Agnes Wark

1840 - 1918  (77 years)

• Name	Agnes Wark
  Born	28 Dec 1840	Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland
  Gender	Female
  Died	31 Aug 1918	Ophir, Tooele, Utah
  Buried	3 Sept 1918	Provo, Utah
  Notes	Most records list Agnes' father (probably) incorrectly as Robert Wark. Below are the many evidences that her father was actually Walter Wark: 1. Agnes' death record lists her father as Walter Wark 2. The 1841 census record lists Walter with wife Mary and children Robert and Agnes near Craig Street, Aidrie, Scotland, which is only a few hundred feet in length. Craig Street was the 1841 residence of son-in-law George and 1871 residence of George and Agnes. 3. There is only one Walter Wark in all of Scotland in the 1841 census. There are no Walter Wark's in the 1851 census (after Walter likely died). Walter's wife Mary was re-married by 1861. 4. There is an LDS baptismal record for a Walter Wark in 1846. The record indicates that Walter died 1 Jan 1849. Agnes and her mother were also among the .1% of the Scottish population that was Mormon in 1851. It's quite unlikely that Walter, Mary, and Agnes were members of the same very small church, yet not related. 5. Walter's first (probably) marriage was to Agness Sinton. Walter's daughter was later named Agnes (though admittedly there are perhaps 100s of Agnes Wark's in Scotland at the time). 6. The will of James McDowell (Mary McDowell Wark's father) references Walter Warks (sic) as the husband of Mary. Genetic testing has verified that I (Jared) am a descendent of James McDowell meaning that the will was in reference to my ancestors (Walter and Mary). 7. While there are records of many Robert and Mary Warks with a daughter Agnes in Scotland at the time, none of them coincide well with locations, birth dates, siblings, etc. The only original record of her father being named Robert is found Agnes' marriage record. This marriage occurred 13 years after Walter's death, so it's quite possible it was mis-transcribed, or more likely, that Agnes' older brother (as found on the 1841 census) Robert or perhaps an uncle Robert was the one recorded. Despite the many present-date genealogies that list Agnes' father as Robert, the record I maintain here follows the overwhelming evidence there her father's name was Walter. Agnes' death record in 1918 lists her mother as Mary Getons, though there is no record of anyone with this name. DNA testing proves that Mary McDowell was her mother (see Mary McDowell's record here for further information). Walter died in 1849 of cholera. Agnes was 8 at the time. The 1851 census shows Mary Wark (age 39 or 40) with daughter Agness (age 10). Mary McDowell Wark then married John Ferguson some time before 1861. The 1861 census shows Agnes (mis-transcribed as Agnes Evark) living with John and Mary Ferguson. Multiple LDS church records show Agnes with Mary and John between 1861 and 1866. John and Mary emigrated to Utah some time before 1880, likely to be with Agnes who emigrated in 1877. Mary died sometime around 1890 (see her record for details). George Smith married Agnes Wark on 4 July 1862 in Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland. George died in 1871 at age 35. George and Agnes had at least 4 children (all born in Airdie, Lanark, Scotland): Mary Agnes Smith (1865-1888) - Born 3 December 1865. Married James Barton Stratton, had one child (Agnes Ethel Stratton) on 13 March 1888 which died within a week. Mary Agnes died shortly after on 6 October 1888 in Provo, Utah. George S Smith (1867-1918) Born 2 December 1867. Married Thora Marie Larsen. Died Dec 5, 1923 in Provo, Utah. John F. Smith (1869-1913) - See his record on this site. William Smith (1871-1872) - Born 6 October 1871 (5 months after the death of his father George). Died one year later in November 1872. The following two children of Agnes were born well after the death of George 3 May 1871. The father of these two sons is unknown at this time. James Hyrum Smith (1874-1939) - Born 22 December 1874. Never married. Died January 4, 1939 at the Veterans Administration Facility, Provo, Utah - death HERE. Joseph Walter Smith (1877- 1948) - Born April 1, 1877. Joseph departed on the trip to Utah in 1877 at the age of a few months (the ship manifest shows two months, but the ship sailed in October 1877, making him 5-6 months old if the birth date is accurate). He is shown in the 1880 census with mother Agnes and Lars Rove Jensen in Orderville, Utah. He died 16 Feb 1948 in Twin Falls, Idaho - death certificate at http://abish.byui.edu/specialCollections/famhist/Death/detailForm.cfm?recordID=166524 The death records for both James and Joseph list George Smith as their father, though this is not possible (unless there is another George). Agnes had been converted to the Mormon religion in 1861 (baptism in the Holytown LDS Branch). No baptismal record is known for George. Around 1877, Lars Rove Jensen, a Mormon settler in Utah approached church leadership with a sum of money in hopes of buying land for a farm. Instead, he was directed to pay the remaining fare for Agnes and her 5 young children to come to Utah. After their arrival, Lars and Agnes were married on 23 September 1878. Lars, Agnes, the children, and Lars' previous polygamous wife (Elizabeth Ann Freestone) moved to Orderville. Agnes had two additional daughters with Lars - Agnes Sarah Jensen Peck, born 27 Aug. 1879 in Orderville, Utah, died Mar. 27, 1949 in Salt Lake City, Utah; and Jane Elizabeth Jensen Smith born 11 March 1882 and died 11 July 1951. See the History of Lars Rove Jensen for more details - http://yanceyfamilygenealogy.org/lrjhist.htm Buried in Provo City Cemetery, Provo, Utah. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/99001627.pdf This is a submission file of the Lars and Agnes Work Smith house to the National Register of Historic Places. It details the location, history, and current status of their original 1885 home. As near as I can tell, the home still stands in Orem at 87 North 800 West.
  Person ID	I259	Smith/Park
  Last Modified	17 Oct 2013

