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Building a Fort!

Living Room fort 12 October 2019

We have a family routine that every Saturday we vacuum all the floors in the house.  Once and a while I get a while hair and decided to move furniture and vacuum beneath them as well.  I have learned with our new hardwood floors and poorly secured carpets, it is better to just tip the couches into the center of the room than it is to try and scoot, drag, push, or pull them around.  Plus it dumps out the couches and also let’s me vacuum the bottom.  The kids were goofing off with the pillows and building a fort so I thought I would help them out.  Thus, you see the couch fort.  I never got something this cool when I was a kid!

Inside the Living Room Fort 12 October 2019

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6th Grade, Park Elementary, Richmond, Utah

Back (l-r): Dennis Alvey, Scott Christensen, Terry Vinson, Curtis Smith, Doug White, Oral Ballam; Middle: Tommy Johnson, Dennis Cartwright, Doug Jonas, James Miller, Garry Bowles, Dell Bair, Robert Randal, David Traveller; Front: Shannon Ryan, Debbie Baird, Janet Bright, Joy Bair, Sandra Small, Nancy Johnson, Maxine Housley, Christie Buttars.

This is the first class picture I have for my Uncle Doug.  This his is 6th Grade year at Park Elementary, Richmond, Cache, Utah.  This is probably the 1962-1963 school year.  The year of the famous Richmond earthquake (30 August 1962).

If anyone has any updates, I am happy to include them.  Doug told me that Robert Randal’s family moved to town to tear down the Benson Stake Tabernacle and to rebuild the new Stake Center in Richmond.

Mr. Oral Lynn Ballam (1901 – 1993). He was both the Principal and 6th Grade Teacher. He has appeared in other posts as teacher and also as student!

Dennis F Alvey (1952 – living)

Dell Bair (? – living)

Joy Bair (? – living)

Debbie Baird (? – living)

Gary Bowles (? – living)

Janet Bright (? – living)

Christie Buttars married Giles (? – living)

Dennis G Cartwright (? – living)

Scott M Christensen (1952 – living)

Maxine Housley married Farnsworth (1952 – 2000)

Nancy Johnson (? – living)

Thomas Melvin Johnson (? – living)

Douglas Norwood Jonas (1952 – living)

James Miller (? – living)

Robert Randal (? – living)

Shannon Ryan (? – living)

Sandra Small (? – living)

Curtis Smith (? – living)

David M Traveller (1952 – living)

Terry Vinson (? – living)

Doug White (? – living)

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Pleasant View School 1909-1910

Pleasant View School 1909-1910

This was an interesting find.  This was in a stack of photos I scanned related to the Andra family recently.  The interesting part is that it says Pleasant View School, which I am unable to locate.

In the middle of the photo is William Fredrick Andra (1898 – 1990) with the tie.  I cannot find the school, yet hope to get names of others in the photo.

Here is a snippet from Bill’s autobiography:

“I was baptized in the Elbe River in [16] April 1909; came to the United States in the following month of May.  Upon arriving here, I went to Fairview, Utah to work out my board and room from John R. Anderson, who was a former missionary in Germany.  After being in Fairview for one year, I went back to Salt Lake to meet the rest of the family when they arrived.  We had quite a struggle at first, but we made out when the rest had learned the language.”

I had always thought he meant Fairview, Idaho, which is just west of Franklin, Idaho, south of Preston, Idaho.  Since they spent and lived their lives in the Preston area, I just made that assumption.

However, in further research, there is a Fairview, Utah, in Sanpete County.  He also mentions a John R Anderson who was a missionary that served in Germany.  I found John Rees Anderson (1879 – 1954) who was born in Fairview, Utah, and called as a missionary from Fairview.  John was set apart as a missionary 21 June 1904 and released 20 April 1907.  Which is entirely in the time frames for which the Andra family was taught.  Bill’s mother was baptized 2 November 1906 and could certainly have been one who assisted in Christiana Wilhelmina Knauke Andra’s baptism.

According to Bill’s own record, he would have been in Fairview, Utah from summer 1909 for about a year, which puts this school somewhere near Fairview, Utah.  Guess that is the next step in the search.  If we can find records of the school, the class looks small we might be able to name classmates.

 

 

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Dapper Dan

Judy, Dale, Mary, Bill, and Ross Andra

Here is a classy photo developed September 1962.

