Life History of Elsie Gardner Taylor
(I am attempting to write Mother's stories {there are 7 - 8 ? drafts} from her hand-written notes and epistles…many -
unconnected-March 2006 - Del Taylor)Life at the Randall residence in Grant, Idaho was always a busy interesting time, but to make things a little more exciting and probably complicated was my arrival Nov. 18, 1908. Some time after midnight because in the evening I have heard my mother say things did get pretty exciting and almost tragic because a big grey stallion fell into a stall on his back in the barn and they had a time getting him out. Before the night was gone, something else happened, I was born to Francis and Rosa Gardner… Great Grandma Dabell was the midwife, as in those days there were not very many doctors around, probably just in Idaho Falls and that was 10 miles away and no automobiles. I must have been pretty funny looking as my father said a Japanese man he was proudly showing me off to... laughed when he saw me, probably because I had no hair… (Grandfather Randall had some Japanese working for him, they lived in a little log cabin just a little way south of the barn) I was the 3rd grandchild in the Randall family…Deb Fields was the oldest….Hazel Randall was next.
I was about 3 when my father and grandfather were homesteading some land out on the knolls, (by the Snake River). It was there that they lost me…My father tells the story that they found me in a hole with my little dog Tiny, laughing my head off….(I remember Mother telling of helping to clear the sage brush off this land).. We always had a cow and I remember a horse called Nance…Mother would hitch Nance up to a one horse buggy and drive us up to Grandma Randalls where she would tie the horse up to the hay stack and the horse would feed all day. Sometimes Momma would walk down thru the fields to Grandma and Grandpa Gardners as they owned the store on the corner by the school. The store is still there but not the same building….a Mr. Reese bought the building and moved it up north on his place which I guess he used for a barn. I enjoyed staying with Grandma and Grandpa Gardner although it was quieter there than at the Randalls. Grandpa Gardner owned and operated a general store. The fun thing about that was I got all the chips off the hard tack candy. There were bins he kept the candy in and it would get pieces broken off and when the bin was empty the little slivers would be in the bottom of the bin…maybe there would be a little pail full…we kids liked that, other wise, we didn't have much candy. Grandma took care of her daughter's children who had passed away in child birth…they were Venna, Katie, Ruby and Edward…..Their father was Joseph Southwick. Then Ezra's wife died in child birth (Ezra is Papa's older brother)…they lived in Lyman , Wyo. That left 6 children which Grandma took care of sometimes. As I look back, I think how fortunate I was to have a mother to wash, iron, keep a clean house, mend my clothes and see that we always had Sunday clothes for Church. I can remember once Katie came to stay at our house for awhile….she didn't even have a pair of shoes, but my father saw that she got some…My mother not only sewed for all of us, she kept a garden, canned vegetables, picked and canned raspberries but had time to make us doll clothes and most of all she made us girls a play house under a big tree. She dug 3 holes and put posts in, using the tree trunk for 1 post. Then with heavy canvas from the sugar factory, she stretched it around until it was about 9'x9'. We had a cupboard my father had made and a cute iron stove a friend of the folks gave me that their daughter had outgrown. We were taught to be good mothers and keep a nice house from playing in that play house thanks to Mama.
I was 5 years old when Jessie was born in Grant… It was quite a shock to me as up 'til then I had gotten all the attention….Things seemed to have changed quite abruptly, but I was really glad to have a baby sister. Then a couple of years later, my baby brother Marvin was born. He was a beautiful child with dark hair and he looked the picture of health…but when he was 10 months old he was taken back to live with Father in Heaven again… I think that was the first time I ever saw my father cry. It was a sad, sad time. In a short time a baby sister came to bless our house…her name was Alice Harriet. She was bald headed like the rest of us, but filled the void that was felt by my folks. I liked to stay at Grandma's she let me help her gather the eggs. All the chickens ran around the barn yard and only nest in the coop at night…so we had so much fun finding all the places those darn hens decided to lay an egg. Then we'd go to the grainery to get wheat to feed them, the little lambs would tag us around and we'd feed them too. We left the milking up to grandpa and uncle Arve…they had lots and lots of cows to milk and no milking machine…
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When I was about 6 or 7, my Grandfather Randall had the first automobile in that area. It was a Studebaker. It was so big, it had 2 seats and little seats that raised up out of the floor, back of the seats for us grandchildren to sit on. It had a rubber horn that us kids loved to squeeze and make a big blast…then we'd all run, by the time Grandpa got out of the house or barn….no one was around. It also had pretty brass head lights. Those were the days! I guess we stayed to Grandmas a lot because I remember so many fun times. Grandpa always had cattle and horses and a big white face bull he would lead to water up past the house to the ditch…. Boy did us kids ever get out of the road then…no one but Grandpa could even take him to water.
There were always lots of saddles on the pole fence corral that held the horses. We had many a rodeo on those pole horses and saddles. There were lots of cousins always there, seems like everyone always went to Grandmas, especially on Thursdays. Aunt Nettie with Hazel, Alta, Milt, Ora, my mother, me, Jessie , Alice, Mary, Morris,(a little before Milton's time)Aunt Floss with Villa (my age), Verna, (Jessie's age) Gon and Herman, Aunt Bess, Nola, Verl, who is Bishop of Grant now. Rhea, and La Von. We had another great place to play, down in a beautiful old orchard….crab apples which were large trees, transparents, Wethies, and many more. We all had different play houses, we older ones were mothers with all the younger ones as our kids, the way we used to chase each other up the trees….wonder we didn't turn out to be monkeys. Grandma also had some geese that used to scare me half to death…they would chase us and one day one got hold of my pants….I thought I was a goner. I used to have headaches a lot when I was 6 or 7 and Grandma always babied me by giving me Quinine pills….uk! I soon got better. I can remember my first Christmas, we were living at Uncle Rob and Aunt Ellie Field's in part of their house because Uncle Rob had gone on a mission to North Western States. I can remember getting a tin whistle and little doll. Aunt Ellie later told me about borrowing money from a Minie Hitt in Idaho Falls ($600) to buy some pigs and give the rest to keep Uncle Rob on his mission. She fed the pigs all summer , sold them and paid the loan. It was those days when Deb and I had experimental experiences…..Deb was always building something and I was the Guiney pig. Once he made a cart, which was supposed to be pulled by a horse, but he played horse, took me out in the pastures that was flooded and on one of his maneuvers, I fell off in the water…..Oh! Those were the days!
We also played ball at Grandmas…mostly Anti-I-Over the old granary, which is still standing on the old farm, it was all so much fun! As I grew a little older, I remember my Grandpa and Grandma Gardner's place…only about 2 acres, but my Grandfather was a gardner, not only by name, but he could make things grow anywhere. I can remember him showing me his pear growing on an apple tree. He and my father had bees which made us lots of honey. The two acres had lots of different kinds of fruit trees and berry bushes…no space was wasted. There was a barn at one side near the road and a little buck board wagon, and 2 grey horses. One Halloween, we found the buck board (small wagon) on top of the log barn….quite a funny sight….Grandpa didn't think it funny… He also had the store that supplied all the area around. He always had a flag pole and a flag was raised on special holidays, except this one Halloween instead of the flag, there was the little gate on top of the pole. I don't think even my father thought that very funny…but to me I had to chuckle a little.
Grandpa's store was just across the road north from the school house, where I started school. Mrs. Browning was my first teacher, but real soon my father decided to go to school at Ricks College, so I started school again in Rexburg. The building still stands unless the flood of last Sat. took it away…it was of black rock. The next year I was back in Grant. Miss Dora Goody was my teacher, she had a beau, with a beautiful shinny buggy and a prancing black horse. He was tall and good looking…boy, what a couple they made. His name was Ja…. Erickson. She was so cute and sweet, she's one lady I thought would never grow old. She used to recite a poem "I Won't Cry Anymore", In fact, she recited that poem at my folks Golden Wedding anniversary, she must have been quite old then…. She taught school for years, now there is a Dora Erickson School in her honor in Idaho Falls.
We lived in a log house about a mile east of Grandpa's store. At that time, he and my father had a little creamery by the store…. I can remember my father testing cream from the milk the farmers brought in. Sounded like such a fun thing to do.
When I was in the 4th grade my parents moved to Garfield. I helped my father and Elmer Gardner (who had come up from Utah) to help on the farm, haul hay, etc. I would tromp the hay as they put it on the hay wagon to take into stack it. I would be so tired, I would lay down and sleep until we got to the hay stack…then I would ride the derrick horse and you haven't lived until you have driven a derrick horse! That wasn't for long, as things
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went bad for my father…he couldn't meet the payment due and we had to move… so back to Grant…but our place was sold, so had to live in another log house. Some time before we went to Garfield, my father bought a piece of land from Uncle Rob and built a house. I had to walk up to Uncle Aces, then Hazel would drive the horse taking Alta, Milt, and I in a toboggan to school 1 ½ miles. She would unhitch the horse then turn him around to eat the hay in the toboggan while we were in school. We had an outside toilet….seemed a block from the school. It was then I remember Bishop Lee's wife had died with the flu…1918… There was a little boy who always came and sat with his brother (my age) because he wasn't old enough to go to 1st grade and no one to leave him with….he later became Bishop of Grant.
At this time, my Grandparents decided to sell the store (they sold to Uncle Dick and Aunt Cind Robinson) and all and go back to Deweyville, UT, where they had lived before and built their first house when they were married 15 March 1869.. They bought a place up against the mountain and again Grandfather had berries and watermelons growing everywhere. When I was in the 7th grade my father thought we could help Grandfather and be with them in their reclining years, so we also moved to Deweyville. I thought it was a fun place to live as I had never lived around mountains and being that there were so many Gardners there (seemed everyone was a relation). We kids would go up the mtn. exploring caves, rocks, eating wild berries and all kinds of things. It wasn't quite all play as my father had about and acre (seemed like 10!) of tomatoes….every morning Jessie and I would take the pliers and pick off tomato bugs…same size every morning…like 2 to 2 ½ inches….they were so big you'd think they came from Texas.. I loved living in Deweyville, there were many second cousins as Grandfather's brother Milo Van Dusen Gardner and family lived there and most all lived close to Grandfathers. We played "Run Sheepie Run" every night….no one cared if we hid or run in their yard…. Only once Uncle Jim Gardner had stretched some wire around some apple trees….I didn't know about the wire and I ran pell mell right into it..sit me down on my ___! It tore a hole in my dress but really only my pride and feelings were hurt. Like all children, I had a puppy love…his name was Latheal Marble. He lived across the road from Grandpa and Grandma Gardner. About a year after we moved back to Grant from Deweyville, Latheal was killed in a gravel pit up on the mountain just a little ways from Grandpas. (Mother shared a story with me that Latheal had climbed east to the top of the mountain and put a ring in a tin can for her there). I went to school in the Church house there as I think the school had burned down….that year (1922) they built a new school.
We didn't stay only a year in Deweyville as there wasn't much work….so again we went back to Grant. This time graduating from the 8th grade. That was really a big event….there were 11 of which 6 of us graduated from Midway High School (midway between Lewisville and Menan). After graduating 8th grade, Spring of 1924, I helped my father cut seed potatoes for Mr. Riley…they lived across the road from Grandpa Randalls.
When I was a teenager in Grant, we teenagers would go sleigh riding… One young man, Fred Chadburn had a team of horses and a bob sleigh. We would all get in and sometimes he would whirl the corner where Grandpa's store was and keep going around and around until I would get so scared…we would have to cling on to the box to keep from going out the back end… Oh! Those were the days! My best beau then was Russell Taylor, he had black curly hair and we had fun going to the dances which were held in Grant every Friday night. Burdett Eckersall was the drummer…He has a mortuary in Rigby now. .
Mr. Melvin Luke was our principal at Midway High School….He taught me algebra first year, and geometry second year… I hated them both! I still think I could have spent 2 years learning something more beneficial that I could use in my life. Mrs. Hunt (very tiny lady) taught me sewing (first year) that has been very useful all thru my life, in fact, many years have been rather hard ones, Depression 1929 and Elmer not being able to work on account of his stroke….when Jay was a baby, without the sewing knowledge I had acquired at school, I really don't know what we would have done. I made all the children's clothes from 2nd hand things, even their underwear and socks. I got an "A" in sewing class for making a little blue cape for Mary out of one of Aunt Ellie's old skirts. It was a lot of fun getting acquainted with the kids from Menan and Lewisville. We did a lot of fun things, but the most fun was going and coming from school. Grant was about 5 or 6 miles from Midway and we rode in a covered wagon with out the canvas, just the bows over until later on in the fall when the cover was put on. Then when it was cold and winter came, we had a sleigh and horses. One time it was 40 below zero and we about froze …the boys ran along the side to try to keep warm. The horses were so cold they couldn't go very fast. We didn't arrive at the school house until about 9:30, some of us had frozen noses and toes. It took the rest of the day for us to thaw out. The horses were white with frost….4
That next year, my father bought a 2 story house in Riverside. I was in my 2nd year of high school…there is where I met Elmer Taylor at a party….only he had a girl from Utah….her name was Hazel Smart…but she really wasn't so smart…because next night I had a date with Elmer Taylor. In our crowd was Owen Peterson, Margaret Lewis, now married with 3 sons and a daughter…Owen runs Salmon River Stages….I hear their son Billy same age as Joyce is in Bishopric in Salmon….also Melvin Bowen, DeLyle Hall, Alice Bitton, Rawles Ellis now in Mackay. These were our close friends and even to this day , although Daddy has been gone a long time. That next year was my Junior year in high school. I went to Moreland. Daddy and I went to several school dances and parties. He had a Star car and so did the Ellis' kids up the road. They used to have races and scare all us girls and go over the thrill bridge in Moreland. We just had to do something…no radio or tv…only bowling or roller skating.. Some of our friends are Melvin and Lyle Bowman, Margaret and Owen Peterson…In fact, Melvin and Lyle bought Grandma Taylor's farm where we lived when Joyce was born…
In 1927, my folks moved to Lewisville and Daddy still came to see me. In the Spring, I was a Junior at Moreland High.. (There was 1st and 2nd year High at Riverside)…We were getting our pictures taken for our annuals and had to go into Blackfoot, several of us were going together in someone's car…I remember being so sick with chills and fever…I just wanted to stand by the radiator and keep warm…Anyway, I got my picture taken and went home…I was so glad to get into a warm bed….I didn't go to school for six weeks. In just a few days, my father, Jessie and Alice were also sick…My mother had been sick, but as I remember she just kept on going as mother are like that... The 4 of us were so bad they had Dr. Beck come out and he said we had the grip…(now it would be flu)…We didn't get any better only worse….so Elmer's mother called Dr. Egan (Osteopath), he came out and right away said it was Typhoid Fever…probably from drinking water from an old well that was there. He came out every day for 6 weeks…1 day he came twice…his charge was $300. We all had high fevers for 2 or 3 hours then the fever would go down and we would all be wet with perspiration….bedding and all. My poor mother would wash all those on a board…we didn't have a washer… Finally the neighbors would help and someone had to sit up with us at night…guess we wore nearly all the ward members out…. All we could have was buttermilk and fruit juice…mostly buttermilk….. Elmer would go around to all that made butter and get the buttermilk… We were so hungry and always so happy when he brought buttermilk with little hunks of butter in it….that was a real treat. Doctor Egan knew what he was doing because without him we would have died…. I would lie there and dream of divinity candy….after 6 weeks we were able to get up and around but we looked like skeletons… We couldn't sit on chairs without a cushion because our bones hurt. Then a sad thing….all our hair fell out! Mine and Jessie's hair came in curly, but poor Alice….straight as ever. My fathers never did come back in a pretty as it was…he always had dark curly hair, as did my mother. I wore a hat to Church because I was so embarrassed. My father was so sick one night he said he saw his body (mostly bones) go through the door. But guess the Lord wasn't ready for him because he's 89 now and is still with us. (actually, Grandpa Gardner passed away a couple of months before his 89th birthday).
In the Spring of 1928 before Daddy and I were married, we went to the show in Blackfoot…of course it was silent pictures…no talkies…(if you couldn't read, you were out of luck)….during the show…there came a flash on the screen that a flood was coming down the Snake River and had taken out the Swan Valley Bridge and for all who lived close to the river in Riverside to get out. So we frantically drove home…Var was with us as Elmer had to take him every where he went because Elmer was the only daddy Var knew as he was only about 1 ½ when his daddy died…Elmer was 19 at that time…Grandma had 40 acres, so she and the children ran the farm. It wasn't easy…she thinned beets the first year we were married to pay the taxes.. She was a wonderful mother and especially wonderful to me…..back to the flood. When we arrived home, others had heard about the flood coming, so everyone had their cars at the gas station trying to get gas….Others had their cattle, driving them west to Rockford to higher ground. Cows and calves were bellowing….it was dark and they couldn't see where they were going…neither could the people! I think my father had one cow and he just turned her in with the others. Grandma Taylor had just gotten 300 little chickens….We didn't know what else to do with them but put them in our upstairs bedrooms. Then the Taylors and Gardners left for Rockford…Grandma Taylor's sister, Aunt Zada Peterson's husband ran the store there and had an empty building there where we spent the rest of the night.. Leone Randalls' mother had 2 phones at the Grant store, one at Rigby and one at Idaho Falls….people kept calling her until she got tired and finally said "The river got down to Blackfoot and has turned around and coming
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back"….knowing Lottie Waters…sounds just like her! When we heard the water had receded and passed Riverside, we took our cows and went home, but found about ½ of the little chickens were dead as a window had broken and fallen out…the chicks had chilled to death….
The Summer before Daddy and I were married, I went up to Grant and worked for Aunt Bess…Nola and the rest were quite small, so she needed help. Daddy would come up and see me on weekends…during that time or Spring before Grandma Taylor had broken her leg on the ice coming home from Sunday School, which left Daddy to do the chores and the house work….Glen just didn't seem to get the hang of it…Anyway, one weekend while Daddy was up to Grant seeing me, Grandma Taylor had gone into her folks to stay for awhile with that broken leg, taking Alice and Var with her……Well, guess who was home…Fay! My folks had gone to Idaho Falls for something, so Jessie thought she would go up to help Fay…(they were about 14) You know how some people like to be of service…well, the first thing they did was do the washing…Had to get the water out of the pump (well), didn't have time to heat it, so washed in cold water, without any soap.. I'll bet people never saw a washing like that on Grandma Taylor's lines before… Next, they decided to churn some butter….Grandma always churned her own butter in an old fashioned dasher churn…..They didn't know how to get the butter collected from buttermilk so they (tried) to strain it thru a pillow slip…(this I found when I went there to wash while Grandma was still gone). The next thing to do was have some fun…they had worked so hard…..Grandma had just gotten little chickens…so they were 6 - 8 week old….Fay and Jessie found by putting the chicken's heads under their wings and whirling them around, then letting them go…they would stagger around like they were drunk… Gee! What a ball! But the chickens didn't think that much fun…some never did fully recover, and were in a daze the rest of their lives…(result….some fresh laid scrambled eggs!)
I graduated in May of 1928….So on Sept. 19th, 1928 we went to Logan Temple to be married. Grandma Taylor went with us and we stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Gardners in Deweyville. That night I slipped off the porch and next morning could hardly walk but we went to Logan , was married and came back to Deweyville. The cousins there thought we would be staying there, so fixed up a big schiveree, but we fooled them and went clear over to Tremonton for our honeymoon. Next day, went to Brigham City and got some peaches. I haven't liked to can peaches since. I think we had 10 bushels. We were married only 3 months when the Great Depression started. There was no work, I had canned during the fall and Elmer's mother gave up her living room so we could live there. Elmer ran his mother's farm and we were still living there when Joyce was born 7th December, 1929…Dr. Hampton came out to the house in a model T Ford. Next Summer, we and our friends had a lot of fun..we had oyster soup suppers…sometimes we had 3 or 4 kettles of spuds or or beans…sometimes grave yard stew, as bread and milk were cheap…but mostly because that's all we had. We even once had a slumber party on our lawn. Soon after the little ones started coming, we all had one just about the same time…..Joyce was the oldest, she was so cute, they all thought they could do as good, but no one ever did! She was so cute, dark hair and wide awake but very good….she never cried and always looked like a doll. Of course Daddy and I loved her dearly…Father in Heaven had really sent us a dear sweet child. In the Spring after Joyce was born, Daddy got a job with O P Skaggs grocery in Pocatello on the corner of 2nd St. just out of the subway. We moved down there to a little house on North 7th…but soon things began to slow down because of the Depression and Daddy with a lot of others were laid off their jobs… We moved back to Riverside to a house just 1 block east and 1 block north of the garage.. There was no work, Daddy got a few jobs like in the haying season which paid $2.50 a day, or sorting potatoes for 30 cents a hour…and that didn't last too long (3 or 4 months in the winter)…but we were happy. Grandma Taylor and us got along as best we could…..everyone in the Ward was in the same boat. We had lots of things at Church. In 1928-29 I was 1st counselor in the Primary to Ellen Adams…One little boy I shall always remember was so cute and a perfect little gentleman…his name was Delwyn Wheeler, which I named my Del after.. Daddy had a beautiful tenor voice and sang duets with John Bitton. I couldn't do much but act crazy…so had several parts in plays we put on. A fellow by the name of Art Ogden decided a few of us could put on stage plays and go from Ward to Ward. We did just that and if I do say it, they were pretty good for amateurs…Anyway better than nothing! Later I was drama director and one time we put on a play that we took to Moreland and Groveland. Joyce sang between acts…Daddy was there to help with the stage. My good friends Lois and Dan Thomas were in the Mutual Presidency so were always there to help me. They were both school teachers. (Dan was Lynn's first grade teacher when we were in Riverside. After we came back from Nyssa, Oregon, the school was crowded there so he only went a half day…that made him
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behind….Lynn said he was so bored with what the first grade was doing he watched the 2nd graders all the time….Next year, he was so smart he didn't have to take 2nd grade…So he flunked 1st and went to 3rd grade!) I picked raspberries for awhile but soon had to quit as I was pregnant with Lynn…that summer was pretty bad but we had a garden and I canned everything there was to can…in the fall, we had 75 cents and green tomatoes….we didn't know whether to spend the money to make green tomato mincemeat or save it. We made the mincemeat.. Daddy had bought 2 little pigs in the fall and sold one of them for $3 to buy Lynn a sweater suit to be blessed in… we had managed a little money to buy a 2 bedroom house 1 block north of Grandma Taylor's brick house. This was where Lynn was born 23rd Feb. 1933. Daddy had to go to Blackfoot to get Dr. Beck in a sleigh as the roads were all drifted in with snow. One snow drift was so high that when they went over it, the back end of the sleigh broke out and it took them from morning until noon to get to Riverside…Lynn was born at 12:00…he weighed 8 pounds and was a very good baby…(no hair, like Joyce)…I didn't have very much for him…. When he was about 2 months old, Daddy got a job with Clark Transfer Co. in Blackfoot, so we moved to Blackfoot upstairs over their (Transfer's) garage. Joyce was so disappointed because she couldn't go out to play… It was soon springtime and that apt. was so hot we moved to a little house Charlie Marsdon had…(he was a fellow worker with Daddy). After two months, Daddy was transferred to Idaho Falls. He was making $25 a week and things weren't too bad. Lynn gave us quite a fright when he was about two. He got a penny caught in his throat and no one could get it out. He was turning blue and as we were rushing him to the hospital, he suddenly relaxed and swallowed the coin. In Idaho Falls we lived on the corner of Chamberlain St. and Cliff which we rented for $14 a month… Pennys was about 1 or 2 blocks north…that's where Joyce walked by herself, …4 years old up to a morning milk studio, called "Uncle Bob's" where she sang every morning on the radio. (I had to take care of Lynn so couldn't go with her) She would learn a popular song (like "The Old Spinning Wheel) every day on our radio and sing it up there the next day. She would say "I'm Joyce Taylor and I'm 4 year's old". Grandma Taylor listened to her and was so proud! (Grandma Halverson now as she had just married Francis T. Halverson on May 3rd 1933.) Daddy continued working for Clark Transfer and sometimes we would go with him taking milk over to Driggs and bringing coal back from the Blind Bull Mine. It was a beautiful trip through the canyons and we really enjoyed it.
