Mary Caroline Turnbaugh

• Name: Mary Caroline Turnbaugh
• Born: April 25, 1842 Pittsfield, Illinois
• Died: August 1914 Provo, Utah
• Related through: Dan's grandfather Heber Langford

Mary Caroline was the first child of Isaac and Parthena Davis Turnbaugh. Parthena was a member of the LDS Church when Mary Caroline was born. In 1852, at the age of ten, the family crossed the plains in the James W. Bay Wagon Train. They settled in Centerville, Utah after arriving in the valley. James Harvey Langford was in the same wagon train and they were married five years after their arrival. Mary Caroline was 15 and James Harvey was 25. Their first home was in Willard, Box Elder County where five of their 11 children were born. In 1865 they moved to Panaca, Washington County, (now Nevada) where the last six children were born, Mary being 33 at the birth of the 11th child.

Coming from this pioneering background, Mary Caroline was able to cope with and manage the frontier ways necessary to survive and care for her family. All of her children grew to maturity under her care. She was a woman of intellectual ability and was chosen to learn midwifery. She delivered many of the babies in Panaca, and many of her own grandchildren. Of all the babies she delivered safely, she was unable to save the life of her own daughter Mary Caroline Kimball. Isaac and Mary Caroline had gone to pick up their daughter who was soon to deliver and carry her to Panaca so her mother could attend to her needs. Accidentally, the daughter fell off the back of the wagon, went into labor and died during childbirth.  Tragically, the baby died soon after they returned to Panaca.

When she delivered her grandson Ernest Langford, the son of James Harvey Langford Jr., marshals came to the house and tried to take her daughter-in-law, Rose Ellen, to testify in court against her polygamist husband. Mary Caroline grabbed a shotgun and dared them to arrest her and the marshals left.

Mary Caroline divorced James Harvey in 1880 when her youngest child was four years old. One of the causes was his temper. She married Isaac Riddle as a second wife in 1886 and was sealed to him. During their marriage she did much temple work for her ancestors in the Manti Temple. In some sessions James Harvey was also a participant. Mary Caroline and Isaac were later divorced also.

In her later years she lived in Provo where she passed away in 1914. She is buried in the Manti Cemetery.

This article was written by Sharlee Doxey Rands for the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.

Rosabell Pitkin

• Name: Rosabell Pitkin
• Born: June 27, 1863 Millville, Cache, Utah
• Died: April 23, 1940 Hyrum, Cache, Utah
• Related through: Dan's grandfather Lynn Crookston

Newspaper obituary obtained from the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers museum.

Mrs. Rosabell Pitkin Crookston, 76, widow of Robert Crookston Jr., died at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Dalton M. Reid of Hyrum, Tuesday afternoon after a long illness. Mrs. Crookston resided in Logan at 434 West Second South Street, but recently had been living with her daughter.

She was born at Millville, June 27, 1863, a daughter of Ammon and Olive Chase Pitkin. She was married in the old Salt Lake LDS Endowment House in 1878. Her husband died in May 1928. After leaving Millville, Mrs. Crookston lived in Rexburg, Idaho for six years before coming to Logan where she resided for 48 years.

Active in the LDS Church she worked in the Logan LDS Second Ward for the past 40 years. Mrs. Crookston served with the Relief Society for more than 30 years and had worked in the Logan LDS temple for 40 years. During the World War she was a member of the work committee of the Red Cross and received national recognition for her work. She had three sons serving in France during the war.

Melvin Castleton

• Name: Melvin Castleton
• Born: March 14, 1900 Salt Lake City, Utah
• Died: June 2, 1998 Tremonton, Utah
• Related through: Dan's grandmother Melva Castleton

I was born March 14, 1900, to Arthur Robert and Ellen Woolley Castleton at the home of my mother's sister, Aunt Stella Snowball, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

My father, Arthur Robert, was the seventh child of James Joseph Castleton and Francis Sarah Brown. James Joseph was born January 25, 1829 in Lowestoft, Suffolk England. He was a rope maker and fisherman in England. Francis Sarah Brown was born in Pulham Market, Norfolk England, the fourth in a large family of fourteen children. It was necessary for her to work out as a servant girl in Lowestoft where she met and married James.

They were converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in 1863, immigrated to America. They sailed on the ship Amazon to New York Harbor, and took a train to Florence, Nebraska where they joined the Ricks Company to cross the plains. It was a hard trip with four little boys and Grandma expecting her fifth little one; there were very few wagons and they walked every step of the way. They arrived in Salt Lake Valley on October 4, 1863, and Grandma gave birth to her fifth son in December.

Grandpa (James) became a gardener for Brigham Young. Father (Arthur), their seventh child, was born May 16, 1868 in Salt Lake City. He often told of seeing and speaking with Brigham Young and taking vegetables to his wives, who he said were "fine" women. Grandma Castleton and her older boys opened the first Castleton Store in their home, with the help of her very young son Arthur Robert. At first they just sold things that women use in sewing and some dry goods. Later a store was built on the corner of L Street and 2nd Avenue which supported them after Grandpa's death in 1882. They also had a family orchestra and played for dances. This love for music carried over in my parents' home. Grandma was a wonderful woman, very strong in the Gospel.

My mother, Ellen Woolley was born in Leicester, Leicestershire England to Emanuel Woolley of Leicester and Ann Cheney of Blaby, Leicestershire England. Emanuel had been raised Catholic and joined the LDS church when he was seventeen years old. Ann and her mother Mary Goodman, who was a widow, had joined the church when Ann was a young girl.

Emanuel and Ann married and had a large family. Mother remembered that they always had missionaries in their home in England. She also remembers that their relatives disliked the "Mormons" but one uncle was friendly to the daughters of the family and would give them fruit from his fruit stand. I remember Grandfather as a real student of the Bible, and Grandmother as a sweet quiet little lady.

The Woolley family emigrated from England in 1880. Grandpa Woolley worked at the shoe store at ZCMI. They lived in a little house on 27th and L Street set in the back of a yard full of roses. Although mother was only twelve years old when she came to America, her speech reflected prominently her English background. She was a refined, cultured lady who read a lot and held spiritual values.

This pretty English girl walked past the Castleton Store where Father worked, and finally they met. They had a lot in common; they both loved music and sang in the Tabernacle Choir when Brother Evan Stevens was director. They loved the gospel and had a happy courtship. Arthur and Ellen or Nellie as she was called, were married May 29, 1890 in the Logan Temple. Grandma Woolley was a wonderful cook and gave a nice little reception at the Woolley home.

Soon after their marriage, Mother and Father bought a lot that was at one time part to Brigham Young's apple orchard. It was near 7th East and 12th South. (21st South is now where 12th South was then) They build a lovely little brick home and lived there about ten years. They attended the Forrest Dale Ward where Dad was the choir leader.

Art, Harold, Ruth and Wilford were born there. I was born at Aunt Stella Snowballs' home in Salt Lake City. As Mother's health was poor, the doctors advised her to move to a high, dry place. Father had always desired to farm so we sold our home in Salt Lake and moved to Idaho.

I was about a year old when our family moved to a small farm in Pleasantview, Idaho, about eight miles west of Malad.

My first memory of the farm at Pleasantview was a brick home to which we added several rooms. It was a pretty area with a pond, green meadows and trees. We bathed in a round bathtub in the kitchen; Mother mixed bread; we played games of hard ball and horseshoes and we caught crawfish and frogs from the pond. We had chores of feeding livestock, milking, and carrying water to the house from a fresh spring by the creek. When we were real small we went to the little white one room schoolhouse on the hill.

When I was about three years old, Mother took me visiting in Salt Lake City. Mother was a good friend of a daughter of Wilford Woodruff. We went to visit her in her home and she insisted that we spend the night. Mother was always so proud and felt it such an honor that we slept in Wilford Woodruff's bed.

Mother often told of an incident concerning me that took place at Pleasantview. I had fallen into the pond and when I was finally pulled out, was given up for dead; my family had great faith and through the power of the Priesthood my life was preserved.

It was here in our pond that I was baptized March 14 1908 by William Camp into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.

A salesman came along and wanted to sell us a piano for $500. Mother said she would buy it if he would throw in a violin. Ruth took piano lessons and I got the violin. Art played clarinet, Harold the trumpet, and Leonard the sax. Later Ruby and Don played the piano also. We had some great times; we really brought music into those hills of Idaho.

Father was the choir leader in this ward, also. It's often told how he would tie his horses to the fence at the church, go in and teach the Primary children a song, then go back to his plowing. Another story tells that as he led the singing he would pump the organ with one foot while Ruth played, as her legs were too short to reach the pedals.

In my younger years before I graduated from the eighth grade I spent some summers in Salt Lake City where I helped in the Castleton Brothers Store. I stayed with my brother Art at Uncle Frank's home. I remember that my Uncle Jimmy was caretaker at Liberty Park, and he taught me to ride a bike there. During these summers I was able to take some violin lessons from a Mr. Shepherd. He gave me a lot of encouragement, as he felt I had a lot of potential as a violinist. I really enjoyed playing with an orchestra of young people in the Forest Dale Ward while there; I loved playing the violin and I've always had an interest in good music.

Father worked hard to give us the necessities; we were always clean and dressed neatly. We were not poor, but we were not the most prosperous. Father's endeavors as a farmer were not very successful, so he spent several winters in Salt Lake working at the Castleton Brothers Store. He was also employed at Waldron’s Store at Samaria, Idaho, his family still trying to run the farm. Harold was Mother's right hand man, as my oldest brother, Art, was going to school and working in Salt Lake City.

I have such fond memories of Pleasantview; three babies were born there; we had good friends and of course our music, we had some wonderful times.

In 1913 Father sold the farm in Pleasantview and bought a dry farm at Holbrook, about 20 miles west of Malad. This was a very isolated area, so we also had a home in Malad and attended school there. In Holbrook we didn't irrigate but had a well. Our home was a frame lean-to with a windmill in back; we had a few sheds and a stable.

My best memory of that place was a pony which I claimed as my own. It was born kind of immature; it was a scrub and we didn't think it would live. I babied it along and finally got so I could ride him. I was with him every chance I had; I really loved that pony. On the picture of the Holbrook house, I am on my pony.