Bill and Mary Andra, my great grandparents.

On the far left are Judith (“Judy”) and Dale Andra, they were married in June 1962.

On the far right is Ross Andra.

Sounds like this was just going to church, no special occasion.  This is in the yard of the home at 422 E 400 S, Preston, Idaho.

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Logan Temple, June 2019

Aliza and Hiram Ross, Logan Temple

In June this year, we had an appointment to meet up with Ross, Dale, and Larry Andra in Preston.  The evening went much longer than anticipated and we still had to drive to Kaysville for the evening.

On the way through, we stopped and took pictures with the Logan Temple, Brigham City Temple, and Ogden Temple.  It was late, they closed the gates right behind us after they shooed us out after this photo.

Beautiful picture of the temple, Hiram has his shoulders back in a bold statement, Aliza is cold.  Beautiful, accomplished children.

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40 Years Old

Gladys, Judy, Caroline, and Milo Ross in 1961

I was reviewing these photographs recently and noticed the August 1961 printing date on the photos.  You never know how long before development the photos were taken, but I presume these are the same year.  It dawned on me, both Grandpa and Grandma were born in 1921, which means Grandpa turned 40 in February 1961, Grandma would turn 40 in September 1961.

I turn 40 this month.  My Grandpa and Grandma Ross both turned 40 once!

I look at the photo below of Grandpa and Grandpa and see the reflection of their backs in the window behind.

Looking back, what do I see.

Were my grandparents really 40 at one point?  All now deceased?  Were my parents really 40?  My father was 36 when I was born, my mother 25.  I remember my Mom turning 40, it was a crazy year in 1994.

I started looking through other photographs of both sets of grandparents, but most photos are undated so trying to peg at exactly 40 is hard to do.

Gladys and Milo Ross in Aug 1961

Here is a picture of Dad in 1982, or 39 years old with our family.

Sandy, Milo, Andra, and Paul Ross in Paul, Idaho

Here is a picture of Mom in about 1994, probably a few months after she turned 40.

Paul, Milo, Sandy, Andra Ross

I don’t really have a photo for my Grandpa and Grandma Jonas than I can pin down to 1964.  The 1960s are almost a lost decade in the photos for my Jonas grandparents.  Jackie seems to jump from 2 years old to 14 in photos, or at least where Grandpa and Grandma are in them.

I have photos for Great Grandparents, but they are usually more distant photos or I don’t know the exact year to get close to 40.

Anyhow, 40 is here.  Since men live to the average age of 72, I am well over half dead.  What will my remaining 32 years possess and what story will be told, lived?

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Smith and Morehouse Reservoir

For Labor Day weekend this year, 2019, we went with the Hemsley clan for a Reunion at Smith and Morehouse Campground, in the mountains from Oakley, Summit County, Utah.  I pulled two photos from the bunch to share.

Hiram Ross sitting on the shore of Smith and Morehouse Reservoir with Zach and Alyssa Smart in the background

Yearly Hemsley Reunion with Amanda and her immediate family.  Kids had loads of fun at Smith and Morehouse.

The departing armada of paddelboats and kayaks at Smith and Morehouse Reservoir

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1958 Bonneville

Once and a while, something in a photo catches your attention more than what the photo was intended to capture.  This is one such photo.

Doug and Sandy Jonas behind a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville with Phyllis McKinney Andra holding Vickie Andra

This photo is fun as it shows the back of a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville.  This car belonged to my Great Uncle Donald Andra.  Donald’s wife, Phyllis McKinney Andra, stands behind holding Vickie, who was born in September 1958.

Looking at Vickie, she could be pushing a year old, so fall of 1959.  Doug as born in 1952, Mom in 1954, which would put them at 7 and 5 years old at the time.  This is likely when the photo was taken.

Vickie was born in Preston, Idaho and her brother was also born there, this photo was at the Andra home in Preston at 422 East 400 South where Bill and Mary Andra lived and raised their family.  Donald and Phyllis must have been visiting as was Norwood and Colleen Jonas.

The 1958 Pontiac Bonneville was one of the classic space-race inspired, behemoth, beautiful, land yachts that were produced during the chrome infested heyday of flashy cars.

Larry indicates this car has a special lever that you could pull to raise the car so it was less prone to be stuck in snow drifts, or you could get out of them then.