We soon moved again to Hill St. where Jay was born 20th April 1936. Jay only weighed 6 pounds and was so skinny. In fact, he never was a fat child, always a skinny little kid…but now he's a man and the largest of my 3 sons. He's a very loving son and so thoughtful of me. Lynn was so taken up with him, he would come in the house (Jay was had at home) and say "He's my baby brother, isn't he?" Then rubbing his hand over Jay's bald head would say "This is hair isn't it?" Lynn was 3 now and had a mind of his own. I took him to ride on a merry-go-round and he held onto the post so tight I thought I'd have to leave him there. He had a bad time that winter, he was so sick……As I held him in my arms I thought every breath would be his last… But the Lord spared him…
When Jay was two month's old, we moved to Pocatello to a little house on South 2nd…(Lyle Curtis and his wife Zina had just moved out of this house in January) We had lived there only 3 months when Elmer had a stroke and fell from the truck. That was July 9th in Idaho Falls, he had been transferred back to Idaho Falls and was up there looking for a house and I was waiting for a Clark truck to come and move us when the bookkeeper came and said Daddy was in the Idaho Falls Hospital. He took me up leaving Joyce and Lynn at Grandma and Grandpa Gardners in Fort Hall. Jay was nursing so kept him with me. Daddy was unconscious and paralyzed on his right side (Mother told me she would walk to the hospital several times every day to see Dad then back and forth to where ever she was staying to nurse Jay). . He was in the hospital 3 weeks and we had to move back to Grandma Taylor's brick house again. Daddy did improve, but couldn't use his right arm. He had to learn to eat with his left. He didn't walk for quite awhile, but in a month or two he could walk with a limp which he never did overcome. His speech was impaired and couldn't talk very good, especially if he got excited. While he was in the hospital, I left Jay at a neighbors and walked 2 miles every 2 hours to feed him. These were real bad times, as I've mentioned before, there was no insurance and no welfare at that time. After 2 years, finally received $70 a month from Workman's Compensation. (They said he wasn't hurt on the job, he just had a stroke)
In March 1938, we moved to Nyssa, Oregon. We had a 4 wheeled trailer with all our possessions, that darn trailer swayed and wore out the tires. We were stuck out in the desert between Mountain Home and Boise and not much money. We had traveled all night and it was nearly morning… Daddy hitched a ride into Boise and had to go to the State House to get his comp. check to buy 2 tires and come back and get us. I groaned every time I saw a hill as we
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had such a load… We bought 2 acres from Bishop Fife and with Bishop Fife and his sons, built our basement house. The first summer we lived in a tent. It really wasn't so bad, the climate was much warmer than Blackfoot. We lived just west of my folks, I don't remember the cost ….it couldn't have been much … so know Bishop Fife must have been mighty good to us. My father and neighbors finally got a roof over us, and he built the kitchen cabinets…Lynn would sit there by him every day and watch. No wonder he can build anything he want…he had a good teacher…and it tickled my father that he was so interested. We had a nice garden, corn higher than Daddy, and water cress in the drain ditch. We had about 300 little chickens…Elmer built a chicken coup….I don't know to this day how he did it! (His right arm was paralyzed from his stroke)… Del took me to see the place where we lived, the chicken house is still there, but they have build a house on the basement. By fall, our neighbor Mr. Thompson and us had a well drilled which we shared. It was good drinking water, but we had to carry it about ½ block, so Daddy pounded a pipe down in the ground 14 feet and got surface water for washing, watering chickens, etc. Joyce and Lynn went to school only half days as the school was crowded and had to take turns. They went to school in the afternoon and Milton went in the morning. Our dog had 3 puppies so they were good play mates especially for Jay, he had to play by himself most of the time. One day his father and Mr. Thompson went into town for some lumber or bricks and took Jay with them. They had a flat tire on the trailer about 2 blocks from the house, I could see them up there, but couldn't see anything of Jay, so walked up where they were and said "Where's Jay?" they said "didn't he come home?" My heart sank as there was a ditch, quite deep, that ran along the road in front of 6 or 7 houses…our neighbor Dean Fife's little girl had drowned in it about a week before…I just knew Jay was in that ditch. We looked and looked about the time they were going to get in the ditch to see if they could find him… Mr. Thompson went down to the drain ditch, it had deep banks but only a little water…there he sit…in a little boat the Thompson kids had made. When I saw him come up over that bank with Jay in his arms I collapsed to the ground and gave thanks to my Heavenly Father for a miracle. It was that summer Lynn leaned to swim. The Thompson boys took him swimming in that same ditch and I was so shocked when I saw him in that water… I yelled for those kids to get him out they just laughed and said, "he's O K he can swim and that's how it started. When we moved back to Riverside, the Ward went to Lava one day and he scared everyone there as he dove off the high dive….but I think he also got hurt… Another rather interesting experience…One of the Fife boy's (step son) lived in a trailer across the street from us. One day someone there yelled "Fire!" I didn't stop to see what it was, I emptied my tub of rinse water into 2 big buckets and ran across the street, they say I saved the trailer as they had no water. There was a Mr. Brown there that worked in the sugar factory so was fairly well to do. Every week I cleaned house for them for $1 a day. One spring I cleaned their house and for 10 day's work, I made $10… I thought that was a lot of money!
We were there for two years…but seems Elmer was home sick for Riverside and his folks so back to Riverside…. Sometime after this we bought the little grey house in Riverside. Grandma Halverson loaned us the $120 down payment, $10 a month, it had 2 bedrooms large kitchen and living room on ½ acre which we should have kept, but Daddy wanted to go to Montana where my folks were. (Lynn and Jay played Tarzan and Boy in the big willow tree here). Also Sam Jones, (Lyle's brother-in-law) let me buy a refrigerator for working for him selling fridges. What a luxury that was to have a fridge.
We left Riverside 4 April, 1943, We took some chickens and our ducks on a little trailer. We stayed at a little road-side cabin some where around Dillon MT. that first night. We arrived in St. Ignatius the next day, moving onto a place we leased from the Indian Agency. (Blackfoot Indian Reservation, St. Ignatius, MT) Grandpa Gardner had gotten the 40 acre piece for us. Easter came and Lynn and Jay would have to have an Easter egg hunt, so we found a beautiful little wooded place up the road and after crawling through a fence must have hid those eggs 10 times that day.
Del was born the 27th of April….up at Grandma and Grandpa Gardner's about a mile east up the road from our place.. The Dr. was Dr. Armon, he was quite old about 70, but was very kind and good.…I wanted a little girl and was disappointed, but Daddy said "He couldn't be any cuter if he'd been a girl". Jay got so excited he went to school without taking his P J's off…just put his pants on over. While I was in bed, the little neighborhood children gathered some wild flowers, made a little basket and brought them to me. The people there were so good to us. We had barely moved in when Brother Golden Kent brought us a big ham…it looked like half a pig. Lynn and Jay mopped the kitchen floor before I came home. They poured water on the floor and swept it out with the broom…I told them I was so proud of them and that they did a good job.8
Joyce was in the 8th grade and didn't want to move…so stayed with Grandma Taylor until after school was out…She was Valedictorian of her class 1943, Grandma said "Uncle" Frank was so proud of her……She came up on the bus last of May when school was out. In the meantime, we bought a piano for $15 a (honky tonk) (I believe Mother said they got it from a bar that had had a fire). So once again, Joyce was playing "San Antonio Rose". Everything was going well, Daddy managed to use a tractor and plow some wheat ground. We bought a pony for $25 and a saddle, the kids would go up to the mountains on horses, catch fish and have a ball. One day when we were all out in the garden, our neighbor boy came over to play with Lynn and said our calf was dead. He had a little rope on his neck tied to a little bush but had wound around it and choked to death. We felt bad but our dear friend Bro. Thornock come over and said, 'Well, trouble isn't so bad as long as it doesn't come in the house." So well we found that out a few short months later.
One day, Jay and Lynn were riding the pony out in the field and had to get off to open the gate it being an electric fence (we used it to keep the cows in) some how they got mixed up with the fence, the pony fell in it and Jay and Lynn were finally able to get her out. A miracle they weren't all electrocuted. Another time a team of horses Jay was riding in from the field got frightened of the electric fence crossing the little canal and they jumped across…Jay fell out and for awhile we thought it had killed him. Another time Daddy was driving the car with a little trailer on across the creek and the bridge broke as the car went over and Lynn was riding in the trailer…he jumped off just as the trailer started over the broken bridge. Another time, Lynn was out of sorts about something, went out and hid under a pile of straw, when we went to find him, we could hear him snoring but couldn't see him….there he was fast asleep under the straw pile. One day we bought an old sow pig at the sale that was going to have little ones… Morris laughed and said "bet she don't have any!" Wrong! One sunny morning Daddy came to the house all excited and said "our pig has 3 little ones!" We were happy…a few minutes later, he came back in and said "Gee! what will we do? She has 10 little pigs and only 10 teets" (you know, place at the table). Well we figured that was enough…but before it was over she had 17 little pigs. So nothing to do but bring them into the house and feed them on the bottle (special formula from the vet). I think we saved 4 out of the 7 we had in the house. They grew and were regular pests. Every time we went to the barn, they would almost beat us back to the house. We had to hurry and shut the door.
On 2 Oct. 1943, Elmer passed away (Mother's story is as follows, my brother Lynn remembers it a little differently)….The 1st day of October was a beautiful day, kids were in school, daddy and I went up to Bishop Jensens to return a pressure cooker, as we were driving east toward the mountains, he said "Isn't that a beautiful picture? I never want to go back to Idaho." We visited some friends by name of Durant, (they have 10 children). We stayed there and had supper, then went home. We returned home just as the sun was setting, I thought , what a lovely, peaceful day it had been, I wish it would never end. After putting Del in his basket (which his daddy rocked him to sleep in), we finished up the jelly I was making (they grow lots of elder berries in Montana). We went to bed, Joyce and Lynn had gone (walked about 2 miles) to the show in town with Dale Anderson but at around 11 o'clock I was awakened by Daddy making a peculiar sound. I turned on the light and saw he was unconscious. Jay ran to the neighbors, Bro. Anderson went for my folks and the Bishop Ray Jensen also called Dr. Armon but it was too late, he passed away about 1 a.m. The rest of the night was a nightmare…I couldn't believe he was gone….I had 4 children…no money…no home…But the Lord doth provide….the neighbors were wonderful to me. Brother and Sister Thorack came got us to spend the night with them. Brother Anderson cut wood and Jay and Lynn brought it home in their wagon. These things I will always be grateful for….what would I ever had done without the goodness of those people in my time of need. We called Grandma Halverson, so she, Glen and Naomi, and Alice Wheeler came up and arrived about 10 a.m. The people at the funeral home were so nice, a short funeral was held in St. Ignatius on Sunday and then we left for Blackfoot. My mother accompanied the body on the train from Arlee train station to Blackfoot and the funeral was held Oct. 6th in Riverside Chapel and burial in Riverside Cemetery. The Durrants went with us. For seven years, Jay followed his father everywhere he went…his daddy called him his little shadow. I stayed a week at Grandma Halverson's, then Fay and Dora took us back to Montana, they stayed with us a week before going back to their home in Ogden. What a lonely spot to go back to…4 children…Joyce 13, Lynn 10, Jay 7 and Del 5 months. When we got home, the kid's pony was gone…as we expected she had gotten out and gone back to her old home. We went up to the Downs where we bought her and sure enough, there she was on a hill side in the beautiful pines. Fay, Lynn and Jay , in fact, all of us had quite a time catching her, but we did get her back home and happy to have her. Having a horse they had never had was quite
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something. It was a trying time…we had 3 cows which Lynn (10 yrs old) and Jay (7 yrs old) had to milk, feed, and turn out in the pasture before they went to school…one of the cows had to be hobbled in order to milk her. By now, October, it was chilly and very foggy in the mornings. I felt sorry for Lynn and Jay, they had to go out in the fog to feed the cows and milk them.. Our Ward and neighbors harvested the hay and grain for us…
I had no money as the money from Trucking Insurance quit when Daddy passed away. I had nothing to burn until one morning Sister Anderson came over, knocked on the door, and said "I just knew you needed me, can I cut you some fire wood?" She went out to the old barn that was falling down and cut me some wood. A day or so later Sister Jensen, Bishop's wife brought me a few lumps of coal.
During this time my folks had decided to sell and come back to Idaho, so I didn't want to stay there either. We had an auction sale, I think the worst about that was selling the pony…which Jay could whisper in her ear and she would put her head down so he could get up on her. …(Mother told me how sad it was to sell things to move back to Idaho…especially a little pony they had that would lower it's head to let the kids get on…in fact, she said that was what made the man buy it when he saw the kids have it do that). Joyce, Lynn and Jay loved her and begged me not to sell her….in fact, they didn't want to leave Montana…they had such a wonderful summer …the beautiful mountains and streams had offered so much for them…exploring, fishing, frying fish without any grease up in the pines and of course they always rode the pony. Joyce said when we were packing the dishes and other house hold things, "If you'll just stay, I'll put everything back in place." The Durrant children were their constant companions, they were our dear friends (Marjorie Durant was Joyce's special friend). (The Durrants at the time of this writing 1987, were living in Parma, Idaho, Mother and I took a trip over to visit them about this time…they are a very humble, gracious, kind couple and were genuinely pleased at our coming to visit them….they had served a mission back East around 1966).
On 14th December, 1943, we left St. Ignatius. Snow had fallen on the pine trees and Evero Hill looked like a fairyland, but it was bitter cold. I drove the car with my 4 children for quite a ways, then my father's car broke down. He then helped me drive on down to Butte where we stayed all night in a little hotel. Next day, we arrived in Blackfoot. Again, we lived in Grandma's (now Halverson) brick house in Riverside. Things were very bad as there was still no money. The summer there was terrible… Joyce went to Jackson, Wyo. And helped some people for a while…I tried to do a little sewing for money for food, but it was so little…in the fall, I weighed beets in Moreland, leaving Del with who ever would tend him and the other children looked out for themselves. In the meantime, Grandma Halverson had sold the brick house and I had to move, so everyday for a month I hunted for a job and a place to live. I would put my 4 kids in the car, and one day I would go to Idaho Falls, and the next day to Pocatello. In December 1944, after looking for a job everyday in Idaho Falls or Pocatello, I finally got a job at the gun plant…(14th Dec) I guess the Lord was looking out for us, because after 3 times trying the gun plant (NOP, Naval Ordinance Plant, they were making guns during the war), I jot a job washing windows. Glen Taylor and a friend Burton Furniss came with a truck and moved us to Portneuf Park, the only place I could work and have a place to live. They set up the beds and left…the next morning I had to go to work…it's a wonder I could even find my clothes. (Portneuf Park was a government housing project with six unit row apartments scattered over 15 acres on the north end of Pocatello next to the Portneuf River, Mother said you had to work for the govt. or the rail road to live there, we lived there for 10 years). I drove the car for 2 or 3 days then found some people that were working there and only lived 2 blocks from us. I had to leave early in the morning…dark and in the snow….no boots… Joyce was left to attend to the rest.. The boys had to find their schools, get their own breakfast and fix their lunch. Joyce took Del to a close neighbor (Mrs. Rice). She was nice and became a good friend and her kids were my kid's friend. I think Dave Rice left with Jay and Bill Serano for the service together. When I went to the gun plant that morning to work, they had all the window washers they needed. (Mother said the man felt sorry for her), so he asked the gardner if he had a job for me, he laughed but took me over to No. I shop, and a lady gave me a job counting nuts and bolts in a bin. How boring! But I was thankful for that! The next day, a nice man (a Bishop) came and got me and asked how'd I like to operate a crane? He took me to shop 36 and introduced me to Melvin Walker. He said he had a crane operator job I could have…..Have you ever seen or been in an overhead crane? My heart sank, but I climbed that 30'ladder and prayed on every step. I climbed into a metal box with several levers, a cable wire and a big hook. I was really scared! A very nice man, Lyman Ritter, whose son had just been killed in the war was a very good and patient teacher and before long, I could operate that darn thing. I ran the 25 ton crane, 35 ton crane, and a few times the 50 ton and I loved it. Before the war was over, they built 3 new buildings along Pole Line Road. At first there were no
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cranes, but work had to go on, so they brought in cherry pickers. They had 4 small rubber wheels, a boom and cables. We women had to learn to run those darn things. You stand on a little step at the back and steer with a stick, only if you want to go right, you pull it left or opposite the direction you want to go. Finally they got the cranes in and what a relief! We loaded box cars and piled boxes. During the war, almost every thing was rationed, especially gas. If we had money, we couldn't go very far…just over night. Shoes were rationed. I hadn't bought me any since we lived in Montana, so I had one pair of shoes. By the time I went to work at the gun plant, one had a hole in th sole as big as a quarter-I just put some cardboard in my shoe and went to work, it wasn't so bad. Var, (Daddy's youngest brother) was in the service and sent me $5. Although shoes were rationed, I managed to get some stamps for a pair of shoes with that $5. I remember going to Deb Fields, my cousin (later Field's Furniture) as he was on the rationing board, and he gave me stamps for the kid's shoes. Like I have said before, I didn't have any money… What I didn't can, we didn't eat and what I didn't sew, we didn't wear. Back to Var, when he was in high school, he made me the little red step stool. I have cherished this little stool and hope to have it many more years. I meant to tell him about it last year at the reunion, but didn't, now time has run out on me. He passed away last Sept. 1st after the reunion 1984. The play ground at Portnuef Park was a haven for all the kids. Jay made many friends there, Lynn as well, although he had a job a Fred Miller's Bakery. In fact, Fred treated Lynn as though he was his own son and always believed Lynn would come back from the service and take over the bakery… Fred and Viola thought a lot of Lynn…
I found a lady, Mrs. Rice who lived quite close to take care of Del. I had to leave at 7:30 A.M. to go to work. I drove my car for awhile but it was a job getting it to go every morning in the cold, so found a ride with people in the Park. Joyce took Del to Mrs. Rices, and Lynn and Jay fared for themselves. They must have been good kids or they couldn't have made it. I had to work 6 day a week so on Sunday I had to wash, iron and get them ready for school on Monday. I can't remember how we managed there, but my check from the gun plant was like pennies from heaven. We got a little Christmas tree from some place, but didn't have anything to decorate it with as during the war there was hardly anything to buy. A store man sold me a few ornaments that was on a tree in the store. Christmas was very slim, but we had a place to live, warm fire, and we were all together, except Daddy wasn't there and there was no one to put the tinker toys together and Jay was very disappointed…but life goes on…
Soon the war was over and the men would be coming home and looking for jobs. It was a terrible day when they told us women we were being laid off….One boss man told me nearly every man in the building where I worked had come to him and said they would give up their job if I could stay…but that wasn't government policy. I took a job as waitress in the Union Pacific Café (called the beanery). The service men were coming home now. Sometimes there were so many waiting (and standing) to be served, they had to leave as the trains were running full force to get the service men home. That was a busy time. Working at the café was rather bad as I took care of Del in the day time and worked at night. Some days I would go for 3 days without any sleep. Joyce rode the bus to school and I rode it to work and back. I made her a chicken sandwich every morning at the café and as I came home on the bus, she was there getting on going to school. I gave her the sandwich and she took it on to school. When the café closed after the war, I went to work at PFE (Pacific Fruit Express) at the railroad, cooking for the men that iced the cars. Del could barely walk and talk now. I would tell him "I'm going to work"…he didn't know what that meant, he only knew I wasn't there. Ezra Parker, Dick and Don and grandmother lived in the Park as Ezra worked at the gun plant. By Joyce and Dick getting acquainted, I met Ezra. He would come over and watch Del while I slept a few hours. One night, here came Ezra and Del to the beanery. Ezra said, "Del said , 'please take me to work to see my mama'".
Lynn said Lincoln School was a dumb place, it didn't even have a bathroom. (He hadn't found it yet and was too bashful to ask) A Mr. Brown was his teacher…maybe in junior high..he was very good to Lynn and Lynn really like him….but there were others that weren't so good…..about the 8th or 9th grade, Lynn went to work for Fred Miller at the bakery, working from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. for which I won't ever forgive Fred miller…but by the same token, taught Lynn many life long lessons. Lynn walked to and from the bakery for a long time, bringing me a loaf of bread under his arm every morning. Then one day he bought his first car…it was a lemon, but later he got another. I used to feel so sorry for him when the other boys were going to play basket ball, Lynn was going to work. Lynn was in to making model airplanes and when he finished one he'd tie it to the ceiling. The next morning when he'd come home from work the airplane would be down and broken. No one knew what happened. One day, Ezra peeked in to see what Del was doing….Del had a wooden gun the kids had made and was swatting Lynn's planes…..problem solved!11
Jay had a newspaper route. He had to get up at 5 A.M. get the papers folded and deliver them before school. Sometimes he brought them home and I would help him fold them. In the summer he watered lawns for Fred Brothers in the Park. Fred was so good to me.. Fred gave me a job cleaning apts in the Park. I was paid $7 for cleaning an apartment..rent was $44 a month..utilities included, but by working there, I didn"t have to pay rent.
I married Max Woodvine in 1946…he worked for Purina Mills..(when he worked)…. He was good and kind to me but didn't believe in working too much and for which I couldn't depend on anything, so bad to worse..we were divorced in June 1954. (I believe Mother is mistaken on this date as they only lived together a year or two…although it's possible they were not legally divorced until this date…She probably married Max in 1949 or 1950 and was divorced before 1953 as she married Lyle in Sept. 1953…{My brother Jay told me he had to give Mother the $15 from his paper route to get the divorce}...she also was married to a Robert Evans for a short period after Daddy's death, through other relatives I learned that Mr. Evans had taken what money Mother got after Daddy's death and run off, {Lynn said it was about $1000, a lot of money for that time}, Mother never talked about this man…)
The winter of 48/49 was real bad…it would snow, then the wind would blow. They couldn't keep the roads plowed clear. School was out many days on that account. Two children were killed in an avalanche on the west bench.
In 1953, I met Lyle Curtis at a dance at the Deleta Ball Room. My friend Francis Chaney introduced me to him…he took us both to eat after the dance. I know she had a date with him for the next day, but, the day after their date, he called me for a date. He loved music and played most every kind of instrument. We dated until September, when we decided with his 3 girls and my 3 boys and 1 girl.. we may as well get married, although his oldest girl and my two oldest were married, We were married at Bishop Hershi's on 26th of Sept. 1953. We lived at my house in Portnuef Park as I had 3 bedrooms, but as Pat got married, Janet living away from home, we decided to move to his house on 147 Roosevelt. Soon after Jay decided to go into the service, so we only had Del left.
I went to work at Farmer's Insurance in January, 1954 and worked there for 18 years…I retired on 31st December, 1971, the same day Lyle was operated on and found he had cancer. In the 18 years we were married we had good times and some sad ones. Lyle went for treatments at the LDS hospital in Salt Lake every day for 6 weeks, we lived in the New House Hotel during this time. Jay came down and took us back to Pocatello on the 23rd of February, 1972, but he got worse and was admitted at Bannock Mem. Hospital 29th and passed away on 8 March 1972. Friends and neighbors again were so good to me, but soon loneliness was up on me again. Lyle was gone as well as his beautiful music…the house haunted me and I wanted to get away. So in May, Robin and I left for England to visit Lynn and Geneal. We came back to Santa Rosa on the 4th of July 1972….but seems like you just can't run away…you always have to go home...which I finally did. In April Jessie and I went down to Joyces and stayed for a month. When I came back, someone had robbed my house taking everything they could pick up. Then for Mother's day 1974, Jessie and Joe (Sharp) came to visit me. We had just gone to bed when there was a terrible crash. I thought it was a bomb, but someone had broken the big front window with an iron bar. It shook the house and scared me so bad I couldn't say a work…my heart hurt so bad. We went to Sunday School anyway, but my heart has given me problems ever since.
I kept the place on Roosevelt until 1st of July, 1974, then sold it. I took some things to Del's in Sandy, Ut and stored the rest in Jay's basement. I felt like the man without a country. Del and Nancy were so good to me and made me a bedroom for my own in their basement. But I still missed my things and wanted a place of my own, so Nancy took me places every day and finally we found this moblile home at 5069 El Amador in Country Club Estates, (Murray, Utah) I moved in 1st of April 1976. On the 22 April, I woke up in the night and didn't have any strength in my body. I couldn't stand up or even crawl, but did pull the phone off the stand and called Del and the medics. I finally floundered out and unlocked the door. The next thing I can remember I was at St. Mark's Hospital. In July, my father was very ill so on 20th of July 1976 I flew to L A . Joyce picked me up and was so good to take me over to Marys. Father was bad, but knew me and talked to Joyce and I. I came back but he passed away on 22 July. His body was brought back of Idaho Falls and funeral was held in Grant, Idaho (He asked Del to speak at his funeral). Again loneliness creeps upon me, because of the love and inspiration he gave me, for the heritage and understanding…I hope and pray I shall never forget.
(1970-1978) I have enjoyed my mobile home here in Salt Lake. Time is passing fast. I'm already 70, and as time goes by, I know I won't be able to always stay here. Neighbors and friends are good and I am thankful for them, but
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blood is thicker than water, so one of these days I may decide to go back where my roots are. I try to keep busy, but there are hours and hours of loneliness. Sometimes when I don't hear from my kids, I think they don't care. I know they do because they are the best kids in the world. Without them I couldn't live. I love my grandchildren and am so proud of all of them. I guess sometimes they think I don't love them but I really do. I don't think to go see them sometimes and most of the time I don't do too good. I appreciated Del and Nancy taking me on their trip last summer and having fun in the beautiful Yellowstone country. We had family night and it was special…I enjoyed Roger and Sheryl Budge's kids too. I enjoyed the rodeo too. (Uncle Crystal's rodeo they put on at Henry's Lake) You can see why…I got my rodeo experience on Grandpa Randall's corral fence. I have made nearly all my kids, grand kids, and great grand kids quilts…hope they will enjoy them. 7 great grandchildren up to now… June 8 1979.
I miss all my kids, but have the privilege of visiting them whenever. I like Salt Lake and probably will live my life out here. I can take care of myself, go and come back as I please. Just hope and pray the Lord will continue to bless me that I won't be a burden to anyone, but let me live to enjoy and help my children as long as I may live.. Mar. 30, 1987
*Some things I remember about Mother telling us as kids: "Eat everything on your plate so the Chinese won't starve" and "Stay out of the mud puddles or you'll get polio". She also won $15 from the Idaho State Journal from a contest to name their classified add section….the name she gave…"The Ad-Visor". I also remember her serving as a girl's Campfire Leader and of going to girl's camp on Scout Mountain up Mink Creek Road from Pocatello. She took care of more elderly women after she retired from Farmer's Insurance…a Mrs. McMillan in Murray, Utah, and another in St. George for awhile. When her health began to fail, she had to give up her car…(she hated losing that independence) and finally moved back to Pocatello in 1993 to the "Cove" where she renewed old acquaintances and made many new friends until her passing on the 24th of September, 1999, just a couple of months after a serious car accident she was in with her daughter Joyce. Her son, Jay had passed away just the year before in Pocatello and she missed him greatly. In fact, the morning of the day she passed away, I had slipped into her hospital room very early in the morning to say goodbye before heading back to Arizona, and she thought I was Jay visiting with her from the "other side"…I never told her otherwise….she was at peace and in a rather jovial mood…
** Things Nancy remembers about her: She was always making things grow…she could cut off a slip of plant anywhere and make it grow at home… She planted flowers everywhere, even at the Cove, (the Cove is an assisted living facility in Pocatello), She nearly suffered another heart attack when she discovered someone had been pulling her flowers out as weeds. She was always particular about her appearance, and loved to shop for clothes. She loved to have her picture taken and to take everyone else's picture.Reminiscences of Elsie Gardner Taylor Curtis
When mother was in her 80's, she would ask what I wanted for my birthday or Christmas or whatever…I would ask her to write about different things she remembered, like what were the Christmases like for her growing up….The following are what she recorded in a notebook that she gave to me…Del Taylor, son.
The Christmases I can remember, of course I can't remember my first Christmas. I don't know where we were living, but my 2nd or 3rd…I do remember of living in the back room of Aunt Ellie and Uncle Rob Field's home in Grant. (down the road on Grandpa Randall's farm). It was Christmas, I didn't know much about what Christmas was, only that I got a little tin horn that was the first thng I can remember getting as a plaything for my very own.
The next year or maybe I was 4 year's old, but it was very special. As I can remember of being up to Grandma Randalls and Aunt Bess and Aunt Myrtle were very young girls and they were trimming a large cedar tree which stood in the corner of the Polar (living room) and they were putting clip candles on the tree, and also lit the candles, Oh! It was beautiful!
