Life Story of Karl Ware Logan
LIFE STORY OF KARL WARE LOGAN
I was born in Teton City, Idaho on 11 September 1917 to Robert Baird Logan and Rachel Henrietta Ware. I was the 13th child of 14 children. Children of Robert Baird Logan & Rachel Henrietta Ware: Samuel Logan Caroline Annetta Logan Frank Jay Logan Douglas Baird Logan James Russell Logan Henrietta Logan Bruce Logan Della C. Logan Nephi Ray Logan Agnes Jane Logan Melva Logan Son Logan (stillborn) Karl Ware Logan Clyde Neils Logan I was blessed by Jacob Johnston, on 4 November 1917 at Teton Ward Chapel. The house where I was born is still standing. It is a little white wood-frame house behind the church house, two blocks from the stores and one block from the schoolhouse. My brothers and sisters attended a school across the back fence and sometimes my brothers would wait until the 5 minute bell rang and then run and jump the fence and dash into school. Before coming to Idaho, my dad was a Dray-Man. He drove a team of horses and wagon and hauled freight. He would haul freight to other places and then haul other materials back where they wanted them. He had 2 large wagons and 8 head of horses pulling the wagons, and 8 head of horses behind. Each day he traded horses to pull the wagons loaded with freight from Utah to Canada. My brothers told me that one time he sent word that he couldn’t get his wagons through the snow. My brothers took 2 Page 2. sleighs to where he was and put them under the wagons, took off the wheels and let the wagons down on the sleighs to where he was and put them under the wagons, took off the wheels and let the wagons down on the sleighs and brought him home. When my father lived in Orangeville, Utah he owned the Grocery store, Post Office, and Clothing store. He put his relatives to manage them and they didn’t do a good job, losing almost everything. He left everything to the relatives to run and moved his family to Idaho. Mother said they had 2 train-loads of horses and machinery to bring into Idaho and it took 2 Engines each to pull them over Soldier’s Summit. When I was 2½ years old we moved in March 1920 to East Wilford, Idaho on a ranch my father bought by trading the home and mortgaging the farm. The farm was 160 acres, irrigated, with a large 2 story house white with yellow trim. There was large barn with a loft for hay and a place for several horses on one side and a place for several cows on the other side. There were several sheds for machinery, sheds for calves and a large pig yard with sheds so they could get out of the rain. A 3 foot wide irrigation ditch with a foot bridge, with large shade trees ran along each side of the ditch. The front yard was large and there grew Lilac Bushes on each side of a path to the front gate, where the mailbox was. We had room behind the house for a wood-yard where we cut wood for the wood and coal stove that heated the house. We had bees in the back of the house where mother collected honey. We had a large garden space to raise corn, beans, peas, tomatoes, and current bushes. Mother taught us how to pull weeds and not the plants. I was about 5 years old and Clyde 3 years old when mother went to town with Dad. They got each of us a small wheelbarrow for Christmas. My job was to bring the wood ships from the chopping block in the woodpile so they could start the wood & coal fires with them. The small wheelbarrows made little tracks Page 3. in the snow as we went to do the job given us. We thought it was fun. If we didn’t do our job, they told us that they depended on us for fire starters. My father read to us and played with us. We liked it when he took us to bed. He would put Clyde on one shoulder and me on the other and pack us upstairs to bed singing “Buffalo Gals Are You Coming Out Tonight? Dad and my brothers were hard workers. There were the cows to milk and take care of the other animals before going to other work. Dad got sick in February 1923. He was taken to the hospital in Idaho Falls, where he was operated on for Gaul-Stones. The operation was a success and he was about to come home when he got Pneumonia. He died 28 February, 1923. I was 5 years old and Clyde was 3 when dad died. They brought him home in a casket. After the funeral, when they took him to the cemetery, the snow was so deep the horses couldn’t pull the sleigh any further. The men had to pack the casket the last ½ mile. They had a short service. My sister Henrietta stayed at home with us while they went to the cemetery. I remember the snow was piled high over the front porch. The snow was banked on the south side of the house. Henrietta let us take our sleighs up to our bedroom and ride down nearly to the road. Then we had to go on the road to our gate where the horses pulled the sleigh into our yard by the barn-then come across the footbridge to the kitchen door and back upstairs to ride again. We liked the ride down but it took a lot of walking to get back into the house. We only did it about 2 times before we got tired walking in the snow. I started school in September, 1923. I had just turned 6 years old. We lived 1½ miles around the road from the school. My older brother Douglas would take us to school in a buggy pulled by one of our team of horses. In the winter he took us by sleigh. Page 4. Sometimes we walked across the fields and down the railroad tracks to school. It was a mile as we walked it. We went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. Our teacher was Eunice Young Goulding. All grades from one to eight met in the same room. She would call each class to the front to give our lesson, then we would study while she gave another class lessons. That winter the snow was deep and frozen and a blizzard came up. The teacher wouldn’t let any of us go home until the family came for us. My brother Douglas could not get the horses and sleigh threw the drifts to come after us so he came after us on foot. Douglas took hold of my hand, then my Melva took hold of my other hand, and Agnes took hold of Melva’s hand, Nephi took hold of Agnes, Della took hold of Nephi and we walked through the fields to our home. We couldn’t see, but Douglas knew the way. We walked over fences, and ditches, and railroad tracks and got home safe. The next morning was clear and the world was covered over with a white blanket of snow. All you could see was the tops of the telephone poles. The school year of 1924 was much like last year, with much deep snow, so deep that we could walk across the fields to school. Brother Johnson brought some children from his area in a light sleigh. As he drove down the road to the schoolhouse we would jump on the sleigh and ride the last ½ mile to school. When I jumped on, I slipped and fell. The back sleigh runner ran over my legs and broke my right leg in the thigh. I was taken home. Douglas went to town and got Dr. West. He came and set my leg and put me in a cast with splints on my right side, under my arm to the end of my leg and taped it with 3 in. tape. He put 4 flatirons hanging over the end of the bed to keep my leg straight and so it wouldn’t be shorter than the other leg. I laid that way for 6 weeks and couldn’t go back to school that year. We had to go about four or five miles to church, at Wilford Ward. Sunday School was at 10:00 