Movie "Unbroken" familiar flight scene; Ralph H. Hepworth

Saturday afternoon (27 Dec 2014) Earl and I went to the movie “UNBROKEN” a true story of the life of Louis Tamperini an Olympic runner and a hero in World Ward ll.  We enjoyed this story of survival, determination and forgiveness.  Makes a person (again) appreciate the sacrifices made by those men and women who fought for our freedom.

In the beginning of the movie is a scene of a B-24; damaged with its belly ripped apart; the occupants clinging to the sides and 500 miles from their base yet the pilot landed the crippled plane safely.  My thoughts were “mmmmm the details about this crippled plane sound so familiar.”  Earl read the book but, I did not.  After the movie while driving home I reflected about that scene when I remembered posting in 2012 on this blog about a first cousin of my father’s Ralph Huntington Hepworth who was in World War ll.  He was a Lieutenant in the Navy and a Co-Pilot on an American Privateer Search Plane stationed in Okinawa.   

On 2 July 1945 Ralph experienced what I saw in this movie.  The headlines in the Twin Falls Times were:

Albion Pilot’s Mangled Plane Back With Chunks of Ripped-off Jap Mast.

This story was in Newspaper’s all over the world.  If you click on the words Ralph Huntington Hepworth it will take you to the story I posted on Friday 25 May 2012 that describes men holding on for dear life in a crippled plane(the belly of the plane was ripped apart) 500 miles from their base and safely landing.  

If you want to know 'the rest of the story'  click on the words In Honor of Ralph Hepworth. THis happened 24 July 1945; twenty two days later. 

Ralph Huntington Hepworth       In Honor of Ralph Hepworth

Our Parents were married in December fifteen years apart.

     This December I would like to honor my parents and Earl’s parents by posting about their  marriage, my mom and dad eighty years ago and Earl’s parents ninety five years ago from this December. 

     Both were married in the Temple on a wintery day Fifteen Years and four days apart.

     Earl parents were married in the Salt Lake Temple and took a train from Bancroft, Idaho with two other couples who also married in the Salt Lake Temple.  Their names were of Bill Higginson and Fanny McClellan and Leo Johnson and Millie Grant. Gladys writes that the train was to arrive at ten o’clock in the morning  but it arrived very late, at four in the afternoon.  But, friend and relatives waited with them and just as they were to board the train a shower of rice hit them full in the face.  Gladys doesn't give any more details of her wedding day.

     My parents drove with my Grandmother Tomlinson and Dad’s younger sister Louise.   I wrote about their marriage in a 2010 post.  If you would like to read about it go to this site. Married on the shortest day of the year.

     Earl and I love our parents.  They gave us many wonderful memories and taught us values to follow throughout our lives. 

Mom's Birthday 5 Dec 1914 One Hundred Years Old @ 72 years she climbed a six foot fence.

All I can say; I'm so grateful for Cell phones!  

Thanks Mom for the memories.

Renée

Sara Hepworth 1868-1942; could this be the reason for her sour 'sour disposition'?

Beware of information on Death Certificates

Before I write about Death Certificates I need to mention the last post. In transcribing the newspaper article about the  marriage between Charles Moench and Maria (Rie) Hepworth one word was hard to read and I thought the word had a ‘qu’ in it. I interpreted it as inquiry and it obviously was the wrong word because the sentence didn't make sense.   The word inquiry should read usually (I think) so it should read like this: 

 The illness of Miss Hepworth up to the time of the ceremony, forbade the assembling of so large a company as Mr. Hepworth's hospitable mansion usually welcomes.   

It was a friend who helped me with a better interpretation.  Thank You My Friend Margie.  Did anyone notice that odd word besides me?                 

  Death Certificates will generally have the accurate date and place of death but, it can go downhill from there.  It all depends on who the informant is and what kind of state they are in; often they are in a state of shock and grieving.    Often if the informant is a wife or husband they may not know what the maiden name of the mother-in-law or even where she was born and will guess.  That information will put you on the wrong path in a hurry. Always research such information to be sure of the maiden name and place of birth of the mother-in-law.  