All of us cousins and aunts were there. Cooking , baking, etc. going on. I think I must of slept there at Grandma's because when I woke up Christmas morning, I had a big beautiful doll. It had hair! I was so thrilled and excited. That was a big day, as all my cousins, aunt, uncles were there. Deb Fields, Walt Randall and Uncle Arve were about 9 yrs older than Alta, Vella, and I so they kept us in hot water most of the time. Hazel would save the day by getting us all to play Anti- i - over, the old granary, which is still standing.
Some time later my father bought the log house down the lane, things were really bad, and I don't think we even had a Christmas tree. I got a doll, (second hand) and the face was terrible, no hair. So papa painted the face white, his name was Ludwig. I didn't like the name or doll either. Mama always made me doll clothes, but Ludwig never looked decent in anything.
Then when I was 9 my father built us a house just up East from aunt Ellie and Uncle Rob's place, still on Grandpa Randall's farm. The Christmas there wasn't too good. My baby brother 10 months old died while there. Christmas was rather gloomy and not much money. I remember there was no tree, not many presents. I got a necklace and some paper dolls. Jessie got a real baby doll. I thought cute and wished I had gotten one. Papa had made us a wooden sleigh, but it didn't go very good, guess he hadn't practiced much. Anyway it was hard to pull, wooden runners.
That was the year of the bad flu…1918, and everyone was sick or scared to go anywhere. I forgot to mention, when I was about 3 yrs old, the Ward always had a Christmas party…Santa Clause, candy and nuts in a little brown bag. I really didn't know what it was all about, so when Santa came shouting and running up the aisle, I got so scared, I suddenly got off Papa's lap, and crawled under the bench. You know, or do you?, the old wooden benches….. Papa finally coaxed me up on his lap again.
All the years we lived in Grant, there was always a Christmas party. Christmas Day in the afternoon, the Bishop, (Bro. Lee) and Seth Fife furnished the music, and we kids all danced and had a good time. Then at night, the older people, my folks and the others had a big supper and dancing. They put the little kids to bed on the benches up on the stage, wrapping them up in their coats…
We always had a Christmas tree at the Church. I don't know where they got it as there were no pines around and cedar trees were out a long way. So we hardly ever had a Christmas tree at home. There wasn't much money for even gifts. I think we probably only got one thing and we were happy to get that.
In 1927, we were living in Lewisville, Ida. in a big old rock house with beautiful old trees. I was going with Elmer, so I wanted to go to Riverside and spend Christmas with Elmer's family. Grandma Taylor was always so gracious and good. We had a nice Christmas, Elmer gave me a finger nail set. Some of the pieces are gone but I still have the case with my name on it.
My father milked the cow, sold it to the cheese factory across the street and gave me the money for bus fare to Blackfoot to spend Christmas. I feel guilty about that now, as there wasn't that much money to go around. But they did get a Christmas tree, they put it in front of the big glass window. I guess all the kids were trimming the tree when Jessie fell thru the big glass window-she cut her hand and thumb terrible and still has the scar. Elmer and I were married on Sept. 19, 1928, so we had a room at Grandma Taylors. We had a nice Christmas as Elmer ran Grandma's farm that summer. In the Fall, everyone that raised beets that year got a check about Christmas time. I was so glad to have a little money, I bought presents for all my sisters, Jessie 15, Alice 10 and Mary 8. They often tell me how glad they were to receive that package in the mail. It made Christmas special for them.
Joyce was born 7 Dec. next year, 1929. Joyce was a cute little girl with dark hair. She weighed 7 lbs. she had big blue eyes, and when she opened those eyes to us the whole world woke up too. She was a blessing in our lives. We were still at Grandmas in Riverside, but Elmer had gotten a job with O.P. Skaggs in Pocatello, and was driving back and forth…Soon he found a little 2 room house on East 7th St.
I think it was $30. a month. So three days after Christmas, we moved to Pocatello….the four of us, Elmer and I, Joyce and our little dog.
I thought I knew a lot about babies, but I soon found out, it wasn't all that easy. Altho Joyce was a very good baby, she never cried, and when she would wake up and open those big blue eyes, the whole world came awake…she was so cute.
Things seemed so good to be on our own and to have a little money…I think $15 a week. But things weren't to last….The Great Depression hit and every one was layed off their jobs. So nothing else but to go back to Grandma Taylors. The first trip back we took nearly all our furniture, but when we got ready to go we couldn't find our little dog, Spot, and it was cold as it was December or probably Jan. 1930. Elmer made another trip down, little Spot had come back, but had frozen to death..
The Christmases of 31 and 32 were very meager, as there were no jobs. We were now living in the (Riverside) house. We bought it for $20 down and $10 a month, but we couldn't get $10 to make the payments. Our Christmas there was mostly home made…but everyone was in the same boat…so all our friends took turns having house parties…"come as you are and bring what your have". We had some wonderful times and made life-long friends, no one went hungry and we were all happy…"The Lord doth provide" if we put acknowledge his hand…Our blessings were many.
Lynn was born in 1933, Feb. 23rd… Daddy got a job with Clark Transfer Trucking, hauling milk to Driggs, Id. and hauling coal back. We lived in an apartment above a garage in Blackfoot…but soon he was transferred to Idaho Falls, so we lived in an apartment in the big house on the corner of Cliff Street.
Then came Christmas, Lynn was little but Joyce was 3 yrs old…we had a Christmas tree, little toys for Lynn, a doll and dishes for Joyce. Then Fay, (Elmer's brother) and his wife Thelma (Fay's first wife) came up from Blackfoot to spend Christmas. That was nice, Fay was such a good brother. We didn't have two bedrooms, but a nice big living room with a Heat a rola (heater) and it was good and warm. They took the cushions of the couch and big chair and made a bed on the floor. They stayed with us about a week. Then the next Christmas we had moved down west of the corner in the gray apartments. Lynn was 3 now and Joyce 6. Lynn would be out in the yard and soon I would hear kids screaming bloody murder and yelling "Run! Here comes Lynn"!
We did have a nice Christmas…Lynn got a little truck he could sit on and ride… Joyce got a big rubber doll which I made sweater, cap and booties for. Money wasn't too plentiful, so Daddy and I didn't worry too much about our gifts… We know the meaning of Christmas wasn't presents, but Love for one another, and that the birth of the Saviour of the World was the real meaning of Christmas. And why we gave gifts,…….to remember Him..
By this time, I was pregnant with Jay, so we moved to the little house on Hill Street just a little south of where we were living….We were only in this house from April to 10 of July, when Daddy had a stroke. We were all packed up ready to move to Pocatello….a man from the trucking office came over and told me Daddy was in the Idaho Falls Hospital. Daddy was in the hospital for awhile and then we had to go back to Grandma Taylor's brick house in Riverside. We lived there for a year or two… We couldn't get any money from Trucker's compensation….finally went to court and was awarded $70. a month...seemed good after not having any…. Every Christmas Jay would get Tinker Toys, he loved to build things…I think Lynn was building bigger things by then, like little wagons. I remember Daddy got me a gold? locket, which I am wearing now.
One year when we did have a Christmas tree and Joyce and Lynn were trimming it, Elmer's cousin, Ira Wray Anderson's kids brought each a little gift. I shall always remember them for remembering us…(one thing was top that whirled around with pretty colors, probably for Jay..the other things, I can't remember.
We borrowed $120 from Grandma Taylor (Halverson) and bought the little gray house (Riverside). One Christmas Jay got a little Big Truck he could peddle like a tricycle, he was so thrilled. I don't remember what Joyce and Lynn got. Just remember trying to keep out of the way of Jay and that truck, motoring around the kitchen. The next I can remember was 7th Dec. 1941, Joyce was having her 12th Birthday party, when the news came over the radio…Pearl Harbor had been bombed. This isn't exactly Christmas, but seems things weren't ever the same.
The next two Christmases I don't remember much, there wasn't much money to buy Christmas so I had to make most everything. In the Spring of 1943, we sold the little grey house, (I shall always remember Lynn and Jay swinging, playing Tarzan and boy in the big willow tree in the yard). We decided to move to Montana…Elmer was restless as he couldn't do much, paralyzed on his left side….So we left Riverside on the 4th of April…(as I'm writing this, it's nearly the 4th of April, and the memory of moving to Montana….I shall never forget). Joyce was graduating from 8th grade, so she didn't go up with us but stayed with Grandma Taylor until after graduation, then she came up on the bus. For Easter, just a short time before you, (Del) were born, (Joyce hadn't come from Idaho yet) Lynn and Jay just had to go Easter egg hunting, so your father and I took a little jaunt up the road a mile, where there was a beautiful place, just like a park, (probably someone's pasture), and your father and I hid those eggs about 10 times before we could get home again.
Then you were born 27th of April, 1943, (as you know), Jay was 7 years old just a week before. You were blessed 1st Sunday in June by your Grandfather Francis Gardner. We didn't get to have a Christmas in Montana, as your father died Oct 2nd 1943. So in December, we moved back to Riverside in Grandma Taylor's old brick house. You were only 8 month old, so you didn't care or think much about Christmas. I don't remember what Lynn got, Joyce got some beads and things, but Jay always got Tinker Toys, and I always made something, so it was always put together before Christmas morning. I got the Tinker Toys but forgot to make anything, Jay got up Christmas morning, first thing he said was "Santa forgot to make me something". He was such a sweet little guy and little things meant so much.
The 14th December 1944, we moved to Pocatello as I had gotten a job at the Gun Plant (NOP… Navel Ordinance Plant). Christmas was coming and I didn't have any ornaments to trim the little tree I had gotten somewhere. So I went to town, (at the dime store), all they had was the plastic, funny balls, etc. on a display tree. I asked the manager if he would sell me those, and he did, (bless him). So we had a Christmas tree and the rest I can't remember. The war was on and everything was hard to get.
I know we always had a Christmas tree when we lived in Portnuef Park, but don't remember the presents we got…only, one year , Lynn got a basket ball and another year a pretty ruby-setted ring, which he loved. One year I made Joyce a house robe. One year Lynn got skiis, which he never used. I do remember the 1st year in the Park, you and Jay got a little wagon, like an old wagon, but we didn't know people would steal things in Pocatello, and so let it out by the door and someone stole it. It was such a good sturdy wagon, guess we never did get another. I can't believe we lived in the Park for 12 years.
I worked at the Gun Plant, P.F.E.(ice plant at R.R.), and Pocatello Housing… Fred Brothers was my boss and so good to me. It was while living in the Park, you (Del) got your electric train…Fred helped me put it together for you and you were so thrilled Christmas morning.
In 1953 I met and married (25 Sept.) Lyle (Curtis) I don't remember that Christmas only that there wasn't much money to go around. So on the 4th of Jan. 1954 I went to work for Farmers Insurance. I didn't like it very much, I don't know how I stayed there 18 years. Charles Christ was my boss, he didn't like me and I didn't like him. He was a bar tender and knew nothing of Farmer's business or the mail room. He didn't like me because he had to come and ask me how to do everything. I managed to get Christmas off and go to Joyce's (in California) every year. Bless her heart, she didn't have very much…Dick always said the money had to go into the business….
I still have all the jewelry you kids gave me. I know you all skimped a lot to give me the presents you sent and gave me….Bless your sweet hearts.
1938
In the Spring of 1938, we decided to move from the brick house in Riverside to Nyssa, OR. We only had a two wheeled trailer, but it held most of our furniture. We stayed at Grandma Halversons the night before we left. She had made us some cookies to eat on the way and they tasted mighty good because it was a long way to Oregon. My folks had moved over there 2 years before and said it was a nice place.
(I remember Mother telling me that they had a lot of tire trouble on this trip and had to wait in Boise for a check to come before they could buy a new tire to continue on to Oregon).1952
The year Del got his electric train, It was an American Flyer…(I'll see if I can find the picture).
Lynn got a Ruby and gold ring. Was very proud of it…I can't remember what I got Jay, but remember sending Joyce's family a package. I think that was the year Jay was working for Fawson's Music and bought me a pressure cooker…Bless his heart…I know it took all his money.1955
My folks came down to Pocatello and had Christmas with us. Lyle didn't make much money at the Rail Road. His checks were only $130 every two weeks and mine was only $148 every 2 weeks when I retired in 1972.
Joyce and Dick weren't making much money either. But for Christmas I bought Brenda a big doll and dressed it …Mama helped me. I even made it a coat. I don't remember what I got Michael…something I know…Papa fixed the box to put the doll in. They were so good to help me. I think it was the year before I made a quilt for Mike and Brenda, they had that quilt for a long long time. It was hard doing Christmas shopping as I would have to go to town when I got home from work, always dark, Pennys on one end of town and Montgomery Wards on the other end, snow, snow, in between, and I was so tired. But one year I bought all of Joyce's girls fuzzy night gowns. I think they would rather had flannel ones.1956
This was the year Lyle bought me a camera, but I think it was for him…. It was too big and hard for me to operate. I think I gave him a sports coat, only one he ever had….wore it when he dressed up to go play in the bank. Of course, he always had new western shirts and pants he played in. He played every New Year's that we were married, which we were glad for, as he always got double pay. He was booked a year ahead to play for a married folk's dance in Lava the year 1971 that he passed away. He was in the Salt Lake Hospital that Christmas.1962
This was the Christmas Joyce and Dick and kids came to Pocatello. We had the fireplace and a Christmas tree out in one of our apartments, even the Park's kids were there waiting and waiting for Santa to show up (I was so angry), but he had gone to the hospital to see kids up there. Cindy did get to see him, she even wrote a story (in school) about the best Christmas she ever had..(that one). Just wish it could have been better. But we did have a tree and presents for everyone. New Year's Day the Park's kids came down to watch the Rose Parade, eat hot cakes and sausages. We had a lot of people there…I don't remember who all……..1963
I don't remember much about this Christmas, except you, Del, packed your suit case and went back to Lynn's in Maryland. I really hated to see you go, I know your heart was broken and when my kids hurt, I hurt….The next year 1964, you were on your mission, I know I made cookies and candies and sent them to Mexico, but don't remember if you ever received them.1964
Lynn and Geneal usually sent me jewelry form some where Lynn has been on Govt. assignment. It was in 1952 I think Lynn and Geneal were in Biloxi, Miss. They didn't have much money, but Lynn covered a wooden box with plastic (red) and sent it out to Pocatello, I still have it.
Del and Nancy always sent me nice presents, also Jay's family.1986
In 1986, I didn't receive much. I did receive a pretty wreath from Lynn and Geneal. Thing seemed to be late that Christmas. Lynn called about 11 a.m. and said what are you doing? I said, I'm sitting here with the wreath around my head, eating pop corn, meaning that white stuff you pack with. He said , go to the plane station, there will be a ticket waiting for you. I packed my bag and left for MD the next day. They had a nice Christmas waiting for me.
1987
Chuck and I took a load of goodies, mostly fruit, in his little truck and went to Idaho, stopping that night at Connie's sister's in McCammon, gave fruit packets to everyone there, they were having a party….Next night we went up to Jay and Connie's had a nice Christmas and party, gave more fruit , etc. Next night we went up to Jessie's and all my sister and brothers, except Mary were there, had a nice party, dinner, and all. Alice and Cleone and all their family were there except Karen and Lewis' family. Next day, Chuck and I came back and had our own Christmas here. (Salt Lake).1988
Was my 80th Birthday year….I went to Arizona for Christmas and Tiffany and Shawn's wedding reception and all…I came back 29th December.
1989
Started to Joyce's for Christmas..I left here 6 a.m. but had gotten up at 4:30 a.m. Lynn took me to the plane. First couldn't take off as no power on the ground. Waited ½ hour, then went to Las Vegas, where they told us no planes out to Sacramento on account of fog. We waited all day… Joyce and Robin were waiting in Sacramento for the plane and me to come in. All day they waited, then Joyce called Lynn to see if he really got me to the plane…so they didn't know where I was. About 11 p.m. they got us on a plane to San Jose, then they put us on a bus in the fog…I mean FOG, and took us to Sacramento. As the bus came to a stop, I saw Robin running toward the bus….She saw me and yelled back to Joyce, "She's here! She's here!" Well we left then for Joyces' in Grass Valley, by the time we got there it was 4:30 a.m. I had been 24 hours on the road. I think we all fell in bed with our clothes on! Robin and Kenny cooked a nice dinner at their place, turkey and all the trimmings. Joyce and I were to bring the monkey bread. We started to Robins…we were going to bake the bread when we got there, but half way there we ran out of gas.. Joyce just didn't' pay any attention to that little voice that says your fuel is low. In a few minutes, Cindy came by, so she went on up to Robin's and brought some gas down to us.
They had a nice big tree and presents all around for everyone. We all took our presents up there. The kids put on a program, it was cute. The grass was green it was nice and warm. Mike and his 2 children also were there…Carrie, graduated last year, and Gary, about 12, I think.
I went to a Christmas Party with Cindy in Joyce's Ward, Penn Valley. Next day Joyce and I went up to Cathie's had a nice dinner and came back same day. Two day's later we went up to Salem, OR to Brenda's, her Kimberly came over with her husband and baby. So we took pictures of all, as I was a Great, Great Grandma to the baby. My 1st gggrandchild. It was rainy and cold. We stayed over night, the trip was just beautiful, beautiful country. I left 3rd Jan. Joyce took me back to Sacramento, but we rode around a long time and I was tired. Then I got into Salt Lake, no one to meet me. My home teacher was supposed to meet me, but he thought the plane was late, so ½ hour later he came and when I got home all my lights were on and a motor home was parked outside…It was Morris, Arthella, Milt, and Arla. I was glad to see them, but I was so tired…Well, guess this is the end of a perfect Christmas for 1989.
Life History of Elsie Gardner Taylor
(I am attempting to write Mother's stories {there are 7 - 8 ? drafts} from her hand-written notes and epistles…many -
unconnected-March 2006 - Del Taylor)Life at the Randall residence in Grant, Idaho was always a busy interesting time, but to make things a little more exciting and probably complicated was my arrival Nov. 18, 1908. Some time after midnight because in the evening I have heard my mother say things did get pretty exciting and almost tragic because a big grey stallion fell into a stall on his back in the barn and they had a time getting him out. Before the night was gone, something else happened, I was born to Francis and Rosa Gardner… Great Grandma Dabell was the midwife, as in those days there were not very many doctors around, probably just in Idaho Falls and that was 10 miles away and no automobiles. I must have been pretty funny looking as my father said a Japanese man he was proudly showing me off to... laughed when he saw me, probably because I had no hair… (Grandfather Randall had some Japanese working for him, they lived in a little log cabin just a little way south of the barn) I was the 3rd grandchild in the Randall family…Deb Fields was the oldest….Hazel Randall was next.
I was about 3 when my father and grandfather were homesteading some land out on the knolls, (by the Snake River). It was there that they lost me…My father tells the story that they found me in a hole with my little dog Tiny, laughing my head off….(I remember Mother telling of helping to clear the sage brush off this land).. We always had a cow and I remember a horse called Nance…Mother would hitch Nance up to a one horse buggy and drive us up to Grandma Randalls where she would tie the horse up to the hay stack and the horse would feed all day. Sometimes Momma would walk down thru the fields to Grandma and Grandpa Gardners as they owned the store on the corner by the school. The store is still there but not the same building….a Mr. Reese bought the building and moved it up north on his place which I guess he used for a barn. I enjoyed staying with Grandma and Grandpa Gardner although it was quieter there than at the Randalls. Grandpa Gardner owned and operated a general store. The fun thing about that was I got all the chips off the hard tack candy. There were bins he kept the candy in and it would get pieces broken off and when the bin was empty the little slivers would be in the bottom of the bin…maybe there would be a little pail full…we kids liked that, other wise, we didn't have much candy. Grandma took care of her daughter's children who had passed away in child birth…they were Venna, Katie, Ruby and Edward…..Their father was Joseph Southwick. Then Ezra's wife died in child birth (Ezra is Papa's older brother)…they lived in Lyman , Wyo. That left 6 children which Grandma took care of sometimes. As I look back, I think how fortunate I was to have a mother to wash, iron, keep a clean house, mend my clothes and see that we always had Sunday clothes for Church. I can remember once Katie came to stay at our house for awhile….she didn't even have a pair of shoes, but my father saw that she got some…My mother not only sewed for all of us, she kept a garden, canned vegetables, picked and canned raspberries but had time to make us doll clothes and most of all she made us girls a play house under a big tree. She dug 3 holes and put posts in, using the tree trunk for 1 post. Then with heavy canvas from the sugar factory, she stretched it around until it was about 9'x9'. We had a cupboard my father had made and a cute iron stove a friend of the folks gave me that their daughter had outgrown. We were taught to be good mothers and keep a nice house from playing in that play house thanks to Mama.
I was 5 years old when Jessie was born in Grant… It was quite a shock to me as up 'til then I had gotten all the attention….Things seemed to have changed quite abruptly, but I was really glad to have a baby sister. Then a couple of years later, my baby brother Marvin was born. He was a beautiful child with dark hair and he looked the picture of health…but when he was 10 months old he was taken back to live with Father in Heaven again… I think that was the first time I ever saw my father cry. It was a sad, sad time. In a short time a baby sister came to bless our house…her name was Alice Harriet. She was bald headed like the rest of us, but filled the void that was felt by my folks. I liked to stay at Grandma's she let me help her gather the eggs. All the chickens ran around the barn yard and only nest in the coop at night…so we had so much fun finding all the places those darn hens decided to lay an egg. Then we'd go to the grainery to get wheat to feed them, the little lambs would tag us around and we'd feed them too. We left the milking up to grandpa and uncle Arve…they had lots and lots of cows to milk and no milking machine…
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When I was about 6 or 7, my Grandfather Randall had the first automobile in that area. It was a Studebaker. It was so big, it had 2 seats and little seats that raised up out of the floor, back of the seats for us grandchildren to sit on. It had a rubber horn that us kids loved to squeeze and make a big blast…then we'd all run, by the time Grandpa got out of the house or barn….no one was around. It also had pretty brass head lights. Those were the days! I guess we stayed to Grandmas a lot because I remember so many fun times. Grandpa always had cattle and horses and a big white face bull he would lead to water up past the house to the ditch…. Boy did us kids ever get out of the road then…no one but Grandpa could even take him to water.
There were always lots of saddles on the pole fence corral that held the horses. We had many a rodeo on those pole horses and saddles. There were lots of cousins always there, seems like everyone always went to Grandmas, especially on Thursdays. Aunt Nettie with Hazel, Alta, Milt, Ora, my mother, me, Jessie , Alice, Mary, Morris,(a little before Milton's time)Aunt Floss with Villa (my age), Verna, (Jessie's age) Gon and Herman, Aunt Bess, Nola, Verl, who is Bishop of Grant now. Rhea, and La Von. We had another great place to play, down in a beautiful old orchard….crab apples which were large trees, transparents, Wethies, and many more. We all had different play houses, we older ones were mothers with all the younger ones as our kids, the way we used to chase each other up the trees….wonder we didn't turn out to be monkeys. Grandma also had some geese that used to scare me half to death…they would chase us and one day one got hold of my pants….I thought I was a goner. I used to have headaches a lot when I was 6 or 7 and Grandma always babied me by giving me Quinine pills….uk! I soon got better. I can remember my first Christmas, we were living at Uncle Rob and Aunt Ellie Field's in part of their house because Uncle Rob had gone on a mission to North Western States. I can remember getting a tin whistle and little doll. Aunt Ellie later told me about borrowing money from a Minie Hitt in Idaho Falls ($600) to buy some pigs and give the rest to keep Uncle Rob on his mission. She fed the pigs all summer , sold them and paid the loan. It was those days when Deb and I had experimental experiences…..Deb was always building something and I was the Guiney pig. Once he made a cart, which was supposed to be pulled by a horse, but he played horse, took me out in the pastures that was flooded and on one of his maneuvers, I fell off in the water…..Oh! Those were the days!
We also played ball at Grandmas…mostly Anti-I-Over the old granary, which is still standing on the old farm, it was all so much fun! As I grew a little older, I remember my Grandpa and Grandma Gardner's place…only about 2 acres, but my Grandfather was a gardner, not only by name, but he could make things grow anywhere. I can remember him showing me his pear growing on an apple tree. He and my father had bees which made us lots of honey. The two acres had lots of different kinds of fruit trees and berry bushes…no space was wasted. There was a barn at one side near the road and a little buck board wagon, and 2 grey horses. One Halloween, we found the buck board (small wagon) on top of the log barn….quite a funny sight….Grandpa didn't think it funny… He also had the store that supplied all the area around. He always had a flag pole and a flag was raised on special holidays, except this one Halloween instead of the flag, there was the little gate on top of the pole. I don't think even my father thought that very funny…but to me I had to chuckle a little.
Grandpa's store was just across the road north from the school house, where I started school. Mrs. Browning was my first teacher, but real soon my father decided to go to school at Ricks College, so I started school again in Rexburg. The building still stands unless the flood of last Sat. took it away…it was of black rock. The next year I was back in Grant. Miss Dora Goody was my teacher, she had a beau, with a beautiful shinny buggy and a prancing black horse. He was tall and good looking…boy, what a couple they made. His name was Ja…. Erickson. She was so cute and sweet, she's one lady I thought would never grow old. She used to recite a poem "I Won't Cry Anymore", In fact, she recited that poem at my folks Golden Wedding anniversary, she must have been quite old then…. She taught school for years, now there is a Dora Erickson School in her honor in Idaho Falls.
We lived in a log house about a mile east of Grandpa's store. At that time, he and my father had a little creamery by the store…. I can remember my father testing cream from the milk the farmers brought in. Sounded like such a fun thing to do.
When I was in the 4th grade my parents moved to Garfield. I helped my father and Elmer Gardner (who had come up from Utah) to help on the farm, haul hay, etc. I would tromp the hay as they put it on the hay wagon to take into stack it. I would be so tired, I would lay down and sleep until we got to the hay stack…then I would ride the derrick horse and you haven't lived until you have driven a derrick horse! That wasn't for long, as things
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went bad for my father…he couldn't meet the payment due and we had to move… so back to Grant…but our place was sold, so had to live in another log house. Some time before we went to Garfield, my father bought a piece of land from Uncle Rob and built a house. I had to walk up to Uncle Aces, then Hazel would drive the horse taking Alta, Milt, and I in a toboggan to school 1 ½ miles. She would unhitch the horse then turn him around to eat the hay in the toboggan while we were in school. We had an outside toilet….seemed a block from the school. It was then I remember Bishop Lee's wife had died with the flu…1918… There was a little boy who always came and sat with his brother (my age) because he wasn't old enough to go to 1st grade and no one to leave him with….he later became Bishop of Grant.
