(I don't remember where I got this. It's actually two documents. The second is an abridged version of the first but with additional details in some areas. My assumption based on the different styles of writing on both documents, is that Grandpa probably dictated some of this, which was then edited, and wrote the rest himself, or it was just never edited. Some of it is fairly complete, other parts, especially towards the end, are very sketchy. LC.)

I am Orson Pratt Callister. My father was Thomas Callister, son of John Callister and Catherine Murphy. He was born July 8, 1821 on the Isle of Man. He accepted the Gospel in 1842 and in the spring of 1842 emigrated to Nauvoo, Illinois. His brother offered him half his business if he would stay but he choose to come to Zion. For this his family disowned him for a time.

My mother was Mary Lovina Phelps, daughter of Alva Phelps and Margaret Robison. The first Phelps came to America about 1620. Mother's folks were converts to the church. Grandfather Phelps joined the Mormon Battalion July 1846 and died the following September while serving in the army. He was buried on the banks of the Arkansas River . Grandmother spent the winter with her three children Juliaett , Walter and Mary Lovina, my mother, at Winter Quarters living in a dugout. The following year Grandmother married William Bridges and with him and her three children crossed the plains, eventually locating in Fillmore, Utah. To this union was born one daughter Margaret Dec. 2, 1852. She died in 1863. 0f the other three children, Aunt Juliaett married Orson Pratt, Uncle Wallter married twice, his first wife died and he then married Mary Young.

Mother and Father were married in the Endowment House Salt Lake City Dec, 19, 1863. I am the tenth child and fifth son of my parents and was born Dec. 2, 1877 at Fillmore, Utah.

My father worked at farming, stock raising, and later as a contractor for the railroad. It was while he was doing the contract work that he contracted pnenmonia and died Dec. 1880. I was then only three years old. Before his death he called his family together and blessed them, told them to be true to the Gospel and always observe the Word of Wisdom. My only memory of my father is going into breakfast one morning and having him hand me a biscuit covered with jelley.

Father left us 2 1/2 acres of land and a comfortable brick home in Fillmore also 14 acres of land and a home in Meadowcreek. He gave my oldest living brother Alva a mare and instructed him he was to give the first mare colt to my brother William and should his colt grow up and foal a mare colt it was to be given to me. I in turn was to give its first mare colt to my younger brothcr Walter. I got my mare colt and from it came most of the horses I used during my many years of farming. One was Nellie which was our standby when my family was growing up.

We lived in Fillmore until 1884 when my mother married Horace Holt. He was not a member of the Church. We then moved to Beaver Bottoms, Utah where 7 Jan. 1885 Nester Holt the only son of this marriage was born. I have lingering fond memories of my experiences at Beaver Bottoms. We moved from Fillmore to Beaver Bottoms in a wagon. All of our family were together except my sister Ina, who had married. On our trip we stayed one night at Peter Robisons, my mother's uncle. Arrived at our destination next day. Mr Holt was there and met us with a big bucket of milk. All us kids enjoyed it.

Here Mr. Holt owned a 320 acre ranch, on which was a large four room house with two hallways and a fireplace. We boys had ponies and guns and spent many enjoyable hours hunting. We would go to the marshes and shoot wild ducks and were often chased out by Indians. They would come to the house and demand food but Mother was not afraid.

We hunted wildcats and coyotes. The latter were so thick that we could poison two with the same bait. We helped tend the large herd of cattle.

In 1885 on one of my trips back to Fillmore I was baptized by James Melville and confirmed by Thomas Callister, I was baptized in what was called the mill race. The meeting house later burned down where our records were kept so at fourteen I was rebaptized by Charley Height at Oakley, Idaho.

