Unfortunately, Rebecca Malinda's mother, Rebecca Welker Stevens, died when she was only three years old, shortly after giving birth to her fifth child, Julia Ann. Rebecca Malinda went to live with her Uncle John Welker, her mother's brother. Most of the Welker family had moved from Utah to the Bear Lake County area of Idaho Territory in1863, at the request of the Mormon Church. Their company was headed by Charles C. Rich.

The 1870 U.S. Federal Census for Bloomington, Bear Lake County, Idaho, shows Rebecca M. Stephens (spelling?), age 11 years old, living with her Uncle John ( 44 years old) and Aunt Roxanna M. Welker (36 years old) along with their daughter Roxanna Louisa, 19 years old, and son John Eller Welker, 17 years old, and another cousin, Levi Dustin, Jr., age 5.

However, living next door to the Welker's was Christian Madsen, age 24, his wife Roxanna, age 18, and their one year old daughter Dorothy R., who was my great grandmother, Dortha Roxana Madsen Rollins McKinney. What is strange about this census record is that these two families are shown in two different households, however, Roxanna L, age 19, in the Welker household and Roxana, age 18, in the Madsen household are the same person, Christian Madsen's wife, and John and Roxanna Mahalia's daughter. Why she is shown in two different households is unknown.

Ironically, next door to the Welker's and the Madsen's was the family of George and Georgianna Osmond, English immigrants, and their six children. They were the great grandparents of the famous 1970's singing group The Osmond's, including Donny and Marie Osmond.

After living in Idaho for about twenty years, Rebecca Malinda's Uncle John and Aunt Roxanna Mahalia Welker, moved to Arizona, but Rebecca Malinda did not move south with the Welker family. By then she was married to Hyrum Nephi Dustin, who was her cousin. Her Uncle John's wife, Roxanna Mahalia Dustin Welker's brother, Seth Dustin was Hyrum Nephi Dustin's father, so Hyrum and Rebecca were first cousins. There is some evidence that Rebecca Malinda Stevens and her husband Hyrum Nephi Dustin may have moved to Arizona at some point, but there is also evidence to show that they moved back to Utah, and Rebecca and Hyrum both died in Utah.

Here is information found for Rebecca Malinda on Find A Grave.com:

Birth: April 3, 1858, Utah, USA

Death: September 20, 1902, Utah, USA

Burial: Garden City Cemetery, Garden City, Rich County, Utah, USA, Plot: Row 8 Stone 4

Spouse: Hyrum Nephi Dustin, 1855 - 1931

Children:

Hyrum Alexander Dustin, 1876 - 1970

James Levi Dustin,1882 - 1960

Julia Alnora Cook, 1888 - 1971

Vilda Dustin Kunz, 1891 - 1986

Created by: Terry C. Smith

Record added: Jan 26, 2005

Find A Grave Memorial# 10377601