  
  

  Father	Walter Wark,   b. 2 Oct 1808, Lasswade, Midlothian, Scotland ,   d. 1 Jan 1849, Lanark, Scotland  (Age 40 years)
  Mother	Mary McDowell,   b. 14 Dec 1811, Killinchy, Down, Ireland ,   d. Around 1890, Utah  (Age 78 years)
  Married	Apr 1837	Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland
  Family ID	F131	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family	George Smith,   b. 09 Apr 1836, Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland ,   d. 3 May 1871, Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland  (Age 35 years)
  Married	04 Jul 1862	Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland
  Children	1. John F. Smith,   b. 29 Dec 1869, Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland ,   d. Oct 1913, Marysville, Fremont, Idaho  (Age 43 years)
  Last Modified	18 Jan 2010
  Family ID	F130	Group Sheet

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 28 Dec 1840 - Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland Married - 04 Jul 1862 - Airdrie, Lanark, Scotland Died - 31 Aug 1918 - Ophir, Tooele, Utah Buried - 3 Sept 1918 - Provo, Utah  = Link to Google Maps   = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Agnes Wark Smith Jensen Date/location unknown. Probably around 1910. Photo provided by Sharlene Eaton.

  
  

  Documents » Slide Show		George Smith/Agnes Wark - Marriage Record - July 4, 1862 1862 July Fourth 5th Stirling Street Airdrie After Banns according to the Forms of the Free Church of Scotland Signed: Georgh Smith (Flesher) (Bachelor) - age 25 Agnes Wark (Washer Woman/Spinster) - age 23 Residence: Stirling St., Airdrie Parents: Alexander Smith (Cotton Weaver) Janet Reid Smith (maiden name Swan) Robert Wark (Coal miner - Deceased) Mary Wark (maiden name Ferguson) Minister: William Jackson, Minr. Free West Church, Airdrie Witnesses: John Smith Alexander Smith ------ Notes: Spelling of Georgh (George) See Walter Wark's record for details about Robert Wark. This probably refers to Agnes' brother, not father. Mary Wark's maiden name is listed as Ferguson, but this is Mary's remarried name (married John Ferguson before 1861). Alexander Smith (George's father) is a witness.
  		Agnes Smith & Family Ship Manifest Passenger list for the ship Idaho, departed Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland and arrived New York on 29 Oct 1877. Aboard: Agnes Smith, age 36 Mary, 11 George, 9 John, 4 (his actual age was 7) James, 1 Walter, 2 months
  		Agnes Wark Jensen - Death Certificate Died August 31, 1918 in Ophir, Tooele, Utah from Brights Disease. ---- Notes: - Mother's maiden name as Getons. There's no record of this name anywhere. - Her birth year and age are likely off by one year. Other records show she was born in 1840, not 1839. - Death from Bright's Disease. Ouch!