At this time, my Grandparents decided to sell the store (they sold to Uncle Dick and Aunt Cind Robinson) and all and go back to Deweyville, UT, where they had lived before and built their first house when they were married 15 March 1869.. They bought a place up against the mountain and again Grandfather had berries and watermelons growing everywhere. When I was in the 7th grade my father thought we could help Grandfather and be with them in their reclining years, so we also moved to Deweyville. I thought it was a fun place to live as I had never lived around mountains and being that there were so many Gardners there (seemed everyone was a relation). We kids would go up the mtn. exploring caves, rocks, eating wild berries and all kinds of things. It wasn't quite all play as my father had about and acre (seemed like 10!) of tomatoes….every morning Jessie and I would take the pliers and pick off tomato bugs…same size every morning…like 2 to 2 ½ inches….they were so big you'd think they came from Texas.. I loved living in Deweyville, there were many second cousins as Grandfather's brother Milo Van Dusen Gardner and family lived there and most all lived close to Grandfathers. We played "Run Sheepie Run" every night….no one cared if we hid or run in their yard…. Only once Uncle Jim Gardner had stretched some wire around some apple trees….I didn't know about the wire and I ran pell mell right into it..sit me down on my ___! It tore a hole in my dress but really only my pride and feelings were hurt. Like all children, I had a puppy love…his name was Latheal Marble. He lived across the road from Grandpa and Grandma Gardner. About a year after we moved back to Grant from Deweyville, Latheal was killed in a gravel pit up on the mountain just a little ways from Grandpas. (Mother shared a story with me that Latheal had climbed east to the top of the mountain and put a ring in a tin can for her there). I went to school in the Church house there as I think the school had burned down….that year (1922) they built a new school.
We didn't stay only a year in Deweyville as there wasn't much work….so again we went back to Grant. This time graduating from the 8th grade. That was really a big event….there were 11 of which 6 of us graduated from Midway High School (midway between Lewisville and Menan). After graduating 8th grade, Spring of 1924, I helped my father cut seed potatoes for Mr. Riley…they lived across the road from Grandpa Randalls.
When I was a teenager in Grant, we teenagers would go sleigh riding… One young man, Fred Chadburn had a team of horses and a bob sleigh. We would all get in and sometimes he would whirl the corner where Grandpa's store was and keep going around and around until I would get so scared…we would have to cling on to the box to keep from going out the back end… Oh! Those were the days! My best beau then was Russell Taylor, he had black curly hair and we had fun going to the dances which were held in Grant every Friday night. Burdett Eckersall was the drummer…He has a mortuary in Rigby now. .
Mr. Melvin Luke was our principal at Midway High School….He taught me algebra first year, and geometry second year… I hated them both! I still think I could have spent 2 years learning something more beneficial that I could use in my life. Mrs. Hunt (very tiny lady) taught me sewing (first year) that has been very useful all thru my life, in fact, many years have been rather hard ones, Depression 1929 and Elmer not being able to work on account of his stroke….when Jay was a baby, without the sewing knowledge I had acquired at school, I really don't know what we would have done. I made all the children's clothes from 2nd hand things, even their underwear and socks. I got an "A" in sewing class for making a little blue cape for Mary out of one of Aunt Ellie's old skirts. It was a lot of fun getting acquainted with the kids from Menan and Lewisville. We did a lot of fun things, but the most fun was going and coming from school. Grant was about 5 or 6 miles from Midway and we rode in a covered wagon with out the canvas, just the bows over until later on in the fall when the cover was put on. Then when it was cold and winter came, we had a sleigh and horses. One time it was 40 below zero and we about froze …the boys ran along the side to try to keep warm. The horses were so cold they couldn't go very fast. We didn't arrive at the school house until about 9:30, some of us had frozen noses and toes. It took the rest of the day for us to thaw out. The horses were white with frost….4
That next year, my father bought a 2 story house in Riverside. I was in my 2nd year of high school…there is where I met Elmer Taylor at a party….only he had a girl from Utah….her name was Hazel Smart…but she really wasn't so smart…because next night I had a date with Elmer Taylor. In our crowd was Owen Peterson, Margaret Lewis, now married with 3 sons and a daughter…Owen runs Salmon River Stages….I hear their son Billy same age as Joyce is in Bishopric in Salmon….also Melvin Bowen, DeLyle Hall, Alice Bitton, Rawles Ellis now in Mackay. These were our close friends and even to this day , although Daddy has been gone a long time. That next year was my Junior year in high school. I went to Moreland. Daddy and I went to several school dances and parties. He had a Star car and so did the Ellis' kids up the road. They used to have races and scare all us girls and go over the thrill bridge in Moreland. We just had to do something…no radio or tv…only bowling or roller skating.. Some of our friends are Melvin and Lyle Bowman, Margaret and Owen Peterson…In fact, Melvin and Lyle bought Grandma Taylor's farm where we lived when Joyce was born…
In 1927, my folks moved to Lewisville and Daddy still came to see me. In the Spring, I was a Junior at Moreland High.. (There was 1st and 2nd year High at Riverside)…We were getting our pictures taken for our annuals and had to go into Blackfoot, several of us were going together in someone's car…I remember being so sick with chills and fever…I just wanted to stand by the radiator and keep warm…Anyway, I got my picture taken and went home…I was so glad to get into a warm bed….I didn't go to school for six weeks. In just a few days, my father, Jessie and Alice were also sick…My mother had been sick, but as I remember she just kept on going as mother are like that... The 4 of us were so bad they had Dr. Beck come out and he said we had the grip…(now it would be flu)…We didn't get any better only worse….so Elmer's mother called Dr. Egan (Osteopath), he came out and right away said it was Typhoid Fever…probably from drinking water from an old well that was there. He came out every day for 6 weeks…1 day he came twice…his charge was $300. We all had high fevers for 2 or 3 hours then the fever would go down and we would all be wet with perspiration….bedding and all. My poor mother would wash all those on a board…we didn't have a washer… Finally the neighbors would help and someone had to sit up with us at night…guess we wore nearly all the ward members out…. All we could have was buttermilk and fruit juice…mostly buttermilk….. Elmer would go around to all that made butter and get the buttermilk… We were so hungry and always so happy when he brought buttermilk with little hunks of butter in it….that was a real treat. Doctor Egan knew what he was doing because without him we would have died…. I would lie there and dream of divinity candy….after 6 weeks we were able to get up and around but we looked like skeletons… We couldn't sit on chairs without a cushion because our bones hurt. Then a sad thing….all our hair fell out! Mine and Jessie's hair came in curly, but poor Alice….straight as ever. My fathers never did come back in a pretty as it was…he always had dark curly hair, as did my mother. I wore a hat to Church because I was so embarrassed. My father was so sick one night he said he saw his body (mostly bones) go through the door. But guess the Lord wasn't ready for him because he's 89 now and is still with us. (actually, Grandpa Gardner passed away a couple of months before his 89th birthday).
In the Spring of 1928 before Daddy and I were married, we went to the show in Blackfoot…of course it was silent pictures…no talkies…(if you couldn't read, you were out of luck)….during the show…there came a flash on the screen that a flood was coming down the Snake River and had taken out the Swan Valley Bridge and for all who lived close to the river in Riverside to get out. So we frantically drove home…Var was with us as Elmer had to take him every where he went because Elmer was the only daddy Var knew as he was only about 1 ½ when his daddy died…Elmer was 19 at that time…Grandma had 40 acres, so she and the children ran the farm. It wasn't easy…she thinned beets the first year we were married to pay the taxes.. She was a wonderful mother and especially wonderful to me…..back to the flood. When we arrived home, others had heard about the flood coming, so everyone had their cars at the gas station trying to get gas….Others had their cattle, driving them west to Rockford to higher ground. Cows and calves were bellowing….it was dark and they couldn't see where they were going…neither could the people! I think my father had one cow and he just turned her in with the others. Grandma Taylor had just gotten 300 little chickens….We didn't know what else to do with them but put them in our upstairs bedrooms. Then the Taylors and Gardners left for Rockford…Grandma Taylor's sister, Aunt Zada Peterson's husband ran the store there and had an empty building there where we spent the rest of the night.. Leone Randalls' mother had 2 phones at the Grant store, one at Rigby and one at Idaho Falls….people kept calling her until she got tired and finally said "The river got down to Blackfoot and has turned around and coming
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back"….knowing Lottie Waters…sounds just like her! When we heard the water had receded and passed Riverside, we took our cows and went home, but found about ½ of the little chickens were dead as a window had broken and fallen out…the chicks had chilled to death….
The Summer before Daddy and I were married, I went up to Grant and worked for Aunt Bess…Nola and the rest were quite small, so she needed help. Daddy would come up and see me on weekends…during that time or Spring before Grandma Taylor had broken her leg on the ice coming home from Sunday School, which left Daddy to do the chores and the house work….Glen just didn't seem to get the hang of it…Anyway, one weekend while Daddy was up to Grant seeing me, Grandma Taylor had gone into her folks to stay for awhile with that broken leg, taking Alice and Var with her……Well, guess who was home…Fay! My folks had gone to Idaho Falls for something, so Jessie thought she would go up to help Fay…(they were about 14) You know how some people like to be of service…well, the first thing they did was do the washing…Had to get the water out of the pump (well), didn't have time to heat it, so washed in cold water, without any soap.. I'll bet people never saw a washing like that on Grandma Taylor's lines before… Next, they decided to churn some butter….Grandma always churned her own butter in an old fashioned dasher churn…..They didn't know how to get the butter collected from buttermilk so they (tried) to strain it thru a pillow slip…(this I found when I went there to wash while Grandma was still gone). The next thing to do was have some fun…they had worked so hard…..Grandma had just gotten little chickens…so they were 6 - 8 week old….Fay and Jessie found by putting the chicken's heads under their wings and whirling them around, then letting them go…they would stagger around like they were drunk… Gee! What a ball! But the chickens didn't think that much fun…some never did fully recover, and were in a daze the rest of their lives…(result….some fresh laid scrambled eggs!)
I graduated in May of 1928….So on Sept. 19th, 1928 we went to Logan Temple to be married. Grandma Taylor went with us and we stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Gardners in Deweyville. That night I slipped off the porch and next morning could hardly walk but we went to Logan , was married and came back to Deweyville. The cousins there thought we would be staying there, so fixed up a big schiveree, but we fooled them and went clear over to Tremonton for our honeymoon. Next day, went to Brigham City and got some peaches. I haven't liked to can peaches since. I think we had 10 bushels. We were married only 3 months when the Great Depression started. There was no work, I had canned during the fall and Elmer's mother gave up her living room so we could live there. Elmer ran his mother's farm and we were still living there when Joyce was born 7th December, 1929…Dr. Hampton came out to the house in a model T Ford. Next Summer, we and our friends had a lot of fun..we had oyster soup suppers…sometimes we had 3 or 4 kettles of spuds or or beans…sometimes grave yard stew, as bread and milk were cheap…but mostly because that's all we had. We even once had a slumber party on our lawn. Soon after the little ones started coming, we all had one just about the same time…..Joyce was the oldest, she was so cute, they all thought they could do as good, but no one ever did! She was so cute, dark hair and wide awake but very good….she never cried and always looked like a doll. Of course Daddy and I loved her dearly…Father in Heaven had really sent us a dear sweet child. In the Spring after Joyce was born, Daddy got a job with O P Skaggs grocery in Pocatello on the corner of 2nd St. just out of the subway. We moved down there to a little house on North 7th…but soon things began to slow down because of the Depression and Daddy with a lot of others were laid off their jobs… We moved back to Riverside to a house just 1 block east and 1 block north of the garage.. There was no work, Daddy got a few jobs like in the haying season which paid $2.50 a day, or sorting potatoes for 30 cents a hour…and that didn't last too long (3 or 4 months in the winter)…but we were happy. Grandma Taylor and us got along as best we could…..everyone in the Ward was in the same boat. We had lots of things at Church. In 1928-29 I was 1st counselor in the Primary to Ellen Adams…One little boy I shall always remember was so cute and a perfect little gentleman…his name was Delwyn Wheeler, which I named my Del after.. Daddy had a beautiful tenor voice and sang duets with John Bitton. I couldn't do much but act crazy…so had several parts in plays we put on. A fellow by the name of Art Ogden decided a few of us could put on stage plays and go from Ward to Ward. We did just that and if I do say it, they were pretty good for amateurs…Anyway better than nothing! Later I was drama director and one time we put on a play that we took to Moreland and Groveland. Joyce sang between acts…Daddy was there to help with the stage. My good friends Lois and Dan Thomas were in the Mutual Presidency so were always there to help me. They were both school teachers. (Dan was Lynn's first grade teacher when we were in Riverside. After we came back from Nyssa, Oregon, the school was crowded there so he only went a half day…that made him
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behind….Lynn said he was so bored with what the first grade was doing he watched the 2nd graders all the time….Next year, he was so smart he didn't have to take 2nd grade…So he flunked 1st and went to 3rd grade!) I picked raspberries for awhile but soon had to quit as I was pregnant with Lynn…that summer was pretty bad but we had a garden and I canned everything there was to can…in the fall, we had 75 cents and green tomatoes….we didn't know whether to spend the money to make green tomato mincemeat or save it. We made the mincemeat.. Daddy had bought 2 little pigs in the fall and sold one of them for $3 to buy Lynn a sweater suit to be blessed in… we had managed a little money to buy a 2 bedroom house 1 block north of Grandma Taylor's brick house. This was where Lynn was born 23rd Feb. 1933. Daddy had to go to Blackfoot to get Dr. Beck in a sleigh as the roads were all drifted in with snow. One snow drift was so high that when they went over it, the back end of the sleigh broke out and it took them from morning until noon to get to Riverside…Lynn was born at 12:00…he weighed 8 pounds and was a very good baby…(no hair, like Joyce)…I didn't have very much for him…. When he was about 2 months old, Daddy got a job with Clark Transfer Co. in Blackfoot, so we moved to Blackfoot upstairs over their (Transfer's) garage. Joyce was so disappointed because she couldn't go out to play… It was soon springtime and that apt. was so hot we moved to a little house Charlie Marsdon had…(he was a fellow worker with Daddy). After two months, Daddy was transferred to Idaho Falls. He was making $25 a week and things weren't too bad. Lynn gave us quite a fright when he was about two. He got a penny caught in his throat and no one could get it out. He was turning blue and as we were rushing him to the hospital, he suddenly relaxed and swallowed the coin. In Idaho Falls we lived on the corner of Chamberlain St. and Cliff which we rented for $14 a month… Pennys was about 1 or 2 blocks north…that's where Joyce walked by herself, …4 years old up to a morning milk studio, called "Uncle Bob's" where she sang every morning on the radio. (I had to take care of Lynn so couldn't go with her) She would learn a popular song (like "The Old Spinning Wheel) every day on our radio and sing it up there the next day. She would say "I'm Joyce Taylor and I'm 4 year's old". Grandma Taylor listened to her and was so proud! (Grandma Halverson now as she had just married Francis T. Halverson on May 3rd 1933.) Daddy continued working for Clark Transfer and sometimes we would go with him taking milk over to Driggs and bringing coal back from the Blind Bull Mine. It was a beautiful trip through the canyons and we really enjoyed it.
We soon moved again to Hill St. where Jay was born 20th April 1936. Jay only weighed 6 pounds and was so skinny. In fact, he never was a fat child, always a skinny little kid…but now he's a man and the largest of my 3 sons. He's a very loving son and so thoughtful of me. Lynn was so taken up with him, he would come in the house (Jay was had at home) and say "He's my baby brother, isn't he?" Then rubbing his hand over Jay's bald head would say "This is hair isn't it?" Lynn was 3 now and had a mind of his own. I took him to ride on a merry-go-round and he held onto the post so tight I thought I'd have to leave him there. He had a bad time that winter, he was so sick……As I held him in my arms I thought every breath would be his last… But the Lord spared him…
When Jay was two month's old, we moved to Pocatello to a little house on South 2nd…(Lyle Curtis and his wife Zina had just moved out of this house in January) We had lived there only 3 months when Elmer had a stroke and fell from the truck. That was July 9th in Idaho Falls, he had been transferred back to Idaho Falls and was up there looking for a house and I was waiting for a Clark truck to come and move us when the bookkeeper came and said Daddy was in the Idaho Falls Hospital. He took me up leaving Joyce and Lynn at Grandma and Grandpa Gardners in Fort Hall. Jay was nursing so kept him with me. Daddy was unconscious and paralyzed on his right side (Mother told me she would walk to the hospital several times every day to see Dad then back and forth to where ever she was staying to nurse Jay). . He was in the hospital 3 weeks and we had to move back to Grandma Taylor's brick house again. Daddy did improve, but couldn't use his right arm. He had to learn to eat with his left. He didn't walk for quite awhile, but in a month or two he could walk with a limp which he never did overcome. His speech was impaired and couldn't talk very good, especially if he got excited. While he was in the hospital, I left Jay at a neighbors and walked 2 miles every 2 hours to feed him. These were real bad times, as I've mentioned before, there was no insurance and no welfare at that time. After 2 years, finally received $70 a month from Workman's Compensation. (They said he wasn't hurt on the job, he just had a stroke)
In March 1938, we moved to Nyssa, Oregon. We had a 4 wheeled trailer with all our possessions, that darn trailer swayed and wore out the tires. We were stuck out in the desert between Mountain Home and Boise and not much money. We had traveled all night and it was nearly morning… Daddy hitched a ride into Boise and had to go to the State House to get his comp. check to buy 2 tires and come back and get us. I groaned every time I saw a hill as we
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had such a load… We bought 2 acres from Bishop Fife and with Bishop Fife and his sons, built our basement house. The first summer we lived in a tent. It really wasn't so bad, the climate was much warmer than Blackfoot. We lived just west of my folks, I don't remember the cost ….it couldn't have been much … so know Bishop Fife must have been mighty good to us. My father and neighbors finally got a roof over us, and he built the kitchen cabinets…Lynn would sit there by him every day and watch. No wonder he can build anything he want…he had a good teacher…and it tickled my father that he was so interested. We had a nice garden, corn higher than Daddy, and water cress in the drain ditch. We had about 300 little chickens…Elmer built a chicken coup….I don't know to this day how he did it! (His right arm was paralyzed from his stroke)… Del took me to see the place where we lived, the chicken house is still there, but they have build a house on the basement. By fall, our neighbor Mr. Thompson and us had a well drilled which we shared. It was good drinking water, but we had to carry it about ½ block, so Daddy pounded a pipe down in the ground 14 feet and got surface water for washing, watering chickens, etc. Joyce and Lynn went to school only half days as the school was crowded and had to take turns. They went to school in the afternoon and Milton went in the morning. Our dog had 3 puppies so they were good play mates especially for Jay, he had to play by himself most of the time. One day his father and Mr. Thompson went into town for some lumber or bricks and took Jay with them. They had a flat tire on the trailer about 2 blocks from the house, I could see them up there, but couldn't see anything of Jay, so walked up where they were and said "Where's Jay?" they said "didn't he come home?" My heart sank as there was a ditch, quite deep, that ran along the road in front of 6 or 7 houses…our neighbor Dean Fife's little girl had drowned in it about a week before…I just knew Jay was in that ditch. We looked and looked about the time they were going to get in the ditch to see if they could find him… Mr. Thompson went down to the drain ditch, it had deep banks but only a little water…there he sit…in a little boat the Thompson kids had made. When I saw him come up over that bank with Jay in his arms I collapsed to the ground and gave thanks to my Heavenly Father for a miracle. It was that summer Lynn leaned to swim. The Thompson boys took him swimming in that same ditch and I was so shocked when I saw him in that water… I yelled for those kids to get him out they just laughed and said, "he's O K he can swim and that's how it started. When we moved back to Riverside, the Ward went to Lava one day and he scared everyone there as he dove off the high dive….but I think he also got hurt… Another rather interesting experience…One of the Fife boy's (step son) lived in a trailer across the street from us. One day someone there yelled "Fire!" I didn't stop to see what it was, I emptied my tub of rinse water into 2 big buckets and ran across the street, they say I saved the trailer as they had no water. There was a Mr. Brown there that worked in the sugar factory so was fairly well to do. Every week I cleaned house for them for $1 a day. One spring I cleaned their house and for 10 day's work, I made $10… I thought that was a lot of money!
We were there for two years…but seems Elmer was home sick for Riverside and his folks so back to Riverside…. Sometime after this we bought the little grey house in Riverside. Grandma Halverson loaned us the $120 down payment, $10 a month, it had 2 bedrooms large kitchen and living room on ½ acre which we should have kept, but Daddy wanted to go to Montana where my folks were. (Lynn and Jay played Tarzan and Boy in the big willow tree here). Also Sam Jones, (Lyle's brother-in-law) let me buy a refrigerator for working for him selling fridges. What a luxury that was to have a fridge.
We left Riverside 4 April, 1943, We took some chickens and our ducks on a little trailer. We stayed at a little road-side cabin some where around Dillon MT. that first night. We arrived in St. Ignatius the next day, moving onto a place we leased from the Indian Agency. (Blackfoot Indian Reservation, St. Ignatius, MT) Grandpa Gardner had gotten the 40 acre piece for us. Easter came and Lynn and Jay would have to have an Easter egg hunt, so we found a beautiful little wooded place up the road and after crawling through a fence must have hid those eggs 10 times that day.
Del was born the 27th of April….up at Grandma and Grandpa Gardner's about a mile east up the road from our place.. The Dr. was Dr. Armon, he was quite old about 70, but was very kind and good.…I wanted a little girl and was disappointed, but Daddy said "He couldn't be any cuter if he'd been a girl". Jay got so excited he went to school without taking his P J's off…just put his pants on over. While I was in bed, the little neighborhood children gathered some wild flowers, made a little basket and brought them to me. The people there were so good to us. We had barely moved in when Brother Golden Kent brought us a big ham…it looked like half a pig. Lynn and Jay mopped the kitchen floor before I came home. They poured water on the floor and swept it out with the broom…I told them I was so proud of them and that they did a good job.8
Joyce was in the 8th grade and didn't want to move…so stayed with Grandma Taylor until after school was out…She was Valedictorian of her class 1943, Grandma said "Uncle" Frank was so proud of her……She came up on the bus last of May when school was out. In the meantime, we bought a piano for $15 a (honky tonk) (I believe Mother said they got it from a bar that had had a fire). So once again, Joyce was playing "San Antonio Rose". Everything was going well, Daddy managed to use a tractor and plow some wheat ground. We bought a pony for $25 and a saddle, the kids would go up to the mountains on horses, catch fish and have a ball. One day when we were all out in the garden, our neighbor boy came over to play with Lynn and said our calf was dead. He had a little rope on his neck tied to a little bush but had wound around it and choked to death. We felt bad but our dear friend Bro. Thornock come over and said, 'Well, trouble isn't so bad as long as it doesn't come in the house." So well we found that out a few short months later.
One day, Jay and Lynn were riding the pony out in the field and had to get off to open the gate it being an electric fence (we used it to keep the cows in) some how they got mixed up with the fence, the pony fell in it and Jay and Lynn were finally able to get her out. A miracle they weren't all electrocuted. Another time a team of horses Jay was riding in from the field got frightened of the electric fence crossing the little canal and they jumped across…Jay fell out and for awhile we thought it had killed him. Another time Daddy was driving the car with a little trailer on across the creek and the bridge broke as the car went over and Lynn was riding in the trailer…he jumped off just as the trailer started over the broken bridge. Another time, Lynn was out of sorts about something, went out and hid under a pile of straw, when we went to find him, we could hear him snoring but couldn't see him….there he was fast asleep under the straw pile. One day we bought an old sow pig at the sale that was going to have little ones… Morris laughed and said "bet she don't have any!" Wrong! One sunny morning Daddy came to the house all excited and said "our pig has 3 little ones!" We were happy…a few minutes later, he came back in and said "Gee! what will we do? She has 10 little pigs and only 10 teets" (you know, place at the table). Well we figured that was enough…but before it was over she had 17 little pigs. So nothing to do but bring them into the house and feed them on the bottle (special formula from the vet). I think we saved 4 out of the 7 we had in the house. They grew and were regular pests. Every time we went to the barn, they would almost beat us back to the house. We had to hurry and shut the door.
On 2 Oct. 1943, Elmer passed away (Mother's story is as follows, my brother Lynn remembers it a little differently)….The 1st day of October was a beautiful day, kids were in school, daddy and I went up to Bishop Jensens to return a pressure cooker, as we were driving east toward the mountains, he said "Isn't that a beautiful picture? I never want to go back to Idaho." We visited some friends by name of Durant, (they have 10 children). We stayed there and had supper, then went home. We returned home just as the sun was setting, I thought , what a lovely, peaceful day it had been, I wish it would never end. After putting Del in his basket (which his daddy rocked him to sleep in), we finished up the jelly I was making (they grow lots of elder berries in Montana). We went to bed, Joyce and Lynn had gone (walked about 2 miles) to the show in town with Dale Anderson but at around 11 o'clock I was awakened by Daddy making a peculiar sound. I turned on the light and saw he was unconscious. Jay ran to the neighbors, Bro. Anderson went for my folks and the Bishop Ray Jensen also called Dr. Armon but it was too late, he passed away about 1 a.m. The rest of the night was a nightmare…I couldn't believe he was gone….I had 4 children…no money…no home…But the Lord doth provide….the neighbors were wonderful to me. Brother and Sister Thorack came got us to spend the night with them. Brother Anderson cut wood and Jay and Lynn brought it home in their wagon. These things I will always be grateful for….what would I ever had done without the goodness of those people in my time of need. We called Grandma Halverson, so she, Glen and Naomi, and Alice Wheeler came up and arrived about 10 a.m. The people at the funeral home were so nice, a short funeral was held in St. Ignatius on Sunday and then we left for Blackfoot. My mother accompanied the body on the train from Arlee train station to Blackfoot and the funeral was held Oct. 6th in Riverside Chapel and burial in Riverside Cemetery. The Durrants went with us. For seven years, Jay followed his father everywhere he went…his daddy called him his little shadow. I stayed a week at Grandma Halverson's, then Fay and Dora took us back to Montana, they stayed with us a week before going back to their home in Ogden. What a lonely spot to go back to…4 children…Joyce 13, Lynn 10, Jay 7 and Del 5 months. When we got home, the kid's pony was gone…as we expected she had gotten out and gone back to her old home. We went up to the Downs where we bought her and sure enough, there she was on a hill side in the beautiful pines. Fay, Lynn and Jay , in fact, all of us had quite a time catching her, but we did get her back home and happy to have her. Having a horse they had never had was quite
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something. It was a trying time…we had 3 cows which Lynn (10 yrs old) and Jay (7 yrs old) had to milk, feed, and turn out in the pasture before they went to school…one of the cows had to be hobbled in order to milk her. By now, October, it was chilly and very foggy in the mornings. I felt sorry for Lynn and Jay, they had to go out in the fog to feed the cows and milk them.. Our Ward and neighbors harvested the hay and grain for us…
I had no money as the money from Trucking Insurance quit when Daddy passed away. I had nothing to burn until one morning Sister Anderson came over, knocked on the door, and said "I just knew you needed me, can I cut you some fire wood?" She went out to the old barn that was falling down and cut me some wood. A day or so later Sister Jensen, Bishop's wife brought me a few lumps of coal.