I remember the entertainment at the church; again we had a little orchestra where I enjoyed playing my violin. Being an isolated farm community, we were very close and had great times together.

We sold the dry farm in Holbrook in about 1918. Malad was our home from then on. We lived in a house on the hill about four blocks north on the east road leading from town. There was a steep hill with poplars growing on it leading to the gravel pit where we often played as kids.

It was about 1913; I was the oldest going to school and was to take Ralph, Leonard, and Ruby to school for the first time in Malad. We were just green kids from the country, so I took each of them right to the class where they looked about the age of the other pupils. Then I went to class where I thought I belonged. Very soon E. M. Decker sternly called me out of class, demanded to know who I was, where I came from, and where the other kids were that I had brought with me. He put us each in the right classes and all turned out well.

In my school I was never a star, but I was an above average student. I went to school with Herbert Thomas, Mary Ward, Annie Evans, Eva Jones and I guess my best friend was Owen Howard. He lived just a few blocks from us; I knew him all my life. He was a reliable guy and we did a lot of things together. My brother, Harold married his sister, Hilda.

I remember a fad of the girls wearing hobble skirts. One girl in particular always liked to be in style and was one of the first to get a tight hobble skirt. She came strutting along and fell flat. A bunch of us boys sat and couldn't help but laugh before we finally helped her up. One day after school I had to stay in and draw a map. When I finished I went running down the stairway when out of nowhere E. M. Decker appeared. He grabbed me by the back of my collar and every button popped off my shirt. I was really nervous about going home, I didn't know how I would explain this to my mother. I still remember how it felt when he yanked on your hair right at the back of your neck. We always liked to play marbles, when the girls didn't bother us.They always came around begging to play with us.

After eighth grade I spent a summer at Brady, Montana working for the Great Northern Railroad, with my brother Art. He was the agent and taught me telegraphy. I thought I wanted to be a teacher, so I returned to school that fall. After high school money was scarce, so there was no thought of further education or a mission. I went back and worked on the railroad.

Our home was a place where our friends always felt welcome. Each Sunday night friends would gather after Sacrament Meeting and sing, eat, and have a good time.

Our family had a lot of fun; we had very high standards and were religious. I will always remember that when I was a young man, Joseph F. Smith came to speak in Stake Conference in the old Malad Tabernacle. He was the President of the Church, and walked in slender and tall in a white suit, with his long white beard. The congregation stood and sang "We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet". I felt very impressed that he was a Prophet of God, this has always stayed with me.

Father was a strict disciplinarian who liked things in order, but was very cheerful and a lot of fun. He kept a beautiful garden and yard, umpired baseball games, and called out the numbers each Wednesday night at the picture show on bank night. He was Justice of the Peace for thirteen years. He inspired people to sing; when he got up to lead you'd better sing! He was an honest religious man. Mother told how he gave our milk cow to the Bishop for tithing. The Bishop credited him for the cow, then told him to take it home and use the milk for his family. Later they were able to buy the cow back and complete their tithing. Father loved music, sports, gardening, his family, but most of all he loved my mother.

Mother was a gentle gracious lady. She had a delightful sense of humor and always took time to give us her attention. She read to us, told us stories and helped us whenever we needed her. She was a clean person, but things didn't worry her; people were more important. She loved everyone and never ever said an unkind thing about anyone. She was always cheerful and when she felt that Dad was worried or had a lot of pressure she would leave the family to eat their supper and meet him at the gate with a picnic lunch for two. She always kept her genteel English ways; we loved to tease her because she never caught on to a joke.

It was about 1920 when I left Malad. Jobs were hard to find, and I hired on at Union Pacific Railroad. I started at Garland and lived at Bishop Munns' home. Art was the agent there at that time. It wasn't long before I was bumped and moved on to another place. I worked at Garland, Utah, Emmett, Idaho, and Glenns Ferry, Idaho. I liked to take my violin with me but my practicing wasn't appreciated at some of the boarding houses. I believe the Railroad gets into your blood, as I still get a kick out of playing with a telegraph or seeing a train.

In the spring of 1928 I came down to visit Leonard, who was living at Landvatters and working for O.P. Skaggs in Tremonton. Leonard played saxophone with an orchestra at a dance in Corrine at the Masonic Hall. This is where I first saw Ruth. She was wearing a red dress, and she was the most beautiful girl I think I'd ever seen. She and Grace Thompson had come with Ben and Gladys Elleson. When they walked in, Ruth asked who the guy was with Herman Landvatter. Grace said, "Oh, just some traveling salesman." During the evening Ted Hone, an old friend from Malad who with his wife Lena, was now living next door to Grandma Getz went over to Ruth and told her that there was a guy over there who wanted to meet her. We met and danced several dances. After that we corresponded, and I came down more often to visit. Two years later we were married.

Sunday February 16, 1930, was our wedding day, I came down on the train to Deweyville, where Ruth and Ike met me. There to surprise us were Ben and Gladys Elleson, Ben and Mamie Winzler, Grace Thompson and Ann Miller. Ben Winzler was wearing a ten Gallon hat and tried to lasso me; I came very near running right in front of a big freight train going at high speed on the next track. I was pretty nervous that day.

We drove Ike's car back to Malad and we were married at my folks' home by Bishop Thomas D. Evans. Mother cooked a lovely family dinner. We returned to Tremonton the next day where Ruth's friends had a reception for us. Thursday we left on the train for our new home at Glenns Ferry, Idaho. I had rented an apartment, but in the meantime had been bumped, so we went to a one room apartment in Minadoka. I worked nights for the railroad, but was soon bumped again and was sent to Nampa. We were in Nampa three days when I found there was a vacancy in Emmett so we packed up and moved again. We were there two and a half months when we were bumped again. We had a pass to use up our vacation, so we went to Utah for two weeks and had no idea where we would be after that.

We were pretty tired of railroad life! On our way back to Emmett we had a layover in Boise, so we went to Safeway's head office. Fortunately they had an opening the next day in Ontario. We went back to Emmett, packed our things, caught a train to Ontario, and walked the streets looking for a place to stay. I even worked a few hours that night! We enjoyed three months at Ontario; then Safeway transferred us back to Emmett. We loved Emmett and were happy to be back among friends again.

On January 7, 1931 Melva was born, and on May 26, 1932 Maxine arrived. There was no hospital in Emmett, so they were delivered in our little apartment by Dr. Cummings. With each baby Grandma Bertha Getz came and helped us for a couple of weeks. Our recreation was putting the babies in the buggy and walking down to the depot to watch the trains. We couldn't afford a show; which were 25 cents each, plus 25 cents for a babysitter. We made some lifelong friends there.

After two and a half years in Emmett we moved down to Tremonton, Utah where I worked for Safeway again. The depression had hit hard, Grandpa Getz and Mary, Ruth's sister, were out of work. Ruth was able to get on at J.C. Penny's, so Grandma and Mary cared for the children, Ruth and I paid for groceries and house payment, while Erv and Ike paid for coal and lights. They had a large home and garden so we made out very well. Times were so bad. Many weren't able to make their house payments, therefore losing their homes. We were happy to make it through and keep the house.

The Getz’s were of Swiss-German descent, and spoke the German language a lot in their home. They were members of the Apostolic Christian Church, but had no regular minister as most of their people had moved back East where they had come from. Ministers often came from the east, and church was held in the Getz living room, the sermons and songs were in German. They were strict living, good Christian people.

Grandma Getz was a large, good-hearted woman. She had a lot of boarders and worked hard cooking big meals and keeping up her big home and garden. She loved our children and they loved her. Grandpa Getz was a softspoken, kind, white haired gentleman, reminding me of a distinguished senator. He kept busy with a large garden, a cow, and chickens. They cleaned many eggs and sold them to the Poultry Plant.

After living at the Getz's for two years, we bought a small home south of town from Aunt Hulda Meister for $l,500.00. I was making $20.00 a week and, our house payment was $20.00 a month. In those days a loaf of bread cost 4 cents, eggs were 15 cents a dozen, butter was 30 cents a pound; bananas and oranges were a real luxury. I was working until ten or eleven o'clock at night six days a week at Safeway. I was offered a job at Gephart's for $80.00 a month, and I thought I'd like the change. I was working with Fred Gephart and his son Wes.

On June 1, 1938 Gary arrived. He was delivered by Dr. White in the Getz home. I finally got my boy and I thought I was about the happiest guy on earth.

About this time, I wanted to get back into grocery business, so I went to work for Gus Forsberg in Garland. We bought Getz's 1934 Plymounth; this was our first car. After driving or riding my bike to and from work about a year we bought a lovely home in Garland. We enjoyed our neighbors Art and Ruby Felsted, Gus and Margaret Forsberg, Charley and Bell Woods, and the Elmer Jenson family. The kids made a lot of friends and enjoyed school there. We were close to Gus; we picnicked together, and our girls tended their babies. I was known as Shylock and Gus as Little Ceasar. We did a lot of practical joking and I enjoyed my work a lot.

I remember well the Sunday the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Many friends and nephews were called to serve in World War 11. The U.S. had joined the Allies against the Central Powers of Europe. Our lives changed; war was everywhere, in the newspapers, movies and radio, causing much fear and hatred. Our business was affected. There was a great shortage of tuna, marshmallows, bananas, pineapple, and many other luxuries we had become accustomed to. Rationing of sugar and gas was put into effect.

In 1943 I decided I would like my own grocery store, I thought if I could make money for someone else, I could make money for myself. We bought a store in Logan on 4th East and Center. The family lived in the back and again we made many friends. However things were not on the up and up; there were legal entanglements, back taxes and payments, therefore we were unable to get a clear title. Realizing the overwhelming problem, we got out of it and moved back to Tremonton.

Back in Tremonton I managed American Food Store until the former manager came back from the war. Then I started working for John Laub and his sons Merrill, Max, and Rex at O.P. Skaggs. The store was located a few blocks west on Main Street. The Laubs were great people, making this the best move I ever made. We had such good times. As always Ruth pitched in and helped, going to work at J.C. Penneys again.

