Pictures Featuring the Reid Smith Family

Three pictures featuring the Reid Smith family. These picture are taken from the DVD sent to Joe Stewart by Anne Bailey.

1956 picture of Reid Smith and his parents.


1956 picture of Reid Smith, his Mom and Collins arm.


1956 picture of Reid & Rhea Smith and Collins.

Vera Smith Stewart Memories of David and Rosie Smith

1912 = Vera Smith Stewart's personal history before her married life began. Joe Stewart does have her history for the rest of her life but did not send it at this time.

VERA AMANDA SMITH
Birth to Marriage history
Written by Joseph S Stewart 1986 to 1993

Vera Amanda Smith is the oldest daughter and third child of David Amanuel Smith and Rosie Sheppard. She was born 2 May 1912 at her parent’s home located in Darby Canyon, Teton county, Idaho. She had seven brother and two sisters. The photo is of Vera A Smith in 1914.


Vera's parents were employed mostly in agriculture and hauling freight while they were starting their family. They moved several times while having and raising the family. In 1913 the family moved from Darby Canyon to Marysville, Idaho where David Smith was employed hauling freight for the construction of the Jackson lake dam Located near Moran, Wyoming. David also acquired part interest in a forty acre farm in partnership with his brother Michael.

David sold his interest of the farm to his brother and bought a forth acre farm for the Smith family in Cache, Teton, Idaho for $50 per acre.

In 1919 David sold the Cache farm for $100 per acre and bought a two hundred forty acre dry farm located in Bitch Creek, Teton County, Idaho for $50 per acre. The family was unable to make a living farming this dry farm land and lost their investment during the next three year.

Some of the first memories that Vera has of her childhood are when she was seven years of age just starting school. Her mother was very concerned for Vera's safety because of the distance to and from school and would not allow her to attend school regularly. The Smith family had just move to the Bitch Creek farm which was located near Tetonia. The kids had to travel to Judkin to attend school. The Teton valley land was not completely settled and there was some fear of unknown people who wandered through the back trails. Vera was not promoted to the second grade at the end of the school year because of her poor attendance.


David built a horse drawn surrey for the kids to drive to and from school. His father had owned and operated a black smith shop and David had been trained in those skills. The kids used the Surrey to ride to school during the spring and fall. During the winter months they used a bob sled that was pulled by a team of horses. Vera remembers that on one of these trips to school they tipped the bob sled over which dumped them all out in the snow drifts. They got up brushed themselves off, turned the sled back on its runners, and proceeded on their way to school.

While the Smith family lived at the Bitch Creek farm, Vera had a couple of accidents that she remembers. One time she was playing in the hay loft of the barn and she fell through an opening in the floor of the hay loft. On the way down, she caught a nail that was sticking out from a board with the corner of her eye and tore a gash in her temple. Another time she just about got one of her fingers chopped off. One of her brothers was trying to chop wood with a hatchet. He missed the block of wood and hit her finger instead. The finger was not lost and has been normal except for the scar that is still visible.

3 July 1920 Vera was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. The baptism took place in an irrigation canal. Two other boys were baptized the same day. Vera was frightened after being dunked under the water and ran off down the road as soon a she could get out of the canal.

One day Vera's sister Beulah ran into the house very excited repeating the words "Clip Peasa". Rosie went back out side with her to see what was causing the excitement. Rosie found the family pony, whose name was Clip, standing on the crotch of Norris's trousers. Norris was unable to even get out of his trousers to get away from the horse. No one ever quite figured out what Beulah was saying except she may have saved her brother from being stepped on by the horse.

In 1921 the Smith family moved to Warm-River, Idaho for a short time. Reid and Elwin had the responsibility of herding the live stock from Bitch Creek to Marysville. There were two wagons filled with the Smith family possessions to move from Bitch Creek to Marysville. David drove the lead wagon team of horses and Vera was given the job of driving the second wagon team. Beulah rode in the wagon with Vera to take care of the family pet dog.

During the trip in the wagon to Marysville, they would stop occasionally to rest the horses and let the dog relieve himself. On one of these stops the dog ran around allot but did not take care of the call of nature. Shortly after Vera and Beulah got back on the wagon, Vera tried to help the dog by squeezing his sides. It worked and he went in her lap. Luckily she had on an apron which she removed and through off the wagon on the trail.

While moving from Bitch Creek to Marysville, Clip the family pony got loose and ran off. He was never seen by the Smith family again.

After spending a short time in Marysville, the Smith family moved to a rented dry farm which they operated for two years. The owner sold this land after two years and the Smith family had to move again.

The 22 February 1922 the Smith family was blessed with a new baby boy who they named Carroll LaGrand Smith. Rosie was failing in her health. David took Rosie, the baby, and Russell Heber a 15 month old boy to his brother’s home located near Marysville, Idaho where she could receive the medical attention that she needed.

The older Smith kids, including Reid Edward age 13, Elwin M. age 12, Vera Amanda age 10, Beulah Christine age 8, Norris William age 7, and Norma Irene age 5 were left home alone part time on the Warm-River farm for about two months while David traveled back and forth between warm River and Marysville. David made several trips so that he could be with and attend to the needs of his wife Rosie.

Vera remembers that during this time the Smith kids had some good times and some bad times. Vera got so upset with her brother Reid one day that she threw a kitchen knife at him. Since good luck prevailed, the knife missed him and stuck in the wall of the house instead of Reid.

Another experience Vera remembers during her Mothers illness is that her brother Elwin ask her to go hunting bear with him. Elwin and Vera got the family 3030 rifle and walked over a couple of hills in back of the family home. They did not find any bear but Elwin decided to fire at a target. The kick of the rifle sent Elwin flying backward onto the ground.

During Rosie's illness, Russell Heber took sick and died. Rosie always felt that if she had not been down sick in bed that she could have save Russell from death. Russell's death had a lasting effect on each of the Smith family members.

The Smith kids had to go four miles to and from school each day. During the winter months they would tie two skies together to form a toboggan. This would allow them to slide down hill most of the way to school which was located in the valley near the Warm River. In the evening they would walk up the slopes and pull their toboggan home. They had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories during these trips.


While attending school in Warm River, several of the school kids dug holes in the snow drifts. Vera got into one of these holes and the kids packed snow around her legs up to her waist. The school bell rang and all of the kids hurried off to their school classes except for Vera who was trapped in the snow. It took a long time and lots of wiggling before she could free herself from the snow bank. She was soaked to the skin and had to finish the
school day very wet.

One day Vera and her sister Beulah decided to go skinny dipping in an irrigation ditch located near the Smith Warm River farm home. About the time they were getting into the water some men came riding towards them on horse back. They had to scramble to get back to their cloths located on the canal bank so that they would not be discovered in their birthday suits. They had to climb through a barbed wire fence to get to their cloths. Vera got one of the barbs from the fence stuck in her back and still has a scar to remember the experience.

David Smith depended on Vera and her two older brothers to help with the farm work. Because she enjoyed this out door activity, Vera gained a reputation as being a Tom Boy. She remembers a fight that she had with a long haired blond girl. All of the girls were rooting for the blond while the boys were rooting for her to win the fight. There was no winner declared because a school teacher broke the fight up before it was finished. Vera also got in a fight with one of her boy class mates and was declared the winner.

The 29 March 1923 another baby boy was born in the Smith family. They named this child Doyle Bryon Smith. Since Carroll and Doyle were very close in age they were buddies through their growing up years.

In about 1923, the owner sold the Marysville farm that the Smith family operated. They then moved to Victor, Idaho where David went to work for the Utah Idaho Sugar company hauling Lime rock from a quarry to a rail road loading dock. The Rock was freighted by rail road to Lincoln, Idaho and several other sugar processing plants in the Upper Snake River Valley to be used in processing sugar from sugar beets raised in the area.

In 1924 David moved his family to Ashton, Idaho. Rosie came home one day and discovered that she had contracted the mumps. Every member of the family came down with the mumps before this family epidemic was finished. David tried to return to work to soon before he was completely better and developed complication which put him in bed for about three weeks.


In 1925 the Smith family moved back to Marysville, Idaho. One day while living in Marysville, a man who was an acquaintance of the family came to the door and ask if Vera could come to Drummond, Idaho and look after his pregnant wife and his children. Vera went to help the family for about two month. This experience was very rewarding and educational for Vera. It gave her the opportunity to see and learn that every family has their own set of problems.

Vera started her first real job away from home working is a store at Marysville. She enjoyed this experience since it gave her the opportunity to earn her own spending money. Members of the family had always worked hard for survival and didn't have much to spend. They always had food that was grown or traded for and clothing that was home made.

Vera purchased her first store bought coat at age 14. Rosie had made most of the children cloths from used flower sacks or other material that become available. Vera remembers being teased because she wore some flower sack material that had been dyed yellow.

Vera learned to sew for her self and for other members of the family at a very young age. Her mother would cut out clothing from what ever material she could get and have Vera sew the clothing with their white treadle sewing machine. Vera enjoyed sewing and learned to be a good seamstress. She also learned to make the patterns for the clothing by cutting them out of paper. Vera has used this talent through out her life to help friends and family.

The Smith family moved back to Victor, Idaho in about 1926. There were now eight living children, David, and Rosie in the family. David freighted lye Rock again for the Utah Idaho Sugar Company from the quarry to the rail loading dock so it could be hauled by rail road to the sugar beet processing plants located through out the Upper Snake River Valley.

In March of 1927 the Smith family left the Teton Valley and moved to Osgood, Idaho. Four of Rosie's brothers, William, Clarence, Hyrum and Archie Sheppard, moved to Osgood with the Smith family. These families settled on separate farms that were owned by the Utah Idaho Sugar Company. The Osgood irrigation project had started in 1920 and was increasing in acreage which made room for additional farmers to lease the farm land. Rent payment for these farms was paid to the Utah Idaho Sugar Company in sharing a percentage of the crops that were produced.


Vera remained behind in Teton Valley with a family whose name was Christiansen until May of 1927 so she could finish the seventh grade of school. She did house work for the Christiansen family for her room and board while she lived with them. She did not enjoy these two months and was anxious to be able to move to Osgood, Idaho with her family.

When Vera arrived in Osgood, she was a bit disappointed because of the desert environment. She had been raised close to the mountains and forest which she enjoyed. It was a real change to live in the desert where the wind blew the dry soil until it drifted in small piles on the window seal of their home. The Smith home was located two miles north and one mile west of Osgood community center next to the dusty dry farm land.

