Indelible Footprints

By Kay Nelson

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I have been the recipient of a treasure chest of family heirlooms. There are old pictures, poems, genealogies, and stories. Because past generations were so faithful to preserve their family history, I felt compelled to preserve their “footprints.” My favorite heirloom is a metal crest that dates back to the 1200s. The stamp reveals a bird with writing in the Welsh language which, when translated, reads, “Faith in God makes all things right.” I have several unique things that the book contains, such as a contract with the Indians for land and a Civil War diary written by my great-grandfather. There are newspapers dated March of 1863 offering a bounty of $20,000 for the head of Lincoln. Poems were written by my grandmother depicting the emotional trauma she went through during World War II that came from my treasure chest. The stories of my uncles who were in that war one in the South Pacific and the other in Germany. There are stories of the French Huguenots, pioneers, Pilgrims, and Scotch Reformers that were imprisoned for their faith as well as stories of the devastation of the bubonic plague, both in England and in Germany. It also includes a piolet that transported the Apollo 13 astronauts. My linage contains, missionaries, preachers, and a preacher’s wife. Because former generations were faithful to preserve their history, I felt compelled to include their stories in the book, making their footprints indelible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639613670

Book preview

True Pioneers—The Chases

The day is October 11, 1898. The place is Belfield, North Dakota. The days are getting shorter, and that can only mean one thing to these pioneers. They were assured that they were soon to face a fierce winter. They knew what it meant to experience minus-thirty-degree temperatures for weeks. They had faced windstorms and blizzards that left snowdrifts as high as a man’s head in previous years. They were aware that winter certainly wasn’t much to look forward to, but these homesteaders were a tough breed. They had to use every fiber of their bodies to survive. These pioneers were up to the challenge.

In 1862, Congress passed a homestead act by which citizens could lay claim to 160-acre plots of land in the territory known as the great American Prairie. After five years, the land became theirs if they remained on it the whole time. The land was flat and treeless. It cost $2.78 to build an entire sod house. Perhaps that is what motivated these first pioneers.

The prospect of a severe winter had nothing to do with the bleakness in the hearts of the young family that called a sod hut their home. Trees were scarce, as well as rocks that could be used for building in North Dakota. The only building material available in abundance was the prairie grass with its massive root system. Leonard Chase, born November 20, 1868, and Anna Marie Ode Chase, born June 16, 1873, had furrowed every two-by-one-foot block of prairie grass two and a half inches thick. These blocks went into the making of their Soddy. In the spirit of true pioneers, they had carefully placed every piece of sod into its proper position. They were certain that the shelter they had painstakingly built would keep out the cold and keep their little family warm throughout the coming fierce winter. Their burden was much more personal. Right then, their main concern was the well-being of Lloyd Pearlie Chase, their two-year-old son, who was facing death.

Hazel was the firstborn child of Anna Marie Chase and Leonard Hill Chase. She was born October 5, 1892, and had just had her sixth birthday the previous week. On this day, there would be no cause for celebrating. So many questions unanswered. Was there a doctor tending the baby brother? Probably not; doctors were few and far between in this sparsely populated prairie. What was going through Hazel’s mind as she watched her mother cope with a very serious situation? There wasn’t a drugstore on the nearest corner to go to for a remedy when sickness or accident struck. Was Hazel watching her mother swap cold rags for the ones warmed by her brother’s feverish brow? No doubt, her tears were falling as well as those from her mother’s eyes. Perhaps there had been a serious accident that had injured her baby brother. I can’t say, but I know six-year-old Hazel was confused and heartbroken.

I’m sure Hazel had cuddled and rocked her baby brother many a time. How do I know this to be true? I know because Hazel was my grandmother. My grandmother never saw a baby she didn’t love. This was the last day of Hazel’s little brother’s life. Lloyd Pearlie Chase passed away that day. I feel the pain she felt just as strongly as I remember my grandmother and the hugs she so freely gave. It makes me wonder what impact this tragedy had on Hazel’s life.