a.. and Sacrament meeting at 7:00 p.m. We went in the buggy and took hay for the horses to eat Page 5. while we were in meeting. In the winter we went to church in a sleigh. I was baptized by immersion, 4 July 1926 by Herbert Abegglen on a Sunday afternoon. I was baptized in the cannel that ran by the church. Blanche’s Aunt, Annie Burrell, lived across the road from the church and we went there to change from our wet clothes. We stayed there the afternoon and I was confirmed in Sacrament meeting. I was confirmed by Charles C Murri. September 1926 we moved to St. Anthony Idaho, and lived on the South side of the Snake River. We went to church in the 2nd Ward which met in the basement of the Yellowstone Stake Building. The church was about 6 blocks from our home. I went to school at Lincoln school- a little red brick schoolhouse. Five grades were held there. The rest of the school grades were across the river in the northern side of town. Our first Christmas in St.Anthony: we lived on the road called the High Way. Mother said we would not have much for Christmas that year. Mother was working in the Seed house directing other women to sort the pea seeds, brought in from the farms. They had to get the culls and other materials out before they were bagged and shipped to market. Mother had a pair of “Dress Shoes”, her sister and her took turns wearing them to church. 2 weeks before Christmas a large box came (2 ½ ft by 3 ft.). Mother told us that was our Christmas, Don’t Open It”! One of my sisters had sent a box full of clothes her boys had outgrown. The next year after we got the Christmas Box, mother fell and got “Proud Flesh” in her knee and leg and had to put wet pads on her leg. A couple from Idaho falls brought colored rags and paid mother to braid an oval rug 9×12. We put a pan with water on a chair near mother. We would put the rags we had torn and sewed for lengths of different colors, on the other side of her and she would braid 13 strands together Page 6. (3in. widths) while we were at school. We would come home for lunch and get lunch for her and ourselves and put more rags by her. When we came home at night, after supper, we would sew together the long braided strips that she had braided that day, into the oval rug . That was how we made our living that year. When the rug was finished it was beautiful. The couple paid mother extra, when they came for it, because it was so beautiful. Later we bought a house a few blocks down the street from where we first rented. It didn’t have water in the house. To get water to the house, we had to dig a trench 6 feet deep, to put a 2 inch pipe in. We had to dig this trench about 150 feet to get water to the house. The ground was hard and full of rocks. It was very hard digging. We got the water on our yard that year with a faucet outside the house. The second year we got the water inside the house—a pipe up the wall of the kitchen with a faucet. There was a washstand with a washbowl, and a bucket under the faucet. When needed we had to take the water out to the yard in the bucket and put it on the flowers I was ordained a Deacon, 8th December 1929, by Fred H. Mason. Fred H. Mason was ordained by his father James H. Mason. I was ordained when I was 12 yrs. old, in the St. Anthony 2nd Ward, Yellowstone Stake. I was a counselor to Winn Rock in the deacons quorum. I was set apart by Nephi Martineau, 5 April 1931. Winn Rock moved away. I was released and set apart as first Counselor to Willard White in the Deacons Quorum by Fred H. Mason, February 7, 1932. I graduated from Primary 16 September 1930 when I was thirteen years of age. I went an extra year to Primary because I liked my teacher. I joined the Boy Scouts. Earl Bagely was our Scout Master. Our scout troop was going to Scout Camp. Mother said Clyde and I could go if we could earn the money it took. My older brother, Nephi was working for Mr. George Buster. Nephi asked him if we could cut potatoes for him to earn the money to go to Scout Page 7. Camp. He said we could. Mr. Buster came down for us on Sunday. We started to work Monday Morning. We had to get the horses in from the pasture and feed them then cut “seed potatoes” all day, take the horses back to pasture that night. We worked four days and received .50 cents a day. We got enough money to buy our uniforms and equipment to go to camp. We left home at 2 o’clock 17 July 1932. That night we put up our flag, made camp, had dinner, sang songs, then to bed. The next day we went to “Old Baldy”, after dinner we played skinny. Our Scoutmasters were Woodson West and John Christenson. John too us to the “Cliffs. When we got half way up a bee stung me in the eye. We called the cliffs, the twelve apostles because there were 12 of them, then down to the falls. On the 19 July 1932 was Fathers and Sons day. The boys’ fathers came to Scout Camp. We all went to “Table Rock”. It looked like a large table with little rocks around it. There was a monument on top made of rocks, on the other side was snow and we slid down on it to some rocks. We found rocks that looked like Izinglass. We took pictures of the Grand Teton Peaks. President George Albert Smith visited our camp and talked to us. He was a very good Scouter. The next day it rained and we came home. The boys that went from 2nd Ward were: Karl W. Logan, Fred F. Mason, Clyde N. Logan, Willard White, Eugene Packer, Wallace Thomas, Wayne Birch, Gumond Erickson, Kenny Kremmon, Blaine Murri. The next week we practiced putting up signaling towers. Our Ward put it up in two min. 28 July 1932, our scout troop went to Idaho Falls to the Jamboree. C. Ben Ross was the speaker. I was released from being first counselor to Willard White in the Deacon’s Qorum. I was ordained a teacher 6 November 1932 by Fred H. Mason, November 6 1932. I graduated from 3yrs. Of Junior Seminary 7 May 1933. I was ordained a Priest on 7 April 1935 by Edwin Kermain. On Nov. 2nd 1935, Blaine Welker and I were called to Administer Page 8. the Sacrament. That was my first experience. The first one I ordained was Claude Adams, a Priest, on Feb. 6 1937. I baptized Carol Westerburg, Norma Goulding, Claton C Smith, Gale Levar Datton, DeeLos Glen Huntsman, Darwin Neiburg, Wanda Osburn. On Feb 7, I ordained Marvin Jones and Guy Erickson, Priests. I was Assistant Secretary of the St. Anthony 2nd Ward Sunday School. We kept the Sunday School books and teachers materials in a closet in the back hall. I sat near the back door and counted the people that came in late to Sunday School, and kept records with the Sunday School Secretary. I was ordained an Elder by E. Glen Cameron, 28 March 1927. Later I was Secretary to the Elders Quorum. Some summers, we would go out to work on the farm. My brother, Douglas was foreman on a ranch in New Dale owned by Ward Baker. He put us to work. We helped with the horses, and cut hay. Ward Baker had me cut hay on a large field. It took a long time to go around the field. I cut until noon. They would bring me a fresh set of horses and my lunch. One day the sun was not very hot and the evening was light, so I kept going. About 9:00 o’clock, Ward Baker came in the car and said: “If I had known you would work all night I would have gotten you a tractor. After the hay was cut in the fields, we