The Smith kids had to walk or ride horses three miles to and from school, church, and social events that were held in the Osgood school or church. They soon got involved socially with the Osgood people and enjoyed their new community. The Osgood LDS church and the school provided dances and social events for both the youth and the parents.

Vera started dating and attending social events with several of the local boys. Many of these dates were group activities where several boys and girls would get together and attend social activities. During the winter months, they did a lot of bobsledding in the abundance of snow that Osgood always had. These activities proved to be a lot of fun and provided many memories.

Vera attended the eighth grade of school in Osgood. She graduated from the Osgood grade school in 1928. Vera's teacher, Mr. Conrad Toland hired Vera to baby sit for he and his wife several times. He also talked with her to encourage her to continue her education.

In preparation of starting high school in the fall of 1928, Vera's aunt Mable Smith tried to help out by making her cloths to wear to high school. The cloths did not turn out very well since they were to small and not very good quality. Vera felt very self conscious about wearing them.

Vera moved to a boarding house located on North Water avenue in Idaho Falls, Idaho to start high school. She did not have a very good selection of cloths and felt self conscious about her appearance. Her family was struggling to keep their large family clothed and feed and could not do much about the situation.


For initiation to high school the new students were required to have a tug of war across the Idaho irrigation canal which flows through Idaho Falls. Vera never did talk about being dragged through the canal so she must have been on the winning team.

Vera decided to terminate her schooling in December. She stayed at the boarding house for one week following her termination from school before she got the courage to tell her parents. When she returned home she found her mother very ill and unable to do much because of her illness. Vera and Beulah took over the house hold duties for the family.

Beulah patched a pair of trousers for one of her brothers. She made the mistake of sewing through both layers of leg material. The boys could not get their legs in the trousers until Vera helped remove the stitches and sewed the patches through the first layer of material.

Vera got a job with Mrs. Eddington who run a boarding house located two building north of the Osgood cross roads grocery store. She washed dishes and helped with the cooking. She also baby sat and did other miscellaneous house hold chores.

In 1929 Rosie Smith got seriously ill with stomach trouble and had to have surgery to remove most of her stomach. She was in the Idaho Falls hospital for six weeks. Vera and Beulah took over the house hold responsibilities for their mother. Vera also helped her father by driving a team of horses to mow hay and to pull sugar beets from the ground. All of the kids worked in the fields thinning and hoeing sugar beets and then harvesting sugar beets and potatoes. They pooled their money to pay the $500 medical bill that resulted from their Mothers surgery.

Vera took on the job of canning food produce for the Smith family winter food supply. The family went to the foot hills east of Idaho Falls and gathered chock cherries and huckle berries. Vera squeezed the juice from these by twisting them inside a towel. She bottled over two hundred quarts of juice during the harvest season.

In April 1930 Reid the oldest boy in the Smith family was ask to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was called to the Denver, Colorado Mission which included Colorado, New Mexico and other surrounding territory. All of the Smith family worked together to earn money to support their son and brother on this venture. The experience help pull the family members close together, a trait that they have kept over the years.


In 1931 the Smith family had their tenth and last child born. This baby was a boy whom they named Harvey Lloyd Smith. The family now included three girls and seven boys. Russell the seventh child had died in 1922 while the family lived in Cash, Idaho.

When Reid Smith returned home from his church mission, he was very determined to improve his education. He talked his brother Elwin into going back to school with him. They were both older than most of the other students in high school but stuck with their education goals until they not only finished high school but also went on to graduate from the Ricks academy. This attitude was contagious to the other members of the Smith family. Many of them went into the teaching profession.


Vera, whose picture is shown, in 1931, began dating Joseph Reed Stewart who lived in Osgood. Their friendship continued to grow over the next couple of years as they worked and socialized together. They often got together with their friends and had many good experiences. They traveled to Idaho Falls, Ammon, Iona and some times stayed at Osgood to attend community socials. They decided to marry and planned their wedding for Christmas Day of 1932. Because Vera's brother had taken the car keys out of town they were unable to get their Marriage license on time and had to delay the wedding two days.

David Amanuel Smith Personal History

A personal history written by David Amanuel Smith with additions made by Joe Stewart as new information has been received. David's history is written in pencil and is kept safe in Joe's historical storage.


David Amanuel Smith History
By David Amanuel Smith
With additions by Joseph S Stewart

David Amanuel Smith, son of Heber Chase Smith and Amanda Jane Wiser, born November 2, 1886, at Auburn, Wyoming, Lincoln County.

In the summer of 1893 the family moved, by team and wagon to Cardston, Canada and lived there between two and three years.

On April 4, 1895, I was baptized by William Duce and confirmed later by John A. Woolf in the Cardston, Alberta, Canada Wards.

In the summer of 1896 or 1897 we went back to Lodi post office in Idaho. We then moved to Ora, Idaho for about 2 years. There my father purchased a farm at Lodi, Idaho, which lies north west of the old town of Marysville, Idaho near the north fork of the Snake River. I spent my child hood days and early school years there. We attended school in a one room log house just across the road from the farm. While living on the farm my Mother died July 1, 1899. Two or three year’s later father sold the farm and bought a blacksmith shop at Marysville, Idaho. While he run the shop, I worked there as a helper.

July 1903 my father married Mrs. Humphreys. She had two boys and one girl at home. Father had two girls and me at home making a family of eight. I decided to go my own way. I often stayed where I was when evening come and got along fairly good. I had an Uncle and Aunt who I though a lot of, and spent some time with them.

The week before the 4th of July in 1903, I started to work for myself. I rode a horse to Teton just south of St Anthony and received $1.00 per day pay. My first pay check was $6.00. My Boss asked Awhat are you going to do with the money@. I said Abuy myself a suit of cloths for the 4th of July@. He then gave me a note to give to a man whom he knew in St Anthony informing him to give me a good deal. I believe he gave me a good deal, as I purchased myself a suit of clothes and some other small items. I spent all of my $6.00 and went home to spend the 4th of July all broke. I had the suit but nothing to put in the pockets. I wanted a dance ticket which was $0.50. As luck would have it, I had a friend who loaned me $1.00 so I had a good time at the dance and lived happy ever after.

I stayed with one of my brothers that winter and did chores for my board and room. I went to school part time.

The next summer I worked for John Hill and received $35.00 per month. The Hills treated me as well as they did their own sons. I worked there for two summers.

Then one of my brothers (Michael) took me in as a partner on a 40 acre farm. The land was mostly dry farm. We put in a crop of grain and then went to log for Mr Strong during the summer and winter. We did this for two years.


After that, my brother stayed on the farm and I went to work for a contractor on a canal for the summer. That winter, I worked for the same contractor at Milner, Idaho. This was also canal work. We operated the farm and worked in this manner for a few years.

November 24, 1908 I married Rosie Sheppard and we started life anew. On August 30, 1909 we got our first boy and on August 4, 1910 another boy was born. We moved to the Teton Basin at Cache, Idaho and then to Darby, Idaho for one year. While at Darby in May 1912, a girl was added to the family.

We moved back to Ashton, Idaho and hauled freight from Ashton to Moran, Wyoming where a dam was being built in support of watering the Osgood, Idaho irrigation project. I freighted for several years. Some of the freight trips were from Market lake to St Anthony and into Montana. I also drove stage coach in the Yellowstone National Park area.

I sold my interest in the farm that my brother and I owned to my brother and bought a 40 acre farm in Cache, Teton, Idaho. I owed some on the farm but in three years I paid off the mortgage. I paid $50.00 per acre for the land in 1919 and later sold it for $100.00 per acre

I bought a 240 acre dry farm out on the Bitch creek at $50.00 per acre. In three years of farming this land, I went flat broke.

We moved to Warm River, Idaho and I rented a dry farm for two years until September 30, 1924. This dry farm was sold so we had to move.

We move to a place south of Ashton for a short time and I was unemployed from September 30, 1924 until May 1, 1925.

I worked on the State Highway From May 1, 1925 until July 1 1925.

I was unemployed from July 1, 1925 until August 30, 1925.

I worked for Ernst A Brower cutting grain from August 30, 1925 until October 10, 1925.

I was unemployed from October 10, 1925 until Jan 1, 1926.

Jan 1 1926 we moved back to Victor, Idaho where I hauled Lye rock for Mr. T A Brower under contract to the Utah Idaho Sugar company until March 1, 1927.

During these years there were other children added to the family every so often until there were nine children in the family.

In May 1927, we moved to Osgood, Idaho and farmed on the Utah Idaho Sugar Company project. The family move was made in our Ford touring car. The older boys drove the cattle and horses from the Marysville area to Osgood. Our first Osgood home was located two miles north of the Osgood community center and west to just east of the Osgood canal on the north side of the road. The Utah Idaho Sugar company main office was then located at Lincoln, Idaho.


The Osgood desert environment was different than the Smith family was used to in the wooded hills around the Teton basin and Marysville area. The wind was much stronger and blew dusty until visibility was restricted to a short distance because of the lack of trees. Rosie would hang wet sheets over the windows to help keep the dust down in the house.

June 20, 1928 we went to Logan, Utah temple with our family and got our endowments and were sealed as husband, wife, and children. Our boy Russell who had died at the age of fifteen months had a proxy stand in for him at the Temple.

In 1929 Rosie had two serious operations which were very hard on her physically and hard on us financially. She had a large Goiter on her neck and her stomach was bad with stomach ulcers after two surgeries, eight weeks in the hospital, and several years, she obtained pretty good health. All of the older children worked in the fields thinning, hoeing, topping sugar beets, and picking potatoes to help pay the doctor and hospital bills.

In the fall of the year the Smith family would go to the hills east of Idaho Falls and pick choke cherries and berries to preserve as food for the coming year. The girls spent many hours preparing this storage while Rosie was recovering from her surgery.

In April 1930 Reid the oldest boy in the family was called to serve an LDS mission in the Denver Colorado area. Each of the kids in the family worked in the fields to help raise the money to outfit and support Reid on his mission. The school district offered me a job driving school bus which provided the extra money to support Reid on his mission.

In about 1930 when a farm was available, we moved from our home located two or so miles north of the Osgood community center to an old house located east of the Osgood school house, on the existing school lawn. Later a newer better home was built or put on the farm east of the older house. This farm was more convenient for the family to attend School, Church, and Socialize in the Osgood community.

