This is a story that ran in the Idaho State Journal 7 April 2013.
Editor’s note: The information for this story comes from an account of pioneer life written by Marlene Christensen, granddaughter of Charles Nuffer, in 1949.
Charles August Nuffer
In the late 1800s, the line between Northern Utah and Southeast Idaho was pretty blurred, but the hardships endured by pioneers knew no state lines.
One of the many immigrants who settled in this harsh frontier was Charles August Nuffer, who came to Logan, Utah, with his German parents in 1880. The family eventually settled in Worm Creek near Preston.
His granddaughter, Marlene Christensen, pieced together diary and verbal accounts of the Nuffer family’s struggles to survive. It paints a story as seen through the young eyes of Charles Nuffer.
“After three weeks, we found a little old log house with one room and dirt roof and plenty of bed bugs to keep us company,” Nuffer recalled. “It was on a vacant lot on the street going to the college just east of the canal.”
The log house with the dirt roof was traded for a home belonging to Jacob Engle within a month, but Nuffer’s father struggled to find work.
“Father would go out wherever he could get some work,” Nuffer said. “He worked on the threshing machines, and I went with him to help, and he got a bushel of wheat a day. Grandma Spring, Regine and I went out in the north field to glean wheat, we would cut the head off and put them in a sack. Father threshed them out with the flail and it made about 16 bushels.” Nuffer said the effort fed the family, and his brothers, John and Fred, earned money to pay the rent.
There were other chores to attend to as well.
“We had to get the wood from the hills nearby,” Nuffer said. “They have brought a team and an old wagon so we went to get some wood. Father told me to drive, as I drove out the gate and over a little ditch, the tongue dropped down and the reach came up and the team ran away. I fell under the horse’s feet and received a broken shoulder, and the horses ran around the block and back in the gate.”
Nuffer was 10 years old when this happened.
The next order of business for the young German American was to master the language.
“I went to school a few month during the winters of 1881 and 1882 and learned to speak English,” Nuffer said. “We lived in Providence from June 1880 until October 1883. So from here we went to Idaho, the place the Lord has chosen for us to build our future home.”
It would take herculean effort and stout horses to pull the families belongings to Worm Creek. Paradise didn’t await the Nuffer family.
“On arriving at Worm Creek (Preston), we found a place with a house on it, a log house about 14 by 16 feet, all one room, with dirt roof, no fence around it and no plowed land, and when it rained the mud would run down the walls, and we had to set pans on the bed to catch the rain,” Nuffer said.
Winter brought even bigger challenges. Nuffer talked about a trip to retrieve straw purchased from farmers in Richmond and Smithfield, Utah.
“The snow was so deep Regine and I filled some big sacks we had brought from the Old Country with straw and tied on the hand sled and pulled it over the crested snow for home,” Nuffer said. “The Miles’ were the only family that were living on the creek besides us on what is now known as the Webster Ranch, and we lived on what is now known as the Fred Wanner Place. The Miles family ran out of feed for their cattle in March and they shoveled a path over the south side of the hills where the wind and sun had taken snow off the grass that had started to grow, and when they drove the cattle thought the path you could not see them because the snow was so deep.”
That was the long winter of 1884.
Undeterred by winter, the family then moved to Cub River and started building a new log home. Lumber was in short supply.
“They had lumber at the sawmill but they would not sell us any for wheat, and the store in Franklin did not pay cash for it,” Nuffer said. “Father had already laid some lings down to put in the floor on so we just had to step over them all winter, but maybe it was a good thing as we got the warmth from the earth as we only had a lumber roof over us 14 feet to the top and just a four-hole cook stove to warm the house and wood to burn, and it was not at all dry.”
The hardships didn’t deter the family’s faith.
“Still we were happy and thanked the Lord for what we had,” Nuffer shared. “Mother would read a chapter from the Bible. We would have prayer and go to bed.”
By Christmas, things grew tougher.
“On Christmas Day 1884, Father sent me over to John’s after 25 pounds of flour,” Nuffer said. “The snow was up to my knees. After that flour was gone we had to grind the wheat in the coffee mill as no one went to the store any more that winter until Father and I each carried a basket of eggs to the store in Franklin on March 2 over 2 feet of frozen snow to buy some groceries. We could not buy much as we had no money.”
To help make ends meet, Nuffer’s mother baked sugar beets in the oven and ground them up to make a sweet sugary substance to put on the family’s “bread and mush.”
The final leg of the winter provided even more trials for the emigrant family.
“Finally the cow went dry so we had no milk for some time and no sugar, but we got thought the winter without any sickness,” Nuffer said. “But we thanked the Heavenly Father for what we had.”
150th Territorial Series
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Idaho becoming a territory, the Journal will continue historical stories about life in the early frontier each Sunday. A special event will be held July 4 at the Fort Hall Replica in Pocatello to mark its 50th anniversary with additional sesquicentennial recognition.
Working through the family history book of Golden Andra that was given to me, I opened a page to scan some photos and found a surprise. Behind that photo were some ordination certificates. These are originals. I thought I better get them scanned and preserved. I also uploaded them to FamilySearch and got them linked with the names in the documents.
I think they are valuable for family history. They are also a peek into church history. This gives us the missionaries who baptized and confirmed my Great Grandfather in Germany. I have provided some limited biographies at the end.
Also an original Notification of Birth Registration for Robert Lee Andra, son of William and Mary, who died at birth. I am not sure why the United States Department of Commerce is issuing this Notification, or the Bureau of the Census. There is some history behind this I am not aware. Last, a copy of William’s obituary.
Priest Ordination Certificate (Front)
Priest Ordination Certificate (Back)
Elder Ordination Certificate (Front)
Elder Ordination Certificate (Back)
High Priest Ordination Certificate (Front)
High Priest Ordination Certificate (Back)
Robert Andra Birth Certificate
I had to do some history on individuals listed on the certificates. Some fascinating individuals, obviously some of them local church leaders.
James Richard Bodily – born 11 February 1872 in Hyde Park, Cache, Utah – died 12 April 1967 in Preston, Franklin, Idaho
Wilford Woodruff Emery – born 16 October 1880 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah – died 10 September 1954 in Salt Lake City.
John Edward Hanks – born 30 August 1877 in Salem, Utah, Utah – died 5 July 1970 in Salt Lake City.
William Gibson Palmer – born 16 July 1884 in Croydon, Morgan, Utah – died 15 May 1977 in Preston.
Henry Helaman Rawlings – born 8 April 1893 in Fairview, Oneida, Idaho – died 14 February 1984 in Fairview.
Adelbert Augustine Taylor – born 9 April 1883 in Springerville, Apache, Arizona – died 15 November 1948 in San Felipe de Híjar, San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco, Mexico.
Luther Hovey Twitchell – born 17 October 1878 in Salt Lake City – died 15 April 1962 in Bountiful, Davis, Utah.
I received a letter from a first cousin, twice removed this past week. I was pretty excited about the letter and appreciate her thinking of me. Alice Coley Miller, daughter of Lloyd and Verda Coley, Lloyd is the brother to my Lillian Coley Jonas. The card and letter speak for themselves. As time passes, many of these types of documents are likely just trashed. This letter was somewhat difficult to type up and be loyal to what Great Grandma Lillian wrote. Having said that, I have made a number of corrections in brackets to be more accurate than what she had at the time of writing. The modern miracle of the internet, crowd-sourcing, and FamilySearch have completely changed this clunky process that Alice, Veda, and Lillian were engaged. I hope Great Grandma Bowcutt doesn’t mind my sharing her handwriting and grammar. I also linked the other pages and photos I have on this family, so you can go to those links to read the full information and histories that I have previously written.
February 26
Dear Paul
I have moved from Brooklyn, New York to Bountiful, UT. In going through stuff I found this letter written to me by your great grandmother Lillian Bowcutt (Jonas). Since it’s in her handwriting I thought you might like to have it.
I appreciate all the genealogical information you are gathering and that names on the Coley line are coming up for temple work to be done.
Enjoy the coming spring.
Alice Coley Miller
Mrs. Frank W. Miller, 1050 East 31 Street, Brooklyn, New York 11210.
Lillian Bowcutt, Box 312, Richmond, Utah 84333
Richmond UT, Febr. 6, 1976
Dear Alice Husband + family
Just haven’t been able to write and tell about the Coleys you see I haven’t been able to get much either. But aunt Veda has a lot she said write her and see if she can help you. I’ll send you what I have about them.
I wrote previously of a book I have that belonged to my Great Grandfather, Joseph Nelson Jonas. The book was given to me by Ellis Jonas along with a couple of others. Inside the book was this clipping, presumably put there by my Great Grandmother, Lillian Coley Jonas. I have no clue about its significance, if any. It was clipped and put there in the book for some reason.
“Word was received yesterday afternoon of the death of Dr. Wm. B. Parkinson, Jr., of Fairfield, Idaho. He had been ailing for the last year and was being treated for heart trouble at the time of his death in a hospital at Twin Falls, Idaho.
He was a son of the late Dr. Wm. B. Parkinson, Sr., and Elizabeth B. Parkinson, of Logan and was born at Morgan, Dec. 24, 1877, moving to Logan with his father’s family when a small boy. He graduated from medical school in Chicago and came back and practiced in Wellsville and Logan and settled in Lewiston where he practiced for many years. Later he moved to Fairfield, Idaho, where he was practicing at the time of his death.
“Surviving are his wife and the following children: Mrs. Ben Red of Price, Mrs. Hugh Johnstone of Oakland, Calif., Floyd Parkinson and Mrs. Beth Blair of Lewiston, Paul of Price, and Peggy Parkinson of Lewiston, and seven grand children.
