September 6, 1905, William Worthen and Mary Ann Cox, married less than a year, welcomed into their happy lives their first child, a son, and named him William Gordello after his father William. He was born at home.
His mother, Mary Ann, says he was a really beautiful child. By the time he was four months old, he was all she could carry. With the aid of a new baby buggy she trundled him around the small town of St. George, Utah, where they lived. The name of Willy, was used for many years.
At six months the family moved to St. Thomas, Nevada, a town now covered by Lake Mead, a lake created by the Hoover Dam. They returned to St. George for a short time and then moved to Johannsburg, California, where Willy’s father hauled freight from the railroad to Bullfrog. He made good money, which they saved, and upon returning to St. George they bought their own home located at 5th West and 4th North. William added a cellar and granary to the home. There on 11 February 1911, Willy’s baby sister was born and named Clesta.
The handwriting on the back of the image says "Mary Ann and William Worthen around - 1908 or 1909."
Based on another picture of Mary Ann Cox with her brother I'm pretty sure this is her.
Here is the GEDCOM file I have at this point. I have also created this fan chart that shows some of the contents of the file, but not all.
As I have entered some of the stories I have found other names that are not in the GEDCOM file, so I'm sure someone has a more up-to-date copy.
But here is what I have for what it is worth.
by
Clesta Worthen Adams, daughter
William Gordello Worthen, son
William Worthen was born April 16. 1879, in St. George, Utah, to Joseph Smith Worthen and Mary Jane Heap Worthen. He was the fifth in a family of twelve children.
We don't know much about his childhood except that he was taken out of school each spring as soon as the grass became green to herd cows and also to work as a mason's helper carrying 'mud' or mortar. This work helped support his father's family. Mother has said she remembered him in the seventh grade when she was in the sixth, but didn't know if he finished that grade. Missing so much school accounted for his being so far behind. She was almost six years younger than he. In spite of his lack of education, he was a very refined person. He spoke quietly in a deep-toned voice, with no swearing or vulgar language.
Written August 13, 1954
by herself
I was born on the 23 day of January 1885 at Harrisburg, Utah, a small ghost town some three miles south of Leeds, Utah.
My father was Isaiah Cox, Jr. and my mother was Abigail McMullin Cox daughter of Willard Glover McMullin and Mary Ann Holmes McMullin. My grandfather Willard Glover McMullin was a convert to the church, and was born in the New England States. My grandmother, Mary Ann Holmes was born in England.
I belong to a large family having 5 brothers and 2 sisters. Three of my brothers are now dead. I lived in Harrisburg until I was nine years of age, then my parents moved to St. George, Utah that their children might have better schools to attend. I have pelasant memories of my childhood in Harrisburg. There I lived near my grandmother McMullin and my grandmother Cox came to visit often. Another pleasant memory was an old gray horse named "Gray Bill". I loved to ride and he was safe for a very young child to ride. We also had many pleasant picnics with our young friends to the canyon where the Quail Creek went through the hill east of Harrisburg. The water came down the ledge causing ferns to grow, the place was cool and very pretty in the summer, though there was danger of floods when it was stormy. There was also a large tree where swings were put at Easter time when the weather was good, and the town gathered for a picnic.
