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Carter, Jared. Son of Gideon Carter and Johanah Sims. Born 14 June 1801 in Benson, Rutland County, Vermont. Married Lydia Ames 20 September 1825. Nine known children: Evaline, Ellen, Orlando, Clark, Lydia, Jared, David, Rosabella, and Joseph. Residing in Chenango, Broome County, New York, 1830. Baptized February 1831 by Hyrum Smith. Moved to Amherst, Ohio, 1831. Revelation in June 1831 instructed Carter to be ordained priest. Ordained elder by September 1831. Left for mission to East 22 September 1831 with Ebenezer Page. Preached in New York and Vermont. Returned to Amherst 29 February 1832. Appointed by revelation to preach in eastern states March 1832. Left for New York with Calvin Stoddard 25 April 1832. Left Stoddard in New York and continued on to Vermont with Sylvester Smith and Gideon Carter. Baptized seventy-nine converts on this mission. Returned to Kirtland 19 October 1832, and then to Amherst. Left on mission to Michigan with Moses Daley 1 December 1832. Returned May 1833. Appointed member of committee to obtain subscriptions for construction of school for elders 4 May 1833. Committee later became responsible for construction of several sacred buildings in Kirtland. Assisted in laying foundation stones of Kirtland Temple 23 July 1833. Appointed to preach in Upper Canada with Phineas Young 20 February 1834. Worked on Kirtland Temple. On 7 March 1835 received blessing for working on Kirtland Temple. Tried before Church court 16 September 1835 for "rebelling against the advice and counsel" of First Presidency as well as for "erring in judgment." Acquitted upon humble confession. Participated in dedication of Kirtland Temple March 1836. Charter member of, and owned stock in, Kirtland Safety Society January 1837. Appointed member of Kirtland high council 4 September 1837. Ordained high councilor 9 September 1837. Left for Far West, Missouri, late September 1837. Appointed member of Far West high council 3 March 1838. Expelled from Missouri 1839; located in Nauvoo, Illinois. Accused of being in league with George W. Robinson, Sidney Rigdon, and John C. Bennett March 1843. Became disaffected in 1843. Subsequently became reconciled. Disfellowshipped 8 September 1844. On 16 September 1844, made confession for errors and promised to return to Church. Member of Yoree Branch of Church in Chicago, Illinois January 1847. Died in Illinois by 1850. Wife, Lydia, and children residing in DeKalb County, Illinois, 1850. [Cook]

Jared Carter (Companion of Joseph Smith) Journal is after this Philo Coombs Carter Family history

The Philo Coombs Carter Family

1. Philo Coombs Carter was born on 14 Jul 1906 in Richfield, Conejos, Colorado. He died1 on 9 Feb 1993 in Waddell, Maricopa, Arizona. The cause of death was kidney failure, old age. He was buried in Glendale, Maricopa, Arizona. He was born in the covenant. He was endowed on 1 Nov 1929 in the Mesa Arizona Temple.

From Family Records: Blessed 2 Sep 1906 by his father Philo Vinson Carter. Baptized 7 Feb 1915 by his grandfather Ephraim Coombs, Confirmed 7 Feb 1915 by Dave B. Whitney. Ordained a Deacon 16 Jan 1921 by John A.Smith. Ordained a Teacher 18 Feb 1923 by William O. Crowther in the Manassa Ward, San Luis Stake, Colorado. Ordained a Priest 16 Jan 1927 by Elder Rhodes Jeppson in the Ray Branch of the California Mission. Ordained a High Priest by Martin Tate the 4 Apr 1966 in Buckeye 2nd Branch, Phoenix Stake, Arizona.


LINE OF AUTHORITY of Philo Coombs Carter: Presiding Bishops Office, 47 East South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 9 February 1951, Ordained an Elder by Abinidi Abraham, 12 March 1928, in the Ray Branch, Arizona. Abinidi was ordained an Elder Abram Alonzo Kimball 14 March 1910. Abram Alonzo Kimball was ordained a High Priest 3 March 1908 by Francis M. Lyman who was ordained an Apostle 27 October 1880 by John Taylor. John Taylor was ordained an Apostle19 December 1838 by Brigham Young. Brigham Young was ordained an Apostle 14 February 1835 by the Three Witnesses and the ordination was confirmed by blessing by Joseph Smith Jr. the same day. Joseph Smith Jr. was ordained an Apostle June 1829 by Peter, James, and John.
Very truly yours,
MEMBERSHIP DEPT. G
Signed by Legrand Richards, Presiding Bishop

Philo married Mary Cordelia Winsor daughter of Joseph Winsor and Cordelia Thurston on 30 Apr 1927 in Florence, Pinal, Arizona. They were sealed on 1 Nov 1929 in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Mary was born on 3 Nov 1909 in Thatcher, Graham, Arizona. She died on 6 Sep 1997 in Panguitch, Garfield, Utah. She was sealed to her parents on 30 Mar 1933 in the Mesa Arizona Temple. She was baptized on 6 Apr 1918. She was endowed on 1 Nov 1929 in the Mesa Arizona Temple.