In 1888 owing to family troubles my mother took us children and left my stepfather and went to Snake Valley Nevada, where the older boys farmed and I herded sheep. Mother had traded her property at Meadow Creek for 250 head of sheep. I was about ten years of age. I spent many hours alone herding these sheep. The coyotes were so thick they would attack the sheep two and three at a time. We built a large corral with a high pole fence where we would put the sheep at night to keep them away from the coyotes. One time two of them pounced into the little flock at one time. I was afraid of them so stayed on ths far side of the sheep and threw rocks aat them until I frightened them away. We often listened to Mountain Lions roaring at night.

It was while I was herding these sheep that I had an experience which is rare for a boy of ten years. My younger brother and I had the sheep about 3 miles from camp. We were exploring an empty miners cabin. In some trash outside the cabin I picked up a box containing what appeared to be twenty two shells. There were nineteen in the box. I took one in my hand and put the rest in my pocket. I told my brother that the cartridge would look nice on the end of my pencil so proceeded to take a pin and pick the contents out. The contents happened to be Nitro-glycerine, a very highly explosive and the cap a dynamite cap and not a shell. It exploded in my hand, tearing off one finger, part of another and broke all the bones in my thumb. Two little streams of blood squirted to the ceiling of the cabin. Fortunately I had had an experience with my older brother Will where he had stopped the bleeding from a cut on his leg by tying a handkerchief tightly above the cut. I remembered this and so tied my handkerchief around my wrist and stopped the bleeding . We then drove the sheep the three miles back to the camp where Mother and the two girls were. Leaving the sheeg with my older sister Juliaett and brother Walter who was eight years old, Mother, Elida and I rode horses twelve miles to the nearest ranch. Here we waited for my brother Alva who came with a team and wagon and took us the 60 miles to Ely, Nevada where the nearest doctor was. It was Dr. Campbell. I had told my mother a rock had fallen on my hand and mashed it. This was a falsehood, but I was fearful she would punish mecif she knew I had been fooling with dynamite. This little act of deception probably saved my hand because later after my hand had healed I confessed to the doctor that it was torn by dynamite. He said had he known that at the time he would have cut most of my hand away in order to get all the powder and copper out.

In the spring of 1889 we moved back to Beaver Bottoms, Utah. My mother and step-father decided to try to make a go of it again.

I had had no formal schooling up to this time. The following summer I told mother she would have to sell the sheep. I was going to Fillmore and go to school. I was then twelve years old. Mother objected but finally gave her consent. At Fillmore I stayed with Grandmother Phelps (Bridges) and enrolled in school. I did janitor work at the school for my tuition. I was only there three months when mother wrote that she had purchased cattle with the sheep money and needed help caring for them. So after three months of schooling I quit and returned to Beaver Bottoms and the cattle.

Shortly after this Mr. Holt got into a law suit that drug on for seven years and even though he won it, the long drawn out suit broke him. It resulted from an oral agreement Mr. Holt had with Mr. Horth. The latter would buy calves, bring to Mr. Holt's ranch and Mr. Holt would raise them, since he harvested considerzble hay, then they would divide the proceeds. After they had about two hundred calves, Mr. Horth asked to move them to another ranch, which he did and then instructed Mr. Holt to stay away. Mr. Holt put on a six shooter and at a point of gun took cattle back to his ranch. For this he was arrested. Remained in jail overnight. He then entered suit against Mr. Horth.

After losing everything as a regult of the lawsuit Mr. Holt went to southern Nevada to mine, and Mother and family moved to Oakley, Idaho, a distance of 500 miles. We boys drove the stock all the way on this trip. When we got to within 20 miles of Oakley Mother and the folks left another boy, Will Hickerson, and I to bring the cattle on, on foot. To appease our hunger we would milk the cows squirting the milk directly into our mouths. Finally we reached a stock ranch where they took us in for the night.