hauled it on slips, which is like a wagon, except no wheels. Boards were nailed together about 6ft. by 8ft. The horses would pull them across the stubble. We didn’t leave ruts like the wagons. We had a rope under the hay and a loop at each end. When we would get to the haystack, there was a large derrick with a cable and 2 hooks. We would put one hook in the loop on one end and the other loop on the other end. The other end of the cable was hooked to the horses Page 9. and they would pull the hay up high, building large haystacks. The man on the haystack would trip it and put the next load where he wanted it. We did whatever was needed on the farm—planting, cutting, stacking hay, watering. We worked all summer to get school clothes and books for school, for the first week of September. I went to Jr. High School and High School across the river, through town, past the Library about 2 blocks. There was an old building on one side of the street, where Jr. High classes and some High School classes were held. The new building was across the street. We had English in the old building. I had a hard time with English. Blanche helped me understand English better. I did good in Math and Geography. I always took Shop Classes. I did very good. When the teacher was away on Agriculture trips, I was in charge of the shop. There was one boy that gave out tools from the tool crib. He would put grease on the handles of tools; or tighten the wrench so tight it couldn’t be used. One day 2 boys came to me and said could you take the papers up to the office a little early. We will fix him. I said don’t hurt him. They said it won’t hurt him but it will sure cure him, we hope. When I came back after lunch, they had put his thumb nails in a metal vice and tightened it so tight he had to stand all the time. He was crying. I said: “ What did you do?” He said: ” not anything”. I said, “ You must have”. He was always doing something. I said, “ I think you should be there the rest of the day, but I said, “ Will you be a good boy from now.!” and he said yes, so I released him. And he was good from then on, no more tricks. I enjoyed Shop Class very much. I put in for assistant Janitor and was put to work cleaning the High School, along with three other people. We all started cleaning at the first floor, where our shop was, and cleaned each floor. When we got to the fourth floor cleaned and our work finished, we would take our brooms, mops, and buckets and ride the banisters down. During football season, we would leave one Page 10. half of the basement floor until last to clean so the football players could shower. That way they would have their shower and be gone so we could finish cleaning, and putting away our cleaning supplies. In the winter, when it got really cold, we would take turns staying all night to keep the furnace filled with coal and at a warm temperature so things in the building would not freeze. I didn’t pass English and had to take another year—with that and a broken leg, which I had in 1924, I was 1 year behind what I should have been. Blanche and I graduated the same year. On Friday and Saturday nights and some times during the week I worked at the “Show House”(Theater). I would pick up papers and trash from the floors and under the seats and vacuum the carpets. Sometimes I came early and went up to the projection room and the man would tell me how to work them. One time, I went up and the man and the owner of the theater were so drunk he couldn’t change the film. So I put on a comic film on one and changed the reel on the other. I stayed till the film was done, put things away and cleaned up—left them and went home. There was another theater in town. I only cleaned there when they needed me after the show was done. I could go to the movies, free, any change of shows. One time I was at the Bair Family home and asked Amy Bair to go to the show. We walked the mile and one half from their farm to the show. After the show, Mr. Bair was waiting and drove me home and then they went home. Amy was sure upset because he wouldn’t let me walk her home. When I was 17 years old, I borrowed $15.00 from Aunt Ester Larson and bought a 1929 used, Model A Ford Convertible. It was black with red wheels. I paid Aunt Ester back with $5.00 a month. We went to dances, to school, and to many other places. Page 11. I never drove on Sunday, but walked to church. One time mother told me that Clyde was driving her to see Frank one Sunday afternoon. I told her if they drove it on Sunday, it would come back broke. About 4:30 p.m. Neldon Carlson, My Brother-in-Law, came towing it back. We pushed it into the garage. The next week I took it apart. The Spider Gears in the rear axel was broken. It took me about one month to take it apart, after school, find and buy the parts to put it together again. It ran fine, but I always had to buy tires and gas. But we enjoyed that little Ford. We would go to school dances and shows and sometimes just drive around. I used to go home with Blaine Welker to help him milk his cows before we went on a date. I met his sister, Blanche. On night when I didn’t have a date I asked her to go to a dance with me. We went together and had a good time. We continued dating. One time we went to warm River Summer Resort to a dance. It was about 15 or 20 miles from St. Anthony. When we were coming home, the right rear tire came off the rim and went past us into the river. We kept going and we could be heard for miles. The wheel was sure flat. I had to get another wheel. Sometimes we went to Teton City, Idaho to dances. Blanche and I were dancing, we made a long slide where the floor was slick—fell down, but got up laughing and went on dancing. We went together to school dances, proms, dinners at the church, church dances, shows etc. I enjoyed being with her very much. One summer I was working on a farm with the thrashing crew. I worked on the thrashing machine, taking care of the machine and sewing sacks after they filled with grain. We worked all week. I left at 6:00 o’clock when we stopped for the day. We had to work Sunday to finish the field. I drove home and we went to a dance at Warm River Dance Hall. After the dance, I took Blanche home, changed clothes, drove to New Dale and got there for breakfast Page 12. and worked all day. I sure slept Sunday night. When one works Sunday the week seems very long. Blanche was working for Leonard and Winnie Jenkins. One night when we came home from a dance, we sat in the car talking. I told her I was going to change her name. She said O.K., but I am going to finish high school and I will only be married in a temple. We became engaged. That was 3 June, 1937. The next day I went across our back fence, across the road to Bishop Neilson’s home and asked him what I needed to do to go to the temple. He said bring your lady and have an interview. Blanche has always been a lovely Lady and I am happy she accepted me all these years. I love her dearly. We decided to go to Salt Lake City Temple to be married. My Aunt Clara lived there. She made arrangements with her landlord to rent us a room for 3 days. I needed money to go to the temple, so I sold my last cow to Clyde to get money so we could go. I had a 30 Cheverlet 4 door sedan. We left St. Anthony, early