Benjamin Vere Wilson Auto biography

Benjamin Vere Wilsons Autobiography written in the 1970s

Sometime in the early part of the year 1915 my glorified celestial Father and Mother sent for me to come into their garden. Such beauty could not be surpassed anywhere. I learned that I was to leave on another mission. I was to leave with an escort for a beautiful planet called Terra. I would join a family in a place called Orderville, Utah. They told me I was very well acquainted with the members of this little family but in order to get an introduction, I would have to be born to them as an infant, and that I’d lose my memory, so to speak, and would forget everything about my Heavenly home. However, this was a necessary step in my progression and I could learn and gain a great deal by experience and if I would be faithful and obedient to those I had chosen to be my mortal parents, they would teach me all that I should do so that I may return to give my accounting and live with them forever.

Oh, the thrill that went through me, for at last my time had come to meet the Great Test. I could do it—I knew I could! At last I would receive a mortal body!

I kissed my wonderful parents and thanked them for all they had done for me, but my heart lay in my bosom like lead for I wondered if I could stand to be away from them so long. But I must go and so with a surge of courage I kissed them once more and began to make my plans. I saw them once more as we gathered at the Space Depot. Tears welled up in my eyes as I walked toward them to give them a final embrace. As my Father’s firm hand gently fell upon my shoulder, I felt a warmth I shall never forget. I saw tears of great concern flow down my Mother’s cheeks as the count-down began and the list of names was read off for those chosen to embark.

The journey was swift and straight and as in the twinkling of an eye I could see the beautiful green world I had been told about getting ever nearer. Then almost instantly One said to me: “We are assigned together for the period of your mortal life. I will be your Guardian Angel.” Putting his arm around my shoulder and motioning to the door, he said: “We get off here.” We left that beautiful shining chariot of light.

This was to be my home—Utah. Thoughts began pouring into my mind in a flood, but there was much to be done quickly to get my formal introduction to my earthly parents. I wanted to embrace them but soon found the meaning of the counsel I had been given that I would need to be born before we could communicate. Se we moved about learning more about my new world. I observed the preparation of the infant body which would be a house for my spirit to live in and enjoy. I learned that we would become one, and would look alike. So this was mortality!

I heard my mortal mother say one day to my father: “I feel the child leap within me.” From then on my work was constant. I felt great concern in the task that lay before me, I must see that this creation be as perfect as possible, everything must grow in an orderly manner.

One warm summer day, June 13, I heard my mother say in a voice of persuasive excitement, “My child will be born today!”

Wow, this was going to be a gib day and it truly was. For the first time I knew fatigue, for the first time I knew pain; and for the first time I knew anger for when someone picked me up by the heels and whapped me across the fanny, I yelled at them to stop. I guess I got the message across, for they quit and were a lot more gentle from then on.

It was really hard to understand the people in this new world. First I was spanked for something I did not understand, then I was mauled until I thought I’d die, but fortunately I was able to sleep through most of that and I was well fed, so I gained strength and decided it wasn’t so bad after all. I soon found I had a lot of friends and acquaintances increased rapidly.

My mother and father were great people: conscientious, hard-working, and setting a good example. My mother had gone to school and trained to be a school teacher. Her name was Susan—a lover of life and a great contributor to it. My father, George Benjamin (called Ben) was a pioneer, farmer, frontiersman, and salesman--yes, salesman. One day he was selling women’s dresses. He called on a girl by the name of Susan Cox and he not only sold her a dress, he sold himself; as a husband and been giving her dresser ever since.

My brother Carlyle, two years older than I, became a great playmate and friend. We competed together and each of us helped the other.

Orderville is a little town on Highway 89—the only town in Utah settled for the purpose of living the “United Order”, because Brigham Young called a group of people to live the law of Consecration. They shared work, food, and money and some years later it was discontinued because of selfishness on the part of some of the people. So it was here as a child of people who had been willing to sacrifice and obey the word of the Lord and consecrate themselves and their possessions to the Lord, that I was sent to begin my mortal experience. What a rich heritage. What a royal family I was born into! I was born at the Hoyt home in the southern part of town. There is a grove of beautiful trees and nice shrubs on a gentle south slope. My Grandfather and grandmother Cox were wonderful people and I love the place of my birth even though we moved to Hurricane when I was only 6 weeks old.

Dad had been a farmer and rancher, and drove freight wagons. He decided to move to Hurricane to make a permanent home for his growing family There we lived in a tent, and then built part of the old home. Life was a hard struggle to make ends meet. Dad decided to go into the sheep business. He mad arrangements with John J. Esplin to work for him herding sheep and uncle Leonard Cox also helped to influence Dad in this direction. He began to build up a little herd for himself as well as herding for others.

The years grow longer and the nights were lonely until Dad’s desire to be with his family grew so strong that he began to think of other ways to earn a living.

However, a few things happened at the sheep camp when we visited him that I will always treasure. I was past two—maybe nearly three when I heard my Dad whistling. I puckered up my childish mouth in the same we he did and blew, and guess what? My very own whistle whistled. I was really proud of my accomplishment. I remember a beautiful place in the forest, where the fragrance of mint and blossoms mingled with the fresh mountain air and I knew I had been here before. I wandered if it was here we had disembarked from our voyage to earth. Though I was very young, I knew I had been there. I can see it yet with a vivid recollection in my mind’s eye.

I remember how sad I was when I watched a sheep being butchered. As I observed its lifeless, blood-stained body still quivering on the ground, I wept for a long time. I was greatly troubled, and this affected me all my life. I can scarcely stand to kill anything.

I remember a fellow who worked with my father herding sheep. He was young, but he showed me many things. He taught me how to throw strait, and he cut sticks and helped me to build miniature fences and barns. I remember him well.

We planted trees, gardens, and vineyards. I remember holding the stakes while Dad drove them into the ground so that the grape vines would have support. I remember great peanut harvests, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, and radishes. How wonderful the fresh vegetables out of our garden tasted!

Our dear mother was stricken with typhoid fever. Dad came to me and told me mother was very ill and we would have to go away to stay with a neighbor until she got better. Mina Hinton was a kind neighbor, but the days seemed to lengthen into weeks and the time dragged on so slowly before I could see my mother’s beautiful face. We missed her so much. Finally, we were allowed to go home. What a change in my mother. Her lovely dark hair was very thin and full of gray. I did not know until I was older that she had visited beyond the veil and that her spirit was called back through the power of the priesthood. It was at this time that I learned what prayer was and how to use it and how to talk to my Heavenly Father when I was in need of help. I was given a strong testimony that I shall always cherish.

One time Carlyle and I were playing in the sand under a beautiful Chinese umbrella tree. It started to rain and the lightning and thunder were all around us. Mother came to the door to call us into the house, and as I looked up at her I saw a bold of lightning rip through the roof of the house and hit the ground in front of me. Mother fell to the floor and Carlyle and I ran to her side. The pale, ghostly look upon her face told me that death was near. Her mouth was locked open because of a dislocated jaw, and her eyes were rolled back. We dropped to our knees and began to pray harder than I have ever prayed, calling aloud to Heavenly Father to bless her and to save her. As we sobbed out our pleas to the Lord, her eyes began to focus, her jaw snapped shut and she was soon able to speak to us. We had witnessed a miracle and knew a deep gratitude that God had answered our prayers.

Another great lesson on prayer was learned the night our mother woke all of us children and got us up and gathered us around her to kneel in prayer, for she knew something was wrong with Dad, who had gone after a load of wood. We each said a prayer and mother prayed earnestly that Dad would return home to us. We felt that there was going to be a change in our lives.

The next day we saw the outfits come off the hiss but someone else was driving Dad’s. Anxiety filled our hearts as we helped lift our father down off the wagon, and his groans at every movement pierced our ears. He was very ill—badly hurt. We learned that while he was pulling a large tree over with the wagon and teem hooked onto it, the wagon turned over on top of Dad, and though he was crushed and bruised badly, his life was spared. We learned the next day that Dad’s half brother, Iddo, had died. We have often wondered if someone from Dad’s family had to be called home for some special reason, and if our prayers for Dad had been the means of saving his life.

Dad had a chance to buy some land up on top of Smith’s Mesa. We were all anxious to get into the act, and be together as a family, so the fist summer we all moved up on Smith’s Mountain. The sand was so deep and hot we could hardly walk and our feet were blistered and bruised. We had to go barefoot in those days. Money was hard to come by.

Still being tender in years, many things happened to me that I could hardly understand; for instance, I was riding the grain wagon, playing in the newly threshed wheat, excited to feel the wheat dump down on my head. One of the harvest hands peered down into the wagon with a scowl on his face and in a gruff voice said: “Hey, kid, if you don’t get out of there I am going to cut off your ears.” I don’t think I was ever so frightened before or since. I always hid whenever I saw him from then on. Demoralizing fear came over me whenever I heard his voice, and it was years before I was able to understand that he was only teasing.

One morning we were getting ready for the tasks of the day when Dad said: “Son, go and get a melon for breakfast.” So I toddled off and began looking for a nice melon that would be ripe. I decided the biggest would be the ripest, so I picked it and then I found I wasn’t big enough for the job, for as I tried to pick it up, I dropped and it broke into pieces. As I looked down at what I had done, I was very upset. It was yellow, not red as I thought it should be, and I decided to taste it. I found it was the sweetest, best melon I had ever tasted. Just then Dad came over the hill and I thought: “Oh, oh, I’ve had it”, but to my happy surprise he only said: “It looks like you need some help”. So we ate that melon together and I thought he was the best Dad in the world. I got the tummy ache afterward, but I’d sure like to get my teeth into another golden core watermelon that tasted half as good as that one.

We had to carry our water a long way, so one morning dad said: “Vere, you and Ruth get your buckets and come with me.” Mine was a gallon honey bucket and Ruth’s was a five pound lard bucket. We willingly tagged along behind Dad. Ruth and I stopped to play, but soon I went on up the trail. But Ruth did not follow me. Sometime later, we realized that Ruth was not in camp. We all called as loud as we could, but no Ruth. We were frantic. Dad ran down the trail and then decided to go down into the sand wash and follow along to see where she might have crossed the wash. He found her tracks and they were headed strait to the cliff. We ran as fast as we could and called through the trees. We got to the cliff, dreading the thing we were afraid had happened. Again we called loudly and heard a faint answer down in the bottom of the canyon. We found a little pathway down the side and hurried down calling to her to stay where she was. She had found a deer trail and followed it down the side of the canyon. She had gone about three miles. She was about three and said: “I was going to find Dad.”

Another time, we stopped at the Virgin River on the way home and I saw a piece of cloth floating down the river and pointed it out to Dad. He jumped out of the wagon and ran right out into the river and picked up my little sister who was floating face down in the water. She had been asleep in the back of the Wagon and had awakened and fallen unnoticed into the water. What a narrow escape for Ruth!

One time as we were traveling from the mountain, Dad found that his bull whip had lost out of the wagon, so he left me with the team while he returned to search for it. I waited and waited, and after a long time, I decided my Dad was lost, so I thought I would go find him. I followed up the road. On another trip up to Smith’s we camped for the night at a spring half way up the hill. I could hear the lonely howl of the coyotes and the wind sighing through the trees. It made me nervous and lonely. The next morning Dad’s new hat was missing. We looked everywhere for it, but to no avail. On our return trip down the hill, I was walking, and right at the side of the road wad Dad’s new hat. The wind had blown it back by the road.

Time passed and we had so many discouraging experiences and so much hard work without much remuneration, we decided it was too far to haul the crops to market, so we sold the land and moved back to Hurricane where be began getting ready for my first year in school.

I dreaded the thoughts of going to school because I knew no one and I was so shy. But my parents convinced me that it would be a great experience. My first grade teacher was Mrs. Lnderand. At Christmas she left and Mrs. Savage finished out the year and taught me more. One day Carlyle and Morris Wright decided they wanted a change of Scenery so they asked me at noon if I wanted to go with them. So we sluffed school. I was about ten. Carlyle had some traps along the Virgin River and he wanted to see if he had caught anything. So off we went, sure that we could talk our way out of any consequences. I was barefoot and it was so hot I had to run in between the bushes to keep the sand from burning my feet until we got to the river bottoms. We talked about everything under the sun and what we would do if we found something caught in one of the traps. As we walked up a clearing we could see one of his traps. My eyes focused on something that turned my legs to jelly and the hair on my head seemed to be standing straight up. There, only a few feet away stood a cougar growling at us. I was frozen in my tracks. I don’t know to this day how I got out of there, but I guess I came unfroze because we threw so much dirt in his eyes he couldn’t see to chase us. I think I decided it was safer to go to school.

When I was thirteen, I was going great guns in scouting. I really wanted to get that coveted Eagle award and was willing to do most anything for it. So we set out at daybreak on our fourteen mile hike; Carlyle, Curtis Beams, Kue Beams, and myself. We took the river bottom route as was mentioned in the previous paragraph. Down to Berry Springs was eight miles where we pulled out of the river bottoms and on an old trail to finish the last lap of our hike. We had eaten all our food and five o’clock found us very hungry. We were discussing what we would like to eat for supper, when right above my head, I heard a rattlesnake sing his deadly song. I quickly looked up to see how close he was, and there in a bush half coiled, and half tangled in the twigs I saw the ugly head drive swiftly toward my face, but he had miscalculated the distance and missed me by only inches. I thanked God, but in the moments that followed I soon found it was not over. For I heard rattling all around me. Literally hundred, it seemed, had joined the death chant. Then came a cry of hysterical words that formed a message telling me Carlyle had been bitten. I cautiously but quickly retrace my steps, but it seemed that from every direction for thirty more feet came that sickening, horrifying sound of rattling snakes, crawling and striking at everything that moved. Finally I was free and ran around the rocks to find my brother. It seemed like that had been hours, but in reality was only moments. I found that Carlyle had been bitten, but the gangs had hit the skin and gone on through and the deadly venom was running down the back of his hand. We made an “X” cut over the wound and sucked and spat out the blood. To our great relief, Carlyle did not suffer any severe affects. But we were scared so badly, we all felt ill.

During my fourteenth or fifteenth year, we were going to have a big Thanksgiving and everyone was gathered for the feast. The boys wanted some excitement, so we decided to go ride some calves. Some of the guys had horses and the rest of us went on foot and caught and tied up several calves of good size that we thought would be good riding. One of the fellows climbed on one with a good set of horns. As he got settled on his back, the steer broke before we could get the ropes off. He took about three jumps and the rider was on the ground and that big set of horns was coming at me. I barely leaped through the forks of a peach tree in time and the calf hit one of the limbs and became discouraged. I guess he thought his target was a little hard.

By this time the vineyard was producing beautifully and I suppose it was quite obvious that I liked grapes, because Dad made the comment that I always picked the longest bunch of grapes that reached clear to the ground.

Our only income was an apiary of bees, a few cattle, a team and a few chickens and pigs. We all had our chores and tried to keep abreast of the work, but there was always more and I had to put off the things I wanted to do.

I learned a lesson in honesty but it was rather embarrassing. It seemed that some of the guys knew where there was a good cowhide that has been hanging on someone’s fence for a long time. We decided that they must not want it, so it was decided that Carlyle and I would take it and sell it, and we would get half the money and the other fellows would get the rest.

We met at the designated spot and they gave us the hide. We took turns dragging it down the street as it was pretty heavy for us, and we were pulling it by the tail. We were met by the buyer who was one of Dad’s best friends. He took the hide and said he would give the money to Dad. Well, that did not sound too good to us and we did not go straight home. But eventually the “Bad Guys” had to go home and Dad knew all about it and we received a real lecture, which hurt me worse than a whipping would have. Anyway, I am glad that someone cared enough to help steer me in the right direction.

Speaking of hides reminds me of the time we were out chasing wild horses, when we came upon a strange looking trail of what seemed to be a dragging chain. Our curiosity was enough to send us on the trail. We followed for about five miles and found a coyote had been caught in a trap by his foot. The chain had caught in some bushes and he was nearly dead. The other fellows killed him with a rock and we skinned him out. Deward Ballard took it and dried it and prepared it and sold it. When work got around that one of the boys had sold a fur, one of the local trappers decided to see if it was his trap and he took hoof prints of the horse and made other unreasonable and peculiar claims and he came to Dad and accused me and I ended up paying for a hole in the $7.00 hide. I hadn’t even helped skin the animal. But I had been one of the group. Well, I decided to pay him off so that there would be no trouble. I found out that people will go to great lengths to make trouble over a little money. But the fur was not mine and at the time I thought I was doing the right thing. I am grateful to my Father who taught me to be a peacemaker and pointed out the better way.

I met with many temptations and I was often having to make decisions that were quite difficult. One Sunday some of my best friends talked me into staying out of church and going to look for some girls. We did not find any girls—I suppose they were all in church as we should have been—but we went over to the old tithing barn and after playing for a little while, one of the fellows pulled out a deck of cards and we played some game and thought we were having a good time. Then one of the group said he had found some Bull Durham, which was tobacco in a small cloth sack. They all decided to made a cig. I said I guessed I wouldn’t and started to leave. They all began to chide me and tried to get me to roll a cigarette. I took the sack and started to make one when my conscience smote so much that my nerves came unstrung and I started to shake. I threw the cig on the ground and said: “Roll your own. I am going to church.” And I did go in late. I don’t know what they said after I left and it doesn’t matter, for that day I made one of the most important decisions of my life. I decided that the friends I had grown up with were on the wrong road and were trying to get me to go with them. I knew then that I had to find some new friends or go my way alone. I did find some new friends and though they were younger than I they were great guys and I love them still. All but two went on missions and they are great men and good fathers.