In 1931 another son was born in the family to make a total of ten children. We named this boy Harvey Lloyd Smith.

During the 1930's we hauled cedar logs from the lava beds located west of Osgood to provide heat for our home. A week or so would be spent at a base camp located near the lava beds while enough cedar logs were gathered off the lava beds to make a wagon load of wood. The lava crevasses would be filled with wood to make a road onto the lava beds to find the dead fire wood cedar trees.

We had a yard fire in the late 1943 that destroyed most of the out buildings and the supplies on the farm. It was harvest time and we were threshing grain. The threshing machine was set up so the straw was being blown into a straw stack in the barn yard. A burst of flame came from the thresher and caught the straw stack and barn yard on fire. The horses and cattle were driven from the barn yard area for their safety. Most everything in the barn yard was burned to the ground. Because of the lack of running water, it was difficult to fight the fire. When the yard was being leveled a few days later, flames would ignite in some of the ashes and debris that was uncovered.


In trying to determine the cause of the fire, the suspicion was that one or a group of the school kids were experimenting with cigarettes and left their matches in a shock of grain located in the field next to the school yard. This was never proven and will never be known for sure since no confessions were made.

When the Smith family rebuilt their yard, it was moved east to make a larger school yard. Through the generosity of neighbors much of the years harvest was replaced when many neighboring farmers donated hay, straw, grain and what ever else was needed to carry the family through until the next year’s harvest. This generous attitude was typical of the Osgood settlers.

A cistern was built in the ground between the house and the barn yard to hold a large supply of water for house use and to water the live stock. This was a big improvement instead of hauling water in a tank mounted on an Iron wheeled wagon each time the tank of water was used up.

We continued to farm on the Utah Idaho Sugar Company project until the fall of 1943. We then moved to Vancouver, Washington where I was employed at the Kaiser Ship Yards during World War II.

During the war one son, Doyle Byron Smith, was killed in France. Two other sons were in the military service, Elwin and Carroll, and returned home safely. Elwin was also stationed in Italy but was not on the battle front. One son in law Gail Ray was also in the service of his country.

In 1945, we moved back to Idaho Falls, Idaho and bought a nice little home on Fifth Street. I worked as a Janitor for the School district cleaning the Emerson school building. The challenge dairy also gave me a second job which provided added funds to pay for our home.

We later built a new home at 670 L Street where we now live comfortably.

Children: Birth date

Reid Edward Smith 30 Aug 1909
Elwin M Smith 4 Aug 1910
Vera Amanda Smith 2 May 1912
Beulah Christina Smith 17 Jun 1914
Norris William Smith 22 Jun 1915
Norma Irene Smith 10 Jun 1917
Russell Heber Smith 18 Jun 1920
Carroll LaGrand Smith 22 Feb 1922
Doyle Byron Smith 29 Mar 1923
Harvey Lloyd Smith 31 Aug 1931

Church Activities:

4 April 1895, I was baptized by William Duce and confirmed by John A Woolf a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Cardston, Alberta, Canada Ward.

I was Ordained a Deacon but no record was written or kept for this Ordnance..

7 March 1910, I was ordained to the office of Priest by Eli M Harris in the Marysville, Idaho Ward.

1922, I was chosen second assistant in the Sunday school at Warm River branch for a short time and then first assistant to W.W. Sheppard. When Mr. Sheppard moved, I was chosen to be Sunday school superintendent for one year. When I moved away, the Sunday school was discontinued. The people then went to Marysville to attend Sunday school.

24 February 1924, I was ordained an Elder by Abraham Hillman in the Marysville, Idaho Ward.

17 December 1933, I was ordained to the office of High Priest by Thomas Ervin King in the Osgood, Idaho Ward.

While at Osgood, I was first assistant chairman in the Genealogy Society to Hance Christansen and later assistant to E.B. Call for a short time. I was then made chairman and acted for several years.

Later at Osgood, I was made group leader in the High Priests group for several years.

In Vancouver, Washington, I was first assistant in the Sunday school, Home teacher, and other duties.

24 September 1944, I was called as a Missionary in the North West States Mission. I severed until
29 August 1945 and was given an honorable release as a Missionary.

Heber Chase Smith

Heber Chase Smith in his white topped surrey about 1915 at Marysville, Idaho.



Heber Chase Smith 4th marriage to Mary Hinck of Thayne, Wyoming the 13 May 1914 in Ashton, Idaho.

Photos of Rosie Smith and Children

1920 Elwin, Norris and Reid Smith



1933 Rosie Smith, Carroll Smith, Doyle Smith


Thanks to Anne Bailey for sending Joseph Stewart a DVD of Grandma and Grandpa Smith's 1956 Christmas party

1956 David and Rosie Smith



Rich Hatch and Joseph Stewart returned from our annual vacation a week or so ago. We devoted our vacation effort to doing research on the Stage Coach stations and trails located in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The hope was that we would find some work records of Grandpa David A Smith and Grandpa Isaiah Joshua Stewart when they drove Stage Coach in the early 1900's. We did find both Smith and Stewart names without first names on the work logs. There is no way to know for sure if they were my grandpa's without having more information. I did get a copy of a school student record with names of some of the Smith kids in it while on vacation.

David Amanuel Smith Encounter with Clearfield Police

1948a = The first reunion that Joseph Stewart remembers. This picture of the Sheppard family reunion has several of our Smith descendants included which was held at Hyland park in Idaho Falls about 1948. Thanks to Collins for sending it to be distributed to the family. I recognize several people. It would be more interesting if each of you would identify as many people as possible and send the names to me to consolidate into one document displayed next to the picture.


David Smith’s Encounter with Clearfield Police
By Ruby Smith

After Grandma Rosie Smith passed away in 1967, Grandpa David Smith planned a trip to Clearfield, Utah to visit his daughter Beulah Hardy. She was working at the Clearfield Military air base and was not home during the day to let him into her house. They talked by telephone and Beulah told David where her house key was hidden in the back yard.

While driving to Utah David was pulled over by the police because he was driving to slow on the freeway. David went to Beulah’s house and found the key in the back yard secret hiding place. He let himself into her house and made himself comfortable.

A neighborhood girl watched this activity and went and told her Mother that she had seen an old man get into Beulah’s home. The Mother called 911 and reported the activity to the police department.

While David was relaxed on the couch, a policeman burst into the front door of the house with his gun drawn and pointed at David. Another policeman entered the back door of the house with his gun drawn and pointed at David.

A Policemen asked David his name.

David answered “Smith”.

Policeman asked “first name”.

David answered “David”.

Policeman asked “where are you from”.

David answered “Idaho”.

Policeman asked “do you know whose home this is”.

David answered “yep”.

Policeman asked “Whose home is it”

David answered “my Daughter”

Policeman asked “who is your daughter”.

David answered “Beulah”.

Policeman asked “do you know Carroll Smith”.

David answered “yep”.

Policeman asked “how do you know Carroll”.

David answered “he’s my son”.

Both policemen then put their guns away and introduced themselves to David. One policeman’s name was Porter Isaacs who had attended school in Ammon a class or so ahead of Carroll. The other policeman was a Japanese boy from California who had been in a Japanese internment camp. He was sent inland to Idaho. He had worked for William Nielsen, (Carroll’s wife) Ruby Smith’s parents.

The two policemen and David spent the next couple of hours visiting and getting acquainted until Beulah returned home from work. She was surprised to return home and find such a reunion taking place.

David Amanuel and Rosie Shappard Smith Memories by Norma Irene Smith

1917 = History of Norma Smith Ray. This was sent to Joseph Steward by Jerri who gave permission to distribute the history.


Norma Irene Smith
Born Cache, Idaho
June 10, 1917


David Amanuel and Rosie Sheppard Smith had six children (Reed Edward - b 30 Aug 1909; Elwin M. - b. 4 Aug. 1910, d. 28 May 1986; Vera Amanda - b. 2 May 1912, d. 5 May 1994; Bulah Christina - b. 17 June 1914; Norris William - b. 22 June 1915) by the time Norma Irene was born. But being a prolific family that was not the last child. Another four children ( Russell Heber - b. 18 Dec. 1920, d. 16 Mar. 1922;Carroll LeGrand - b. 22 Feb. 1922, d. 26 Aug. 1990; Doyle Byron - b. 29 Mar. 1923, d. 3 Nov. 1944 as a result of a sniper’s bullet while serving with the American Forces in France during WWII; and Harvey Lloyd - b. 31 Aug 1931,) were added to the Smith family.

Rosie Sheppard (Norma’s mother) was born 26 July 1889 in Rexburg, Ida. She married David Amanuel Smith 24 Nov. 1908 and died 5 Sept 1967 in Idaho Falls. Norma’s David Amanuel Smith was born 2 Nov. 1886 in Auburn, Wyo. He died 10 Aug. 1970 in Idaho Falls, Ida..



Norma was born at 10 AM. Her brother Elwin describes her birthplace as a two room log cabin with a dirt roof. The inside ceiling was covered with cheese cloth, the walls lined with beaver board and tin. The logs on the outside were chunked with mud and cow manure (yuk). At the time of her birth there were eight people living there. The Smiths didn’t have many worldly possessions then or at any time. Three or four children slept in a bed.. But they were a family with lots of love and had the willingness to share. Norma’s name came by way of her brother Elwin (although there seems to be two accounts of this). He had apparently met a woman by that name and insisted his new little sister share that honor. The ‘Irene’ part was the name of Rosie’s youngest sister. Cache, Idaho, her birthplace, is near Victor/Tetonia area in Idaho. The actual ‘city’ no longer exists. For some reason Rosie never allowed her husband to bless the children. A good friend and the family’s Bishop James Nielsen blessed Norma on August 5, 1917. The day she was blessed Norma reports they went in a wagon. Her bottle had to be warmed and her father took a kerosene lamp, lit it and held the bottle over it.

At the time of Norma’s birth the Smith family was farming cattle. Norma says that moving was the major entertainment, or that it appeared to be. The names of Darby, Marysville, Idaho Falls (it was here that Harvey entered the family and was the only child to be born in a hospital), Fall River, Judkin are an integral part of her childhood. . Norma remembers that when a new baby was added to the household all the current children were bundled up and packed off to an aunts house. When they returned VOILA a new baby was there. It must have been magic because nobody ever told them how it happened.. The number of moves for the family was because of work. They never owned a home and moved whenever it was apparent there would be a better opportunity for work. The family moved in wagons pulled by horses. Norma’s father David would drive one wagon and

her sister Vera drove the other wagon. Once while they were moving they had a puppy. Occasionally they stopped to allow everyone a “leak”. When the dog wouldn’t go pee Vera squeezed it until it finally did its things and the wagons moved on. Norma says she thinks all the children were born in different places.