There are so many questions to be asked with so few answers to be found anywhere. What took the baby’s life? What accounts for Hazel being born in Dickerson, Stark County, and Floyd, the firstborn son being born in Burleigh County, while Lloyd was born in Belfield? Oh, how I wish I had asked more questions while my grandmother was still alive. I would have loved to have gained a more intimate view of this family, one that would have given more insight into how they handled their triumphs as well as their losses. At the time that I began to put my thoughts down on paper, this was my lament; why had I not asked more questions years earlier when there would have been people who could have answered those questions? Don’t make that same mistake.

Can you imagine how excited I was when I found the answer to some of my questions? I was rummaging through some files in search of a poem Grandma had written for a different occasion. Lo and behold, I found this poem written by Grandma that gave me a perfect glimpse into the life of Anna Marie Chase. I love the beautiful way my grandmother expressed herself in poetry. That’s why I was anxious to share her poems with you.

*****

Our Mother

Our mother grew tired and weary

With years stretched long and grim.

Thru them all she did not fail

She often prayed with Him.

Her years have now been numbered

They slipped past, one by one

She filled them all with happiness

And loving work well done.

We know God’s angel was waiting,

Waiting to help her there

Thru the gateway of tomorrow

To her heavenly home so fair.

She showed the way to follow

To reach that home sublime

We, following her footsteps and we will find her again sometime.

—Hazel C. Welch as a tribute to her mother (June 16, 1873–October 19, 1947)

*****

Hazel was a unique person. Her smile was infectious. I’m sure she was the sunshine when the sun wasn’t shining. She was not self-centered at all but an encourager to us all. The grandma I remember was always looking out for others. How did she manage to grow and flourish and become the woman she became? What things kept her mind occupied? There is little doubt they all had lots of chores to keep them busy.

Anna Marie & Hazel Chase

I remember my Great-Grandmother Anna Chase sending a turkey and a wild pheasant to grace our Christmas table. Another year, she sent a turkey and a goose from the Dakotas to Superior, Wisconsin. There was no problem keeping the turkey frozen as it traveled from North Dakota to Wisconsin since both places never got much above zero in December.

Memories are wonderful things! Most of my memories have been cheerful and have brought me a lot of joy. As I was contemplating Grandma’s childhood, I had a pleasant memory come to mind. I was six or seven years old at the time. This year would be a special Christmas celebration. I remember the commotion as the entire family was eager to share the events they had been experiencing for the past few years. This would be the first time they had been able to all be together since the start of World War II. This was a time to rejoice since their prayers had been answered, and this family had escaped the horrors of losing a child to the war, and they were celebrating Christmas, once again reunited.

Grandma and Aunt Jane would share their time working in the shipyards, helping to do their part in the war efforts. The conversation turned as Grandma watched Jane painting my sister, Darcy, and my fingernails. She began to tell us of her time as a young girl of our age. She told us about the chores she needed to keep up with while she lived in a sod house with seven other people. Her job was to feed the turkeys and hunt for their eggs. No fancy fingernails for her, she said.

Christmas day was here. Darcy, my sister, and I were all excited. As young girls, we were not accustomed to being pampered with fingernail polish, and our Aunt Jane had just polished our fingernails to perfection. We felt like little princesses and strutted around showing our beautifully painted nails to our guests. We had already found what Santa had left us in our stockings and opened the few presents our parents had lovingly wrapped. The Welch aunts and uncles had gathered at our house with Grandma Welch to partake in the turkey and goose that had come from North Dakota. This was an especially joyous occasion. Both of my uncles were home safe from the battlefields of World War II. Leonard had been stationed in Germany and Lester in the South Pacific area.

Leonard had just mustered out of Camp Cook in California while waiting for his orders to be sent to Japan. At some time during this period, he met up with my Aunt Jane and my Grandma Welch. They were both working in the shipyards in Oregon, fulfilling their patriotic duty. Jane worked as a welder on periscopes for submarines. She became very proficient at her job. She had small delicate hands that enabled her to do the intricate work inside of the periscopes, a job she thoroughly enjoyed and took great pride in. The year must have been 1944 if Leonard was waiting for his orders to go to Japan.