I believe the whole family enjoyed being home in Tremonton. We lived in an apartment in the back of Burgess Plumbing Shop, one door south of the First Ward Church. The kids enjoyed school and being with old friends and their Grandma and Grandpa Getz.

The war was still raging. Many foods were scarce so I would keep my eyes opened bringing Grandma Getz coconut or pineapple on occasion and she would make me a pie. The war finally ended in Europe in May 1945 and in Japan, August 1945. There had been no fighting on our shores, but there was much fear and many lives lost. Harold's boy Stan was killed and many friends and neighbors lost their lives. Some of the men had been in prison camps and many returned wounded. It was such a wonderful feeling to finally be at peace again.

In 1945 we bought our home at 352 N. Tremont St in Tremonton. It was located across the street and up the block from the Getz home and just through the block from Sam. We agreed to pay $5,700 for it without even seeing the bathroom, as Mr. Olsen was taking a bath when we were going through it! This has been a wonderful home for us.

The next few years brought a lot of changes to our lives. Ruth left Penney’s and started to work at the Post Office, her parents passed away. Grandma died on the 24th of December 1945 and Mary moved from Peoria, Illinois to live with Grandpa and Ike. February 23, 1950 Grandpa died and Mary returned to Peoria. Ike built a small home on the lot in back and to the north of the old home. He became more and more crippled, then he was hit by a fire truck on Tremont Street in front of our home and was in braces and in a wheelchair until he died. Ruth helped him a lot with canning, mending and laundry. I helped him in and out of bed and with his bathing, he would sit in a wheelchair all day. Sam's wife, Mary died in 1949 so Ruth helped him a lot also. The kids all finished school at McKinley and graduated from Bear River High School. They played in the band and orchestra, and Gary and Maxine sang in the choir. Melva received a scholarship to the Nursing Program at the Thomas D. Dee Hospital in Ogden and has lived there since.

On June 21, 1950 Maxine and Gary were baptized in Tremonton, and on March 4, 1951 Melva was baptised in Ogden. For several months Melva's missionary friends from Ogden, Clifton and Maurine Rhead, drove to Tremonton each week to teach Ruth the missionary lessons. They were wonderful people and taught the gospel beautifully. I will always remember the night Ruth asked for baptism; Gary threw his arms around his mother and sobbed, "Now we will be a family!" I had always known this would come about some day. On August 1, 1951 I baptized Ruth and on February 16, 1955 we were sealed in the Logan Temple for time and eternity.

Father (A.R. Castleton) and Mother were in poor health for several years. Don and Elaine lived with them and cared for them; as their children came, they moved to a place of their own, but were still close enough to help. Ruth and Roy moved back from California to live with Mother and Father, and care for them along with Roy's Mother, Victoria Davis. Mother and Sister Davis did a lot of reading together and enjoyed each other a lot. Each Wednesday Harold went up to Malad and each Saturday I would go up to give Ruth a hand. On January 31, 1956 Dad passed on, and on November 4, 1960 Mother joined him. We felt much love and peace in their passing; they lived good lives and were sweethearts to the end.

After graduation Maxine married Roger Taylor, and the next year they gave us our first grandson, Jay. We were thrilled, and enjoyed him so much. They moved to California and Barbara and Bruce were born there.

Melva graduated from the University of Utah, with a bachelor of science degree from the nursing program. On March 4, 1955 she married Lynn B. Crookston, a dentist from Logan. They live in Ogden and have twelve children: Wendy, Becky, Miriam, Sarah, Peter, Wayne, Paul, Elizabeth, John, Emily, James and Michael.

Gary served in the Southern California Mission. On June 28, 1963 he married Marilyn Call. He finished school at Utah State University with a degree in civil engineering. They moved to California where nine children have been born to them: Amy, David, Laura, Denise, Heidi, Melissa, Daniel, Rachael, and Deborah.

In 1959 I was hired as City Clerk. After a few years I went out to Thiokol and retired when I was 65. I couldn't stand retirement so I got on at D&B Electric, where I've worked part time in the last few years. DeVerl Payne, the owner, says he'll tell me when I can retire.

We have enjoyed many nice trips and outings with our friends. One summer we went back to Michigan with Les and Dee Garfield to pick up their new car. On the way back we stopped to visit the relatives in Peoria.

In 1965 we went to the World's Fair in Calgary, Canada with Grace and Mel Homer, and in 1967 we went to Hawaii with the Bunnell Travel Agency. We had such a great time seeing the sights with Frank and Ada Chadaz and Lee and Evelyn Fuhriman. We have been on several outings with Wes and Lois Dustman, including one to Elko, Nevada, and one to Evanston, Wyoming. We drove to California with Duane and Ellen Crompton one summer. In November, 1973 we took the train to Peoria and drove on to Akron, Ohio with Henry and Bert. Once there Henry celebrated his 70th birthday. We went on with Henry and Bert to Levittown, Pennsylvania for Joan Maria Contento's wedding. In 1982, Elizabeth flew to Peoria with us to Helen's funeral. Most of our traveling is to visit our children. I don't think we have missed a year going to California since Maxine lived there. We have gone with Melva's family to California several times. Lynn and Melva go on a lot of short trips to the mountains, Bear Lake and around in Utah and Idaho so we get to tag along. Roberta Fronk called to see if we would like to send anything to Peoria, we jokingly said "just us," We went along and had a wonderful time.

Back in Tremonton we don't have much time to get lonesome. We have always been very close to the grandchildren. We spend most holidays with Melva's family and it is a tradition to bring a bunch of the grandkids home to Tremonton with us during Christmas and Thanksgiving vacation and also during the summer. Maxine's children visited almost every summer when they were younger. Gary's family has visited each summer and we have been able to enjoy and feel very close to each of our grandchildren. Now we are also able to enjoy great grandchildren.

June 28, 1983 Maxine married Tom Boots in California. Gary married Ruth Robinson on May 8, 1986, so now there is another Ruth Castleton.

Throughout the years we have kept busy and active in the Church. I served as a Sunday School Superintendent when we were newlyweds in Emmett, Idaho and again here in Tremonton First Ward for many years. I have served as a Stake missionary, ward clerk, High Priest group leader, and secretary to the High Priest group leader. Apostle Harold B. Lee set me apart as ward clerk. He looked around the room and said he felt the wives needed a blessing. Ruth was always so pleased to tell she had a blessing from Harold B. Lee, especially when he became president of the church. I was always a Ward Teacher or Home Teacher.

I love my wife Ruth, she is beautiful, fun and she was such a great support in every way. I love my children and grandchildren. I am proud of them and their accomplishments, and encourage them to keep the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ and love one another. If they do that it about covers everything.

I (Melva) will finish Daddy's last few years.

Mama passed away May 15, 1987. This was rather sudden and Daddy missed her so much. He was independent and lived alone and worked for several years after. He was always in high spirits and had fun with everyone. One day he told me that someone remarked on how well he had taken her passing. He said he missed Mama so much and he hoped we realized how he missed her. He said no one really knows but it wouldn't bring her back if he were bitter and moped around. It seemed he wanted to make others comfortable rather than complain.

He was with us most of three winters. He would call someone in Tremonton almost every day and so many friends called him. He had a lot of visitors, Carl King even brought his mail down to him. Many friends came to see him they almost all brought candy. I would take him up for a visit and to go to church and bring him back again. He was so much fun with the kids and their friends. Our neighbors and members in church made a big fuss over him. Several guys in our ward had known him years before, they had delivered bread to grocery stores and some had even lived in Malad years before and knew him there. Everyone got to know him and enjoyed talking to him. He seemed like a part of our ward.

In June of 1994 Maxine and Tom moved to Tremonton to care for Daddy. He enjoyed being in his home, he became more and more frail.

He finally passed away on June 2, 1998 after being in the hospital 28 days. As we cared for him at the end I told one of my friends that he was so polite and appreciative, how he expressed his love to us even when he was in great pain and not really with it. My friend remarked that this showed his natural goodness to the very core, as he was concerned about our feelings, and tried to make us comfortable. His attitude reflected his love for his fellowman and his Savior.

His funeral truly reflected his life, as friends and grandchildren prayed and spoke. Emily sang "O MY Father" and the Castleton Men, Uncle Don, young Don, Doug, Lowell, Jerry and Gary sang "Jesus Lover of my Soul." Uncle Don remarked that he could imagine Mel, his brothers and his Dad singing along with them from the other side. This was memorable, as the Castleton's always loved to sing when they were together.

Thanks to Grandma Melva for sharing with historty with us.

Byron Crookston

• Name: Byron Crookston
• Born: June 22, 1893 Logan, Utah
• Died: June 9, 1976 Logan, Utah
• Related through: Dan's grandfather Lynn Crookston

I, Byron Crookston, was born June 22, 1893, at Logan, Utah. My parents were Robert Crookston, Jr. and Rosabell Pitkin. I was the sixth child in my father's family of ten children, six boys and four girls.

My parents were very poor. Father worked in Logan Canyon in the timber, getting out logs and sold them to the saw mills for very little money. We never owned a home, but always had to pay very little rent. We didn't have much furniture and our food was mostly home grown, as father had a large garden. We always had a cow, so we had our own milk and butter.

When I was about eleven years old, my father bought a lot on 434 West 2rd South in Logan. My father and older brothers got the logs from the canyon and had them sawed into lumber and built a four room house with two bedrooms upstairs and two rooms down. There was a large shanty attached to the house. There was a dirt covered near the back door. In those days very few had bathrooms or city water. We carried water from a ditch by the front gate.

I attended Logan City schools. My first teachers' name was Miss Rose Jones. I liked school but thought I had to stay indoors too much.

When quite young, I used to go thin beets for fifty cents a day. On Saturdays and in the summertime I used to work at Bordens Condenced Milk Factory for a dollar a day. It was located close to my home. I also worked there when I attended the Agricultural College, for 35 cents an hour. The summers of 1909 and 1910, I worked in Thatcher's Flour Mill for 1.75 a day ten hours a day. I earned my own way through school. The registration fee was from $11.00 to $15.00 a quarter. I first took carpentry, and later subjects leading to forestry.