the 22 June 1938, and drove to Salt Lake. We went to the Court House to get our marriage license. At the Court House, as we walked in and looked around, wondering where to go, the people who worked there must have read it in our faces that we were after a marriage license, because they pointed and guided us to the right spot. Blanche stayed with Aunt Clara and mother that night, while I slept in the rented room. We went to the temple at 6:00 a.m. and were there all day. In the evening Blanche and I went for a walk down State Street looking at the stores and walked back up Main Street. When we arrived back at Aunt Clara’s, Mother was worried about our getting lost. We told her we were married now and Adults!! The next day we started for St. Anthony and arrived that evening. Blanche was living with her Grandfather before we were married. He asked us to come live with him until we could do better. He Page 13. was very good to us. We lived in 2 small bedrooms and shared the kitchen. My brother Frank’s wife was sick, and in the hospital. Mother asked us to go out to his farm and help him. When we needed money for gas to go to St. Anthony, or Blanche needed hose, I would ask for some money and he would give us $1.00. Mother complained about us asking for money. After awhile we just had to leave to make our own way. We had to have money to live on. I got a job with, a farmer cutting hay. He paid me in hay. I couldn’t sell the hay (every farmer grew his own). I traded hay for oats and sold the oats. It was a very hard year. I went to the State Employment office. There was a job—husband and wife to work on a ranch in Sand Creek. The owner would go south to spend the winter and we were to take care of the farm. I was hired to do the farm work. Blanche was not hired. She was to cook, etc. for me. I was to plow the ground, milk the cows, feed and take care of the sheep until next summer. The wife and co-owner of the farm thought Blanche should be her maid and criticized everything she did. I was to plow and take care of the animals. When I went to plow, I had to fix the harnesses and equipment every day before starting work. We would come to town and go to Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting in our old Ward, then drive back through the Sand Hills to the farm. At night the rabbits would run in front of the car in the headlights. Sometimes they wouldn’t get out of the road-ruts and we would hear them smash under the wheels. At the ranch, every night, there was a chorus of coyotes howling. There was a pet white lamb we had to be sure was in the shed every night or they would eat him. The owner was suppose to leave two weeks after we came. But Page 14. they stayed on and on. Each day the lady would think of something else she demanded that Blanche would do for her. She yelled and cursed and expected Blanche to pick up after her and she talked really rough. Blanche had enough and she came out to the field. We decided to leave. I put the plow in the yard, unharnessed the horses, put them in the barnyard , packed up and left to go back to St.Anthony. I signed up for the W.P.A. and was sent to cut willows on the ditch-banks, clearing the ditches so the water could get through. The next day about 9:30 a.m., the foreman of the job said I was called to go to the office. I went to Ashcraft’s office and a man in white clothes and a cook’s hat was there talking. I was told to wait. They talked for about an hour. I asked what was needed. They said just to wait (another hour). A young man came in and told us that we were to cook lunches for the High School. The man in white was a cook. The food that we would use came from the W.P.A. We cooked great soup. We got the meat stock by going to the butcher shop and getting the bones that they had cut most of the meat off. We put the bones in the kettle with water and boiled. After it had boiled a long time, we would cut up potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables and mad a thick soup. It smelled so good, by lunch all the High School wanted soup. One day we were given five gallons of raisins. The man said he didn’t like raisins in soup. He went up to the Home Eck. Teacher and asked what hour the kitchen would not be used. It was from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. We made 15 raisin pies and baked them just before the 11:15 class. The next day the teacher had him come to class and teach the girls how to make flaky piecrust like he did. As they were making their crust he would come by and put a large scoop of lard in their dough and told each one you are too Short on the lard, that is what makes the crust flaky. We worked We worked all the school year for the High School Lunch. Page 15. Grandpa Morgan insisted on doing all the cooking. Every morning he cooked hot-cakes in grease. Soon Blanche could not stand the smell. She was pregnant and had “Morning Sickness’. We had to find another place to live. There was an old garage on Mother’s lot. I moved it over to the side lot. I went to Hansen’s Mortuary and he gave me the cardboard boxes that the caskets came in. I nailed the cardboard all over the inside and ceiling. We bought a wood-burning Monarch kitchen stove for $5.00. I got an old bed and painted it. I made a table. I got an old cupboard and painted it white with red trim. We had a home of our own. Some special friends were Read and Lela Hardy. We visited back and forth, as newlyweds we had some good times together. I worked at the school until April or May. I went to work for Leonard Jenkins. We would cut and put up his hay and he would have me go help others put up their hay and then they would help us. The Jenkins had a small store out by the Highway. Winnie Jenkins and her husband spent most of their time at the store. One time I was helping a neighbor up the road. The man asked us to work late so we could finish his hay and go to another neighbor the next day. I told Mr. Jenkins that I would work late if his three boys would milk the 17 cows. I worked late. About 9:00 p.m. I came down the highway with the horses on a fast trot. The wagon had steel wheels and I sure made a lot of noise coming home. I unhooked the horses, unharnessed them, fed them and then went to bed. The next morning about 4:00 a.m. I could hear the cows. I went out to feed them and started milking. The poor cows had not been milked the night before. I filled all the milk cans and buckets. The cows were sure hurting. It took 2 weeks to get them back on a normal schedule. Page 16. Read and Lela Hardy worked on a dry-farm in Newdale. We went up to visit them. Both Lela and Blanche were pregnant. We thought if we took a drive over the bumpy fields and roads that it would speed up their labor. On a very rough road we had a flat tire. We started to change the tire. The rim was a split rim. I took the jack and put it under the rim to force the two parts together. The rim bent out of shape so we had to put on the spare to limp home. It didn’t help bring on labor. But we nearly died laughing all the way. There was an old mother pig that had 13 little pigs. It was a very cold, rainy night they were born. I went out to put new straw in her pen. She had rolled over some of the little pigs and had eaten on others. We