A treaty had been signed in Europe, and the bomb hadn’t been dropped on Japan yet. We can all be very thankful that Leonard never received those orders, thanks to Harry S. Truman. However, we had no idea what was to come at that time. This was a Christmas of thankfulness and rejoicing that we all were safely together again. Anyone that lived through this period in our history will realize what a joyous time this was for our family.

Our dining room table was set with our finest dishes (accumulated from Ben Franklin’s dime store, one piece at a time). The exorbitant fee of ten cents a plate was what the cost had been. I loved those dishes, and the fact that they were saved for special occasions made them special. I think the goblets that were filled with ice water came from the Freer side of the family. Mom and Dad had worked hard to have everything perfect. Mom fixed the meal to perfection while my dad made the coleslaw, a job he took great pride in. He then spread the linen tablecloth, set with matching napkins, on our dining room table. Dad set the table with the dinnerware from the five and dime. The real silverware was placed in its proper place, a wedding gift from my Grandfather Welch to my parents. Setting a beautiful table was one thing my folks enjoyed doing, and they did it very well. Their guests always received a beautiful reception.

The one thing that stands out in my memory was how much I disliked the taste of the goose from North Dakota. I was probably six years old and had just heard Dickens’s Christmas Carol. In it, Scrooge gives the Crotchets a goose that had been hanging in the butcher shop. I remember thinking that was not all that tasty of a gift once I had tasted Grandmother Chase’s goose. I can still taste and feel the tallow in my mouth to this day. Why that stands out so clearly in my mind I’m not sure. However, even though I hated the goose, I am very thankful for that Christmas memory and the thoughtfulness of Grandmother Chase.

One of the stories I had rattling around in my head since childhood probably started at that same time. As I was sitting around the table at that Christmas dinner, someone mentioned that Anna Marie Ode Chase was a horsewoman extraordinaire. Great-grandmother, the story goes, was the local midwife, and in that capacity, it was necessary for her to make a quick response when beckoned. She would gather her supplies, run out the door, get a running start, and leap onto the back of her horse. Running up from behind, she placed her hands on the horse’s rump. She then would thrust herself into position on the horse’s back and head toward whatever the emergency might be. She always landed ready to ride bareback.

This left an impression on me at that time. Years later, when I asked my Granddaughter Anna, who shared both her name and her love of horses in common, how easy it would be for a woman to do that successfully, she said, Easy, check it out on YouTube. (What an amazing world we now live in; our questions are answered immediately.)

Anna Marie Ode Chase certainly had grit. It seems that I also heard, sitting around that table, quiet as a mouse (children were to be seen and not heard), that Leonard Hill Chase, my great-grandfather, had deserted the family. The place of his death wasn’t in the Dakotas but in Washington State, so that is a real possibility. However, now I have no one to ask if that was the case. Anna Marie Ode Chase remained in North Dakota until her death according to the genealogy.

In the far North, death was really accepted as a part of life. It was commonplace. We are so blessed to have the amenities that we have today in part thanks to those who went before. But back to our story.

After Lloyd Pearlie Chase’s death, Anna still had diapers to change and a growing family to tend to. Shortly, there would be even more diapers to change as the Chase family grew. Four more siblings entered the family of Leonard and Anna Marie Ode Chase. Ethel was born in April of the next year, 1899, and Leonard followed in 1900. Florence was born in 1901, and Delores entered the world in 1905. For pioneers, the extension of the family was a blessing because it meant there would be more family members to share in the many tasks that comprised each of their days. The beauty of pioneer life was that a team effort was necessary in order to be successful. Behind every farmer was a good woman.

Even though business pushed grief aside, Hazel’s thoughts wandered back to her baby brother. She expressed those thoughts through poetry.

Sometimes between long shadows on the grass, the little truant waves of sunlight pass, my eyes grow dim, with tenderness. The while; Thinking of thee, thinking I see thee smile.

—Hazel Chase Welch.