“The brothers and sisters are Mrs. George W. Leishman, Mrs. Ada England, Elizabeth Parkinson, and Mrs. Afton Nielsen of Logan, Mrs. Winnifred Jennens of Detroit, Michigan. Dr. George T. Parkinson, Twin Falls, Ida., Mrs. Hazel McAlister of Preston, Dr. Fred B. Parkinson, Cedar City. Mrs. Veda Worley of Salt Lake, Mrs. Karma Parkinson of Franklin, Dr. Wallace Parkinson of San Francisco, Calif., Don Parkinson of Texas, Mrs. Edith Shaw of Provo, and Mrs. Arthur Rallison of Whitney, Idaho.
“Funeral services are being held at Fairfield, Idaho Thursday morning at 10 a. m. Burial will be at the Logan cemetery. Short services will be held at Logan graveside at 3 p. m. Friday.
“Friends may call at the W. Loyal Hall mortuary in Logan Friday from 10 a. m. to time of graveside rites.
Our mother, Mary Magdalena Wanner was born September 12, 1873 at Atzenweiler, Neckarkreis, Wuerttemberg. Wuerttemberg is one of the States in the divided German nation.
Mother is a daughter of Johann Georg Wanner and Anna Maria Schmid, and was given the name of Maria Magdalina. After the family came to the United States, mother adopted the American spelling of Mary Magdalina which she used the remainder of her life.
Our mother and her brothers and sisters were very fortunate to have parents who were honorable, upright hard working people who loved their children and worked very hard to see that they got the very best they could. Both parents believed in God and had a strong faith that their prayers would be answered in providing them with the blessings they needed. They belonged to the Luteran Church, and tried to teach their children correct principles.
Mother was the 3rd child in a family of 10 children – 5 boys and 5 girls; two of her brothers died at an early age in Germany.
Between the ages of 7 and 8, mother took care of her younger brothers and sisters while her mother and father were working in the fields. She was told to get the children to sleep; and when they woke up she would bring them to the fields to their parents. She was anxious for the children to settle down and get to sleep, so she would hold her finger tips over their eye lids thinking this would make them go to sleep but when she took her fingers off they would be wide awake.
Mother started school at the age of 8 years and graduated when she was 14. She did not go to school after that.
From the age of 10 until 13 she herded cows on a big hillside. The family lived on a farm and everyone had to help. Their father was gone a great deal of the time as a road overseer, or working in the Black Forest to make a little extra money to help increase the family income. Mother had to do a lot of hard work such as getting wood from the canyon to use for fuel to heat the house and to cook with.
Another of her jobs was to lead the cows that pulled the plow. She also piled hay and gathered grain in the fields. Most of the work was done by hand and much of the time the hay was piled on the fence so it would dry.
A 9 years of age she learned to knit and she became very proficient in this art. She knitted all her life supplying her own family with socks, etc. She knitted scarfs, caps, socks and sweaters for the soldiers during both World War 1 and 2. Among the things she knitted was a beautiful white shawl for my first baby. She also knitted two choice sweaters for my husband, one of which he has been wearing on many occasions for over 40 years and it is still in good condition. He still uses it and it has been very useful to him throughout these 40 years.
When she was 11 years of age, she could not walk for a time because of a problem with her leg. At this time, it was necessary that she be put in a baby buggy and pushed 5 or 6 miles to see the doctor.
She went to the city of Ravensburg to work when she was 15 years of age. She took care of children, did washings, ironing, helped with the cooking as well as other household tasks. While working at this job, mother developed a sore on her hand which required that she be hospitalized for two or three weeks.
During the year 1891, mother’s father brought some missionaries to their home. These missionaries were representing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These missionaries were Jacob Zollinger from Providence, Utah, John Hassenfritz of the Bear Lake area, and John Federley of Salt Lake City, Utah. Incidentally, I got to meet Jacob Zollinger, a very fine man. After my marriage, whenever I sent to the Temple, Brother Zollinger was there.
After the missionaries had been teaching them the gospel for some time, the family became very much interested and decided they would like to join the church. Some of the family that were old enough were baptized in October, 1891, and became members of the only True Church. This brought peace to their minds and joy to their hearts. It didn’t take long for this family to decide that they wanted to leave their native land and come to the United States where they could have religious freedom and better opportunities for their family to provide for their wants and needs. Not so long after this, the oldest son came to this country with some returning missionaries. This was Uncle George.
In the spring of 1893 her mother and father made preparations to take their family to America. When all was ready, they said good-bye to their relatives, friends, their home and native land.
They rode the train for one day after which they took a boat up the Rhine River. After being on the boat for 3 or 4 days, they took the train for another day which took them to the North Sea. At the north sea they got on a large boat to go to Liverpool, England. The Sea was very rough and stormy. It took them another day to reach Liverpool where they boarded a big ship and sailed for America. They were on the ocean about two weeks before they reached New York where they stayed for two or three days. Then they took the train and started across the continent for Salt Lake City, Utah. They stopped at Chicago, Illinois for one day and one night; then continued on their way. After they got to Salt Lake City, they continued on their journey to Franklin, Idaho, arriving there the 18th June 1893. After their long hard tedious journey, they were all happy and anxious to get settled in their newly adopted homeland.
They were met by their brother George and Fred Nuffer with a team of horses and a wagon. They also brought a buggy with horses. They went to Fred Nuffer’s place in Cub River where her brother George had been working. They stayed at Nuffer’s place about one week. Her father soon started to look for a place to buy and settle down. He decided to take a trip over to the Bear Lake side to see what he could find. Grandpa took mother with him on this trip. They walked across mountains and had to cross the Cub River which was very swift and difficult for them to wade across. They spent one miserable night in the mountains listening to the bears growling. They saved some of their bread to give the bears in case they bothered them.
The next Sunday after arriving in Franklin, they all went to church in Glendale and had their membership records moved to that ward. The Ward Clerk in Glendale was William Addison Wagstaff who later became mother’s husband. Grandpa Wanner soon bought the home and farm of John Nuffer in Glendale. Grandpa and Grandma lived there a number of years and then sold it to their son Fred. Later he sold it to his son Bertus.
In a short time Mrs. Fred Nuffer got mother a job in Logan, Utah, doing house work for a lady by the name of Robin. Mother could not speak the English language at this time but with the help of this good family she was able to understand and speak a little.
Mother worked for the Robin’s until 1894, at which time she went to work for a family by the name of Card. She worked at Card’s about six months. She then returned to her home in Glendale for awhile. After a short rest, she went to work at the Section House in Preston, Idaho, helping a lady cook.
In April 1895, she went to General Conference of The Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. While she was there, she found a job doing housework for a banker by the name of Shutler (we are not sure of the spelling). Mother stayed at this place until November and then went home again for a while. Some time later mother worked for some people in Preston, Idaho, by the name of Hale. In 1896 mother returned to Logan and worked for a family by the name of Bishop.
In the spring of 1896 her mother wrote her and told her that her sister Louise was going to be the “Queen of May Day” celebration to be held in Glendale and she would like her to come home and be there on this occasion. Mother decided it would be fun and decided to be there.
On the day of the celebration mother accepted the invitation of William Addison Wagstaff to have lunch with him which seems to have been a big turning point in mother’s life. After they had their lunch they went for a stroll together. It appears that it was at this time that he proposed marriage to mother.
In a few days mother returned to her job in Logan, Utah. On 11 June 1896 W. A. took Mary’s sister Louise to Logan to take over her job so she could come back to Glendale to make preparations to be married. The next day they went to Preston to pick out material for her wedding dress and selected a cream cashmere trimmed in white silk. Her Tiara had orange blossoms on it. Looking at her picture now I think it must have been just beautiful.
On 16 June W. A. and Mary went to Logan with a wagon load of grain to sell for her father. After they got to Logan they purchased a plain yellow gold wedding band. She stayed with her sister Louise that night and on Wednesday 17 June 1896, W. A. and Mary were married for time and eternity in the Logan Temple by Marriner W. Merrill, The President of the Logan Temple. They spent their wedding night in Logan and returned to Glendale the next day, June 18th. That night Mary’s father and mother gave them a wedding supper at their home.
James, Annie, and Mary Wanner Wagstaff
Then mother went to live in the home where her husband and his mother resided. It was a log house with a dirt roof. This home was located about 5 miles North East of Preston, Idaho, in an area that is commonly called Glendale Flat. Mother took charge of the house and cared for her mother-in-law who had very serious leg trouble.
Right from the start mother worked side by side with her husband getting in the hay and grain. All the water for washing, bathing, drinking, etc. had to be hauled as they had no water on their place. Their cattle were driven to Worm Creek to drink. This Creek was about a mile from their home.
26 January 1897 mother’s first child was born, a tiny premature son. He was named George William. Our Dad held this tiny infant on his lap and fed it with a medicine dropper. He did everything he could to save his life but he passed away after 9 days.
Their second son named James Addison was born 24 June 1898; and 28 December 1899 her first baby girl, Annie Eliza was born. Our Dad and Mom and Dad’s mother were so very happy to have a son and a daughter to bless their home.
Back row: Willard, William, Annie, Parley, Maria, Jesse. Front row: Elsie, Edna, Herbert.
During the early part of mother’s married life, she worked in the Relief Society. Mother loved working in the Relief Society and did her part to make it a success.
In 1900 they moved to a two-room log house with a dirt roof. This house was located one mile from their first home. This move was made so they could be where there was water. This was a big help as they now had water from a well for culinary use as well as other things. Here they were able to have a nice garden with currants, both black and red, as well as gooseberries and raspberries. They could also have shade trees and fruit trees. I am sure this was a great blessing to them.
August 28, 1901, a son Wilford John was born. This made four children for them including the one who died. Dad and Mother were happy to have a family and Dad’s mother was thrilled to think she was now getting some grandchildren. Our Dad’s mother had a very sad time raising her family; our Dad being the only one of 4 children who lived to maturity.
Our Mother and Dad gave Dad’s mother kind and loving care for many years. She continued to have poor health. She was especially afflicted with varicose veins. Those finally turned into ulcers on her legs which had to be bandaged. One of their old neighbors has told us that she had her legs bandaged each day for over 35 years. She finally passed away in the early morning hours of December 2, 1902, and was buried in the cemetery at Glendale, Oneida County, Idaho.
