky,

Enfoldeth all the living.

We take the gifts His bounty sends

Ungrateful and cold-hearted,

Without a thought of love or praise,

Till from us they are parted.

We set aside one meagre day

Of all our yearly treasure,

Wherewith to pay the homage due

For blessings beyond measure.

But Thou be merciful, O God,

Consider Thou our weakness;

Accept the tribute which we pay,

Though late, with awe and meekness.

Turn Thou our hearts, that we may see

All things are of Thy sending,

And lift an endless song of praise

For mercies never-ending;

Till all the radiant angelhood

Shall aid our poor endeavor

To magnify the Lord our God,

And praise His name forever.

Blog written by Christine Cohen. Great granddaughter (X3) of Warren Angus Ferris. Great granddaughter (X2) of Henry Ferris.

Descendants of those buried in the Warren Ferris Cemetery and anyone interested in sharing historical information about the cemetery are encouraged to write with stories, additions, and corrections. Please contact me at greyhairfarm@yahoo.com

Growing up in a small sleepy Texas town, whose claim to fame was “Sausage Capital of Texas,” left plenty of time to get into trouble or harass your parents because you were bored. My mother was determined that my sister and I would learn historical stories about our ancestors during our free time.

My mother, Nell Been Davis, first introduced us to our great-great grandfather, Warren Angus Ferris, who soon became a “regular guest” at our dinner table. We learned why Grandpa Ferris left his home in New York and became a “Mountain Man” in the Wild West. The reason is still a modern-day problem in families - he and his mother argued about his smoking. We heard outrageous stories about his travels throughout Wyoming and the area that is now known as Yellowstone National Park.

These stories led us into the elementary elements of basic historical research. These were pre-computer days and no internet. That left reading books, visiting Cemeteries and Court Houses. Today, my sister and I still report that we grew up in cemeteries.

In 2019 the Texas Historical Foundation held a board meeting in Jackson, Wyoming. Why Jackson? Back in 1836 this area was considered part of Texas. Fifty miles to the south of Jackson is a small town named Pinedale, home of the Museum of the Mountain Man. A cousin of mine (also a great-great granddaughter of WAF) was traveling with me and we made the scenic drive to see the museum.

The museum was much more than we ever expected. Not seeing WAF’s name among the names mentioned, I sought out the executive director and asked him one question: “Does the name Warren Angus Ferris mean anything to you?” His response was “MEAN ANYTHING?!?! If it were not for Ferris, we would not have this museum. He was literate and wrote beautiful descriptions of the wildlife, geography and the different Indian tribes. Most mountain men were illiterate and could neither read nor write.” The descriptions Ferris sent to his family back in New York eventually became the book LIFE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. And, yes, my mother had me reading the book when I was 10 years old.

My plea to you is to tell stories of your ancestors to the young members in your family - children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews - and build the excitement of your ancestors in their young minds. I felt sorry for my childhood friends who knew nothing of their extended families. And most of them hated history when they were forced to take history classes in school. Me? I was a history major in college.

Julia N. (Judy) Davis

Great-great granddaughter of Warren Angus Ferris

THANKSGIVING by Ellen M. Ferris

Julia N. (Judy) Davis reflects on tales of family history