Twenty years later at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake I met one of the fellows who I had walked away from that Sunday—that fateful day in my life-and I could see him with tobacco stains on his fingers and lips, he had wasted away and his health was gone. I am sure that I got a glimpse then of what my life would have been if I had not had the courage to leave my friends and make the right decision when I stood at the cross-roads. The Lord let me see clearly then, the difference in my life and his. I’m ever grateful that my Guardian Angel stood beside me and said: “It’s time for you to get out.” He has been a great friend to me and I love him and am anxious to feel his hand upon my shoulder and talk with him again face to face.

Early in the spring a group of us were cleaning ditch. Bishop Johnson of the Hurricane North Ward came to me and said: “Vere, I’d like to eat lunch with you” so we ate lunch together and the conversation stopped rather abruptly when he said: “Vere, the Lord wants you to go on a mission.” I was silent for a few moments. I had talked about it and though I would like to go but there was just no money and it seemed impossible.

I talked to Dad about it and he said: “Well, if the Lord wants you to go we will do everything we can to send you.” The ward had never sent out a missionary. I told the Bishop I would go the following spring.

I trucked fruit all summer. It seemed I wasn’t able to save much so I went to Marysvale to work in the Deer Trail mine where they were mining gold, silver, zinc, and lead. Temptations of all kinds were thrown up in front of me. I’d had several girl friends that I liked but non seriously and all at once I met three who impressed me very much. The miners tried to get me to drink and smoke with them bit I was able to resist everything the Evil One had designed to throw me—except I did take a cup of coffee as I had never tasted it and I thought it smelled really appetizing up there in the mountain air. This brought me much discomfort of mind and feelings of guilt and so that was my first and last taste of coffee. Finally they knew that I would not join in with them.

Around Thanksgiving, I was getting ready to go home for a visit. My partner and I took a shaft by contract, and we worked very hard to make our needed tally. One morning we decided to do some blasting and we drilled a dozen holes to place the dynamite in during the noon hour.

I loaded up the car with ore while my partner planted the fuses. I wanted to get the car unloaded so we could leave together and I kicked the blocks away from the wheels and gave the car a shove, but it wouldn’t move. I walked around to see if there was something in front of one of the wheels but there was nothing. A again pushed with all my strength but it would not budge. I decided to wait for my partner to help. But waiting, I decided that I would check the wheels again and again tried to move the car for the third time, to no avail. All at once a sprinkling of dust and rock came from the roof. Horror crept over me and I crawled into the deepest corn of the shaft and then it happened. !Tons of rock and dirt fell down about 30 feet ahead of me. Had I been able to start the ore car, I would have been under all that cave in. My partner came hurrying to see if I was all right and amidst the dust which was choking us we began to make every effort to get out. It took us about two hours to dig out and stand in the clean mountain air. Thoughts of gratitude filled my mind and I knew that again my Guardian Angel had been on guard to save my life. For two weeks we worked to clear the shaft and move out all the rubble. When it was all removed, I went to the boss and told him I was quitting to go on a mission, so he paid me and I left for home.

I found that my truck had been repossessed while I was gone. Everything that I had tried to do to make money had failed and I had less than when the Bishop talked to me.

I told the Lord that I would accept His call and leave the rest up to Him to open the way. I received my call in February and by April I was on my way. I knew that if I did my best and served the lord that He would bless me and open the way. After a few days in the Mission Home, I left for a two year mission to teach the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all its principles in the Southern States Mission.

I first went to Mississippi where I met many wonderful people. My first companion was Elder Carnley, a Southerner, who was eager and anxious to carry out our assignments. We held many cottage meetings and worked mostly in the country. Many people listened and many would have thrown us out if they had their way. We tried to follow the direction of the Spirit and learn all we could about the work. One day we nearly got run over by a man who either did not see us, or intentionally wanted to run us down. My companion saw him coming and pushed me into the barrow-pit and jumped in after me just in the nick of time. But as a rule the people were hospitable and friendly.

Elder Conover was my next companion and we were sent to Truman, Mississippi. We worked hard, tracted much, and traveled in the country on weekends visiting the Saints and investigators. We were together a month and then were called into a District Conference in Hattiesburg. This was a spiritual feast and then I was assigned to work with Elder Ashel J. Evans of Vernal, Utah. I enjoyed working with him very much and he was very considerate and things began to smooth out rapidly and I felt that I was making much progress and that my testimony was growing so strong that I began to be anxious to bear it, where before my fears had held me back far too much.

One day I did not get any mail and I suppose Elder Evans could see the dejected look on my face. When he finished one of his letters he said: “Here, read this, You’ll enjoy it.” So I read the letter as I was feeling lonesome for we only got mail once a week as we had to calculate where we would be a week ahead. If we did not figure it just right we would have to wait until the mail caught up with us.

This letter Elder Evans handed me turned out to be from one of his favorite cousins—her name, Lola Manwaring. I still remember the strong impression that came to me while reading that letter. I felt that I knew her. I read it over again and was impressed with the way she expressed her thoughts and the neat way she wrote. When we got back to our room, Ashel handed me a picture and said: “That’s Lola.” I remember how beautiful I thought she was and I made some comment about wondering if she would write to me. He said he thought she would. He wrote her a letter and I did too, asking her if she would correspond with me.

So that is how it all started! I think I loved her when I read her first letter and began wanting to meet her in person. But that was in the fall of 1936, and two years away. So I had to be satisfied with a few letters until sometime in the future. Elder Evans and I worked together four months and I truly enjoyed my time with him. At the next district Conference I was assigned to Ether C Wolfley and we went to Tupelo, Mississippi, a town where a tornado had struck just a few days before we arrived. 500 people were killed, mostly children in a school. I was surprised how coldly we were treated. The terrible tragedy had not had much effect on people. They were not humbled and willing to hear the word of the Lord. Then I understood why God had to deal with people the way He did in days of old.

We became very discouraged because no one would talk to us, no one cared; and so the Lord sent us to a more fertile field. I received a letter from my Mission President and he said that he had a work for me to do in Atlanta, Georgia. So I packed all my things and said goodbye. When I arrived in Atlanta I was informed that I was to work with Elder Ray E. Hanks right there in Atlanta. We were to play our guitars and hold street meetings. Elder Hanks had an electric Hawaiian guitar with a strong output and it could be heard for great distances. We held these street meetings twice and three times a week.

One day in downtown Atlanta we were holding a meeting in front of Lord’s Department Store where the manager, a good friend, would let us drop a cord down from a window on the 3rd floor to power the electric guitar. Elder Hanks was very talented and when he began to play, people began to gather in great numbers. Then we would have a prayer and begin to preach. As we taught the gospel, the crowd would begin to dwindle. Then we would play more music and another crowd would gather. We made many friends and opened up many homes to the elders.

One day Elder Hanks was speaking and I was conducting the meeting. I noticed a couple who stopped and listened for sometime. Then the husband decided to leave but the wife did not whish to go. However, he insisted and took his wife away much against her will, as she argued with him. I knew that she was interested, and regretted that we could not teach her. Six months later we received a letter from the Mission President which read something like this: “At last I’ve found you. Some time ago, I stopped at your meeting on Lord’s Store corner. Your missionaries were playing, singing, and teaching the most wonderful thins. I wanted to hear more but my husband insisted on leaving. I have prayed that I would find out more about their Church and at last I have discovered you. While I was standing near you missionaries that day I saw a glorious light come from above and rest on the head of the one who was speaking and testifying of the truth of his message. A sweet feeling came over me and I wept all the way home. Since then I was stricken with a severe illness and have been bedfast. Could you please send those boys over to my home to teach me more? As Elder Hanks had been released, I asked President Grandy, my District President, to go with me to find this lady. We walked several miles and had a wonderful talk together on the way. We finally found the house and I wondered if Satan may have gotten there before us to interfere with the Lord’s work as he often does. I knocked hesitantly, and we were invited in. We heard a voice from the other room exclaim excitedly, “Oh, Its those Missionaries!” We were taken into her room where we found her lying on a couch, unable to move very much. We told her we would meet with her and tell her the truths of the restored Gospel. I met with her several times and she was a golden contact. However, I was transferred before I could finish teaching her, and the problems which descended upon me caused me to lose contact with her so I do not know the end of her story. But I know that some day I shall meet her again.

One thing I want to insert about Elder Hanks was of the time we were walking to Brennan, Georgia. Having left around 6:00 and hoping to catch a ride so that we could get there by 9 or 10 AM in order to hold a street meeting. After we had walked about half way, Elder Hanks suggested we should rest and have our study class there in that beautiful place. We decided to study by ourselves and prepare our sermons. I had decided to talk on the Restoration and was thinking in that direction. We had prayed together and then separated a little way. For some reason I again turned to the story of the first vision, and though I had read it many times before, it seemed as if the words began to glow and the message took on a special significance. My mind opened up and I could see the great Apostasy and the need for the Restoration, the scattering and gathering of Israel. I knew the whole purpose of the Gospel Plan. That day, I received a perfect knowledge and testimony of the Truth by the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. I knew why I was in the mission field. Gratitude and peace filled my heart and I knew the Lord was with me and what I was teaching was right and good. I had a greater love for my God. Spirit had spoken to spirit and the joy of that moment has never been surpassed. The joy that filled my soul was indescribable.

After Elder Hanks went home, I was made senior companion to Elder Snow. We continued our contacts and tried to build up the Branch at Buchannan and in only 6 weeks I had another companion, Darwin W. Johnson. He was young and didn’t quite have the spirit of the work. But that is the way it goes and so we learn to live and to try to help each other. President Grandy came one day and told me to go to Augusta to work with Daryl Wilson, a tall athletic redhead. He was energetic and introduced me to their investigators. We were together only a short time and he was called to Florida to be a District President. But while laboring together we had an outstanding experience. We went to see a sweet lady, Jessie May Kennedy and she invited us in. I felt impressed that she would become a member of the Church so we worked with her and her children. We loved very much and it seemed she wanted to learn, but she had read and studied a great deal, and much of what she believed in were the philosophies of men so it was a struggle for her and for us. She had to unlearn so much—or perhaps I should say she had to replace error with truth and it took time and effort. She taught her children to love the Bible and Jack and Betty were also seeking to learn the truth.

But Elder Wilson left and again I was assigned Elder Johnson. He still had not received a testimony and the work was hard for him and also for me. Then Pres. Grandy sent us to Athens to open up that city to missionary work. It was a college town and rather permissive and the people were rather proud of their learning and although they were friendly, they did not want to discuss religion. Possibly a lot of it was our fault, but we were not very successful. Jack Kennedy hitchhiked to Athens to talk to me and to get some things cleared up that Elder Chessor and his companion could not seem to answer, but we only had a short tome together as it had taken too much time to catch a ride. I’m not sure that he got things cleared but we had a good visit and I loved him for his integrity and strength of determination in his search for truth.

One time when Elder Johnson and I were going on a tour of the country area, we began hitch-hiking. We had 20 miles to go, but stood all day without catching a ride. It was getting late in the afternoon and we had a meeting scheduled than night. So we went to the woods and knelt in prayer. Then we went back to the spot we had held down all day. I asked Elder Johnson to go down the road for a ways and if I caught a ride I would ask them to pick him up also. Shortly, a car slammed on the brakes and backed up to where I stood. “Get in, I am supposed to picky you up for some reason though I never pick up hitch-hikers,” said the driver. He was talking so fast I could hardly get in the request that he pick up my companion. But he did, and then we told him who we were, and where we were going. He told us that was 40 miles out of his way, but that he would take us there and he did, making us a present of a gallon of southern molasses which I kept until I got home. I shall never forget that day when the Lord came to our rescue in such a dramatic answer to our prayer.

Ross Paul was my next companion—a very lovable person, a fine singer and he loved life and worried. One morning about 3:00 AM he got up and asked some odd question and said he was going to the lavatory. He did not come back to bed and I must have fallen asleep for a short time. I became concerned and got up to see what had happened to him, but he was nowhere to be found. I decided he must have wanted to be by himself and had gone for a walk. Six o’clock came and I was getting very worried. Then a call came from the police asking if we knew a fellow by the name of Ross Paul and I told them yes, and they brought him home. He had lost his memory or suffered from a spell of amnesia. His problem grew worse and we placed him in the hospital. The President of the Mission told me as I was the next one to go home that I should get ready to go home and take Elder Paul home. I went back to bid our special friends goodbye. Mother Kennedy, who had been so good to me and given us so many meals, asked for baptism and so I was most happy to baptize her and confirm her a member the following day. The feeling I had about her had been fulfilled and I knew that it had come from the source of light. I was so thankful that she had made the decision. I picked up Elder Paul, who had been taken to the Mission Home and was on my way home almost before I knew it. We traveled to his home in Riverside (three days) but the feeling I got when I saw the Rocky Mountains was really something special. What a beautiful sight! I dearly love my mountain home. After I delivered Ross to his home, I traveled to Los Angeles to see my sister, Ruth, as she was working there. She decided to make a visit home. So I stayed overnight and we went out the Tango ( a ship moored outside the 12 mile limit, because they had gambling on it, and it had to be outside of U.S. Territorial waters) as Ruth had tickets for a free chicken dinner. I was so sea-sick by the time we got there that I could not eat. We went back to Ruth’s, packed our things and went to Riverside. Ross introduced me to one of his girl friends, Elaine Mack, and when she saw us off at the train depot, she put a beautiful red rose in my lapel. I was quite impressed with her.

I only saw her once more at June Conference. She was with me when Lola came to our meeting place at the Seagull Monument. I got out of that predicament by introducing her to Lola as Ross’s girl friend and introducing Lola as Ashel’s cousin.

Back to the trip home—Ruth and I arrived at Lund, 22 miles out in the desert from Cedar City, and traveled in on the stage to Cedar where we were met by Morris Hinton who took us to Hurricane.

We were soon in Hurricane enjoying a wonderful family reunion. How I love my dear family! And so ended the exciting two years in the mission field.

I was home with those I went to school with. I wanted to go to school, and start thinking about a home and family, but first of all I needed a job. Some work I could do, so I began looking but things were still tough in the way of money.

I was called everywhere to talk and report my mission, so I had plenty to do to take care of the adjusting period. I went to Salt Lake to look for work, but I could only job abound and get a little here and there.

I had already decided to ask Lola to meet me in Salt Lake at June Conference. She would continuously pop into my mind. Something was pulling us together and I wanted to meet her as soon as possible. Her letters came more often. She seemed to be all I was looking for.

I rode up to Salt Lake with some friends and we were there in plenty of time. I walked around the grounds a little while, then went to meet Ashel Evans and Lola. I spotted them also going over early. I don’t think I was ever so excited in my life. I wanted to hug them both and maybe I did. I hardly knew what I was doing, except I was glad that we were finally together. I can see her yet, wearing a light blouse and a black and orange skirt, with straps over the shoulders which were black. I loved her, I thin, even then. Each day I liked her better. No doubt the letters and the picture I saw in the mission field brought us together. When I took her home that night I kissed her and she was both shocked and surprised. I didn’t stay around to see if she was going to slap my face or not. I rushed off. It was a little test and she passed. I enjoyed taking her to Cocoanut Grove and to Salt Air, and we had so much fun, I decided to go back to Vernal with her and Ashel. We had parties and picnics and when I left to go back to Hurricane, I hated to leave her, and I suppose I knew then that I loved her. “I was on the ship, and she was on the shore”. Weeks passed and when the loneliness became too great I wrote and asked her to come down to Hurricane for Peach Day. She got her folks talked into bringing her down, but her Dad could not make it and I had not received her letter, so I looked and waited all day for them to come, but they did not arrive. The next day I received her letter telling me they could not come. I decided that if time and distance could make me this miserable that I had better do something about it. So, in the next letter, I asked her to marry me. A proposal my mail is the next best thing to being there! Except that I had to wait so long to get my answer that the suspense nearly killed me. The answer I received was yes, so I hitch-hiked to Vernal again to see her and finalize our wedding plans.

We were married in the St. George Temple Sept. 22nd. That was a happy day, but afterward I was afraid that some of my friends would chivaree us so we got out of the car of the relative who we rode with, and ran through the fields to my home. Lola was tired and nervous and frightened. The following night my parents honored us with a wedding dance in the Church and a nice crowd came and we had many gifts to help us start our new life together.

I still did not have a job and so we went back to Vernal to live with Lola’s parents because Lola did have a job.

We have had our differences, but she has truly been a faithful, loving wife and a good mother to my children.

We soon learned that we were to become parents and I felt sure that it would be most rewarding. Lola was continuously picking out names so not matter what, there would be enough names to go around.

I worked at anything that I could get, to keep from going hungry and to keep Lola from getting too discouraged. I worked at the saw-mill, farmed, did carpenter work, and plastered. You name it and we did it. I was at the saw-mill when Ashel wrote and said that there was an opening in California as a hod-carrier and so we decided that I should go down there to work even though Lola was expecting the baby within a few weeks. I hated to leave her, but I was not getting paid the wages due me at the saw-mill (in fact have never been paid) so I packed my things and got ready to go on the bus. Lola drove me to the bus but she did not want to stay to see me off. I kissed her goodbye and moved toward my seat. She did not want me to see her crying. Many thoughts went through my mind. Why couldn’t I stay to be with her when she needed me most? And I wanted to see our baby so much. But I had to go and that was the way it was.

I stopped in Hurricane to see my family for a short visit, and then on to California. It was beautiful there. I went to work driving truck for Don and White Pearce, they were having quite a lot of trouble with the Unions and we also had lots of rainy weather, so I did not get much work at first and only made about 12 dollars a week. Hardly enough to live on and I was not able to send very much to Lola to help on the Doctor bill. The two months that followed were disastrous. I couldn’t eat or sleep, my ulcer was very bad, and my nerves just about pulled me apart. Finally a letter came saying that we had a baby girl and that he name was Sharon, as we had decided on previously. The letter was written as though Sharon had written it herself. I still have that precious letter.