  		1841 Census record for Walter Wark and family (including Agnes Wark) Census record from 1841 in New Monkland, Lanarkshire, Scotland. WARK Walter M 33 Coll Miner Outside Census County MCDOUGEL Marey F 30 Lanarkshire WARK Robert M 3 Lanarkshire WARK Agnes F 5m Lanarkshire UNKNOWN Jean F 6 Ireland Of note is that an age of 33 for Walter would make a birth year of ~1808. "Marey McDougel" is "Mary McDowell". The age for Agnes is in line with her own later records. Additionally, the profession of coal miner is the same as is listed for "Robert Wark" on Agnes' marriage certificate and on Walter's LDS church membership record. There is currently no other known information about son/brother Robert Wark. The Jean from Ireland who is also recorded with them is also unknown. Note that Clarkston Parish is part of (East side) of Airdrie, only one mile from their residence on Craig and Stirling Streets. Also of note is the reference to Craig Nook (sp?) which is the very short street on which they are found on in later records. This is the only Walter Wark found in all of Scotland on the 1841 census. There are no Walter Wark's found on the 1851 census, which was after Walter had passed away.
  		Agnes Wark Smith Jensen - 1880 Census Shows Agnes Jensen (39) with children Mary Smith (14), George Smith (12), John Smith (10), James H Smith (5), Joseph W Smith (3), and Sarah A Jensen (9 months). Location is Orderville, Kane County, Utah. She states her mother was born in Ireland. The next record is her husband Lars R Jensen with his other first wife Elizabeth and their children.
  		Agnes Wark Smith Jensen - 1900 Census Shows Agnes (age 59) her with husband Lars R Jensen (75) in Vineyard, Utah in June 1900.
  		Agnes Wark Smith Jensen - 1910 Census Shows Agnes as a single household at age 70 in Pleasant View, Utah. Note that the next entry is for her son George.
  		LDS Membership record for John Ferguson, Mary Ferguson (Agnes' mother), and Agnes Wark LDS church membership record for the Holytown Branch, Lanarkshire, Scotland, page 6. John Ferguison, born August 1, 1817 in (illegible city), Down, Ireland. Baptized February 24, 1861 by Spears Lawson. Confirmed March 3, 1861 by James Bullock. Mary Ferguison, born December 14, 1812 in (illegible city), Down, Ireland. Baptized February 24, 1861 by Spears Lawson. Confirmed March 3, 1861 by Robert McLachlan. Agnes Wark, born December 28, 1840 in Colliertree, Airdrie, Scotland. Baptized April 13, 1861 by John Dick. Confirmed April 14, 1861 by John Scott. Notation of "Cutoff 22 Sept 1867". Colliertree is the name of a major road in Airdrie. Agnes was 20 when baptized. This is one year before her marriage to George. (On a personal note, I just stumbled upon this record while scanning the film for records for the Irvine branch. As I quickly scrolled the microfilm through the other branches listed, I stopped momentarily and the name "Agnes Wark" jumped out at me from the screen.)
  		John Ferguson, Mary Ferguson, and Agnes Wark membership record Membership record for the Holytown branch showing names, ages, occupations, and residences of members. Date of the record is unknown, but based on ages is likely 1866. John Ferguison, age 49, occupation of miner. In the Motherwell Branch (Motherwell is a township 7 miles south of Airdrie). Mary Ferguison, age 54. Agnes Wark, age 26. Agnes is shown under a listing of "Scattered Members".

  
  

  Headstones

  Agnes Wark Smith Jensen Headstone. Provo City Cemetery. The actual birth year is most likely 1840 instead of 1841.