Lily Jane Bullock Kidgell; A Grand Lady.

abt 1905 Fred Cashmore Kidgell - Lily Jane Bullock
Stella Lily - Ariel James - Fred Charles. 

In this lovely portrait taken about 1905 one more child has been added to the Kidgell family.  A boy named Ariel James, born 16 April 1902 in Logan.   I would guess he is about three years old in this picture; Stella Lily would be ten and Fred Charles eight.  Two more children would complete this family, a daughter Melba born 26 February 1906 in Pocatello, Idaho.   They also raised Preston C. Affleck born 9 November 1910 in Logan who was the son of Lily Jane’s sister, Alice Bullock Affleck.  Alice died six weeks after Preston was born leaving seven children.  Alice requested Fred and Lily Jane to take the baby and raise him if anything happened to her.   

Picture below is Melba at age four; love that bow in her hair and her sophisticated pose!

Melba Kidgell abt. 1910

Lily Jane was a dress maker/seamstress. It's most likely she made the clothes she is wearing in this portrait. Such beautiful detail in this blouse and skirt. Lily Jane was fourteen years old when she attended a school for dress making in Logan taught by Lydia Haws.  She would walk from her home in Providence  to Logan and home again each day she attended the dress making class.  Mrs. Haws told her she received more benefit out of her work than any other girl she has ever had.  

She spent many years teaching women from all over the Cache Stake to make over clothing.  When all her children were married she worked six years doing alterations for the Ready-to Wear store called 'The Leader' in Logan, Utah. 

(Taken from her life story by Melba K. Gedge)

During the depression years Lily Jane Kidgell had been in charge of the sewing center for the Logan Stake.  This was an early fore-runner of a welfare square or Deseret Industry type of program.  When the program was changed the worker's honored Lily Jane for her countless hours of service .

 4 March 1940 Ada E. Merrell wrote the following tribute:

A Pioneer

A sewing center was Relief Society’s dream,

And to Sister Kidgell—a sewer Supreme—

Goes the honor for making that dream come true,

Because of the wonderful things she could do.

Why she’d take an old coat and a skirt and

A dress, which most folks would say were

Simply a mess; and the next thing you knew

From this mess she would bring a quilt

That would almost be fit for a king.

Then with rags and old sox and some

Rope, if you please, she would fashion fine

Rugs with the greatest of ease.  Each day

Thru the racks of used clothing she’d go;

And glean out the things really worthwhile to sew.

Into aprons and dresses or trousers of such,

As were needed by many good families so much.

And day after day making the rounds, there

Wasn’t a thing anywhere on the grounds that

Couldn’t be used in some way or another, to help

Children and grownups from having to suffer.

Not only used clothing, but frayed nerves as

Well; were mended and smoothed by her magical spell.

When the women she worked with grew weary

And tired, she’d help and encourage until they’d

Be fired, with new hope and desire—To do all

They could, for not only their own but each

Others best good.

Now to the Region our center has gone—

With the changes that come as our Church

Marches on, but we’ll always be proud of the work we

Began—When asked to assist the Security Plan.

As the years come and go, and we see the plan grow—

There will be many people each wanting to know, 

“Who started  the work and then put it

Through” and we’ll say,

Sister Kidgell, a pioneer true. 

What a lady!  More on the life of Lily Jane and Fred continued. 

Fred, Lily Jane, Stella and Fred Charles.

Lily Jane, Fred Charles, Stella Lily, Fred Kidgell

           Look at the ruffles on Lily Jane's dress.  In Lily Jane's life history written by her daughter Melba she took a class in 'Dress Making' starting at the age of fourteen.  I'm sure she made her dress and the outfits the children are wearing.  More about Lily sewing abilities later. 

          Just short of one year after marriage (1894) their first child was born, Stella Lily, 21 Oct 1895.  Then Fred Charles was born 28 Jun 1897.  He looks about two maybe three months old in the picture so I’m sure it’s safe to say this picture was taken in the summer of 1897.  Lily Jane would be twenty two years old and Fred is twenty six.

          In 1897 father Fred is still working for his step-father Herman Volgel at the Logan Brewery. Herman's demise.  He is active the LDS Church and after his step-father dies on 4 April in 1898 Fred is the  proprietor of the Logan City Brewery.  
The following are just a few of the advisements found in the Logan Journal Newspaper     

Logan Newspaper:  7 March 1899

LOGAN CITY BREWERY

F. C. Kidgell, Mgr.

Manufacturer of and dealer in Keg and Bottled Beer.

Bottled Beer for Family Trade a Specialty.

Logan, Utah

3 April 1900 Logan Newspaper

          After being closed down for several months, the Logan City Brewery has again been opened.  Proprietor Kidgell has thoroughly renovated and filled it up and is now prepared to furnish the public with popular beverage.
     