The 9th of April 1903 Parley Leroy was born; and on 23 June 1903, our 22 months old brother Wilford John was drowned in a ditch just north of the house. Many people came from all around to help them at this sorrowful time in their life.
Children continued to come to bless this humble home and 3 March 1905 Willard Lesley was born. On 9 January 1907 Jesse Oleen was born. The 11th of November 1908 Herbert Spencer was born. Mother had now given birth to 7 sons and 1 daughter. She was very busy caring for them, her husband and home, as well as participating in church activities.
During the summer of 1909, they built a new house which had two rooms down and two rooms upstairs. It had a singled roof and later on was pebble-dashed.
It was in this home on a beautiful Sunday morning, 10 July 1910, the next child, a girl with hazel eyes and blond hair Edna Leona was born. The family as well as the Glendale Ward were delighted to see this baby girl come to the home where there were 7 sons and only 1 girl. 7th of August 1912 another daughter, Elsie Magdalina came to bless this home.
On the 19th of March 1913, sorry struck this home when their son James who had been ill a lot of his life passed away and was buried in the Glendale Cemetery.
On the 25 of March 1913 Mother had a patriarchal blessing by Patriarch Wm. Daines. This was a big comfort and a joy to Mother in later years.
The 8th of July 1915 Mother had her last child, a son she named Albert Wanner. Mother had a very difficult time at this birth and she was ill a long time after.
After Mother’s parents moved to Logan in 1910, she frequently went to visit them and did Temple work.
Very often Dad and Mom would drive their team and wagon and later a buggy to Preston; leave them there in the tie-yard and catch the U.I.C. to Logan to do two sessions at the Temple; then back to Preston to get their team; drive home about 4 miles. After Mother was married, she took every opportunity that came her way to go to the Temple. She loved to do this and it brought her great joy to be engaged in the Lord’s work.
Mother loved the outdoors and kept a beautiful garden and flowers; tended chickens and worked with her husband and children in the fields.
September 1918 Dad and Mom took their 3 daughters and youngest son Albert to Brigham City, Utah on the U.I.C. for Peach Day. They all had a delightful time, and enjoyed the trip very much.
During the summer of 1919 Dad and Mom and their 3 daughters and Albert again went on a visit. This tie to see Mother’s sister Pauline, who lived in Gentile Valley. They went in the white top buggy, and followed the road through the Bear Rivers narrows. This was a very narrow road and there was only a few places where people with teams could pass. Our Mother was very nervous going through the narrows. Dangerous things always made Mother worried and nervous. Mother was frightened when thunder and lightning storms were close to us, where she could see and hear it.
September 1919 Dad and Mother again took their 3 daughters and baby son on a trip. This time they took the train and went to see and learn more about where our Dad and lived and worked. They first went to Evanston, Wyoming, then Almy, Croydon and Ogden. They visited with many relatives and friends in Evanston, Almy and Croydon. Dad lived at both Almy and Croydon before coming to Idaho in 1884. For many years Dad wanted to take Mother on this trip to show her where he had lived and to meet some of his relatives and friends he had made before going to Idaho. This trip was the happy fulfillment of that wish.
Ogden, Utah was our last stop and while there Dad and Mother purchased the farm and home of his cousin and her husband Albert Phipps. This farm is located in West Weber, about five miles west of Ogden. It is an 80-acre irrigated farm. Less than half of which turned out to be good farm land.
Soon after they returned home, the news spread around that the Wagstaff family would soon be moving. Many friends and neighbors came to help in preparation for the move.
Before leaving Glendale, Mother’s good friend and neighbor Elizabeth Owen gave our family a nice going away party. Also the Glendale Ward did likewise and gave the folks a rocking chair as a token of their love and appreciation. After my brother Herbert got married, Mother gave the chair to him.
Mother had now lived in Glendale for over 25 years. She had many friends and neighbors that she loved and appreciated so much. In some ways she did not like to leave all they had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get. Mother loved her home which had 3 new rooms added. They were now quite comfortable.
I’m sure Dad and Mother had given great thought to this venture before making the final decision to go away and start over in a strange kind of farming and among people they did not know. On the other hand they had become convinced that the move would provide better opportunities for their children. They did have 8 living children they loved with all their heart and soul. They also had great love and respect for each other. These things together with their strong testimony that Heavenly Father would bless them if they did what was right. They put their trust in God and bravely faced the future in their new environment. Little did they realize just what trials they would have to go through — even before they completely settled in their new home.
So it was in October 1919, Dad, Parley and Willard headed from Glendale to Ogden, Utah, with teams, wagons, and white top buggy loaded with family possessions. Jesse and Herbert stayed home and did the milking and tended animals. Parley and Willard stayed in Ogden, and Dad came back to Preston on U.I.C. With the help of faithful neighbors, the rest of the family possessions, cattle, chickens and furniture were put on the freight train and Dad went with them on to Ogden. Mom, us girls, Jesse, Herbert and Albert went on U.I.C. Little did he realize that when he arrived in Ogden, the officials would not let him take his animals home but quarantined them. It was a great shock to Dad when he had to pay over $1,000.00 for feed and care before he could get his animals. It is laughable now, but it wasn’t then when somehow the chickens got loose and were running all over the railroad yard with people trying to catch them. It must have been quite a sight to watch people scrambling around chasing chickens.
Our Dad left a paper in his own hand writing describing a few of the experiences our family had after we got to Ogden. The paper stats that in November 1919, the next month after we got there, Annie and Elsie came down with the Small Pox. Shortly after all the other children also came down. Dad and Mother had all 8 of us in one room and gave us patient loving care. I am sure it taxed their strength and was a great cause for worry and anxiety for them.
We had scarcely got over the Small Pox when all the children, Mother and Dad got the Influenza. We were a very sick group and our Mother was especially bad as she had Asthma along with the flu. Dad also got it but stayed up on his feet, caring for the rest of us and doing the chores. Our sister Annie and Anna Gregersen were working at a cafe in Ogden and roomed together and both of them had the flu. Our Dad went over to Ogden in the buggy every other day to take care of Annie and Anna and take them food. It became evident to our Dad that Anna was getting worse so he sent word for her parents to come. Annie and Anna were great friends and it was a great loss to Annie when her dear friend passed away 14 February 1920. I sometimes wonder how our Dad held up to the terrible work load and responsibility that was placed upon him at this time. Mother was worried about our Dad through all this.
When we first got to Ogden, we joined the Wilson Ward and Mother was put in as Relief Society Teacher. In August 1921 we joined the West Weber Ward. Before we joined the West Weber Ward, the Wilson Ward gave Mother a party and a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Mother was soon put in as a Relief Society Teacher. She continued to be a teacher until she moved to Ogden in 1935.
In June 1921 Mother and her three daughters went on a trip to Logan, Preston, Glendale and McCammon. In McCammon we visited with mother’s brother Gottlob and family. In Glendale we visited with old friends and neighbors and in Logan with Mother’s sisters and her parents.
In December 1921 Mother’s sister Pauline passed away and left her little family without a mother.
In September 1922 Uncle Wills family all got Typhoid Fever. Our Mother believed in being her brothers keeper so she took this family into one room of her home and nursed them back to health, except Annie who was in the hospital. After they got over this terrible disease, Mother continued to take care of the baby boy for some time.
In the ensuing years Mother continued her activities in taking care of her family and supported her husband in his work, church, etc. Mother loved to have chickens and she usually had a flock — this enterprise besides furnishing eggs and meat for her family helped out in providing extra income. She was active in Relief Society and regular in her attendance at Church and in paying her dues.
In January 1931 her daughters Edna and Annie went to Logan to attend the Utah State Agricultural College. This meant that Dad and Mom were alone except for Elsie, Albert, Herbert and Jesse who had come home again. That winter they did considerable visiting of friends and neighbors and Dad helped them with their genealogy. It was during the winter and spring that three old friends passed away and mother and dad attended their funerals — John Dobbs in Logan, Henry D Auger in Lewiston, and Mother’s dear friend and neighbor in Glendale, Elizabeth Owen.
Mary Allsop Wagstaff (1826-1902) with William and Mary.
Little did Mother realize at the time that it would be less than a month when she would lose her devouted companion. Her husband had an operation for stomach ulcers in the Dee Hospital in Ogden the 29 May 1931 and passed away from Post Operative Pneumonia on 31 May. This was a terrible shock to Mother and she grieved very much. There was nothing for her to do except to go on alone without her companion. Life was hard for Mother at this time but she had all the loyal support her sons and daughters could give her. They all loved their Mother and did what they could do lighten the burden. Mother grieved long and hard over the loss of her dear husband but in time found her way to continue life and plan for the future.
Mother stayed on the farm and with the help of her children operated the farm the best they could. THe depression was on in full force and money was hard to come by. Through sheer frugality and wise management, they started to come out on top.
In January 1935, Mother, Annie and Elsie said good-bye to the farm and moved into Ogden. At first they moved into a rented house. They lived in two different rented houses.
In May 1939 Mother purchased a home at 2069 Jackson Ave in Ogden and this was her last home. Mother was comfortable in this home and she enjoyed having a little leisure time in which she could enjoy her flowers and listen to her favorite programs on the radio — Myrt and Marge was one of her specials — it all seemed so real to Mother.
20 December 1940 Mother’s oldest daughter Annie Eliza passed away. I am sure Mother missed Annie as Annie had been confined to the home with heart trouble for several years, during which time they had a lot of opportunity to enjoy each other.
In September 1941 Mother was honored on her birthday when her family gave her a dinner party at which time many of her children and grandchildren were present and Mother enjoyed it very much.
September 1943 an open house was held for her 70th birthday when many of her friends and relatives came.
April 1942 Mother had a serious operation from which she seemed to make a good recovery. FOr quite a few years after this Mother appeared to be in reasonably good health.