The summers of 1911 to 1914 I worked for the Cache National Forest, mainly in Logan Canyon, on roads and trails, telephone lines and bridges. In the spring of 1915, Charley Goodman and I went to San Francisco and the San Diego Worlds Fair. We went on the train. The winter previously we had run a shooting gallery and saved our money for this trip.

Later in the summer Charley and I made a trip with team and buckboard from Logan to Burnes Oregon, looking for homesteads. Early in 1916, Charley Goodwin and I moved to San Juan County in Utah and filed on a homestead near La Salle while I worked for the General Land Office Survey, surveying the Utah-Colorado border.

In the fall of 1914, I took an examination for forest ranger and passed. In the spring of 1917, I got a job as forest ranger on the Caribou National Forest in Idaho with headquarters in Montpelier. This district included Montpelier, Red Mountain, Wells Canyon, and Georgetown.

I used to stay at the Alleman Ranch on Crow Creek overnight. The Alleman’s ran a dairy, milking 75 to 80 cows, and made Swiss cheese. The place became quite an interesting spot for me as there was a young girl who kept house for her father and two brothers.

A married brother, Abraham, and his family lived just across the creek from their house. Emeline milked about 25 cows night and morning and was a good worker. She was also a clean housekeeper. Whenever they worked out with the animals in the corral, they would change to old clothes, and Emeline would wear a man's old hat since they lean their head against the cow as they milk. She never wore jeans or pants, but an old dress. She was too timid to let me see her in these old things, so she would get dressed in them, and then crawl out a back window and beat it for the corral. I never liked to milk cows, so I usually managed to stay away from the corral. One time I was going to be nice and help her. However, I was so slow that she milked ten cows while I was still on the first one. This was enough for me.

Since there were very few cars at that time, it was hard for them to get away from the ranch. I had two saddle ponies, so we would often go for a ride. Our love for each other increased rapidly.

The first part of September in 1917, I left the Forest Service and joined the army. On October 13th Emeline left for a mission in the Northern States. I went to Washington, D.C. to the American University and took military training there for about three months. On New Year’s Eve, I sailed for France with the Tenth Engineers Battalion.

There were 10,000 soldiers on that ship. This was the largest ship at that time, it was called The America. It took 11 days to cross the ocean and arrive at Brest, France. I stayed in the harbor 3 or 4 days, then went on the train to Blois, France. We camped there for about a month, then went about 50 miles south of Bourdeaux. A saw mill was set up and I worked in the timber for about a year. On New Years Eve of 1919, we left by train for Brest, France, and camped there for a few days before sailing for the United States.

When we first heard about the armistice, it was a week early and a false alarm. There were no radios, but passed from one fellow to the other. At the news we all quit working and went back to camp. But we didn't just sit around talking as there was plenty to do. We had over a 100 horses to take care of. The next day we all went back to work. When the real armistice was announced a week later, we didn't believe it, but just went right on working.

On the way home, we stopped at the Azores for two days to take on coal. Then we went on to Newport News, Virginia. We stayed at Camp Funston in Kansas for a few days where I was mustered out of the army February 14, 1919. My train was delayed a few days on account of deep drifts of snow. I arrived in Logan the 20th of February. The severe epidemic of influenza was raging in Cache Valley, and everything was closed for public gatherings except the Temple.

On Mar 12, 1919, Emeline and I were married in the Logan Temple by President Joseph R. Shephard. We lived at Brigham City at Aunt Mary Farmer's two room house for several months. I had a job there as a guard for the railroad. I was paid $4.00 a day. Later we moved to Logan and rented a house on 5th North for $13.00 a month. We went to the temple often.

Our first baby was born January 4, 1920 on a Sunday afternoon about 4:00 P.M. We were so happy and proud to be parents of such a darling baby boy. We named him Lynn Byron.

In May of 1920, we bought a shabby little place on 340 North 3rd East where we are still living. We worked hard to clean up the lot and fix up the house so it was fit to live in. We always had a nice garden of all kinds of vegetables and beautiful flowers.

Our second baby was born the same year as the first, On December 30, 1920. His name is George Warren. Lynn didn't walk until he was 14 months old, so they were almost like twins, since George walked at 11 months.

My brother Bob and I worked together as plumbers. Bob owned a small truck, and we made barely enough to exist. There wasn't much building going on at that time so it was all repairs.

On June 29, 1922, our third baby was born, another son. We named him Ray Benjamin. He was such a good little baby.

Our two rooms were getting too crowded for our family, so we built on two bedrooms and a bathroom. We did most of the work ourselves. My wife was a good worker and she helped me with everything. I also helped her with the house work. When our house was finished, we were quite comfortable and happy.

Our fourth baby came and we were so happy to have a little girl. We named her Lola. I remember Lynn said one time to his mother as she was holding baby Lola, "Aren't you glad no one else got her?" She was born August 24, 1923.

On January 17, 1927 we were again blessed with a lovely baby boy. He seemed to be very healthy. Our other children had the measles and we think he got them and it affected his heart. He died when he was 12 days old. We were very sad, as we surely all loved him dearly. We had a little funeral here at our home. Uncle Nick gave a comforting talk.

Two and a half years later, on June 29.1929 on Ray's seventh birthday our sweet little girl Donna came to bless our home. We were very happy to have another little girl. My wife had all our babies at home. Dr. Eliason was our doctor. The cost was $35.00 each time. Her sister Sarah took care of her the first few days. Mrs. Bird was with us when Donna was born. Along in March, our children had Scarlet Fever and we were quarantined. I went to a Veterans Hospital in Boise, Idaho for a hernia operation, and was gone two weeks.

In 1933, I went to work in a Civilian Conservation Corp Camp in Logan Canyon from April 1 to November. In 1934, I went off to Mt. Nebo district for the CCC works for #30.00 a month, plus board and clothes. My wife and children managed to live on the small sum without going into debt, with a good garden and groceries that were much cheaper then. We bought our milk for 5 cents a quart, margarine for 16 cents a pound, and peanut butter for about 15 cents a pound.

From November of 1933 to April of 1934, I worked in Black Smith Fork Canyon for the Forest Service, making camp tables and guarding the place. I was paid $75.00 a month. Then I worked with Bob about two years, and took out my own plumbing license. Later when my boys were old enough, they helped me and we had enough work so the boys didn't have to look for other jobs. In April 1941, I started to work for the Agricultural College. I worked in the boiler room for five years, then started to do plumbing repair, heating and other pipe fitting jobs. I worked there for fifteen years.

In 1955, I had two major operations. The one was for the prostate gland, and the other came two weeks later when a tumor was removed inside the spinal cord. I was in the Verteran’s Hospital in Salt Lake City for about three months. My folks came to see me quite often; even Ray and his daughter Gail came from Independence, Missouri and were here for Thanksgiving. I suffered terrible pain at times, but was always helped when administered to. Since my operation, I haven't been able to work.

When a young boy, I would go ice skating on the canal near home, and skiing on the foot hills. In the summer, I would go fishing in the river. When I was seventeen I shot my first deer. In 1922 they closed the season for five years to build up the herd. I didn't go hunting until about 1925, but haven't missed hunting except two or three years since. I usually shot a deer and it supplied us with winter meat. For about twenty years I worked in scouting. For many years I went with the Bridger men on trips to the Salmon River, Yellowstone Park, and the Windriver Mountains. The group numbered from 35 to 100. I always enjoyed the trips, especially when my sons could go along. In 1957, my grandson David went along. We went to the Windriver Mountains. We had buses take us as far as Pine Dale, then by truck to higher elevations. This is the first time I used a saddle horse on these trips. In 1952, I went with the College Summer School to Yellowstone. We camped on the southeast arm of Yellowstone Lake. There were about thirty six of us.

All my formal schooling was in Logan, Utah where I grew up and lived most of my life. The first were grade schools, the Woodruff, Ellis, and Ballard. There were no junior high or high school as we have now, but the grade schools were about eight years. Then we went on to the Agricultural College. I would register in the fall and pay my tuition each quarter, but about April each year I would run out of money to live on, and go out and get a job. The only ones who certified to get a diploma were usually the school teachers, anyway. Most of my classes were leading up to forestry. When I did get a job with the Forest Service, I took the Civil Service examination and passed it. I did go to the college most of four years, but never got a degree. Most of my life I worked as a plumber after I left the Forest Service.

My first position in leadership was as a counselor in my Deacon's Quorum in the 2nd Ward in Logan. Then I became a Ward Teacher, and did this along with other jobs for over fifty years. In the 5th Ward High Priest's Quorum I was Assistant Group Leader, and was on the Genealogy Committee. For many years I worked in scouting and went on many trips with my sons and their friends. For forty years I did temple endowments each year, then after I retired in 1962 I did more. The summer of 1962 I became a Temple worker, checking the men’s rolls.

I have been in France, Canada, Mexico, Hawaii and 36 of the states. Since we were married, we have been on several nice trips together. In October, 1944 Lynn drove Emeline and me to Sioux Falls, South Dakota where Ray and Marvel were stationed at the air base during World War 11. There we saw our first granddaughter, Marnita, who was a year old and just learning to walk. We stayed there about a week and came home on the bus, since Lynn drove on to Ann Arbor, Michigan where he was attending dental school. The bus went to Sioux City, Iowa, Omaha, Kansas City and Independence, Missouri where we visited Marvel's parents.

In July 1951 we went with George and his wife Virginia to Yellowstone. In 1952 we went to Grand Canyon and Las Vegas and Manti. In August of 1953, we went with a group of temple workers to the Palmyra Pageant in New York for a 19 day trip by bus. We visited Lynn at Tohatchi, New Mexico where he was in the Public Health Service doing dental work among the Indians. In September 1955 we went with the temple workers again on a tour of the temples in Manti, St. George and Mesa. We visited Clem and Carl, my brothers in Mesa. It was extremely hot. We also had a wonderful trip by plane to Hawaii with the temple workers and toured the islands there. We have many pages of interesting reading about our trips with the temple workers.

Emeline died August 11, 1975. Grandpa was lonely but kept the home so nice and tried to keep it a welcoming place for us. One morning Grandpa didn't show up at the temple for his assignment. He was never late so the workers were concerned. They called his grandson, Gregory Jenkins who was living in the basement. He went up stairs and Grandpa was in bed, he just peacefully slept and had joined Grandma in death, June 9, l976, just eight months after she had gone.