During this time my folks had decided to sell and come back to Idaho, so I didn't want to stay there either. We had an auction sale, I think the worst about that was selling the pony…which Jay could whisper in her ear and she would put her head down so he could get up on her. …(Mother told me how sad it was to sell things to move back to Idaho…especially a little pony they had that would lower it's head to let the kids get on…in fact, she said that was what made the man buy it when he saw the kids have it do that). Joyce, Lynn and Jay loved her and begged me not to sell her….in fact, they didn't want to leave Montana…they had such a wonderful summer …the beautiful mountains and streams had offered so much for them…exploring, fishing, frying fish without any grease up in the pines and of course they always rode the pony. Joyce said when we were packing the dishes and other house hold things, "If you'll just stay, I'll put everything back in place." The Durrant children were their constant companions, they were our dear friends (Marjorie Durant was Joyce's special friend). (The Durrants at the time of this writing 1987, were living in Parma, Idaho, Mother and I took a trip over to visit them about this time…they are a very humble, gracious, kind couple and were genuinely pleased at our coming to visit them….they had served a mission back East around 1966).
On 14th December, 1943, we left St. Ignatius. Snow had fallen on the pine trees and Evero Hill looked like a fairyland, but it was bitter cold. I drove the car with my 4 children for quite a ways, then my father's car broke down. He then helped me drive on down to Butte where we stayed all night in a little hotel. Next day, we arrived in Blackfoot. Again, we lived in Grandma's (now Halverson) brick house in Riverside. Things were very bad as there was still no money. The summer there was terrible… Joyce went to Jackson, Wyo. And helped some people for a while…I tried to do a little sewing for money for food, but it was so little…in the fall, I weighed beets in Moreland, leaving Del with who ever would tend him and the other children looked out for themselves. In the meantime, Grandma Halverson had sold the brick house and I had to move, so everyday for a month I hunted for a job and a place to live. I would put my 4 kids in the car, and one day I would go to Idaho Falls, and the next day to Pocatello. In December 1944, after looking for a job everyday in Idaho Falls or Pocatello, I finally got a job at the gun plant…(14th Dec) I guess the Lord was looking out for us, because after 3 times trying the gun plant (NOP, Naval Ordinance Plant, they were making guns during the war), I jot a job washing windows. Glen Taylor and a friend Burton Furniss came with a truck and moved us to Portneuf Park, the only place I could work and have a place to live. They set up the beds and left…the next morning I had to go to work…it's a wonder I could even find my clothes. (Portneuf Park was a government housing project with six unit row apartments scattered over 15 acres on the north end of Pocatello next to the Portneuf River, Mother said you had to work for the govt. or the rail road to live there, we lived there for 10 years). I drove the car for 2 or 3 days then found some people that were working there and only lived 2 blocks from us. I had to leave early in the morning…dark and in the snow….no boots… Joyce was left to attend to the rest.. The boys had to find their schools, get their own breakfast and fix their lunch. Joyce took Del to a close neighbor (Mrs. Rice). She was nice and became a good friend and her kids were my kid's friend. I think Dave Rice left with Jay and Bill Serano for the service together. When I went to the gun plant that morning to work, they had all the window washers they needed. (Mother said the man felt sorry for her), so he asked the gardner if he had a job for me, he laughed but took me over to No. I shop, and a lady gave me a job counting nuts and bolts in a bin. How boring! But I was thankful for that! The next day, a nice man (a Bishop) came and got me and asked how'd I like to operate a crane? He took me to shop 36 and introduced me to Melvin Walker. He said he had a crane operator job I could have…..Have you ever seen or been in an overhead crane? My heart sank, but I climbed that 30'ladder and prayed on every step. I climbed into a metal box with several levers, a cable wire and a big hook. I was really scared! A very nice man, Lyman Ritter, whose son had just been killed in the war was a very good and patient teacher and before long, I could operate that darn thing. I ran the 25 ton crane, 35 ton crane, and a few times the 50 ton and I loved it. Before the war was over, they built 3 new buildings along Pole Line Road. At first there were no
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cranes, but work had to go on, so they brought in cherry pickers. They had 4 small rubber wheels, a boom and cables. We women had to learn to run those darn things. You stand on a little step at the back and steer with a stick, only if you want to go right, you pull it left or opposite the direction you want to go. Finally they got the cranes in and what a relief! We loaded box cars and piled boxes. During the war, almost every thing was rationed, especially gas. If we had money, we couldn't go very far…just over night. Shoes were rationed. I hadn't bought me any since we lived in Montana, so I had one pair of shoes. By the time I went to work at the gun plant, one had a hole in th sole as big as a quarter-I just put some cardboard in my shoe and went to work, it wasn't so bad. Var, (Daddy's youngest brother) was in the service and sent me $5. Although shoes were rationed, I managed to get some stamps for a pair of shoes with that $5. I remember going to Deb Fields, my cousin (later Field's Furniture) as he was on the rationing board, and he gave me stamps for the kid's shoes. Like I have said before, I didn't have any money… What I didn't can, we didn't eat and what I didn't sew, we didn't wear. Back to Var, when he was in high school, he made me the little red step stool. I have cherished this little stool and hope to have it many more years. I meant to tell him about it last year at the reunion, but didn't, now time has run out on me. He passed away last Sept. 1st after the reunion 1984. The play ground at Portnuef Park was a haven for all the kids. Jay made many friends there, Lynn as well, although he had a job a Fred Miller's Bakery. In fact, Fred treated Lynn as though he was his own son and always believed Lynn would come back from the service and take over the bakery… Fred and Viola thought a lot of Lynn…
I found a lady, Mrs. Rice who lived quite close to take care of Del. I had to leave at 7:30 A.M. to go to work. I drove my car for awhile but it was a job getting it to go every morning in the cold, so found a ride with people in the Park. Joyce took Del to Mrs. Rices, and Lynn and Jay fared for themselves. They must have been good kids or they couldn't have made it. I had to work 6 day a week so on Sunday I had to wash, iron and get them ready for school on Monday. I can't remember how we managed there, but my check from the gun plant was like pennies from heaven. We got a little Christmas tree from some place, but didn't have anything to decorate it with as during the war there was hardly anything to buy. A store man sold me a few ornaments that was on a tree in the store. Christmas was very slim, but we had a place to live, warm fire, and we were all together, except Daddy wasn't there and there was no one to put the tinker toys together and Jay was very disappointed…but life goes on…
Soon the war was over and the men would be coming home and looking for jobs. It was a terrible day when they told us women we were being laid off….One boss man told me nearly every man in the building where I worked had come to him and said they would give up their job if I could stay…but that wasn't government policy. I took a job as waitress in the Union Pacific Café (called the beanery). The service men were coming home now. Sometimes there were so many waiting (and standing) to be served, they had to leave as the trains were running full force to get the service men home. That was a busy time. Working at the café was rather bad as I took care of Del in the day time and worked at night. Some days I would go for 3 days without any sleep. Joyce rode the bus to school and I rode it to work and back. I made her a chicken sandwich every morning at the café and as I came home on the bus, she was there getting on going to school. I gave her the sandwich and she took it on to school. When the café closed after the war, I went to work at PFE (Pacific Fruit Express) at the railroad, cooking for the men that iced the cars. Del could barely walk and talk now. I would tell him "I'm going to work"…he didn't know what that meant, he only knew I wasn't there. Ezra Parker, Dick and Don and grandmother lived in the Park as Ezra worked at the gun plant. By Joyce and Dick getting acquainted, I met Ezra. He would come over and watch Del while I slept a few hours. One night, here came Ezra and Del to the beanery. Ezra said, "Del said , 'please take me to work to see my mama'".
Lynn said Lincoln School was a dumb place, it didn't even have a bathroom. (He hadn't found it yet and was too bashful to ask) A Mr. Brown was his teacher…maybe in junior high..he was very good to Lynn and Lynn really like him….but there were others that weren't so good…..about the 8th or 9th grade, Lynn went to work for Fred Miller at the bakery, working from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. for which I won't ever forgive Fred miller…but by the same token, taught Lynn many life long lessons. Lynn walked to and from the bakery for a long time, bringing me a loaf of bread under his arm every morning. Then one day he bought his first car…it was a lemon, but later he got another. I used to feel so sorry for him when the other boys were going to play basket ball, Lynn was going to work. Lynn was in to making model airplanes and when he finished one he'd tie it to the ceiling. The next morning when he'd come home from work the airplane would be down and broken. No one knew what happened. One day, Ezra peeked in to see what Del was doing….Del had a wooden gun the kids had made and was swatting Lynn's planes…..problem solved!11
Jay had a newspaper route. He had to get up at 5 A.M. get the papers folded and deliver them before school. Sometimes he brought them home and I would help him fold them. In the summer he watered lawns for Fred Brothers in the Park. Fred was so good to me.. Fred gave me a job cleaning apts in the Park. I was paid $7 for cleaning an apartment..rent was $44 a month..utilities included, but by working there, I didn"t have to pay rent.
I married Max Woodvine in 1946…he worked for Purina Mills..(when he worked)…. He was good and kind to me but didn't believe in working too much and for which I couldn't depend on anything, so bad to worse..we were divorced in June 1954. (I believe Mother is mistaken on this date as they only lived together a year or two…although it's possible they were not legally divorced until this date…She probably married Max in 1949 or 1950 and was divorced before 1953 as she married Lyle in Sept. 1953…{My brother Jay told me he had to give Mother the $15 from his paper route to get the divorce}...she also was married to a Robert Evans for a short period after Daddy's death, through other relatives I learned that Mr. Evans had taken what money Mother got after Daddy's death and run off, {Lynn said it was about $1000, a lot of money for that time}, Mother never talked about this man…)
The winter of 48/49 was real bad…it would snow, then the wind would blow. They couldn't keep the roads plowed clear. School was out many days on that account. Two children were killed in an avalanche on the west bench.
In 1953, I met Lyle Curtis at a dance at the Deleta Ball Room. My friend Francis Chaney introduced me to him…he took us both to eat after the dance. I know she had a date with him for the next day, but, the day after their date, he called me for a date. He loved music and played most every kind of instrument. We dated until September, when we decided with his 3 girls and my 3 boys and 1 girl.. we may as well get married, although his oldest girl and my two oldest were married, We were married at Bishop Hershi's on 26th of Sept. 1953. We lived at my house in Portnuef Park as I had 3 bedrooms, but as Pat got married, Janet living away from home, we decided to move to his house on 147 Roosevelt. Soon after Jay decided to go into the service, so we only had Del left.
I went to work at Farmer's Insurance in January, 1954 and worked there for 18 years…I retired on 31st December, 1971, the same day Lyle was operated on and found he had cancer. In the 18 years we were married we had good times and some sad ones. Lyle went for treatments at the LDS hospital in Salt Lake every day for 6 weeks, we lived in the New House Hotel during this time. Jay came down and took us back to Pocatello on the 23rd of February, 1972, but he got worse and was admitted at Bannock Mem. Hospital 29th and passed away on 8 March 1972. Friends and neighbors again were so good to me, but soon loneliness was up on me again. Lyle was gone as well as his beautiful music…the house haunted me and I wanted to get away. So in May, Robin and I left for England to visit Lynn and Geneal. We came back to Santa Rosa on the 4th of July 1972….but seems like you just can't run away…you always have to go home...which I finally did. In April Jessie and I went down to Joyces and stayed for a month. When I came back, someone had robbed my house taking everything they could pick up. Then for Mother's day 1974, Jessie and Joe (Sharp) came to visit me. We had just gone to bed when there was a terrible crash. I thought it was a bomb, but someone had broken the big front window with an iron bar. It shook the house and scared me so bad I couldn't say a work…my heart hurt so bad. We went to Sunday School anyway, but my heart has given me problems ever since.
I kept the place on Roosevelt until 1st of July, 1974, then sold it. I took some things to Del's in Sandy, Ut and stored the rest in Jay's basement. I felt like the man without a country. Del and Nancy were so good to me and made me a bedroom for my own in their basement. But I still missed my things and wanted a place of my own, so Nancy took me places every day and finally we found this moblile home at 5069 El Amador in Country Club Estates, (Murray, Utah) I moved in 1st of April 1976. On the 22 April, I woke up in the night and didn't have any strength in my body. I couldn't stand up or even crawl, but did pull the phone off the stand and called Del and the medics. I finally floundered out and unlocked the door. The next thing I can remember I was at St. Mark's Hospital. In July, my father was very ill so on 20th of July 1976 I flew to L A . Joyce picked me up and was so good to take me over to Marys. Father was bad, but knew me and talked to Joyce and I. I came back but he passed away on 22 July. His body was brought back of Idaho Falls and funeral was held in Grant, Idaho (He asked Del to speak at his funeral). Again loneliness creeps upon me, because of the love and inspiration he gave me, for the heritage and understanding…I hope and pray I shall never forget.
(1970-1978) I have enjoyed my mobile home here in Salt Lake. Time is passing fast. I'm already 70, and as time goes by, I know I won't be able to always stay here. Neighbors and friends are good and I am thankful for them, but
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blood is thicker than water, so one of these days I may decide to go back where my roots are. I try to keep busy, but there are hours and hours of loneliness. Sometimes when I don't hear from my kids, I think they don't care. I know they do because they are the best kids in the world. Without them I couldn't live. I love my grandchildren and am so proud of all of them. I guess sometimes they think I don't love them but I really do. I don't think to go see them sometimes and most of the time I don't do too good. I appreciated Del and Nancy taking me on their trip last summer and having fun in the beautiful Yellowstone country. We had family night and it was special…I enjoyed Roger and Sheryl Budge's kids too. I enjoyed the rodeo too. (Uncle Crystal's rodeo they put on at Henry's Lake) You can see why…I got my rodeo experience on Grandpa Randall's corral fence. I have made nearly all my kids, grand kids, and great grand kids quilts…hope they will enjoy them. 7 great grandchildren up to now… June 8 1979.
I miss all my kids, but have the privilege of visiting them whenever. I like Salt Lake and probably will live my life out here. I can take care of myself, go and come back as I please. Just hope and pray the Lord will continue to bless me that I won't be a burden to anyone, but let me live to enjoy and help my children as long as I may live.. Mar. 30, 1987
*Some things I remember about Mother telling us as kids: "Eat everything on your plate so the Chinese won't starve" and "Stay out of the mud puddles or you'll get polio". She also won $15 from the Idaho State Journal from a contest to name their classified add section….the name she gave…"The Ad-Visor". I also remember her serving as a girl's Campfire Leader and of going to girl's camp on Scout Mountain up Mink Creek Road from Pocatello. She took care of more elderly women after she retired from Farmer's Insurance…a Mrs. McMillan in Murray, Utah, and another in St. George for awhile. When her health began to fail, she had to give up her car…(she hated losing that independence) and finally moved back to Pocatello in 1993 to the "Cove" where she renewed old acquaintances and made many new friends until her passing on the 24th of September, 1999, just a couple of months after a serious car accident she was in with her daughter Joyce. Her son, Jay had passed away just the year before in Pocatello and she missed him greatly. In fact, the morning of the day she passed away, I had slipped into her hospital room very early in the morning to say goodbye before heading back to Arizona, and she thought I was Jay visiting with her from the "other side"…I never told her otherwise….she was at peace and in a rather jovial mood…
** Things Nancy remembers about her: She was always making things grow…she could cut off a slip of plant anywhere and make it grow at home… She planted flowers everywhere, even at the Cove, (the Cove is an assisted living facility in Pocatello), She nearly suffered another heart attack when she discovered someone had been pulling her flowers out as weeds. She was always particular about her appearance, and loved to shop for clothes. She loved to have her picture taken and to take everyone else's picture.Reminiscences of Elsie Gardner Taylor Curtis
When mother was in her 80's, she would ask what I wanted for my birthday or Christmas or whatever…I would ask her to write about different things she remembered, like what were the Christmases like for her growing up….The following are what she recorded in a notebook that she gave to me…Del Taylor, son.
The Christmases I can remember, of course I can't remember my first Christmas. I don't know where we were living, but my 2nd or 3rd…I do remember of living in the back room of Aunt Ellie and Uncle Rob Field's home in Grant. (down the road on Grandpa Randall's farm). It was Christmas, I didn't know much about what Christmas was, only that I got a little tin horn that was the first thng I can remember getting as a plaything for my very own.
The next year or maybe I was 4 year's old, but it was very special. As I can remember of being up to Grandma Randalls and Aunt Bess and Aunt Myrtle were very young girls and they were trimming a large cedar tree which stood in the corner of the Polar (living room) and they were putting clip candles on the tree, and also lit the candles, Oh! It was beautiful!
All of us cousins and aunts were there. Cooking , baking, etc. going on. I think I must of slept there at Grandma's because when I woke up Christmas morning, I had a big beautiful doll. It had hair! I was so thrilled and excited. That was a big day, as all my cousins, aunt, uncles were there. Deb Fields, Walt Randall and Uncle Arve were about 9 yrs older than Alta, Vella, and I so they kept us in hot water most of the time. Hazel would save the day by getting us all to play Anti- i - over, the old granary, which is still standing.
Some time later my father bought the log house down the lane, things were really bad, and I don't think we even had a Christmas tree. I got a doll, (second hand) and the face was terrible, no hair. So papa painted the face white, his name was Ludwig. I didn't like the name or doll either. Mama always made me doll clothes, but Ludwig never looked decent in anything.
Then when I was 9 my father built us a house just up East from aunt Ellie and Uncle Rob's place, still on Grandpa Randall's farm. The Christmas there wasn't too good. My baby brother 10 months old died while there. Christmas was rather gloomy and not much money. I remember there was no tree, not many presents. I got a necklace and some paper dolls. Jessie got a real baby doll. I thought cute and wished I had gotten one. Papa had made us a wooden sleigh, but it didn't go very good, guess he hadn't practiced much. Anyway it was hard to pull, wooden runners.
That was the year of the bad flu…1918, and everyone was sick or scared to go anywhere. I forgot to mention, when I was about 3 yrs old, the Ward always had a Christmas party…Santa Clause, candy and nuts in a little brown bag. I really didn't know what it was all about, so when Santa came shouting and running up the aisle, I got so scared, I suddenly got off Papa's lap, and crawled under the bench. You know, or do you?, the old wooden benches….. Papa finally coaxed me up on his lap again.
All the years we lived in Grant, there was always a Christmas party. Christmas Day in the afternoon, the Bishop, (Bro. Lee) and Seth Fife furnished the music, and we kids all danced and had a good time. Then at night, the older people, my folks and the others had a big supper and dancing. They put the little kids to bed on the benches up on the stage, wrapping them up in their coats…
We always had a Christmas tree at the Church. I don't know where they got it as there were no pines around and cedar trees were out a long way. So we hardly ever had a Christmas tree at home. There wasn't much money for even gifts. I think we probably only got one thing and we were happy to get that.
In 1927, we were living in Lewisville, Ida. in a big old rock house with beautiful old trees. I was going with Elmer, so I wanted to go to Riverside and spend Christmas with Elmer's family. Grandma Taylor was always so gracious and good. We had a nice Christmas, Elmer gave me a finger nail set. Some of the pieces are gone but I still have the case with my name on it.
My father milked the cow, sold it to the cheese factory across the street and gave me the money for bus fare to Blackfoot to spend Christmas. I feel guilty about that now, as there wasn't that much money to go around. But they did get a Christmas tree, they put it in front of the big glass window. I guess all the kids were trimming the tree when Jessie fell thru the big glass window-she cut her hand and thumb terrible and still has the scar. Elmer and I were married on Sept. 19, 1928, so we had a room at Grandma Taylors. We had a nice Christmas as Elmer ran Grandma's farm that summer. In the Fall, everyone that raised beets that year got a check about Christmas time. I was so glad to have a little money, I bought presents for all my sisters, Jessie 15, Alice 10 and Mary 8. They often tell me how glad they were to receive that package in the mail. It made Christmas special for them.
Joyce was born 7 Dec. next year, 1929. Joyce was a cute little girl with dark hair. She weighed 7 lbs. she had big blue eyes, and when she opened those eyes to us the whole world woke up too. She was a blessing in our lives. We were still at Grandmas in Riverside, but Elmer had gotten a job with O.P. Skaggs in Pocatello, and was driving back and forth…Soon he found a little 2 room house on East 7th St.
I think it was $30. a month. So three days after Christmas, we moved to Pocatello….the four of us, Elmer and I, Joyce and our little dog.
I thought I knew a lot about babies, but I soon found out, it wasn't all that easy. Altho Joyce was a very good baby, she never cried, and when she would wake up and open those big blue eyes, the whole world came awake…she was so cute.
Things seemed so good to be on our own and to have a little money…I think $15 a week. But things weren't to last….The Great Depression hit and every one was layed off their jobs. So nothing else but to go back to Grandma Taylors. The first trip back we took nearly all our furniture, but when we got ready to go we couldn't find our little dog, Spot, and it was cold as it was December or probably Jan. 1930. Elmer made another trip down, little Spot had come back, but had frozen to death..
The Christmases of 31 and 32 were very meager, as there were no jobs. We were now living in the (Riverside) house. We bought it for $20 down and $10 a month, but we couldn't get $10 to make the payments. Our Christmas there was mostly home made…but everyone was in the same boat…so all our friends took turns having house parties…"come as you are and bring what your have". We had some wonderful times and made life-long friends, no one went hungry and we were all happy…"The Lord doth provide" if we put acknowledge his hand…Our blessings were many.
Lynn was born in 1933, Feb. 23rd… Daddy got a job with Clark Transfer Trucking, hauling milk to Driggs, Id. and hauling coal back. We lived in an apartment above a garage in Blackfoot…but soon he was transferred to Idaho Falls, so we lived in an apartment in the big house on the corner of Cliff Street.
Then came Christmas, Lynn was little but Joyce was 3 yrs old…we had a Christmas tree, little toys for Lynn, a doll and dishes for Joyce. Then Fay, (Elmer's brother) and his wife Thelma (Fay's first wife) came up from Blackfoot to spend Christmas. That was nice, Fay was such a good brother. We didn't have two bedrooms, but a nice big living room with a Heat a rola (heater) and it was good and warm. They took the cushions of the couch and big chair and made a bed on the floor. They stayed with us about a week. Then the next Christmas we had moved down west of the corner in the gray apartments. Lynn was 3 now and Joyce 6. Lynn would be out in the yard and soon I would hear kids screaming bloody murder and yelling "Run! Here comes Lynn"!
We did have a nice Christmas…Lynn got a little truck he could sit on and ride… Joyce got a big rubber doll which I made sweater, cap and booties for. Money wasn't too plentiful, so Daddy and I didn't worry too much about our gifts… We know the meaning of Christmas wasn't presents, but Love for one another, and that the birth of the Saviour of the World was the real meaning of Christmas. And why we gave gifts,…….to remember Him..
By this time, I was pregnant with Jay, so we moved to the little house on Hill Street just a little south of where we were living….We were only in this house from April to 10 of July, when Daddy had a stroke. We were all packed up ready to move to Pocatello….a man from the trucking office came over and told me Daddy was in the Idaho Falls Hospital. Daddy was in the hospital for awhile and then we had to go back to Grandma Taylor's brick house in Riverside. We lived there for a year or two… We couldn't get any money from Trucker's compensation….finally went to court and was awarded $70. a month...seemed good after not having any…. Every Christmas Jay would get Tinker Toys, he loved to build things…I think Lynn was building bigger things by then, like little wagons. I remember Daddy got me a gold? locket, which I am wearing now.
One year when we did have a Christmas tree and Joyce and Lynn were trimming it, Elmer's cousin, Ira Wray Anderson's kids brought each a little gift. I shall always remember them for remembering us…(one thing was top that whirled around with pretty colors, probably for Jay..the other things, I can't remember.
We borrowed $120 from Grandma Taylor (Halverson) and bought the little gray house (Riverside). One Christmas Jay got a little Big Truck he could peddle like a tricycle, he was so thrilled. I don't remember what Joyce and Lynn got. Just remember trying to keep out of the way of Jay and that truck, motoring around the kitchen. The next I can remember was 7th Dec. 1941, Joyce was having her 12th Birthday party, when the news came over the radio…Pearl Harbor had been bombed. This isn't exactly Christmas, but seems things weren't ever the same.
The next two Christmases I don't remember much, there wasn't much money to buy Christmas so I had to make most everything. In the Spring of 1943, we sold the little grey house, (I shall always remember Lynn and Jay swinging, playing Tarzan and boy in the big willow tree in the yard). We decided to move to Montana…Elmer was restless as he couldn't do much, paralyzed on his left side….So we left Riverside on the 4th of April…(as I'm writing this, it's nearly the 4th of April, and the memory of moving to Montana….I shall never forget). Joyce was graduating from 8th grade, so she didn't go up with us but stayed with Grandma Taylor until after graduation, then she came up on the bus. For Easter, just a short time before you, (Del) were born, (Joyce hadn't come from Idaho yet) Lynn and Jay just had to go Easter egg hunting, so your father and I took a little jaunt up the road a mile, where there was a beautiful place, just like a park, (probably someone's pasture), and your father and I hid those eggs about 10 times before we could get home again.
