Whispers From The Past/Tales Told: Shortest day of the year 76 Years ago

Whispers From The Past/Tales Told: Shortest day of the year 76 Years ago: "Albion Campus, Wintertime (Just across the street from the Perrins Home) Fall of 1934 Mother is going to Albion State Normal Schoo..."

Shortest day of the year 76 Years ago

Albion Campus, Wintertime  (Just across the street from the Perrins Home)

Fall of 1934

• Mother is going to Albion State Normal School .

• Dad is in his second year of teaching at Almo.

December 1934, Verona had decided to give it one more try at becoming a teacher and enrolled in the Albion State Normal  School.  She was living in her parents home just across the street from the campus.
Vern, had received his "Life Certificate" in June of 1933 from Albion State Normal School  which qualified him to teach  in Idaho, grades one thru nine.  He was twenty years old when he got a teaching job in Almo, Idaho, thirty miles south of Albion earning $75.00 a month.  

School where Vern's first teaching job in Almo, Idaho.  Burned to the ground in 1945

Vern and Verona decided to get married during Christmas vacation.
But, there was a problem - Vern's mother, Ethel was not happy about 
Vern marrying Verona and went to Verona's house to talk her out of it. Verona told Ethel  that they were getting married in the Temple and since Ethel had never 'gone through the Temple' she  was invited to go with them to get her own endowments.  Then Verona told her if she disapproved with that plan then they would go to Twin Falls, a town about seventy miles away and be married by the judge.  Verona reminded her how they had gone together for several years and were ready to be married.  Ethel changed her mind and said she would go along with what Verona  and Vern had planned. 

They were to be married in the Logan Temple on Friday the 21st so the plan was to  pick up Vern on Thursday afternoon and drive to Logan that same day.   Verona, Ethel and Louise (Vern's sister, age 16) left Albion on Wednesday for Almo, Verona writes, " the  road to Almo was not very good in the summer, so in the winter the road was terrible, and there was lots of snow on the road."  Verona didn't know how to drive, and Ethel who's right leg was permanently stiff (another story to be told) Verona writes,  "Because of Ethel's stiff leg she wasn't the best driver, it was very hard for her to manage the  gas pedal, clutch, and brake.   (I just can't imagine!)    Verona really thought a few times they would not make it to Almo but, with a lot of praying and much encouragement from Louise and Verona, Ethel kept going.  They arrived in Almo safely, Vern was ready to go, so they continued their journey to Logan arriving there late but, in time for a late dinner with Vern's Uncle Fred and Aunt Lilly Kidgell, the relatives they were going to stay with.
After dinner, Uncle Fred and Aunt Lilly started gathering up  temple clothes for Vern.  Verona writes  "We could rent clothes at the Temple but, we had to save money where we could."  They couldn't find pants large enough for Vern so on Thursday, Ethel and Lilly put a V shaped piece of white  cloth in the back to make them large enough for him.
Verona's wedding dress was made from material of her mother's wedding dress.  Verona's sister Gladys and sister Kerma  and sister-in-law Ida all wore this dress when they were married.

Logan Temple in Winter

21 December 1934, 76 Years ago today

Verona and Vern entered the Logan Temple at seven  in the morning.  That V that was put in Vern's pants, Verona writes," Seems like that was all I could see all the way through the Temple when I would see Vern climb up the stairs going from room to room." 

(Oh my!  This is so typical of Mom.)

Verona writes "There was only one other couple married that day and they were an Indian couple.  I must say the sisters in the Temple were so kind and sweet to me.  One sister gave me a pink ribbon to tie around the marriage license.  She said she had picked Vern out as my husband because he was so handsome and she could just see what beautiful couple we would make."

Now husband and wife, they went back to Uncle Fred's house to get their  luggage for their 'honeymoon' to Salt Lake City.   While they were saying  their good byes to Ethel and  Louise, Ethel had a request, would they take Louise with them!  NO!

This would be Verona's first trip to a big city like Salt Lake.   It was raining hard and they had a flat tire!  Vern fixed it, and was completely soaked when he got back in the car. 

They stayed at the Temple Square Hotel, room 242 at $3.00 a night for the next three nights.    Saturday night they went dancing at the Rainbow Gardens.

Twice they were invited to dinner, once at Vern's cousin home, Pauline and husband Gorton Matson  and Vern's Aunt Mary's home.  

Vern & Verona 1935

Verona writes, "The three days went by very fast.  We left Salt Lake Monday morning, picked up Vern's mother and Louise in Logan then onto Albion to spend the rest of the Christmas Holidays with our families before taking up house keeping in Almo in a one room apartment."

Mother was 20 years old and Dad was 21.