In the above examples are death certificates of a brother and sister who never married and the information was given by an aunt and a brother-in-law. 

The top certificate is of John Paul Donahue the son of Patrick John Donahue and Mary Ann 'Mollie' Hepworth.  He died 7 June 1929 CORRECT  His birth date is given as 21 March 1891 which is not correct because his mother 'Mollie' died in January of 1891.  John was born on 21 March 1887 in Butte, Montana and not Salt Lake City.  The place given is the correct place.  The informant was his Aunt Sara Hepworth signed as Mrs. S. H. Carthey.  Age at the time of death is recorded as 38 years 2 months and 16 days.  He was really 42 years 2 months and 16 days.   

The next certificate is a sister of John Paul, Mary Frances Donahue.   She died on Christmas Day 25 December 1941.CORRECT  Her birthdate is recorded as 28 September 1892 born in Salt Lake City and again this year is after her mother 'Mollie' died in January 1891.  I believe (and I am sure) she was also born in Butte, Montana on 28 March 1888.

So instead of being 49 years old as stated on her death certificate she was 56 years old 2 months and 27 days.  The informant was the husband of her sister Florence, R.H.Biele. 

Florence Alice the oldest of the Donahue children, she did marry and lived to be much older than her siblings.  Florence married Ray Henry Biele in Salt Lake City on 30 April 1913.  She was born 26 December 1885 and died at the age of 8o just short of her 81st. birthday. 

So be aware when using death certificates and tombstones inscriptions as they cannot be treated as absolute fact.  Everything is true somewhat but the more evidence you can gather, the more confidence you can have that you are right.  

Renée

  

  

Maria 'Rie' Hepworth Moench

This is what I know about Maria Hepworth the seventh child of John and Frances Amelia Hepworth.  She was born in Salt Lake City on 21 Apr 1862 and attended St. Mary's Catholic school .  She was a delicate child and only went when she felt like it.  (from Rose's Journal.)   

Her family and friends called her Rie or Aunt Rie.  She was twenty two when she married Charles N. Moench who was thirty five. Charles was from Germany and came to Salt Lake as a soldier in the Johnston's Army.  When Rie met Charles he was working at his trade as a cabinet maker.

They were married on 26 Aug 1884.  From the Salt Lake Newspaper

 (note below:MARRIAGE)

Moench --Hepworth - At the residence of the bride, August 26th, by Rev. E Benner,

Mr. Chas F. Moench of Butte, Montana, and Miss Ria Hepworth , daughter of 

John Hepworth, Esq., of this city. The illness of Miss Hepworth up to the 

time of the ceremony, forbade the assembling of so large a company as Mr. Hepworth's

hospitable mansion inquiry welcomes. A few of the immediate family friends were 

present, and the occasion, although a very quiet, was also a very happy one,  Mr. Moench is 

well and favorably known from his residence in this city during eight years past, and few young ladies have a wider circle of devoted friends than the bride  They started immediately

 for their home in Butte,The only slipper that was flung after them landed in the mud.  But the omen was perfect.  May they live long and prosper. 

They made their home in Butte, Montana where Charles worked at a mine. Rose was born a little over a year later on 4 November 1885. When Rose was six month old Charles was injured severely by a huge rock that fell on him. They returned to Rie's parents home in Salt Lake City for him to recuperate. 

(from Rose's journal) My father's health, with the undivided care of mother gave him didn't improve [While] walking in the garden, he grabbed her in his arms and died.  To be torn away from his death grasp was an awful experience.  It left her nervous and high strung all her life. 

From the Deseret News 11 August, 1886 [via Genealogy Bank]

Dropped Dead. - About 10:30 o'clock last night, Charles N. Monch [Moench] of Montana, was standing at the gate in front of his father-in-law's residence, at the corner of East Temple and Sixth South streets, when he had a sudden attack of heart disease and fell to the ground unconscious.  Efforts were made to revive him, but he expired in a few moments.  He has been a sufferer from the disease for some time  He leaves a wife (the daughter of John Hepworth) and one child.  His age was about 38 years.  The funeral will be held to-morrow.