In Victor Norma remembers herding the cows when they wandered off. She couldn’t see where they were, but saw Elwin coming across the field. Norma didn’t realize it was Elwin and was afraid the “stranger” had come to steal the herd. Elwin knew he had her frightened and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. It was here in Victor Norma and Norris were the best of buds. They shared an old horse named Clip. They spent many hours enjoying the rides on Old Clip until he disappeared never to be seen again. Clip stepped on Elwin’s pants and trapped him there. Elwin yelled for help. When someone went to release him all Elwin could do was cry, “Old Clip, he’s a.... Old Clip, he’s a....”


When Norma was about three she perfected the art of ‘spoke walking”. That is apparently when you get on the wheel of the wagon and walk up them as the wheel went around. She was having a good time until a terrified father ran to rescue her. Little girls of this age wore dresses. One day Norma ran to her mother holding the dress up in both hands calling, “an egg, an egg.” When her mother thinking she had been gathering eggs, looked into the dress she must have been surprised to see a little water snake. Norma was probably calling “ a ‘ nake, a ‘ nake.” About this time she recalls climbing upon her father’s plow beams. She fell off and cut a gash in the back of her head. During the winter a couple of years later Norma remembers playing outside and climbing through a log fence. The log fell and she nearly bit her tongue off. It was just hanging from the skin on each side. When she went to the house her mouth was full of blood. Her mother nearly fainted. Since doctors at that time were few and far between (and more expensive than many families could afford) she was nursed back to health with family care and love.


The Smith children were “given” a cow to name by their father. Norma’s was named Cindy. The dairy herd was driven away one day when the payments could not be made. Norma remembers standing with her brothers and sisters and crying as they watched the herd being driven off. It may have been during the depression when everyone was losing their material things.


When Norma was about three or four (1921) her little brother Russell was very ill with chicken pox and contracted pneumonia. Because her mother was with her family from the birth of Carroll, Norma’s father was back and forth between the family home and where his wife was. Norma ended up having a few extra advantages. One was being able to ride on the train to Marysville where Rosie was confined with the new baby from Darby where the family was then living. The train ride was in the winter. Norma remembers her father carrying her to the train with her back to the blizzard. At Marysville Norma’s most unfavorite Aunt Mabel was caring for Rosie (her sister). Norma wanted to sleep by her mother, but Aunt Mabel made her sleep on the foot of the bed.

Sadly, Russell’s illness was too severe for recovery. He died of the chicken pox and pneumonia complications. Rosie always felt she could have saved him had she not been confined with the new baby, but that is probably not so as there were no drugs to treat pneumonia at the time. Russell’s little body was placed on an ironing board near an open window. Norma didn’t understand the implications of death. When she found him she rolled him off and carried him into the room where her mother was in bed and told her ,”Russell is cold. Get him warm, Mama.” That must have been a sad time for the family.

Because Norma was the youngest she went back and forth from Darby and Marysville with her father. The children at home had to take care of themselves - packing lunches, feeding the cattle, caring for the house. When Norma was with them for short times they had to take her to school. The teacher would take all the children’s coats, lay them on the floor and put Norma down for a nap. Apparently teachers then went beyond the call of duty as much as they do today.

While living in Marysville Norma’s mother gave her a dollar to take to the store to exchange for nickels. This was so they would always have change. The dollar was tied in a handkerchief for safe keeping. On the way home Norma had her 20 nickels tied in the same handkerchief swinging them around. Sure enough the knot came open, out flew the nickels into the snow and here came the tears. She doesn’t remember if she found them, got into trouble or just what. I’m sure there were a few ‘words’ considering how hard it was to earn a living.

In 1925 the family had been besieged with illnesses. In one year mumps, chicken pox, scarlet fever, measles afflicted the Smith children. These were considered so dangerous that a family with them could not leave the house, have anyone come in, groceries had to be delivered. Norma remembers riding in the wagon but could feel the remains of the mumps jiggling around as they traveled to Warm River for her baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). Again, a family friend performed the ceremony (Lloyd Johnson, confirmation by Rulon T. Sheppard).

While living in Warm River area, Norma and Norris were sent to retrieve the cows. When they arrived they found a new calf. It must have been a mind boggling thing to a couple of small children. How to get the calf home? They drapped it across a stick and straggled home with the herd grazing behind them.

Warm River provided a wonderful place for children to grow. One day Norma and her friend were playing near the river. They had a glass to get a drink with. They weren’t supposed to do that, but.....While attempting to get the drink Norma’s shoe came off and floated down the river. Norma yelled to her friend to catch her shoe in the glass. Unfortunately the shoe floated into....somewhere.

The next day her mother went into Ashton to buy shoes. Ironically Norma was left with the neighbors while her mother chose a pair of shoes for her.

Rosie Sheppard was an ambitious woman with beautiful brown eyes and nearly black hair, who seemed to have wings. Everything she did was done quickly and efficiently. On every special occasion Rosie would make a new dress. Of course the material was seldom new, but the workmanship was that of a good seamstress. She didn’t seem to be a happy person, but seemed to be set on her own path. Her own husband was never allowed to bless, baptize or confirm his own ten children.

Norma remembers the first movie she saw was a BIG moment. The family was going into Ashton in the buggy. Her brother Norris had stepped on a nail, but wasn’t about to be left out of the fun. He was, however, really, really miserable another time when the kids were going to see “Rin Tin Tin” each had a dime for the occasion. Somebody lost his/hers in a puddle of water and they all had to return to Auntie to get another dime before enjoying the fun.

AT the time the Smiths were living in Marysville Norma’s uncle came to her father. “Dave, I have heard of a project near Idaho Falls, a place called Osgood. There is a good chance for a farm for us.” That was enough to mobilize the family. Her two uncles loaded the families in three Model T Fords. It was early spring and still very cold. The Model T’s didn’t have any roll up windows so all the children just wrapped in quilts. Reid and Elwin drove a wagon with eh furniture. They moved into a home or 4 miles north of Osgood, Idaho. The home was quite nice. It was on the edge of a huge desert. That ground had all been plowed in preparation for planting. The wind blew dust until it ws an inch deep in the windows sills. Rosie wet sheets and hung them up to the windows so the children could breath. When the grain sprouted and thickened the dust problem was solved.

Norma thinks they may have lived there as share croppers for about three years. The house had two bedrooms and there was always a bed in the living room. The children were put to work early thinning beets. It was here that Rose became quite ill with a goiter and stomach ulcers. She was in the hospital for several weeks. The kids gave all their earnings to their father to help with the medical bills.
About three years later the family moved into Osgood one block from the small store and right on the edge of the school yard. The former school the children attended had had only two rooms with four grades in each. This school had a room for each grade. The house here was still rather small for the large family - only two bedrooms with the usual living room bed.

Norma’s dad drove the first school bus, a horse drawn vehicle. In 1924 a new brick building was constructed for all eight grades. The old buildings were used for teacher’s apartments. Norma graduated from this building where she found many friends and good times.

School was almost a special occasion to children who had limited things to do. Norma did well in everything except math. Her father had to help her, but that was often questionable because he did the answers in his head and Norma had to suffer from not having done the work they taught in school. She thinks that perhaps math was tough because she just didn’t know how to study. At that time the average home didn’t have many books or even time to spend on the studies.

Apparently choir was not her thing. In second grade the music teacher came to her room and asked each child to sing “I am here”. After Norma sang her the teacher moved on and there was no invitation issued to her to join the choir.

Norma wasn’t all smart all the time. During her grade school years she eyed a rather cold door knob and ,as children do, wondered how cold it was and promptly stuck her tongue on it to find out. Imagine her surprise and horror when it stuck there fast. Imagine also how uncomfortable she was for several days when she also promptly pulled it off, leaving a goodly portion of skin stuck to the doorknob.

Norma was a great basketball player in grade school. She was fast and good at getting the ball in the basket. At that time the girls could only play half court, but she made up for that and was once even put on a chair while everyone “praised” her abilities. She was also great at jumping rope and jacks and was allowed to play with the big girls.

The summers were wonderful for the country children even though they had to work hard (or at least as hard as children actually work). Thinning sugar beets was a family job. Since Norma was the youngest Vera and Bulah taught her to do the job. She often fell behind the others and would take her little hoe, cut out a whole section, then skip up a ways and do that again until she caught up with everybody else. At noon the children would jump in the canal and swim to their house for lunch before returning to work in the afternoon. Norma loved swimming and would even go to her friends home, help them with their chores (dishes) so they could go with her. When swimming wasn’t available or in the winter she and her sisters would play for hours with paper dolls made by cutting them out of the Sears catalog.

Besides working on the farm with her brothers and sisters, Norma eventually was able to babysit for real money. She recalls one time when she was hired to stay with a family of four children (one of which was a baby) for an entire weekend. She would go to bed and reach out of the covers with her foot to rock the baby when he awoke. She says she did wonder where and why parents would leave an 11 year old girl with that many children for that long. For her efforts she received $.25. That money was spent on a box of cherry chocolates which she hid in a tent in the back yard. Unfortunately her younger brothers Carrol and Doyle found them and ate them all. She was very angry.

Other memories were of going to the Temple in Idaho Falls to be sealed to her parents. Since there so many children there wasn’t room in their car. A relative took the overload, but charged them ‘rent’. Her mother had made her a new yellow dress to wear to the temple. Since the children were old enough they didn’t have to stay in the nursery and played on the temple grounds while their parents were taking out their own endowments.

Fortunately none of her children inherited the fear of lightening Norma had. When the family lived in Victor, Norma recalls there was a lot of lightening. Every time it would begin she would run in terror for the bedroom and dive under the bed.

While living in Victor Norma remembers that she and her friend began the bobby sox craze. The socks were rolled down until the ankles were about twice as large as normal. She is convinced that it was in Victor that the worldwide style was really begun by her and her friends.