Thanks to Grandma Melva for providing this history for us.

Emeline Allemann

• Name: Emeline Allemann
• Born: June 16, 1890 Bern, Bear Lake, Idaho
• Died: August 11, 1975 Logan, Cache, Utah
• Related through: Dan's grandfather Lynn Crookston

Emeline was born June 16, 1890 in Bern, Bear Lake County, Idaho to George Allemann Sr. and Anna Maria Gredig.

My earliest recollection was when I was about three years old. Mother had a large wooden cradle. I recall my brother George rocking me to sleep by singing "Now Let Us Rejoice in the Day of Salvation."

When I was five years old, my brother Edwin was born. One afternoon, which was the 7th of September, Sarah went with Matthew, Annie and myself with my older brothers down in the south bend where they were building a fence. When we came home Mother had, to our surprise, a little new baby boy. A midwife had delivered him.

In the fall of 1899 my parents prepared with much rejoicing to go to the Logan Temple and have their endowments and their nine living and three deceased children sealed to them. I recall well how we went in three covered wagons down Mink Creek Canyon. We stayed with an old couple by the name of Latterman on Fifth North Street in Logan. They were very nice to us. They had fruit trees. I recall Mother was afraid we would eat too many blue plums.

The 11th of October, 1899, I guess was about the happiest day of Mother's life. We all went to the Temple and were sealed as one family. On our way home it had snowed in the canyon and the road was muddy. It was hard for the horses to pull the load, so we had to get out and walk up the steepest hills. We didn't have galoshes, so Mother put some heavy homemade men's socks over our shoes.

We lived in lower Bern, about two miles from the meeting house. It was only a one room meetinghouse which was also used for our schoolhouse from the first to the eighth grades. I started school when I was six and was very thrilled with it. I loved to read from the big chart at the front of the room, John T. Rigby was my teacher. Our neighbors, the Buehler and Bienz families, and we would ride in one big bob sleigh to school. There were about ten or twelve of us. We had lots of fun.

I remember the day I was baptized. It was Sunday afternoon on May 20, 1899, in upper Bern in an irrigation canal. There were quite a number of others baptized that day.

My parents were immigrants from Switzerland and lived in poor circumstances. They had four small children. One died in Switzerland before they left. The others were J. Peter , Sarah, and Abraham. Abe had a hard time to survive on the three week trip on the ship. They came as far as Evanston, Wyoming by train, from there on a wagon. The driver was partly drunk, so gave them a rough ride. They first went to Nounan and worked in a dairy. Later they moved to Bern and homesteaded the place where Edwin now lives. They built a one room log cabin with a dirt roof and floor. There several babies were born.

My father's sister came with them from Switzerland. Aunty Basy, we called her. She is the only relative I ever saw or knew outside of my Father's and Mothers own family. Basy had arthritis ever since she was eighteen years of age. She wasn't married and always lived with my father's family. She was a great help to my mother. She was one of the kindest and sweetest, patient ladies I ever knew.

Mother had twelve of her children with a midwife to assist. When the twins were born, Matthew and Annie, the old dirt roof would leak and my Aunty would hold the umbrella over the bed where the babies lay.

The year before I was born Father hauled logs from the canyon and had them sawed on all four sides and built a house. It is the one that is still on the homestead. At that time, it was by far the best home in Bern. I was the first child born in it, and I am the tenth child.

Father always had enough work for the children and kept them home. In the summer he made Swiss cheese. He didn't have enough feed for the cows, so he went to a small valley twenty miles from Montpelier called Ephraim Valley. There was lots of good feed and water there. He took cows on share from people in Paris and Montpelier and made cheese and gave them half. We milked about fifty or sixty cows daily.

Father took the boys and Sarah to the ranch and Mother always stayed in Bern with the smaller children and took care of the place there. She worked hard as she always had to chase stray cattle out of the meadow and fix fences. When I was about ten or twelve, I too went to the ranch and milked cows. Sarah got married so we hired a girl, Lena Bienz, who was my age, and we kept the house and milked the cows. She was my lifelong friend

Later Father bought Crow Creek, a large ranch where there was plenty of feed for the cattle. My brother Abe homesteaded there and when he got married, lived just across the creek from us. His wife, Lizzie Bueler, Lena and I would go fishing on Crow Creek. This was before automobiles, so there weren't many fishermen around. This was our main sport; we loved to go fishing. We always came home with a good mess of native rainbow trout.

It was too far to go to Sunday School or church, so on a Sunday we would go visit our neighbors about a mile or two away, the Books ranch, the Wells ranch, and the Wilkes at the half-way; or else we had them come visit us.

We had snow in the mountains until about the latter part of June. The boys would ride horseback to get some snow and we made some of the best ice cream you could wish for.

There used to be lots of sheep herders on the forest reserve and there would be sheep men around. They would bring us some mutton. Once in a while we would be invited to a sheep camp for dinner and sometimes their wives stayed with them a couple of weeks.

We would also pick wild berries and strawberries at the edge of the meadow. They were small, but very sweet and good flavored. We could usually get enough for at least a dish. There was a beautiful spring of water a fourth mile from the house where wild gooseberries grew. We also got service berries in the mountains.

Lots of times we would go on a hike with my brother. I recall one time Lena and I had new shoes. We wanted to go to the Snow Drift Mountains west of our house. We could go horseback to the foot of the mountain, then hike to the top. It was a strenuous hike and we almost wore out our shoes. Matthew and Edwin were with us. We always had to be back in time for milking as we each milked about twenty or twenty-five cows.

I recall when the haying season was on and the boys didn't have time to milk. Lena and I milked most of them, one evening I milked forty-three cows. This was the most I ever milked at one time. Father would have calves tied and the cows ready so I could just go from one cow to the other. He would also empty my milk buckets. I think I milked more cows than anyone else.

Father made the best Swiss cheese. In the fall he would always take a wagon load to Logan to sell. He would bring back a load of fruit, mainly apples and pears and some prunes and plums. He always took one of the boys with him. They would be gone about a week. We children would anxiously look for them to come back and run to meet them. Father would pick us up and give us a nice apple. We had shelves in the cellar and we laid them out so as to keep longer. In the evening before we went to bed, Mother would give us all an apple.

We had very little canned fruit. We had a small garden and berries. I remember our Christmases were very meager. The ward had a children's party with a community tree where about one or two presents were hanging on the tree I remember I received a picture album once and another time a pretty cup and saucer. Santa Claus would come and give each their present, also a bag of candy and nuts. Sarah would make us each a new dress for Christmas.

I remember so well my sister Annie, about ten, and I seven, received the first nice doll. An old trapper by the name of Will Adams lived down by the river, who used to come around quite often. He played Santa Claus. He had a big bag on his back and a Santa Claus mask. He liked Sarah and when he came up from the barn, Sarah said, "Oh look, girls! Here comes Santa!" We were so scared we ran and hid under the bed. We bawled and didn't want to see him. But we each got a beautiful, large doll; one dressed in pink and the other in blue.

When my sister Annie was thirteen years of age diphtheria came to our community and very severe cases in our family. It took the lives of my sister Annie and my brother Benny, seven years of age. Annie died on the 17th of June and Benjamin on the 1st of August. Previous to this, in the year 1899, Mother lost two little girls, Elsbeth and Marie, ages six and four, within two weeks apart, from malaria fever. This was before I was born. Mother and Father had lots of hardships, but in all their trials, they would acknowledge the hand of the Lord. They never had a photograph of these girls. I dreamed I saw a photo of them, when I described it in the morning to my mother, she wept.

I guess I was about thirteen or fourteen when I first had dates. I think Ezra Kunz was my first beau and I would go to ward and school dances with him. We went in sled and there were several couples together. We had good times as everybody exchanged partners and everyone danced square dances, waltz, two-step, tucker dance and polkas. The tucker dance was a mixer where someone would clap their hands and the girls would move ahead marching a while and change partners.

Chris Petersen would play the fiddle and someone the piano. Matthew also played the violin, so the orchestra didn't cost much. Young folks from surrounding towns would come to the dances. I had several boyfriends. In the summer of 1917 I met my future husband on Crow Creek.

Byron Crookston was a forest ranger for the Caribou Forest. He stopped at our ranch quite often and I began to think he was a very nice fellow. He was quite timid and so was I, especially when I had to go change my clothes to go milk cows. I would leave him sitting in the front room and I'd go to the laundry room to change. Then I'd crawl out of the back window and out to the corral so he wouldn't see me in the old clothes.

Byron didn't very often come to the corral, but one time he offered to milk. He wasn't used to milking, so was very slow. I guess I milked three cows to his one, so he didn't offer again.

We used to go horseback riding and our love for each other increased. In September of 1917 he had to leave for the Army. We went to Bern together as I wanted my mother to meet him. The next day I saw him off at Montpelier. It was surely hard to part as we both felt we were meant for each other.

I had a call to go on a mission to the Northern States and left home on October 3, 1917. Sarah went with me to Salt Lake City where I went through the Temple and had my endowments. I was set apart for my mission by Apostle Rudgar Clawson. We also attended conference. I left Salt Lake City on October 10, 1917.

It was my first long trip on the train. Bertha Hymas from Bear Lake Stake was going to the Eastern States, so we had a berth together. Chicago was my headquarters. There were six of us lady missionaries and four elders in the company. I stayed in Chicago several days and had district conference. Then I went to Council Bluffs. Sister Ellsworth, the Mission President's wife, went with me.

We had district conference there with ten elders and five lady missionaries. It was the West Iowa Conference. Sister Florence Child and I were assigned to Boone, Iowa. There was a small branch and two elders also labored there. I had the experience of speaking on a street corner and drew a pretty good crowd.

Sister Child was released and left for home on the Dec 7. I was alone for three days, then Eletha Simmons came to be my companion. We went tracting a lot and made lots of friends. One day we witnessed a cyclone. It was one warm summer afternoon. We were out gathering in some of our Books of Mormon as we were to be transferred. Suddenly some dark clouds appeared. We decided to go to Strobel, one of the families of Saints, and do a little sewing. It got almost dark and Sister Strobel hollered, "Oh, a cyclone!"