had 7 live ones left. I took them and put straw in a box and put them behind the stove. We fed them with a baby bottle. When I told Mr. Jenkins about them, he said she is a good mother put them back with her. Later that day I checked and only one little pig was alive. I took it and put it back in the box and fed it. As it got bigger it would follow me all over, even going out to water the crops. When we left Mr. Jenkins gave us the pig. Another neighbor had pigs he was feeding to fatten for market. We put this pig in with his pigs. He came over and said he could not keep the pig, it would only eat bran and milk. Bishop Westerberg, a grocery store owner, bought the pig, butchered it. His family said it was the best pork they had ever eaten. We were living at Twin Groves, working for Jenkins, when our first son Lynn Welker Logan was born. Blanche and her sister, Dorothy went to town (St. Anthony) to see the doctor. The doctor told her the baby could be born today. She went to Aunt Dorothy Smith’s, who would take care of her and the baby. Blanche’s sister, Dorothy and her cousin, Dorothy started back to Twin Groves to get me. On the way out of St. Anthony, Dorothy didn’t make the curve and rolled the car into the bar pit. She came and got me. We tipped the car onto its wheels. The windshield was Page 17. broken, but we were glad the girls were not hurt. Lynn was born that evening—20 July 1940. After we finished working for Jenkins, I worked for some farmers in New Dale, Idaho. We were cutting grain and getting ready for thrashing. A forest fire started in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. When the fire was really bad, they came into town and took all the men that were able to fight fire, put them into trucks and we went to fight fire. I was assigned as “Water Boy” to pack canvas water bags full of water to the fire fighters. My brother, Douglas was in charge of a crew. They were upon a ridge when the fire came up and started along the ridge, because the wind had changed. He told his crew to work around the ridge away from the fire, but 3 black men ran down the other side instead of around the top of the ridge. The fire had come in the valley around the other side and they were burned. The rest of the crew got to safety. We finally got the fire under control and went back home. That fall I was working digging potatoes. I worked with the group digging and putting the potatoes in sacks(half full), then putting them on the truck in the field and unloading them in the potatoe pit. We finished unloading a load and as I was getting into the truck, the driver hit the clutch and the truck rolled forward. My leg was caught between the truck bed and the loading platform. That was about 10:00a.m. We worked until lunchtime. We all sat and ate lunch. When I tried to stand up I couldn’t stand. They started my car for me and I pulled the gas feed out on the dash and drove over the country roads to St. Anthony and parked in front of Grandfather Morgan’s place. Blanche came out and I told her what had happened. She got Tom Brown, next door neighbor, to take me to Dr. Soule. He put an elastic bandage around my knee. He said I would always have a stiff knee. While I was letting my knee heal, mother got a letter from my brother, Jim in California saying there was plenty of work in Page 18. California and we might consider moving there. We decided that would be a good move for us. Our families were not too pleased with us. They thought we were going to the end of the earth. We bought another used car, loaded it, put Lynn in a bassinet, and with Blanche’s sister, Dorothy headed for California. We were making good time and as we came to a hill just before the town of Sipio, Utah, a rod went through the engine. We decided to coast into Sipio. We coasted to a garage. We could not afford to have the car repaired, even if the garage could do it. There was an eating place and an office for Greyhound Bus near the garage. I asked the clerk how much the tickets would cost for us to go to California. We didn’t have enough money. We went to the car to decide what to do. We had prayer and were discussing what to do. A young man who had been at the eating place came over to the car and said he would take us to California. He had been working in Montana and was going home. He had picked up an elderly tramp lady along the road and did not want to keep traveling with her. We loaded our suitcases in his car. We asked the garage men if we could store the things we couldn’t take at his garage and we would send for them later. When we got to California, I wrote a letter to the garage where I bought the car and told them where it was and what happened, and they could pick up their car. The young man took us to Jim’s place in Chula Vista. We got here on a Saturday in October and it was my mother’s birthday. Jim woke us the next morning to go to church. Priesthood meeting was at 9:00 a.m. We met in a little old bakery building at 24th and Highland Ave. in National City, Calif. The Sunday School Superintendent asked Blanche to let Thursey tend our baby and take the Kindergarten Class. When the opening exercises were over, he handed me some books and said your class is downstairs. They were 17 and 18 year olds. What a challenge for a man who had never taught. This was a small branch and everyone had to help. They were all pretty good kids and we got Page 19. along well. We were studying the life of Christ. I found a book of the “Life of Christ for the Young” and used it to help teach from. Richard Quick, one of the students, was larger than the others. He was very out spoken, and he would start disturbances continually. I finally learned he had a photographic memory. When he would start something, I would give him the lesson. I would say, “Dick you have 5 minutes to look over the lesson and give it”. He gave the lesson and got order because he was bigger than the others. The class was held in an unfinished small basement. Boards, set on the dirt, were the floor. The youth all turned out very good and most of them stayed in the church. The Church in our Area was still in the Mission. George Quick was the Branch President of the National City Branch. Lynn Willardson and Allen Greenig were his Counselors. In 1941 the San Diego Stake was organized, and National City Ward with George S. Wright as Bishop. During the war, we built a chapel at 21st and Highland Ave in National City. Materials were scarce and hard to get. The National City building was dedicated 16 April 1944 with George S. Wright, Bishop, C. Lynn Willardson 1st Counselor- Sidney K. Fullmer 2nd Counselor- James R. Logan Clerk. H. Louis Bodner was the Architect and John R. Orvin the Contractor. The building was dedicated by Oscar A. Kirkham. Vincent Willardson was Bishop from 1946 to 1951 with Oliver Sorenson as 1st Counselor and LeGrand Rane as 2nd Counselor. We made trips as Ward and Stake to the temple in Mesa Arizona, two times each year. We would drive most of Friday night, we would attend two sessions in the temple on Saturday and then travel back to Chula Vista. It took about 12 or 13 hours each way. Page 20. Monday morning, Jim said he had to go to La Jolla to make measurements and I could go with him and see the ocean. We