Rie never remarried.  She took on the responsibility of raising her sister Mollie's children and managing the affairs of caring for the large house of her parents.  Her daughter Rose married Henry Julius Plumhof in 1911.  Rose, as I mentioned in another post wrote a very interesting journal that is very honest in her writing and has a lot of information on the Hepworth Family as well as her own life. 

Below is a picture of Rose as a small child and as a woman with her husband Henry on her right side and Ray Biele who married her cousin Florence Donahue. 

Rie was living with Rose and her son-in-law when she died in 1953.  She lived to be 91 years old. 

Many challenges and trials and happy moments the Hepworth's have experienced. Stories that need 

to be remembered  and be told. 

    

Renée                                         Rose's Journal       

                                       

Top Picture: Maria Hepworth  - Maria's death certificate - next pic:
Maria Hepworth Monech aka Ria - next pic
Rose Lottie Moench only child of Rie and Charles Moench
 next pic:  Rose is in the middle - her husband on Rose's left
Henry Julius Plumhof - on her right  Raymond Henry Biele
 husband of Florence A. Donahue cousin to Rose. 

PAT - RIE AND LOTTIE - SISTERS WITH BROTHER IN LAW.

Patrick John Donahue b 1849 - d 1932
Maria 'Rie' Hepworth Moench b 1862 - d 1953
Charlotte Hepworth Higley b 1865 - 1956

This picture is so interesting to me because the man is a brother-in-law to the two ladies.      

This is Patrick John Donahue who was the husband of the late 'Molle' Hepworth with Mollie's younger sisters Maria 'Rie' b 21 April 1862 and Charlotte "Lottie' b 14 Aug 1865.   

Seems everyone had a nickname. 

Maria or Rie married Charles Moench in about 1884 in Salt Lake City and moved to Butte, Montana where Charles worked in a mine. They had one child named Rose born in 1885.  Rose was only nine months old when her father died. Rie never remarried and Rose and her mother lived in the large beautiful  Hepworth house for more than twenty years. 

Charlotte or 'Lottie' was twenty nine years old when she married Irving Higley in 1895.  Irving and Lottie did not have any children. 

‘Rie died at the age of ninety one in 1953. Three years later ‘Lottie’ died at the age of ninety 1956 and was the last one of the twelve children.  That's a long time to live back then. 

Pat did remarry and died at the age of eighty two in 1932.

I will post more about the lives of ‘Rie’, ‘Lottie’ and Pat later.

Renée

To Edit is to Post Twice. OOPS.

Renee

Mary Ann 'Mollie' Hepworth married Pat Donahue

Patrick John Donahue b1849-d1932, Mary Ann 'Mollie' Hepworth b1860-d1891,
 Florence A. Donahue Biele b1885 - d1966, Mary Frances Donahue b1888 - d1941, John P. Donahue b1887 - 1929
(Picture via email attachment from Kathy)

          Mary Ann Hepworth was the sixth child of twelve of John and Frances Amelia Hepworth. She was born on the 26 May 1860 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Everyone called her 'Mollie'. I only have the year of her marriage, 1884 to Patrick John Donahue married in Salt Lake City.    Mollie was twenty four years old and Pat was thirty five. Pat was born on 1 Aug 1849 in Boston, Massachusetts and at the time of Mollie’s untimely death he was a superintendent of a mine in Montana.  Mollie was the mother of three beautiful children; the first two Florence and John were born in Montana.  The youngest a girl Mary Frances was born in Salt Lake City. 

  What a terrible tragedy to the Hepworth family of the death of Mollie.  She was visiting her family when this accident happened. I can imagine the anguish and sadness of the family.  From the journal of Rose a niece of Mollie’s who was only six years old at the time remembers seeing her Aunt Mollie in her casket  “the weeping of the whole family which disturbed me very much.    When I asked my mother why she cried, she said it was because she felt sorry for my three little cousins, who should never see their mother again.”  

     Can you imagine
the pain she went through?  I'm sure no one realized how she was really feeling or they stood by wondering what they could do to ease her pain not knowing how badly she was injured.  