While at Oakley we rented a farm and raised hay and grain for two years. During the winter Walter and I were able to attend the Oakley Academy for three weeks. Here also I did janitor work to pay for my tuition. This concluded what formal education I was able to get, except for one week at Snake Valley a year or so later. In

1892 mother decided to go to Southern Nevada, to the little town of Overton to join my stepfather. It was a distance of 600 miles. We started the second day of November with two wagons and teams, 20 head of horses, and 40 head of cattle. While we were out on the desert some ten miles from Deep Creek it started to snow. By morning it had snowed 18 inches. We broke trail and finally got into Deep Creek where we bought hay and were forced to remain for two days until the road was opened. Continuing our journey after two more days we crossed over the mountain into Snake Valley where the weather was milder so decided to remain for the winter, since our stock were able to range for their feed. I got a job feeding cattle until January when I quit to attend school. It only lasted for one week however when I was obliged to quit and help cut posts with my brother, Will.

I worked at odd jobs until September when we again took up our journey to Moapa some 400 miles distance. We were on the road about four weeks. The trip was rather eventful. We depended on water holes for our source of water and many of them had dried up so our stock would suffer for lack of water.

When we were within a mile of our destination we had an accident that left my brother Walter crippled for life. A tug on the lead horse came unhitched, Walter went in to hitch it and the wheeler horse stomped him breaking his leg. There was no doctor available so the leg was not set and it healed shorter than the other which caused him to limp.

We found my step father on a piece of ground covered with mesquite and cats claw, which we cleared during the next two years and planted to vineyards and orchards. During part of this time I worked in the mines and hauled mail.

Mother's health was poor here so again she decided to leave Mr. Holt and return to Oakley, Idaho.

For me the stay here was most rewarding because I met a young lady by the name of Annie Francella Jones who some years later became my wife.

Our return trip back to Oakley, Idaho was long and tedious. The only livestock we had were four horses we used to pull the wagon and one saddle horse. The overloaded wagon and hot dusty desert road wore out our horses and we had to trade them for others in order to complete the trip. We were delayed a week at Lake Valley while Mother sufficiently recovered from a back injury she received from falling off the wagon while making a bed. Here we had to sell our saddle horse to get money to go on. She was still unable to stand the rough travel of the wagon so we traded a gun to the stage driver for her fare to Humbolt Wells. It was necessary for me to go along and care for her. When the boys did not arrive with the wagon the next morning I went back on the road and found them stuck in the sand.

When we left Humbolt we picked the wrong road and found ourselves on an old emigrant trail which was very rough and untrodden. Our team finally gave out and I walked fifteen miles to the nearest ranch where I obtained a team. When I arrived back to our wagon my sister Elida and her husband William Elison were there from Oakley. Never was relief so welcome. They helped us to our destination.

After getting settled in Oakley Walter and I took a contract to haul wood. While thus engaged Walter had a load of wood tip over on him breaking his wrist. Following this I took a job at a sawmill until I had earned enough money to make our home comfortable. During this period I was able to get two more months of school. I was told I could have passed the eighth grade had I been able to remain the entire winter.

I quit to take a job herding sheep in order to support mother. I earned $45.00 per month. I continued at this for the next three years. This kind of work kept me away from people and deprived me of the social life available to most young people during their teens. Consequently I never learned to mix with people at this age so later on found it hard to properly enter into the social ffairs of the community as I matured. I have felt the lack of this social contact all my life. However, during this time I read many books including the Bible and other church works, also studied arithmetic thus adding to my meager learning.

During my early twenties Walter and I purchased twenty acres of land. When we decided to move to Blackfoot we disposed of this land an in so doing I got my first experience in dealing in business. I gave the purchaser a deed with a verbal contract for three teams each horse to weigh not less than eleven hundred pounds, but I was forced to accept six small ponies weighing seven to nine hundred pounds each.

In 1900 we moved to Blackfoot, Idaho. Here Walter and I purchased 160 acres of sagebrush land in the community of Groveland at a cost of one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars. The first year Walter ran the farm and I returned to Oakley and herded sheep for James Porter to provide us with operating money. I worked there for one year and then returned to the farm, but since there was no sale for our products I went back to herding and shearing sheep. This time for Dr. Givens out in the Lost River country and at Shoshone, Idaho.