went to the store where he was working for Broadway Carpet and Linoleum. When we got there they asked if I had ever cut carpet. I told them I had helped my brother, Ray when I was in High School. So for the next 2 weeks I cut carpets to sizes in their warehouse. Jim took me with him to measure new houses in San Diego near North Park. The building foreman asked if I knew anything about building. I told him I was brought up on a farm and when we needed anything built, we built it. He said “Good anyone raised on a farm can do most jobs,” so he told me to come to work the next day. He said to go to Montgomery Ward’s Store and buy a hammer and a Disston Saw and each payday he would tell me what tools to buy. The Contractor was Mr. Robert West. I went to work the 4th week of October. About the 3rd week in November the rains started. It rained almost every day. The days it rained we couldn’t work. We worked some days each week, but I needed steady work. Jim knew Robert Judd, Manager of Montgomery Store, in San Diego. I went over to see him. He hired me. I started the 1st part of December. I was assigned to check the delivery trucks and check each cash register before people started the day and at the end of the day. When customers bought materials to be delivered, I was to box them and get them on the delivery trucks. Or if they were to be mailed take them to the Post Office and mail them to the address on the package. It was a good job, not to much money, I think $20.00 per week. My work place was on the 4th floor. When Clothes would come in, the ladies would unpack the dresses and put them on racks—a large area for dresses. When I saw a dress I thought Blanche would like, I put it on hold and at Christmas time I had 6 dresses on hold. They needed more room and I had to take them home. Blanche and her sister , Dorothy, were pregnant, and they tried to put those dresses on, they didn’t fit. They were put out with me for bringing them home. Page 21. If the warehouse didn’t have certain pieces of furniture, or mattresses, and we had one I had to check it out to the warehouse truck. In February I had the flue and was off work all week. I went to my brother Jim’s store and talked to him. He said to take his car and go to Rohr Aircraft and ask to see Jimmy Hobel. I went to his office and he interviewed me. He asked what I had been doing. I told him I had been working at Wards. He sent me to Shipping and receiving to see the foreman, Harold Long. He took me on a tour of the plant. We stopped at the First Aid Room. He told the Doctor to check me. I told him I was getting over the flue. He wanted me to come to work the next day. I needed to quit my other job first. He gave the button for my shirt and the papers to come to work on Monday morning. I went to Montgomery Ward on Thursday morning and told my supervisor that Saturday would be my last day. They tried to change my mind but I left Saturday evening. They were glad I had let them know. I started to work at Rohr Aircraft at $22.00 per week and Saturdays extra. I was shipping & Receiving Clerk. I was to check all box-cars the train left at Rohr. I had to see, when I opened them that the materials were in good shape. Sometimes the large aluminum sheets were damaged and we would have to have the railroad Inspector come to inspect them before we could unload the things not damaged. We had two large buildings where we stored material at Rohr. Later they had 2 buildings in Chula Vista where we store the large coils of rope for the Drop Hammer Dept. We had rope that we checked out to the truck drivers to hold the engines and boxes on the trucks. Each week they would come for new rope. Mr. Houser, the man over the truckers, complained about issuing so much rope. I went with him to the truck drivers. They said the cut the rope when they got to the delivery place. I Page 22. asked how they tied the rope. I asked them why they didn’t use a truckers knot. They didn’t know what it was, so Mr. Houser called all the truckers together for me to explain what a truckers knot was. After pulling the rope tight, they were to put a double overhand knot and pull it tight then when they go to untie them, all they had to do was to pull the knot the other way and it would release. That way they could use rope for 2 or 3 months. Mr. Houser told them not to cut any more rope to release their loads. We would get train car loads of oil tanks for the plane engines, we were building. We got so many there was not room in the warehouse to store them. Harold long said we could store them outside the building. We made a stack about 12 ft. wide and 16 ft. long. Each night we would cover them with tarps. The stack got so tall that it was up to the square of the building. We covered them with the tarps with weights tied to the tarps to hold the tarps on. I had just tied the cover on the tanks, and come into the office with the papers on the tanks, I said they all check. Harold Long said I want you to meet Mr. Fred Rohr (he was the president of the company. He said we had done a good job finding places for all those tanks. We had a truck driver from a trucking firm in San Diego that was so good at backing that he could put a double trailer in the warehouse and never take much time doing it like the other drivers would. Most truckers spent a lot of time but Old Bill, could save a lot of time. I had registered with the Draft Board in St. Anthony, Idaho before World War 2. Because I was working at Rohr’s Aircraft, I was deferred several times. Harold and Steve were born while I worked at Rohr. But I had received notice that I would be called up in the next call, but the Japanese surrendered and the draft was over. Page 23. During the war we had ration stamps for each family. We got stamps for most all things- sugar stamps, coffee stamps, gasoline stamps, etc. We traded coffee stamps with people at work for sugar stamps. We had Belva, Blanche’s sister, living with us. She seemed to wear out shoes faster than anyone. So we used most of our shoe stamps for her shoes. Gas and tires were rationed but we managed to get what we needed. I bought a bike to ride to work at Rohr’s. It had a large wheel on the back and a smaller wheel on the front and above the wheel attached to the frame was a large basket to put things in. It was easy going to work but it took a lot of work coming back up the hills to home. It was a good “Heavy Duty Bike”. Years later when Lynn had a paper route, he used it to deliver his papers. Rohr had a new office building, bomb-proof, no windows, built to stand all problems. My group helped put the desks and office supplies in the building. They were to work on Sunday. I said, “I don’t work on Sunday but they could ask my men if they would work on Sunday. I got ready for church. Mr. Fred Rohr came and asked me to go down with him to see if all was organized. I went with him and when we stopped at the plant, I asked Mr. Davis, one of the men to tell Mr. Rohr what they would be doing. He told Mr. Rohr that they had 3 trucks and Davis was at the plant in charge of unloading and placing the furniture in the assigned offices. Mr. Willis was at the warehouse in Chula Vista to see that the furniture and things listed for each office was put on the same truck. We