  After the death of their mother the three children lived in the beautiful fourteen room house of their Grandparents.  Cousin Rose’s mother, Maria Hepworth Moench who was a widow and already living in the Hepworth house “assumed the role mother and took complete charge of them.”  (Florence age 5, John age 3  and Mary Frances age 2.)

The father; Patrick did remarry and that's another story to tell later. 

I love to do newspaper research.  Unfortunately

most news articles are of death, or sad circumstances. 

 Mollie is my first cousin 3 times removed. May she rest in Peace. 

Memory Refresher of the Two Hepworth Families.

On Left: John and Frances Amelia Fletcher Hepworth lived two and three tenths miles from my second great grandparents Thomas and Mary Fletcher Hepworth in Salt Lake City. John and Thomas are brothers and Amelia and Mary are sisters; all were born in England and migrated together to ZION entering the 

Salt Lake Territory in September of 1852.
http://honorancestors.blogspot.com/2012/03/hepworth-brothers-marries-fletcher.html

  

    It's been three months since I last posted on this Genealogy Blog.  Not a good thing and I want to get back to sharing what I have. 

   I have blogged a lot about Thomas and Mary's family and have barely scratched the surface of the information I have on the children.  I have decided to blog a bit about the the other Hepworth family of Second Great Uncle John and Great Aunt Frances Amelia.  So following this post will be information I have on the Hepworth double cousins.

  To refresh your memory; In 1852 Thomas and Mary with Sarah Julia age one and John and Frances Amelia started their journey together from England to Zion.  John and Frances had a son Samuel who at the age of seven months died of  pneumonia and is buried in England.  After 'crossing the pond' and one day before starting on the trek across the plains Frances gave birth to another son John Fletcher - 4 June 1852 Council Point Iowa.   One month later while on the trail, sister Mary gave birth to a son Samuel - 3 July 1852.  Hepworth's Families Cross the Plains  This link tells all about Crossing the plains and how they got the nickname  "Snapping Turtles."

     The pictures above are after settling in Salt Lake City abt 1867-1871 John and Frances built a large home at 571 South Main where today stands the Grand America Hotel.  John had a butcher shop a few blocks from his home.  John and Mary owned property on Main Street as well as several buildings.  John and Frances had twelve children; eight lived to full maturity; seven girls and one boy.  

     Second Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother Thomas and Mary built their house around 1871 across town, two and three tenths miles away on 725 West 1st North (today it is 2nd North).  Thomas and Mary owned a whole block of property  where a big barn with many horses were housed.  Thomas and Mary had thirteen children with eleven living to maturity.  Eight girls and three boys.  

   I have gone from knowing nothing about John and Frances Amelia to information that fills a two inch binder with articles from the local newspapers of their day.  I have made a contact with a descendant of John and Frances.  We are fourth double cousins and she has supplied me with wonderful pictures and a journal written by a granddaughter of John and Frances.  This is the link to her story.
 utahrose
 
        What I don't have is any reference of the relationship between the two families.  Did they attend school together or were in the same class? I'm sure they were.
Did the girls have a crush on the same boy?  Did the girls give wedding showers or baby showers for each other?  Did they support one another during sad times or happy times?  At this writing I don't have any stories that refers to Hepworth cousins.                 
 
  Next post will be about Mary Ann or Mollie and her untimely death .   

 

Renée

     

     

1926 Ogden, Utah my Dad's Dad (Vern & father George) owned a Livestock Commission Company.

This is the only picture I have of my dad taken with his dad.  If Dad’s memory is correct this picture was taken eighty seven years ago this month. It's hard to see but, Grandfather George Tomlinson is wearing a long sleeved shirt and tie and Dad has hot looking wooly chaps on.  Also, Dad's hat is not worn like a cowboy would wear a hat he has it more on the back of his head and not forward like a real cowboy.   I wonder if his Dad coaxed him to pull his hat down to look more like a rugged cowboy. The picture’s caption is in Dad’s own handwriting.  The Newspaper article featured here was in the Ogden Examiner of the evening of 31 March, 1926 that I just recently found.  I was so pleased to find it because if verifies just what Dad writes about this in his personal history only he remembers it happening in 1928.   It would be a few years later [1931] when his parents separated.  At that time they were living in Stockton, California.  Dad moved with his mother and sister to live with his grandparents in Albion, Idaho.  Dad would never see him or hear from him again.  His father George died in 1959 while living in Fresno, California.