During the year I was farming 1903, on August 2, the Groveland Ward was organized and I was chosen President of the MIA with Orval Yancey as first and Samuel H. Chapman as second assistants. Other officers were Walter Callister, Sec. Asa Bagley, Librarian, John Bagley, Treas. Joseph F. Jensen, Missionary, G. W. Hammond Musical director.

In the fall of 1904 while I was employed by Mr. Givens I received a call to go on a mission to the Southern States. I had no money but obtained some by increasing the mortgage on the place and left for Salt Lake City Jan 7, 1905. Here I received my endowments in the Salt Lake Temple.

I arrived at Chattenoga, Tenn. Mission headquarters in February 1905. I enjoyed my mission very much. My lack of schooling made it difficult for me to explain the gospel as clearly and eloquently as I would like to have done but on the other hand it kept me humble and prayerful. 0f my many experieces I would like to relate just three.

One happened on my first night out from headquarters. I had ridden the bus and stage and was walking my last mile into Potters Mills. It was dark and I still had several miles to go. I was cold hungry and tired and had a terrific headache. Discouraged I knelt in prayer. I told the Lord I was there serving him and needed his help. It seemed as if a voice told me to go to the first light. I did and was welcomed and given supper and a comfortable bed. Another happened during a Sunday School at Cyclone, Wayne County, Tennessee. The superintendent and others seemed uneasy. He finally put a coat on his sister and told her to hurry out and go home then all of us left the building. Outside was a group of ruffians, swearing and cursing the elders. I stood there with a hand in my back pocket, quiet and trying to appear unafraid. Finally the men left abruptly. I believe they thought my hand was on a gun in my pocket. At another appointment for a meeting we found benches barring the door to the building and willow sticks poked into the ground approaching the entrance. I suppose it was a warning to us not to proceed with the meeting. However, we moved away the benches, sat on the steps and whittled up all the willows and piled them in a pile. No one came so we went on our way.

After laboring 28 months in the mission field I returned home. There was not a soul a the station to meet me when I arrived. All the folks had gone to Overton, Nevada to attend the funeral of my step-father. Since they planned to remain there for some two years I worked at Lost River until I had earned $200, paid my brother Alva $75 I had borrowed and the first part of July left for Moapa Valley, Nevada where they lived. Here I proposed to the girl I had been corresponding with for several years, Francella Jones.

We were married in the Salt Lake Temple August 21, 1907.

We came on to Blackfoot, arriving here with only fifty cents to our name. We moved into one room of the house we boys had built for mother on our farm. I worked at whatever I could get and when the beet dump opened that fall I went to work there. During the winter I hauled firewood and posts off the lavas and sold them. Thus we were able to get a few of the things we needed.

Of the 160 acres we had purchased we had given ten to Mother, sold my sister Juilet and her husband Clarence Carson fifty, and Walter and I each took 50 acres. Not all the brush had been cleared from the land so I proceeded do this as well as level the land, build ditches and prepare the ground for crops.

On May 25, 1908 our first child was born. We named her Francella Johanna. In 1909 while my wife was visiting her folks in Overton, Nevada our first son, Orson Pratt Jr. was born Aug. 28. Our second daughter Lila was born May 10, 1911 at our home in Groveland. In 1912 we built a two room house on our place. It surely seemed nice to move into our own place. Here our third and fourth sons were born, Eldon Jones March 23, 1914 and Thomas Hyrun February 14, 1916. We later drilled a well.

About 1917 some of the family got interested in moving to Fillmore, Utah A development project was underway where flowing wells provided the water. Having your own source of irrigation on your farm looked good to me. I was in favor of moving. Even though Apostle Frances M. Lyman who attended one of our conferences advised us against moving and my wife opposed it, she finally consented and we sold our place for sixty-five hundred dollars and (prepared to move back to Utah).