They had the following children:

2 M i. Melvin Winsor Carter was born on 22 Jan 1928 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.
Melvin married Clara Louise Adams daughter of George Rudger Adams and Ruby May Hancock on 15 Dec 1950 in Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona. Clara was born on 13 Jul 1932 in Globe, Gila, Arizona.

3 F ii. Norma Dell Carter was born on 1 May 1931 in Ray, Pinal, Arizona.
Norma married Kenneth Richard Beals son of Richard Francis Beals and Mary Alice Birdno on 15 Aug 1959 in Glendale, Maricopa, Arizona. Kenneth was born on 24 Jan 1922 in Weed, Otero, New Mexico.

4 M iii. Philo Sims Carter was born on 12 Sep 1933 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.
Philo married Shirlie Ann Johnson daughter of Abia Ezekiel Johnson and Harriet Ford on 11 Jun 1954. Shirlie was born on 8 Sep 1935 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.

5 M iv. Keith Norman Carter was born on 30 Nov 1936 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.
Keith married (1) Blanche Irene Lawton on 12 Sep 1955. The marriage ended in divorce. Blanche was born on 17 Mar 1937 in Houston, Washington, Pennsylvania. Keith married (2) Linda Lee Page daughter of Harold Orman Page and Beryl Estella Hogaboom on 22 Mar 1969 in Mesa, Maricopa, Arizona. Linda was born on 14 Apr 1947 in Saint Johnsbury, Caledonia, Vermont.

6 M v. Joseph Lomand Carter was born on 4 Nov 1942 in Phoenix, Maricopa, Arizona.
Joseph married Sandra Louise Wick daughter of John Martin Wick and Mary Rosalee Keller on 6 Jul 1962 in Glendale, Maricopa, Arizona. Sandra was born on 16 Sep 1944 in Saint Joseph, Buchanan , Missouri.

PHILO COOMBS CARTER
A LIFE STORY
A combination of his handwritten account given to his daughter Norma, and one written by him at the request of his grandson Philo Vinson Carter.

This Picture Pedigree has been added to help the reader identify those persons Philo identifies as Father, Grandfather, etc.
The purpose of writing this personal history is to inform my grandchildren and others of the greatness of this country and that the Mormon Church is true. It’s also written to show that each experience can be a progression and that our attitudes and actions are passed on to our children. Even the experiences and physical beginnings of our parents and grandparents are passed on to us, therefore we all should live to protect the well being of all our posterity.

This country is indeed a choice land. As is told in the Book of Mormon, 1st Nephi, Chapter 2, Verse 20: “...ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.” There is a two-fold purpose for writing our histories. The first is, we have been counseled by the church to do so, as from the beginning of history. That is partly how we got the Bible. The Bible shows how correct living brings success and happiness while the opposite beings despair. The second reason is for my children or anyone who may read this history to see and understand about the early history of the church (The L.D.S. Church), and know why I know it is true. Also, I hope that my children will feel and understand that the freedom we have in this country is to be cherished and loved.

The early pioneers opened up a new country so others could follow and build homes and have security. Unless you have lived and helped it is impossible to know the hardness of that life, clearing land, building ditches to get irrigation water for the land, making peace with the Indians, watching all the time for rattlesnakes and coyotes. Then building homes, sleeping in tents until the house was built, not able to just buy the logs, but going to the mountains to cut them.
Brigham Young knew that people, not only converts but people from all parts of the U.S.A., would come to the Rocky Mountains, so he called different families to go to different parts of the west. He explained the time would come that these people would be in need of homes.

My parents told me of the courage their parents had. They told of Gideon H. Carter being killed at The Battle Of Crooked River in Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri and that his wife, Charlotte Woods, carried on without him. Their son, John Sims, helped take care of his mother at the tender age of fourteen. I believe he had his own freighting team at this time.

My grandmother, Mother’s mother, crossed the plains with a handcart company. My grandfather, Mother’s father, was one of the men that volunteered to go help bring one handcart group that started late and was snowed in. This group would have perished if the volunteers hadn’t taken food and helped them. This was an act of true brotherly love.

All four of my grandparents were called by Brigham Young to settle Colorado. I’ll insert something here my Grandfather Coombs told us at a Christmas get together. He said that their instruction, when leaving Utah, was to settle on the headwaters of the Rio Grande River. The Carters settled in a town called Sanford. The Coombs’ settled Richfield which was approximately 5 miles northwest of Sanford. Father settled the valley where three rivers joined. The Ha, Conjose, and Alamosa were named later.