Each time that Lola wrote she was getting stronger and I could scarcely wait for them to come. I found a little apartment and paid the first month’s rent. I met three busses before her bus arrived, but the sight was something to behold. There in the basket lay our lovely, beautiful baby daughter. How I wanted to hold and cuddle her. We talked some, but Lola cried most of the way home. The trip had been hard for her and she had to take a later bus as the first one was full. She had gotten off in Hurricane to show the baby to my family, and had to wait for another bus in St. George. Then one time she left the baby asleep in her basket on the seat so that she could get off and go to the rest room and was nearly left by the bus driver. This frightened her so much that she would not get off the bus either to eat or drink.

I had been unable to get the electricity turned on in our apartment and of course they were closed over the weekend, so we did not have hot water or lights. I had borrowed Horace Flake’s car to go up to Los Angeles to meet the bus.

After we got settled, things seemed to get smoother, but it was a whole new life and as parents, we had to put the needs of our child before the needs of ourselves and we have been doing so ever since.

About three months later, Horace Flake bought a new home and sold us his for $250.00 down payment. It was a lot for us to manage, but we took in boarders and finally got out of debt.

We saved up and bought our first car, an old 33 Chevrolet with wire spokes in the wheels. We used this for three or four years and it served us well. Wish we still had it—it would be worth quite a bit now as an antique.

California was a worldly place but we were busy in Church and made many wonderful friends. I was called on a stake mission and enjoyed that. We brought a family into the Church and influenced others. We were quite happy there.

Work improved but it was very hard work. I don’t know of any work harder than carrying hod. We got very busy and they were turning out a house a day. We usually worked in large tracts of a hundred or more homes in one section. People were coming into California huge numbers. I was told that 50,000 per day were migrating into the state. There were many things I liked about California. The climate was wonderful and we did enjoy going to the beach. I’ve always been fascinated by the water. Sometimes I’ve wondered why I did not turn out to become a mariner.

One of the main things that I can think of was our first home—bought from Horace Flake on McNerney Street in Lynwood. The whole block was nearly all Mormons and we called it Mormon Row. We were all like a big family.

I was asked to teach the Elder’s Quorum in the South Gate Ward and I really began to enjoy the instructional part of service, though it required much time to study and prepare. I’m sure my testimony increased and my love of the Gospel continued to grow.

I met all kinds of people and I could write volumes about them, but I am going to tell of the one whom I remember and loved most. Bishop Ivan Magnuson—a fair-hearted man and a servant of the people. One day he said, after discussing the return to Jackson County Missouri: “I’d be happy and honored to write you a recommend to the Company going back.” I was very thrilled and began to dedicate my life and service to God in order to make myself worth to receive such a recommend.

One day when I came home my wife, Lola, approached me with a little different philosophy of mind and I found through questioning her that she was expecting another child. So I decided then to step down to place #3 in her circle, but I was rewarded with the sweet love and development of our lovely daughter, Sharon.

One time when she was taken to Vernal to visit the Grandparents, she watched Granddad feeding the chickens and noticed the baby chicks busily scratching away. She said: “Oh, look, the chickens are wiping off their feet.

Truly from the mouths of babes comes forth wisdom. One meal-time Sharon left the table and I thought she had finished eating, so I proceeded to clean up her plate. Then she came back to the table and exclaimed: “Who ate my food all gone?” I sheepishly admitted to the terrible deed and she said: “Well, Dad, ‘pit it out!” I began to laugh, but her little moment of truth came to live with us. We were quite the pals, but I could not get the time I wanted with her. We occasionally took her to the beach. We paid 13 cents per gallon for gasoline and some weeks lived on three dollars worth of food. Now we pay something like sixty dollars per week and a wage of $3.00 per hour. Things have really changed.

That year I was give a Sunday School class to teach and in the course of the assignment, found myself yielding to a plea for a class party to take them to the beach. So we took leave at 5 o’clock and I took them in a borrowed truck to Long Beach. Things went beautifully until about 9 o’clock when we began to pile in and head for home. I noticed a damp, misty atmosphere beginning to move in all around us. As time proceeded, the fog became so thick that vision was almost zero and by the time we had gone the 19 miles between Long Beach and Lynwood, three hours had passed. At one point, I even had to have one of the boys walk in front of me so I wouldn’t run into something. Whew! Some day!

Lola, by this time had passed the time set for her delivery and great concern began to eat at us. We waited—ten months had passed and her discomfort was mounting every day. She went to her doctor and he said that he could not start her labor because the baby was turned wrong, and to wait a week longer. So that night we went to seek a blessing from Bishop Magnusson. I anointed and I knew that she would receive a great blessing. In the course of administering to her, the Bishop promised that things would speedily be right for her. He said: “Your son has been on a special mission for the Lord and he is a very special spirit. He will be with you very soon, and everything will be alright with you.” What a beautiful blessing and we were both shedding tears of joy and a great relief came to us. At four the next morning, Lola’s labor pains began. When she arrived at the hospital the doctor said the baby had turned and everything would be normal. By ten our son was born—over ten pounds and could hold his head up and feet also. The doctor commented that he was surprised that the baby had turned in correct position so quickly, without him having to turn it himself. And so another great testimony was added to our life’s experiences and we thanked God for our new son, Kristen. He was very special, but had impetigo when we brought him home from the hospital, and for a month had to be swabbed with blue or purple medicine. His black hair stood up on his head like quills on a porcupine and with his purple war-pain, he was quite an unusual looking baby, to say the least. He grew rapidly and had a great place in our little family circle, and in our hearts.

Kristen was actively engaged in everything he could reach, constantly exploring his world and keeping us hopping to keep up with him.

One day at the breakfast table he said: “Hey, Did, do you know what I saw behind my eyes last night?” Then he told me his dream.

The Japanese had attacked our Navy and destroyed it, to a great extent. We were at war and I was wanting to help in the war effort. I got a job as Baash-Ross Tool Company and made tracks for the flaps on airplanes. After a while, I began to operate huge 3-ton cranes. I disliked that job with a passion, as I was so afraid that I might drop one of those loads on someone. I remember making a shift of the 200 inch tube which the huge telescope was to fit into which was to be used at the big observatory near Los Angeles—then the largest telescope in the world.

From here, I decided to make my wages do all they could for me, for soon I might be drafted. When I got a chance to go to work for Western Pipe and Steel Company and learn to be a welder, I was getting $2.00 an hour and thought that was good pay. Here we made boilers for ships which were to used to haul fuel to our fighting men.

The war came close to us one night when the air raid sirens went off, the black-out was in effect, and we would see tracer bullets being fired at a tiny spec in the sky as the search lights swept back and forth. We were excited and nervous. The only thing said about it on the news was that there was an unidentified object or airplane over Los Angeles. We never did know the truth of the matter, I don’t believe. But it did accomplish one thing—people were very careful from then on to obey the black-out regulations.

Ever since I had returned from my mission I was plagued with a sharp pain in my stomach and the doctor said I had an ulcer. We did not know if the army would take me regardless, as they were taking anyone who could walk—almost. I was called up and reported at Army Headquarters where they spent three days giving me shots and checking us over. Then one morning the Sergeant said: “Wilson, come into the lab.” So I went in where they told me they had found a big ulcer and were mustering me out. I said, “Already?” and they said: “Yep”. A sickening thud slammed me in the stomach when they said they couldn’t use me. They said: “Go back to your job and help in the war effort in any way you can”.

I was relieved that I didn’t have to leave my little family, but still many others had to. I went back to work for a time but my stomach got worse and worse until I only weighed 125 pounds. The welding fumes working inside those boilers were making me worse and I thought I would die if I did not get out of there. So we sold out and headed for Utah. But there was an error in the termination record and the draft board told me to get back there and go back to work or else.

We went back and bought a trailer house. Nola and Julia came to live near us and help in the war effort. Mother and Dad were on a six-month mission. We were surprised with a visit from Betty Kennedy. It was nice to see her, but I noticed that there had been a change in her feelings toward the Church.

We bought Don Pearce’s home. We decided to move to Utah again for my health. I even began to worry about dying, but when we moved to Vernal, I began to improve. I began to lay brick, and plaster, and work with my father-in-law. LaVell Manwaring and his brothers in the building business. He was the Bishop and I learned to love him very much, along with Ashel and Dee. They were strong and righteous men. We spent many days together and even slept in the same bed when we were away on jobs. W helped build 5 chapels, several schools, as well as homes.

The course of events brought us another son, Terry, one of the sweetest natured children I ever saw. His mother nearly hemorrhaged to death after he was born, and we were terribly concerned. But they were able to stop the blood flow and she began to stabilize. For days afterwards she was slow to think of names and associations. Her doctor was Hansen, but he didn’t seem to realize her condition, so we changed doctors and Dr. Seager was a good doctor and knew her condition at once and began helping her.

I was working out at Rangely at the time and Kris was quite mischievous. He had got into the honey with both hands and strung it all over the house. Lola was too weak and sick to cope with three small children. So I stayed home for a while to help her more and her mother came and helped a lot and so did Laura.

I had been called as MIA Superintendent and Irvin Haws and Orville Merrell were my counselors. Here I learned a great deal about the organization of the Church in the youth program, but I’m sure there were others more qualified. There were so many things that needed attention.

Bishop Ross Merrell had worked hard to get plans underway for the construction of a new chapel. Ashel Evans had been his councilor, but moved out to the BYU to finish his education, so had to be released and I was put in as councilor. We went out to Conference and the Bishop had appointments with the Presiding Bishopric, but he became very ill and had to enter the hospital with kidney stones. I had to go in his place and discuss the building of the chapel with them. We got permission to begin.

The tearing down of the old chapel was set for Monday morning and I was the only one there to assume the responsibility. It nearly pulled me apart to see some of the older brethren of the Ward who had helped to build that old chapel, actually weep as the roof was torn down. They loved that old building in it was a very sentimental circumstance. We worked hard and got the old building torn down in two weeks. Now we were ready to start on the footings for the new building. President Albert G. Goodrich was called to be supervisor and he was a very capable man, though far along in years. We held Church in the Naples school (old school) building for over a year while the construction was in process.

Soon Dee Manwaring was called in as counselor over the building and worked very hard in his job. When the building was finished, President David O. McKay, who was then a member of the first Presidency, dedicated the chapel. What an important and great day that was!

We sold some of our land to Birchell Goodrich and began building the basement of our home. We had outgrown our first small home that I had built. It had been built with the idea of making it into a garage. But our plans changed and we decided to build in a different spot. We moved into the basement before it was finished and rented the little house. Later we traded it for a house in Hurricane, which David bought from us and fixed up into a beautiful home.

We lived in the basement for 5 years before we could get enough money ahead to start building the upper part. But during that time I was able to get a water connection and put in running water and a shower and toilet.

One thing I forgot to mention was that while Lola’s father was Bishop he had put forth great efforts to build up the building fund, but during those hard depression years if was a great sacrifice and effort to raise any money, but he had been able to get a nice sum through the cooperation and dedication of the people of the ward who really loved him.

Now back to my life. I took a job at the Central School doing custodial work one winter while building was almost at a standstill. I took the place of Albert Norton who was ill. Later on, they asked me to work there again when a vacancy arose. This job lasted years. Many things happened here in the way of experience. I learned about the school system and gained many lasting friends in the department.

I went back to building. One thing happened which stands out in memory. Lola was pregnant with Don. I had only been at work about an hour when Lola called Mr. Stagg, the principal, and told him to tell me she was in labor. He came and found me sweeping floors and said: “Get for home. Our wife is going to the hospital.”

Seager was her doctor and we felt that he was the best. As she delivered a very fine baby boy, he looked different from the others. He did not have dark hair nor too much of it. We felt that we were especially blessed with a special spirit, for he had been born because of many prayers offered up that she would be given the strength to carry him safely and have a safe birth, as she had had complication after Terry was born and then two years later had a miscarriage. He was given the name of Don Benjamin—my father’s name as well as my own. He grew to be a very special person with a great sense of humor, a very friendly personality and has contributed much in joy and love in our family circle.

We farmed our land and raised a few animals and milked a cow to help provide our food. One day when the neighbor’s sheep got into our lucerne for the umteenth time, I took Kris with me to help get them out. They would run around and around the haystack. Finally I stood Kris between the fence and the haystack and told him to head the sheep off. As I drove a big ram around the corner, he saw Kris and stopped and looked at me. He decided Kris was the one to tackle and he lowered his head and hit Kris in the chest and knocked him flat and knocked the breath out of him. I was mad and frightened and grabbed a plank and hit the ram on the head. When he got up, he staggered through the hole in the fence and wandered off shaking his head. Six year old Kristen was badly frightened and shaker up, but fortunately the horns had not wounded him and he seemed to get over it soon.

The war had brought a shortage of cars and when we were offered a top price for our Chevy two-door late model car that we had brought from California, we took it and put the money into the building fund for our house. This turned out to be a disappointment for the old car we bought for $150.00 turned out to be a lemon—a real lemon. That car was very hard to start and would balk every time we really needed to go somewhere in a hurry. It was balkier than any horse I ever saw. So life was a struggle of ups and downs and we had to work very hard to keep our head above the water. Many times Lola had to take the water turn and water the pasture and alfalfa and garden and make big dams while I was away working. We had the misfortune to lose the team Dad gave us. One of the horses got shot by hunters, and one got hit by a car when he got out on the highway and had to be put out of his misery and hauled to the mink farm. We bought a small Farm-all Cub tractor to haul our hay, plow and work the garden and each year hired the grain cut and thrashed. From year to year we found our job hard to meat expenses. The winters were cold and many days there wasn’t much to do except work on the house and little by little we were able to put it together.

When Lola went to the hospital with Daryl, things went very fast and he made his debut before the doctor got there while Lola was still in the labor room. He had many of the same features that he others had—a strong, beautiful boy. Each one in their place made our home hum with activity. We named him after his Granddad Manwaring, and he is much like him in spiritual strength and desire to serve the Lord.

By this time the boys were doing the milking and most of the chores. One night while they were out choring, they began throwing mud and clods at each other in a playful mood. Running out of clods of dirt they began using dried manure piles for ammunition. Before too long, Kris got a stick which he used to propel his “ammunition”, and saw a fresh pile of it and as Terry ran around the corner of the shed or peeked around it with his mouth open in a big laugh, he got “it” right in the face and mouth. Terry came in spitting and choking and began washing with all his might. I think they learned their lesson.

One day they went to milk and came in so quickly I got suspicious. They had milked some into the bucket and filled it on up with water. I couldn’t get them to admit it then. Years later they have laughed several times about the watered down milk.

When Daryl was about four, I had finished my chores and was getting ready for work when he came staggering into the kitchen, gasping for breath and turning blue. I ran to him and took him in my arms, and asked the Lord to keep him alive until we could get him to the hospital. We left Sharon to watch the children and ran to the car, and headed for Vernal (about 4 miles) and several times I thought he was going, but I drove as fast as I dared and jumped out and ran up the hospital steps with him in my arms. They took one look at him and began running around getting oxygen and got him in an oxygen tent in a hurry. The doctor rushed in and soon he was getting relief and beginning to breath better. Lola stayed right with him for several days, but no reoccurrence showed up so we took him home. While Lola was in there with him, she had a growing tumor under her ear along the jaw-bone taken out. It was quite large, but was benign. Again we had cause to be especially thankful to the Lord for Daryl’s life and Lola’s health.

A few days before Christmas, when Daryl was 6, he came in and said his eye hurt. He had a red streak underneath the eye so we took him right to the doctor and he thought it was an allergy and gave pills for him to take. Daryl did not complain or fuss much, but slept quite a lot. The day before Christmas we got up and saw that his eye was beginning to bulge out. I took him to Dr. Seager and he gave him a double dose of antibiotic and sent us immediately to a specialist in Salt Lake. We found that infection had set in behind his eye and was swiftly traveling toward his brain. Again we had him administered to, and pled with the Lord to heal him. He was greatly blessed and we knew again how dependent we were on our Heavenly Father.

Another time Daryl was playing on a pipe which crossed the canal. He fell off and hit his face on a rock. For a long time afterward he had a dimple in his cheek to mark the spot where he injured himself.

I had a narrow escape one day when putting in the footings for our house. A cave-in occurred and a lot of dirt came down on my head, pushing my face against the cement. When I dug my way out and got into our little house there was blood and scraped places all over my face. I looked awful for a week. I could have been killed, but again I was protected.

In my early youth I had been thrown from a horse and fractured my arm just above the wrist in two places. While working on a bathroom for a widow, I fell from the rafters and landed on my feet on a cement floor. This jarred my back and put it out of place. A vertebra was out and pressing on the sciatic nerve which went down my leg. I finally got so I could not move and had to rest and take chiropractic treatments. But I have suffered with my back periodically since then and have to be careful what I lift and how I move.

One time I was riding the horse (either Prince or Ribbons) up the lane and he shied and crushed my angle against a fence post. I was laid up with that about 6 weeks and made a peg leg that I could strap onto my knee and walk on my knee to get around. I never did go to the doctor with it. At one of the garages I was plastering a wall. The salesman was out and the office girl was trying to demonstrate a car to a customer and accidentally put it into reverse and backed me against the wall and really hurt my knee. After I got better and the doctor said I could go back to work, I applied for insurance and the Company said that I had gone back to work two days earlier than their disability or accident insurance would pay for. That was the picture of all my dealings with insurance companies. One time I was driving up the highway and a person drove out from the drinking parlor and smacked me in the side of my truck. He was one of the big-shots in town. He said the sun was in his eyes and he did not see me. Well, they hatched it up that I had to be going 5 miles over the speed limit according to the skid marks. So I did not get a dime then either. That is typical of my bouts to collect any insurance. I think if I was walking in a pedestrian zone and got hit by a car going through on a red light and with a traffic cop motioning me to cross, that I could not get a penny’s worth of insurance.