After selling my place I rented a car and put my things in. Had 8 horses, 8 cows and quite a lot of machinery. I put the folks family on the train and we started for Fillmore. When I landed in Deseret (as far as the train went) I hauled my stuff by wagon. My brother Alva met the train and took the family over to Fillmore. The agents had promised to sell me the land for l6 dollars an acre. But when I arrived they raised it to $35. I looked around for something better, but not finding it I decided to buy 80 acres down by the flow well.

I built 2 wells that cost me $1600. They flowed me a beautiful stream, plenty to water the ground with. I cleared most of the land. Planted 10 acres of Alfalfa. The rabbits took the grain but didn't kill the alfalfa. About 10 acres of grass I fenced and kept my cows on. I planted a little orchard and some shade trees and spent the summer watering what I had and clearing land.

The family was living in Fillmore. I got a big tent and put it up and the family stayed with me on the farm in the summer time. In winter they moved to Fillmore to go to school.

We tried to attend church regularly in Fillmore. I was set apart as an alternate to the High Council. Was asked to be the 2nd counselor to MIA but couldn't get there so didn't accept that offer.

Next year I planted grain but it only yielded about 20 bushel to the acre. The water in my well began to go down. And finally stopped. Then I decided to move to Delta.

I rented and planted 300 acres of beets (?) and had 60 acres of alfalfa on the farm. The white flag hit the beets and they only yielded 5 ton to the acre. The land wasn't what they had recommended it to be. I lost money on the beets. I moved the family to Delta.

While in Fillmore there was an epidemic of flu. None of our family got the flu. After the crop failed in Fillmore we moved to Delta. In Delta the family not the flu. We all got well except Francella. She kept having fever and the Drs. said she had pus on the lungs. We called the elders they promised her to live. But the Dr. wanted to draw the pos off her lungs but I wouldn't let them touch her. We took her to Salt Lake to the hospital. My brother Thomas came and administered and promised her she would get well. She begged not to let them operate on her because they had promised she would get well. On Saturday they took a picture, showed her lungs full of pus. I asked them if nature wouldn't throw that off and they informed me it was impossible that she must be operated on. On Sunday she coughed up over a quart of pus. On Monday morning they took another picture. The Drs. said a miracle had happened. That lung as was clear as the other. On Tues. I returned home with her. She had no more trouble.

We were in Fillmore and Delta about 5 years. Then I decided to return home to Idaho. I had lost everything. I had a team and 2 cows and my family. When I got to Idaho I went shearing sheep that year and made enough to get by on. Land was so high I didn't want to buy. Mama wanted me to buy in Moreland so the children could go to high school. I had $2000 coming from the farm I had sold in Groveland before I left. The fellow paid me the $2000 and I turned it over on the farm in Moreland. The land came to $7000, 30 acres without a house. The potatoes sold that spring for $4 a hundred, and hay sold for $30 a ton. The bottom dropped out. I raised a good crop of potatoes and also hay. In that fall they went $.50 a hundred and I sold my hay for $6.00 a ton. Hardly had enough to pay the interest. I planted it into beets the next year. I didn't know it was blowing sand. Had 10 acres of beets and they looked fine. Wind came up and the sand cut them all off. I had to plant potatoes again. They were still so low I got nothing out of them.

After raising 3 crops I decided to give it up. Halverson got my farm worth about $8000 for $2000. So now I had lost everything I had.

A woman offered 40 acres of land for $3200 so I bought it, give her a mortgage on my horses and cattle and to make a payment of $500 in the fall. We succeeded on the farm. It was on the same section as the original farm was on that Apostle Lyman had told me to stay on in the first place. We only had 2 rooms and a shanty. I bought another house with 3 rooms on it. I moved it on the place.

During the time I lived there my wife's mother lived with us 3 months and died of cancer. My mother lived with us there for 2 years when she died of old age. She was 84. By all of us working together we were able to pay the interest on the farm and able to keep the children fed and clothed and in school. We built the land up until it raised big crops. We did all our own work.