Christmas Gifts for Verona

It was the era of the depression during Vern and Verona's teen years.  Mother remembers two gifts that Dad gave her for Christmas. "One year Vern came carrying a large box.  I unwrapped it only to find another box, then another!  The boxes kept getting smaller and smaller until it was the size of a ring box, only it wasn't a ring, it was a locket!  I was so thrilled and so happy.  Another Christmas he gave me a wine colored suede jacket.  I don't know where he got the money because they were about as poor as we were!" 

I have no idea if Mother is wearing the jacket she  refers to in this picture.   Maybe Gary knows?  Does it look like a suede jacket to you?

Verona Shriley Perrins

 Mother is sixteen years old in this picture.  I have looked at this picture a hundred times thinking "and she's only sixteen going on twenty-five."  Vern and Verona, what are the chances of two young people falling in love, living in a small town and their first names start with a V.

Mother loved to play basketball and yes, she is the one on the right top end wearing a necklace!
Mother always looked her best!  On the bottom row third from the  left is her sister Kerma.
Mother loved to remind me what a fast runner she was.  At a 4th of July celebration in Oakley (Idaho) she entered in as many foot races as she could winning them all and they politely asked her not to come back

I love this picture for the natural beauty of it.
In the background - the hills of Albion.

  Mother not only played basketball but, was a cheerleader.  She was president of her Sophomore class.

Verona graduated from Albion High School in 1932 and unlike her older brothers and sisters did not want to attend the Albion Normal School to  become a teacher so she went to Deer Park, Washington to live with her brother Melvin and his wife Ressa through the winter of '32, '33.    I believe she is holding the hand of her niece Mary Lou, oldest daughter of Melvin and Ressa.    This would be the first time ever to be away from home and she was VERY  home sick.

To keep her busy and her mind off being so homesick, her brother Melvin volunteered her to coach the girls basketball team.  Melvin Perrins taught school in Deer Park and coached every boys  sport that was offered!  Can you pick her out?

She returned to Albion in the Spring of 1933 and decided to attend Albion Normal School after all and  hated every minute of it.

This picture was taken on 28 October 1933
on the wedding day of her friend Margaret Bauman to Laurence Leroy Henry.
What's so special about this picture is that I have the dress she is wearing.  It was a prom dress she had, light green in color very thin material.
Mother came from poor circumstances but, she always could 'pull it off'.
 

Mother died 10 March 2006, age 91.  She always thought she would die in her 70's like her mother Edna.  (She was 70)  And that's why living over twenty years longer was so surprising to her.  When she was 87 years old  I asked her this question:  If you could go back in a time of your life where would it be?  Without hesitation she said;  "To be 16, riding a horse on a spring day, in the field behind my house! "  I thought about this answer a lot.   Of course, that was a time in her life when her body was active, she loved Albion High School, she was the class president, she played center on the girls basketball team, she was a cheer leader, she was dating the best looking boy in town ("Butch" was his nickname) Vern Tomlinson and she She lived in the beautiful Albion Valley she so dearly loved.

Dad died in 1991.  They are now together in Eternity.   Love you, Mom and Dad.

House that Sam built.

Because I am building Mothers life by doing 'New Posts' each time the story time-line is backwards.

So if you are just reading this for the first time,  scroll down  

to picture of 'Verona abt two years old'.

This house was built in the early 1900's by Grandfather Samuel Perrins.  The first location was about 300 yards west of this lot.  The house  was moved to make room for a new elementary school.  Across the street, to the east was the Albion Normal Training School.
Sam and Edna's first child was not born in this house but, the next seven children were born here.  When Mother grew up in this house she said it had a screened in front and back porch.


                                                                                 

This is what the house looks like today. Updated and still lived in.  In front of the house are thirteen of thirty-five  'Perrins cousins'  on Memorial Day 2005.



                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Verona Shriley Perrins

Verona abt. 2 years old

     Today, Mother would be 96 years old.  She lived to be 91 which was one of the biggest surprises of her life.  Mother was born in the house that Sam built.  Sam was her father, Edna Phippen was her mother.  5th December 1914, Albion, Cassia, Idaho, Verona Shirley Perrins was the seventh of eight children.  Her oldest sister, Ethel, was thirteen years old, brother Melvin was twelve, Gladys was nine, Estel was five, twins Kermit and Kerma were two, then her youngest sister Freda, was born when mother was five. In Mother's life history she wrote "I had a happy childhood.  My brothers and sisters spoiled me."

Verona abt. 5 years old.

          





When Mother was about 5 years old she could sing and new all the verses to "America". Her Aunt Flora and Uncle Charley  owned a mercantile store in Albion and Mother would stand on the counter and sing for the drummers (salesman) and customers and they would give her money.  It got so she wouldn't sing unless she was given money first.