The Belnap Family Organization is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

ancestral family organization that conducts primary

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...

research and preserves genealogical and other historical information on the Belnap/ Belknap family

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

, including the descendants of

Mormon Pioneer The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

Gilbert Belnap Gilbert Belnap (December 22, 1821 - February 26, 1899) was a Mormon pioneer, 19th-century local level leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and an early colonizer of Ogden, Utah, Fort Lemhi, Idaho and Hooper, Utah. Biography ...

(1821–1899) and his plural wives Adaline Knight (1831–1919) and Henrietta McBride (1821–1899). According to its mission statement, the organization exists "to preserve, perpetuate, and promote family solidarity." It is one of the oldest and largest ancestral family organizations in existence, having been established in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

in 1904.

Publications, projects, and awards

Since 1963, the organization has periodically published the ''Belnap Family Crier'', which contains genealogical data, historical information, and other items of family interest. In 1967 the ''Crier'' was honored by the

Genealogical Society of Utah FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is closely connected with the church's Family Histo ...

as an "outstanding publication" in genealogical publishing. In 1968, the Belnap Family Organization was recognized by

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

as one of the "best-organized" family organizations in existence. The organization has sponsored the publication of several works on the life of Gilbert Belnap and his extended family. It has also undertaken several large-scale genealogical research and restoration projects. It was one of the first ancestral family organizations to participate in the LDS Church's name extraction program, in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The organization was also a leader in the first compilation of computerized family trees. In 1997 as part of the sesquicentennial celebration of the

Mormon Trail The Mormon Trail is the long route from Illinois to Utah that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled for 3 months. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails System, known as the Mormon ...

, the organization commemorated and dedicated a memorial marker in

Ashland, Nebraska Ashland is a city in Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,453 at the 2010 census. History Ashland is located at the site of a low-water limestone ledge along the bottom of Salt Creek, an otherwise mud-bottomed stream ...

in honor of John McBride Belnap, a 13-month-old child of Gilbert Belnap and Adaline Knight who died of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

in 1850 and was buried in his father's tool chest near the Saline Ford at the confluence of Salt Creek and the

Platte River The Platte River () is a major river in the State of Nebraska. It is about long; measured to its farthest source via its tributary, the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which itself ...

along the Oxbow Trail. Events held in commemoration of the life of John McBride Belnap received national coverage. In 2010 the Belnap Family Organization was listed by

FamilySearch FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and is closely connected with the church's Family Histo ...

as an exemplary ancestral family organization. In addition to supporting ongoing family history research, artifact preservation, and LDS temple

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

work, the organization makes available primary and secondary source documentation, through various web sites, on notable family members, including Sir Robert Belknap,

Chief Justice of the Common Pleas The chief justice of the Common Pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench or Common Place, which was the second-highest common law court in the English legal system until 1875, when it, along with the other ...

of England from 1374 to 1388,

Vinson Knight Vinson Knight (March 14, 1804 – July 31, 1842) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as a counselor in the bishopric in Kirtland, Ohio, from 1835 to 1838, then as bishop in Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County, Missouri, ...

, early leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Martha McBride Knight Smith Kimball, documented plural wife of

Joseph Smith, Jr. Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

and later

Heber C. Kimball Heber Chase Kimball (June 14, 1801 – June 22, 1868) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement. He served as one of the original twelve apostles in the early Church of the Latter Day Saints, and as first counselor to Brigham Young ...

Membership

Membership in the Belnap Family Organization is automatic for all descendants of Gilbert Belnap, who now number over 12,200 and are found in most states and several countries outside the U.S. Membership is also available to other persons surnamed Belnap or Belknap or who descend from such persons. (The surname Belnap or Belknap is believed to be somewhat unusual, in that all known Belnaps or Belknaps living today are thought to descend from one man, Abraham Belknap formerly known as Beltoft, who migrated from

Sawbridgeworth Sawbridgeworth is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, close to the border with Essex. It is east of Hertford and north of Epping. It is the northernmost part of the Greater London Built-up Area. History Prior to the Norman ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

about 1635. Although the surname continued in England for several centuries through other branches of the family, it has since died out in its country of origin.) In continuous existence for more than a century, the Belnap Family Organization, a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

association since 1974 organized under the laws of

, serves as an umbrella organization through its 15 constituent branches (one for each of Gilbert Belnap's children who lived to adulthood) for sub-organizations at the grandparent and parent levels.

Reunions

Under the auspices of the organization, descendants of Gilbert Belnap and other Belnap/Belknap relatives have met at least 46 times, starting with the first

family reunion A family reunion is an occasion when many members of an extended family congregate. Sometimes reunions are held regularly, for example on the same date of every year. A typical family reunion will assemble for a meal, some recreation and discussi ...

in 1904 in

Hooper, Utah Hooper is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States, first called Muskrat Springs and later Hooperville for Captain William Henry Hooper, an early Utah delegate to Congress. The population was 9,087 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 figu ...

. Family reunions today are usually held on the second Saturday in August in even-numbered years.

Notes

References

* Belnap, Arias G., comp. ''Centennial History in Honor of Utah Pioneer Gilbert Belnap, 1850-1950'' (1950, with 1952 and 1956 supplements) * * {{cite web , url= http://wp.belnapfamily.org/publications/john-mcbride-belnap-memorial-program/ , publisher= Belnap Family Organization , title= John McBride Belnap Memorial Program, April 1997 , work= belnapfamily.org

External links