Francella finished school and began teaching. The family all finished high school and finally all finished college except for Lila. She married.

In 1945 I got my leg broke. The government had taken all my boys for the way so I tried to farm my farm with a broken leg. This made me crippled for the rest of my life.

We sold our farm to Rulon for $13,500 and bought a home in the settlement of Groveland for $5000. We enjoyed our home here and lived until Mother died in 1964.

Mother was able to get to Relief Society as we lived right by the church. Orson bought part of my lot and built a house on it. He and Edna helped up through Mother's sickness. When I was taken to the hospital 3 years ago, the Drs, told me I had cancer and had only 6 months to live at the most.

When I saw mother and how crippled she was, I asked the Lord that inasmuch as I had promised that I would love her and take care of her all the days of her life, I desired that he would spare my life so I could do that. This wish the Lord granted me, for which I am grateful.

After she passed away I decided to live in my home alone. I felt the presence of Mother there was was happy there.

I decided to pay a visit to my children, Eldon and Hyrum in California. So that winter I left for California. I enjoyed myself with Eldon and his family.

When my boys went to school they all played basketball. I made them all come home and do the chores because I didn't want them to stay in town. When the time came for the games we cranked up the old Ford and all went together into town. They boys always played basketball, baseball, and football. I always went with them to the games. They came out with good grades in high school and were all anxious to go to college. Through the unity of the family they were able to make it through.

Two of the boys filled a mission. Orson went to Canada and Marion to California. Francella went with her husband Golden to Samoa where they were acting as Mission President and Mission Mother for 3 years.

We taught the gospel to the family. We taught them faith and to pray in the name of Jesus. They were good in attending church. All of my boys were ordained elders before they left home. They are all faithful in honoring their priesthood and to their duties. 4 have been bishops: Orson, Eldon, Rulon, Marion.

Eldon was in the presidency of the state. Marion also. I feel like I'd like them to live so the spirit of God will be with them. And teach their children the gospel. And be ready to serve the Lord in all things. All the family is living so I have joy and hope in the future for all of them.

I never called the farm "mine". I always spoke to the boys about it being ours. Even after Eldon was married he wrote and asked "How is our farm doing, Dad?" Orson once said why don't you say "your cows". You know who they belong to. I asked him if he knew what happened to the milk check after we got it - He said, "Well, I guess we all get it." I said what happens to the money when we sell one of the cows. He said, "Well I guess it goes for all of us."

I had a pal once who came from a big family. One day instead of going to church we decided to go have a swim. Afterwards we went over to my friend's house. His father came to him and said, "What did the speaker talk about today in church? " He then admitted that we had not gone to church but had gone for a swim. He took the boy up in the attic, took off his belt and gave him a beating. I made up my mind at that time that never would I force my children to do anything. Years later that boy went on a mission, returned home and married a lovely girl in the temple. Two years after the marriage he removed his garments and said he didn't believe in God. His bitterness remained the rest of his life.

I wonder what influence was with me that I continually had a desire to study the gospel. Walter didn't have it, nor some of my other brothers. I don't know why my life was as it is. Always as a boy I was thrown with company of a rough nature. I learned to swear because that was what I heard. Years later a friend of mind said, "Orson why do you swear so much". I told him I didn't realize I was swearing. It was so natural as that was what I had always heard. He asked me if I would please try not to. In a minute out rolled a swear word. He stopped me short and said "See you did swear just then". From that day I have tried awfully hard to do away with that bad habit. Even yet it is hard for me.

My mother always used force. I didn't mind a whipping but I used to hate her to "Jaw". Used to say to Walter. "Why can't she just give me a good whipping and then keep still. I didn't like the jawing,.

I wHyrum and Eldon and the raspberries. 1st counselor Sunday school. not over 18 yrs old. Logan, Nevada.