Time moved on for Mother as it does for us all. She had seen two world wars in which the people of her home land were heavily involved. I am sure Mother realized that many of her relatives were in action. She said little but seemed to think a lot about it. She had witnesses great changes in the lives of people including transportation, cars and trucks; telephones were beginning to gain in popularity and the radio was in almost every home. It was a thrill to Mother when she got her refrigerator. Tractors were in common use in farming and much of the back-breaking work was now done with machinery.
July 31, 1952 Mother had a mild stroke but was never confined to her bed completely. It did make a change in her life and I think she realized it. 23 of October 1952 after 3 months illness, Mother passed away at her home.
She had always been a hard working, devoted wife and Mother. She served as a Relief Society teacher for over 50 years. She paid her tithing, fast offerings and other donations. She kept her love for her family and her faith in God to the very end.
Her funeral was held 27 October at the Lindquist & Sons Mortuary in Ogden, Utah. It was a lovely funeral with lots of flowers and many friends and relatives attended. She was buried beside her dear husband in the cemetery at West Weber, Weber County, Utah.
THis little history of Mother was put together many years ago by her 3 daughters with her help in relating facts to us. Elsie brought it up to the time of Mother’s death.
I feel there is much more that could and should be said but I am sure each of her children have their own personal remembrances, as well as some of the grandchildren, but I would just like to add a little more that I don’t think has been mentioned.
I don’t remember a time when Mother did not have a lot of beautiful flowers. Geraniums that blossomed all winter long. She had morning glories, pansies, sweat peas, portulacas, pinks and others to mention a few.
Mother always made her laundry soap which was so good to use in cleaning the farm work clothes and so beautiful and white. She made many batches of soap for each of her married children as well as some of her neighbors.
When Dad and Mother killed a pig for home use, Mother worked so hard helping Dad cut it up, cure it and make delicious link sausages; and the head cheese she made was the best. There was always a piece of pork given to the neighbors.
She always churned her butter while on the farm and it was very good butter.
After we went to Ogden, Mother had a hot bed where she raised tomato and cabbage plants for themselves and others to plan in their fields.
Mother was a good cook and made the best bread, pies, rice pudding and soups. Oh! they were so good. When we had the threshers they always liked to be at our place for meals as they enjoyed the delicious meals Mother put on.
She loved to have her neighbors, friends and married children drop in for a good meal — and no one ever dropped in unexpected but that they were treated to a real meal or a snack.
After we moved to Ogden, it was the joy of her life to return to Preston to visit her dear friends, relatives and neighbors, and Dad somehow always found the necessary money so she could do that.
Mother was always clean and neat when she left home to go any place. She had beautiful long black hair that stayed dark until her death. She had a unique way of putting up her hair — hair styles changed but Mother’s never did. Many people commented on her lovely hair and the unique way she fixed it. Mother also had beautiful hats which she loved very much.
I would like to relate a little incident that happened in the summer of 1918. It was when we had a total eclipse of the sun. We did not have a radio or television and the paper hadn’t come. I guess Mother did not know the eclipse was coming. Dad had gone to town. I don’t know where the others were but Elsie, Albert, Jess and I were home with Mother. It started to get dark, then darker and darker. She became very excited and thought the end of the world was coming. She dashed out to gather the precious eggs — it was totally dark in the cop and the chickens had gone to roost. Mother was so relieved when it all passed over and the sun came out and best of all Dad came home.
One day during World War I, Dad was sitting at the breakfast table reading the paper. We knew, of course, about the German submarines sinking many of our food ships. Dad said rather nonchalantly, “Well, some more sugar has been sunk.” Mother became very excited and said, “Where?” Dad said, “In my postum,” and let out a roar.
Mother suffered with asthma most of her adult life and we all did everything we could to help out when she had a bad attack. Many mornings I remember Dad calling to us, “Come on and get up. Mother is sick.” We all rallied around and kept things going while she was down. If someone lit a match and let it burn, it would always bring on an attack of asthma. Many times when Mother was fighting for her breath we would all be frightened and I remember one time I ran to Bishop Ed. Bingham’s place to get him to come and administer to her.
Dad was always so kind, considerate and helpful to her especially when she was will; and her children were also.
Mother had a unique laugh and when something struck her as funny, she could really laugh. In a crowd you could always pick out Mother’s laugh. Several years at the July 24th celebration in West Weber she took the prize for laughing the longest and hardest. One year the prize was a leg of lamb; another time a beautiful Jordinere.
I remember that Mother had a pet lamb she loved and took very good care of it. She went to Logan for a few days to visit her mother. She wrote a letter home to use in English, but as a joke also wrote a note in Germany. We could not read the note so took it to a neighbor lady who could read German. The note said “Be sure and take good care of my lamb.” We all got quite a thrill out of this.
It was important to our Mother and Dad to see to it that each of their children were baptized in the Logan Temple. All their children were baptized except the last two. 30 March 1915 Dad and Mother took Jesse to Logan with the horse and buggy so he could be baptized. Then they stayed at grandpa’s and grandma’s home one night. When they couldn’t go they sent the children with Annie on the U.I.C. electric train.
At a George Washington party in the Glendale Ward, Vern Nelson tells this story. Mother was sitting on the front bench and Vern had to recite a poem. It was
Of all the girls in this world,
I’d marry none for riches,
I’d marry one six inches tall,
So she couldn’t wear my britches.
Vern changed the poem to read necktie instead of britches. Everyone expected him to say britches. He said Mother started to laugh and he had never seen anyone laugh so hard in his life.
A few years ago Meda Nelson Robinson told me as long as she lives she will never forget the blue and white granite kettle Mother used to make sandwiches in for us kids to eat between Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting when there was a little recess. They were usually just break and butter or sometimes a little sugar sprinkled on them, and always a cub cake with little currants in. She said that when Mother got the kettle out, that she and some of the ward kids would sally up to Mother hoping for at least a cup cake. She said sure enough Mother always had plenty and she would always get one, and how good they were.
Mother was kind and compassionate and believed that true happiness in life comes from serving others. Her friends and neighbors were often beneficiaries of her goodness, and if there was a new baby or sickness or sorrow in a home, she always found time to put on a clean apron and take a loaf of fresh baked bread, a pie, or fresh berries or something from her garden to cheer them.
She never lost sight of the purpose of life and the reasons for coming to America.
She abhorred cruelty to animals or humans.
She always had little sayings to put over a point such as “If a string is in a knot, patience will untie it. Patience can do many things; have you ever tried it.”; or “If there is a will, there is a way”; or “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.”
When Mother passed away, she did not leave many possessions and no riches; but she did leave a legacy far superior to earthly things, and I’m sure we as a family appreciated that.
Mother had her dub of joy but she also knew sorrow. As I have raised my family, we had our share of sickness, accidents and near deaths and it has made me think about Mother. She must have been in great anxiety and pain over the loss of three of her children before they reached maturity.
Dad and Mother really loved each other and were always happy with each other. Dad got so much joy out of buying her special little things when she was ill such as oranges, or a can of oysters, or a bottle of soda water. They worked together as a team in whatever they did. Whether it was in the garden, cutting and curing meat or whatever, they enjoyed being together. They both enjoyed going in a cafe and having a snack like a hot beef sandwich or root beer and a sweet roll.
Mother really suffered and grieved deeply over the loss of her husband. Dad was just 70 and Mother 57 at the time. Many times we have found Mother out back of the house crying as if her heart would break — many times she was heard to say “If only papa was here.”
Mother is long since gone, but those of us who remember have a MEMORY that is SWEET and LASTING.
Another history in the records of Golden Rulon Andra.
“(Elsie Wagstaff Coleman read this history of Aunt Louise at our Reunion 21 June 1980)
“(Louise Sophie Wanner was born March 30, 1879.) I was born in Gruenkraut Germany. I can remember as little kids we stayed home. When we were I guess seven years old, we had to go to the Catholic school. There were no other schools around in those days. My Mother and Father didn’t always live in Gruenkraut. My father, John George Wanner was born in Hildritzhausen, Wuerttemburg, Germany, on October 18, 1845. His father was Johann Friederich Wanner, and his mother was Anna Maria Marquardt. My mother Anna Maria Schmid was born January 21, 1849 in Holzgerlingen, Wuerttemburg, Germany. Her father was Jacob Friederich Schmid and her mother was Salome Notter. In 1870 my father went to Russia to fight in the war. My parents were married the 6th. of June 1870. My Father died February 16, 1922 in Logan, Utah. My mother died December 9, 1929 in Logan Utah. The last days of their lives they lived in the 4th. Ward, and they are buried in the Logan Cemetery. My brother John George and sister Christena were born in Holzgerlingen, and my brothers, Johannes, Johannes Friederich, Frederich, Gottlob, and sisters Mary Magdalina, Pauline and Wilhelmina were all born in Gruenkraut, Germany.
Wanner Family about 1895, back (l-r): Mary, Christine, George, and Pauline; front: Anna, Fred, Louisa, Wilhelmina, Gottlob, and John Wanner.
“To continue with my story- – we did so many things in life. First of all we were poor and had not much to live on. The folks had to move from Holzgerlingen to the new place in Gruenkraut. I remember we didn’t have much land. Father got a job working on the street. The grass grew high on the side of the road and we had to help gather the grass for the cows. We had to do this everyday before father went to work.
“We were poor in those days. We had to be up at 5 o’clock in the morning when we were big enough to work for other people. We worked every day in our lives to make a dollar. I would go out and work for other people whenever there was work. Some people had lots of land and we got plenty work there. They would come and get us to work when I was seven years old. I remember we never wasted any time. I remember when we had to go to a place to get vaccinated. I know I sure suffered a long time because my arm was so sore. They do this so that it will last a lifetime in the old country against disease.