We looked out of the window and saw timber and stuff flying in the air. We were only about a block away. It lasted only a minute, but blew houses away. It took the porch off the house we had planned to go to, just before we decided to quit.

The Hollomans, a family of Saints with two little children, were in their home which was moved off the foundation over against another house and a huge tree fell where their house had stood. It picked a cow up and carried it a block, but left it unhurt. It only passed through a corner of the town, but destroyed everything in that part.

Another unusual coincidence happened while on my mission. One day as we came in from tracting at noon our landlady said she had heard that a train of soldiers was coming through Boone from the West. My youngest brother, Edwin, was at Camp Lewis in Washington. Sister Simmons and I thought we would go see if anyone we knew could be on it, s the train would stop for about ten minutes.

We watched them line out of the car one by one like cattle. To my happy surprise, here came Edwin. He spied me about the same time I saw him. I heard him say, "Oh here she is." The lieutenant told him to step outside the line and we had a short and enjoyable visit. He was on his way overseas to France.

I labored in Boone, then a short time in DesMoines, Iowa, when I recieved word from my Bishop, Robert Schmid, that my mother was seriously ill. They thought it best for me to come home. This was truly a very hard thing for me to do, as I so much enjoyed my mission and hoped to stay for two years. I only served not quite a year.

I arrived home on August 13, 1918. Mother got well again and was able to go to Logan to the Temple. In February, 1919, I also went to Logan.

The war ended on November 11, 1918. This was the happiest news I had ever heard as my sweetheart and my brother Edwin were in the Army. They would all come home.

On March 12, 1919, Byron and I were married in the Logan Temple. This was indeed the happiest day of my life, in spite of the flu which was raging so badly that all public places of gatherings had to be closed except the LDS. Temple.

Byron had a job in Brigham City guarding the railroad at $4.00 dollars a day. We lived in Aunt Mary Farmer's little home. In August we rented a place in Logan on Fifth North. On January 4, 1920, our first baby, Lynn, was born. Byron was so good to me and helped to care for the baby. In the spring of 1920 we bought a little old place on 340 North 3rd East, where we have lived ever since.

We could not afford to pay much for a home and we had been taught not to go into debt. We had looked around for some time and I am sure we were inspired to buy this place. At the time I cried and told my husband I thought I deserved a nicer home. But we cleaned it up and later started to build on to it, and then we made it modern. We always worked together. I helped with the carpentry and he helped with the house work.

On December 30, 1920, our second child came. We named him George after my father. So we had two babies born in the same year. Lynn didn't walk until he was fifteen months old. Both babies were born at home. My dear sister Sarah, always took care of me and the babies for the first twelve days.

On the 29th of June 1922 another little baby boy came to bless our home. We named him Ray Benjamin. He was such a good baby that it made it easier for me to watch the two older live wires. George walked when he was eleven months old.

August 24, 1923, we had another baby and were so thrilled when we had a darling little girl that we named Lola. Little Lynn was so happy and said to me, "Mama, aren't you glad nobody else got her?" While I was in bed, Byron finished our bathroom. Was I ever happy! Soon after, he finished the two bedrooms.

We had a lovely garden and raised all the vegetables we needed, also flowers. When the boys were old enough they would take the little wagon and load it with vegetables and sell them. They would come home so happy with the money. We sold it cheap enough so they always got rid of it.

On the 17th of January in 1927, we were blessed with another sweet boy. He seemed healthy at first, but the older children had measles and he may have gotten them, too, which affected his heart. He died when he was twelve days old. We named him Rulon. It was so hard for me to take as I loved him so much. We had a little funeral at our home. Uncle Nick Crookston gave such a lovely sermon, which gave us comfort.

On June 29, 1929, we were blessed with another darling little baby girl. We named her Donna. Mrs. Florence Bird, a neighbor who was a nurse before she married, took care of me. Beatrice, my niece, stayed with us a short time while she worked in town.

Lots of things could be mentioned about the children as they grew up and our early married life. The place we bought was just two small rooms, was very dirty and we had to put in a new floor. There wasn't even water on the lot. We had to carry it from the neighbors. Wild plum and chokecherry trees grew around it like a forest. We surely worked hard to clean it up. My husband was a plumber, so we soon had the water in the house. Our lot was mainly in grass and weeds.

We had a little garden in our front yard for a few years. I remember we also got a cow and had her staked in the back yard. I milked her most of the time. Where the chicken coop is now was the stable for the cow. One time we just had a ton of hay delivered and some boys in the neighbors lot set it on fire while we were gone. The firemen were here and saved some of it, but it was water soaked. We soon sold the cow and had chickens. My brothers gave us a pet lamb which was lots of fun for the children.

Byron made swings and trapezes for the children and there were always lots of the neighbor children around.

Byron did plumbing with his brother Bob the first year, then for himself. When the boys were a little older, they would go with him and help. So they all learned to do plumbing. There was always a lot to do on the place as we soon had the lot plowed. We planted berries and trees. We always had a lovely garden and raised all the vegetables we needed the year around.

In the fall Byron went hunting and always got a deer. When the boys were old enough, they would go with him. They all loved the mountains and would go for hikes. We never had to worry about our boys rambling around town. Often the neighbors who had boys would call to see if their boys were here and if so, would say, "I never worry if they are with the Crookston boys."

All our children grew active in the church. Lynn was the only one to go on a mission. Ray was a Stake Missionary for a short time, but by the time he and George were old enough to go on regular missions, they were in the service.

All our children married lovely companions who came from prominent and good families. Lola and Donna each married sons of Stake Presidents. All our children were married in the Temple, and are now raising lovely families. I hope they will all follow in their parents' footsteps.

We now have 45 beautiful grandchildren, all beautiful and normal in every way. I am thankful for each and every one of them. (They ended up with 50 grandchildren.)

Now in conclusion, I am most grateful for my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for all the wonderful blessings He has given me. My great desire is that I may live true and faithful to the end and that all of my family and loved ones will all be true Latter-day Saints so we can be one great family in the hereafter.

Thanks to Grandma Melva for providing this history.

Mabel Pett

• Mabel Arminta Pett 
• Born: October 15, 1898 Ogden, Weber, Utah
• Died: January 5, 1935 Tremonton, Box Elder Utah
• Related through: Erin's grandmother Margaret Udy

Mabel was born in Ogden at home. Her family moved to Ophir, Utah when she was two years of age. Her father went to work at Edwards Dry Good Store as a butcher. George and Dell Pett Edwards owned and operated the store for many years. Dell was Mabel’s aunt. The store was a typical old time country store having hardware, groceries, clothing and everything else that the miners would want to buy. Ophir was a busy mining town located up one of the canyons southeast of Tooele and east of St. Johns which was the nearest railroad stop.

Mabel always had the responsibility of tending her younger two sisters. There was a small creek that ran close by their small frame home that they played by and washed in during the summer. In the spring there would be a large amount of water run off the steep mountains.

When Mabel was eight years of age the family moved to Brigham City. They bought a half block of land on 6^th North and 4^th to 5^th East. They built a small frame house on the corner of 6^th North and 4^th East. The barn and pigpen was on the 5^th East side of the lot. They planted all kinds of fruit trees and grew all kinds of berries. The girls hated to pick the gooseberries, they had so many thorns on the bushes and the berries were so small.

Her father opened a grocery store and butcher shop on North Main between 2^nd and 3^rd North on the west side of the street. Mabel didn’t work in the store as she preferred doing the housework at home and the cooking. Her mother was a very good cook and she passed this art on to Mabel. Mabel was on of the best cooks I know of. Many a good meal I have had to her and Austin’s home.

Mabel was baptized in Brigham in the old Tithing Office. They had a baptismal font in this building where all the children went to be baptized which was a big improvement over the North Pond.

She first went to school in the old 4^th Ward Amusement Hall, which had one large room made of adobe bricks. Wires were strung across and curtains pulled for different classes and rooms. This building was located on 3^rd North and 1^st East.

For Junior High she went to the Whittier School that was located on 2^nd South and 1^st West. It had rooms and two floors with a steeple on top and a bell. She went to the old Box Elder High School that was located on 4^th East and Forest Street. She walked to all her schools in all kinds of weather. When the snow was deep a neighbor, by the name of George Freeman, made a snow plow with two boards and made a path for all the children in the area to walk in. They used to have a lot of snow blizzards on the flat that would fill in the path and make large drifts to climb over. But they had fun doing it.

Mabel had all the childhood diseases that were common in those days, measles, whooping cough, chicken pox and diphtheria. Her sister Lucille had scarlet fever but she escaped that one. She and Lucille both had typhoid fever, Mabel having a severe case. There was no city water down that far out of town so all the people living in the flat (as it was called) got their water from an irrigation ditch. They people had asked the city to put water down there but refused. While Rae Pett was nursing here two sick little girls she decided she would fight to get the city water down there to them, so she and Dr. Pearse put up a fight and won the battle. A hydrant was put on the outside of the house and they were very thankful for it. Her mother was a very talented practical nurse and it was all that good nursing that brought all her children through these diseases.

After Mabel graduated from high school she went to work in the County Courthouse as the Assistant County Recorder. Her cousin Rilla Pett was the recorder. When Rilla moved to Salt Lake City wither family, Mabel was appointed County Recorder until the next election. She ran on the Republican Ticket for County Recorder and won the election. 

By the time she went to work her brother had grown up, so her drover her to and from work in a one seated buggy they had purchased to deliver groceries in. They had a horse named Nell for many years, she pulled this buggy around for them. They all loved this horse like a member of the family.

While Mabel was attending high school she met a good-looking man from Riverside, Utah named Austin Udy. He came to Brigham for his education as Box Elder was the only high school in the county at the time. They started dating and going out together. After graduation and while she was working Austin continued to court her driving in from the Valley in this Page automobile.

When they were first married they lived in a small three-room frame house in Riverside with a water pump in the pantry, but no bath and no electricity, but they were very happy.