But if I depend on the Lord to help me or protect me or save me from harm, I know I have a sure thing. He is the best insurance on the face of this earth, and if I can just live so as to be counted worth of His blessings I will fear no evil.

We bought a beautiful white colt when the children were getting old enough to ride and we named her Ribbons. She was a spirited horse and could really run—a quarter horse. We were anxious to get her broke to ride so we could enjoy her. I rode her in several parades and she became so spirited that she danced all the way home. She was always full of life. Too much so to please Lola, for she feared her and worried when we were riding her. She had a beautiful white foal sired by Wayne Collier’s palomino. Prince loved people and was one of the smartest horses I have ever seen. We trained him to do tricks and several things which were unique. We could call him from anywhere and he seemed to love to be under the saddle. One day when I was breaking him to ride, I put a hackamore halter on him and forgot to fasten the chin strap. I was putting him through his paces when I pulled the halter right over he head. He sensed the freedom he had just received and thought he would go for a run. I was on him bareback and he was really stretched out when he saw a fence ahead of him and he instantly decided to jump it, but at the last second, made a sharp turn. I went sailing over his head and struck my ankle and leg on the fencepost. I thought I was really hurt, but after a few weeks was up to the old routine.

About this time Sharon was riding Ribbons. We had been watering the field and some water had gotten into the plowed ground. When Ribbons got into the deep mud she started to buck. Then she came to her senses and stopped in her tracks—dead still. Sharon turned a summersault over the horse’s head and landed on her feet in the mud—the most beautiful demonstration of acrobatics I have ever seen and the funniest. Sharon was too scared to think it was funny.

Kristen was now sixteen and had his driver’s license so he traded around with a friend and got an old car without lights, or brakes, and he called it the Bomb and from all I could see it was rightly named. The motor sounded like a thrasher and he nearly got killed in it several time, and finally got so many complaints from his mother that he decided it had to go.

One morning we got up to several inches of snow and Sharon took the car up to Aunt Laura’s and on her way home decided to flip a “Use” and got more of a thrill than she planned—she wound up in the canal. I could tell what she was thinking by studying her tracks in the snow.

One day the boys caught a baby skunk in a gunny-sack and put it in the neighbor’s mailbox so it couldn’t get away. At least that was their excuse—however I suspect that the motive was to get even for some mistreatment they felt they had received from the neighbors.

I should have started this a long time ago. I could write a whole book just on the escapades of the children.

One time I went hunting with the Duvall twins, Orville Merrell and Lynn McKonkie, and we were standing in a circle and one of the fellows said if a person knew how to handle a gun right there would never be an accident. Just as he got through saying that, POW! His gun went off and plowed a furrow between Lynn’s legs and mine. The very next day the same fellow thought he saw the white tail of a deer through the trees and shot at it and it was LaVoir Duvall who had a white handkerchief in his back pocket. The bullet went through the fleshy part of his fanny and miraculously missed the bones and left quite a large wound.

When we were in the first year of our marriage I dreamed a beautiful dream of two lovely girls who were very young coming toward me with their arms outstretched and I felt that they were to be our daughters. But one was dark and one was blond. We were blessed with two blond daughters but I suppose one of our descendants will have to have the dark one.

By the time Valerie and Rick came along the birth had become more or less a routine event. I did not worry so much about everything that came up and we had a chance to enjoy them a lot more, so we did just that. Valerie was premature (or at least came nearly a month before we expected her) and it seemed to make a difference in her disposition. She just couldn’t seem to get adjusted to her new surroundings. She up-chucked all her food, and although she kept enough down to grow on, she sure had a touchy stomach. She continued to spit up a lot until she was a year old. She also cried a lot. Once she got started, you could not get her to stop, but she out-grew that too.

Having four big brothers had quite an influence on her—she tried to keep up with them. One day when she was playing ball (about 4) she got clobbered with the bat and got two front teeth knocked out. I took a long time for them to come back in and probably caused some of the problems which called for an orthodontist to put braces on her teeth to the tune of about $500.00. Maybe that is one of the reasons she was so shy, but I wouldn’t have her any other way. We love her so much and it has been so nice having her in our home. She has been such a good girl and has strong will to resist evil and has such fine standards that can only produce excellence. We expect great things of her. She has been an “A” student and even got an “A plus” in her science. She loves music and is gifted in that line.

We bought a brand new truck with a cab-over camper as a demonstrator, but I found they did not sell very fast at that time, but we enjoyed it very much until I drove under an apple tree and poked a hole in the front.

Lola began to experience morning sickness during this year and we began to plan for one more child with joy for it had been over four years and we had thought we might not be able to have any more. I was sure that this one would be the little dark haired child I had seen in my dream—but no, it was another boy and we did not even have a boy’s name picked out. Rick has been one of the dearest spirits—he is a very special boy. We have been buddies and done tings together that I could not find time to do with the others while they were growing up. I am very thankful for him but must say that each one has been unique in their own special way. I just couldn’t have been more blessed. I have the best children in the world.

Valerie was in her stroller and fell down the basement steps and received a terrible bump on her head. One time when she was about three she walked up to a coral snake without being bitten. At one time we were all on the mountain logging mine props on the ward timber project, when Valerie and Kerri wandered off and got lost. It was dusk and they could not see the road. They called out to Heavenly Father to help them and they then found the road and got back to Sharon.

Rick has had several spiritual experiences that I shall always remember. He was in Hurricane where he got near the spray trick or the neighbors had been spraying insecticides or weed killer—anyway whatever it was choked him up and he could scarcely breathe. We got some consecrated oil and I administered to him. Immediately he went to sleep and had a short nap and when he awoke he was perfectly okay.

We were on our way to Salt Lake and Rick was asleep in the back of the car when he sat up and said: “Dad, we didn’t have prayer before we left.” Then, without any break in his breathing, seemed to fall asleep again. I didn’t think much about it for a minute, then stopped the car and we had our prayer. About ten minutes later we were going up a hill and a lady came over the top and headed right at us, crossing over into our lane. I honked the horn and stayed in my lane, but there was a steep drop on my side and nowhere to go. She woke up and got back into her own lane just in the nick of time. Again the Lord had answered our prayers.

We were leaving to go to Hurricane to a family reunion and I had to stop on the outskirts of town to pick up a spare tire that they were fixing for me at the tire shop. I was gone a while getting it and Lola laid down in the back of the van and went to sleep. Rick got out of the car, and I thought he had climbed in the back with his mother. We got about ten miles and Lola woke up and said: “Where is Rick?” “Isn’t he in the back with you? I queried. Well we turned around and drove as fast as we could and found him at the tire shop. The man there said he had run after us down the middle of the road, crying and calling to us. He was still in tears, although the man went after him and took him back and told him we would soon miss him and come looking for him. He was very unsure of our love for him and it took some time to gain back his confidence and trust.

I went into the stone casting business and did a lot of experimenting. It went over quite well and yet it was soon out of date and being in a cold climate was unable to work at enough to keep it going and make it pay out. Some day we may begin to work at it once more.

I went back to the school for several years as custodian and then we decided to move to Cedar City. I had been painting in oils and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to improve my skills. So we pulled up our roots and headed south.

I had been doing bicycle repair in my spare time so I turned it over to a neighbor and left most of my tools with him, which was a complete loss as I never got a cent and most of the tools were stolen.

We arrived in Cedar City in June, 1967 and I enrolled in college. I took art from Tom Leek along with geology and biology and trying to hold down a full time job at the 7th and 9th Ward Chapel as custodian. I really had my hands full to try to keep up in school. I got under a lot of pressure. Memorization was very difficult for me the tests really were torture.

In the art class I met a lady whom I felt had the blood of Israel in her veins. And as I could have predicted the whole family joined the Church and her son, Danny, went on a mission and did a beautiful job. He got many converts. We feel that we had some influence on them and that we did help to teach them something about the Church. We have remained friends.

At the end of the summer quarter of the second year in school, I was plagued with a stroke and it affected my memory. I decided I’d better be satisfied with what I had and be thankful that I could continue to work and take care of my family. So, since then, I have been taking care of the 3rd and 4th Ward Chapel which is also the 14th Ward, of which we are members. I am struggling to keep ahead of the work, but it is hard with three wards.

One day we decided to go to Lake Powell to try out a boat and motor I had bought. We really had a wonderful time and were out on the lake when a strong wind came up and we decided to head for shore, but the pin sheared off the motor and we were trying to row against the wind. Don and his brother-in-law, both very strong, were rowing with all their might, but could make no head way and the waves were getting bigger and wind more intense. We almost got swamped and were all pretty scared. The shore toward which we were being blown was sheer rock walls. Bruce stood up and began waving his arms and a big house boat saw us and came and towed us into shore. The name on the big boat was “Mother” and we though what an appropriate name that was.

I bought another boat from John Leibhardt, but the motor went out on it the first time we used it at Lake Powell and we were all disappointed on that trip that we did not get to use it. I bought a small motor for it and have used it for fish and in has turned out to be a nice little boat and we really have fun in it.

I decided to build a pontoon boat and put it on the Blue Goose, the first homemade boat we bought. I have worked a lot of hours on it and I will soon take it to the launching pad and give it its final christening. We expect to have much fun with it on this family reunion.

We bought a home a year after we came to Cedar, just across the street from the Church and so I am pretty close to work. We love it here, but find much to be desired in many respects. Lola wants to return to Vernal and I want to go farther south. I’ve shoveled all the snow I care to, when there’s better ways of handling it, like going where it doesn’t snow.

Janice, our daughter-in-law came down with a very high fever and got really sick at a family reunion in Hurricane. She wanted to be administered to, so we knelt in prayer before the administration took place. David Ruesch anointed and I sealed, and when I began to speak and laid my hands upon her head, the powers of the priesthood surged through me until I could hardly stand. I knew at that moment that she would be healed. Later she went to the doctor and he said she had had a very bad case of strep throat, but that she was over it. This was a great testimony to me of the powers of the Holy Priesthood.

We have been blessed very much in our home, far beyond our right to expect. But we have tried to live good lives and pay an honest tithing unto the Lord and do many things to assure our Heavenly reward, but it seems like the Evil One is always ready to test us. He never takes a vacation.

May the Lord bless this wonderful family in all we do in the spirit of righteousness and may he lead us unto the truth of all things, and may this family be united in the glories of this world forever, even after it is celestialized. May we have love and unity in our hearts toward each family member and may we all be together throughout all eternity.

This may be added to at a later time as the course of events weave their patterns into our lives.

To all of you I give my love. Your father and grandfather, B. Vere Wilson

An addendum written by Kristen Vere Wilson, Vere’s oldest son.

Mom and Dad lived in Cedar City for several more years until after Dad retired. He went back into the artificial stone making effort and worked in that long hours each day. They went each week to the St. George temple for years. They worked as missionaries in the Cedar City LDS Employment office for a couple of years and they were also called on a mission and served in Kentucky for 18 months. I believe Mom tells more about that in her autobiography.

Upon their return home from the mission field we (their children) became very concerned about a potential fall down the stairs in their home as mother had to make many trips up and down those stairs each week to do the laundry. Since Sharon, Daryl, and I, all lived in Vernal, we hoped that we could get them to move here in their final years so that we could watch over them a little closer. Dad wouldn’t agree because he wanted to move to Hurricane where it was warm and they could more regularly attend the temple.

After the announcement that the old Uintah Stake Tabernacle building was to be converted into a temple, Dad finally agreed to move to Vernal. So at the chosen time, all the kids and kids in law gathered there with trucks, trailers, etc. to move them to Vernal. It was a difficult time for Dad because it meant such a sacrifice to him to leave his beloved home country of Southern Utah, as well as to give up on many of his dreams which included the development of the artificial stone business. I believe that in many ways we broke his heart and spirit.

We found a small home for them with only a couple of stairs and a very large outbuilding in which dad could putter away at his inventions. Mother was in 7th heaven, coming back to her childhood home and Dad was hurting in his soul. In time he felt better about the move and very quickly they were involved in temple work, particularly in the baptistery. They were asked to teach a primary class and did for several years. The kids loved them and loved to push Dad around in his wheel chair. The kids always had a hug for Mom and Dad.

Father became quite crippled but otherwise remained fairly healthy until the time of his death. Those of us that lived here did check up on them daily and each of us had our chores to do. Sharon’s job was house cleaning and toenails, Daryl’s was physical facilities and repair, mine was check writing and bill paying. Mother wouldn’t let us cross over into each other’s assigned territory.

Father sickened and died 9 Jan 2001, after only a few hours of deep illness. The family sang hymns to him and were with him until he passed away. His last words, as far as I know, were: “I love you too, Lola” after Mom told him she loved him. He was such a gentle man and everyone loved him.

Mother lived alone then for a little more than a year and was killed, along with her daughter and our sister, Sharon, in a car accident. This happened 13 Mar 2002. She wore a pacemaker for her heart for a few years but otherwise her health was good until the day of her death.

We, like Nephi were born of goodly parents. We have been blessed all of our lives because of their goodness. We look forward to seeing them, just not yet.

Memories & Incidents of David & Marion Manwaring... by Leona Manwaring

Memories and Incidents of David and Marion Manwaring and Their Posterity Written by Leona Manwaring, started January 1943
Grandfather Henry Manwaring and his wife Sarah Barber, with their family of nine children, accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in old England. Because of this, Grandfathers parents cut them off from their inheritance. They came to America when father was nine years old. They were poor, but rich in the spirit of the gospel, to join the saints in Utah.
They made their home in Springville, Utah. Grandfather, a shoemaker by trade, had his little shop in one corner of Grandmother's clean kitchen. She was a very tidy little lady, frail but loveable. When his work for the day was done, grandfather would tidy up his bench and sweep up all
his scraps, so that it would not mar the appearance of the room.
Here Father grew up; one day he was alone, grandmother left father to finish baking her bread. She told him to soak it good (meaning
for him to cook it well). When it was done father took it out of the oven and dipped each loaf into a bucket of water. When grandmother came home she said, "Ah dear me David, why did you do such a thing?" He answered, "Well you told me to soak it good."
Grandfather Alonzo Atwood was a true American born in Penn. of sturdy stalk. He was always eager for the frontier, he too joined the church and came to Utah. Grandmother Elizabeth Geddes McClean was born in Scotland. Her father was killed in a coal mine. Her brave little mother, with seven small children joined the church and came to America. They joined the Handcart Company and trudged the weary miles across the plains. Grandma helping pull the cart and walking barefoot most all the way. All her life she loved to be barefooted, how she would enjoy getting home from meeting or town and kick off her shoes. She was married to grandfather in her early teens, and our precious mother was their first child. Our parents had ground into them the love of the gospel and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and have passed it on to their children. In her own words I shall tell some of mother and father's life together.
"I was born March 17, 1867 in Cottonwood, Utah, the oldest in my father's second family. We moved to Salem when I was very small. It was there when I was six and my brother Robert four, our parents
left us alone and went to Jordan, to my grandmothers, as she was dying. While they were gone the Indians carne and took father's shirt off the line, all our bread and butter and (Old Blue) the blind mule. When they found him blind they let him come back. When father came I was baking pancakes for us to eat. Here I grew from childhood to womanhood quickly. The summer I was thirteen I cooked for my father's 'hired men
on a brick yard in Tinnie. When fourteen, cooking again for father's brick yard men in Springville, Sarah Larsen was grandfather's cook. One
morning we saw a tall, fine, good looking, sandy complexioned young
man coming down the track looking for work. We jokingly debated which would capture him. From that minute, I had my heart set for him. He
got work at grandfather's camp. I met him first the next morning
when I ran there for cream. I received a goodly sprinkle from his wash water. His apology led to a close friendship, from that to courtship, and on January 1, 1885 to a happy marriage in the Logan Temple. Our honeymoon consisted of two days we spent on our way to and from Logan. But we really had our happy honeymoon in the little home we had prepared in Salem, that first happy nest and on through the years we
spent together. This first little home was one small ,room, our bed, stove, a small table, two chairs, a cupboard made of dry good boxes, curtains
at the windows, a few rag rugs on a clean scrubbed bare floor, and we started house keeping, but,oh the joy and happiness that was there.
A house is built of brick and stones, of sills and posts and piers, but a home is built of loving deeds that stand a, thousand years. A house, tho but a humble cot; within its walls may hold a home, of priceless beauty, rich in loves eternal gold. (Waterman)

This little nest was the foundation of a home throughout the years, rich in love's eternal gold.
When I was a single girl going with my husband, a young man who was very insistent on having me, got very angry when I flatly refused him. He said, If I married David Manwaring he would kill us both. I never saw him again until one day my husband, and I and our first baby were riding along and we came face to face with him. Oh the hateful, revengeful, devilish look he gave us. Man measured man and he rode on. I felt he would shoot us through our backs, but the Lord stayed his hand and I have not seen him since.
Young folks in my day had our fun in groups at apple peeling bees, corn husking, old square dancing and in swimming pools. One day we girls went to the old swimming pool, while undressing knocked down a bee nest and had to make a wild dive, naked for the water. Unsuspecting boys came on the scene and we were the possessors of the pool, they took our clothes to the willows and left, while we for once were glad to dress and hit for home, leaving them the pool and the bees.
I had twenty seven years of happy companionship with my life's mate, then the Lord called him home. To us was born fourteen children, six boys and eight girls, two died as babies, the others have grown up fine and all active in the Church of Jesus Christ. They have all been through the temple, but my youngest girl and I hope someday she can go too. My active life has been as a busy mother, a Relief Society
teacher and many years as first and second counselor. A great deal of my time was spent among the sick. Many is the person I have helped to layout and dress for burial, and the little babies I've helped to
bring into the world would number well past a hundred. Besides my own,
I have helped to bring 38 of my 53 grandchildren into the world, all still alive but four, and many of my friends and neighbors little ones.