President of MIA 2 times Twice as counselor in Elders Quorum First councilor Bishopric 10 1/2 yrs. Supt. of Sunday School 10 years Boy Scout Master 8 years Committeeman 8 yrs Ward teacher 65 years.

Grandmother Bridges Sometimes we would go up and stay with her. She had a little lot in Fillmore with a home and two acres. a log house. Part in pasture and part in lucerne. She had apples, pears, and plums. I loved to go there as a kid. I never had her get made at me but once. I was herding cows there and two neighbor boys came there and I got them to fighting. She was angry then and shook her finger at me and said "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" She had chickens, cows, and made butter. She had a little cigar box and would drop in dimes and pennies. She would go down to the coop store to buy things. Man would way, "What do you need?" She would tell him and he'd fix her up regardless of the money she might have.

She smoked a pipe all her life. She used to chop her tobacco up on a board from big hunks of tobacco. They would put it up to the fire to dry out and then put in in their pipe.

After Grandpa Phelps died then she married William Bridges. She married him at Winter Quarters. He had teams and brought her across the plains. They had one child named Margaret who died when she was 12 years old. She was sealed to Grandpa Phelps in the Endowment House. Married to Bridges for time only. My mother took care of her in her later years. She died of dropsy at the age of 72. W had a fat hog and we traded that for a tombstone in Oakley, Idaho.

Mother wasn't living with Mr. Holt at this time has he had lost all he had and gone south to Nevada. She was really sick when Lydia was married. When they teased Lydia she rose up and said, "Now don't you pester my dear little Lydia."

Grandma Jones. Brother Jones had her go live with her parents until she rebelled. He moved her to Moapa country. Built her a little adobe house with a couple of rooms. When his first wife died he brought three of her children down to live with her. One of the girls was rebellious and didn't think she should mind Grandma Jones. Had a hard time with her. Josephine and Mary came to live with them. The boys always sent money home to help their mother. She taught her children the gospel but some of them didn't always honor it. Oldest boy was always a leader, both in church and civic affairs.

(Here is the second part, which as I mentioned above is an abridged version of the above, but with some additional details. At some point I may try to reconcile and edit them.
lc)

Orson Pratt Callister son of Thomas Callister and Mary Lovina Phelps was born in Fillmore, Utah on the 2nd of Dec. 1877. His father died December 1 1880.

Thomas called his family around him, blessed them and told them to always prove true to the principles of the gospel.

Father left us 2 1/2 acres of land and a comfortable brick home in Fillmore, and 14 acres, a house and lot in Meadow Creek.

In 1888 Mother married Horace Holt. He was not a member of the church and a little bitter against it. He lived on the Beaver Bottoms 60 miles west of Fillmore. So we moved there. It was a rather desolate place 15 miles below Milford, which was the closest town or school. There were no trees in sight. He had a 360 acre ranch, mostly Meadow Grass watered from the Beaver River, which dried up around the last of July when he cut his hay.

Mother called the family around her and had prayer. She also helped us all she could to get some learning. As soon as we were big enough to ride a horse we rode and looked after cattle.

Mother traded our Fillmore property for 2 horses, and our meadow creek property for 200 sheep.

Our home wasn't always a pleasant pace as Mr. Holt had some of his miner friends around most of the time. They were rough men and Mother objected to them being in our home.

She left and went to Snake Valley some 100 miles west. Her oldest son Alva looked after everything. I herded the sheep with my younger brother Walter and were in the mountains with them. We came to a deserted miners cabin, where I found a box of giant caps among the trash in front of the cabin. I took one out and stuck a pin in it. It exploded tearing off two fingers and part of my thumb. It bled, squirting two streams of blood to the ceiling of the cabin. My brother Will stuck a knife in his leg sometime before. He tied his handkerchief around his leg above the cut and stopped the blood. He told me if ever I had heavy bleeding to stop it by tying something above it tight enough to stop the blood. I did so, which probably saved my life. We drove the sheep 3 miles to camp. Mother was there. She got some horses and she and sister Elida and myself rode 12 miles down to the Catchem ranch and sent for Alva. He came with a team and wagon and took me to a doctor. He had to change teams as it took a day and night to make the trip to Ely, Nevada. Doctor Cambell was the doctor. We stayed there 1 week.

