Uncle Ed - James Edward Hepworth

     This baby boy was the first child born to James Fletcher Hepworth and Sarah Ann Kidgell.  Not only is he wearing a dress which was the custom in the ‘olden’ days but notice the locket around his neck.  The locket must have some signaficance; maybe an heirloom of Great Grandmother Sarah's family?  I love the curl of hair on his forehead; he looks like he was calm baby.  He is a beautiful baby. 

     James Edward Hepworth was named after his father James and his maternal great grandfather Edward Cashmore. 

     In the next picture my father (Vern) is holding 'Uncle ED's '  hand and Dad looks like he is wearing a dress!  What skinny legs he has and isn't he a little to old to still be wearing a dress?  This picture was taken in Salt Lake City.

     Uncle Ed followed the same occupation of his great grandfather, grandfather, and father; butcher.    He married a divorced lady Susie Theresa Tarbet on 18 Feb 1909 who had one son, Robert age nine.   I find in the 1920 Census that Uncle Ed and Susie were still together but, Robert is living with his grandmother; all were living in Salt Lake City. Uncle Ed and Susie did not have any children.   Sometime between 1920 and 1928 Susie left  Uncle Ed and moves to California where she resides with her son Robert who is an Engineer.  This information comes from the 1930 US Census and I see Susie Hepworth is listed as a widow. (Not So)   Uncle ED is living in Albion by 1930.  Susie died on 1 Apr. 1944 several years before Ed died.  

     My older brother Gary told me that Ed was one of his very favorite uncles.  He was kind and gentle and easy to love.  Uncle Ed was sixty three years old when he died on 27 Jul 1947 in Boise, Idaho of a heart attack.   Gary was eleven years old and I was five. 

This was in the Twin Falls Newspaper:

Funeral Held for

James Hepworth

Albion, Aug. 2 __ Fueral services

for James Edward Hepworth,

Albion businessman, were held at the Albion LDS Ward

chapel with Bishop Lawrence Jacobsen officiating.

The opening prayer was given by

Leo Bell and the obituary was read

by J. C. Werner.  Speaker was Frank

Belliston, and the closing prayer

was given by A. E. Augard.

Mrs. Maye Anita Johnson played

the prelude and postiude .  A solo was

sung by Joe Fredrickson and vocal

numbers were sung by a trio composed

of Mr. and Mrs. H. Eames [James]

and Mrs. Vern Tomlinson, Jerome.

Pallbearers were Fred Hager, Fred Horsely,

Matthew Tremayne, Hiram Tremayne, Sam Perrins

and Parley Powell.  Flowers were in charge of

Mrs. Jennie Bell, Mrs. Edna Perrins, Mrs. Lola

Baumgarden, Mrs. Lawrence Jacobsen, Mrs. Curtis

Mahoney and Mrs. Matthew Tremayne. 

Interment was in the Masonic Cemetery, 

Dedicatory prayer at the graveside was given

by Bishop Lawerence Jacobsen.

Another newspaper article reporting his death did mention that his wife Susie Hepworth preceeded him in death and that he was survived by a foster son Robert Mitton. It makes me wonder if he did keep in touch with Susie and Robert all those years after seperation.     

       Three Hepworths living in Albion died in 1947.  First was Charles Vern, Uncle Ed's  younger brother by two years, he died on 30  April 1947, then Uncle Ed in July then only twenty days later their mother, my great grandmother (we called her Nana) Sarah (Sadie) Kidgell Hepworth died on 16 Aug 1947.   All well loved in the small town of Albion nestled in the beautiful Magic Valley of Idaho.

   

Renée