We have had sorrow, sunshine, joy, song, and laughter, hard troubles, close calls, the things of life that make us strong, and cling together in our humble little log, vine covered home.


Mother and fathers first sorrow was the death of their oldest girl;
a charming little girl with golden hair who died of spinal meningitis, when she was only two years and seven months old, leaving them with only their little boy Elmer, who called about the house crying "Sissy, Sissy", he was so lonesome for her. The Lord soon gave them another boy and when this baby Arthur was six weeks old they moved to Vernal, Utah. The
valley then wasn't like it is now. The winters were long, hard and very cold. Grandfather Atwood brought mother and her two boys in a wagon, the trip was a long hard one. Father joined them here in a month. Old brother Lybbert took them in and let them build a room on what is now known as the Nash farm. The valley was young and work was hard to get. Many is the day father has ground sausage or stirred green tomato preserves, cooked in a large vat in molasses for the Lybberts and taken for pay, meat or the green tomato preserves. He was a mason by trade, many of the brick homes and buildings in this valley he has helped to build and plaster. He also made brick at brick yards where they made the dobies out of clay then burned them in a kiln. Father and Joab Collier had a brick yard near the Collier farm in Davis ward, so
father moved his one log room out there so that his family, now four children, could be with him. They lived out there a year and a half. One of those summers a cloudburst washed all the doby out the west
side of their house. Mother and the children had to get upon the bed
to keep out of the water that flooded across the floor. There was
a large canal nearby and mother would take the children in swimming, she was a duck herself a good swimmer, but none of her girls ever learned to swim. One day when the canal was real full Arthur said, "Mama, lets go swimming, we can have a big swim now."
Father built Morton Allred's house to pay for our farm. Then they moved their little log cabin back here, added two rooms and had a house of their own, here the rest of their children were born. After father's death the boys tore down the old dirt roof house and took the old logs and built the home we now live in.
One of the early winters here was so cold that for six weeks they could not see out the windows the frost was so thick, the snow was so deep and the cold so intense it was very hard just to keep from freezing to death. They had sickness in their home at different times, children getting measles, whooping cough, mumps and other diseases, babies being born. But they had their fun too with prattling babies about and little ones trudging off to school. The larger ones growing up. We had our lessons at home to learn, for mother stamped honesty, faith, integrity, and moral living into our souls.

At the time of the jubilee, a joyous gathering of the saints in Salt Lake City; Father and Mother took their six children (Veda was the baby), in a covered wagon and went out to see his parents. It was the first they had been back since they moved to Vernal. Mother was really sick at the home of Uncle Jessie in Provo, carol singers sang
so beautifully at their window" she thought it was Angels. When they
bid grandmother Manwaring goodbye to return home, she said to them, "Ah, dear a me, I'm glad to see thee come but I'm glad to see thee go." On the way home one night after making camp, they heard the screams of a panther. They had to break camp, and drive on with badly frightened horses from that wild beast to safety. On this trip there was a large tree with it's branches hanging across the road and in one of these limbs, a rattlesnake was curled. Father had to shoot it before he could pass on.
When our Naples Ward meeting house was being built, times were very hard, and the people were poor, and knew what it was to sacrifice to build a place to worship. Father was one of the brick layers and had to spend every day on that work until it was done. It was all donation work. People that could not work on the building would donate a sheep or pig, or some potatoes or flour; this was divided among the men that were working on the building. Even this was a scanty living for those that didn't have other means of providing for their families. But poor people have always had a good opportunity of being blessed with the spirit of the Lord. Some of the greatest men of all time have come from poor homes and communities, and Naples Ward has shared in this, for out of it has come some very fine and wonderful people filled with the spirit of the Lord.
Father was a very beautiful singer, he whistled and sang as he worked.
He was the Stake chorister and also in the Sunday School, going from
ward to ward teaching people to sing. People liked his music and on through the years, his singing and fine manhood have stayed in the
memory of all that knew him. All his children and grandchildren and now the great grandchildren can sing, tho' some have better voices
than others; some playing the piano or other instruments. Many of
them have been choristers in the different organizations. His five
sons have stepped in his footsteps all the way, fine; clean men magnifying the priesthood they hold and their offices in the church.
now Elmer is the patriarch of Roosevelt Stake, Arthur just released
from Uintah Stake Mission Pres. and put in first counselor of the
High Priest Quorum. Lavell has been the bishop of Naples Ward for
six and a half years. Ashel is one of Uintah Stake High councilmen
and Dee one of the missionaries. They all have some of fathers characteristics about them, either in voice, some look or action. LaVell in build and when he has plaster allover him, father lives again to me, for that is how I remember him best, coming home from work tired with is hands and clothes covered with lime and plaster. One time when the family was small, father had been plastering and was to take flour for pay, and the man failed to get it for him, when he came home mother said she didn't have a bit of flour. Father told her to sweep the bin up good and there would be enough for supper and breakfast. In prayer that night they asked the Lord to open some way for them to get flour until that man could pay. In the morning there was a sack
of flour and piece of bacon on the step. Where it came from we do not know, but we do know it was a direct answer to prayer. Many are the
prayers that have been answered in our homes, some immediate, some remote, but the prayers of faith are always answered for our good. We must all learn to be submissive to the will of the Lord. Then our prayers will be answered for our good, whether in the way we expected or some other way; prayers and faith bring their reward, even if we do have to wait a long, long time. When LaVell was about six he was watching one of his uncles doctor a saddle sore on a horse. LaVell got too close and the horse kicked him in the head with it's sharp shoe cutting LaVell's head open, but he wasn't hurt too seriously. Then when he was about nine, he and Sadie went into the field to catch a horse for mother to go for father and one for LaVell to herd cows on. They caught one and LaVell waded out in the swamp for the other, walking up to the horse he put his shoulder against it's
neck, the horse whirled and kicked LaVell, cutting the left side of his face wide open into his teeth knocking them loose and his tongue
came through the cut. It knocked him down but he got up out of the mud and walked out to Sadie before he went unconscious. Sadie picked him up, carrying him and leading the horse she got him near enough
to the house to call for help. Mother ran to them, they sent for father and a doctor. Father came without the doctor thinking it not so serious, but when he got there, he saw the need of a doctor. They had to put him under chloroform to sew it up.
When father was laying brick on our meeting house, Waltermer Lybbert was one of the hod carriers, Father called to him to bring up a drink of water, when he came up with it he filled fathers hip pockets with water, of course when father leaned over again, the water soaked through his overalls and got him rather wet. When Waltermer went down the plank again, father turned and with his trowel, chucked mud inside of Bro. Lybberts shirt and down his neck. Brother Lybbert was always playing pranks. One day he came in and seeing mother’s bread in the oven, took it out and hid it from her and would not tell where it was. A week later, she found it still baking in the sun on top of the house.
Father smoked off and on in the first years of his married life.
One Monday morning when Elmer was driving him to his work in Jensen, father lighted a cigarette and started smoking, then he turned to Elmer and asked if he had started smoking, Elmer said no. Father said "Son, I promise you if you will never smoke, I will never smoke again." Elmer said that it was a promise. Father worked until Wednesday, then walked all the way home wetting his handkerchief in the streams he passed to wipe his face. When he got home he was a pretty sick man. One has to put up an awful fight to overcome a habit like that. Father prayed all night to the Lord to have the strength of character to overcome this bad habit and keep his promise to his boy. Near morning Father's prayers were answered; and on through the years of life, father and son have kept faithfully their promise to each other.

One day, mother, Rachael Bascom, and Lizzie Olsen were buggy going
to see the sick, Mother had her baby with her and as they were going
up a gulch hill, the horse started bucking. Mother and Rachel Bascom jumped out, but sister Olsen just sat there. Mother said, "Lizzie, Jump!" Mother told her to go under the bridge or anywhere. They just got sister Olsen out when the buggy tipped over in the gulch, breaking it to pieces.
One day, while in Maeser working, father slipped on an icy board and fell on his knee. It hurt so bad he couldn't get around at all for several weeks. It gathered under the kneecap and was very painful. Mother had to keep hot stoops on it day and night till they could bring it to a head and draw it out with poultices.
When Elmer was a young man he was working at Jensen for Mr.
Billings to help pay off the mortgage on our home. He was a great one for swimming and would go in Green River with the other boys for a swim. One week end when he came home mother felt something serious was going to happen, she tried to get Elmer to promise not to go into the river though she had been swimming with one of her children on her back many times before. Elmer was reluctant to make that promise as he loved to swim and he knew the other boys would be going in. But when mother took him by the lapels of his coat looking up into his eyes and said, "If you will promise me you won't go, I won't worry." Elmer gave in and promised mother. On Tuesday the boys went for their usual swim but Elmer wouldn't go in. A few days later, while those boys were in swimming, one of them was drowned. While Elmer's heart ached for the sadness of it all, he was thankful he had kept his promise to his mother.

One time when Elmer was coming down from Dry Fork with a load of lumber, he stopped for the night. It was a cold blizzardy night. While he was making his campfire, a Caldwell came out. When he found out who Elmer was he said, "Put out that fire, no son of David Manwaring's can layout around me." He took Elmer in and gave him a bed, his supper and breakfast. In the evening while they were talking he told Elmer how much he appreciated and enjoyed father's music. How his songs impressed him, especially the song, "Do What Is Right," and "Kind Friends".
Kind Friends have scattered flowers all along our way,
I would rather have one little rose from a garden of a friend, Than to have the choicest flowers, when my stay on earth must end, I would rather have one pleasant word in kindness said to me,
Than flattery when my heart is still and life has ceased to be.
I would rather have a loving smile from friends I know are true, Than tears shed round my casket when this world I've bid adieu. Bring me all your flowers today whether pink or white or red;
I'd rather have one blossom now, than a truckload when I'm dead.
When Ashel and I were quite young, one night we were breaking chips.
A splinter of mine flew in Ashel's eye. When the Doctor got it out he found it serious and said the sight might be entirely gone. But through the gracious blessing of the Lord, our prayers were answered, and the sight came back, and the ache in my heart was lifted, for it would have been sad to go through life with the thought I had cost my brother his eye.
Death brought sorrow again into our home when our three month old baby brother took seriously ill and in a few short hours was gone, back to the eternal home in peace. Death can be sad, but how the Lord does heal the aching wound, and give us strength to go on. It wasn't long until another little boy came to bless our home. Life does have its sorrow and pain, but oh, how the sun does come shining through to make us smile again and count our many blessings.
One day when Ashel was a small boy, in the evening just at dusk, he was running and playing in the yard and fell down and broke his shoulder. We learned what one can suffer with broken bones, but the years ahead were to teach us the seriousness of broken limbs and more of their long suffering. Ashel’s arm healed nicely and in a little while he had perfect use of it again. Father often said in our humble home filled with children, that he thanked the Lord for his poverty, it would be the salvation of his family. It has been a blessing to us all and strengthened each character as they fought for a livelihood by the sweat of their brow.
One cold winter night, I remember father and mother weren't home.
LaVell was at M.I.A.; Jessie was home with the younger ones, when all of a sudden, something stumbled against our door and fell on the doorstep. Your imagination can sure play tricks on you, especially when you let
it run wild when you are "fraidy cats". We were all afraid of this drunkard, as we thought, that had fallen on our doorstep. We locked
the door and Jessie and Veda got hot water and a cloth to steam the frost off the window so they could see if it was a man. But it was
so dark out they could only see a dark object lying there. We were getting more frightened all the time of this monster. LaVell was coming home from mutual with Albert N. Goodrich, Albert wanted him to go in and play a game of checkers, but LaVell said he had to hurry home, that the kids were afraid of something. When he got to our gate he saw this something lying on the step, so he brought the pitch fork that was standing by the gate along with him and drove a young colt away that had gotten out and found warmth on the door step, back to the corral.

When Elmer and Arthur were boys mother sent Arthur out to the ditch for a bucket of water, as it was dark, Elmer wrapped a sheet around
him and ran out and hid behind a rosebush when Arthur came back with the water and bucket, it just fit nicely over Elmer's head. He got
the water and Arthur got the trail.
Oh ghosts that willfully stalk the dark,
who steal along and will not talk,
Sneak up white friend, or you might see,
That I'm the one to play the shark,
and greet you in your walk.
Years went by and the time had come when the first ones were leaving the home nest, Elmer and Sadie were going to be married, they were having a double wedding. Mother and Grandma Goodrich (Elmer's wife's mother), went with them in a covered wagon to the Sale Lake Temple, where mother saw her first children married. They were married Sept. 14, 1910. The next spring mother's last child was born. In August her first grandchild came along. During this fall Elmer got typhoid fever and was seriously ill for about six weeks. The Doctor took all food away from him and for days he was so faint from hunger he felt he was starving. He asked mother to call the Doctor and see if he could have something. The answer was no. He turned his face to the wall and cried and plead with the Lord to have that Doctor give him something. He asked mother to call again, this time the Doctor said to give him a little malted milk and a whipped egg. Once again prayers were answered and he began to improve. It took a long time for him to get his strength back. It was about three months before he tried walking down to mothers which was only about a quarter of a mile. His wife came along and carried a chair for him to rest on and they were about an hour coming that far. In the early part of December of 1911 Arthur left for his mission to the Central States, when he bid father
goodbye he never dreamed it would be the last time he would ever see him.
Sadie moved to St. George in January 1912, where they made their home. There were now two grandchildren, father only saw these two. In the 31 years he has been gone there has been fifty-three grandchildren, forty-nine now living and twenty seven great grandchildren.
In early April of 1912 father wanted to set out a young orchard, he was going to Joab Colliers for the trees and wanted mother to go along. When they came home in the afternoon, and started planting trees father took a severe chill. Mother got him to cover the rest of the trees with a little dirt and come into bed. That night was his choir practice and he being the Stake Leader, wanted to get up and go. Mother would not hear of it. Eleven days of burning up with a scorching fever, and on April 23, 1912, he was gone. Gone to eternal rest but leaving an empty place and the saddest ache we had ever known. Through it all, another lesson was learned and the gospel ground into our souls even more. We learned as all Latter Day Saints do, that the grave has lost its victory and death can lose its sting. We found what true friendships were and how it lasts throughout the years. Sadie had prepared to come to father's funeral, but when she went to dress her baby for the trip he was broke out with the measles. The train she would have been on, wrecked between St. George and Salt Lake City, killing and injuring several people. The news reached Arthur in his mission as a terrible shock even though he had felt there was something wrong at home. From here we were to go on without our beloved father but his memory has been very dear to all of us.
"Daddy Dear"
My father tho' long gone to his rest, the memory is so clear, To us you seem the very best, daddy dear, old dear.
You left us here to do our best and mother's set the pace, That when we gain eternal rest, we'll see you face to face. The memory of your smiling face, your kind and tender love,
Your voice, filled with sweet music's grace, We’ll hear again above. Oh Daddy! Tho' the way seems long, the road seems rough, like a sad, sad, song, Help us to try, the best we can, to be like you, a worthy man.
One year after father's death, I had a paralysis condition come upon me. On through the years I was to be a cripple and Thelma too, my youngest sister, for when she was seven she too got this paralysis. We were to be the burdens and sorrow of the family. But through our handicap, the inspiration and spirit of the Lord has been poured out in rich abundance to some of our loved ones: These promised blessings can best be told from my own story, I shall put it all here.

After father's death, Arthur stayed on his mission until December of 1912; then his mission president thought it best to release him and let him come home to help provide for the family. It was hard for Arthur to give up his mission then and all of us felt badly about it. But he was released, came home and in a short time had a job in the Ashley Co-op. It might be interesting to relate some of his mission experiences. When he left Salt Lake for the mission field, there were several going. Among them a young fellow with red hair that jokingly said he was a preacher and Arthur said, "If you are I'll stick with you." When they reached headquarters of Independence; Missouri, President Samuel O. Bennion looked at Arthur and the red headed fellow and sent them together to Oklahoma, where they were to meet their senior companions. Their ticket only took them to a small stopping place way out from nowhere. They got off the train and in the pitch dark wandered around until they found an L.D.S. family that told them that the other missionaries had gone across the state of Oklahoma. Arthur and his companion didn't have any money to take the train all the way so they divided the trip into three parts; they walked the first part, took the train the second, and walked the third and last part, then located the other missionaries and with them started their work. Once Arthur and his companion had found a place to stay over night they thought they had made it they couldn't pay for their lodging but the next morning when the man of the house got angry, Arthur gave him a Book of Mormon, telling him it was the history of the American Indians. He took it because he was interested in ­Indians but sent them away without any breakfast. The missionaries tried all day to tract and get some one to give them a meal without success. At night when they knocked at a door and a man called,
"Come in," they opened the door telling who they were the reply was, "Are you them Mormons that killed all them people at the Medder Massacre?" Arthur told him he had things all twisted, and the man threw his shoe at them. The boys ducked and it went out across the road, as they sat there the people of the farm came out with lanterns, got pitchforks and went about the yard and barn calling out to each other to look out for them Mormons. Arthur and his companions watched a while then went on down the road where they found an old stump of a tree. They built a fire in it and spent the night by its warmth. Near morning it began raining. When the rain put out the fire, they went into an old shed to pray. They had been two days without anything to eat. Their hearts and souls were very humble and they were ready to ask for the Lords help and guidance. When they left the shed they ran into an old bachelor that said, "Hello there, did you come to eat breakfast with me? It's all ready." Their hearts swelled with gratitude and thankfulness as they enjoyed a good breakfast.
There were six or eight Mormon Missionaries going to hold a meeting.
Their district president was with them, he was part Indian. A minister of the congregation took the stand first, ridiculing the Mormon people, telling all manner of lies against them, hissing and scoffing at them. When he was through he said he would give the Mormons five minutes to reply. The district President started to the stand when he got to the steps, he had the inspiration to just sing the song, "School thy Feelings, Oh my Brother", He turned and called up three of the missionaries, and the quartet sang very beautifully that wonderful song. Arthur said he never has felt such a contrast, of the evil spirit and the good. The crowd that were ready to mob them, gathered around the Elders ready to hear their message.
One of Arthur's companions got sick and Arthur had to go tracting from one town to another alone. His companion intended to take the train for the next town and meet Arthur there. While Arthur was going along a road he met two men on horseback. Before they got right up to him they stopped and asked who he was and what he was doing. When he said he was a Mormon Elder preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, they took a handful of money out of their pockets, and threw it at him and said, “Take that and go preach it."
In the spring of 1913 we moved to the John N. Davis farm, Lavell was running the farm, raising grain, potatoes and fruit, everyone putting their shoulder to the wheel. One night after Arthur was married, Eva went into his room to get him to help with one of her lessons and while she was gone, LaVell and Alta were running a race with eggs on spoons. One dropped and broke on a rag rug, they took it and laid it in
front of Eva's bed; when she went to bed, she stepped her bare foot into the egg. She got plenty mad and made them wash the rug before they went to bed.

