The Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast

RLP 384 : In the News - William Beddoes (1838-1920)

Nov 17, 2025

Discover the fascinating life of William Beddoes, an English immigrant who helped establish Salem, Utah. Explore how newspaper research uncovers family histories and community contributions. Learn about the unique construction of the Salem Canal and its significance for irrigation. Dive into the intriguing details of a primitive water leveling device mentioned in his obituary. The hosts discuss evaluating historical claims and the importance of local records for genealogical research, offering insights and future research possibilities.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

From English Miner To Utah Settler

William Beddows emigrated from England and became a pivotal settler in Salem, Utah who helped develop irrigation and agriculture.
His obituary credits him with major civic contributions, prompting further verification in records.

INSIGHT

How The Salem Canal Transformed Land

The Salem Canal diverted Spanish Fork River water and transformed thousands of acres into productive farmland for Salem and Payson.
The Salem Irrigation and Canal Company later incorporated and still supplies irrigation for over 2,400 acres.

ADVICE

Use AI To Decode Historical Terms

Define unfamiliar historical terms by using contemporary tools like AI to get clear, contextual definitions.
Use those definitions to interpret period descriptions and validate historical practices in primary sources.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

In this episode of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy podcast, Diana and Nicole discuss "In the News: William Beddoes (1838-1920)." Nicole shares her work on the Sally (Keaton) Reeves phase 3 research plan in Fulton and Izard Counties, Arkansas, and then Diana introduces the topic of researching ancestors in newspapers to gain insight into their community, family, and work ethic. She highlights her second great-grandfather, William Beddoes, and his pivotal role in establishing Salem, Utah. Nicole then provides a life summary of William Beddoes, including his birth in England, emigration to Utah, family, and involvement in establishing the town of Salem, based on his obituary. Diana then discusses the history of the Salem Canal, its construction, and the Salem Irrigation and Canal Company. She also explains what a "2x4 scantling, grooved, and into which water is poured to secure the level" is, providing historical and cultural context for this primitive leveling device. Diana then connects William Beddoes to the Salem Canal, evaluating the accuracy of his obituary's claims by referencing Lyman Curtis's role and census records. Finally, Nicole outlines future research possibilities, including the "Salem Irrigation and Canal Company Records" collection at Brigham Young University. Listeners will learn about researching ancestors through newspapers, the history of the Salem Canal, and how to evaluate historical claims using various records and resources.

This summary was generated by Google Gemini.

Links

In the News: William Beddoes (1838-1920) by Diana Elder - https://familylocket.com/in-the-news-william-beddoes-1838-1920/

Sponsor – Newspapers.com

For listeners of this podcast, Newspapers.com is offering new subscribers 20% off a Publisher Extra subscription so you can start exploring today. Just use the code "FamilyLocket" at checkout.

Research Like a Pro Resources

Airtable Universe - Nicole's Airtable Templates - https://www.airtable.com/universe/creator/usrsBSDhwHyLNnP4O/nicole-dyer

Airtable Research Logs Quick Reference - by Nicole Dyer - https://familylocket.com/product-tag/airtable/

Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist's Guide book by Diana Elder with Nicole Dyer on Amazon.com - https://amzn.to/2x0ku3d

14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge Workbook - digital - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-digital-only/ and spiral bound - https://familylocket.com/product/14-day-research-like-a-pro-challenge-workbook-spiral-bound/

Research Like a Pro Webinar Series - monthly case study webinars including documentary evidence and many with DNA evidence - https://familylocket.com/product-category/webinars/

Research Like a Pro eCourse - independent study course - https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-e-course/

RLP Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-study-group/

Research Like a Pro with DNA Resources

Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist's Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence book by Diana Elder, Nicole Dyer, and Robin Wirthlin - https://amzn.to/3gn0hKx

Research Like a Pro with DNA eCourse - independent study course - https://familylocket.com/product/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-ecourse/

RLP with DNA Study Group - upcoming group and email notification list - https://familylocket.com/services/research-like-a-pro-with-dna-study-group/

Thank you

Thanks for listening! We hope that you will share your thoughts about our podcast and help us out by doing the following:

Write a review on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. If you leave a review, we will read it on the podcast and answer any questions that you bring up in your review. Thank you!

Leave a comment in the comment or question in the comment section below.

Share the episode on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

Subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app.

Check out this list of genealogy podcasts from Feedspot: Best Genealogy Podcasts - https://blog.feedspot.com/genealogy_podcasts/