had 3 trucks and men to help on each one. Mr. Davis said all was going as we had planned it. I asked Mr. Rohr if he had any questions. He said we had it organized and was doing well. Mr. Rohr took me home so I could go to church with my family. I had a very good group of men and they were hard workers. Each one had his own business, or farmed before the war. Page 24. When the war had ended, in 1945, Rohr was cutting down on workers. About the 1st of August, I asked Mr. Hobel let me take my vacation early. Friday night my final check was my vacation pay. We got ready and drove to Idaho to see mother and Blanche’s Aunt Dorothy Smith. While in Idaho we went to Yellowstone national Park, and saw Old Faithful. One of the interesting things, for our boys, was watching the cows being milked. When we went to Douglas milk, he also separated his milk in a machine to separate the cream from the milk. When we went to Franks, he put the milk in large pans in the pantry. Lynn asked Uncle Frank why he didn’t wind his milk like Uncle Doug. We enjoyed our trip, but when we got back, I didn’t have a job. I talked with Jim, and he suggested that I come to work with him. I worked at his store, Logan’s Paint & Linoleum. I did the outside measuring of shades, linoleum, carpet, sold paint, and installed shades, venetian blinds, and carpet. We helped build churches in National City, La Mesa, Ocean Beach and at the Lincoln & Hamilton building in San Diego and the Spring Valley Stake Center. Also the Bonita Building, the National City 2nd Ward building, Chula Vista Building at Corte Maria. Chula Vista Branch was divided off from the National City Ward. We met in the Legion Hall each Sunday. We had to go at 5:00 a.m. and clean up from their parties the night before. We started a building at Corte Maria in Chula Vista. We started holding our meetings at that location as soon as the cultural hall was nearly finished. The brethren would come to the building after their work. The sisters would bring dinner to feed them so they could work all evening. This building was dedicated in 1957 with Edmond F. Woods as the Bishop. It was dedicated by President Hugh B. Brown. Page 25. I was the teacher of the Scouts in Primary—the Blazers, the Trekkers and the Guide Patrol. I started with the Blazers and taught each class—graduating from one class to the next. One year we took the boys, that could go, and traveled to Mesa, Arizona temple to do baptisms. There were two Callahan boys, Palmer Chase, Mathew Nelson, Jimmy Carrigan, and our two boys, Lynn and Harold. I can’t remember if there were any others. We visited several tourist sights in Arizona. Each boy was to bring food, or money to buy food for the trip. When we loaded up ready to start our trip, the Callahan boys came with a big grocery sack of food, which they had eaten before we stopped for lunch. They were very big eaters. About 1954, we had a chance to go into partnership with Bill Stark, who owned Coronado Paint & Linoleum. He had the store set up and wanted someone to do all the labor connected with the store. He was a Wholesale Man, and was gone 4 days each week. Blanche worked the store. I did the linoleum and carpet measuring and estimating and installed the same. Carol Sue was little. She would stay in the back room. She had her naps in the playpen. After nearly a year, Mr. Stark sold all the material on consignment to someone without telling us he was going to do it. We were left out. I again went to work for Logan Paint & Linoleum. February 12, 1963, my brother Jim died from a massive heart attach. Thursey, Jim’s wife wanted to sell the business, and if we could come up with the money, she asked, we could buy the business. Jim Douglas offered to loan us the money to buy the store. We struggled through thin years and some good years and finally paid off the loan. All of our children helped in the store and with the installing of linoleum and carpet. It was a good small business and by working hard together we made a living. Page 26. I started taking Lynn with me to work. When he was 6 years old he new where the tools were in the car, then he could bring them to me and it helped a lot. As each child was old enough I took them to work (even the girls) and all could lay linoleum and carpet. On temple excursions we would go to Arizona Temple at Mesa, Arizona, two times a year. We would drive most of Friday night, attend two sessions in the temple on Saturday and then drive back to Chula Vista. It would take 12 or 13 hours. I have held many positions in the church. My first calling was librarian when I was a Priest in the St. Anthony 2nd Ward. The Library was a small cupboard in the back hall, with only four shelves to put the teachers manual on. While in St. Anthony 2nd Ward I was ordained to each of the Aaronic Priesthoods and then an Elder. My first calling in California was as Sunday School teacher and I was called from the stand the first Sunday we came to the National City Branch. I was assistant Scoutmaster, then Scoutmaster, 11 year old Scout leader, Genealogy Chairman, Sunday School President, Assistant Ward Clerk on home teaching , and assistant in the Stake home Teaching, In the Stake I was one of the Seventies Presidency. I was ordained a Seventy by Mathew Cowley. I was a Counselor to Lowell Whitehead in the Chula Vista Bishopric. I was ordained a High Priest in December, 1961 by Elder Chritchlow. I was Bishop of the Chula Vista Ward from 1973 to 1977. I was Ordained a Bishop by Mark E. Peterson, of the Quorum of Apostles. I have served in the High Council twice. I have served 5 Stake Missions. I am now serving as the Historian for the Chula Vista First Ward( 2004). While I was Bishop, the benches in the chapel needed to have the upholstery replaced. When I submitted the price it would cost to replace the upholstery, the Building Committee said the cost was too much. They would put in wooden benches without Page 27. being upholstered. I asked them if they would pay for the material, if we would do the labor. They said they would. I would take one large bench down to our store. We refinished the wood, then we would take them back to the chapel and have members work to upholster them. At first the response was good, but finally we ended up doing much of the work ourselves. Blanche would sand, refinish the wood, and I with a few helpers would do the upholstery work. It took a long time to get it all done, but it was very much enjoyed after it was finished. I was called and set apart as ordinance worker in the Los Angeles Temple, January 1978. We worked each Friday night and all day Saturday. We would drive to Los Angeles on Friday. At first we rented a motel for Friday night. Then later we stayed at the Temple Apartments. Except for 3 years to serve missions we served in the Los Angeles temple until May 1993. We were called to serve a full time mission to Nigeria West Africa from October 1983 to October 1984. When we were asked to consider a mission we sold out all we could of the merchandise of the store. We kept our tools and some materials. We gave the shelves and all other things to Desseret Industries—by the truck load. We closed the store in time to go on our mission. We have entered my mission journal in the computer and