While we lived at Davis our house caught fire. Within a few minutes there was lots of help, everything was saved, the fire put out before many of the logs were damaged. They rebuilt the house.
On October 1, 1914, Arthur was married. They went to the Salt Lake Temple in a covered wagon, Sadie and Wade went with them. Sadie went to her home in St. George, as she had been spending the summer with us. While here her Mildred was born, she had lost her first girl with the whooping cough. During the summer the boys rebuilt our old log cabin and in the spring we moved home. On October 1, 1915, Veda was married and went with her husband to make their home in Inglewood, California. A year and a half later, Jessie, Alta, and LaVell were all married. Jessie; April 4, 1917. Alta; June 1, 1917. LaVell; June 8, 1917. That fall Alta and Jim went to the temple, mother went with them. This was her last trip to S.L.C. in a covered wagon. The others all went to the temple in cars. Five years later, Eva was married on February 18, 1922. On April 1, 1927, Ashel left the home nest. October 22, 1929 Dee was gone. This left mother Thelma and I alone. All the others now had homes of their own. Things from here connect all our homes together. Yet, I cannot give a full report of each of their homes. When Veda's baby girl was about a year old, Harry was working night shift one night, Veda heard something ripping the screen on her back porch, every little while she would hear the rip again, she became so frightened, she wrapped up Ethelene, so when the burglar came in the back way, she could run out the front. When Harry got home at five in the morning; she was almost sick with fright. They found the burglar to be a dog jumping on the screen trying to get a dressed chicken Veda had hanging out.

When Arthur got pneumonia in March of 1925, he was seriously ill for more than two weeks. Few people get that low and still live. LaVell and mother hardly left him but for a few minutes at a time. He would say to LaVell, "Brother, I've got to have your strong arm to pull me through." But as always faith and prayers along with hard work and your own efforts bring their rewards, and Arthur got well.

We have had a lot of pneumonia in our homes. Almost everyone in our
own family and some of the grandchildren have had it. There has been lots of operations in the families, but no deaths have occurred from them, the Lord has surely blessed us through them all. Jessie had been married ten years, when her husband, Eben Fowler, slipped and fell from the roof of the building. The cement cap from the chimney followed him down. When he hit the ground, the cap hit him in the small of the back. He was hurt internally and in four days he was dead. Jessie was left alone to raise her six small children. She had lost one little girl, born dead. Alone the struggle was hard and her health was broken under the strain. But in all struggles we are blessed. LaVell and Ashel, at this time, were working at the gilsonite mines, when they got the word of Eben's accident. LaVell said, "We must take our clothes with us, we won't be back until we have
laid Eben away."

Our family has always believed in living the Word of Wisdom and find its blessings many. No tobacco or strong drinks, no tea or caffeine in our homes, at this time. One time while Ashel and Dee were working at the gilsonite mine, Ashel working at the bottom of a six hundred foot hole with a non-Mormon (A Mr. Murphy). Dee was in another hole, Ross Merrell in one, Bernard Winkler, some other Naples boys in others. The four holes were connected with each other by
running down the shaft fifty feet or so then taking off into another. Gilsonite is very explosive, if a match was struck in these holes, the mine would blow up in a hurry. At this particular time, Bishop Wilkins was at the mine. In the evening he had been explaining some of the principles of the gospel to the boys at camp. This Mr. Murphy made the remark that not even Jesus Christ could convert him to Mormonism. The next morning as the men were going to work, Murphy was making light of the things Bishop had talked about. Ashel kept quiet until Murphy began to ridicule the Word of Wisdom, then Ashel quoted him this promise of the Word of, Wisdom, "And I the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them as the children of Israel and not slay them." Then Ashel told him that as an athlete keeping the word of wisdom had been a great benefit. The men went on down to work, Ashel and Murphy going to the bottom of their six hundred foot hole. They were cleaning up the gob or rock that had been blasted out of the ore, and dumping out the ore that had been mined. This bulkhead slope ran down a hundred feet or more. Ashel had to climb up a rope and over the bulkhead, then draw up the buckets of gob from Murphy and dump it down this slope. Murphy had done that and some had dropped out of his pocket into the bucket of gob, and was passed up to Ashel. When Ashel threw the gob, as it landed way down the slope, he saw a flash of fire, instantly the whole slope was a seething roaring mass of flames, leaping 50 or 60 feet high. Ashel called to Murphy and said, "It's on fire." He slid down the rope, his first thought was to getup the shaft far enough to give the other boys a warning so they could escape if possible. He and Murphy started climbing the ladders. When Murphy was on the third ladder and Ashel on the second: Ashel could see how utterly impossible it was to get past those leaping, roaring flames. He stopped on the ladder in
silent prayer. He asked the Lord to let the destroying angel pass them by and spare the lives of those men in the holes. Instantly the roaring fire was completely out; Murphy the non-Mormon turned to Ashel and said, "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it, a fire in gilsonite going out like that, I looked for us to be blown to bits, as well as the other men in their holes." This was a direct fulfillment of the Lord's promise as all those Mormon boys knew. It does pay to live the Word of Wisdom, but this miraculous experience did not convert Murphy or open the eyes of his understanding.
On November 23, 1919, Arthur, Mary, and their three oldest children and Sister Hullinger, Mary's mother and her youngest boy, he was three, Iris was four, Everett was 2, and Enid only seven weeks old went to Bluebell for a visit. It was a lovely day and they enjoyed the trip. They stayed over night and by morning it was snowing hard. They left Bluebell at 9 a.m. and it took them until noon to reach Roosevelt. A distance of thirty miles. The snow was so heavy and the storm whipping into a blizzard. On through the day in that storm, they fought their way, the snow getting heavier and the
blizzard worse. Out on the sand bridge their Model A Ford froze up. In their hearts they were praying for the protection of the Lord and they went through a lot, but through the blessings of the Lord, they didn't suffer a great deal with the cold. A coal wagon came along and started to pull them back to Gusher, when a truck came along, hooked them on and pulled them to Vernal. They got quite a ways when the chain broke and he left them stranded again in the storm. While waiting another car came along and pulled them some distance. The going was slow and hard; then the bearing of the car burned out and neither car could go on. They had gotten to the twists, waiting for further help. The parcel post truck came along about five 0'clock, it's cab was full of people so they pulled them on top of their load. It wasn't comfortable but with thankful hearts they traveled on to Vernal and by ten o'clock that night they reached home safely. Even though some of the water pipes in peoples homes in Vernal were frozen and busted, they found theirs all right and they soon had it warm and comfortable. When we had knelt to pray that night Ashel said, "I feel Arthur’s family need our faith and prayers." They could all have frozen to death, but again our prayers had been answered. Three men were frozen to death that same night in that severe blizzard. The next Thanksgiving was a very grateful time for us all. They have often said that was an outstanding Thanksgiving to them for they had their lives as well as their comfortable home and much to be thankful for.





We can never be too careful in the way we live for somewhere along the way we are going to influence someone by our conduct for good or bad, and we do not want to leave some bad scar on anyone or ourselves. One time Elmer had a dream, he said a man came to him and told him what an influence the Manwaring's had had on his life. He said David Manwaring had influenced him, then Arthur, then LaVell, then Ashel came along and did his part, then Dee. Elmer said how happy he was when this man said, "You have all given something to make my life richer, and I am thankful." We truly influence others along the way.
When we younger ones of the family were having mumps, Eva caught cold when coming down with them, they went down on her and she got so very sick. That was the start of her nervous condition. Life has it's hard knocks but we must take them with our chins up and keep on climbing.

Even with the hard knocks and heartaches, there are the laughs too. I remember so well as all of us do the time Eva brought home the itch, Mother, Ashel, Dee, Thelma, and I got it before we knew what she had. (lice)
One night when Owen came to 'see Eva, Mother asked him what to do for a lousy cow. He' said he didn't know, but he knew what to do for lousy people, and he told us to put sheep dip in our bath water. One day, when Dee went to school, someone said, "I can smell sheep dip", Dee said, "I can too! I wonder who has it on them?" To get rid of the itch you have to wash bedding and clothes every day for about six weeks. We did our daily wash and scrubbing. One night we had been turning in our beds itching allover, and had just gotten to sleep, when Ashel jumped up and coming to our bed he yelled, "You son of a buck, You son of a buck, if I can't sleep, neither can you." And we had to do the scratching all over again.

Sad things can touch our lives, yet make us richer for them.
Thirteen years ago, in December 1929, LaVell and Ivy were looking for a new baby. LaVell had lots of meetings to attend, he had asked the Lord to let him be with Ivy when she needed him and not away from home. He was permitted to see into the future of his baby's birth weeks ahead of time. He knew his baby would be a boy and that his name was to be David LaVell and that he would be born on Christmas. He knew the birth would be a serious one, but he did not know how his wife was to come through the ordeal. This was an awful strain on LaVell for he was carrying burden alone. We were all wondering why he looked so bad. When he couldn't carry it alone any longer he told Byron Goodrich and Fuller Remington, asking them to pray for him to be able to meet whatever was coming. Christmas Eve came and LaVell stayed home even though he had a special meeting. It wasn't long until Ivy needed help. They came for Mother, Ivy was sick all that night and all the next day. Toward evening they sent their three little girls down to our place. At: seven, Christmas night, their little boy was born. Dee went over there about that time. They called Byron Goodrich then the bishop, and he blessed the baby.
Dee said he had never seen the spirit of the Lord shine around anyone, as it did those two men as LaVell held his little boy and the Bishop gave him his name. Mother had dressed this little baby and was warming him by the fire when she called, LaVell to her. She knew the baby was sinking. LaVell took his little son in his arms , holding him close, he asked the Lord to spare his boy until his little sisters could see him alive and went on suffering alone. When seven in the morning came he called Dee to bring his girls home, they were so thrilled over their new brother for only a minute and placing a kiss on his cheek, were sent to the kitchen. Then their little son breathed his last and was gone. Ivy was still with them and they had that to be thankful for. Death is sad but its heart ache can be lifted by a knowledge of the hereafter. It isn't hard to die, it takes but a moment’s duration, but it takes strength to live; strength and courage to go on and live so we can meet our loved ones on the other side. Death is one thing that comes into all our lives at one time or another and we must be prepared every moment for we know not when He will call us home.

Ashel and Elva were the next to experience the loss of a little child from their home. I shall never forget that cold December night when they had to get up in the night and come to our home for their little baby to be born. Mother was to care for her here. They had to come in a horse and buggy, Elva’s mother came with them. When they got here, they were white with frost and so very cold. Near morning their little girl was born. Sister Merrell, dressing the little dear called Ashel to her and told him to name his baby, they could see she wouldn1t live. Ashel stepped out to be alone and asked the Lord for help and guidance. He came back to Elva, then took his little girl in his arms and named her Verlee. At times like these it does take the spirit of the Lord to bear you up and give you strength to go bravely on. Through all our trials we have been greatly blessed. In every day we can count our many blessings; our homes, always plenty to eat and wear, some comforts of life, healthy peace, and love, and burning testimonies of the truthfulness of this gospel. That makes one rich indeed.
When Sadie's Donald was near two years old, she and her children spent the summer on their farm in the mountains, near St. George, while Walter was away working. There were lots of rattlesnakes and wild beasts around and the smaller children had to be watched closely. One day, Donald slipped away. They ran all about calling and calling, but could not find him. They got the other ranchers out and for five long desperate hours, they searched for the lost child, all of them praying for help and guidance. When Sadie felt she couldn't go any farther, she dropped down exhausted, to pray again. She plead with the Lord to give her back her baby's body, that she would not have to give it up to the wild beasts to devour. Kneeling there, she heard a faint moan, she called the others and they could tell it came from far below in a gully. The men tried to tell Sadie she could not get down that steep place, but down she went with them, and there on the opposite side of the stream lay her baby with one little arm in the water, moaning himself to sleep. Can anyone say prayers are not answered? Sadie got back her baby, but the strain she went through broke down her already weakening heart completely. The three remaining years of her life, she suffered a lot and at times could hardly breath at all. She spent her last summer with us and said many times how glad she was to come and see us all. Now she could go and give her report to Father. Those last few weeks here she got seriously ill. The Doctor said if she were to live, she must go to a lower climate and gave no hope of her getting over the divide at all. We sent for her husband to come and get her. He and his two oldest boys came to get her in a private car. The sheriff of St. George had loaned them his car, a friend indeed. They got here about eleven o'clock in the morning and by three that afternoon they were ready to start for home with her on a bed in the back of the car. Before leaving, most of the family came to bid her goodbye. We knew that was the last we would ever see her again. Her husband and brothers gathered around her bed to give her a blessing. LaVell sealed the anointing and promised her she would go over the divide alright to reach her family safely. When she got home she wrote back and said that that blessing had been completely fulfilled. She never even noticed the height of the divide and was home with her children and feeling better. She lived five months longer; then death claimed her February 10, 1932. She suffered a lot, but in the end went so peacefully that Walter, holding her in his arms, did not know she was gone. She was a wonderful woman and will reap her reward.


One thing after another has come into our lives to test our faith ­and make us seek the Lord more fully for his blessings. When Alva, Alta's boy was 14, his nerves completely broke, he almost lost the use of his left arm and hand. He was to have his tonsils out and just before the operation he was administered to. In that blessing LaVell asked the Lord to reward him openly for his faithful service as a deacon and the duties he had fulfilled through all kinds of hardships. In one month Alva was completely healed, having gained complete use of his arms and body again. The Lord surely did pour out his blessings upon him. Alva went on climbing in the priesthood and when he was 20, he was called on a mission to the Southern States, where he served two years. Perry, Elmer’s only boy, when 19, was called on a mission to the North Central States where he is now serving.
In the summer of 1935, Dee almost lost his life when he had his tonsils out, he lost so much blood that the doctor had to burn the tissues of his throat to stop the bleeding. Then, only when the blessings of the Lord, through administration, came to him, did the bleeding stop and his life was spared. He was in the doctor's office 22 hours and lost 22 lbs. Yet when something saps the strength from someone, they often gain it back as quickly when the tide is turned. Dee was soon well again.
God gives to us blessings rare, Those so needed and divine,
He gives to us his tender care,
And answers prayers each time.
One time while Veda, Harry, and Ethelene were swimming in the ocean, Veda took a hemorrhage of the lung, the blood gushing about her in the water. They carried her to the shore getting help and checked it before it got serious, but it reoccurred one day as she was working in the hotel. She worked there mornings cleaning up bedrooms. While working she started coughing, and took another hemorrhage of the lung, she was found lying on the floor, unconscious, with a lot of blood around her. They took her home and got a doctor and her husband and her daughter. Veda was unconscious for five hours and seriously
ill for weeks. Her lungs and heart have never been well since.
Though many miles have separated us, our faith and prayers were answered in her behalf and we have again seen the blessings of the Lord poured out in rich abundance. “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” There has been a constant out-pouring of the blessings of the Lord on this family. The time Jessie was run over by a car, her life was truly spared by the hand of the Lord. She was walking: across the street of Vernal, when a car knocked her down, running completely over her, then dragging her quite a ways. She was seriously hurt but had no broken bones. She lay in the hospital two weeks very sick. It was a wonder she ever came through it alive, but she was spared to go on raising her family. Things have a way of piling up sometimes and just one week after Jessie was hurt, Marvin was hit by a car, knocking him off his bicycle and breaking his collar bone. Upsetting his already very nervous body. He was spared any serious injury.