One of the things few of us have ever had to collect that Hazel collected was buffalo chips. On the North Dakota prairie, the buffalo did roam, and it was one of Hazel’s jobs to collect the dried droppings of the buffalo to be used as kindling for the fires. Don’t forget trees were scarce and other kindling nonexistent. No wonder Hazel was such a down-to-earth young girl. Most of the pioneers harvested the dried buffalo dung and even used it fresh to shine the dirt floor. How much more down-to-earth than that can you get? I’m sure Hazel followed the advice she gave us as she overcame her own grief and the continuous chores she was expected to do. Grandma was always quick to tell us whenever we faced a difficult situation or a problem we didn’t know how to solve that we should just put one foot in front of the other and finish our job one step at a time.

It’s hard for any of us to comprehend what a strenuous ordeal it was for these pioneers just to keep their families and their animals fed. Because their farms were so far from the nearest trading post or store, it was necessary for these pioneers to spend several days to make a trip for farm supplies and food to just to keep themselves alive. Often, those trips included supplies for their neighbors as well. In the year 1910, the Northern Pacific Railroad was built and crossed into their area. Everything before that time had to be hauled by a team of horses or a team of oxen. It would take at least two days for the roundtrip.

Often, they had to travel in increment weather. A newspaper article wrote about one of their neighbors, getting lost in a snow storm and freezing to death before he could reach the safety of his home.

Our Grandmother Hazel shared her experiences and always had a hope for a brighter future. Bleakness was never a part of her nature. She kept on the sunny side in most situations. Hazel always had high goals for herself and pushed us to set high goals for ourselves too. Perhaps the harsh life she experienced helped her gain these attributes. Romans 5:3 tells us that tribulations work patience, patience experience, experience hope, and hope makes not ashamed. These pioneers were the poster children for endurance and for patience. Grandma grew into a beautiful young lady both inside and out.

Welch Ancestors

There was a young gentleman who would discover just how talented and beautiful that young lady was. The bleakness of the wide-open prairie occasionally got a little excitement. Can you imagine the interest that was generated when this handsome single young man arrived in North Dakota? I am sure, since there were not many single newcomers arriving at their settlement, there was a lot of speculation about this young man. Why would such a good-looking young man leave a prosperous situation in the New England republic of Pennsylvania and come to a very underdeveloped land in the middle of a prairie? But before I proceed with John Garber Welch’s own story, let me tell you a little about his family history. I knew very little about the Welch history before I began this project. John was basically of English, Irish, Scottish, and, of course, Welsh background. His lineage or pedigree, as my Grandfather Freer would call it, added an interesting twist to my genealogy quest.

John Welch

Many of the speculations and pieces of the puzzle on behalf of the Welches have been discovered through a diligent search and by compiling the resources I already had. One of those interesting resources was sent to me by Mae Welch; it is a daguerreotype picture of John’s great-grandfather, Andrew Welch. This picture was produced by a process through which the first photographs were made available to the public. Introduced worldwide in 1839, for nearly twenty years, it was the photography most commonly used.

The image is on a mirrorlike silver surface, normally kept under glass and then kept in a protective enclosure. It allowed people to hold in their hands a replica of themselves or that of a loved one. The small picture frame on the right is the daguerreotype. It is backed by red velvet with a delicate gold trim. The picture frame is bound in leather and has a small clasp on the side.

The other picture is a nativity scene sketched on glass. All I am sure of it is that the back is leatherbound and has France inscribed in the leather. It probably came from the Freer side of the family since many of them were French.

Daguerreotype of Andrew Welch 5/2/1803 b 18/18/64 d.

A Legacy of Faith

Welch Crest

Dated in the 1200s

The name Welch is a variation of the name Welshe or Walsh. It’s not surprising that it’s meaning is an inhabitant of Wales. It is said that the family came to Scotland with many Welsh families who fled there from Wales during the Welsh Invasion, about 1100, under Strongbow De Clare. They settled in the lowlands of Scotland.

I have two papers that are imprinted with the original Welch family crest stamp. One of them has the crest stamped in three places across the top of the paper. This came to me from my Uncle Lester. He no doubt got it from his Aunt Katherine. The thing that interested me when I first got the paper copy printed from the original Welch family crest was that the crest was made into a metal stamp and was used to stamp important documents. The paper copy shows the impression that the metal crest would leave. The words inscribed under the family insignia, when interpreted, state Faith in God makes all things right.