printed copies. To read our Mission Story refer to that journal. We were home for two years. I began to have feelings that we should serve another mission. When I mentioned it, I found we both had been having the same thoughts. We told the Bishop we were ready to serve other mission. When our papers were ready to be sent in, we went to the Bishop to have him sign them. He said where would you like to go on your mission. I said: “I’ll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord, but please don’t send me back to Africa. We were called in 1986 to the Johanasburg, African Mission, with the call to serve in Zimbabwe Africa. Page 28. We were shocked, we wondered if we had the health and strength to serve again in Africa. But we would GO! Our second Missionary Farewell was held on 18 January, 1987, at the Corte Maria building. We asked our family not to make the effort to attend. It was a special meeting. Many of our fellow temple workers came. Temple President & Sister Rosza came. When I gave my talk, I invited them to come up and speak. This was a surprise to them and everyone, but they gave a wonderful talk. We entered the Missionary Training Center on 4 February, 1987 Again our time at the Missionary Training Center was the greatest experience we have had. .When we had finished our MTC training we had not received permission to get into Zimbabwe, so we were sent to Kentucky to start our mission. We arrived in Kentucky 10 March 1987 and was met at the airport by our first Kentucky Mission President—Ostergar Jr. We were assigned to serve in a small Branch at Brandenburg, Kentucky. We enjoyed this branch very much. We were able to teach an elderly sister the discussions. She didn’t immediately accept baptism but later when we had been transferred and she had been taught again by young Elders, she was baptized. Our mission president gave us permission to go back to Brandenburg Branch for her baptism. Another special sister we taught. Her husband was in the army, serving in Germany. She had a young son. We taught them the discussions. She accepted and was planning her baptism. She had to leave and go to Ohio to care for her mother who was ill. Before she got back, we were transferred. We never knew if she had been baptized for many years. When she got back to Brandenburg, we had left Kentucky for Zimbabwe. One Page 29. Christmas we received a letter telling us of her baptism, and how grateful she was to us for teaching her the Gospel. Her husband was also baptized when he got back home. They were living in Texas and were very active. Missionary Couple usually spent their full mission in one place, but we were transferred to Shelby Kentucky, working with a small branch. One thing we loved about our mission in Kentucky was having zone, and district meetings with Mission President and working with the young Elders. Our second Kentucky Mission President was President & Sister Dale L. Gardner. We loved both our Mission Presidents and their wives dearly. We served about 5 months and had made up our minds that we would probably finish our mission in Kentucky when we were able to go to Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was a very different mission. We were not allowed to go into the country as missionaries. We did not wear our badges, could not give out literature. We helped train the Branch officers, strengthened the Branch member. We helped the native missionaries. If we were asked to visit someone who could speak English we were able to teach them, in their home. We did have some baptisms. We served in an all Black Branch in Bindura; then in a white and black Branch in Bulawayo. We were on a visitors visa, so we were able to visit Victoria Falls and other places of interest. That was a special treat. The young Elders were given permission to go with the Couple Missionaries to visit Victoria Falls. We flew to Victoria Falls. On the way we stopped overnight at Wangee, National Animal reserve, where we stayed at a lovely lodge, and went on a camera Safari. We saw lots of animal and in spite of the hot weather had a wonderful time. At Victoria Falls, we stayed at a lodge( almost like America). We went to programs put on by the natives. We took a cruise down the Zambeeze river. We had a wonderful time. Page 30. We were able to serve 5 months in Zimbabwe and then we were asked to leave the country—all white missionaries. We were told by the Missionary Department that we had served a good part of our mission and that if we desired we could be honorably released. We wanted to finish to finish our mission. One missionary couple and two Elders were sent back to the states to complete their mission. Two missionary couple and four Elders were sent to Ireland to complete our mission. Our Mission President was, President Gull. We were assigned to serve in Belfast, North Ireland. We worked in the Hollywood Road Ward. Our assignment in Ireland was to work with the inactive members. During the bad war years, many of the church members were lost track of. We visited church members to activate them or to find out if they didn’t want anymore to do with the church. We enjoyed our time in Ireland. On our “P” day we went all over the country visiting castles. Some of the castles were still lived in, others were in ruins. All the people were so friendly and helpful. We worked with the members and loved them. It was over 90 degrees in Zimbabwe when we left, and it was 20 below zero when we arrived in Ireland. In Zimbabwe, we had learned to drive on the wrong side of the road, so that was a big help in Ireland. We love the Irish people. They were so friendly and helpful. We enjoyed searching out the inactive people and teaching them. We visited often with one sister, who had been inactive. We taught her the Temple Preparations lessons. She became active and we later learned that she had gone to the temple in England. We settled our affairs in Belfast and went to Dublin to the Mission Office. At our last interview with President Gull, he gave us new temple recommends. They took us to the airport. We flew to London, then to New York, Kennedy Airport. Where we Page 31. checked in customs. We went by bus to LaGuardia airport, to catch our flight to Norfolk, Virginia to visit with Sue & family. On Sunday, we gave talks about our mission in Sacrament Meeting. When we had finished our visit with Sue, She drove us to Baltimore to visit with Steve & Jackie. On the way we stopped at the visitors center in Washington D. C. Temple. After our visit with Steve, Jackie & Tammy, Sue drove us all back to Norfolk. We visited with them for awhile, before flying to San Diego, Calif. John met us at the airport with his truck to pick up all our luggage. It was great to be home. Everything looked wonderful. John had taken good care of everything. We arrived home on Tuesday, 8 August, 1988. On Friday afternoon we went to the Los Angeles Temple. Did session on Friday and Saturday. After we were starting to get settled at home, we again started working in the Los Angeles Temple. We worked in the Los Angeles Temple until June 1993, when we were called to work in the New San Diego Temple. For more information about our Zimbabwe, and Ireland Missions see my Journal.
Source: Family Search Memories