Mabel and her mother were very close and they missed each other very much after she moved, but they talked on the phone and visited each other often. The Pett family was very close, they all got together for all the holidays and it was usually out to Mabel and Austin’s for Thanksgiving. In fact, after I got in the family it seemed to me every Sunday dinner was like a Thanksgiving feast at either Mabel’s or her mother’s, both of them being such good cooks without much effort.

Mabel and Austin moved into the south side of the Udy home and his mother lived on the north side. Mabel was very good to her mother-in-law and helped her in many ways. After her death Mabel and Austin rented her side for a year and then used the whole house themselves. I remember how excited and thrilled they were when they got electricity.

Mabel’s first child was born in the little house and it was a most difficult birth. The doctor has such a hard time delivering the baby that it died during the delivery. Mabel was ill for quite some time after. Austin took her to her mother to nurse and take care of her. Between her mother and a doctor her strength returned, but it took quite some time for her sciatic nerve that was damaged to heal. She had a limp for quite some time.

When Margaret and John came along she went to Brigham and stayed with her mother and Dr. Pearse delivered the babies without much trouble. When Joyce was born it was another difficult birth. She was born in the hospital in Tremonton. However, Mabel died of complications following childbirth eight days after Joyce’s birth. 

Mabel and Austin were very much in love and lived a very happy life. They both liked the farm and the raising of animals and produce. Mabel always kidded Austin about having such an easy life sitting on a tractor and riding around all day on the dry farm. Once when his alfalfa was ready to harvest his brother-in-law, Carl, came over and asked him to harvest his that day. Austin was so good natured he said yes and did Carl’s.  That night a hail-storm hit Austin’s place and wiped out his crop. He swore never again would he be such a good Joe.

One day we went out and Austin started laughing and said they had started a new fad of serving parsnips with ice cream. They had a Farm Bureau dinner and each of the ladies were to bring something. Mabel and Clara Welling were in charge of it. When they served the dinner the had overlooked the breaded parsnips a lady had brought so when they served the ice cream and cake they put the parsnips on the plate too. Austin was sure teasing her about it.

Mabel and Austin both had a great sense of humor, love and compassion. They always made you feel welcome in their home. Bud and I both loved them very much.

This history was written and compiled by Viola Pett, sister-in-law and Lucille Pett Rees, sister. Copied and printed by Christine W. Mooney, granddaughter, June 1978.

Arthur Robert Castleton

• Name: Arthur Robert Castleton
• Born: May 16, 1868 Salt Lake City, Utah
• Died: January 31, 1956 Malad, Idaho
• Related through: Dan's grandmother Melva Castleton

Arthur Robert Castleton was born May 16, 1868, in Salt Lake City, at 736 Second Ave. They lived in the 20th ward in the LDS Church.

His mother was Francis Sarah Brown of Pulham Norfolk England. His father was James Joseph Castleton of Lowestoft Suffolk England. Their home where he was born was a sun dried adobe made of dirt from the same lot on which it stood. It was on the corner, the first Castleton Store was part of the same building. Arthur was the seventh child of the family. Arthur's mother and father had crossed the plains, walking every step of the way. His mother rode only one-half of a day in a wagon drawn by oxen. They arrived in Salt Lake in October and Dec 29th of the same year (1863) Jim was born, while the neighbors held umbrellas over the bed because rain washed the mud through the dirt roof above the bed.

"We were a wonderful family. We really enjoyed each other. We'd sing together, work together, pray together and play together. Father would sit on the old back porch and listen to his family until midnight. All would sing, even I though a very little boy." Arthur played a tuba and alto horn, Jim played baritone, George played violin (he died at age seventeen), Will played flute, Frank played cornet, Charley played bass fiddle (He was one of the best in his day) and Wall played the triangle in the band and the organ. "We had a good time."

As a little boy Arthur carried vegetables from the garden into Brigham Young's home. Arthur's father   was Brigham Young's gardener. Arthur said his wives were, "Dandy women." He remembers Brigham Young ruffling up his hair and asking whose little boy he was. Grandfather said he was James Castleton's boy. Brigham Young said, "You're Jimmy's boy, well he's a fine man."

Brigham Young had upper and lower gardens. His lower gardens were west of State Street, down to the tithing offices, where the church offices now stand. The upper gardens, east of State Street were mostly apple orchards, they raised hundreds of bushels of apples. He also owned an apple and cherry orchard and a walnut grove down on 12th South. Arthur wound pick the fruit and he and Jim, his brother would carry it to market.

Arthur first went to school in a small room taught by Mrs. Tollet, then the free school was started at the 21st Ward, his teacher was Hyrum Barton, he was crippled. He used slates to write on and he got to the third reader. They had to buy their own books. He learned the multiplication tables under Mrs. Tollet and he had never forgotten them.

They went to Lindsay Garden or Fuller Hills on school excursions. They had swings, croquette sets and dances, all of which they paid for. Mark Lindsay used to make ice cream and Arthur would help him freeze it for a dish full. He said Mr. Lindsay was a good saint; he had two wives and always went to church. The boys would ask him for beer. He would yell that he wouldn't sell beer. Then he would motion to them to come in the back and sell it to them. If they wanted to play ball on Sunday, they would have to go way up in the foothills, where they had a good ball diamond which they called the Ben Brickeny flat, Arthur loved to play ball.

Arthur was baptized in the old Endowment House in 1877 by John Keddington and he thinks Andrew Burt confirmed him. The old Endowment House stood on the northwest corner of the Tabernacle block. He was baptized again April 29, 1890 before he went through the Logan Temple at the time of his marriage.

He went to Sunday School in the 21st Ward for eight years and never missed once. He mashed his toe during this time but he went to church anyway so he could keep his perfect record.

Arthur attended the old University of Deseret when it was located on West Temple. He went to school two or three years, but didn't finish as his father became ill and he was needed at home.

He said he always had a lot of girlfriends. He said if there is such a thing as love at first sight he had it when he saw Nellie. He told Jane Rackham, an English girl who made her home with them, that he was going to make a "mash" on that little English girl, whom he hadn't met, and some day he would marry her. Ellen (Nellie) Woolley used to go past the store and he would watch for her every day. If she came into the store, he would give her a piece of candy. He didn't really meet her until she moved into the 21st Ward with her parents. They became friends as they always went out in gangs. He finally got the courage and asked if he could take her to a dance at Lindsay Gardens. He played baseball that same night so he changed his clothes at her house. As soon as they left, her sisters dressed up in his baseball suit, they were always cut-ups.

Arthur said up until the time he was married, he had to get home by ten o'clock. He stayed a little later for a dance, never until midnight. He remembers Grandma coming up to Grandpa Woolley's place to see why he hadn't come home. Grandma Castleton got him out of bed to go with her to find his brother Jim several times.

They had a happy courtship, belonging to the same ward. They both loved music and sand in the ward choir. They also sang in the tabernacle choir.

Arthur proposed to Nellie by her old gate, they had gone together four years when he asked her to marry him and were engaged another year before they were married. He gave her a ring shortly after they were engaged; it was a single garnet with two pearls in a gold setting.

They were married in the Logan Temple, 29 May 1890. They went to Logan by train. The officers at the courthouse wouldn't issue them a marriage license because they thought Nellie was too young. They called Salt Lake City to prove she was old enough and so they had to wait until the next day. They hired a horse and buggy and rode up Logan canyon on what they called their honeymoon before their marriage. Brother Marriner Merrill was president of the temple at the time of their marriage. This was a happy day, they knew they would be together forever.

When they returned to Salt Lake City, the 21st Ward brass band of which Arthur was a member was at the railroad station to meet them. They took Nellie and Arthur didn't see her until the reception, which was held at Grandma Woolley's home. It was a wedding dinner, a hot meal, ham, roast beef and chicken, vegetables, puddings and pies, with ice cream and cake before the guests went home. Everyone was invited, friends, neighbors, relatives and the brass band. Nellie's dress was a thin white material with orange blossoms for her bouquet, and Arthur gave her a gold necklace as a wedding present.

Arthur worked all the time at Castleton Brother's Store, 736 Second Avenue and received $40.00 per month as wages. They rented Mrs. Dover's house for six months and then built their first home on 12 South and 7th East on a piece of ground that was part of Brigham Young's old apple orchard. It was a three room brick house to which they later added a frame kitchen. There were large trees in front of the house and a white picket fence all around the yard. It was in this house that their first five children were born, Arthur Jr., Harold, Wilford, Ruth and Melvin. Ralph was born at Grandma Woolley's home.

They felt their wages enabled them to live in comparative luxury. They bought a beautiful bedroom set for $55.00 and used the chest of drawers all through the years of their married life. Their first stove was a small Charter Oak stove (not a range) with a reservoir, but it was a good cooker. However, a story is told of one of the cakes that came from this oven was so hard that Uncle Tom Woolley who was visiting them threw it against the wall and it bounced back and mother began to cry. I believe they were all a bunch of jokers.

It was while living in this house that Arthur received a call from the First Presidency of the Church to go to Canada to help build the canal from Lethbridge to Cardston. Bishop Jenson of their ward did not want him to go because of what he was doing in the ward music, and all his friends told him he must not go. He believed in being obedient to the call of the authorities, so he went to Canada.

Uncle Art remembered the preparation to go; he wrote that he had a companion, Angus Davis. "A wagon, horses, and a lot of other equipment were all loaded in the box car at a siding on the D. & R. G. Western Railroad not far from our house. It was all very exciting for us kids. Finally everything was loaded and a freight car was picked up by a passing train with father and Mr. Davis in the car. Mother and we kids who were left behind were rather sad that night.

Dad thought Canada was the most beautiful country that he had ever seen. The grass was abundant and he said he got sea sick walking in the waving grass. The ground was most fertile, the vegetables were delicious, and the potatoes were the largest he had ever seen. Arthur thought that he would like to live here always.

They arrived in Canada late Saturday night and expected to unload their horses and cows from the freight cars early Sunday morning. Bishop Bradley sent word that this must not be done, because Canadian laws would not permit anything to be done on Sunday. The Red Coats would arrest them if they did. They arrived in Canada in April and worked during the summer months. The Stake President with them was Ted Wood, he was a very fine man.