The language is the language used in Wales. Another notation states that the original crest dated back to the early 1200s. The crest was used by my Aunt Katherine on her private correspondence. The stamp was imprinted on a personal letter she wrote to me. The crest was of special interest to me since faith in God has been an essential part of our family. It was thrilling to me that faith in God was passed down through all these generations. When I first saw the crest saying it was from the early 1200s, I thought, How can that be? I was skeptical. How could they know that?

After following up on the crest, I felt overwhelmed by the legacy of faith I was given. This moved me to be more certain that I would continue the legacy by sharing it with you. I hope that those following me will be able to share in this incredible blessing. I was amazed to find how consistently faith was a part of the lives of so many of my forefathers. I hope you will be able to follow the flow of this pattern throughout this writing. It seems incredible that this tiny stamp could have survived for so many years. Even though we live in a throw-away society, it seems impossible, but this treasure still remains in the Welch family, and I was given the privilege to see its imprint.

Since my genealogy research began, this project has allowed me to expand my knowledge of our Welch lineage. My cousin, Nancy Welch, had searched out several interesting facts from the Welch history. My nephew, Andy Osterlund, discovered our Aunt Katherine Welch Ford’s application to become a Daughter of the American Revolution. My cousin, Sheryl O’Kash, provided me with a copy of her certificate entitling her to become a member. This application brought our line of Welches back to the birth of John Welch in 1728. This John fought in the American Revolution. My daughter, Robin Costner, was able to trace our lineage across the Atlantic to Scotland, way back to the era of the Ladies, Earls, Lords, and Knights. At that time, the name was spelled Walshe. John is the predominant first name and can be traced back to the 1100s. Robin, as she researched, uncovered many interesting stories concerning our Welch ancestors. By sharing them, I hope you will be inspired.

One of the interesting stories is that two of the Welch boys, living in Pennsylvania during an Indian massacre, hid under the porch steps, allowing them to be the only survivors of their family. That kept our lineage alive. Some of the stories seemed to verify that the Welch Crest did go back to the 1200s. Many of the stories that were found indicated that these people lived by this creed: Faith in God makes all things right. Some indelible footprints were definitely left by many of our own forefathers.

Again, I wish I had asked questions when I was younger while there were people still living who might have had answers as to how the crest was traced back so far. As with any genealogy, oh, the stories that could be told and, oh, the questions that should have been asked. I will put the genealogies that we were able to trace through our searches in the back of the book so that you will be able to see how the search led us to the 1200s. It has been my endeavor to pull out the things I felt were most interesting.

Another story that was passed on to me came from the Banner of Truth magazine and concerns John Welch of Ayr. John was born of an ancient and well-to-do family in Dumfriesshires, Scotland, in 1568. The magazine suggests that John Welch of Ayr’s early life gave to his family little indication of his future greatness as a minister of Christ and son-in-law of John Knox. In his youth, he was often truant. He joined a gang of border thieves who lived by robbing the people of both nations, Scotland and England. This brought him to extreme poverty and separation from his family.

In the overruling providence of God, it had the effect of humbling him to true repentance. A true transformation took place in John’s life. As a result, he enrolled in the Reformed University of Edinburgh to prepare for ministry in the Scottish Church. He had the distinction of being the first graduate to be ordained to the ministry at that school. It appears we have our own prodigal son who, like the son in Jesus’s parable, squandered his inheritance and, after living in misery, reconciled with his father. Perhaps we have our own Esther in Elizabeth Knox Welch, the wife of John Welch. Elizabeth went in front of King James VI to plead for her husband’s release from prison in 1606.

After John’s restoration, he abounded in industry and ability and was not slow to gain a mastery of Latin and a competent knowledge of Greek. Every aspect of Welch’s ministerial effort at Ayr was marked by extraordinary zeal for the glory of God. John Welch became sought after more than any other preacher in Scotland. The people of Ayr were crude and barbaric when he went there. The Gospel light brought by Welch was not welcome by the people he ministered to at first. They appeared to prefer their former darkness to the light Christ offered.