Then you were born 27th of April, 1943, (as you know), Jay was 7 years old just a week before. You were blessed 1st Sunday in June by your Grandfather Francis Gardner. We didn't get to have a Christmas in Montana, as your father died Oct 2nd 1943. So in December, we moved back to Riverside in Grandma Taylor's old brick house. You were only 8 month old, so you didn't care or think much about Christmas. I don't remember what Lynn got, Joyce got some beads and things, but Jay always got Tinker Toys, and I always made something, so it was always put together before Christmas morning. I got the Tinker Toys but forgot to make anything, Jay got up Christmas morning, first thing he said was "Santa forgot to make me something". He was such a sweet little guy and little things meant so much.
The 14th December 1944, we moved to Pocatello as I had gotten a job at the Gun Plant (NOP… Navel Ordinance Plant). Christmas was coming and I didn't have any ornaments to trim the little tree I had gotten somewhere. So I went to town, (at the dime store), all they had was the plastic, funny balls, etc. on a display tree. I asked the manager if he would sell me those, and he did, (bless him). So we had a Christmas tree and the rest I can't remember. The war was on and everything was hard to get.
I know we always had a Christmas tree when we lived in Portnuef Park, but don't remember the presents we got…only, one year , Lynn got a basket ball and another year a pretty ruby-setted ring, which he loved. One year I made Joyce a house robe. One year Lynn got skiis, which he never used. I do remember the 1st year in the Park, you and Jay got a little wagon, like an old wagon, but we didn't know people would steal things in Pocatello, and so let it out by the door and someone stole it. It was such a good sturdy wagon, guess we never did get another. I can't believe we lived in the Park for 12 years.
I worked at the Gun Plant, P.F.E.(ice plant at R.R.), and Pocatello Housing… Fred Brothers was my boss and so good to me. It was while living in the Park, you (Del) got your electric train…Fred helped me put it together for you and you were so thrilled Christmas morning.
In 1953 I met and married (25 Sept.) Lyle (Curtis) I don't remember that Christmas only that there wasn't much money to go around. So on the 4th of Jan. 1954 I went to work for Farmers Insurance. I didn't like it very much, I don't know how I stayed there 18 years. Charles Christ was my boss, he didn't like me and I didn't like him. He was a bar tender and knew nothing of Farmer's business or the mail room. He didn't like me because he had to come and ask me how to do everything. I managed to get Christmas off and go to Joyce's (in California) every year. Bless her heart, she didn't have very much…Dick always said the money had to go into the business….
I still have all the jewelry you kids gave me. I know you all skimped a lot to give me the presents you sent and gave me….Bless your sweet hearts.
1938
In the Spring of 1938, we decided to move from the brick house in Riverside to Nyssa, OR. We only had a two wheeled trailer, but it held most of our furniture. We stayed at Grandma Halversons the night before we left. She had made us some cookies to eat on the way and they tasted mighty good because it was a long way to Oregon. My folks had moved over there 2 years before and said it was a nice place.
(I remember Mother telling me that they had a lot of tire trouble on this trip and had to wait in Boise for a check to come before they could buy a new tire to continue on to Oregon).1952
The year Del got his electric train, It was an American Flyer…(I'll see if I can find the picture).
Lynn got a Ruby and gold ring. Was very proud of it…I can't remember what I got Jay, but remember sending Joyce's family a package. I think that was the year Jay was working for Fawson's Music and bought me a pressure cooker…Bless his heart…I know it took all his money.1955
My folks came down to Pocatello and had Christmas with us. Lyle didn't make much money at the Rail Road. His checks were only $130 every two weeks and mine was only $148 every 2 weeks when I retired in 1972.
Joyce and Dick weren't making much money either. But for Christmas I bought Brenda a big doll and dressed it …Mama helped me. I even made it a coat. I don't remember what I got Michael…something I know…Papa fixed the box to put the doll in. They were so good to help me. I think it was the year before I made a quilt for Mike and Brenda, they had that quilt for a long long time. It was hard doing Christmas shopping as I would have to go to town when I got home from work, always dark, Pennys on one end of town and Montgomery Wards on the other end, snow, snow, in between, and I was so tired. But one year I bought all of Joyce's girls fuzzy night gowns. I think they would rather had flannel ones.1956
This was the year Lyle bought me a camera, but I think it was for him…. It was too big and hard for me to operate. I think I gave him a sports coat, only one he ever had….wore it when he dressed up to go play in the bank. Of course, he always had new western shirts and pants he played in. He played every New Year's that we were married, which we were glad for, as he always got double pay. He was booked a year ahead to play for a married folk's dance in Lava the year 1971 that he passed away. He was in the Salt Lake Hospital that Christmas.1962
This was the Christmas Joyce and Dick and kids came to Pocatello. We had the fireplace and a Christmas tree out in one of our apartments, even the Park's kids were there waiting and waiting for Santa to show up (I was so angry), but he had gone to the hospital to see kids up there. Cindy did get to see him, she even wrote a story (in school) about the best Christmas she ever had..(that one). Just wish it could have been better. But we did have a tree and presents for everyone. New Year's Day the Park's kids came down to watch the Rose Parade, eat hot cakes and sausages. We had a lot of people there…I don't remember who all……..1963
I don't remember much about this Christmas, except you, Del, packed your suit case and went back to Lynn's in Maryland. I really hated to see you go, I know your heart was broken and when my kids hurt, I hurt….The next year 1964, you were on your mission, I know I made cookies and candies and sent them to Mexico, but don't remember if you ever received them.1964
Lynn and Geneal usually sent me jewelry form some where Lynn has been on Govt. assignment. It was in 1952 I think Lynn and Geneal were in Biloxi, Miss. They didn't have much money, but Lynn covered a wooden box with plastic (red) and sent it out to Pocatello, I still have it.
Del and Nancy always sent me nice presents, also Jay's family.1986
In 1986, I didn't receive much. I did receive a pretty wreath from Lynn and Geneal. Thing seemed to be late that Christmas. Lynn called about 11 a.m. and said what are you doing? I said, I'm sitting here with the wreath around my head, eating pop corn, meaning that white stuff you pack with. He said , go to the plane station, there will be a ticket waiting for you. I packed my bag and left for MD the next day. They had a nice Christmas waiting for me.
1987
Chuck and I took a load of goodies, mostly fruit, in his little truck and went to Idaho, stopping that night at Connie's sister's in McCammon, gave fruit packets to everyone there, they were having a party….Next night we went up to Jay and Connie's had a nice Christmas and party, gave more fruit , etc. Next night we went up to Jessie's and all my sister and brothers, except Mary were there, had a nice party, dinner, and all. Alice and Cleone and all their family were there except Karen and Lewis' family. Next day, Chuck and I came back and had our own Christmas here. (Salt Lake).1988
Was my 80th Birthday year….I went to Arizona for Christmas and Tiffany and Shawn's wedding reception and all…I came back 29th December.
1989
Started to Joyce's for Christmas..I left here 6 a.m. but had gotten up at 4:30 a.m. Lynn took me to the plane. First couldn't take off as no power on the ground. Waited ½ hour, then went to Las Vegas, where they told us no planes out to Sacramento on account of fog. We waited all day… Joyce and Robin were waiting in Sacramento for the plane and me to come in. All day they waited, then Joyce called Lynn to see if he really got me to the plane…so they didn't know where I was. About 11 p.m. they got us on a plane to San Jose, then they put us on a bus in the fog…I mean FOG, and took us to Sacramento. As the bus came to a stop, I saw Robin running toward the bus….She saw me and yelled back to Joyce, "She's here! She's here!" Well we left then for Joyces' in Grass Valley, by the time we got there it was 4:30 a.m. I had been 24 hours on the road. I think we all fell in bed with our clothes on! Robin and Kenny cooked a nice dinner at their place, turkey and all the trimmings. Joyce and I were to bring the monkey bread. We started to Robins…we were going to bake the bread when we got there, but half way there we ran out of gas.. Joyce just didn't' pay any attention to that little voice that says your fuel is low. In a few minutes, Cindy came by, so she went on up to Robin's and brought some gas down to us.
They had a nice big tree and presents all around for everyone. We all took our presents up there. The kids put on a program, it was cute. The grass was green it was nice and warm. Mike and his 2 children also were there…Carrie, graduated last year, and Gary, about 12, I think.
I went to a Christmas Party with Cindy in Joyce's Ward, Penn Valley. Next day Joyce and I went up to Cathie's had a nice dinner and came back same day. Two day's later we went up to Salem, OR to Brenda's, her Kimberly came over with her husband and baby. So we took pictures of all, as I was a Great, Great Grandma to the baby. My 1st gggrandchild. It was rainy and cold. We stayed over night, the trip was just beautiful, beautiful country. I left 3rd Jan. Joyce took me back to Sacramento, but we rode around a long time and I was tired. Then I got into Salt Lake, no one to meet me. My home teacher was supposed to meet me, but he thought the plane was late, so ½ hour later he came and when I got home all my lights were on and a motor home was parked outside…It was Morris, Arthella, Milt, and Arla. I was glad to see them, but I was so tired…Well, guess this is the end of a perfect Christmas for 1989.
Life History of Elsie Gardner Taylor
(I am attempting to write Mother's stories {there are 7 - 8 ? drafts} from her hand-written notes and epistles…many -
unconnected-March 2006 - Del Taylor)Life at the Randall residence in Grant, Idaho was always a busy interesting time, but to make things a little more exciting and probably complicated was my arrival Nov. 18, 1908. Some time after midnight because in the evening I have heard my mother say things did get pretty exciting and almost tragic because a big grey stallion fell into a stall on his back in the barn and they had a time getting him out. Before the night was gone, something else happened, I was born to Francis and Rosa Gardner… Great Grandma Dabell was the midwife, as in those days there were not very many doctors around, probably just in Idaho Falls and that was 10 miles away and no automobiles. I must have been pretty funny looking as my father said a Japanese man he was proudly showing me off to... laughed when he saw me, probably because I had no hair… (Grandfather Randall had some Japanese working for him, they lived in a little log cabin just a little way south of the barn) I was the 3rd grandchild in the Randall family…Deb Fields was the oldest….Hazel Randall was next.
I was about 3 when my father and grandfather were homesteading some land out on the knolls, (by the Snake River). It was there that they lost me…My father tells the story that they found me in a hole with my little dog Tiny, laughing my head off….(I remember Mother telling of helping to clear the sage brush off this land).. We always had a cow and I remember a horse called Nance…Mother would hitch Nance up to a one horse buggy and drive us up to Grandma Randalls where she would tie the horse up to the hay stack and the horse would feed all day. Sometimes Momma would walk down thru the fields to Grandma and Grandpa Gardners as they owned the store on the corner by the school. The store is still there but not the same building….a Mr. Reese bought the building and moved it up north on his place which I guess he used for a barn. I enjoyed staying with Grandma and Grandpa Gardner although it was quieter there than at the Randalls. Grandpa Gardner owned and operated a general store. The fun thing about that was I got all the chips off the hard tack candy. There were bins he kept the candy in and it would get pieces broken off and when the bin was empty the little slivers would be in the bottom of the bin…maybe there would be a little pail full…we kids liked that, other wise, we didn't have much candy. Grandma took care of her daughter's children who had passed away in child birth…they were Venna, Katie, Ruby and Edward…..Their father was Joseph Southwick. Then Ezra's wife died in child birth (Ezra is Papa's older brother)…they lived in Lyman , Wyo. That left 6 children which Grandma took care of sometimes. As I look back, I think how fortunate I was to have a mother to wash, iron, keep a clean house, mend my clothes and see that we always had Sunday clothes for Church. I can remember once Katie came to stay at our house for awhile….she didn't even have a pair of shoes, but my father saw that she got some…My mother not only sewed for all of us, she kept a garden, canned vegetables, picked and canned raspberries but had time to make us doll clothes and most of all she made us girls a play house under a big tree. She dug 3 holes and put posts in, using the tree trunk for 1 post. Then with heavy canvas from the sugar factory, she stretched it around until it was about 9'x9'. We had a cupboard my father had made and a cute iron stove a friend of the folks gave me that their daughter had outgrown. We were taught to be good mothers and keep a nice house from playing in that play house thanks to Mama.
I was 5 years old when Jessie was born in Grant… It was quite a shock to me as up 'til then I had gotten all the attention….Things seemed to have changed quite abruptly, but I was really glad to have a baby sister. Then a couple of years later, my baby brother Marvin was born. He was a beautiful child with dark hair and he looked the picture of health…but when he was 10 months old he was taken back to live with Father in Heaven again… I think that was the first time I ever saw my father cry. It was a sad, sad time. In a short time a baby sister came to bless our house…her name was Alice Harriet. She was bald headed like the rest of us, but filled the void that was felt by my folks. I liked to stay at Grandma's she let me help her gather the eggs. All the chickens ran around the barn yard and only nest in the coop at night…so we had so much fun finding all the places those darn hens decided to lay an egg. Then we'd go to the grainery to get wheat to feed them, the little lambs would tag us around and we'd feed them too. We left the milking up to grandpa and uncle Arve…they had lots and lots of cows to milk and no milking machine…
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When I was about 6 or 7, my Grandfather Randall had the first automobile in that area. It was a Studebaker. It was so big, it had 2 seats and little seats that raised up out of the floor, back of the seats for us grandchildren to sit on. It had a rubber horn that us kids loved to squeeze and make a big blast…then we'd all run, by the time Grandpa got out of the house or barn….no one was around. It also had pretty brass head lights. Those were the days! I guess we stayed to Grandmas a lot because I remember so many fun times. Grandpa always had cattle and horses and a big white face bull he would lead to water up past the house to the ditch…. Boy did us kids ever get out of the road then…no one but Grandpa could even take him to water.
There were always lots of saddles on the pole fence corral that held the horses. We had many a rodeo on those pole horses and saddles. There were lots of cousins always there, seems like everyone always went to Grandmas, especially on Thursdays. Aunt Nettie with Hazel, Alta, Milt, Ora, my mother, me, Jessie , Alice, Mary, Morris,(a little before Milton's time)Aunt Floss with Villa (my age), Verna, (Jessie's age) Gon and Herman, Aunt Bess, Nola, Verl, who is Bishop of Grant now. Rhea, and La Von. We had another great place to play, down in a beautiful old orchard….crab apples which were large trees, transparents, Wethies, and many more. We all had different play houses, we older ones were mothers with all the younger ones as our kids, the way we used to chase each other up the trees….wonder we didn't turn out to be monkeys. Grandma also had some geese that used to scare me half to death…they would chase us and one day one got hold of my pants….I thought I was a goner. I used to have headaches a lot when I was 6 or 7 and Grandma always babied me by giving me Quinine pills….uk! I soon got better. I can remember my first Christmas, we were living at Uncle Rob and Aunt Ellie Field's in part of their house because Uncle Rob had gone on a mission to North Western States. I can remember getting a tin whistle and little doll. Aunt Ellie later told me about borrowing money from a Minie Hitt in Idaho Falls ($600) to buy some pigs and give the rest to keep Uncle Rob on his mission. She fed the pigs all summer , sold them and paid the loan. It was those days when Deb and I had experimental experiences…..Deb was always building something and I was the Guiney pig. Once he made a cart, which was supposed to be pulled by a horse, but he played horse, took me out in the pastures that was flooded and on one of his maneuvers, I fell off in the water…..Oh! Those were the days!
We also played ball at Grandmas…mostly Anti-I-Over the old granary, which is still standing on the old farm, it was all so much fun! As I grew a little older, I remember my Grandpa and Grandma Gardner's place…only about 2 acres, but my Grandfather was a gardner, not only by name, but he could make things grow anywhere. I can remember him showing me his pear growing on an apple tree. He and my father had bees which made us lots of honey. The two acres had lots of different kinds of fruit trees and berry bushes…no space was wasted. There was a barn at one side near the road and a little buck board wagon, and 2 grey horses. One Halloween, we found the buck board (small wagon) on top of the log barn….quite a funny sight….Grandpa didn't think it funny… He also had the store that supplied all the area around. He always had a flag pole and a flag was raised on special holidays, except this one Halloween instead of the flag, there was the little gate on top of the pole. I don't think even my father thought that very funny…but to me I had to chuckle a little.
Grandpa's store was just across the road north from the school house, where I started school. Mrs. Browning was my first teacher, but real soon my father decided to go to school at Ricks College, so I started school again in Rexburg. The building still stands unless the flood of last Sat. took it away…it was of black rock. The next year I was back in Grant. Miss Dora Goody was my teacher, she had a beau, with a beautiful shinny buggy and a prancing black horse. He was tall and good looking…boy, what a couple they made. His name was Ja…. Erickson. She was so cute and sweet, she's one lady I thought would never grow old. She used to recite a poem "I Won't Cry Anymore", In fact, she recited that poem at my folks Golden Wedding anniversary, she must have been quite old then…. She taught school for years, now there is a Dora Erickson School in her honor in Idaho Falls.
We lived in a log house about a mile east of Grandpa's store. At that time, he and my father had a little creamery by the store…. I can remember my father testing cream from the milk the farmers brought in. Sounded like such a fun thing to do.
When I was in the 4th grade my parents moved to Garfield. I helped my father and Elmer Gardner (who had come up from Utah) to help on the farm, haul hay, etc. I would tromp the hay as they put it on the hay wagon to take into stack it. I would be so tired, I would lay down and sleep until we got to the hay stack…then I would ride the derrick horse and you haven't lived until you have driven a derrick horse! That wasn't for long, as things
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went bad for my father…he couldn't meet the payment due and we had to move… so back to Grant…but our place was sold, so had to live in another log house. Some time before we went to Garfield, my father bought a piece of land from Uncle Rob and built a house. I had to walk up to Uncle Aces, then Hazel would drive the horse taking Alta, Milt, and I in a toboggan to school 1 ½ miles. She would unhitch the horse then turn him around to eat the hay in the toboggan while we were in school. We had an outside toilet….seemed a block from the school. It was then I remember Bishop Lee's wife had died with the flu…1918… There was a little boy who always came and sat with his brother (my age) because he wasn't old enough to go to 1st grade and no one to leave him with….he later became Bishop of Grant.
At this time, my Grandparents decided to sell the store (they sold to Uncle Dick and Aunt Cind Robinson) and all and go back to Deweyville, UT, where they had lived before and built their first house when they were married 15 March 1869.. They bought a place up against the mountain and again Grandfather had berries and watermelons growing everywhere. When I was in the 7th grade my father thought we could help Grandfather and be with them in their reclining years, so we also moved to Deweyville. I thought it was a fun place to live as I had never lived around mountains and being that there were so many Gardners there (seemed everyone was a relation). We kids would go up the mtn. exploring caves, rocks, eating wild berries and all kinds of things. It wasn't quite all play as my father had about and acre (seemed like 10!) of tomatoes….every morning Jessie and I would take the pliers and pick off tomato bugs…same size every morning…like 2 to 2 ½ inches….they were so big you'd think they came from Texas.. I loved living in Deweyville, there were many second cousins as Grandfather's brother Milo Van Dusen Gardner and family lived there and most all lived close to Grandfathers. We played "Run Sheepie Run" every night….no one cared if we hid or run in their yard…. Only once Uncle Jim Gardner had stretched some wire around some apple trees….I didn't know about the wire and I ran pell mell right into it..sit me down on my ___! It tore a hole in my dress but really only my pride and feelings were hurt. Like all children, I had a puppy love…his name was Latheal Marble. He lived across the road from Grandpa and Grandma Gardner. About a year after we moved back to Grant from Deweyville, Latheal was killed in a gravel pit up on the mountain just a little ways from Grandpas. (Mother shared a story with me that Latheal had climbed east to the top of the mountain and put a ring in a tin can for her there). I went to school in the Church house there as I think the school had burned down….that year (1922) they built a new school.
We didn't stay only a year in Deweyville as there wasn't much work….so again we went back to Grant. This time graduating from the 8th grade. That was really a big event….there were 11 of which 6 of us graduated from Midway High School (midway between Lewisville and Menan). After graduating 8th grade, Spring of 1924, I helped my father cut seed potatoes for Mr. Riley…they lived across the road from Grandpa Randalls.
When I was a teenager in Grant, we teenagers would go sleigh riding… One young man, Fred Chadburn had a team of horses and a bob sleigh. We would all get in and sometimes he would whirl the corner where Grandpa's store was and keep going around and around until I would get so scared…we would have to cling on to the box to keep from going out the back end… Oh! Those were the days! My best beau then was Russell Taylor, he had black curly hair and we had fun going to the dances which were held in Grant every Friday night. Burdett Eckersall was the drummer…He has a mortuary in Rigby now. .
Mr. Melvin Luke was our principal at Midway High School….He taught me algebra first year, and geometry second year… I hated them both! I still think I could have spent 2 years learning something more beneficial that I could use in my life. Mrs. Hunt (very tiny lady) taught me sewing (first year) that has been very useful all thru my life, in fact, many years have been rather hard ones, Depression 1929 and Elmer not being able to work on account of his stroke….when Jay was a baby, without the sewing knowledge I had acquired at school, I really don't know what we would have done. I made all the children's clothes from 2nd hand things, even their underwear and socks. I got an "A" in sewing class for making a little blue cape for Mary out of one of Aunt Ellie's old skirts. It was a lot of fun getting acquainted with the kids from Menan and Lewisville. We did a lot of fun things, but the most fun was going and coming from school. Grant was about 5 or 6 miles from Midway and we rode in a covered wagon with out the canvas, just the bows over until later on in the fall when the cover was put on. Then when it was cold and winter came, we had a sleigh and horses. One time it was 40 below zero and we about froze …the boys ran along the side to try to keep warm. The horses were so cold they couldn't go very fast. We didn't arrive at the school house until about 9:30, some of us had frozen noses and toes. It took the rest of the day for us to thaw out. The horses were white with frost….4
That next year, my father bought a 2 story house in Riverside. I was in my 2nd year of high school…there is where I met Elmer Taylor at a party….only he had a girl from Utah….her name was Hazel Smart…but she really wasn't so smart…because next night I had a date with Elmer Taylor. In our crowd was Owen Peterson, Margaret Lewis, now married with 3 sons and a daughter…Owen runs Salmon River Stages….I hear their son Billy same age as Joyce is in Bishopric in Salmon….also Melvin Bowen, DeLyle Hall, Alice Bitton, Rawles Ellis now in Mackay. These were our close friends and even to this day , although Daddy has been gone a long time. That next year was my Junior year in high school. I went to Moreland. Daddy and I went to several school dances and parties. He had a Star car and so did the Ellis' kids up the road. They used to have races and scare all us girls and go over the thrill bridge in Moreland. We just had to do something…no radio or tv…only bowling or roller skating.. Some of our friends are Melvin and Lyle Bowman, Margaret and Owen Peterson…In fact, Melvin and Lyle bought Grandma Taylor's farm where we lived when Joyce was born…
In 1927, my folks moved to Lewisville and Daddy still came to see me. In the Spring, I was a Junior at Moreland High.. (There was 1st and 2nd year High at Riverside)…We were getting our pictures taken for our annuals and had to go into Blackfoot, several of us were going together in someone's car…I remember being so sick with chills and fever…I just wanted to stand by the radiator and keep warm…Anyway, I got my picture taken and went home…I was so glad to get into a warm bed….I didn't go to school for six weeks. In just a few days, my father, Jessie and Alice were also sick…My mother had been sick, but as I remember she just kept on going as mother are like that... The 4 of us were so bad they had Dr. Beck come out and he said we had the grip…(now it would be flu)…We didn't get any better only worse….so Elmer's mother called Dr. Egan (Osteopath), he came out and right away said it was Typhoid Fever…probably from drinking water from an old well that was there. He came out every day for 6 weeks…1 day he came twice…his charge was $300. We all had high fevers for 2 or 3 hours then the fever would go down and we would all be wet with perspiration….bedding and all. My poor mother would wash all those on a board…we didn't have a washer… Finally the neighbors would help and someone had to sit up with us at night…guess we wore nearly all the ward members out…. All we could have was buttermilk and fruit juice…mostly buttermilk….. Elmer would go around to all that made butter and get the buttermilk… We were so hungry and always so happy when he brought buttermilk with little hunks of butter in it….that was a real treat. Doctor Egan knew what he was doing because without him we would have died…. I would lie there and dream of divinity candy….after 6 weeks we were able to get up and around but we looked like skeletons… We couldn't sit on chairs without a cushion because our bones hurt. Then a sad thing….all our hair fell out! Mine and Jessie's hair came in curly, but poor Alice….straight as ever. My fathers never did come back in a pretty as it was…he always had dark curly hair, as did my mother. I wore a hat to Church because I was so embarrassed. My father was so sick one night he said he saw his body (mostly bones) go through the door. But guess the Lord wasn't ready for him because he's 89 now and is still with us. (actually, Grandpa Gardner passed away a couple of months before his 89th birthday).
In the Spring of 1928 before Daddy and I were married, we went to the show in Blackfoot…of course it was silent pictures…no talkies…(if you couldn't read, you were out of luck)….during the show…there came a flash on the screen that a flood was coming down the Snake River and had taken out the Swan Valley Bridge and for all who lived close to the river in Riverside to get out. So we frantically drove home…Var was with us as Elmer had to take him every where he went because Elmer was the only daddy Var knew as he was only about 1 ½ when his daddy died…Elmer was 19 at that time…Grandma had 40 acres, so she and the children ran the farm. It wasn't easy…she thinned beets the first year we were married to pay the taxes.. She was a wonderful mother and especially wonderful to me…..back to the flood. When we arrived home, others had heard about the flood coming, so everyone had their cars at the gas station trying to get gas….Others had their cattle, driving them west to Rockford to higher ground. Cows and calves were bellowing….it was dark and they couldn't see where they were going…neither could the people! I think my father had one cow and he just turned her in with the others. Grandma Taylor had just gotten 300 little chickens….We didn't know what else to do with them but put them in our upstairs bedrooms. Then the Taylors and Gardners left for Rockford…Grandma Taylor's sister, Aunt Zada Peterson's husband ran the store there and had an empty building there where we spent the rest of the night.. Leone Randalls' mother had 2 phones at the Grant store, one at Rigby and one at Idaho Falls….people kept calling her until she got tired and finally said "The river got down to Blackfoot and has turned around and coming
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back"….knowing Lottie Waters…sounds just like her! When we heard the water had receded and passed Riverside, we took our cows and went home, but found about ½ of the little chickens were dead as a window had broken and fallen out…the chicks had chilled to death….