Apparently Norma had to go into Idaho Falls to attend high school She recalls working there for a family for her board and room. She got home sick and quit to go home. Shortly thereafter there were blessed to have a high school in Ammon, about5 miles from home. The rickety house they were living in was replaced with a much better home, still with only two bedrooms and the living room bedquarters. After sleeping on straw ticks for all her life, Norma recalls getting a real mattress. A straw tick was simply a huge sack stuffed with fresh straw every fall and tied shut. How fun it was to crawl into those fresh ticks. They seemed to be two feet high, but by the next fall would have been reduced to three or four inches.

While living on the North End (as the Smith kids referred to it) they would all participate in chokecherrying near Rexburg. They would pick about 10 gallons of berries and Rosie would cook them When they were cool Vera (Norma’s sister) would squeeze them through a cheesecloth. The gallons of juice would be made into syrup. That was the fruit for the winter. After a few years they began buying eight or nine bushels of peaches and bottling them. It was during this time Harvey was born after Reid left for his mission.


The following is a transcript of a biography by Norma Smith during her senior year in high school. It came from a typed booklet which is still in her possession.
As much as possible, I have attempted to transcribe it exactly as she wrote it. (Jerri Ray Johnson, daughter - April 3, 2000)
Preface

“I have never before considered writing an autobiography. But as Miss Ulete Allen, English teacher of the Ammon High School, has given us this privilege of composing a story of our own life, I have taken the opportunity of doing so.

I have told about my birth although I do not know much about it only what my parents have told me. I have also told of my school, from the first grade, through grammar school and high school to where I am now.

I hope to complete this as I continue on through life.


CONTENTS

CHAPTER I ****************************FACTS I CANNOT REMEMBER

CHAPTER II ************************** SCHOOL IS ON

CHAPTER III ************************* MISSION BELLS

CHAPTER IV ************************* WAS I GREEN

CHAPTER V ************************** A DIGNIFIED SENIOR


Copyright 1935
By N. I. Smith, Idaho Falls, Idaho

IN A FAMILY OF
TWELVE
By Norma Smith

Chapter I
Facts I cannot Remember

“It was in the horse and buggy days, that a rather heavy dignified young boy, driving a horse hitched to a small buggie, entered a little town called Marysville, Idaho. Here he made his home. He worked for different people thus earning his living.

He began to mingle with the young folks and be in the crowds with them.

It was not long before he began to court a small browneyed girl. Every night after work or when ever he had a day off he would go to see the girl, he was going with. It was not long before they were merried, and he provided them a home of their own. They started life together.

After a few years of their merried life a son was born to them, he was only eleven months old when the second baby came, he was a frail delicate child and merely escaped death. The next two children were both girls, this made two girls and two boys. The last baby was two years old when another son was born to them. With the five children the young couple faced life together, sacraficing on every hand for their family. The family was thriving fairly well when the mother found out that another baby was on its way, this of course was me. When I was born that beautiful June day. I increased the family to six children. I was just as much welcomedas the others had been.
The next thing was to find a name for me, this was a difficult problem, because they thought that there was no name good enough. Mother at last decided on Virginia Nell.
It was Saturday and the following day would be when I was to receive my name. It was early morning of the Saturday, the door quietly opened, and in stepped a man, he was mothers brother. He had come to suggest a name for me, the name he had chosen was Norma Irene and thats as it was.

My first memories take me back to the summer when I was three years old.
One day I came running to the house, with my tiny gingham dress clutched in my delicate little hand making a basket, being careful not to loose my play mate. Mother looked into the basket and there she saw curled up in a knot a snake. She was horrified at the sight of it, and hurridly took it away from me, she told me never again to play with such a thing.
That following winter, mother, father, my baby brother and I were staying in Ashton, where another baby was born. Mother was still in bed with the baby when the child next to me, who had been ill for three weeks, passed away. The baby had been placed on an ironing board by an open window, it was from here that I rolled him into my arms. I carried him into the living room, where he was taken away from me.

Although the folks have given ne every possible chance, I oftn wonder if I couldn’t of had more if the family had not have been so large.

The next two and one half yrs flew by fast, before I could realize it I was six years old and ready for school.

Chapter II

School Is On

I was six years old in June the next Sept. I started to school. That year was not very profitible. We had to go five miles to school, some times we had to walk and when we did I had to stay home. Later on in the year I took sick and missed so much school that I was retained and had to take the first grade over again the next year. There was one year gone and nothing accomplished.
One of my greatest sports was junping the rope. I was extremely small for my age and jumping the rope seemed natural for me to do. I can vividly remember how wishfu my play mates looked and how happy I was when the uppergrade girls would let me junp with them.

I had many a quarrels which I suppose would have led to fights if I had not had so many brothers and sisters to protect me and fight for me.

The school house that I first attended school in, was a small gray building with three rooms. There were two class rooms and a basement. Every morming when the bell sounded, all of the children would line up and while the teachers kept time by clapping their hands, we would march into the basement. There we would spend about one half hour singing songs and other exercises. From there we would march to our class rooms, and start our days work.

I can truly say that I was once a teachers pet, or maby it was just the way she treated me. I was favored on every hand, of course I didn’t think so at the time, for I was too small to understand. I was put in every play, every song(although I couldn’t sing) and every time the teacher left the room, I was left incharge. I can remember how anxious I was to put down the other children’s names.

Another incident I can clearly remember, seems very funny now to think about, but at the time I didn’t know whether to cry or not. We had to go down over the hill to the river to get drinking water, I was told to never go unless the teacher was with me, but as most children would do I went. I was just ready to dip my glass into the swift water, when splash my shoe had fallen into the stream. I saw it float down to where my girl friend was standing.

‘Get it in your glass,’ I cried to her. She didn’t even know what I wanted her to get in her glass, so of course she didn’t get it. My punishment was to walk home on the gravel road without a shoe. The next day mother left me with one of the neighbors while she went to town and purchased me some new shoes.

When I ws in the third grade we moved to where we now live. Here I passed throught he third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh grades. When I was in the eighth grade, I thought I was bigger than I did any other time fo my life. When the state exams came I was so frightened I lost several nights sleep over it. When the morning, the exams were to be given came, I was so frightened I couldn’t hardly operate my pencil.

Two or three days later we got the returns from our grades, I had passed every one that I expected I would, but of course I had failed in arithmetec just the one I expected. The next day I took it over and made it with a low grade.

I cannot express my feelings the might the class of 32 graduates marched upon the stand to receive our diplomas.

Just before graduation the studio burned down, and we were not able to have pictures taken
Chapter III
Mission Bells

The spring of 1930, my oldest brother was called to fill a mission, in the western states.

I can remember how we children at home labored in the beets to support him while there. Mother wouldn’t see him come home before he had completed his work.

It was them that I first found out what it was to sacrafice and go without what I really needed.


I can remember the summer of 1931, when all of my girl friends got a new sweater out fit, I also can remember how bad I wanted one.

That summer a group of girls with an instructor planned a three days trip to Lava Hot Springs, of course I was not able to go. I felt rather humiliated at the thought of every one going but me.

The leader was making the final check up two days before we were to go, it was then that Mother had promised me that I could go, and she did.

After two years of sacraficing, he returned home. As though he was twenty three yrs old and my other brother twenty two, they started back to high school and are now almost ready to graduate from college.
Chapter IV

Was I Green.

I was fourteen years old when I g raduated from grammar school and was ready to gomore out into the world and mingle with different people.

The first day I went to high school, we registered. Although it was a small school, I just had to follow the crowd, who was just as green as I was.

My freshman year seems dear to me, it was then that I pulled down the good grades. I really think I put fourth more effort.

My sophmore year I began to learn the ways of the school, as least I didn’t haveto carry the seniors books and shine the juniors shoes. But I did have to be called a sophie, which I didn’t like very well.

Before I could realize it my junior year slipped up. I managed fairly well the first semester, but oh dear for the last semester.

It was only the ninth of Dec, when I was thrown from a sleigh. When I picked myself up I felt a terrible pain shoot through my shoulder. My first thought was that I had broken my shoulde r bone./ When I reache d home my parents said it was not brokenbut it was a badly dislocated. They rushed me to the hospital. While I was waiting for the doctor to come, the intern who was a Japanese began to get things re ady.

I really was afraid to have my arm set without taking ether, and if you have e ver had a smel of that you no doubt know how terr ible it is. I thought the doctor would think I was a coward if I asded fo r some, I had no need to worry for just then he said.,

‘Smell this’.
‘Alright doctor, but hurry’

There seemed to be a deep roar; my thoughts went off in a jumble, round and round I sped like a wheel, and them I was gone.

It was three weeks before I was able to have my arm and shoulder taken out of the sling.

This was where I got my first D. It was in Home Economics. Here I resolved to drop the class and take and F. It didn’t seem much worse to me., The teacher encouraged me to keep on. My grade came from D. to C. and them t o A.

It was not long after this untill my health began to fail andI didn’t ;much care what happened to me. He re again there had to be more money paid out for doctor bills. Mother encouraged me to forget my worries and keep on with my school. Finally school ended, and I had made my credits and was ready for a vacation.

That following summer I was put in the Sunday School an a teacher, here I had to brace up and serve as a leader, To set examples for the children and prepare a good lesson.


Yes, it was that year that I had to start wearing glasses.

Chapter V

A Dignified Senior

How I miss the seniors of 35, school doesn’t seem like it did when they were here, to help the lower calssmen. Never-the-less O have to make school better for the Juniors, sophmores and freshmen.

I should by all means gradiate with average grades, because I have only four credits to make, which makes two subjects. Although I am taking more than that

Just last week I had to drop one of my subjects, the one I liked the be st, it was Dramatic Art. This was done on the accountof my health.

Just to prove to you that we have good teachers at the Ammon High School, I will tell you a little about each, especially the English and History teachers.

The teacher we have for history is a coach and a good one. He must take pity on his students, anyway one would think so, if they would see the simple assignments he gives in history, he is full of fun and he makes the history clall bearable for us. The English teacher is quite different in some respects. She is jolly the same as is the History teacher, but can she give good assignments. I would think that she takes after the teacher she had for English.


When I started to school My freshman year there was one thing I looked forward to, the same through my sophmore and junior years, but now I have it, my senior class ring. Even though it did cost me one week’s hard labor in the potato field, I am not sorry of my purchase. This makes me appreciate it more than ever.