“I remember how we got warm for the winter. Father would buy a yard of wood in the forest and we had to cut it down ourselves and haul that wood home with the cows and wagon. Some were long trees too and we would haul all the limbs and everything home. I am telling you, we had the yard so full of wood that we had no room for anything else till we had it shaped down and sawed up and put in its place. You know that was a job and we had to do all this before winter set in. We had a little wagon and we went to the woods in the summertime too, to get some dry wood. We did this many times and would always take home a wagonfull.
“In the old country they had fences in the lucerne fields. We had to put them up so we could hing the hay on them to dry after it got wet from the rain, so it would not mold. When it was dry we hauled it home. I remember we did all the farming with cows, they had them work all day and then milk them at night. Father worked on the street job for many years and mother and us children did most of the farming and in the fall we went picking hops. We never failed to make a little money in them. They have fields of hops in the old country. We always earned our winter’s money there. They have acres of hops there. We never wasted our time in the field.
“Another thing we did was go to the forest and pick fruit and go and sell it in the city. The people would sure buy it because the city was a long ways from the country where we lived. We had to walk all the way to the city. We raised hemp and mother would spin half the night making it into balls. She would take it to the factory and they made clothes out of it. We used to have many yards and would stretch it out on the grass in the summertime. It would go white and thats the way mother made our sheets and everything. We have in the old country the shoemaker, and he come to the house and make shoes for us. We also had the dressmaker come to the house. Sometimes they would stay at the house a week or more.
“When the grain was but, we had to out and clean the heads of the wheat. We cleaned sacks full each day for flour and one time right in the middle of the summer, the soldiers came in with their horses on some maneuvers or something. The horses mashed the grain and trampled all our crops up. I knew there was a big field of grand and they went right through it. They stayed around about a month or more. It sure was terrible.
“After a few years father bought a new farm and house about two miles away from the old one. It was a bigger house and more land and that’s where we lived until we came to America. Our house was a long house. We had four rooms and an upstairs. In the farmhouses of the old country we had everything under one roof– the pig pen and the hay loft. There was a big place in the floor where we threshed the wheat and other grain and we pulled all the hay up in the loft towards the roof. For a long time we threshed the wheat on this hard floor below with a stick and using a big klap, four or five of us would thresh the wheat and then would sieve the wheat from the chafe. But later, I can remember that we hired a thashmachine and the cows pulled it after that.
“I remember one time a wagon run over me. I believe it went over my arm. I don’t know how bad I got hurt, but it was plenty bad enough.
“Well, later on in that place not far away they built a Lutheran church and a school, too; and there we learned to knit our own stockings and do all kinds of sewing and crocheting. Yes, they built a nice church and school. They were very strict in those schools. If you were late a few minutes you would have to hold out your hand and the teacher would hit you so hard that your hand could feel it for a long time. It was one of those hard wood sticks. It wasn’t always our fault because we had to take the milk to the creamery in the morning in the snow and ice, and we could not go very fast, but there was no excuse at all. We had a lot to do before school, and if we didn’t have the lesson ready we were scared to go to school, ’cause if we were late we would sure get hit, and when you held out your hand they would do just what they wanted to do and it didn’t hurt them any.
“In the old country they sure celebrated Christmas. We had two Christmas trees every year and nice ones at that. We had applies tied from the bottom to the top and the step and the tree sure looked pretty every year. We only had white bread for Christmas and Holidays. I can remember how good that white bread was. We never saw it very often. it was only the rich who could buy that. There was only one bakery in Gruenkraut that had good bread and cakes, but we could never buy any. This is how we made our bread: We had a box of wood. Of course, it was clean. Father worked the dough and made enough for two or three weeks. It was mostly rye bread. It was hard and dark but we had to eat it. When Valentine’s Day came around, Mother made up cakes and they sure tasted good.
“We all the time raised our own meat. We raised pigs and salted and smoked the meat. We had our own grease. Mother made her own noodles all the time. She used lots of eggs–they were sure good. We had our cellar so full of potatoes, apples of all kinds and barrels of cider and barrels of sauerkraut. I can remember our cellar was full of all kinds of good things to eat.
“Well, about our garden. We had the prettiest garden you ever saw in the old country. The garden was laid out in a square and we had a path around all over with the vegetables in the background and flowers in front and we could walk all over the paths with flowers on each side. We didn’t need any ditches, but had to pack water when it didn’t rain. We always had a beautiful garden with flowers of all kinds.
“On Saturday we always had to clean the shoes for the whole family — shine them up for Sunday. We always went to church on Sunday. We never worked on Sunday. We were not allowed to work on Sunday, because in those days they would fine you if you did. You could not even get your hay in on Sunday, even when you could see rain coming.
“Well, I guess about in the year 1890, in the summertime, the Lord sent a man along that street in Gruenkraut where my father worked, who was a missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He talked to my father a long time and he told father of the new and true Gospel and about Joseph Smith and showed him the Book of Mormon. This man talked to my father in German as he was a missionary to German. Well, it was dinnertime and father took this missionary to our home and father told him–“We’ll see mother”–and from that very day on this missionary stayed at our place. His name was Zollinger from Providence, Utah. When his time came to go home, the missionary took my brother George to America with him. After that we had three more missionaries–one from Bear Lake, one from Providence, and another one from Salt Lake City, who couldn’t speak the language, so we helped him learn the language. He would tell us English words and we would tell him German words. There wasn’t anybody who would listen to the missionaries for miles around–just one other family from Ravensburg–and they were the only ones that believed the message like us. We had room for them everytime they came. There was no place else for them to go and we were glad to have them.
“The missionary from Salt Lake–his name was Hubbard–decided to go tracting one day. It was his first time tracting. He didn’t come home for so late that we thought maybe he fell into one of the wells with water that were here and there. It was late in the evening and dark, so mother decided to put a candle in the window. He soon came back and told us that he had been lost for a long time until he saw the light in the window. There weren’t many houses when I lived there, but in seventy years since, I guess it is built up all over.
“(About this same time Grandma was writing her history, Mrs. Herbert Wagstaff and son came to visit her from California. Herbert Wagstaff was the son of sister Mary Magdaline. The son had recently returned from a mission to Germany, where he had taken colored slides of the big house in Gruenkraut as it stands today. Of this evening of reminising Grandma said:) “It was sure nice to see my old home again and see it still stand in Gruenkraut. It was nice to see it again after seventy years.”)
“Well, I lived in that community for 14 years. That’s when I graduated. We started to this country when I was fifteen, in May of 1893, and got here the 15th of June, 1893. We came by ship and docked first in Amsterdam, Holland, and then in London, England. And then from London, to New York City, where we went to a big high hotel. WE were 12 days on the ocean. We had a good time on the ship where we danced. One day there was a terrible storm which throwed water up on the dock and nobody could dance after that. From New York we boarded the train for Idaho. We were 6 days on the train. On the train we sang all across the United States. We couldn’t speak any English then nor for a long time. We got off the train on the 15th of June, 1893, in Franklin, Idaho, and my brother George was there to meet us. He had a wagon with three spring seats. Well, we never were so worried on our whole trip as we were in that wagon. That day the road was so bad–open ditches with water in, and the horses danced around before they would cross. I never say such a rough road in my life–hills and hollows, and then we saw a bunch of Indians. They were hanging dead squirrels on a line to dry. That was something new to us. Well, we got to the place where we were to stay. But father was as worried that he got off the wagon and walked all the way back to Franklin. Mother and the rest of us were so worried, because he didn’t come back for a few days. We stayed with some folks for about two months, then father built a place in Glendale, Idaho, and there we lived the rest of the summer.
“Towards fall there was a man who wanted to sell his place in Glendale and father bought that place. My father farmed in Glendale. Glendale had only a little meetinghouse and also a school. I went to school there that winter to learn the English language. From then on I worked wherever I could get a job. I worked washing, cleaning house and tending children. In a place where I worked their children got mumps and I got mumps too, and I suffered so much that I could never get better for a long time. When I got better I went to work again. One time in the winter I rode a horse to Preston, and I got the toothache so bad that I had to have it pulled out right there. I soon learned to ride a horse a lot–something I’d never done in the old country.
“I worked for Matthias Cowley in Preston one winter. I guess it was the year 1895. He used to take trips and travel in a buggy–he helped organize the Northwestern States Mission. Then I worked in Whitney, Idaho. They had plenty of sickness in homes there. In 1897 we moved down to Logan and to the 5th Ward. Then I worked in Millville and went to school there at the same time learning the language. After that I went to work in Logan. It was in the 3rd Ward one night in church I met Jeffrey Bodrero. We were married in the Logan Temple, March 16, 1898. My sister Wilhelmina married Jeffrey’s brother, Moses Bodrero, December 18, 1907. Jeffrey’s father was Domenico Marsiano Bodrero, and his mother was Maria Caterina Margherita Frank Bodrero. After we were married I went to work for Dominic Bodrero that summer, who lived by the courthouse, where I walked everyday from the 9th Ward and did washing by hand on a board up until the time of my first child. Later that year I tended to beets, but they didn’t grow very well because of too many wild oats. Jeffrey went to the canyon about every day to get lumber and to make a dollar. These are the years when I lived: Gruenkraut, German: 14 years; Glendale, Idaho: 5 years; Logan 9th Ward: 30 years; Logan 4th Ward–where I became a relief society teacher. I also did a lot of temple work.
“In the old country we had known a family names Speth for a long time. We used to go back and forth to each others homes all the time. There was a big dark forest between our two places, and we were sometimes afraid to go through it because it was dark, even in the day time. Father would send us kids over in the evenings too. Sometimes we went twice a week to see them. We always had to walk of course. We had no car. I can see it now and I will never forget it. They were really friends to us. The old people never joined the church, but the boys came over to America and settled in Providence and then joined the church. My granddaughter married a Speth grandson.
“My children’s names are: [Rosalie] Marie, John George, David Wanner, Eva Margaret, William Jeffrey, Parley Lorenzo, Louise Mary, Edward Theodore, Llewellyn Grant and Evelyn Jane.