The arrow reads:  Vern W. Tomlinson aged 13; son of George Tomlinson of Ogden secured 51 cents per pound for this Hereford yearling steer, a total of $504.90.

This is what Dad wrote about raising a Hereford Steer:

My Dad’s business was managing or owning a livestock commission company.  He bought and sold cattle, sheep and hogs to others on a commission basis.  In January 1928, [1926] Dad noticed that a calf had been born to a young cow Herford, that was a part of a carload of fat cattle entered in the Ogden Livestock Show.  Dad bought the calf for $25.00.  He also found a Guernsey cow ready to freshen in a day or so.  In two days the Guernsey cow did freshen and both calves were put with her to feed on rich Guernsey milk.  I was declared the owner of the Hereford calf and the other calf was converted to veal after a couple of months.  Dad found a fine pasture with plenty of grass in the Huntsville area and the Hereford calf with his adopted mother spent the entire summer growing and getting fat.  In September the cow and calf were brought to Dad’s place in the Ogden Stockyards, put in a more confined corral, and fed grain, chopped hay as well as the rich cow’s milk.  In January the calf, nearing eight hundred pounds, was entered in the Ogden Stock Show where he won first place in the junior division.  Since the Salt Lake Stock show was in early March it was decided that the steer should be entered in that show.  He was, and he won the prize for the open class, and also he was declared “Grand Champion” of the show.  He was sold at the stock show action for fifty one cents a pound.  Over $500.00 of the money was deposited in the Utah Savings and Loan.  All of the money was to have been used to pay my tuition at Utah State Agriculture College in Logan.  Unfortunately, this period of time was the beginning of the “Great Depression” and the Utah Savings and Loan soon folded its doors.  All of the money for my college education was lost.  I received a great experience but no money.

It makes me wonder if the money had not been lost and Dad did go to college at Logan, what he would have set his sights on; the livestock business or a school teacher.  I can't imagine Dad being anything but just what he did; a schoolteacher/ administrator.

Renée

.  

got genealogy.com's GOLDEN RULES OF GENEALOGY

So much is going on in my life right now that My Blog has been put way down on my priority list.  It makes me sad because I have so much to share about our ancestors and just not the time to do justice to the sharing.  Being the Stake Family History Director: I don't seem to have time to do everything that needs my attention.   

There are many Rules of Genealogy and this is my very favorite that I will share with you. 

It states that I have permission to use these Golden Rules as long as I give them credit and I will gladly do so.

Got Genealogy.com

PO Box 10805

Oakland, Ca 94610-0805

# 10 is the one I am most concerned about today.  This summer my goal is to post the stories I have on (LDS site) FamilyTree. Pictures too.  If you are a registered on FamilTree you can see what I have posted there. 

# 12 is so true.  Pictures I have uploaded on the Tree in Ancestry.com; a person has downloaded them then uploaded them in her tree as her pictures.  WHY?  But, just as it says I need to just "Get over it."

 Which ones are your favorite?

(you might have to increase size to read comfortably) 

Renée

Wordless Wednesday: Charles Burns Descendants

If we know who we came from, We many better understand who we are.

Renée

More on 2nd Great Grandfather Charles Burns

The following continuation of Charles Burns story I found on FamilyTree written by a GreatGreatGrandson 'Brook'.  Their are several story's written about Charles but this one I think is the best short version.  I have NOT found a picture of Charles's wife Martha Fretwell but as you see above I have found several pictures of Charles's mother Ellen Hancock.