This is the first year the Ammor High School has had a school paper. It is just a small one but it will help us to recall memories when we have been gone and have forgotten our school. The editor of this paper is a very dear friend of mine (Tomayo Morisita) I have associated with her through the last two years of grammar school and all four years of high school. She has the ability to fill this position very well and makes it a success.

In about six months my high school day will be ended, unless I have tough luck. I am lving in the hopes of attending the A.C. at Logan Utah, here I hope to minor in Home Economics o Dramatics.

(This last entry was recorded in pencil) I graduated from High School May 15, 1936, and now I am ready for college.

Norma graduated from Ammon High School 13 May 1932, attended Ricks College and graduated there 3 June 1938 with an associates degree in education. Utah State University gave her the BA needed to continue teaching school on 6 June 1970. She also attended Idaho State University in Pocatello, ID for additional classes. By this time the Smith home had gravel roads and electricity (1933) and even added running water by 1944.

After graduating from Ricks it was time for Norma to enter the “real” world of work. She now had a teaching degree and applied for jobs in many places. She was finally accepted in Grace, Idaho( I - being Jerri - remember mom saying how glad her siblings were that she finally had a job because it meant one less person in the bed).


The following is Norma’s story of meeting her future husband...”A girl from Pocatello and I lived with a Jones family. Finally another teacher who was with an Emma Christensen talked Ardis and I into moving to Emma Christensens. That was a bad move. Emmy was an old hussy. We needed to walk the straight and narrow way all the time. I had been to MIA and met Gail Ray. We started dating. He was then engaged to another girl (Ann Pledger, and it is my understanding that she was a smoker so we’re doubly glad dad didn’t stay engaged to her). We fell in love. One Friday he took me to Pocatello to meet my bus to Idaho Falls and to meet Ann and take her back to Grace. That week end he broke the engagement with her. So now the field was open. We dated, were engaged by Christmas 1939. While I was living at hussy Emmy’s Gail and I were out on a date. I guess we were a bit late and Emmy locked me out. We went to the bedroom window where the other two teachers were and knocked on the window. They let me in. Well, we soon moved from there to other homes. Helen left that next spring and Ardis and I found an apartment.”



The following is Norma’s courting story in her own words:


Ardis and I were in the 1st ward, but Gail convinced us to go to the second ward - where he was. First ward was a little upset with us, but we didn’t care. Finally we did move to second ward and all was well. Anyway to begin our ‘relationship’ we were in a play together. I was always patching up the troubles he had with his leading lady. After play practice one night he asked me to go out with him. That really started our dating. From then on it was steady.
‘
That summer after school was out I went home to Idaho Falls. He would drive up late every Saturday night after his work in the Roghaar grocery store and spend the weekend. It was always a short week end and back Sunday night. I came down to Grace one weekend to attend a dance ‘tween the rocks (here Norma challenges us - “bet you don’t know where that is”. Ha! As you enter Grace, Idaho from the north after crossing the bridge you will see two rocks and between them is a cement pad. In the past I understand this is where the dancing took place, but today the kids use their skateboards there). Anyway I had made me a new dress, blue no less and lacey. Well I had to make a slip to go under it.

I returned to Grace when school started. The next Christmas he had a ring fro me. He bought a fancy pillow and tied the ring box to the pillow. He had shown the ring to my roommate. I was surprised (sorta), but not very.


The happy couple was married 31 May 1940 in the Logan LDS Temple by Joseph Quinney Jr.. The witnesses were David A. Smith (my father) and Alonza Cook. We went to the Temple. Gail’s parents went with us as did Iris, Elmer and Alice on his side of the family. My parents were with us also, but his couldn’t go through the session with us. Mom and dad did. After coming out of the temple my Aunt Nettie had dinner for all of us. We were married by Pres. George Quincy, president of the Logan Temple.

We stayed in Salt Lake that night, then left for California on our honeymoon. We went to the World’s Fair and stayed with Gail’s Aunt Rena Ray. Gail’s mom arranged with hr sister for us to ring the sister’s daughter home. Three of us in a one seat car - interesting. On the way home I was driving. We were crossing a desert. I fell asleep and we went bouncing across the desert. Really no harm done.

Gail and I had picked out a stove, bedroom set and table/chairs and settled down in our little home. We were quite cozy with outdoor plumbing. We did have running water in our kitchen.

The next August I became terribly ill - a bad gall bladder attack. Every time anyone touched the ed I started to up chuck. So Gail threw a quilt and pillow on the floor and slept there. I soon had surgery and found there was a stone in the gall bladder duct. It was very painful. I was in the hospital for two weeks. When I came home I was so weak I couldn’t even walk alone.


All went well. By Feb of 1942 I was expecting a baby We had no way of knowing which sex it would be. Gail had been called up to the draft board. I was in the hospital awaiting the arrival of a baby. He was running between the draft board and hospital in Pocatello. I had ridden to the hospital with Dr. Kohlor and Gail’s dad and mom in our car. Anyway a baby girl was finally delivered. What an exciting event! The next day neither Gail or the Dr. were able to come back. It snowed during the night - lots of snow.


The next 18 months Gail enlisted. He had been deferred but didn’t feel good about that. Anyway Gerrie and I went to Vancouver, Washington where my dad and Uncle Reid worked in the ship yards. We stayed there for some time. I found a job working in a nursery school. My mother kept Jerrie. While there we received a visit from someone delivering a telegram from the Army. Mom wouldn’t take it, she probably knew what it was. A neighbor called me at the nursery school. I hurried home and took the telegram. It said, “sorry to inform you that your son has been killed in action in France.” That was a very traumatic time. Reid, Rhea, Dad, Mo, Harvey, you and I drove home to Idaho Falls for memorial services.

While Gail was in store keeping school at Farragut, Idaho, I went there to spend some time with him. On the train my suit case was switched with one just like it. Only this one had a pair of mens pajamas in it. I had on a white polka dot dress, very dressy, high heeled shoed. I had to go to all the activities at Farragut dressed like that. Finally we were able to get my suitcase back.

One time while I was on the train going to meet Gail, the conductor said I should not be on that train as it was for service personnel. Gail had arranged with a rather tall (about 6 feet) kid from home to claim me as his wife. So this he did and all was well. Jerrie wandered around our train car and had the servicemen making such a fuss over her that she would come back to me with her hands full of money.


Gail and his company were at Astoria ,Oregon getting their ship ‘ship shape’ for over seas travel. He had met a fellow and became quite close to him. His wife was in Montana and I was in Vancouver, WA. The fellows decided we should come spend some time with them. She had three girls, one Jerrie’s age and two older. So she drove to Vancouver, WA, with her kids and a baby bed on top of her car. My dad loaded Gerrie’s crib on top of the already loaded car and off we took, looking like a scene from The Grapes of Wrath, to find our husbands. When we finally did we were sent to a house quite fr out of town. The person who owned the home wouldn’t take any rent money. We had our baby bed’s and the other two girls slept on a camp cot, one at each end. There were two beds for us two couples.

Soon afterward Gail and I went to Sea Side, Oregon. We had an apartment there. Jerrie and I could walk to the little town and the beach to kill time. Gail was able to come home at night. When they took the USS Drew out for a trial run, I went back to Vancouver. Gerrie and I would go to be with Gail once at Spokane, WA and once at San Francisco. We would then stay in hotels. Finally the ship set sail for over seas. Jerrie and I again left for Vancouver, WA.

The day the war ended we were on the train with many other returning service men also. The conductor announced VJ Day. At last the War was over!!!! For a moment there was perfect silence I don’t know why unless everyone was too shocked to shout. Gail was not released along with others. He was frozen and had to issue pay checks for awhile. We finally arrived in Grace and settled into our little home. By this time Jerrie had been away from her daddy so long that they had to get reacquainted. Gail worked in the Petersen’s grocery store, then was asked to take a test for postal clerk. He worked in the Post Office as a clerk until Merriam passed away and was then made post master. That was good employment.


Jerrie grew and had good health. On April 1947 twin boys, Dennis and Doyle, were delivered. Dennis weighed 5'1" and Doyle 5'. That was 10 pounds of babies. (Norma remembers that when they were born the doctor delivered Dennis and was getting ready to clean up when Doyle began his appearance. The dr. shouted, “My G.. ! Here comes another one.”).However, both babies were thin and not really very healthy, especially Doyle. He couldn’t keep a formula down and they only ate 2", which took them almost an hour. I ws at the hospital for 10 days. Dr. Kohler came and asked me if it would be alright if a Mrs. Perkins nursed Doyle. Her milk agreed with him better. One day a nurse had worked her shift and offered to work the night shift. She gave all the babies paregoric. It really knocked Doyle out. When the nurse took him in to Klea to nurse she couldn’t awaken him and could smell the paregoric on him. She told Dr. Kohler. He was white with anger and said if he could find another nurse he would let her go. I took Dennis home. The Fr. Asked Klea Perkins to stay one more day so Doyle could have his shots. She did and when she finally took her healthy baby (8 ½ pounds) home she also took a little four pound runt along. We had to drive clear to Chesterfield every other day and take Doyle and Dennis to the Dr. That was really a drag. Finally when Doyle was five weeks old he had gained his birth weight back and we were able to take him home for good. Jerrie said Dennis was her baby and didn’t have much to do with Doyle for some time. By the time they were a year old they looked like normal babies. We have always been thankful to Klea Perkins for doing double duty to save our little Doyle.

When we brought those two additional children home our little two room place was too small. Gail’s father put a trailer house (it was an old wooden one about 8 x 8) on the east side of the home, put a hall between the two structures and made a bit of a bath (Insert here. I remember this quite well because the out house style of living was less than wonderful. I remember looking in wonder at the white porcelain and marveling at how wonderful it was to sit on the pot and take a shower at the same time.), a closet on the other side and now there was room in that trailer addition for our bed and a big dresser and two cribs. Jerrie slept on either the couch in the living room or a cot in the kitchen (there was also a covered porch that I recall sleeping there also, although mom says I didn’t. I am convinced it was sleeping there that made me a fresh air freak.) When the twins were 18 mo. old we moved into our present home for which we paid a whooping $8,000 .

Dennis was very upset with the move and laid on the top of me with his arms around my neck. Doyle went to bed to sleep, but finally we were able to put both of them in their cribs.