He, Raymond and Faye are the only grandchildren without healthy, strong bodies. Why things like these have to be, we must wait patiently and faithfully for the time when we will understand. One week after Marvin was hurt, I fell and broke three of my ribs. That afternoon, the doctor strapped me with adhesive tape. Two days later, I got up for a few minutes and as I lay back down, I twisted my body, somehow tearing my ribs apart again. Some of the ligaments along my ribs twisted one of my ribs upon the other causing the broken point to stick into the skin. I stood this pain for several hours and though it was July, I was shivering with cold and dripping in perspiration. When Dee came home from the dance, mother called him and he went immediately for LaVell and Ashel. They administered to me and the pain eased. I slept for about two hours waking in a lot of pain, which I had to suffer until about three the next afternoon. We couldn't get a doctor before then. When he came, he jerked off the adhesive tape. The quick jerk pulled the rib from off the other and down into place. He re-taped me and the pain was much easier after that. I had learned in that night and day, what one can suffer with a broken bone. Tragedy is the test of courage and faith and in the tragedy of Dee's broken leg, we were tested. Dee was riding the canal. He would spend his days checking the weirs and measuring water then come home and work long hours on his farm. In June of 1940, he came home and went straight to the field for his team, Mary went with him to bring up the cows and milk them while Dee was going to cultivate. He had a tin box with a tube of lip salve in his pocket and when he jumped on his horse, it started to trot and the box began to rattle. It frightened the horse and the horse threw him. He lit with his right leg across the ditch and the horse whirled and stepped on his leg. Both bones were broken just above the ankle, breaking through the skin, tearing the foot nearly off. It only hung by a small part of skin and the main arteries. Mary ran for help and Dee was left alone in the pasture. While most people would have fainted. he gritted
his teeth and took it. He cut off his own shoe. He said he knew he couldn't faint. He had to stay awake and watch the flies and animals
away from his leg. We heard his children crying and ran out to see what was wrong. Thelma and I could only go to the door. Mother started towards him, but he told her to get to the phone and get LaVell and a doctor. By this time Mary was back with the neighbors. Charles Olsen and Glen Openshaw carried him while Josephine held his broken, bleeding leg in her hands. They got him to the corral, when LaVell got there he took Glen's place. Dee was whistling all the way, his face was ashen gray, with a sad smile that tore at your heart. When they got him to the hospital, they cleaned it, set the bones and sewed it up. By morning gangrene had set in and they put him in the ambulance and took him to Salt Lake L.D.S. Hospital. LaVell, Ashel and Mary went with him. Ashel and Mary came home with the ambulance but LaVell stayed with Dee. Very few people
are allowed to stay in a hospital with their sick, but it didn't take long for the doctors and nurses to see that LaVell was good in a sick room. For eight days and nights he hardly left Dee's side. A bone specialist was called in to take Dee's case. When he got there, he became more than a doctor and was a very good friend to the boys.

He opened Dee's leg again, cleaning it out and resetting the bone, leaving it open so they might more easily fight the poison. Then the nurses went faithfully to work hour after at scheduled times, they dropped in the medicine to fight the poison, doing everything they could for his comfort and health. Those first eight days, Dee was too near the other side to know much what he suffered or what went on around him. He was conscious always of LaVell's presence and though the many miles separated him from his family, he seemed to be aware of what they were doing and followed Ashel's every move. LaVell stood by Dee's bed, fighting for the blessings he desired, yet always submissive to the will of the Lord. We were all exercising our faith and prayers in his behalf. On the evening of the fifth day the Doctor dressed his leg and told LaVell he would give him 12 more hours and if it wasn't better he would take off his leg. LaVell said: "I thought I knew how to pray but in those twelve hours, I really learned to pray, I prayed until I was so weak, I had hardly any physical strength left." In those hours he was permitted to see that Dee's leg would not have to come off, although he would have a long hard struggle, that everything would be alright.
The next morning when the Doctor came, LaVell told him the leg would not have to come off, and if he would do his part, everything would be alright. The Doctor said he would do his very best, and with the combined efforts of doctors and nurses, and all our faith and prayers, the blessings of the Lord were poured out in rich abundance, and Dee's leg was saved. Ashel had taken over Dee's work on the canal, and in those anxious hours, he too was allowed to see that Dee's leg would not have to come off, that he would come home and have the use of his leg again. When LaVell's letter came saying the Doctor would only give Dee 12 hours, I was sick at heart, then something seemed to say, "Hang for Dee's leg like you hang for your own blessings, and all will be well." From that moment I had no doubt. It was like a living burning testimony with out fear. Thelma too, had this lasting faith. When the eight days were gone, Dee had improved enough for LaVell to come home. When he bid Dee goodbye, Dee said he seemed to take all the light and strength with him. He felt he was left alone to fight through the thick darkness that enveloped him. He too was holding the Melchizedek Priesthood and through constant prayer he felt the spirit of the Lord drive
away that darkness and come to his aid. Those next seven weeks Dee knew what real suffering was. He could not put into words the agony of those long hours of nights and days when no rest or sleep would come, even when they had given him every bit of the drugs they dared to deaden pain and put him to sleep. When he had suffered all he felt his physical body could endure, he prayed earnestly to the Lord, for some help for the relief he needed. Prayers are answered in so many different ways and at this time, Pres. Nicholas G. Smith of the Salt Lake Temple, left the temple and came to Dee's room, took off his hat and said: "My boy, you are in need of a blessing." He laid his hands on Dee’s head and gave him a blessing. It was richly answered and he got relief. When he first went to the hospital and they had reset his leg, they took him to his room, laid him on his back and raised his leg a foot or so. Of course, gangrene has a very bad odor and during the ­first weeks the smell became awful. Some people calling on him thought the leg was rotting off. Uncle Joe Atwood, a cousin Louis Manwaring, the ­bishop of Orchard Ward in Salt Lake City, came one day to call and upon seeing the leg, went immediately to the doctor’s office and told him to take off the leg. The doctor said, "I can't do it, I have been forbidden, those boys have too much faith. I was told if I did my part, the leg wouldn't have to come off. I can only give my best." While
Dee lay there for seven weeks, about two inches of the bone had died. They took him to the operating room to remove (chisel) it away, thus leaving only a narrow piece of bone. By sliding the two narrow pieces past each other, the bone would, have a chance to knit and nature could build in the missing part. The result would be one leg shorter than the other. Nature, sided by the blessings of the Lord, did in time, build that bone strong and well. They put the first cast on from his toes to above his knee. He had lost so much blood through all these operations, that he was in a condition to have a blood transfusion. LaVell got a phone call Sunday afternoon August 4 to come bringing some of the folks to test for blood donors. LaVell, Arthur, Ashel, Jim, Ivy, and Mary went. Arthur's blood took the test and on Monday he gave Dee 500cc. of blood. The reaction of that blood almost swept Dee under. Arthur too was affected. Those awful chills that shook Dee's body, were almost more than he could stand. With the doctors doing all they could, they still didn't check until LaVell stepped in and laid his hands on Arthur's head. Again the blessings of the, Lord went through his body and again he found the relief he needed. Three days later Arthur Merrill gave 500 cc. of his blood, this time he got along fine. From then on he began to improve. In a hospital there is so much suffering, sorrow and pain, yet, there is fun and laughter too. Nephi Johnson has said, "If you can laugh at yourself and cry about others, you have a sense of humor. In a hospital, this is often reversed, while in tears of your own suffering, you can laugh it someone else. Dee tells of a fellow that had his left leg broken. And when he could get around in a wheel chair, they couldn't get him out of his room all day until visiting hours were over and everyone was settled for the night. Then he would wheel out into the hall and all about watching quietly in the night. He wheeled himself into Dee's room about two in the morning and said, "Hey, Manwaring, there is a man in here dying and there is nothing wrong with his legs. Let's go get them." One of Dee's room mates had a bad hand, with infection in it like Dee's leg. It had a bad odor. They had been giving him medication to fight the poison. The smell in the room made the man very sick to his stomach. When the nurse brought in their lunch, Dee was in a wheel chair, the man started to vomit. Dee reached over quickly, slid the bed table out of reach and said, "Save the ice cream." The fellow told the doctor nothing was wrong with Dee's stomach. He would save all the ice cream.

I searched for a pot of gold,
Buried at the rainbows end.
But I found it was hidden,
Within the breast of a friend.

Friends we found there were many. One finds that they are there when help is needed. We were rich in friends. Friendship that never seeks for pay,_ gives that kindly helping hand, that comes straight from the heart. People helped with chores, cultivating and when the time came for putting up hay, hauling and threshing grain and corn, men came by crowds of 25 and 30 to lend a helping hand. Our thankfulness to these friends is beyond expressing. People were continually calling on Dee in the hospital cheering him in those long months. He found he had a multitude of friends. After Dee had his blood transfusion he improved steadily. He had to stay in bed six weeks longer, then was let up into a wheel chair. He then could get around the hospital and visit other patients. The day he had been in the hospital four months they released him. LaVell and Ashel brought him home. He was not permitted to use crutches. The day before he came home he had a new cast put on. He was very weak when he got home but was getting around on his crutches. He started right in, helping with the chores about his place and on his farm. He was home six weeks then went back and had another new cast put on. Then in February he went back, the bone had become strong enough to have the cast removed. This time he had a shoe with an iron brace well up his leg to give it strength. He had only been home a week or so when blood poison got in his leg again and for one week Mother, LaVell and Mary worked faithfully under doctor's orders, faith and work brought their reward. At the end of this week, Thelma came down with the flu that developed into a very bad case of pneumonia. She was very sick and once again we found friends. As weeks went into months and all our folks with neighbors and friends took turns staying here day and night to give her constant care. It was while she was so sick that Dee carne up one evening and leaving his crutches at the kitchen door, walked into her room. This was the first he had walked without crutches. We were overjoyed with thankfulness to see him use his leg again. Though he had to walk bent over. Little by little his strength came to him and now he can upright, straight, and with only a slight limp. When Thelma had pneumonia she had become so weak, she could not turn herself or lift a hand, we turned her on a sheet. One morning mother was turning her. The pulling was too much for her legs and the ligaments in her left leg gave way with a very bad strain, she was unable to use her leg for six weeks. She was in one bed, Thelma the other. For two months we had to have help constantly, Thelma got worse and worse until the doctor said an operation was her only chance. LaVell had it made known to him while in the temple, that this operation was the right thing to do. They taped Thelma before LaVell got home. We knelt in a prayer circle just before she was taped. I have never heard a more beautiful prayer as Elmer, in all humility, sought the will of the Lord, when he said, "Father, thy will be done." A complete unity of willingness went through everyone there. Two days later she was operated on she began to improve and then it was two more months before she was up and able to be about the house she had been greatly blessed and so had mother for she had suffered a lot with her leg and we were thankful when she was able to get about on it and they were well enough for us to stay alone. All through this summer Dee's leg improved steadily all but the sore that didn't heal, but he could walk on it better all the time.

One day when Thelma was able, we went to Sunday School and then to Ashel's afterwards, Ashel said, "I had something touch me very much while I was at church today. While Dee was lying so low in the hospital I saw him come home with his leg. I saw him come to S.S., go up on the stand on his own two feet. This morning when I saw him do just that, my heart filled with gratitude for the fulfillment of what I had seen. Dee at this time was first counselor in S.S. and did walk across the stand to a meeting in another room. When he had been home almost a year, he went back to the hospital to have a skin graft on that sore. Dr. McCallister did the grafting. He took the skin off Dee's stomach. This graft didn't take. Three months later he went back for another. This time they took the skin from above his right knee. This one took good and was doing fine, then it broke open leaving the sore unhealed. The Doctors thought it was impossible to heal up that sore, but the Lord has healed many things that seemed impossible to the Doctors. LaVell said, if we would be faithful it would be completely healed. What a promise, after all the blessings the Lord has given him in answer to prayers of faith. Could we do less than keep our faith, strong and true with our prayers submissive to the will of the Lord, and do our part in bringing to pass the complete fulfillment of that promise and the Lord's crowning blessing to him.

His wife and children have stuck by him through thick and through thin, smiling and helping all they could. Always saving him every step they could by their constant help. In spite of that awful sore, he has been greatly blessed and we are all very thankful. He can now get around and work a lot without his crutches, although he has to use them for long walks and when his foot gets tired and very sore he can say, "Oh, do not pray for easy lives; pray to be strong men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be a miracle. Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God."--P. Brooks
There have been many things in all our homes where the blessings of the Lord have come in rich abundance. Words cannot express our gratitude and thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for the many blessings he has given to all of us throughout our lives. We can only have faith and courage to meet all our joys, sorrows, and trials unflinching and show our appreciation and gratitude by worthy lives of service to the Lord and to our fellow men. And if any of our boys have to give their lives in this World War, in the service of our country and go down clean, or return to us clean and fine as they are now, we will have much to be thankful for.
Everett and Karl, Arthur's two oldest boys are in the armed services of our country. Everett is a Captain now in the Med. Corps, and Karl is now a First Lieutenant. We will have others in service before this is over. Now Grant, Sadie's boy went into service in the army April 1943. Alvin C. went into service in the army in July 1943. Howard, Arthur's third boy in July, 1943 went in the Marine's. Hoyatt, Jessie's boy got into the Seabees, His health couldn't stand it and they gave him an honorable Medical discharge. In September 1943, Rulon, Sadie's oldest was called into service in the army. Alva, Alta's boy went into service in the Navy in January, 1944, a hospital aid, Karl, Jessie's other boy went in June 1944 in Army Service. Perry, Elmer's only boy went into service in the Navy In January, 1944, as a signal man. LaVell C. another of Sadie's went into the Seabees in January, 1945, but had to have an honorable Medical discharge. Laura and Faye's husband is in the Navy, and Hope's in the Air Corps. Enid's and Iris's husbands in the Army. Now Beulah's husband is in the Army. On April 6, 1945 Jessie got the shocking news, that her boy Karl was wounded on Luzon, he was awarded the Purple Heart. That same night she had to take the shock of her Lorna being injured in a bus wreck and dying within a few hours, in a hospital in Indiana. On May 2, 1945, Arthur received the word that his Howard had been killed in action, April 15, 1945 on Okinawa.

The race isn't to the swift or to the strong but to those who endure to the end. Mother is old now and her back is bent, but not her spirit, it is so fine and true. All of her family from her oldest child to the youngest great grandchild love and honor her. "Mother 0 Mine"
Down in the heart of our Mother lies the golden pearls of truth,
In our eyes there has been no other like you, from your gentle youth, The buds of your golden girlhood, has bloomed, into our Mother fair, And crowned you with many blessings in the silver of your graying hair.
L.M.
Memories are dear to us but like Edgar A. Guest says, "It's the sorrows that are the tug strings of our hearts." All of us have shortcomings to overcome, some of us more than others, but if we continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, climbing ever upward, we will find the Lord's kind blessings continually added upon. Blessings are truly added upon. In the spring of 1943, Dee made another trip to
Salt Lake to his Doctor to see about his leg. They told him he might have to dress his leg the rest of his life and he came home pretty discouraged, but LaVell and Ashel told him not to give up that the leg would yet be completely healed; that they had been permitted to see it healed and the scar it would have. Elmer came over to see Dee and was talking to him about it, and about his wanting a blessing so they set
a special fast day, the first Sunday in June for us all in our separate homes to fast and pray for the healing of Dee's leg. A few days later Dee saw young Dr. Eskelson in town and he asked Dee to come in and let him see his leg; then he had Dee get an elastic bandage to hold it
more firmly and help the circulation.
This helped a lot with the outpouring of the healing blessings of the Lord in rich abundance, our prayers of faith were answered, and in three months the sore was completely healed. In Fast meeting September- 15, 1943, Dee bore a wonderful testimony of gratitude to the Lord for His healing blessings unto him, in which our hearts all joined for we were truly thankful and grateful. Three years and three months was a long time to wait for the complete healing of his leg but he finally won God's favor and blessings. Sincere prayers always bring a blessing. The blessings may be immediate or it maybe remote, but they always come in answer to the prayer of faith. Dee also told in his testimony that day of the courage and promises that his brothers, Ashel and LaVell had given him, and how those promises had been fulfilled and how he loved and appreciated his brothers.
February 1952--Years have passed since I wrote anything in this story, but the blessings of the Lord have continued to come to us in births and deaths, pain and suffering, happiness in seeing lots of the grandchildren and new great grandchildren climbing and fulfilling faithfully, positions in the church. Heart ache and sorrow where some are drifting away. If someone could just touch them and their hearts
and souls turn again to the Lord and the church, in answer to our prayers!

Through the years, Ashel has had the sorrow of losing two more babies at birth, a boy and a girl. Then they were blessed with a dear little girl, a close call again for her life, and her mother's. Three great grandbabies have passed away in these past years. The summer Ashel's Elva Lynn was born, he got a piece of steel in his left eye and it went into the eyeball. He was rushed to the St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City, where the steel was, removed and again the blessings of the Lord saved his eye and his sight, though he suffered much before the steel was removed and it finally healed.
Again Mother had the joy of seeing one of her grandchildren go on a mission. In 1945, Grace, LaVell's girl, was called to the Texas Louisiana mission and spent two wonderful happy years there.
October 4, 1948, Thelma had the joy of going through the Salt Lake temple, to receive her own endowments with Mother, Alta, Ashel, Elva, Everett and myself. We had a wonderful day, as all do in the temple of the Lord, and this linked all Mother's children through the temple. Again, Mothers heart was full of joy to see five more grandsons go on missions. Demar and Lavoir, Alta's twins, to the North Central mission together. Eva's Irvin, at the same time to the Northern California Mission. Val's, Ross, Lawanna's husband; to Western Canada, Willis Southam, Carol's husband, to Hawaii. Two happy wonderful years for all of them. But Mother never lived to see them come home and now they are all in the United States Air Corp.
Our little, faithful and true Mother grew frailer and weaker those two years the boys were gone on their missions. And though the Lord gave her strength to be up and about until the last week of her life; she could help herself a lot. Pneumonia and pleurisy put her to bed and on December 31, 1950, at 4:00 p.m. she slipped quietly to her eternal rest. I held her hand while we watched her breath her last. Thelma and I knew for all the week she was down that she would go home to be with Father for their wedding Anniversary, January 1, Oh, what happy 66 anniversary that was for them after being apart for 39 years, to finally be together again. We must be prepared every minute, for we know not when He will call. When one has lived as clean and fine as Mother has done; she was prepared to be called home, at the setting of the sun.
Can we all climb the stairs? And be as staunch and as true,
And be prepared when God's call bids, "Come Faithful, I love you."
L.M.
She was dearly loved by all her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren and friends. In our hearts we want to climb and be as prepared at the setting of our sun. At her passing she had eleven living children, fifty living grandchildren, and sixty-seven living great grandchildren. Eight great grandchildren have been born since she went. Her posterity keeps growing. Each added blessing makes us more grateful and thankful for the Lord's kindness and protecting care. We saw it again last summer when Eugene was mowing hay and fell off the mower. The big wheel running over his back and legs, bruising and breaking the skin and hurting the leg badly. There were no broken bones, and his life and body were protected from that wicked knife. Other times our loved ones had been protected in close calls in cars and other places and we see the Lord's protecting care and blessings each day. “Every hour I need Thy blessing, every moment need Thy care.”
Again I write more of this family after ten years. It is now December 1960, ten years since mother left us for her eternal rest and reward for her noble life and the example she set for us. In the summer of 1933 Ashel and his boys were putting up hay and while they were unloading, Glendon, he was eleven years old, ran in the house for a drink and stayed, reading till Ashel called him. He rushed out of the house so fast, he dashed right through the glass door. He cut his wrist so badly, Ashel had to grab and hold right to the big artery, while Verdon tied a knot. Then Ashel still had to hold tight his hand until they got him to a doctor. It took the doctor two hours to sew and place every little nerve and cord in the right place and stop the blood. He was guided by the Lord to do it right. We always ask the Lord to guide the doctors, then healing comes if it is His will. Glendon's arm and hand were made completely well.