Charles Burns grew up to become a coal miner. He joined the Church at age eighteen, two years after his mother and stepfather, John Robertson McDuff, had done so. In 1851 at twenty years of age, Charles married Martha Fretwell (b. 9 Mar 1827), also a member of the Church, on 17 November 1851. Her parents were James Fretwell and Mary Cundy, of Brampton near Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Seventeen years later (1868) the Burns’ took their family of five surviving children (Mary Ellen, Joseph, Charles, Sarah Hannah, Martha, and Caroline) to the United States. Martha Burns was the youngest (4 ½) at the time. Charles mother and step-father had already immigrated to America four years previous, eventually settling in North Salt Lake City with their two youngest children. On their journey to America, Charles Burns departed Liverpool June 4, 1868 aboard the packet ship John Bright. The John Bright was a sailing vessel well beyond her prime, operating in an era of increasing steamship travel wherein a transatlantic crossing might take only two weeks compared to six weeks by sail. It had been the Church’s intent that year that most Saints travel by steamship but many members were of limited means and to keep costs down, a few sailing vessels were chartered. The John Bright carried some 722 Saints, the great majority of whom were from the British Isles. Most had been members of the Church for many years—almost twenty years for the Burns’. During the six week crossing there was very little sickness on board and only one death. Nevertheless, from passenger accounts the voyage seems to have encountered at least one life-threatening storm, and early-on the John Bright sustained significant, below-the-waterline damage when accidentally rammed by another ship in the fog. From New York the Burns family travelled aboard the Union Pacific Railroad to its terminus at Laramie, Wyoming, taking less than ten days to get there. Laramie was already 570 miles further west than the earlier wagon train departure point of Omaha, Nebraska. At Laramie the Burns family became part of the John R. Murdock Company, departing by horse-drawn wagon July 27 and arriving in Salt Lake City just three weeks later on August 19, 1868. Within a year the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad would eliminate the need for wagon train travel altogether. After Charles Burns and Martha Fretwell arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, three more children came into the family, yet all died in early childhood. Six years later, twin girls arrived—Ellen and Hannah, named for their father’s mother and her twin sister. But within three years (14 Feb 1877) Martha Fretwell became ill and despite the best of medical care passed away suddenly, just short of fifty years of age. Charles Burns now having seven surviving children, married a widow (Susannah Lord Oliver) with seven children of her own and the couple went on to have two more children—resulting in a very large family indeed. Charles, operating a lime kiln of his own, apparently lived in comfortable circumstances. He was a kind father, requiring strict obedience from his children, yet they loved him dearly. Charles Burns died 11 October 1904 at seventy-two years of age and is buried in the Bountiful, Utah cemetery. His first wife, Martha Fretwell, having predeceased him by twenty-six years, is interred in Salt Lake City. dbh Extract from: Five Generations, D. Brook Harker. Feb 2014. Draft working manuscript, Regina, SK. 287 pp. See F-Tree CB 'Sources' for key references cited.

Next I will post pictures of Charles and Martha's children.

Renée

Charles Burns 2nd Great Grandfather; is the reason I did a DNA test.

Charles Burns is my Great Great Grandfather and he is the reason I wanted to do the DNA test.  

The above is part of his life story but, I heard another story and it is just that 'a story' until it can be proven and I was hoping a DNA test would be the end all.  

My results of my DNA did not 'synch' the story. But, it did not disprove it either.  

The 'story' was told to me by a distant cousin who lives in Canada.  I visited Magrath, Canada in July of 2003.  The reason I was in Canada was for a 'Family Reunion' for Earl's family held in the nearby city of Cardston. I haven't the time to tell the whole story of how I met up with a cousin named Elizabeth but, she told why the dark skin.  It is said to be that Charles father is really an East Indian. That Charles's mother Ellen Hancock Burns was a domestic servant for a Rajah and he is the real father.This makes me chuckle because  of course it had to be the Rajah and not just some other Indian servant.  It reminds me when people come into the Family History Center wanting to research the linage of American Indian and the story is always, always that the connection is a American Indian Princess.  Not just a regular member of the tribe    
My DNA test did not give me ethnicity in East India but, it did give a small percentage of results for countries, of West Asia; country's Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria.  And Italy and Greece.  The jury is still out.  It would be good idea if a member of the Burns family would take a DNA test.  
I will post more picture soon and continue with more of the story of Charles Burns.  

Renee   

DNA stated I am 22% Irish. REALLY?

Last week my DNA results came via email from Ancestry. com  and I was sure they were wrong.  It stated I am 22% Irish .

Really?  I put it aside and to give it some thought.