Bodrero Family (l-r): Louisa, Louise, John, Parley, Rosalie, Jeffery, Jeffery, David, Eva
“My folks went to conference everytime there was one. We never had the chance to go because children had to stay home and do the work. I remember it was in the winter once and it was so cold my parents couldn’t go to the conference. They sure liked this Mormon Gospel from the first day my father met the missionary.
Wanner Reunion, Anna Schmid Wanner sitting, standing (l-r) Mary Carter Wanner, Wilhelmina Wanner Bodrero, Mary Wanner Wagstaff, Regina Nuffer Wanner, Louisa Wanner Bodrero, Christine Wanner Nuffer, and Rebecca Hicks Wanner
“(Louise Sophie Wanner Bodrero died February 1, 1967 in Logan, Utah)
Wilford Woodruff’s vision of the Founding Fathers requesting Temple Ordinances
We are moving soon, but the Burley 11th Ward gave me another chance to address them. Since I received a number of requests for a copy of the talk, which is really just a collage of various items I could find online, the Journal of Discourses, the Saints second and third volumes, and other various histories. Here is the text of the talk I wrote, that does not mean it is the talk I gave…
I first addressed the freedoms we have as contrasted in the Saints third volume related to Germany. I said the word Jew and Israel from the stand and did not fear reprisal. I listen to free radio anytime I want and even seek out British radio from time to time and there is nothing illegal. Lastly, we could congregate without the worry of those in our midst about what was said or in the actual act of meeting.
Then to the following:
Declaration of Independence – We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
George Washington: “The success, which has hitherto attended our united efforts, we owe to the gracious interposition of Heaven, and to that interposition let us gratefully ascribe the praise of victory, and the blessings of peace.”
Alexander Hamilton: “The Sacred Rights of mankind are not to be rummaged from among old parchments or musty records. They are written . . . by the Hand of Divinity itself.” “For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system, which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.”
Thomas Jefferson: “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time.”
John Adams: “As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation.”
Benjamin Franklin: “The longer I live the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth. That God Governs in the Affairs of Men!—And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?—We have been assured, . . . in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labour in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this;—and I also believe that without his concurring Aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than Builders of Babel.”
James Madison: “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.”
Samuel Adams: “Revelation assures us that ‘Righteousness exalteth a Nation’—Communities are dealt with in this World by the wise and just Ruler of the Universe. He rewards or punishes them according to their general Character.”
Charles Pinckney: “When the great work was done and published, I was . . . struck with amazement. Nothing less than that superintending hand of Providence, that so miraculously carried us through the war, . . . could have brought it about so complete, upon the whole.”
On May 4, 1842, he called to his side nine of the most faithful of his brethren—Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Newell K. Whitney, and others—and later their wives came with them to the upper floor of the Red Brick Store in Nauvoo.
Joseph was seeking to fulfill the promise from D&C 124, given in 1841, which the Lord would reveal to Joseph “all things pertaining to this house, and the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built.”
He had started, “If it should be the will of God that I might live.” Then he corrected and said, “It is not the will of the Lord that I should live, and I must give you, here in this upper room, all those glorious plans and principles whereby men are entitled to the fulness of the priesthood.” He proceeded in an improvised and makeshift way to do so.
We have from Brigham Young that after they had received these blessings the Prophet said: “Brother Brigham, this is not arranged right. But we have done the best we could under the circumstances in which we are placed, and I wish you to take this matter in hand and organize and systematize all these ceremonies.”
Brigham Young later said, “I did so. And each time I got something more, so that when we went through the temple at Nauvoo I understood and knew how to place them there. We had our ceremonies pretty correct.”
While the Nauvoo Temple was started in 1841, the first endowments were performed in the winter of 1845 and into 1846. Baptisms had started in the Mississippi River prior to the temple and moved into the temple baptistery soon after it was completed and dedicated, well before the rest of the temple was done. Brigham, leading the church, was personally overseeing the organization and perfection of the endowment and other ordinances that started in Nauvoo.
After arriving in Salt Lake City, the church used the top floor of the Council House, starting in 1852 until the Endowment House was completed in 1855. It was in this building that endowments, prayer circles, some missionary training, and some setting aparts were conducted. The use of the Endowment House ended in 1877 with the completion of the St George Temple. That building stood until Wilford Woodruff heard that unauthorized sealings were occurring there and ordered it razed in 1889.
The St George Temple was the only one completed during Brigham Young’s 30 year tenure as President. It was dedicated on 1 January 1877 in three dedicatory prayers under the direction of Brigham. The baptistery by Wilford Woodruff, the main floor by Erastus Snow, and the sealing room by Brigham Young Jr. Wilford Woodruff served as St George Temple President from 1877 to 1884. Brigham had to be carried up the stairs, but he stood and spoke in the Assembly Room.
“When I think upon this subject, I want the tongues of seven thunders to wake up the people,” he declared. “Can the fathers be saved without us? No. Can we be saved without them? No. And if we do not wake up and cease to long after the things of this earth, we will find that we as individuals will go down to hell.”
Brigham lamented that many Saints were pursuing worldly things. “Supposing we were awake to this thing, namely the salvation of the human family,” he said, “this house would be crowded, as we hope it will be, from Monday morning until Saturday night.”
On 9 January 1877, the first baptisms for the dead were performed in the St George Temple. The first endowment for the dead was performed on 11 January 1877. Brigham and Wilford personally oversaw the ordinances being performed. Wilford began wearing a white suit, starting the trend that continues to this day.
All endowments to this point had been done and passed by word of mouth. It was in St George, far from Salt Lake City, that the ordinances were first written down. Brigham also wanted to make sure the record was preserved and that they were standardized. They were read to Brigham time and time again who would then approve or continue to revise the ordinances. Brigham went home to Salt Lake City in April 1877. He stopped and dedicated the spot for the Manti Temple on the way home.
Wilford Woodruff then wrote in his journal on Sunday 19 August 1877, “I spent the evening in preparing a list of the noted men of the 17 century and 18th, including the signers of the Declaration of Independence and presidents of the United States, for baptism on Tuesday the 21 Aug 1877.”
His journal entry for August 21 reads, “I, Wilford Woodruff, went to the temple of the Lord this morning and was baptized for 100 persons who were dead, including the signers of the Declaration of Independence. … I was baptized for the following names.” He then listed the names of one hundred men.
Elder Woodruff continued his journal entry: “When [John Daniel Thompson] McAllister had baptized me for the 100 names, I baptized him for 21, including Gen. Washington and his forefathers and all the presidents of the United States that were not on my list except Buchanan, Van Buren, and Grant.” (The work for these presidents has since been done.)
“It was a very interesting day,” Elder Woodruff continued. “I felt thankful that we had the privilege and the power to administer for the worthy dead, especially for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, that inasmuch as they had laid the foundation of our Government, that we could do as much for them as they had done for us.
“Sister Lucy Bigelow Young went forth into the font and was baptized for Martha Washington and her family, and seventy of the eminent women of the world. I called upon the brethren and sisters who were present to assist in getting endowments for those that we had been baptized for today.” (Wilford Woodruff’s journal, typescript, vol. 7, Church History Library; spelling and punctuation modernized.)
The first public mention of these events was made nearly a month after the baptisms were performed. In an address in the Tabernacle on Temple Square on 16 September 1877, Elder Woodruff first told publicly of the visitation of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
“You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God. (Conference Report, April 10, 1898; Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 160-61)
During the 68th Annual General Conference of the Church which was held in April 1898, President Woodruff recounted the sacred experience:
I am going to bear my testimony to this assembly, if I never do it again in my life, that those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits, not wicked men. General Washington and all the men that labored for the purpose were inspired of the Lord.
Another thing I am going to say here, because I have a right to say it. Every one of those men that signed the Declaration of Independence, with General Washington, called upon me, as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple at St. George, two consecutive nights, and demanded at my hands that I should go forth and attend to the ordinances of the House of God for them. Men are here, I believe, that know of this, Brother John D. T. McAllister, David H. Cannon and James S. Bleak. Brother McAllister baptized me for all those men, and then I told these brethren that it was their duty to go into the Temple and labor until they had got endowments for all of them. They did it. Would those spirits have called up on me, as an Elder in Israel to perform that work if they had not been noble spirits before God? They would not. (Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, April 1989, pp. 89-90.)
“They waited on me for two days and two nights,” he said,
“I thought it very singular, that notwithstanding so much work had been done, and yet nothing had been done for them.” (Journal of Discourses, 19:229.)
I was also present in the St. George Temple and witnessed the appearance of the Spirits of the Signers….the spirits of the Presidents….and also others, such as Martin Luther and John Wesley….Who came to Wilford Woodruff and demanded that their baptism and endowments be done. Wilford Woodruff was baptized for all of them. While I and Brothers J.D.T. McAllister and David H Cannon (who were witnesses to the request) were endowed for them. These men… laid the foundation of this American Gov., and signed the Declaration of Independence and were the best spirits the God of Heaven could find on the face of the earth to perform this work. Martin Luther and John Wesley helped to release the people from religious bondage that held them during the dark ages. They also prepared the people’s hearts so they would be ready to receive the restored gospel when the Lord sent it again to men on the earth.” (Personal journal of James Godson Bleak – Chief Recorder of the St. George Temple.)
In 1986, some of the staff of the Family History Library’s LDS Reference Unit were assigned to compile and computerize all the existing genealogical data on the founding fathers, to identify their families, and to document completed temple ordinances for each. For purposes of the project, a founding father was identified as one who had signed one or more of the following documents: the Articles of Association (1774), the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Articles of Confederation (1778), or the Constitution (1787).
The library study of 1986 revealed that there were no sealings of children to parents performed at the time the baptisms and endowments were performed. As a note, the ongoing revelation related to sealings to parents was not revealed until 1894. It was then that the Law of Adoption, or sealing to prominent church leaders, was discontinued and we were encouraged to do genealogical work to compile the pedigree of the entire human family. It was then that the Utah Genealogical Society was founded that has snowballed into the fantastic work of FamilySearch and all its appendages.