Elmer and Leona sold their farm in Roosevelt and moved to S.L.C. in 1945. He was a patriarch in Roosevelt Stake and when they moved to Salt Lake they put him right in the Granite Stake and there he is still serving in humility, giving wonderful blessings under the inspiration of the Lord. He works each day in the L.D.S. hospital laundry.

Arthur and Mary sold their home here in Vernal and moved to Salt Lake City in November 1952. He was put in the stake adult Aaronic priesthood advisor and served there till they called him to be Adam, and Mary, Eve in the Salt Lake temple. They were set apart as temple workers March 28, 1954 and served there till he died of a very bad heart attack that split his heart open on September 9, 1958. After they moved to Salt Lake, their Enid had to go back east to Bethesda, Maryland to a Naval clinic for a very serious operation on her head, to remove a bad pressure off her brain that was caused from a severe bump on the head. Her husband and father went with her leaving her home in Denver, Colorado in October 1933 and was able to come back ten days before Christmas, being in Denver hospital for three more weeks. Her mother stayed with the children while she was away. Then still with them till Enid was quite well. Arthur said she was under that operation eleven hours and they couldn't put her right out. They had to have her talk to them all the time so they could tell where the damaged part was. Again the great healing of the Lord came to one of our dear ones and she is well and all right. In March of 1956 Enid's oldest girl, Sherrie had to have her right leg taken off because of a very bad cancer under her knee that spread rapidly. Sherrie was a brave one and went on and finished her college and graduated on crutches. Then married a nice boy in the temple, and with her chin up keeps right on smiling.
In the summer of 1959, Patricia, Karl's little girl, four years old was knocked down by a car and broke her leg. She was in a wheel chair for a long time after she got out of the hospital. Then the summer 1960 she got knocked down by a car again, she wasn't hurt but her little sister Deanne was drug under the car and her little head cut so bad they took 18 stitches in it and 25 stitches to sew back on her little leg that got so badly torn in the groin. Her little hand was burned so bad she still will have to have skin grafts and the blessings of the Lord to straighten out and heal her little hand, leg and head. Arthur's family have had trials and suffering. I hope it will always help them keep their faith and trust in the Lord, proving always faithful and true and all of us in whatever we have to suffer. LaVell served as a high councilman of Uintah stake for a time, then took Arthur's place as stake high priest president when Arthur moved to Salt Lake City. LaVell held tbis position till he and Ivy were called on a mission to Tonga to help build the college and chapels there. They left home February 12, 1956. They sailed from California on a very large ship. Enjoyed their voyage and then their mission very much. Besides being on a working mission, LaVell was called to be the branch president. He had two Tongan men for his councilors. When he was released to come home, the mission president told him he had served two missions in one. They went by ship to the Fiji Islands, then flew on a large plane home. They had many wonderful experiences in their mission and travels. Reached home August 29, 1958. LaVell was put in Uintah State mission president in February Conference 1959. He is still serving there.

Eva died May 17, 1958 in Salt Lake City at her daughter, Venna's home with her bad heart. She had gone out to be with Venna and rest for a while and got worse and passed away. This left Owen and Marvin home alone as Venna and Irvin and Hollis were married.
Phillip, Ashel's second boy went to Holland on a mission in June of 1957 and did a very fine work there, learning the language and teaching the gospel message to the people. Returning home in March of 1960. Eugene, Dee's oldest boy, was called on a mission to the Central States in October of 1958 and served two wonderful years there, returning home in October 1960. Dee, Mary and Wayne went for a trip there and returned home with him. Victor, Ashel's third boy, was called on a mission to the Central States in January 1960, he is doing very well and will serve there for another year before coming home. Mildred's second boy, Samuel Vaughn, was called to the Central States mission in June 1958. He served two wonderful years there and returned home in July 1960, he is a great grand boy. Floyd, Genevieve's oldest boy was called on a mission to North Central States. Floyd left November 13, 1953 and returned home November 13, 1955. He is also a great grand boy. Now Venice's oldest boy is on a mission in Northern California. He went in January 1960. He is doing very well and teaching the gospel to people, and will be one more year before he is released to come home. He too, is a great grand boy. We are thankful and happy for all the missionaries and for all the grand boys that have served and are now serving in bishoprics. Everett was first councilor to two bishoprics in Salt Lake City. Karl is now a bishop in Salt
Lake ward. Perry is first councilor to a bishop in California. Irvin is first councilor in a ward in Great Falls, Montana. Alva was first councilor in Salt Lake while he was living there. Demar was our Naples ward bishop for two and a half years before moving to Moses Lake, Washington where he is now a high councilor there. Now in this year, 1960, Verdon, Ashel's oldest boy, is first councilor in our Naples ward bishopric. We are proud and thankful for our boys that keep climbing in the priesthood, following in the steps of their faithful fathers.


While Alva was living here in Naples working on the farm with chickens, with his father and Demar in February 1955, he ran a stick in his eye ball. He didn't go to the doctor for a couple of days and such bad poison had set in they had to remove his right eye to stop the poison from spreading into the left one, so the sight of that one would not be lost too. The Lord blessed him in keeping the poison from getting worse. Alta and Jim, Alva, Demar and their families moved to Moses Lake, Washington in 1955. Elwin and Velda had moved there the year before. Val, Lawanna and family moved to Seattle, Washington October 1956 and all still working in the gospel and doing missionary work and bringing in saints up there.
Veda's husband Harry, in the last year has had to have three serious cancer operations of the bladder. The first two he had a hard pull but the Lord blessed him to get well and about his work again. He has just now, this December, gone through his third operation. Through the blessings of the Lord is gaining strength and is about his home again. The doctor said the cancer would keep returning till it takes his life. We wonder which will be called home first, he or Veda.

Veda's health has been poor so the struggle for them has been very hard. Velda had a baby girl born October 28, 1960 and is still living. She was premature had a hemorrhage and pneumonia. But the Lord blessed her and permitted her to live and if she can be well and strong it will be by the will and great blessings of the Lord. This is Velda's first child to live. Her only other baby that lived at all was her little boy David, born three years ago August 31, 1957. He lived 10 hours. They adopted their Tommy eight years ago. Our June and her husband Deloy and their son Karry, Deloy's two older brothers and a sister and sister-in-law were on their way to Idaho to spend Thanksgiving with their folks. Deloy was driving too fast, hit a slick spot, and
they wrecked and killed him, both his brothers and sister. June and
Karry and the sister-in-laws legs were badly broken and body, but
with the great kind blessings and healings of our Heavenly Father, and her twin sister Hope, and her husband, Grant's constant love, care, and encouragement, they have gotten well to walk straight again, although June suffers with lot of pain in her legs.

In December 1952, Jessie had to go to Salt Lake St. Mark's Hospital and have her right breast removed because of cancer. She was in the hospital one month but was blessed and has never had the return. In October of 1957, she had to go out again for a gallbladder operation. Her girl Jessalynn flew out from San Francisco, California to be with her. When Jessalynn got in Salt Lake she went to cross a street to get some breakfast before she went to see her mother. Jessie was not yet in the hospital. On the 22 of September 1957, Jessalynn was struck down by a car and her right leg broken very badly, she was rushed to the hospital and put in the bed her mother was supposed to have. When they set Jessalynn's leg they had to put a steel pin in it from her hip to her knee and she will always have to have that in her leg. Her leg and knee are very painful still through these years but she is able to walk and manage one part of a very large hotel in San Francisco. When Jessalynn had been in the hospital a week a bed was empty and Jessie went in for her gallstone operation and when they both got well they flew to California and Jessie stayed with her girls for the rest of the winter.
In late October of 1952 my right hip in the socket got to snapping and grating every time I moved. It got worse till it became impossible for me to get out and empty my ashes, so Ila, living here close would empty them each night after school. But my hip got worse and the snapping and grating jerked my whole body and was very painful. This kept on and on until in July 1953 and Lola took me to Doctor Spendlove and he took X-rays and the socket bone was about half in apart. The doctor put two shots in the socket and it made it go stiff. I couldn't get up or down until LaVell gave me a blessing. Then I could move around the house again but the snapping still got worse until the night of December 31, three years after mother had died, and my hip was so bad, it kept catching and I could not lie down in bed. Thelma tried to help me but it just wouldn't let me down. So Thelma called for Dee. He wasn't home so she called Ila to call LaVell to come quick. It took him an hour before he could get me down. Then he stayed with us all night. My hip pulled out so bad and tore the ligaments all down my leg. It felt just like it would break right off, each step I took for months, and oh, the agony and pain. Yet, I would keep working and walking on it trying to do my part to make it come back useful for me. I would cry and cry and pray by the hour for the Lord to help me get it back moving easier again. I didn't go to any doctor, so I suffered intensly for nine months. Then my left ankle swelled up so bad and wouldn't let me step on it so I had to take to my wheel chair. October 1954 with my left foot gone so bad and my hip out of the socket I can only stand to walk a few steps at a time. Through the years, I have suffered all this agony and pain with out any relief or help until December 27, 1955. LaVell took me to Salt Lake to Dr. Barton. He jerked my hip part way back and gave me shots for arthritis that had set in very bad in the hip socket. "That's the sciatic bone controlling the sciatic nerves of your leg, making the sciatic nerves across the hip and down the leg so painful." I cannot stand them touched or a jar on my chair. Then in 1956 Dr. Spendlove took over and gives me arthritis medication in pills and some of the suffering is gone. He said my hip socket was out so bad and so full of calcium hat the hip will never go back in place, so with a prayer in our hearts, Thelma and I go smiling on, living alone, and doing our own work in our suffering. For the Lord gives us strength each day for each task we have to do. Thelma has arthritis very bad in her right knee, so each task gets increasingly harder. Thelma's nerves are so shattered. On a Saturday morning January 18, 1958, Victor had been down and had cut wood for us. He had just gone home. Wayne was playing in the kitchen with the toys. I started for the bathroom and Thelma heard a funny crackling and asked Wayne to run out and see if our house were on fire. He ran to the door and said "You kids get out of your house it's on fire," and ran home crying to tell his mother. Mary came running and Thelma told her to get on the phone and get us some help. She ran and called the fire department and Elva and Victor came tearing back. Elva got Ashel and Dee who were working in Vernal. They came rushing home and neighbors came from all over. Thelma and I got down all our clothes and Wayne would run out with them and we got what money we had and the Deeds and things around the house until people came and we got out and they took over and got all our bedding, food and furniture and everything out. Nothing but the house was destroyed. It was a blessing to have all our things saved: Wayne was so afraid we wouldn't get out. We stayed calm through it all but afterwards no one knew how badly our nerves were shocked to pieces. At every little sound for months we lay in our beds night after night at the thought of those awful flames that had taken our home, to where we couldn't have it. We went out to LaVell and Ivy's, they were in Tonga on a mission. We stayed with Grace and Estel the seven weeks while Ashel and Dee and their boys built us a new house. The boys didn't want to fix our old house. Ashel came to us and said he would build us a house on his place, but somehow we didn't feel at peace about it. So he said he would leave it to us to talk and pray about it and he would come back the next morning for our decision. Thelma and I were left there alone to talk about it and pray about it so we could plan things out. To leave our home where mother had had the deeds in our name so that we could have a home of our own, where no one could push us off while we lived. To leave our home and give up our right was hard to do. We had to know the right step to take. Then I started to pray asking the Lord to guide us to know the right place to have our house built. As I prayed and talked to the Lord, a sweet calm came upon us and that worried, strained feeling left and while I prayed we both knew where we must have our house built. When Dee came and said, "Where are we to go?" Thelma said "where" and we both said together, "home". That is where Mother had been wise enough to have those deeds put in our names too, so we would always have our own home no matter whatever happened. And the Lord gave us our answer, to have our house built there and go back to it. The next morning when Ashel came, he said, "well where, do you want your house built? We said, "Tell us how you feel". He said, “I know you are to go back to your own home." Then we told him how the feelings of the Lord had impressed us to go home. So Ashel, Dee and the boys began to build our new house. They set it South of the old house on the lawn and tore the old one down. They all worked hard and faithfully for seven weeks. We put $3,600 of our own money into our home. Arthur, Veda and quite a few of our grand boys and girls and a number of good friends gave us money to help build it. And the Lord gave good weather for them to work and protected them that no one got sick or hurt. On the 8th March 1958, they moved us back home. Seven weeks to the day after we had the fire. The house was new and completely different from our old home. It was hard to look out our bedroom and see where our old home was. So close yet so homesick. For it takes a heap of livin’ to make a home. Where the living had been a large family, grandbabies born, joys, sorrows, sickness and pain, and even the death of our sweet mother ten years ago tonight, December 31, 1960. There memories remain. Here in our new house, none of the families will come and fill it full of memories, but here in our new home, Thelma and I have found peace and contentment, for our Heavenly Father's sweet spirit is with us and His helping hand every day. Oh, that He will give us strength to stay here in our own home, this much out of everyone's way all the days that we live. We can always have His spirit in it even though we can't fill it full of memories like, "A Log House Full Of Dreams."

A LOG HOUSE FULL OF DREAMS Written by Geneveive Manwaring Mangum January 9, 1959
Eldest daughter of Elmer Manwaring

Twas an old log house in Naples
That I’ve remembered forty years,
It had seen its share of happiness,
And sorrow and of tears.
In the parlor was the heater,
That we loved to sit around,
And the organ in the corner,
With that: “Oh, so pleasant sound”.
The beds within the bedroom,
Were just as soft as down,
For many times I slept there
In my flannel gown.
The kitchen was my favorite,
With the stove so big and warm;
When it was glowing brightly,
I felt safe from any storm.
The table always seemed to stretch
To accommodate a crowd;
While the cupboard with its fancy trim,
Stood filled there, oh, so proud.
And one thing there I can’t forget,
And won’t until I’m dead,
That special taste, and special smell,
Of Grandma’s fresh baked bread.
There were flowers in the windows,
Geraniums too, and ferns,
And a Christmas cactus always bloomed,
Each year the season turned.
The porch too, I remember,
We sat there in the shade,
And chonked the greenest apples,
That ever grew, I’m afraid.
Mulberry trees and lilac bushes,
The yellow rose, and flowers,
Cast their beauty on the place,
With all their magic powers.
The apples, currants, and raspberries,
All had a special part,
With that old favorite “broad bean”,
That I hold within my heart.
There’s the people, I remember,
Who lived within it’s walls,
They were happier together,
Than they’d be in marbled halls.
Even though the husband,
And Father of them all,
Was not among them,
For he’d received a special call.
The Mother and my Grandma,
Made quite a strong impression;
Of a Queen who ruled with firmness,
Yet loved with an obsession.
There was Eva, and he beau, Owen,
Twas my first observed romance,
My first banana was the pay,
To sing for them in advance.
Ashel was the quiet one,
He loved harmony and peace;
And insisted quite emphatically,
That all contention cease.
Dee had such merry laughter,
He sparkled up the place.
I didn’t like his teasing,
But I liked his smiling face.
Leona was the kindest one,
She knew angry words could sting,
So she taught me in a loving way,
To do so many, many things.
Thelma was the pal who needed me,
Although she wouldn’t ask it.
Stuck up for me when I was wrong,
And Father didn’t like it!
They got along together,
With an occasional fight,
But settled all things peacefully,
Each knew which one was right.
Then all the married ones would come,
For special holidays,
And have the nicest , biggest dinners,
And laugh and sing and play.
And I can see the grand kids,
Running in and out,
It must have been real trying,
To have us all shout.
On Sundays, in the summertime,
The families would meet,
To make Ice cream to eat with cake,
Tis still my favorite thing.
There were babies born within these walls,
And cared for carefully,
A tonsil operation too,
Which also ended safely.
I can’t begin to mention,
All the things that I should write,
Cause this house was such a Haven,
For us all, both day and night.
Several great men entered there,
And blessed the people in it;
And blessed the home for there’s no doubt,
It has His spirit in it.
My dear old Grandma passed away,
One cold, still, winter day,
But I can see her sitting there,
To me, she’s just “away”.
The fire that burned this house down,
Can’t burn my memories;
A Virginia Creeper still grows around
That “Long House Full of Dreams.