It is said that this newly transformed young man, when he heard a street brawl was brewing, would don a helmet and enter the fracas, no doubt with the same zeal he had done as a delinquent, bringing with him the energy of his new passion. Dueling in the streets was common. John would go amongst the gangs, urging the combatants to sit down to a meal prepared and placed in the middle of the street! After the combatants had eaten and were reconciled, he would say a prayer and sing a Psalm. Gradually, Ayr, the city, became more peaceful and civilized. He labored to promote a decent society. He did this by self-discipline and by warning the unruly that they would have to change their behavior.

John Welch prayed and preached the Word of God and the truths it contained fervently. Many of his sermons are recorded. He was fearless in his denouncement of landowners and royalty who preferred to pocket funds intended to further the Gospel. Due to John’s courageous preaching, many experienced a life-changing transformation that affected their outward behavior. Romans 12:2 says, Don’t be conformed to this world, but by the renewing of your mind be transformed.

This was John’s goal for the people he ministered to and for himself. John Welch was married to Elizabeth the third daughter of John Knox the reformer. Elizabeth Knox was to prove a worthy helpmeet for her husband in all his sufferings for the Gospel’s sake. There are reports that his preaching was said by some to be so moving that heaven and earth were moved.

John Knox, the reformer and father of his third daughter Elizabeth Knox

The date of the marriage to John Welch is uncertain. It is thought to have been prior to 1596

In 1604, an event happened that escalated his preaching. The plague broke out east of Scotland. No matter what procedures were put in place, the plague could not be contained. Welch, as might be expected, met the needs of his parishioners by presenting them with the Gospel’s plan of repentance through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

One thing that amazed me as I put together the stories of my ancestors was that the unsanitary conditions that caused a scourge in London and Scotland were not confined to those areas alone. The plague swept through the entire land from one nation to another. At the same time the bubonic plague was affecting Scotland, it was devastating France and Germany where my Freer relatives were. Hundreds of the Huguenot families fell victim to the plague as it made its way through the countries that were giving them asylum from religious persecution. Whole families were wiped out as the rodents fled from one place to the other throughout Europe. No one was able to correctly identify where the outbreak was coming from during that time. One of those families that was wiped out was related to my Freer descendants that had found refuge from persecution in Germany.

In the beginning of John’s ministry, his majesty, James VI, expressed fondness for Presbyterianism by stating he wished to see an increase in the number of reformed clergy in his realm. However, John was not to enjoy this comfort for long. The Presbyterian movement reached Scotland, England, and Ireland, and a reformation began. It lasted from 1568–1622.

When King James VI became firmly seated on the throne of both kingdoms, he began to suppress free assemblies, which led to the imprisonment of able preachers. Because John Welch of Ayr’s was a lamp that burned bright, after a sham trial, he was imprisoned first in Tollbooth Prison in Edinburgh and shortly thereafter transferred to Blackness, which was a brutal place. According to Wikipedia, tradition has it that Welch was put into the dungeon, which could be entered only through a hole in the floor. This helps you understand what was meant by the term the Dark Ages.

This was the situation in which John Welch chose to minister. He also was willing to pay the terrible price. There were, on the floor of the prison, sharp rocks protruding out so that either sitting or standing was quite painful. It was in this grotesque monstrosity that Welsh was confined till November 6, 1606, when the king decided to banish all offending ministers to remote parts of the kingdom. John Welch was banished to France. More than six months were to pass before Welch saw his wife and family again at Bordeaux.

Preaching and sharing the Gospel was so much his principal desire that he at once began to acquire the language of his place of exile. In fourteen weeks, he had learned enough French to be able to address a French congregation. He had a unique way of being sure that his French could be understood by his audience accurately. He had a Frenchman stand up in the crowd when his language needed help. This became a cue for John to be more conscientious about his sermon’s delivery in a language that was not his native tongue.

While he was in France in 1606, John wrote to a friend that the fulfilment of his ministry was dearer to him than life itself. The reformation that began in Scotland expanded west to France in 1606, due to John Welch of Ayr’s ministry.

Much more is written about the man in several different