Arthur was filling slush scrappers when one of the horses gave a lunge and the scrapper handle hit him in the side and he was plunged forward and hit a large boulder injuring his spleen. He lay for about six weeks in his tent.

One afternoon, the other six men had gone into Sterling, it was Saturday and they wouldn't be back until Sunday afternoon. They had killed a beef and left it hanging in a well to cool. Not twenty feet away, Dad was lying in his tent; he could hear a pack of wolves at the well trying to get the meat. Dad lay on his elbows watching the wolves fight, scared to death wondering what would happen to him. They fought for the meat until they killed each other, he felt very blessed as they could easily have killed him.

He sold his horses and all his equipment so he could have money to live but, he didn't have enough money to get home. Dr. Young came from Salt Lake City, looked at Arthur and said he must get home at once. Elder John Taylor said he must go home but did not give him the money to go. (Arthur had idolized John Taylor, but became a little bitter and it was many months after he returned home before Nellie could get him back to church) An English convert, a Brother Schut came to his tent and told him he could lend him the money to go home but needed to be paid back soon because he wanted to build a house before winter set in. Dad said he would send the money to him the day he got home, and he did. Dad was sick for better than a year. Bishop Jenson was wonderful to him, he told him that he should never have gone to Canada. Dad still felt good about obeying the call.

In Salt Lake City, each child of the family could tell of many incidents about living there. They had a great bull mastiff dog that played with the children. Dad looked out on the lawn one afternoon and the dog had Ruth's arm in his mouth. Dad immediately gave it back to Uncle Tom and the dog was sold to the circus for $50.00. The family was accustomed to taking rides into the pleasant surrounding country with their horse and buggy. On one of these rides Harold fell out and lay in the road. They went on some distance, then asked, "Where is Hallie?"Artie explained, "Oh he fell out way back there." They went back for him and found him just lying on the road, unhurt. On another occasion, when the boys were climbing trees in the front yard, Art fell and was caught by the seat of his trousers. A passerby rescued him and took him to the house with the remark, "Why do you have children if you can't take of them?" About this time Arthur and Nellie celebrated their tin (10 year) wedding anniversary. Relatives, friends and neighbors came from all around to help them celebrate.

It's funny to think of herding sheep down the streets of Salt Lake City. What is now 21st South was at that time 12th South Street. This street extended East up through Parley's Canyon and was the road that led up to Heber City. Grandpa told how he and another man drove his first herd of sheep down this way from Heber City in 1896.

In 1903, Arthur sold his home in Salt Lake, and with much prayer but without seeing the place first, moved the family to Pleasant View, Oneida County, Idaho. He was sorry afterward and would have returned to Salt Lake City, but Nellie would not hear of it. She said she liked it there; they made the move and must stick to it, besides it was a good place to raise a family. They lived in one log room and slept in a tent until they could build one large brick room, a pantry and a closet. They bought the land from Billie Price, a cattle buyer in Samaria. John Thorpe originally owned the ground. Jonathan Hughes from Farmington, Utah helped lay the brick for the house. Dad gave the bed to the set they had bought when they were first married, to a very poor family in Pleasant View. Dad also gave this family a cow. According to mother, Dad said he had just lent it to them but the cow never came back. When it came time for Dad to pay his tithing, he had no money so he took the only cow the family had and gave it to Bishop Hyrum W. Jones. The bishop credited him with the cow, and then told him to take it home and use the milk for the family. Later things opened up in such a way that Dad was able to buy the cow back from the Bishop and this completed the paying of his tithing.

Grandpa returned to Salt Lake City and worked for Castleton Brothers Store during the winter months to aid with the family finances. Nellie went back to Salt Lake for the birth of their son Ralph. She stayed at Grandma Woolley's home.

They had many hard times in Pleasant View. Crops were destroyed by frost; life was hard in this desolate area. Arthur often became depressed and his dear Nellie always knew ways to cheer him up, she was a constant support all their years together. Their ward was small in numbers and covered a wide area. They met in the one room schoolhouse. Grandpa donated part of his land for a new meeting house and practically the entire male membership pitched in to build it. It was brick and cement and the young boys and men put in some real hard days mixing cement. They were all proud when it was finished.

Many members traveled a long distance by horse and buggy on poor roads. Arthur and Nellie always had quests for dinner so they wouldn't have to drive back and forth between meetings. They always had plenty of chickens, eggs, milk and butter. Arthur had a wonderful garden full of vegetables.

They didn't have an organ or piano in their church so Grandpa would often haul their organ to the church. He would pump and lead as little Ruth would play; her legs were too short to pump the organ herself. Often he would be working in the fields, tie his team to the fence at the church and run into the primary to lead singing.

When he was chorister on the Stake Board he would visit all the wards. Riverside, Utah was part of the stake in these early days. It was 25 miles away so when he visited there they would leave early in the morning, about 3:00 a.m. They would heat rocks in the oven, wrap them in paper and quilts, put them in the sleigh and drive in the cold and snow to be there for Sunday meeting. He was always prompt. "If you're a minute late, you're stealing the Lords time."

In about 1913 they sold the farm at Pleasant View and homesteaded a dry farm at Holbrook. Holbrook is few miles west of Pleasant View and about 20 miles west of Malad.

At first there was no water on it, they hauled water in barrels from a mile away. After the barrels were full, a board was placed across the top of the wagon box. On one occasion Dad sat too close to the end and fell off the wagon, hit the wheel, and broke a number of ribs. It was twenty miles to Malad to the doctor and we had to wait until the doctor could drive out to us. Dad really suffered and was some time recovering from this.

Soon we dug a well and put up a windmill. Our home was a frame lean-to, we had a few sheds and stables. We had some fine neighbors, the Vanderhoofs and the Charley Wilcox family. We had some good times in this little farm community. We had our family orchestra, the church and our music brought us all very close together.

Holbrook was a real isolated area so they also had a home in Malad and the children attended school there. The home in Malad was on the hill about four blocks north on the road leading to town. This was a home where friends were welcome, and he had a beautiful garden. Here the children went to school, Dad was Justice of the Peace for 13 years, he worked in a hardware store, called out numbers each Wednesday night at the picture show on bank night, and I thought he must have the loudest voice possible.

Grandpa loved sports. He loved to play horseshoes; he was exceptionally good and took the game seriously. Even when he was too old to pick up the horseshoes, one of the boys would pick it up for him to throw and he could usually beat the game. His sons would rather go to a baseball game with their father than any other person, because he was so much fun.

His son Melvin said "Dad taught us children to sing and was happiest when he had a group of young folks around him singing. He was choir director in every ward he was in. He inspired people to sing and when he got up to lead, you'd better sing!"

Granddaughter Melva Castleton says, “As little girls, Maxine and I would visit them for a summer vacation. This was such fun as Grandpa and Grandma would meet us at the train station and take us to their home in the rumble seat of their little one seated coup, Model A Ford. They were jolly and fun loving, they made us feel like they loved having us there. Grandpa would always get up early, he would always be singing loud and call out to us and get out in his garden early. Grandma would giggle and they always joked around. While we were there we played a lot of Pollyanna, would go to a movie, go out for ice cream and visit all the cousins.

Arthur around 1940

They used to come to visit us in Tremonton. Grandpa worked in our yard which he thought was a lost cause. (It was) He would chop out all the hollyhocks, he said they were weeds. I loved them and told him our Heavenly Father made them.

He always went over to see our other Grandpa, Grandpa Getz, who lived across the street from us. He called him Brother Getz which always tickled us because we knew their differences about religion. Grandpa Castleton was very friendly and jovial, and Grandpa Getz very quiet and serious. They were so different but I believe really enjoyed each other. They would talk and go to the pool hall where Grandpa Getz would have his beer and Grandpa Castleton soda pop. They visited a long time, now I wonder what they talked about.”

Aunt Elaine wrote that Grandpa stands out because of the way he treated grandma. To him she was a delicate beautiful queen to be loved and cherished. He always kissed her every time he left the house and again when he returned. He could be very harsh and stern with any wrong doers but with her he was very gentle and kind.

He had great self-discipline and desire for perfection. His yard was so well cared for and beautiful. He wanted things done right and set a good example.

Uncle Leonard says his best memory of Grandpa was that he was such a great gardener; he had wonderful vegetables and the most beautiful flowers imaginable. He loved roses and had all kinds. I remember he had babies breathe which he would put in with the other flowers, making gorgeous bouquets. He always watered with the irrigation ditch and sometimes had words with neighbors as they would sneak water on his day.

Dad said caroling at Christmastime and New Years Eve was always a special occasion. We would practice for weeks on the carols and then pile into a big bobsled, filled with hot rocks to keep us warm. We would go to Samaria, Cherry Creek, Pleasant View, and then back around Malad. Mother always went with us. Dad was the happiest one on the sleigh.

One of his greatest qualities was his complete honesty and respect for justice. Uncle Leonard said one time when Grandpa was Justice of the Peace he and another young man were brought in before his father for breaking the speed limit. Leonard said he was fined a stiffer sentence than the other young man. Grandpa said, "He would never let it be said that he was any easier on his own son, who should have known better, than he would on anyone else."

Grandpa became quite senile and needed a lot of care the last few years. Dear Aunt Ruth and Uncle Don carried most of the load but the family rallied round to help. I know Uncle Art who lived in Salt Lake and Daddy regularly sent a check to help out. Uncle Harold and Daddy went up each week to spell off Aunt Ruth. They said he had hardening of the arteries of the brain; it may now be diagnosed as Alzheimer’s. He was unable to get around so at least he didn't run away. He was very mixed up; he would often go on about outrageous things.

He loved to talk a lot about living in Salt Lake and his father being Brigham Young’s gardener, how he as a little boy talked to him and delivered vegetables to his wives, who were "dandy" women. To the very end he loved to brag that he sang in the Tabernacle Choir and had seat #84.

He passed away January 31, 1956. I will always remember Grandma being held up to his casket, scolding him for leaving her. They were wonderful sweethearts to the very end.

Life story as told to Hilda Howard Castleton. Grandma Melva Castleton made some additions. Thanks to Grandma Melva for sharing it with us.