In the meantime Gail worked in the day and laid carpet at night to support our family. One day I went to town and bought two bushel of tomatoes. I took one in to work on it and left the other outside with the id securely shut. I heard my little boys laughing so hard. We had them fenced in across the drive way and the back yard. I didn’t out go see why they were being so good. But when I did they had somehow taken the lid off the other bushel of tomatoes and both were dancing up and down in that bushel of tomatoes. They were always full of mischief. Once Gail heard a rumble when he started the car. He asked the boys what they had done. One reported “Ocks” and when further investigation occurred they had put rocks in the tank. It had be removed and cleaned. When we would go to Yellowstone we would camp in the camp ground on top of the Snake River Canyon. The three children loved to make dams and play in the water.

On Aug. 20, 1952, Eric joined our little growing family. He was a healthy baby. It was hunting season and Gail was sweating out the birth so he could go hunting. The baby arrived and the hunt went on. Jerri grew very close to him, too him to the ‘flibrary’ and almost everywhere she went. Dennis was disappointed that Eric was not a girl. Eric was quite well until he was about four or five. He got a big sliver in his leg below his butt. I took him to the dr. in Preston to get it out and he had heart problems. He was in the hospital for a week or more. I then knew why he just sat at his base when they played baseball.

I have to back up before Eric’s birth. We were going to Preston with Gail. He was going to lay some linoleum or carpet. Jerrie, Dennis, Doyle and I were going to visit Gail’s Aunt Alice. Jerrie had been sitting on my lap when Dennis became car sick. Jerrie moved in the middle and Dennis sat on my lap. I rolled the window down and hit the latch on the door of the truck. Dennis and I flew out of the truck onto the gravel road. Dennis had a small rock sticking out of his head
and I was really bruised. I pulled the rock out and we went to Preston to the dr. He took a stitch or two or three in Dennis’ head and examined me. We were really blessed that we were not severely hurt. Gail accomplished his carpet job and life went on as usual.

The next baby to come (and the last) was a girl. Everyone was happy except Jerrie. She wouldn’t even looked at her. I guess she had a case of I’ve-been-the-only-girl-in-the-family-why-mess-up-a-good-thing-itis. Janet was born Sept 23, 1957. My mother came to help me. She was holding the baby and simply placed her in Jerrie’s arms. That did it and they were finally friends.

Janet was a joy to all of us and evened things out with another girl. Eric loved her so much. She was fun to dress. He would help me with the baby especially in the winter. He would hold doors for me, help me off with my coat and undress Janet. One day she and I had walked to town. On the way back we noticed a family moving in down the street from our home. We saw a little girl and went over to visit. I introduced us to the Andersons who became our fast friends. The little girl Kathy became bosom buddies with Janet. The two girls had two homes and each had another mother. If one mother was gone they would go to the other home.

Gail decided I should go back to school and get my Bachelors degree (I had an associates degree at this time.). He sorta sent me out on a board and pushed me off. That summer Janet went out to Andersons and I started school, took some classes at Idaho State University and some in Logan at USU. Finally Janet was in school and I took classes off campus at Soda, Grace and Pocatello and finally graduated from USU in Logan with a Bachelor degree.

Rosie Shepard Smith History

Personal histories written by Rosie Sheppard Smith. These histories are written in pencil or typed and are being kept in my historical storage. Two are three short histories written by Rosie were combined into one history by Joe Stewart. Some addition information has been found and added to her history.


Rosie Sheppard Smith History
By Rosie Sheppard
Additions by Joseph S Stewart

My father was William Ashman Sheppard born July 17 1851 in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, England. My Mother was Christina Nelson born May 18, 1858 in Lehi, Utah. Father was 24 years old and Mother was 17 years old when they married March 8, 1875 in Newton, Utah. Their first five children were born in Utah.

The Sumer of 1885 the family moved from Newton, Utah to Teton, Idaho. This move was made by team and wagon. The family camped along the way sleeping in and under the wagon. Father always slept by the wagon and horses to guard against the Indians stealing the horsed and limited family belongings. The sixth child Mabel Christina Sheppard was born in Teton, Idaho

The spring of 1887 the family again moved to Rexburg, Idaho. My father was a man of many trades such as Barber, Carpenter, Farmer, and Chef. My Father among other things cooked in restaurants which were called eating joints to make a living for the family. I, Rosie Sheppard Smith was born July 26, 1889 at Rexburg, Idaho. I was the seventh child out of a family of ten children. The children names and birth dates are listed in order of birth.

William Wallace Sheppard 5 January 1876
James Thomas George Sheppard 27 April 1878
Carrie Labrertha Sheppard 11 August 1880
David Laurence Sheppard 14 September 1882
Charles Clarence Sheppard 24 January 1884
Mabel Christina Sheppard 26 September 1886
Rosie Sheppard 26 July 1889
Hyrum Edgar Sheppard 14 December 1892
John Archie Sheppard 19 August 1894
Annie Irene Sheppard 25 January 1897


With our large family things did not come as easy to us as they did to some families. We all did our part in order to make things run as smooth as possible. In 1889 we were on the farm at Lodi. At times we were rationed to one slice of bread a day because we ran out of flour. Father would sometimes take a horse and ford the river to go to the store in Marysville for supplies. We often had to wait until father could take wheat to Market Lake (Now Roberts) to get a load of flour which would last us a long time. Market Lake was the Rail Road head where freight was distributed from to the communities to the north and east. Market Lake also had a flour mills to process wheat to flour.

In 1892 when I was a very small child, my Father and Mother moved their family to a little community called Lodi, Idaho located north west of the present town of Ashton near the north fork of the Snake river. We were the 5th family to settle in the community. The families living in the area at the time were the Bakers, Dorsheys, Hills, and an old bachelor by the name of Tablo.
Father built a one room log house in Lodi which had a dirt floor. There were two windows in the house which were covered with oiled paper. The paper was oiled to make it stronger and to let in more light. Father also built furniture to put in the cabin which included table, chairs, benches and shelves. He built a bedstead and put slats on it to hold the straw tick. I remember how we were taught to watch for rattle snakes during the summer. When we left the door open the snakes would often crawl in the house. My brothers used to kill many of them and remove the rattles.

We lived on one of the best three farms in the community. We were the fifth family who moved there so you might say we had a big choice of land on which to make our home. My father was not a dedicated farmer and did not stay with farming. He worked in restaurants as a cook to make our living. The restaurants were then called eating joints.

Early settlers in addition to the regular hardships and difficulties were always aware of the Indians moving about the country. As early as 1877 the Indians were given orders by the united States Government to move onto assigned reservations. Some of the Indians did move onto the reservations but others did not. Indians, who were on the reservations often left and escaped to the mountains. They were called renegade Indians usually young bucks who would attack Freighters and settlers who were traveling or moving to new settlement. The famous Chief Joseph flight from the US army took place when he came over the Lolo pass down the lost river into the Spencer area through Kilgore, Shotgun and Island Park into Montana.

In 1894 or 1895 Father bought a lot in Marysville and built a three room house. Ashton did not exist at that time it was later developed as a rail road center. Father went to St Anthony and bought two new bedsteads and six chairs. We really thought we were dolled out since we were not used to having nice furniture. We used slats for springs on ours beds. Dad built a fairly nice bed and gave it to mother for her birthday gift.

Finally after we were settled we decided we needed some means of recreation, so with the help of my brothers Billie and Jim, Father gathered enough logs together to build a dance hall in Marysville. It was really a grand hall and after it was finished we needed some means of music to dance by. Father bought Violins and a Banjo for Billie, Jim, and Clarence. Father called for the square dances which were then called Quadrilles. On different occasions there were others who played in our little band. We enjoyed many good time in the dance hall and especially father. He was a real singer and jig dancer. The dance business went over big, people came from all over that
part of the country to dance.

During the winter when a big blizzard would come up, the people would often have to spend a few days there staying in the dance hall. Father and the boys would always have plenty of wood hauled for our winter use. Father and mother would always cook for these crowds. We kids thought that it was great to have lots of folks around to care for. We were like one big family.


Mother always served lunch at our house which was just a little way from the hall. I always helped her with these lunches. I enjoyed being able to help even if I could not eat any of the cake and Ice cream. The reason for this was that I was not able to eat anything that had eggs in it. There were many times when the crowd would ask me to come to the hall and dance with my father. Chester and Fall River (St Anthony) folks were to our dances many times.

We did not have school like we do now days. Some time the boys would take us to the old church in a sleigh and we would wrap up in a quilt to keep warm while the old horses made their way through the big snow drifts.

We lived about three miles from a little store and post office. Mabel, my sister, and I used to be just like all other kids. She would bribe me into doing the dishes. Mabel was afraid to walk to the store so Carrie would brag on me and I always ended up going. I was only about 6 years old but I did not want the others to know I was afraid too. I guess that is why I always went with out a fuss.

I always use to go out on baby sitting jobs for our neighbors so I could make as much as possible to help out. Usually I made not more than 10 cents and sometimes only a piece of candy.

Some of our chores at home were to tear carpet rags and sew them, knit cuffs, pull weeds, and cut potato seed for planting. After I was a little older, Hyrum and I always did our chores together to help each other out. It seemed that we were a little closer with each other than with the other children. We made many trips to the little ditch near our home to carry water for home use.

When I was about 9 years old, I stayed with Carrie a lot of the time and walked about 2 miles to school and back. It was then that I met David Smith and we would walk together. Like most backward little kids we did not dare speak to one another.

Later on I stayed with the Baker family.

When I was nearly 10 years old, my father died at age 42 but things went on the same as before because Billy and Jim were boys who could take responsibility very well so they kept the family together. At 12 Mabel my sister got a job to help out and I stayed home to help Mother do the washing, cooking, and do sewing for others. It was a good thing I did these things and learned while I had a chance for when I was 13 years old Mother died. The Boys then took any kind of work they could find to support the family we had left. I learned how to keep house. I made yeast and bread, did all the cooking, made shirts for my two younger brothers, dresses for my 6 year old sister, made my own dresses, and did the wash on a wash board for a family of 6.

Finally, Jim got a farm of his own but there was not a house on it. He slept under a canvas for protection against the weather at night. The other four of us kids stayed alone in our house at Marysville during the week.


Mabel, my sister, and Mike Smith, David=s Brother, married. They moved into our old house. I stayed with them to help out when their babies, Nellie, Melba, and Ruth were born.

When I was 17 my two older brothers got married and left home. I then went out to work for different people in their homes. I also worked for Billy=s wife (Nells) Aunt Alice when she cooked for the men working at the saw Mill.