      

   In May of 1898 just after the demise of Herman his step-father, Fred moved his family into a new house he had built on 352 East First South St. in Logan.   When their third child was born, Ariel James, on 16 April 1902 Fred was now working for the Amalgamated Sugar Company.

       

This is a record of Fred's employment the rest of his life----

• Managed stores for Singer Sewing Machine Company---first in Montpelier, Idaho; then Pocatello, Idaho and lastly in Logan, Utah  August 1904 --October 1909
• Run the press of Amalgamated Sugar Co.   November 1909--February 1910.
• Was the Logan City Water Master   April 1910--January 1912
• Bill collector for Mt. States Telephone Co.  January 1912--February 1916
• Salesman for W.F. Jensen Candy Co.  March 1916--November 1930
• Worked odd jobs which he could find available.               

           Fred and Lily Jane were well known throughout the Logan Valley.  So, I have lots to blog about. 

    

      Last week I made a connection with Lily Jane's sister, Margaret Bullock Hansen's Great Great grandchild Susan.  We have been exchanging pictures and stories; the joys of doing 'Family Search'!

Fred Cashmore Kidgell marrys Lily Jane Bullock 1894

Fred Cashmore Kidgell 1894 Logan, Utah

     Amazing! I have more pictures of Great grand-uncle Fred Cashmore Kidgell than any ancestor.  This isn't all the pictures I have of Fred. I have two pictures with his beautiful bride Miss Lily Jane Bullock with their young family and another probably taken just before he died.
     An update on Fred; he was four months old when his father died, Charles Kidgell Jr..  He attended Catholic Boarding School in his early years and was never baptized into the L.D.S. Church.  During his teen age years he lived with his sister Sadie Hepworth (my great grand-mother) and her husband and worked for the Hepworth family butcher shop and slaughter house. He also worked in a blacksmith shop. When he became college age his desire was to attend the Agricultural College in Logan.  This was when his mother Sarah Ann and husband Herman Vogel owned a brewery in Logan.  He decided to not go to school and work at the brewery.   This is when he met Lily Jane Bullock. 

    The picture below of Lily Jane was sent to me by Alice via e-mail attachment;  her husband is a grandson of Fred and Lily Jane.  On the back is written 1894 which I feel it is safe to say the pictures were taken just before they were married.

Lily Jane Bullock age 18; 1894

         Lily Jane was born 5 Dec 1875 in Providence, Cache, Utah, the tenth of twelve children born to James Bullock Jr. born in England and Margaret Bailey born in Scotland.  Her parents migrated to the Utah Territory in 1860.
        Fred asked Lily Jane to go 'steady' with him and she refused. (The following information was taken from the life history of Fred; written by his daughters, Melba K. Gedge and Stella Lily K. Olsen) " Fred was not a member of the L.D.S. Church and he smoked.  Lily Jane told him she wouldn't go steady with any one who wasn't a member of the church, or any one that smoked.  He told her he could quit smoking and she told him not to quit smoking for her, but for himself.  Soon after that Fred quit smoking and was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He had been baptized for quite awhile before Lily Jane knew about it."
     "One Year after he was baptized they were married on the 14 November 1894 in the Salt Lake Temple.  After they were married they had a dinner at the home of Uncle James and Aunt Sadie Hepworth.  (My great-grandparents)  They stayed there for two or three days. "
      "The newly married couple came back to Logan by train.  They went right over to Lily Jane's parent's home in Providence, Utah.  Fred had twenty cents left in his pocket so Lily Jane's mother gave them a loaf of bread and a piece of butter; also a little bacon.  They had rented a little house in Logan before they got married so their little home was ready and waiting for them so they went to it that night."
     "The next day Fred went to town in Logan and charged some groceries and had them sent to the home.  They lived in one-half of the residence at 354 South Main.  He made thirty dollars a month and they paid six dollars rent.  Before they were married Fred had bought a bedroom set, table and chairs, and a kitchen stove.  Lily Jane had made a rag carpet for the front room and Fred bought a piece of linoleum for the stove to stand on in the kitchen."   Before the first year past and just before their first child was born they moved  to first east between second and third south in Logan.

     It was Fred and Lily Jane that Dad and Mother stayed with when they were married in December of 1934 in the Logan Temple.   Dad didn't talk about his family (much) but, I did know that Fred was an uncle who lived in Logan.  And, I have met two grandchildren, Lily Jane of Manti, Utah and Kay, he lives in Salt Lake City.  I like the name Lily Jane and how Lily is spelled with one l.    How about it grandchildren, or anyone related to me, would you consider using the name Lily?!

Life history of Fred Kidgell and Lily Jane continued.