He also recorded that George Washington, John Wesley, Benjamin Franklin, and Christopher Columbus were ordained High Priests at the time.
Temple work was performed on behalf of the following well-known and respected men and women in the St. George Utah Temple in August 1877.
Founding Fathers: William Hooper (NC), Joseph Hewes (NC), John Penn (NC), Button Gwinnett (GA), Lyman Hall (GA), George Walton (GA), Edward Rutledge (SC), Thomas Heyward Jr. (SC), Thomas Lynch (SC), Arthur Middleton (SC), Samuel Chase (MD), William Paca (MD), Thomas Stone (MD), Charles Carroll (MD), George Wythe (VA), Richard Henty Lee (VA), Thomas Jefferson (VA), Benjamin Harrison (VA), Thomas Nelson Jr. (VA), Francis Lightfoot Lee (VA), Carter Braxton (VA), Robert Morris (PA), Benjamin Rush (PA), Benjamin Franklin (PA), John Morton (PA), George Clymer (PA), James Smith (PA), George Taylor (PA), James Wilson (PA), George Ross (PA), Caeser Rodney (DE), George Read (DE), Thomas McKean (DE), Philip Livingston (NY), Francis Lewis (NY), Lewis Morris (NY), Richard Stockton (NJ), John Witherspoon (NJ), Francis Hopkinson (NJ), John Hart (NJ), Abraham Clark (NJ), Josiah Bartlett (NH), William Whipple (NH), Matthew Thornton (NH), Samuel Adams (MA), John Adams (MA), Robert Treat Paine (MA), Elbridge Gerry (MA), Stephen Hopkins (RI), William Ellery (RI), Roger Sherman (CN), Samuel Huntington (CN), William Williams (CN), and Oliver Wolcott (CN).
Note: Temple work was not done for John Hancock or William Floyd as it had already been completed previously.
Presidents of the United States: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, James Knox Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Johnson. Temple work was not done for James Buchanan, Martin Van Buren, or Ulysses S. Grant.
Other eminent men baptized by Wilford Woodruff in the St. George Utah Temple in August 1877 include: Sir Edward Gibbon, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Oliver Goldsmith, Henry Grattan, Humboldt, Alexander von Irving, Washington Jackson, Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Johnson, Samuel Juarez, Benito Pablo Kemble, John Philip Liebig, Baron Justus von Livingstone, David Macaulay, Thomas Babington Nelson, Lord Horatio O’Connell, Daniel Peabody, George Powers, Hiram Reynolds, Sir Joshua Schiller, Johann Christoph Friedrich von Scott, Sir Walter Seward, William Henry Stephenson, George Thackeray, William Makepeace, Vespucci, Amerigo Webster, Daniel Wesley, John Wordsworth, William Parepa, Count Dimitrius, Martha Washington and her family, John Washington (Great Grandfather of George Washington), Sir Henry Washington, Lawrence Washington (Brother of George Washington), Augustine Washington (Father of George Washington), Lawrence Washington (Father of Augustine), Lawrence Washington, Daniel Park Custis, John Park Custis (Son of Daniel and Martha Parke Custis), and Martin Luther.
Eminent Women baptized include: Jean Armour (1767—1834) of Scotland, Jean Armour Burns (Wife of Robert Burns) (1759—1796), Jane Austen (1775—1817) of England, novelist, Mary Ball (1708—1789) of America, Mary Ball Washington (Mother of George Washington) (1732—1799), Sarah Bernard (1800—1879) of England, Sarah Barnard Faraday (wife of Michael Faraday (1791—1867), Charlotte Bronte (1816—1855) of England, novelist, Felicia Dorothea Browne (1793—1835) of England, Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806—1861) of England, poet, (wife of Robert Browning) (1812—18?), Martha Caldwell Calhoun (d. 1802) of America (mother of John Caldwell Calhoun) (1782—1850), Martha Parke Custis (1755—1773) of America (Daughter of Martha Washington) (1732—1802), Martha Dandridge Washington (1732—1802) of America (wife of George Washington) (1732—1799), Rachel Donelson Jackson (1767—1828) of America (wife of Andrew Jackson (1767—1845), and Abigail Eastman Webster (1737—1816) of America (mother of Daniel Webster (1782—1852), to name but a few. Temple work was performed for a total of 70 eminent women.
During most of our national history Columbus and the Founders were considered heroes with determination and foresight. Cities, rivers, and many other places were named after them. More recently there has been a wide spread effort, designed especially to indoctrinate young people, which slanders Columbus, the Founders and their accomplishments. Columbus is held personally responsible for centuries of mistreatment of Native Americans. The Founders are portrayed as being greedy and motivated by selfish interests. All of this is as astonishing as it is misleading.
From the Lord’s perspective among the most important events of the history of the world was the discovery and founding of America. 1 Ne 11-14. Nephi was referring to Columbus when he wrote: “I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land” 1 Ne 13:12. By the Founders “the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation…even on the face of this land.” 1 Ne 22:7.
Go on to life and history of George Ross of Pennsylvania, signer of Declaration of Independence.
Ole and Constance Christiansen are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter Martha to Herbert Coley, son of Stephen and Hannah Coley. They were married in 1874 in Norway. While I normally like to start these historical posts as a wedding announcement, I trip up there. We do not have any histories that give us an actual marriage date and location. Knowing the period, it is not imagined they were not actually married. Their first child was born in 1875. Curiously, after their immigration to the United States due to their conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they not only went to the Logan Utah Temple to be sealed, but also applied to be married. As such, they were married and sealed in the Logan Utah Temple on 26 April 1893.
Martha was born the second of eleven children to Constance Josephine Eliza Jorgensen and Ole Christiansen on 16 April 1879 in Fredrickstad, Ostfold, Norway. I have not written their history yet, but as linked above, I wrote some limited information on Constance when we visited her grave first in 2018 and again in 2020. Ole was born in Trogstad, Norway and Constance in Drammen, Norway. Both Ole and Constance were baptized and confirmed into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 26 January 1876 in Norway.
What happens for the next few years is unclear on the reasons. Martha’s older sister, Walborg, was born 24 December 1875 in Fredrickstad, then Martha in 1879. We really have no records during this period and so I am unclear if there was another child, or two, in that period of time. Eivelda was born 20 October 1881 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. I have no clue why or what took the family to Australia. Their next child, Constance, was born 9 November 1883 also in Collingwood, then a suburb of Melbourne. Apparently Walborg and Martha were left in Norway while their parents went to Australia. Alice, Martha’s granddaughter recalls Martha telling of her sitting on the mountainside overlooking the fjord waiting for her parents to return and her missing them terribly. Martha’s first brother, Henry Owen, was then born 27 March 1887 back in Fredrickstag, Norway. Ole and Constance were back in Fredrickstag by March 1887.
I have been unable to find the immigration records for the Christiansen family between Norway to Australia and back. But the family was in Australia for at least 3 years, maybe as long as 6 years. They were not back in Norway very long as Rhoda was born in Richmond, Cache, Utah on 18 September 1890. Martha moved with her family to Richmond in the late 1880s. One record has it in 1887, another 1889, Martha was listed in the 1900 Census as immigrated in 1888. Either way, we now are in the vicinity of where she would have met Herbert Coley. Of Martha’s remaining 6 siblings, 5 were born in Richmond and 1 in Hyde Park.
Herbert was born the 5th of 9 known children to Hannah Maria Rogers and Stephen Coley on 12 February 1864 in Lutley, Worcestershire, England. It was while living in Lutley that the LDS missionaries first made a visit. We do not know the conversion story but Herbert and his siblings joined the church. Martha joined 23 August 1867, Herbert 1 June 1881, George 22 August 1881, and Frank 2 June 1882. The 1871 English Census has the family still living in Lutley and Herbert listed as a scholar. The call to gather in Utah was strong enough that these four children made the venture. We don’t know if Stephen and Hannah came begrudgingly or not, but they joined some of their children in Utah. Unfortunately, the other children left in England we do not know where they went or what happened to them.
Herbert shows on the 1881 English Census in Dudley, Worcestershire, England as farm labor for the Doorbar family. Herbert appears to have boarded the Nevada in Liverpool arriving 3 July 1882 in New York City, New York. I cannot see that any siblings went with him on the trip. Stephen, Hannah, and Martha all traveled in 1890 (with Letitia Lea Willetts and her daughter Clara, and two known Frank and Mary Coleys). Stephen Coley was baptized 5 January 1892 and Hanna 26 October 1892 (same day she was endowed in the temple, so either that date is wrong or the prior record could not be found and the ordinance was duplicated. Hannah died 22 October 1894 in Franklin, then Oneida County, Idaho and was buried in Lewiston.
I don’t know any of the details of how they met, but the stars seem to have aligned in Richmond. However it happened, Herbert and Martha were married and sealed 1 December 1896 in Logan at the Temple. Herbert was a diligent laborer who would acquire full ownership in their home by 1910. Martha was a strict and involved homemaker and mother.
Herbert and Martha maintained their home, large garden, and raised 10 children. Lillian was born 26 August 1898 in Lewiston (listed in the Coveville Precinct, which is now the area of Cove). The 1900 Census on 9 June 1900 lists Herbert as a farm laborer with his immigration in 1881 and Martha’s in 1888. By 1910, the Census finds the family in Wheeler (about six miles west of Lewiston) where the home was owned outright. We don’t know exactly where the family lived. Edna was born 23 November 1900, Wilford Herbert 1 Mar 1903, Carrie 20 April 1906, and Hannah Marie 3 June 1909. Ole Christiansen passed away 27 February 1900 in Richmond and was buried there. Carrie is listed as born in Richmond, but we do not know the circumstances how she was born there instead of Wheeler/Lewiston. Hannah’s birth certificate lists Herbert as a farmer and Martha as housewife. The 1910 Census on 26 May 1910 shows Herbert as a Laborer and that he “Works Out.” Whatever that meant in 1910.