The Summer before Daddy and I were married, I went up to Grant and worked for Aunt Bess…Nola and the rest were quite small, so she needed help. Daddy would come up and see me on weekends…during that time or Spring before Grandma Taylor had broken her leg on the ice coming home from Sunday School, which left Daddy to do the chores and the house work….Glen just didn't seem to get the hang of it…Anyway, one weekend while Daddy was up to Grant seeing me, Grandma Taylor had gone into her folks to stay for awhile with that broken leg, taking Alice and Var with her……Well, guess who was home…Fay! My folks had gone to Idaho Falls for something, so Jessie thought she would go up to help Fay…(they were about 14) You know how some people like to be of service…well, the first thing they did was do the washing…Had to get the water out of the pump (well), didn't have time to heat it, so washed in cold water, without any soap.. I'll bet people never saw a washing like that on Grandma Taylor's lines before… Next, they decided to churn some butter….Grandma always churned her own butter in an old fashioned dasher churn…..They didn't know how to get the butter collected from buttermilk so they (tried) to strain it thru a pillow slip…(this I found when I went there to wash while Grandma was still gone). The next thing to do was have some fun…they had worked so hard…..Grandma had just gotten little chickens…so they were 6 - 8 week old….Fay and Jessie found by putting the chicken's heads under their wings and whirling them around, then letting them go…they would stagger around like they were drunk… Gee! What a ball! But the chickens didn't think that much fun…some never did fully recover, and were in a daze the rest of their lives…(result….some fresh laid scrambled eggs!)
I graduated in May of 1928….So on Sept. 19th, 1928 we went to Logan Temple to be married. Grandma Taylor went with us and we stayed at Grandma and Grandpa Gardners in Deweyville. That night I slipped off the porch and next morning could hardly walk but we went to Logan , was married and came back to Deweyville. The cousins there thought we would be staying there, so fixed up a big schiveree, but we fooled them and went clear over to Tremonton for our honeymoon. Next day, went to Brigham City and got some peaches. I haven't liked to can peaches since. I think we had 10 bushels. We were married only 3 months when the Great Depression started. There was no work, I had canned during the fall and Elmer's mother gave up her living room so we could live there. Elmer ran his mother's farm and we were still living there when Joyce was born 7th December, 1929…Dr. Hampton came out to the house in a model T Ford. Next Summer, we and our friends had a lot of fun..we had oyster soup suppers…sometimes we had 3 or 4 kettles of spuds or or beans…sometimes grave yard stew, as bread and milk were cheap…but mostly because that's all we had. We even once had a slumber party on our lawn. Soon after the little ones started coming, we all had one just about the same time…..Joyce was the oldest, she was so cute, they all thought they could do as good, but no one ever did! She was so cute, dark hair and wide awake but very good….she never cried and always looked like a doll. Of course Daddy and I loved her dearly…Father in Heaven had really sent us a dear sweet child. In the Spring after Joyce was born, Daddy got a job with O P Skaggs grocery in Pocatello on the corner of 2nd St. just out of the subway. We moved down there to a little house on North 7th…but soon things began to slow down because of the Depression and Daddy with a lot of others were laid off their jobs… We moved back to Riverside to a house just 1 block east and 1 block north of the garage.. There was no work, Daddy got a few jobs like in the haying season which paid $2.50 a day, or sorting potatoes for 30 cents a hour…and that didn't last too long (3 or 4 months in the winter)…but we were happy. Grandma Taylor and us got along as best we could…..everyone in the Ward was in the same boat. We had lots of things at Church. In 1928-29 I was 1st counselor in the Primary to Ellen Adams…One little boy I shall always remember was so cute and a perfect little gentleman…his name was Delwyn Wheeler, which I named my Del after.. Daddy had a beautiful tenor voice and sang duets with John Bitton. I couldn't do much but act crazy…so had several parts in plays we put on. A fellow by the name of Art Ogden decided a few of us could put on stage plays and go from Ward to Ward. We did just that and if I do say it, they were pretty good for amateurs…Anyway better than nothing! Later I was drama director and one time we put on a play that we took to Moreland and Groveland. Joyce sang between acts…Daddy was there to help with the stage. My good friends Lois and Dan Thomas were in the Mutual Presidency so were always there to help me. They were both school teachers. (Dan was Lynn's first grade teacher when we were in Riverside. After we came back from Nyssa, Oregon, the school was crowded there so he only went a half day…that made him
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behind….Lynn said he was so bored with what the first grade was doing he watched the 2nd graders all the time….Next year, he was so smart he didn't have to take 2nd grade…So he flunked 1st and went to 3rd grade!) I picked raspberries for awhile but soon had to quit as I was pregnant with Lynn…that summer was pretty bad but we had a garden and I canned everything there was to can…in the fall, we had 75 cents and green tomatoes….we didn't know whether to spend the money to make green tomato mincemeat or save it. We made the mincemeat.. Daddy had bought 2 little pigs in the fall and sold one of them for $3 to buy Lynn a sweater suit to be blessed in… we had managed a little money to buy a 2 bedroom house 1 block north of Grandma Taylor's brick house. This was where Lynn was born 23rd Feb. 1933. Daddy had to go to Blackfoot to get Dr. Beck in a sleigh as the roads were all drifted in with snow. One snow drift was so high that when they went over it, the back end of the sleigh broke out and it took them from morning until noon to get to Riverside…Lynn was born at 12:00…he weighed 8 pounds and was a very good baby…(no hair, like Joyce)…I didn't have very much for him…. When he was about 2 months old, Daddy got a job with Clark Transfer Co. in Blackfoot, so we moved to Blackfoot upstairs over their (Transfer's) garage. Joyce was so disappointed because she couldn't go out to play… It was soon springtime and that apt. was so hot we moved to a little house Charlie Marsdon had…(he was a fellow worker with Daddy). After two months, Daddy was transferred to Idaho Falls. He was making $25 a week and things weren't too bad. Lynn gave us quite a fright when he was about two. He got a penny caught in his throat and no one could get it out. He was turning blue and as we were rushing him to the hospital, he suddenly relaxed and swallowed the coin. In Idaho Falls we lived on the corner of Chamberlain St. and Cliff which we rented for $14 a month… Pennys was about 1 or 2 blocks north…that's where Joyce walked by herself, …4 years old up to a morning milk studio, called "Uncle Bob's" where she sang every morning on the radio. (I had to take care of Lynn so couldn't go with her) She would learn a popular song (like "The Old Spinning Wheel) every day on our radio and sing it up there the next day. She would say "I'm Joyce Taylor and I'm 4 year's old". Grandma Taylor listened to her and was so proud! (Grandma Halverson now as she had just married Francis T. Halverson on May 3rd 1933.) Daddy continued working for Clark Transfer and sometimes we would go with him taking milk over to Driggs and bringing coal back from the Blind Bull Mine. It was a beautiful trip through the canyons and we really enjoyed it.
We soon moved again to Hill St. where Jay was born 20th April 1936. Jay only weighed 6 pounds and was so skinny. In fact, he never was a fat child, always a skinny little kid…but now he's a man and the largest of my 3 sons. He's a very loving son and so thoughtful of me. Lynn was so taken up with him, he would come in the house (Jay was had at home) and say "He's my baby brother, isn't he?" Then rubbing his hand over Jay's bald head would say "This is hair isn't it?" Lynn was 3 now and had a mind of his own. I took him to ride on a merry-go-round and he held onto the post so tight I thought I'd have to leave him there. He had a bad time that winter, he was so sick……As I held him in my arms I thought every breath would be his last… But the Lord spared him…
When Jay was two month's old, we moved to Pocatello to a little house on South 2nd…(Lyle Curtis and his wife Zina had just moved out of this house in January) We had lived there only 3 months when Elmer had a stroke and fell from the truck. That was July 9th in Idaho Falls, he had been transferred back to Idaho Falls and was up there looking for a house and I was waiting for a Clark truck to come and move us when the bookkeeper came and said Daddy was in the Idaho Falls Hospital. He took me up leaving Joyce and Lynn at Grandma and Grandpa Gardners in Fort Hall. Jay was nursing so kept him with me. Daddy was unconscious and paralyzed on his right side (Mother told me she would walk to the hospital several times every day to see Dad then back and forth to where ever she was staying to nurse Jay). . He was in the hospital 3 weeks and we had to move back to Grandma Taylor's brick house again. Daddy did improve, but couldn't use his right arm. He had to learn to eat with his left. He didn't walk for quite awhile, but in a month or two he could walk with a limp which he never did overcome. His speech was impaired and couldn't talk very good, especially if he got excited. While he was in the hospital, I left Jay at a neighbors and walked 2 miles every 2 hours to feed him. These were real bad times, as I've mentioned before, there was no insurance and no welfare at that time. After 2 years, finally received $70 a month from Workman's Compensation. (They said he wasn't hurt on the job, he just had a stroke)
In March 1938, we moved to Nyssa, Oregon. We had a 4 wheeled trailer with all our possessions, that darn trailer swayed and wore out the tires. We were stuck out in the desert between Mountain Home and Boise and not much money. We had traveled all night and it was nearly morning… Daddy hitched a ride into Boise and had to go to the State House to get his comp. check to buy 2 tires and come back and get us. I groaned every time I saw a hill as we
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had such a load… We bought 2 acres from Bishop Fife and with Bishop Fife and his sons, built our basement house. The first summer we lived in a tent. It really wasn't so bad, the climate was much warmer than Blackfoot. We lived just west of my folks, I don't remember the cost ….it couldn't have been much … so know Bishop Fife must have been mighty good to us. My father and neighbors finally got a roof over us, and he built the kitchen cabinets…Lynn would sit there by him every day and watch. No wonder he can build anything he want…he had a good teacher…and it tickled my father that he was so interested. We had a nice garden, corn higher than Daddy, and water cress in the drain ditch. We had about 300 little chickens…Elmer built a chicken coup….I don't know to this day how he did it! (His right arm was paralyzed from his stroke)… Del took me to see the place where we lived, the chicken house is still there, but they have build a house on the basement. By fall, our neighbor Mr. Thompson and us had a well drilled which we shared. It was good drinking water, but we had to carry it about ½ block, so Daddy pounded a pipe down in the ground 14 feet and got surface water for washing, watering chickens, etc. Joyce and Lynn went to school only half days as the school was crowded and had to take turns. They went to school in the afternoon and Milton went in the morning. Our dog had 3 puppies so they were good play mates especially for Jay, he had to play by himself most of the time. One day his father and Mr. Thompson went into town for some lumber or bricks and took Jay with them. They had a flat tire on the trailer about 2 blocks from the house, I could see them up there, but couldn't see anything of Jay, so walked up where they were and said "Where's Jay?" they said "didn't he come home?" My heart sank as there was a ditch, quite deep, that ran along the road in front of 6 or 7 houses…our neighbor Dean Fife's little girl had drowned in it about a week before…I just knew Jay was in that ditch. We looked and looked about the time they were going to get in the ditch to see if they could find him… Mr. Thompson went down to the drain ditch, it had deep banks but only a little water…there he sit…in a little boat the Thompson kids had made. When I saw him come up over that bank with Jay in his arms I collapsed to the ground and gave thanks to my Heavenly Father for a miracle. It was that summer Lynn leaned to swim. The Thompson boys took him swimming in that same ditch and I was so shocked when I saw him in that water… I yelled for those kids to get him out they just laughed and said, "he's O K he can swim and that's how it started. When we moved back to Riverside, the Ward went to Lava one day and he scared everyone there as he dove off the high dive….but I think he also got hurt… Another rather interesting experience…One of the Fife boy's (step son) lived in a trailer across the street from us. One day someone there yelled "Fire!" I didn't stop to see what it was, I emptied my tub of rinse water into 2 big buckets and ran across the street, they say I saved the trailer as they had no water. There was a Mr. Brown there that worked in the sugar factory so was fairly well to do. Every week I cleaned house for them for $1 a day. One spring I cleaned their house and for 10 day's work, I made $10… I thought that was a lot of money!
We were there for two years…but seems Elmer was home sick for Riverside and his folks so back to Riverside…. Sometime after this we bought the little grey house in Riverside. Grandma Halverson loaned us the $120 down payment, $10 a month, it had 2 bedrooms large kitchen and living room on ½ acre which we should have kept, but Daddy wanted to go to Montana where my folks were. (Lynn and Jay played Tarzan and Boy in the big willow tree here). Also Sam Jones, (Lyle's brother-in-law) let me buy a refrigerator for working for him selling fridges. What a luxury that was to have a fridge.
We left Riverside 4 April, 1943, We took some chickens and our ducks on a little trailer. We stayed at a little road-side cabin some where around Dillon MT. that first night. We arrived in St. Ignatius the next day, moving onto a place we leased from the Indian Agency. (Blackfoot Indian Reservation, St. Ignatius, MT) Grandpa Gardner had gotten the 40 acre piece for us. Easter came and Lynn and Jay would have to have an Easter egg hunt, so we found a beautiful little wooded place up the road and after crawling through a fence must have hid those eggs 10 times that day.
Del was born the 27th of April….up at Grandma and Grandpa Gardner's about a mile east up the road from our place.. The Dr. was Dr. Armon, he was quite old about 70, but was very kind and good.…I wanted a little girl and was disappointed, but Daddy said "He couldn't be any cuter if he'd been a girl". Jay got so excited he went to school without taking his P J's off…just put his pants on over. While I was in bed, the little neighborhood children gathered some wild flowers, made a little basket and brought them to me. The people there were so good to us. We had barely moved in when Brother Golden Kent brought us a big ham…it looked like half a pig. Lynn and Jay mopped the kitchen floor before I came home. They poured water on the floor and swept it out with the broom…I told them I was so proud of them and that they did a good job.8
Joyce was in the 8th grade and didn't want to move…so stayed with Grandma Taylor until after school was out…She was Valedictorian of her class 1943, Grandma said "Uncle" Frank was so proud of her……She came up on the bus last of May when school was out. In the meantime, we bought a piano for $15 a (honky tonk) (I believe Mother said they got it from a bar that had had a fire). So once again, Joyce was playing "San Antonio Rose". Everything was going well, Daddy managed to use a tractor and plow some wheat ground. We bought a pony for $25 and a saddle, the kids would go up to the mountains on horses, catch fish and have a ball. One day when we were all out in the garden, our neighbor boy came over to play with Lynn and said our calf was dead. He had a little rope on his neck tied to a little bush but had wound around it and choked to death. We felt bad but our dear friend Bro. Thornock come over and said, 'Well, trouble isn't so bad as long as it doesn't come in the house." So well we found that out a few short months later.
One day, Jay and Lynn were riding the pony out in the field and had to get off to open the gate it being an electric fence (we used it to keep the cows in) some how they got mixed up with the fence, the pony fell in it and Jay and Lynn were finally able to get her out. A miracle they weren't all electrocuted. Another time a team of horses Jay was riding in from the field got frightened of the electric fence crossing the little canal and they jumped across…Jay fell out and for awhile we thought it had killed him. Another time Daddy was driving the car with a little trailer on across the creek and the bridge broke as the car went over and Lynn was riding in the trailer…he jumped off just as the trailer started over the broken bridge. Another time, Lynn was out of sorts about something, went out and hid under a pile of straw, when we went to find him, we could hear him snoring but couldn't see him….there he was fast asleep under the straw pile. One day we bought an old sow pig at the sale that was going to have little ones… Morris laughed and said "bet she don't have any!" Wrong! One sunny morning Daddy came to the house all excited and said "our pig has 3 little ones!" We were happy…a few minutes later, he came back in and said "Gee! what will we do? She has 10 little pigs and only 10 teets" (you know, place at the table). Well we figured that was enough…but before it was over she had 17 little pigs. So nothing to do but bring them into the house and feed them on the bottle (special formula from the vet). I think we saved 4 out of the 7 we had in the house. They grew and were regular pests. Every time we went to the barn, they would almost beat us back to the house. We had to hurry and shut the door.
On 2 Oct. 1943, Elmer passed away (Mother's story is as follows, my brother Lynn remembers it a little differently)….The 1st day of October was a beautiful day, kids were in school, daddy and I went up to Bishop Jensens to return a pressure cooker, as we were driving east toward the mountains, he said "Isn't that a beautiful picture? I never want to go back to Idaho." We visited some friends by name of Durant, (they have 10 children). We stayed there and had supper, then went home. We returned home just as the sun was setting, I thought , what a lovely, peaceful day it had been, I wish it would never end. After putting Del in his basket (which his daddy rocked him to sleep in), we finished up the jelly I was making (they grow lots of elder berries in Montana). We went to bed, Joyce and Lynn had gone (walked about 2 miles) to the show in town with Dale Anderson but at around 11 o'clock I was awakened by Daddy making a peculiar sound. I turned on the light and saw he was unconscious. Jay ran to the neighbors, Bro. Anderson went for my folks and the Bishop Ray Jensen also called Dr. Armon but it was too late, he passed away about 1 a.m. The rest of the night was a nightmare…I couldn't believe he was gone….I had 4 children…no money…no home…But the Lord doth provide….the neighbors were wonderful to me. Brother and Sister Thorack came got us to spend the night with them. Brother Anderson cut wood and Jay and Lynn brought it home in their wagon. These things I will always be grateful for….what would I ever had done without the goodness of those people in my time of need. We called Grandma Halverson, so she, Glen and Naomi, and Alice Wheeler came up and arrived about 10 a.m. The people at the funeral home were so nice, a short funeral was held in St. Ignatius on Sunday and then we left for Blackfoot. My mother accompanied the body on the train from Arlee train station to Blackfoot and the funeral was held Oct. 6th in Riverside Chapel and burial in Riverside Cemetery. The Durrants went with us. For seven years, Jay followed his father everywhere he went…his daddy called him his little shadow. I stayed a week at Grandma Halverson's, then Fay and Dora took us back to Montana, they stayed with us a week before going back to their home in Ogden. What a lonely spot to go back to…4 children…Joyce 13, Lynn 10, Jay 7 and Del 5 months. When we got home, the kid's pony was gone…as we expected she had gotten out and gone back to her old home. We went up to the Downs where we bought her and sure enough, there she was on a hill side in the beautiful pines. Fay, Lynn and Jay , in fact, all of us had quite a time catching her, but we did get her back home and happy to have her. Having a horse they had never had was quite
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something. It was a trying time…we had 3 cows which Lynn (10 yrs old) and Jay (7 yrs old) had to milk, feed, and turn out in the pasture before they went to school…one of the cows had to be hobbled in order to milk her. By now, October, it was chilly and very foggy in the mornings. I felt sorry for Lynn and Jay, they had to go out in the fog to feed the cows and milk them.. Our Ward and neighbors harvested the hay and grain for us…
I had no money as the money from Trucking Insurance quit when Daddy passed away. I had nothing to burn until one morning Sister Anderson came over, knocked on the door, and said "I just knew you needed me, can I cut you some fire wood?" She went out to the old barn that was falling down and cut me some wood. A day or so later Sister Jensen, Bishop's wife brought me a few lumps of coal.
During this time my folks had decided to sell and come back to Idaho, so I didn't want to stay there either. We had an auction sale, I think the worst about that was selling the pony…which Jay could whisper in her ear and she would put her head down so he could get up on her. …(Mother told me how sad it was to sell things to move back to Idaho…especially a little pony they had that would lower it's head to let the kids get on…in fact, she said that was what made the man buy it when he saw the kids have it do that). Joyce, Lynn and Jay loved her and begged me not to sell her….in fact, they didn't want to leave Montana…they had such a wonderful summer …the beautiful mountains and streams had offered so much for them…exploring, fishing, frying fish without any grease up in the pines and of course they always rode the pony. Joyce said when we were packing the dishes and other house hold things, "If you'll just stay, I'll put everything back in place." The Durrant children were their constant companions, they were our dear friends (Marjorie Durant was Joyce's special friend). (The Durrants at the time of this writing 1987, were living in Parma, Idaho, Mother and I took a trip over to visit them about this time…they are a very humble, gracious, kind couple and were genuinely pleased at our coming to visit them….they had served a mission back East around 1966).
On 14th December, 1943, we left St. Ignatius. Snow had fallen on the pine trees and Evero Hill looked like a fairyland, but it was bitter cold. I drove the car with my 4 children for quite a ways, then my father's car broke down. He then helped me drive on down to Butte where we stayed all night in a little hotel. Next day, we arrived in Blackfoot. Again, we lived in Grandma's (now Halverson) brick house in Riverside. Things were very bad as there was still no money. The summer there was terrible… Joyce went to Jackson, Wyo. And helped some people for a while…I tried to do a little sewing for money for food, but it was so little…in the fall, I weighed beets in Moreland, leaving Del with who ever would tend him and the other children looked out for themselves. In the meantime, Grandma Halverson had sold the brick house and I had to move, so everyday for a month I hunted for a job and a place to live. I would put my 4 kids in the car, and one day I would go to Idaho Falls, and the next day to Pocatello. In December 1944, after looking for a job everyday in Idaho Falls or Pocatello, I finally got a job at the gun plant…(14th Dec) I guess the Lord was looking out for us, because after 3 times trying the gun plant (NOP, Naval Ordinance Plant, they were making guns during the war), I jot a job washing windows. Glen Taylor and a friend Burton Furniss came with a truck and moved us to Portneuf Park, the only place I could work and have a place to live. They set up the beds and left…the next morning I had to go to work…it's a wonder I could even find my clothes. (Portneuf Park was a government housing project with six unit row apartments scattered over 15 acres on the north end of Pocatello next to the Portneuf River, Mother said you had to work for the govt. or the rail road to live there, we lived there for 10 years). I drove the car for 2 or 3 days then found some people that were working there and only lived 2 blocks from us. I had to leave early in the morning…dark and in the snow….no boots… Joyce was left to attend to the rest.. The boys had to find their schools, get their own breakfast and fix their lunch. Joyce took Del to a close neighbor (Mrs. Rice). She was nice and became a good friend and her kids were my kid's friend. I think Dave Rice left with Jay and Bill Serano for the service together. When I went to the gun plant that morning to work, they had all the window washers they needed. (Mother said the man felt sorry for her), so he asked the gardner if he had a job for me, he laughed but took me over to No. I shop, and a lady gave me a job counting nuts and bolts in a bin. How boring! But I was thankful for that! The next day, a nice man (a Bishop) came and got me and asked how'd I like to operate a crane? He took me to shop 36 and introduced me to Melvin Walker. He said he had a crane operator job I could have…..Have you ever seen or been in an overhead crane? My heart sank, but I climbed that 30'ladder and prayed on every step. I climbed into a metal box with several levers, a cable wire and a big hook. I was really scared! A very nice man, Lyman Ritter, whose son had just been killed in the war was a very good and patient teacher and before long, I could operate that darn thing. I ran the 25 ton crane, 35 ton crane, and a few times the 50 ton and I loved it. Before the war was over, they built 3 new buildings along Pole Line Road. At first there were no
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cranes, but work had to go on, so they brought in cherry pickers. They had 4 small rubber wheels, a boom and cables. We women had to learn to run those darn things. You stand on a little step at the back and steer with a stick, only if you want to go right, you pull it left or opposite the direction you want to go. Finally they got the cranes in and what a relief! We loaded box cars and piled boxes. During the war, almost every thing was rationed, especially gas. If we had money, we couldn't go very far…just over night. Shoes were rationed. I hadn't bought me any since we lived in Montana, so I had one pair of shoes. By the time I went to work at the gun plant, one had a hole in th sole as big as a quarter-I just put some cardboard in my shoe and went to work, it wasn't so bad. Var, (Daddy's youngest brother) was in the service and sent me $5. Although shoes were rationed, I managed to get some stamps for a pair of shoes with that $5. I remember going to Deb Fields, my cousin (later Field's Furniture) as he was on the rationing board, and he gave me stamps for the kid's shoes. Like I have said before, I didn't have any money… What I didn't can, we didn't eat and what I didn't sew, we didn't wear. Back to Var, when he was in high school, he made me the little red step stool. I have cherished this little stool and hope to have it many more years. I meant to tell him about it last year at the reunion, but didn't, now time has run out on me. He passed away last Sept. 1st after the reunion 1984. The play ground at Portnuef Park was a haven for all the kids. Jay made many friends there, Lynn as well, although he had a job a Fred Miller's Bakery. In fact, Fred treated Lynn as though he was his own son and always believed Lynn would come back from the service and take over the bakery… Fred and Viola thought a lot of Lynn…
I found a lady, Mrs. Rice who lived quite close to take care of Del. I had to leave at 7:30 A.M. to go to work. I drove my car for awhile but it was a job getting it to go every morning in the cold, so found a ride with people in the Park. Joyce took Del to Mrs. Rices, and Lynn and Jay fared for themselves. They must have been good kids or they couldn't have made it. I had to work 6 day a week so on Sunday I had to wash, iron and get them ready for school on Monday. I can't remember how we managed there, but my check from the gun plant was like pennies from heaven. We got a little Christmas tree from some place, but didn't have anything to decorate it with as during the war there was hardly anything to buy. A store man sold me a few ornaments that was on a tree in the store. Christmas was very slim, but we had a place to live, warm fire, and we were all together, except Daddy wasn't there and there was no one to put the tinker toys together and Jay was very disappointed…but life goes on…
Soon the war was over and the men would be coming home and looking for jobs. It was a terrible day when they told us women we were being laid off….One boss man told me nearly every man in the building where I worked had come to him and said they would give up their job if I could stay…but that wasn't government policy. I took a job as waitress in the Union Pacific Café (called the beanery). The service men were coming home now. Sometimes there were so many waiting (and standing) to be served, they had to leave as the trains were running full force to get the service men home. That was a busy time. Working at the café was rather bad as I took care of Del in the day time and worked at night. Some days I would go for 3 days without any sleep. Joyce rode the bus to school and I rode it to work and back. I made her a chicken sandwich every morning at the café and as I came home on the bus, she was there getting on going to school. I gave her the sandwich and she took it on to school. When the café closed after the war, I went to work at PFE (Pacific Fruit Express) at the railroad, cooking for the men that iced the cars. Del could barely walk and talk now. I would tell him "I'm going to work"…he didn't know what that meant, he only knew I wasn't there. Ezra Parker, Dick and Don and grandmother lived in the Park as Ezra worked at the gun plant. By Joyce and Dick getting acquainted, I met Ezra. He would come over and watch Del while I slept a few hours. One night, here came Ezra and Del to the beanery. Ezra said, "Del said , 'please take me to work to see my mama'".