Then I went to my 'Family Tree' Familysearch.org and looked into my mother's line. I am not very  familiar with the Phippen /Hudson line .  A lot of work has been done on these lines but by who I don't know and it is not sourced which makes me wonder how correct is the information.  Sure enough she has Irish Ancestors.  Last name is LEMMON and the line goes back to !696 in Cork, Ireland.   I think my mother thought this line was English and had no idea she was part Irish.

  Now looking at this picture;  one pair of legs is part American Indian and Danish and the other - English-Irish-Scandinavian.

More about my DNA in the next post.

Renee

Tom has a new car? (12 April 14) This is his car that I remember way back when?

Back seat:  Julie - Cari - Lori
Front:  Mark - Sue- Tom

This picture has been on top of my printer for some time waiting for the right moment to post.  I was going to use this picture on my facebook page but, today it seems appropriate to post it here on my blog. I do make exceptions now and then to post something about the living and not always about the deceased. This is my nephew Tom before marriage and (to date) 5 children ago.  Life is a lot different for him today than when this picture was taken.  And I must say:  Aunt Renee gives you lots of credit for the differences in you life today than 'Yesterday.'  Good job Tom.  

I remember this being a beautiful day in Seattle and happy times with family.  I'm sure the occupants of the car remember much more than I can recall.  Just the same I love this picture.  Thanks for the Happy Memories.  Love you guys.

Aunt Renée

"..........recount your family history" Madeleine L'Engle

Cari 1967 - 25 March 2009 Berlin Germany

Lori  and Cari Lyn Petersen
Clam Digging
Ocean Shores, Washington

1942 Tomlinson Family

Tomlinson Family 1942 Verona-Renee-Gary-Vern. 

Vern and Verona - what cool names for a young couple who fell in love living in a small town of Albion, Idaho.

This was our family until 1953 when Ted Perrins was born in the Jerome Hospital. 

Gary was born at home because Mom and Dad were snowed in and couldn't get to the nearest hospital in Wendell. They were living in the town of Jerome and at some point soon after Gary was born moved to Pleasant Plains  (In the country outside of Jerome)where Dad was the Principal of the school until 1941 when they moved back to town and I was born a year later in the St. Valentine's Hospital in Wendell.    Gary is six years older than me.

This is what Mother wrote about living in Pleasant Plains in a house located next to the school.  I have only changed a few words and reconstructed a couple of sentences. 

Note; Love the US flag waving above the school!

"We were married during the depression so it was tough.  We had to buy a car, washing machine, pay by the month.  Vern built a garage for the car so the school gave us two old cook stoves (coal) for building the garage.  We didn't have a bathroom or an outside toilet so we had to go to the school house.  If I needed to go at night I was afraid so Gary would take my hand and say 'I will take you, Mom.'  We even had to take a bath in the wash tub (it was on legs. I won't go into that)  We just had one big coal or wood stove in the living room.  My feet and legs never were warm all five years we lived out there.   We turned the two stoves in on a better cook stove and owed $70.00 more and we had to pay $2.00 a month.  That's all we could afford to pay.  

I couldn't find Gary one day and I asked the neighbors, they told me the way they saw him go with two girls.  Praying all the way, [she got in the car]  it was in the month of March [and] it had been raining and the road was full of ruts and the car turned over.  The mail man saw this and he thought no one could get out of that alive.  I heard him call my name, I answered him and heard him say, 'Thank God.'  We found Gary and the two girls (nine years old) about a mile up the road.  I don't know why or where they were going; to one of the girls relatives or something.  I was so glad to see him I couldn't think.  

I just had bruised all over [my body] and the car was a wreck.  I tried to get the insurance or whatever had to be done and get a new car. This car wasn't a year old but Vern wouldn't.  They put it together and believe it or not the cost was only $350.00. They let us use a car but it was a long time before we got ours back." 

  written by Verona Tomlinson

Renèe

The "Great Winter" of 1948-49 Grandmother Perrins ride to Rupert Hospital

Buried: Albion Pleasant View Cemetery
 23 Feb 1949
70 years old.