when I got home I continued to herd the sheep. Alva had built a log house at Cane Springs. We stayed there one year when Mother and Mr. Holt decided to try living together again so we moved back to the Beaver Bottoms. We had quite a time crossing the desert as the snow was about gone and no water for 100 miles. Will and I stayed in the mountains. We couldn't get any flour so we had to live on Bran Bread and mutton for two weeks.

The next winter I told mother I was going to school. She said she couldn't get along without me as she didn't have any one to herd the sheep. I left anyway, went tc Fillmore and stayed with Grandma Bridges. I didn't have money to pay my tuition so I got the job of Janitor for the school and got 3 months schooling. Mother had taught me some and I was put in the third grade.

Mother sent for me as she had traded the sheep for cattle and needed me to look after them. I rode a hose bareback. It was 60 miles. I reached home in the evening. The cattle were turned loose on the range. There were lots of mud holes. We had to keep the stock out of them. It kept us riding most of the time. Sometimes we saw as many as 20 coyotes in a bunch. We trapped lots of them. There was 50 cents bounty on them.

We couldn't sell the hides at all. I stayed in the hills with my brother Alva lots of the time. Didn't stay home much of the time. We got out posts and looked after the stock.

About 1917, there were some of the folks at Fillmore, singing praises of the country down there, till we had decided tc sell our home and move, Apostle Francis M. Lyman came up to attend Conference, about the time we were thinking of moving and Bro. Lyman said if we would take his advice we would never move, but we couldn't see it that way, so sold our place for $6500 and moved to Fillmore, Utah in the spring cf 1917.

Here we bought 80 acres of sage brush land, lived in a tent, had to clear the land, then dug two wells to water the land, which cost $1600. We had all the water we wanted the first year, but the wells went dry the second year so we had to move off. In the spring of 1919 we went over to Delta, rented 220 acres of land and put in 120 acres of sugar beets. They got blighted and only averaged five ton to the acre. We lost money on the deal and decided to move back to Idaho, having gone through all our life's earnings. Our last winter there our family got the flu. All recovered except Francella. We took her to Salt Lake to have pus removed from her lungs.l

I came up to Idaho in the Spring of 1920 and sheared sheep. The folks coming up in July. Our son Rulon was born at Fillmore August 29, 1918. After coming back we rented a house till spring, when we went to Moreland, Idaho, and bought 30 acres from Frank Halverson, for $7000, where we farmed 1924 when we bought 40 acres one-half mile north west cf Groveland meeting house, with a three room house.

Prices went so low that we could get little for our crops so we lost cur farm and moved back to Groveland. By 1931 we had made an addition on the house, planted lawn and trees and later flower gardens etc. While in Groveland our two sons Marion and Lovell were born. Marion on the 6th of June 1921 and Lovell on August 21, 1923.

On May 31, 1908 shortly after my return from a mission I was sustained as Supt. of the Sunday School, which position I held until April 29, 1917 when we moved to Utah, just one month shy of 10 years.

I forgot to mention that I was chosen again as President of the MIA from Sept. 22, 1907 until June 7, 1908, or until after I was put in the Sunday School and while we were in Fillmore I was a member of the High Council. In May 1930 (?) I was chosen as First Counselor to Bishop Joseph F. Jensen, which position I held for gen and one half years or until September 1940. I also acted as Boy Scout Master for 6 years from 1923 to 1930. From October 1929 my mother stayed with us until March when she went to stay with her daughter Elida and died a week later.

Plaque given in 1960 for outstanding service to youth. Hobbies--fishing, gardening, reading.