When I was 18 years old, My Fathers sister’s husband and some other men drove from American Fork, Utah to Yellowstone National Park and then to our place in Marysville. When they got to Marysville, the other men went on and uncle Harry made me go with him to Idaho Falls. He had a sister at Iona so he left me at Idaho Falls to go on to Salt Lake alone. I had never been on a train but once and that was to Rexburg, Idaho. When I left Marysville, Clarence said Anow Sis if any stranger asks you to go with them say no and stay in the Depot@. Before I got to Salt Lake, a girl came up to me and sat down. She made herself acquainted with me then invited me to her home to have water melon. While she was talking to me, I discovered she had been married three times and she was only 20 years old. When it was time to catch the train to American Fork, she took me back to the train station. When I finally reached my Aunts place in American Fork, I was real glad to see her and she was glad to see me. I really learned a lot on that trip. I was with her two months and during that time I went to my cousin’s farewell party. He was getting ready to go on a mission. It was a good trip but I was glad to return home.

In the fall, I went to Farnum, Idaho to work for Carrie and Oscar in their little store. I guess that is when I really started going with Manny (David Amanuel Smith). Although he had been my part time boy friend since I was 15 years old. One time during our courtship I stood Dad up to go with another boy. Later on Billy and Dad=s brother got together and had Dad ask me for a date and then he stood me up. So Billy and I went to the dance and when we got there Dad was already there.

In spite of all the hardships, downfalls, and tricks we pulled on one another, Dad and I were married 24 November 1908. We were married in Carrie and Oscar=s home in Farnum by Mack Harris. I was working at Carrie and Oscar=s store at the time.

During the winter we lived near a saw mill where David worked. In the spring we moved south of Ashton, Idaho and farmed the little farm that Dave and Mike owned together. Mike worked at the saw mill during the time Dad farmed.

August 30, 1909 Reid our oldest son was born. We continued to live on the ranch until winter when we moved into our little house in Marysville. Dad worked at different jobs while we were there. In July Dad went to get out logs for Fagg Jacob.

August 4, 1910 our second son Elwin was born. Mabel took care of me during this time.


February 1911 we loaded our little bit of furniture in a sleigh and moved to Cache in Teton County. Dad hauled milk for the creamery. The following year Dad farmed plowing the farm land with two horses and a hand plow. Some how he managed to get the crops in. In the fall I shocked the grain while my husband worked on the side to earn something to live on.

Billie Sheppard wanted Dad to get a larger farm so they could work together. We found a farm to rent at Darby, Idaho. Billie and Nell moved in with us and we got along grand. It was not much more than a year later that Vera our oldest daughter was born May 2, 1912. Nell took care of my work, tended our three children, and her two children Julia and George during this recovery from birth. Nell treated our children just like her own.

We farmed at Darby for two year and then we heard of work in Ashton hauling freight to Wyoming so we moved back to our place in Marysville in 1914. I was sick at the time and I could not go on the wagon. Nell took our three children with them when they moved our furniture.

We lived in our little house at Marysville for the next three years. Dad freighted and work at any other jobs he could get from farmers and at the saw mill. Our daughter Beulah was born June 17, 1914 in Marysville. At times when I had to go chase cows, I did not dare leave the children alone so I would take the two babies to the neighbors. I would empty one room in our house of all the furniture so the boys would not hurt themselves and then lock Reid and Elwin in the room so they could not get out. I would then go get the cows so the officers would not put them in the stray pen. I would milk the cows and put them in the barn. In the morning I would milk again and then watch them again as usual. We did not have thing as convenient then as we do now. When I washed, I had to pack the water from a well located about a block away.

It seems that during the years since our children were born, we had sickness among all of the children. Reid was probably sick longer than the rest. It was like Dr. Harris would say Aas long as there is life there is hope. Therefore I would nurse them to the best of my knowledge and ability and hope they would regain their health.

In 1916 after Norris was born June 22, 1915 in Marysville, we moved back to Cache, Idaho. We bought a little farm and paid for it by dad doing the farm work in the evenings and going out to work during the day. It was hard for me to watch my little family, feed pigs, and watch the cows. Sometime the cows would bloat before I could get them. We lost one cow that way and I felt awful bad.

June 10, 1917 another daughter, Norma, was born. World War I was being fought in Europe. We worried some about Dad being called into the service. He had to register but was 30 years old. I remember lying in bed and noticed two men walking down the road towards our place. My heart jumped in my throat because I thought they were coming to take Dad. It turned out that the two men were ward teachers, some old friends of ours.


In 1919 we sold our 40 acre farm in Cache and bought a larger farm in Judkin, Idaho. We went in debt for this larger place located in Judkin, Idaho. The crops failed and we lost the grain that we had grown, our cattle, the machinery, and some of our horses. A son, Russell, was born December 18, 1920. When Russell was born I had gone to Marysville and stayed there until I was able to go back home in a sleigh. Dad stayed on the farm and took care of it during this time.

February 22, 1922 when Carroll was born I went down the aunt Mabel=s in Marysville. The children stayed alone while Dad drove back and forth in a Sleigh. The night Carroll was born, Russell took sick. I stayed at Mabel=s until March 16, 1922 when Russell died. After this tragedy in our lives, I went back to Judkin. We stayed in Judkin until 1922 when we lost everything we owned but our house.

Every one was Ill in those days. We did not know how to feed our children like we do now. I guess we were starving them. The children were quite a bit of help to me. At this time Reid was 10, Elwin was 9, Vera was 7 and 2. People used to try and comfort me by saying Ayou don=t know what troubles are, wait until they are grown@. I can say that people were wrong because the children have not been any trouble as adults. It was much harder on me when they were babies.

In 1922 we moved back to Warm River, Idaho and farmed there one year. Another boy named Doyle was born March 29, 1923. The farm we were renting was sold which caused us to move again.

We moved to one of Ernst and Zila=s places just below Ashton, Idaho during the next summer. In March 1924 we moved back to Marysville. It was about this time that Hyrum Sheppard heard of a little place named Osgood, Idaho that was opening up for farming.

Hyrum Sheppard=s family, Archie Sheppard=s family, and our family move to Osgood.This move turn out to be a good move for our family. Our family made the move to Osgood in our Ford touring car. The older boys drove the cattle and horses to Osgood. We settled in a home just east of the Osgood canal on the road that went west to the cinder butte.

June 20, 1928 Dad and I took our family and went to Logan, Utah to be sealed as a family in the Logan temple. This was a welcomed event in our lives. I felt like we had all been liberated from a jail.

I had been sick with my Ulcers for so long that something had to be done. In August 1928, I went to the Hospital to have most of my stomach removed. Three weeks following that, I received a Goiter operation. I spent 8 weeks in the hospital through all of this repair. I was 39 years of age at the time of these operations. This was Doctor H. Ray Hatch=s first Ulcer operation. Some of the nurses in the Hospital told me how worried he was but it turned out that he did a wonderful job.
I was weak for a long time following these operations. I lay near death during the operations and even the doctors said it was a higher power than their=s which made me well.


The children worked hard to help out and care for each other during these trying times. Norris, who was 10 years old, had been hoeing sugar beets and wanted to buy a gun like his friend had but instead of buying the gun he said AMother I am going to pay this on your doctor bill@.

In 1930 when Reid was 21 years old he was asked to fill a Mission and he felt like he had to go. All of the Children who were big enough to work in the sugar beets, saved their wages and we were able to get Reid off on his mission. Elwin worked and paid Reid=s life insurance payment all the time that Reid was gone. The school district hired Dave to drive a school bus which provided money to support Reid on his mission. I can say that our family got along better while Reid was on this mission than before his mission.

August 31, 1931 another boy, who we named Harvey was brought into our lives. I was 42 years old at the time and still weak from the operations that I had three years previous. The girls had to raise Harvey until I regained enough strength to take care of him.

After Reid came home from his mission, he seemed to realize the value of an education. Through his influence he and Elwin went back to high school in Ammon. They both graduated from high school and then went on to get their college education at Ricks College. Different people helped them get work and they were able to make some money on the side.

In 1943 Doyle our next to the youngest son went into the service. He had tried to join the service for two years but they told him he had to stay on the farm. Finally they let him join when he told them he was leaving the farm.

Reid and his wife Rhea had been in Vancouver, Washington and Reid talked Dad into going out to Vancouver to work. We left the farm at Osgood and moved to Vancouver for two years.

We moved back to Idaho Falls in 1945 and bought a home on 5th street. We lived in this home for 7 years. During those years Dad was the Janitor at the Emerson grade school. He also had a second job at the Challenge Creamery.

Dad then got a job out at the AEC plant in Arco, Idaho desert for one year and was laid off when they cut back on employees. He went back to work for the school and worked past retirement age. Since then he has worked at several part time jobs.

We sold our place on 5th Street and built a new home on L Street where we now live. Dad pays all he can on the house to get it paid for so we can really enjoy it.

It is hard to get away on little leisure trips like I would like to. Dad says two more years and everything will be paid for. Dad will be 75 years old then and of course I am just a young kid.


I am proud of our wonderful family and the way they learned to work hard and care for them selves. Reid and Rhea his wife finished college and both teach in the public education system. Reid was principal and taught school at Osgood in the 1960's. Elwin and his wife Larene finished college and taught in the public school system. Elwin taught school at Osgood for awhile. Elwin was hired in a government job and changed his occupation. Vera and her husband Reed farm on the Osgood project. Beulah married and moved to Texas with her husband Bill Hardy. Norris finished college and went into the teaching profession while his wife Roma is a registered nurse. Norma finished college at Ricks College and become a Teachers until she married and moved to Grace Idaho where her husband Gail Ray runs the Post Office. Carroll and his wife Ruby have gone into the farming profession farming in Osgood and several other communities in the upper Snake River valley. Doyle was killed in Mon court woods, France during World War II. Harvey is in the Electronics business and His wife Lauena is a registered nurse.

Elwin, Carroll, Doyle, and Norma=s husband Gail were called into the service of their country during World War II.

Now that my children are grown I feel relaxed knowing that they are good honest people. I have very little worrying to do about them.

I have served in various calling in the church as a teacher in the Sunday school and primary. I was a councilor in the primary presidency and also a councilor in the Relief Society organization. I have sung with the singing mothers. We have done Temple work since moving back to Idaho Falls area.