Before the month of February 2014 is over I must post this story of my Grandmother Edna Clair Phippen Perrins; my mother's mother.  This happened sixty five years ago this month.

My memory 'trigger' of this story is seeing on the news the terrible weather the mid-west eastern states has had this year. 

I was six when the terrible 'Great Winter' of 1948-49. Snow and ice covered the states of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.   

 I remember that  after the roads were plowed that the snow was piled so high it was like a tunnel with white walls travelling down the country road especially when we went to Sun Valley on a family outing. And, it was beautiful. 

My first cousin Barbara lived just a short distance from Grandfather and Grandmother Perrins in Albion, Idaho and had a very close relationship with Grandmother.  In a recent e-mail Barbara wrote about this day in February 1949. Thank You Barbara for writing this story.

  "Every other day grandma would call or come over to the house for [me] to walk to a neighboring farmer's house and get her some milk.  It was to far for her to walk.  [I would take] a mason canning jar and have the farmer fill it with milk and bring it to her.  There was always a treat cookie, or a big hug waiting for [me]. I loved the hugs the best because she always gave wonderful hugs and she always smelled like sugar and spices.  She was always cooking or baking something.   This particular day, grandma walked to our house,  I don't know how long she had been standing on the porch before I noticed her.  She didn't knock.  I opened the door and she just stood there with her arms stretched out to me holding the mason jar and she was just smiling at me.  I asked her if she wanted me to go get some milk and she didn't say anything.  She just stood there smiling.  I took her by the hand and led her to the living room and sat her in the rocking chair.  She still said nothing.  I was really worried and scared.  I ran across the street where my mom and dad owned "Bob's Drive Inn"  an eating establishments for the college kids and the community.  Mom told me to go back home and stay with grandma and she would see if she could find grandpa.  After a while grandpa came and tired to arouse her but, was unable to.  He said "mother," (that is what he called her) has had a stroke.  I really didn't know what that was, but it sounded serious.  Grandpa told me to stay with her and he would see if he could get some help to move her.  By this time we couldn't move her and she couldn't move anything.  It was so sad and I just didn't know what was happening.  I was only in the third grade at the time.   Later Grandpa came back and three men and a pickup truck.  They picked her and the rocking chair up and carried here out side.  They lifted her and the rocking chair in the back of the pick up bundled her up and took her home.   With much difficulty,  Grandpa got her undressed and in bed.  We didn't have a doctor that lived in Albion just a nurse.  The doctor would come once a week to see patients or if there was an emergency but Albion was snowed in and he couldn't come across the mountain.  The doctor told Grandpa she needed to be in the hospital."

What happened next I remember because my mother had told me many times.  Like Barbara said in her story Albion was snowed in; the roads covered with snow and ice.  So what happened was the  men from the college and able bodied residents armed with picks and shovels came to the rescue. Grandmother needed  to be taken to the hospital located in Rupert twenty four miles away.

I'm going to interrupt this story to write about what happened a few weeks ago.  

One Saturday afternoon I was at the Family History Center visiting with Ken and Adelheid Patterson.  They are a couple who are part of the staff that work on Saturday afternoon's.    We were talking about the Great Winter of 48'-49.  I was telling them about Grandmother Perrins when Ken said, "I was one of those men, I remember it well."  What a pleasant surprise !  Ken, today is eighty five years old. 

So this is a first hand recount of what happened:

He told me how there was a thick layer of ice on top of the snow that covered the road. With picks and shovels they would break up the ice then a dump truck with a snow plow attached would 'make a run for it'  to clear as much snow and ice as it could then the men would do it again.  They did this for eighteen miles. 

I wish I could say her life was saved and she lived for another ten years.  But, that was not the case.  Grandmother died a short time after arriving at the hospital.

 When I see Ken Patterson I will always see him as a young man doing a wonderful service on a cold winter day on behalf of my grandmother.  

Grandmother left a wonderful legacy which I will blog about in the future.  

Cousin Barbara also writes about Grandmother saying "What a loss and for me being so young, I had a terrible time getting over it. I loved her so much because she was a big part of my life."    And the best compliment to give her is this. 

"I have tried to pattern myself as a grandma after my grandma." Barbara Gray 

Renee