All the remaining children were born in Richmond. As such, it is likely at this time the family moved to the cabin south and east of Richmond estimated about 2016 E and 9000 N. I have tried to pinpoint where the cabin remains are still located. Here is a photo of the cabin from the 1980s. The 1920 Census on 16 January 1920 lists Herbert as a Farmer and Teamster with the additional insight of “Hauls Milk & Farms.” This same Census also lists Wilford as having his own Farm, but still living with his parents.
Coley Cabin near Richmond, Utah
It was in this house that the remaining children were born. Ivan Stephan on 26 June 1912, Roland Charles on 20 July 1915, Oley Lloyd on 11 February 1918, Arthur Christiansen on 15 July 1921, and William Golden on 22 January 1924. In 2012 the home had collapsed to a pile of rubble. It was after Ellis Jonas’ funeral we visited as family (Ellis is Lillian’s son). Ellis had taken me there about 2002. Stephen Coley died 22 October 1913 in Lewiston and was buried by his wife.
The 1930 Census taker showed up 15 April 1930 and shows the family in Richmond with Roland, Lloyd, Art, and Golden still in the home. The 1940 Census on 8 April 1940 has the family still in Richmond with Art and Golden the only two remaining.
Herbert and Martha Coley in the garden
Over the years, the family kept busy with marriages. Lillian married Joseph Nelson Jonas on 6 September 1917 in the Logan Temple. Edna married Gerald Andrus 17 April 1921 in Richmond and after a short marriage, divorced, and remarried to Olof Alma Neilson 23 July 1923 in Logan, sealed 30 July 1924 at the Logan Temple. Wilford married Edith Dagmar Cammack 15 May 1924 in Logan, sealed 3 June 1946 in Logan Temple. Carrie married Joseph Lorus McMurdie 21 July 1924 in Logan, sealed 21 October 1926 in Logan Temple. Hannah married William Surgeoner Thomson 2 July 1927 in Logan, sealed 14 June 1972 in Salt Lake Temple. Ivan married Clara McMurdie 22 October 1930 in Buhl, Twin Falls, Idaho, sealed 10 February 1932 in Logan Temple. Joseph Jonas passed away 6 September 1932 in Ogden, Weber, Utah. Constance Christiansen passed away 10 December 1932 in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon and was buried there. Roland married Veda Anderson 5 May 1937 in Logan Temple. Lloyd married Verda Anderson (twin sister to Veda) 23 November 1938 in Logan Temple. Arthur married Gladys Bernice McMurdie (his niece!) 10 September 1940 in Preston, Franklin, Idaho, that marriage lasted a short time for hopefully obvious reasons. Arthur remarried to Mary Elizabeth Popwitz (his nephew’s WWII widow) 3 May 1946 in Evanston, Uinta, Wyoming. Golden married Shirley Mae Hall 15 March 1946 in Elko, Elko, Nevada, sealed 11 May 1965 in Logan. Many grandchildren were born in these years as well for Herbert and Martha.
Herbert and Martha Coley (I have the original of Martha, but not of Herbert, so I know it is still out there)
Recorded family stories are fairly scant. Nobody wrote much down and that generation was gone before many were asking questions. Ivan Coley told his daughter Colleen that Herbert was a short, very English man. Apparently Herbert met Wild Bill Hickok at one point and shared that fact regularly.
In 1942, Herbert went to visit Ivan and Clara in Buhl. I will have to find out if Martha was there as well. While out in the yard, I have been told by a well, or a trough, he slipped and broke his hip. There was not really much to do for someone in that condition then. He was in terrible pain. He was taken back to Richmond and passed away later of pneumonia. He died 7 September 1942 at age 78 (obituaries all have 75) and was buried in Richmond Cemetery 9 September 1942.
Martha Coley and Hannah Thomson in a garden, dresses and even a brooch
Martha moved into town shortly afterward. Various family members lived in the cabin when they started out their marriages. Martha’s new home was somewhere near 400 South and 200 East. With the new homes I cannot tell as well, but I have tried to pinpoint the spot. She lived in this home until she needed assistance and went to live with Lloyd and Veda in Salt Lake City. When they could not care for her any more, she then lived in a care facility in Logan the last months of her life.
5 generations about 1959, Lillian Coley Bowcutt, Martha Christiansen Coley, Joseph Hebert Jonas, Robert Lee Jonas, Joseph Leland Jonas.
In 1948, Martha was honored for successfully Relief Society Teaching for more than 40 years. Here is a photo from that occasion. You can find more detail here.
Back (l-r): Lydia Leavitt, Estella Blair, Sarah Preece, Susanna Allen, Livinia Wilcox, Clara Wheeler. Front: Lavina Poulsen, Christensia Hansen, Martha Coley, Martha Lewis, Sarah Snelgrove.
Unfortunately I do not have a many more stories. But I do have a few more photos. We have these two photos of a gathering about 1950.
Back(l-r): Doreen Neilson, Martha Coley, Golden Coley, Edna Neilson, Unknown, Gloria Neilson holding unknown child, Olof Neilson. Middle: Shirley Coley, Joy Coley (baby), Mary Coley,
Mary (holding Joy), Shirley, Doreen, Unknown, Martha, Edna, Gloria
This wonderful family reunion picture from 1955. I have linked the other post sharing the other photo. That link also names everyone in the photo. Martha is sitting surrounded by her grandchildren and children.
1955 Coley Reunion, Richmond, Utah
Herbert’s obituary in the Salt Lake Telegram on 8 September 1942 reads:
“Richmond, Cache County – Funeral Services for Herbert Coley, 75, who died at his home in Richmond Monday at 7:45 a.m. following a brief illness will be conducted Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Richmond South L.D.S. ward chapel by E. M. Hicken, Bishop.
“Mr. Coley was born in England on February 12, 1867, a son of Stephen and Hannah Rogers Coley. In 1885, at the age of 16, he immigrated to the United States.
“On December 1, 1896, he married Martha Christiansen in the Logan L.D.S. temple. He was a prominent farmer in the Richmond district.
“Surviving are his widow of Richmond, 10 sons and daughters, Mrs. Lillian Jonas, Ms. Edna Nielsen and William Golden Coley of Richmond, Wilford Herbert Coley of Logan, Ms. Hannah Thomson and Lloyd Coley of Salt Lake City, Ms. Carrie McMurdie, Ivan, Roland and Arthur Coley, all of Buhl, Idaho, 37 grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and a sister, Mrs. Martha France of Richmond.
Lillian, Edna, Martha (sitting) Coley in the 1940’s
“Friends Pay Tribute to Richmond Man
“Funeral Services for Herbert Coley, 75, prominent Richmond farmer who died at his home in Richmond, Monday at 7:45 a.m. following a brief illness, were conducted Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Richmond South ward chapel by Bishop E. M. Hicken.
The rest of the article follows nearly verbatim what the Salt Lake obituary listed, then this line.
“Burial was in the Richmond cemetery under direction of the W. Loyal Hall mortuary.
Martha Christiansen Coley very small picture enlarged
Martha Coley and Scotty
Martha Coley serious
Martha Coley smile
Martha passed away in Logan at age 82 on 14 August 1961. Here is the language from her obituary and an article of the funeral. She was buried in Richmond 17 August 1961.
“Richmond – Martha Christensen Coley, 82, died at a rest home in Logan Monday of causes incident to age. “She was born April 16, 1879 in Norway to Ole and Constance Josephine Eliza Jorgensen Christensen. When she was eight years old she came with her parents to America. “On December 1, 1896 in Logan she married Herbert Coley. The marriage was solemnized in the Logan LDS Temple in 1900. They made their home in Lewiston and Richmond. She was always active in the LDS church, especially as a Relief Society block teacher. Mr. Coley died September 7, 1942. “Surviving are Mrs. Lorenzo (Lillian) Bowcutt and Mrs. Edna Neilsen, Richmond; Wilford H. Coley, Logan; Mrs. William (Hannah) Thompson and Lloyd O. Coley, Salt Lake City; Mrs. Lars (Carrie) McMurdie and Ivan S. Coley, Buhl, Idaho; Roland Coley, Mesa, Arizona; Arthur C. Coley, Ogden; William G. Coley, Hyrum; a number of grandchildren and great grandchildren. “Funeral services will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Richmond South Ward with Bishop Oral Ballam in charge. “Friends may call at Hall Mortuary in Logan Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. and at the South Ward chapel Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until time of services. Burial will be in the Richmond Cemetery.
“Funeral services were held in the Richmond South Ward chapel Thursday for Mrs. Martha C. Coley with Counselor Quentin Peart conducting. Lloyd Coley gave the family prayer. “Prelude and postlude music was played by Reese Murray. The ward chorus directed by Mrs. Florence Lewis with Mrs. Billie Lou Bagley as accompanist sang “The Lord’s Prayer.” Ila Rae Richman and company sang “That Wonderful Mother of Mine.” Mrs. Florence Lewis and Mrs. Rebecca Lewis sang “In the Garden,” and Ronnie Lewis sang “Beyond the Sunset.” “Prayers were by William Thomson and Larus McMurdie. Speakers were Mrs. Leona McCarrey who read the obituary, Noel Stoddard and Counselor Peart. Pallbearers were her six sons, Wilford, Ivan, Roland, Lloyd, Arthur and Golden Coley. The grave in Richmond Cemetery was dedicated by Joseph Jonas. Flowers were cared for by the Relief Society.
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I have written previously about the video that came from the funeral and graveside service of Martha. In that post I walk through the video and the identified individuals. It also scans the 10 children standing in the cemetery. This photo below is of the same instant.
Art, Golden, Wilfred, Roland, Lloyd, Edna, Hannah, Carrie, Lillian, Ivan at their mother’s grave in Richmond, Utah
I hope some day I obtain more photos to share of Herbert and Martha.
Sagacity 