Thursday, July 6, 2017

16 May 2017- Our Trip to Enmore

"Last week we took a trip to the village of Enmore, about an hour's drive northwest of Newton Abbot in Somerset.  What makes this place of particular interest to us is that some of our ancestors are from there.  William and Emma Stevens and their children left England for America after joining the Church.  They were a prominent family in the area, as William had a thriving blacksmith business and they were landowners.  We have attached a short history of them.  We first went to the Enmore Parish Church looking for family gravestones, but soon realized that markers of that age are not to be found, especially considering the climate, so we were unsuccessful.  We decided to stop for lunch at a pub and restaurant down the road, feeling a little disappointed at not finding anything at the church.  The food was good and as we thanked the owner for the fine meal we mentioned that we had ancestors from Enmore and that they were blacksmiths.  He stepped back outside with us and pointed directly across the street to what is now a small garage, and said that had once been the location of the blacksmith forge, and the house adjacent to it where the blacksmith's family lived.  The address is even 2 Forge Cottage.  We were amazed that we even stopped there in the perfect location to find a connection to our past.  This was more than just a pleasant coincidence.

The surrounding countryside is beautifully green- a sharp contrast to where they settled in Oakley, Utah.  Of course, if they were seeking pleasant surroundings they never would have left in the first place.  Their desire was to follow the call of a prophet of God to gather with the Saints.  We gained a greater feeling of closeness and appreciation for their sacrifices in order that we might have all the blessings we enjoy today." 



Home adjacent to forge



Blacksmith forge former chimney location



Location of former blacksmith forge



Enmore Parish Church gate



Enmore Parish Church (St. Michael's)

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