Lynn said Lincoln School was a dumb place, it didn't even have a bathroom. (He hadn't found it yet and was too bashful to ask) A Mr. Brown was his teacher…maybe in junior high..he was very good to Lynn and Lynn really like him….but there were others that weren't so good…..about the 8th or 9th grade, Lynn went to work for Fred Miller at the bakery, working from 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. for which I won't ever forgive Fred miller…but by the same token, taught Lynn many life long lessons. Lynn walked to and from the bakery for a long time, bringing me a loaf of bread under his arm every morning. Then one day he bought his first car…it was a lemon, but later he got another. I used to feel so sorry for him when the other boys were going to play basket ball, Lynn was going to work. Lynn was in to making model airplanes and when he finished one he'd tie it to the ceiling. The next morning when he'd come home from work the airplane would be down and broken. No one knew what happened. One day, Ezra peeked in to see what Del was doing….Del had a wooden gun the kids had made and was swatting Lynn's planes…..problem solved!11
Jay had a newspaper route. He had to get up at 5 A.M. get the papers folded and deliver them before school. Sometimes he brought them home and I would help him fold them. In the summer he watered lawns for Fred Brothers in the Park. Fred was so good to me.. Fred gave me a job cleaning apts in the Park. I was paid $7 for cleaning an apartment..rent was $44 a month..utilities included, but by working there, I didn"t have to pay rent.
I married Max Woodvine in 1946…he worked for Purina Mills..(when he worked)…. He was good and kind to me but didn't believe in working too much and for which I couldn't depend on anything, so bad to worse..we were divorced in June 1954. (I believe Mother is mistaken on this date as they only lived together a year or two…although it's possible they were not legally divorced until this date…She probably married Max in 1949 or 1950 and was divorced before 1953 as she married Lyle in Sept. 1953…{My brother Jay told me he had to give Mother the $15 from his paper route to get the divorce}...she also was married to a Robert Evans for a short period after Daddy's death, through other relatives I learned that Mr. Evans had taken what money Mother got after Daddy's death and run off, {Lynn said it was about $1000, a lot of money for that time}, Mother never talked about this man…)
The winter of 48/49 was real bad…it would snow, then the wind would blow. They couldn't keep the roads plowed clear. School was out many days on that account. Two children were killed in an avalanche on the west bench.
In 1953, I met Lyle Curtis at a dance at the Deleta Ball Room. My friend Francis Chaney introduced me to him…he took us both to eat after the dance. I know she had a date with him for the next day, but, the day after their date, he called me for a date. He loved music and played most every kind of instrument. We dated until September, when we decided with his 3 girls and my 3 boys and 1 girl.. we may as well get married, although his oldest girl and my two oldest were married, We were married at Bishop Hershi's on 26th of Sept. 1953. We lived at my house in Portnuef Park as I had 3 bedrooms, but as Pat got married, Janet living away from home, we decided to move to his house on 147 Roosevelt. Soon after Jay decided to go into the service, so we only had Del left.
I went to work at Farmer's Insurance in January, 1954 and worked there for 18 years…I retired on 31st December, 1971, the same day Lyle was operated on and found he had cancer. In the 18 years we were married we had good times and some sad ones. Lyle went for treatments at the LDS hospital in Salt Lake every day for 6 weeks, we lived in the New House Hotel during this time. Jay came down and took us back to Pocatello on the 23rd of February, 1972, but he got worse and was admitted at Bannock Mem. Hospital 29th and passed away on 8 March 1972. Friends and neighbors again were so good to me, but soon loneliness was up on me again. Lyle was gone as well as his beautiful music…the house haunted me and I wanted to get away. So in May, Robin and I left for England to visit Lynn and Geneal. We came back to Santa Rosa on the 4th of July 1972….but seems like you just can't run away…you always have to go home...which I finally did. In April Jessie and I went down to Joyces and stayed for a month. When I came back, someone had robbed my house taking everything they could pick up. Then for Mother's day 1974, Jessie and Joe (Sharp) came to visit me. We had just gone to bed when there was a terrible crash. I thought it was a bomb, but someone had broken the big front window with an iron bar. It shook the house and scared me so bad I couldn't say a work…my heart hurt so bad. We went to Sunday School anyway, but my heart has given me problems ever since.
I kept the place on Roosevelt until 1st of July, 1974, then sold it. I took some things to Del's in Sandy, Ut and stored the rest in Jay's basement. I felt like the man without a country. Del and Nancy were so good to me and made me a bedroom for my own in their basement. But I still missed my things and wanted a place of my own, so Nancy took me places every day and finally we found this moblile home at 5069 El Amador in Country Club Estates, (Murray, Utah) I moved in 1st of April 1976. On the 22 April, I woke up in the night and didn't have any strength in my body. I couldn't stand up or even crawl, but did pull the phone off the stand and called Del and the medics. I finally floundered out and unlocked the door. The next thing I can remember I was at St. Mark's Hospital. In July, my father was very ill so on 20th of July 1976 I flew to L A . Joyce picked me up and was so good to take me over to Marys. Father was bad, but knew me and talked to Joyce and I. I came back but he passed away on 22 July. His body was brought back of Idaho Falls and funeral was held in Grant, Idaho (He asked Del to speak at his funeral). Again loneliness creeps upon me, because of the love and inspiration he gave me, for the heritage and understanding…I hope and pray I shall never forget.
(1970-1978) I have enjoyed my mobile home here in Salt Lake. Time is passing fast. I'm already 70, and as time goes by, I know I won't be able to always stay here. Neighbors and friends are good and I am thankful for them, but
12
blood is thicker than water, so one of these days I may decide to go back where my roots are. I try to keep busy, but there are hours and hours of loneliness. Sometimes when I don't hear from my kids, I think they don't care. I know they do because they are the best kids in the world. Without them I couldn't live. I love my grandchildren and am so proud of all of them. I guess sometimes they think I don't love them but I really do. I don't think to go see them sometimes and most of the time I don't do too good. I appreciated Del and Nancy taking me on their trip last summer and having fun in the beautiful Yellowstone country. We had family night and it was special…I enjoyed Roger and Sheryl Budge's kids too. I enjoyed the rodeo too. (Uncle Crystal's rodeo they put on at Henry's Lake) You can see why…I got my rodeo experience on Grandpa Randall's corral fence. I have made nearly all my kids, grand kids, and great grand kids quilts…hope they will enjoy them. 7 great grandchildren up to now… June 8 1979.
I miss all my kids, but have the privilege of visiting them whenever. I like Salt Lake and probably will live my life out here. I can take care of myself, go and come back as I please. Just hope and pray the Lord will continue to bless me that I won't be a burden to anyone, but let me live to enjoy and help my children as long as I may live.. Mar. 30, 1987
*Some things I remember about Mother telling us as kids: "Eat everything on your plate so the Chinese won't starve" and "Stay out of the mud puddles or you'll get polio". She also won $15 from the Idaho State Journal from a contest to name their classified add section….the name she gave…"The Ad-Visor". I also remember her serving as a girl's Campfire Leader and of going to girl's camp on Scout Mountain up Mink Creek Road from Pocatello. She took care of more elderly women after she retired from Farmer's Insurance…a Mrs. McMillan in Murray, Utah, and another in St. George for awhile. When her health began to fail, she had to give up her car…(she hated losing that independence) and finally moved back to Pocatello in 1993 to the "Cove" where she renewed old acquaintances and made many new friends until her passing on the 24th of September, 1999, just a couple of months after a serious car accident she was in with her daughter Joyce. Her son, Jay had passed away just the year before in Pocatello and she missed him greatly. In fact, the morning of the day she passed away, I had slipped into her hospital room very early in the morning to say goodbye before heading back to Arizona, and she thought I was Jay visiting with her from the "other side"…I never told her otherwise….she was at peace and in a rather jovial mood…
** Things Nancy remembers about her: She was always making things grow…she could cut off a slip of plant anywhere and make it grow at home… She planted flowers everywhere, even at the Cove, (the Cove is an assisted living facility in Pocatello), She nearly suffered another heart attack when she discovered someone had been pulling her flowers out as weeds. She was always particular about her appearance, and loved to shop for clothes. She loved to have her picture taken and to take everyone else's picture.Reminiscences of Elsie Gardner Taylor Curtis
When mother was in her 80's, she would ask what I wanted for my birthday or Christmas or whatever…I would ask her to write about different things she remembered, like what were the Christmases like for her growing up….The following are what she recorded in a notebook that she gave to me…Del Taylor, son.
The Christmases I can remember, of course I can't remember my first Christmas. I don't know where we were living, but my 2nd or 3rd…I do remember of living in the back room of Aunt Ellie and Uncle Rob Field's home in Grant. (down the road on Grandpa Randall's farm). It was Christmas, I didn't know much about what Christmas was, only that I got a little tin horn that was the first thng I can remember getting as a plaything for my very own.
The next year or maybe I was 4 year's old, but it was very special. As I can remember of being up to Grandma Randalls and Aunt Bess and Aunt Myrtle were very young girls and they were trimming a large cedar tree which stood in the corner of the Polar (living room) and they were putting clip candles on the tree, and also lit the candles, Oh! It was beautiful!
All of us cousins and aunts were there. Cooking , baking, etc. going on. I think I must of slept there at Grandma's because when I woke up Christmas morning, I had a big beautiful doll. It had hair! I was so thrilled and excited. That was a big day, as all my cousins, aunt, uncles were there. Deb Fields, Walt Randall and Uncle Arve were about 9 yrs older than Alta, Vella, and I so they kept us in hot water most of the time. Hazel would save the day by getting us all to play Anti- i - over, the old granary, which is still standing.
Some time later my father bought the log house down the lane, things were really bad, and I don't think we even had a Christmas tree. I got a doll, (second hand) and the face was terrible, no hair. So papa painted the face white, his name was Ludwig. I didn't like the name or doll either. Mama always made me doll clothes, but Ludwig never looked decent in anything.
Then when I was 9 my father built us a house just up East from aunt Ellie and Uncle Rob's place, still on Grandpa Randall's farm. The Christmas there wasn't too good. My baby brother 10 months old died while there. Christmas was rather gloomy and not much money. I remember there was no tree, not many presents. I got a necklace and some paper dolls. Jessie got a real baby doll. I thought cute and wished I had gotten one. Papa had made us a wooden sleigh, but it didn't go very good, guess he hadn't practiced much. Anyway it was hard to pull, wooden runners.
That was the year of the bad flu…1918, and everyone was sick or scared to go anywhere. I forgot to mention, when I was about 3 yrs old, the Ward always had a Christmas party…Santa Clause, candy and nuts in a little brown bag. I really didn't know what it was all about, so when Santa came shouting and running up the aisle, I got so scared, I suddenly got off Papa's lap, and crawled under the bench. You know, or do you?, the old wooden benches….. Papa finally coaxed me up on his lap again.
All the years we lived in Grant, there was always a Christmas party. Christmas Day in the afternoon, the Bishop, (Bro. Lee) and Seth Fife furnished the music, and we kids all danced and had a good time. Then at night, the older people, my folks and the others had a big supper and dancing. They put the little kids to bed on the benches up on the stage, wrapping them up in their coats…
We always had a Christmas tree at the Church. I don't know where they got it as there were no pines around and cedar trees were out a long way. So we hardly ever had a Christmas tree at home. There wasn't much money for even gifts. I think we probably only got one thing and we were happy to get that.
In 1927, we were living in Lewisville, Ida. in a big old rock house with beautiful old trees. I was going with Elmer, so I wanted to go to Riverside and spend Christmas with Elmer's family. Grandma Taylor was always so gracious and good. We had a nice Christmas, Elmer gave me a finger nail set. Some of the pieces are gone but I still have the case with my name on it.
My father milked the cow, sold it to the cheese factory across the street and gave me the money for bus fare to Blackfoot to spend Christmas. I feel guilty about that now, as there wasn't that much money to go around. But they did get a Christmas tree, they put it in front of the big glass window. I guess all the kids were trimming the tree when Jessie fell thru the big glass window-she cut her hand and thumb terrible and still has the scar. Elmer and I were married on Sept. 19, 1928, so we had a room at Grandma Taylors. We had a nice Christmas as Elmer ran Grandma's farm that summer. In the Fall, everyone that raised beets that year got a check about Christmas time. I was so glad to have a little money, I bought presents for all my sisters, Jessie 15, Alice 10 and Mary 8. They often tell me how glad they were to receive that package in the mail. It made Christmas special for them.
Joyce was born 7 Dec. next year, 1929. Joyce was a cute little girl with dark hair. She weighed 7 lbs. she had big blue eyes, and when she opened those eyes to us the whole world woke up too. She was a blessing in our lives. We were still at Grandmas in Riverside, but Elmer had gotten a job with O.P. Skaggs in Pocatello, and was driving back and forth…Soon he found a little 2 room house on East 7th St.
I think it was $30. a month. So three days after Christmas, we moved to Pocatello….the four of us, Elmer and I, Joyce and our little dog.
I thought I knew a lot about babies, but I soon found out, it wasn't all that easy. Altho Joyce was a very good baby, she never cried, and when she would wake up and open those big blue eyes, the whole world came awake…she was so cute.
Things seemed so good to be on our own and to have a little money…I think $15 a week. But things weren't to last….The Great Depression hit and every one was layed off their jobs. So nothing else but to go back to Grandma Taylors. The first trip back we took nearly all our furniture, but when we got ready to go we couldn't find our little dog, Spot, and it was cold as it was December or probably Jan. 1930. Elmer made another trip down, little Spot had come back, but had frozen to death..
The Christmases of 31 and 32 were very meager, as there were no jobs. We were now living in the (Riverside) house. We bought it for $20 down and $10 a month, but we couldn't get $10 to make the payments. Our Christmas there was mostly home made…but everyone was in the same boat…so all our friends took turns having house parties…"come as you are and bring what your have". We had some wonderful times and made life-long friends, no one went hungry and we were all happy…"The Lord doth provide" if we put acknowledge his hand…Our blessings were many.
Lynn was born in 1933, Feb. 23rd… Daddy got a job with Clark Transfer Trucking, hauling milk to Driggs, Id. and hauling coal back. We lived in an apartment above a garage in Blackfoot…but soon he was transferred to Idaho Falls, so we lived in an apartment in the big house on the corner of Cliff Street.
Then came Christmas, Lynn was little but Joyce was 3 yrs old…we had a Christmas tree, little toys for Lynn, a doll and dishes for Joyce. Then Fay, (Elmer's brother) and his wife Thelma (Fay's first wife) came up from Blackfoot to spend Christmas. That was nice, Fay was such a good brother. We didn't have two bedrooms, but a nice big living room with a Heat a rola (heater) and it was good and warm. They took the cushions of the couch and big chair and made a bed on the floor. They stayed with us about a week. Then the next Christmas we had moved down west of the corner in the gray apartments. Lynn was 3 now and Joyce 6. Lynn would be out in the yard and soon I would hear kids screaming bloody murder and yelling "Run! Here comes Lynn"!
We did have a nice Christmas…Lynn got a little truck he could sit on and ride… Joyce got a big rubber doll which I made sweater, cap and booties for. Money wasn't too plentiful, so Daddy and I didn't worry too much about our gifts… We know the meaning of Christmas wasn't presents, but Love for one another, and that the birth of the Saviour of the World was the real meaning of Christmas. And why we gave gifts,…….to remember Him..
By this time, I was pregnant with Jay, so we moved to the little house on Hill Street just a little south of where we were living….We were only in this house from April to 10 of July, when Daddy had a stroke. We were all packed up ready to move to Pocatello….a man from the trucking office came over and told me Daddy was in the Idaho Falls Hospital. Daddy was in the hospital for awhile and then we had to go back to Grandma Taylor's brick house in Riverside. We lived there for a year or two… We couldn't get any money from Trucker's compensation….finally went to court and was awarded $70. a month...seemed good after not having any…. Every Christmas Jay would get Tinker Toys, he loved to build things…I think Lynn was building bigger things by then, like little wagons. I remember Daddy got me a gold? locket, which I am wearing now.
One year when we did have a Christmas tree and Joyce and Lynn were trimming it, Elmer's cousin, Ira Wray Anderson's kids brought each a little gift. I shall always remember them for remembering us…(one thing was top that whirled around with pretty colors, probably for Jay..the other things, I can't remember.
We borrowed $120 from Grandma Taylor (Halverson) and bought the little gray house (Riverside). One Christmas Jay got a little Big Truck he could peddle like a tricycle, he was so thrilled. I don't remember what Joyce and Lynn got. Just remember trying to keep out of the way of Jay and that truck, motoring around the kitchen. The next I can remember was 7th Dec. 1941, Joyce was having her 12th Birthday party, when the news came over the radio…Pearl Harbor had been bombed. This isn't exactly Christmas, but seems things weren't ever the same.
The next two Christmases I don't remember much, there wasn't much money to buy Christmas so I had to make most everything. In the Spring of 1943, we sold the little grey house, (I shall always remember Lynn and Jay swinging, playing Tarzan and boy in the big willow tree in the yard). We decided to move to Montana…Elmer was restless as he couldn't do much, paralyzed on his left side….So we left Riverside on the 4th of April…(as I'm writing this, it's nearly the 4th of April, and the memory of moving to Montana….I shall never forget). Joyce was graduating from 8th grade, so she didn't go up with us but stayed with Grandma Taylor until after graduation, then she came up on the bus. For Easter, just a short time before you, (Del) were born, (Joyce hadn't come from Idaho yet) Lynn and Jay just had to go Easter egg hunting, so your father and I took a little jaunt up the road a mile, where there was a beautiful place, just like a park, (probably someone's pasture), and your father and I hid those eggs about 10 times before we could get home again.
Then you were born 27th of April, 1943, (as you know), Jay was 7 years old just a week before. You were blessed 1st Sunday in June by your Grandfather Francis Gardner. We didn't get to have a Christmas in Montana, as your father died Oct 2nd 1943. So in December, we moved back to Riverside in Grandma Taylor's old brick house. You were only 8 month old, so you didn't care or think much about Christmas. I don't remember what Lynn got, Joyce got some beads and things, but Jay always got Tinker Toys, and I always made something, so it was always put together before Christmas morning. I got the Tinker Toys but forgot to make anything, Jay got up Christmas morning, first thing he said was "Santa forgot to make me something". He was such a sweet little guy and little things meant so much.
The 14th December 1944, we moved to Pocatello as I had gotten a job at the Gun Plant (NOP… Navel Ordinance Plant). Christmas was coming and I didn't have any ornaments to trim the little tree I had gotten somewhere. So I went to town, (at the dime store), all they had was the plastic, funny balls, etc. on a display tree. I asked the manager if he would sell me those, and he did, (bless him). So we had a Christmas tree and the rest I can't remember. The war was on and everything was hard to get.
I know we always had a Christmas tree when we lived in Portnuef Park, but don't remember the presents we got…only, one year , Lynn got a basket ball and another year a pretty ruby-setted ring, which he loved. One year I made Joyce a house robe. One year Lynn got skiis, which he never used. I do remember the 1st year in the Park, you and Jay got a little wagon, like an old wagon, but we didn't know people would steal things in Pocatello, and so let it out by the door and someone stole it. It was such a good sturdy wagon, guess we never did get another. I can't believe we lived in the Park for 12 years.
I worked at the Gun Plant, P.F.E.(ice plant at R.R.), and Pocatello Housing… Fred Brothers was my boss and so good to me. It was while living in the Park, you (Del) got your electric train…Fred helped me put it together for you and you were so thrilled Christmas morning.
In 1953 I met and married (25 Sept.) Lyle (Curtis) I don't remember that Christmas only that there wasn't much money to go around. So on the 4th of Jan. 1954 I went to work for Farmers Insurance. I didn't like it very much, I don't know how I stayed there 18 years. Charles Christ was my boss, he didn't like me and I didn't like him. He was a bar tender and knew nothing of Farmer's business or the mail room. He didn't like me because he had to come and ask me how to do everything. I managed to get Christmas off and go to Joyce's (in California) every year. Bless her heart, she didn't have very much…Dick always said the money had to go into the business….
I still have all the jewelry you kids gave me. I know you all skimped a lot to give me the presents you sent and gave me….Bless your sweet hearts.
1938
In the Spring of 1938, we decided to move from the brick house in Riverside to Nyssa, OR. We only had a two wheeled trailer, but it held most of our furniture. We stayed at Grandma Halversons the night before we left. She had made us some cookies to eat on the way and they tasted mighty good because it was a long way to Oregon. My folks had moved over there 2 years before and said it was a nice place.
(I remember Mother telling me that they had a lot of tire trouble on this trip and had to wait in Boise for a check to come before they could buy a new tire to continue on to Oregon).1952
The year Del got his electric train, It was an American Flyer…(I'll see if I can find the picture).
Lynn got a Ruby and gold ring. Was very proud of it…I can't remember what I got Jay, but remember sending Joyce's family a package. I think that was the year Jay was working for Fawson's Music and bought me a pressure cooker…Bless his heart…I know it took all his money.1955
My folks came down to Pocatello and had Christmas with us. Lyle didn't make much money at the Rail Road. His checks were only $130 every two weeks and mine was only $148 every 2 weeks when I retired in 1972.
Joyce and Dick weren't making much money either. But for Christmas I bought Brenda a big doll and dressed it …Mama helped me. I even made it a coat. I don't remember what I got Michael…something I know…Papa fixed the box to put the doll in. They were so good to help me. I think it was the year before I made a quilt for Mike and Brenda, they had that quilt for a long long time. It was hard doing Christmas shopping as I would have to go to town when I got home from work, always dark, Pennys on one end of town and Montgomery Wards on the other end, snow, snow, in between, and I was so tired. But one year I bought all of Joyce's girls fuzzy night gowns. I think they would rather had flannel ones.1956
This was the year Lyle bought me a camera, but I think it was for him…. It was too big and hard for me to operate. I think I gave him a sports coat, only one he ever had….wore it when he dressed up to go play in the bank. Of course, he always had new western shirts and pants he played in. He played every New Year's that we were married, which we were glad for, as he always got double pay. He was booked a year ahead to play for a married folk's dance in Lava the year 1971 that he passed away. He was in the Salt Lake Hospital that Christmas.1962
This was the Christmas Joyce and Dick and kids came to Pocatello. We had the fireplace and a Christmas tree out in one of our apartments, even the Park's kids were there waiting and waiting for Santa to show up (I was so angry), but he had gone to the hospital to see kids up there. Cindy did get to see him, she even wrote a story (in school) about the best Christmas she ever had..(that one). Just wish it could have been better. But we did have a tree and presents for everyone. New Year's Day the Park's kids came down to watch the Rose Parade, eat hot cakes and sausages. We had a lot of people there…I don't remember who all……..1963
I don't remember much about this Christmas, except you, Del, packed your suit case and went back to Lynn's in Maryland. I really hated to see you go, I know your heart was broken and when my kids hurt, I hurt….The next year 1964, you were on your mission, I know I made cookies and candies and sent them to Mexico, but don't remember if you ever received them.1964
Lynn and Geneal usually sent me jewelry form some where Lynn has been on Govt. assignment. It was in 1952 I think Lynn and Geneal were in Biloxi, Miss. They didn't have much money, but Lynn covered a wooden box with plastic (red) and sent it out to Pocatello, I still have it.
Del and Nancy always sent me nice presents, also Jay's family.1986
In 1986, I didn't receive much. I did receive a pretty wreath from Lynn and Geneal. Thing seemed to be late that Christmas. Lynn called about 11 a.m. and said what are you doing? I said, I'm sitting here with the wreath around my head, eating pop corn, meaning that white stuff you pack with. He said , go to the plane station, there will be a ticket waiting for you. I packed my bag and left for MD the next day. They had a nice Christmas waiting for me.
1987
Chuck and I took a load of goodies, mostly fruit, in his little truck and went to Idaho, stopping that night at Connie's sister's in McCammon, gave fruit packets to everyone there, they were having a party….Next night we went up to Jay and Connie's had a nice Christmas and party, gave more fruit , etc. Next night we went up to Jessie's and all my sister and brothers, except Mary were there, had a nice party, dinner, and all. Alice and Cleone and all their family were there except Karen and Lewis' family. Next day, Chuck and I came back and had our own Christmas here. (Salt Lake).1988
Was my 80th Birthday year….I went to Arizona for Christmas and Tiffany and Shawn's wedding reception and all…I came back 29th December.
1989
Started to Joyce's for Christmas..I left here 6 a.m. but had gotten up at 4:30 a.m. Lynn took me to the plane. First couldn't take off as no power on the ground. Waited ½ hour, then went to Las Vegas, where they told us no planes out to Sacramento on account of fog. We waited all day… Joyce and Robin were waiting in Sacramento for the plane and me to come in. All day they waited, then Joyce called Lynn to see if he really got me to the plane…so they didn't know where I was. About 11 p.m. they got us on a plane to San Jose, then they put us on a bus in the fog…I mean FOG, and took us to Sacramento. As the bus came to a stop, I saw Robin running toward the bus….She saw me and yelled back to Joyce, "She's here! She's here!" Well we left then for Joyces' in Grass Valley, by the time we got there it was 4:30 a.m. I had been 24 hours on the road. I think we all fell in bed with our clothes on! Robin and Kenny cooked a nice dinner at their place, turkey and all the trimmings. Joyce and I were to bring the monkey bread. We started to Robins…we were going to bake the bread when we got there, but half way there we ran out of gas.. Joyce just didn't' pay any attention to that little voice that says your fuel is low. In a few minutes, Cindy came by, so she went on up to Robin's and brought some gas down to us.
They had a nice big tree and presents all around for everyone. We all took our presents up there. The kids put on a program, it was cute. The grass was green it was nice and warm. Mike and his 2 children also were there…Carrie, graduated last year, and Gary, about 12, I think.
I went to a Christmas Party with Cindy in Joyce's Ward, Penn Valley. Next day Joyce and I went up to Cathie's had a nice dinner and came back same day. Two day's later we went up to Salem, OR to Brenda's, her Kimberly came over with her husband and baby. So we took pictures of all, as I was a Great, Great Grandma to the baby. My 1st gggrandchild. It was rainy and cold. We stayed over night, the trip was just beautiful, beautiful country. I left 3rd Jan. Joyce took me back to Sacramento, but we rode around a long time and I was tired. Then I got into Salt Lake, no one to meet me. My home teacher was supposed to meet me, but he thought the plane was late, so ½ hour later he came and when I got home all my lights were on and a motor home was parked outside…It was Morris, Arthella, Milt, and Arla. I was glad to see them, but I was so tired…Well, guess this is the end of a perfect Christmas for 1989.