There was some real changes and experiences for both families on the trip from Utah to Colorado. The Coombs’ brought cattle with them and of course the riders waved horses thru, but by strong show they got the cattle to Colorado, except for a few they lost in Green River. The river was high and some of the animals weren’t strong enough to swim across.

Both families were very adventurous. Grandfather Coombs was very talented; especially gifted in sports, baseball, wrestling, and running. Grandpa John Carter had a strong voice and really enjoyed encouraging his boys in the games. I remember when he was 80 or 81 years old he won the old men’s foot race. No, he never got old. Grandfather Coombs was a real actor. In fact, he had acted some in the Salt Lake Theater and was real pleased to entertain the town people. In those days the entertainment was made by local talent.

After about two years, one of the General Authorities came to visit them and instructed them again to move to higher ground, which Brigham Young had counseled them to settle on. The leader said the time would come that the land on which they had settled would be swampy. He told them it would only be good for the croaking of frogs. In the next few years, from their own irrigation and the irrigation of the farming above them, the water level raised so much that the land did become swampy and alkali raised up on a lot of it. Sure enough there was lots of frogs and ducks. It was real pleasant to hear the frogs croak. There were many different voices at night. In the evenings there were so many mosquitoes you could hardly live with them. Since then they have installed drain ditches and now are using the land again.

My Grandfather Coombs said it was the people’s own fault because they didn’t listen to the Prophet. He told us this to make us understand the necessity to obey the church’s instructions because the leaders are inspired. I might add here this was my first testimony that the church is true and we have prophets now just as in the Bible days to lead us.

My father’s mother really set an example of service to me. She was a midwife. It was never too cold or too far for her when called upon to go help a woman give birth to her baby. In most cases, she gave her services free. Once in awhile she would receive some flour or potatoes.

One of her rewards for serving was a little boy. He was probably three years old. He was a very sweet baby whose parents were extremely poor. He didn’t have any shoes and very scant clothing. Grandmother asked this boy’s mother to give him to her. The boy’s mother gave him to my grandmother because she knew he would be taken care of.

The boy gave my grandmother a lot of love and she him. But when he was probably 18 or 19, he was killed while working on a thrashing machine. This upset her but she felt she would meet him on the other side.

This kindness of heart was passed on to my father. My mother could feel this when she met him. They courted each other for probably one year. They were the most attractive couple in the district.

My father was a very handsome man. He had black hair and a beautiful, strong body. He was an outstanding baseball player.

My mother was a beautiful blonde. She was a natural actress. In those days they created their own plays. My father and mother almost always had the lead.

They had planned on being married in the fall of the year, probably about 1898. My father and others were putting up hay on a big hay ranch. In those days it took a lot of men because it was hand and horse work. There wasn’t room for everyone in the house and cabins, so he made his bed at the end of a haystack. It was cold so he had the covers over his head. Towards morning he felt something pulling at his covers. He thought it was a little dog that lived at the place, so his impulse was to give it a real scare. He threw his hands out and hollered very loud to give the little dog a scare. It wasn’t the dog. It was a coyote. The coyote grabbed his hand and hung on to it. To get it loose my father had to choke it to death with his free hand.

They could see that the coyote was sick. There also had been a cow die from a bite of a hydrophobic animal. They decided he would have to go get treatment even though it was 25 miles too the nearest town. He mounted a good horse and rode as fast as he could to Alamosa. On arrival, the doctor informed him that the nearest vaccine was at Denver. The very earliest he could get the medicine was the next day. The doctor told him that it only took a very short time for the blood to circulate through the body. He told Father it was too late. He told him to see if he would survive.

Father went home and at once started praying. He promised that if the Lord would let him live, he would do anything the Lord asked of him. He told the Lord that he loved his sweetheart so much, he just couldn’t give her up. His folks and the town of Sanford, Colorado fasted and prayed for him. The third day, he had lots of fever but he was made well. There weren’t any bad effects but he carried the scar as a reminder the rest of his life.

Before the end of the year he was called to serve a two year mission which he gladly accepted. His sweetheart very faithfully waited for him and wrote him encouraging letters. Back then the Elders served without purse or scrip so he needed support of his loved ones. He had hard times. One time his shoes wore out. A store offered him a pair of shoes which were both for the same foot but he was thankful for them.

Shortly after his return home, he and my mother went to Salt Lake City and were married in the Temple, had a sweet beautiful marriage and went back to their homestead. I should insert here that my mother had been working for a couple that had a mine at Platoria, Colorado. They were an extra special couple and paid her quite well. She had saved her money. This money was used to go to Salt Lake City for the marriage and to live on at first.

My father was a good teamster and worker so he was in great demand. Because of this they were able to accumulate a few cows, 4 or 5 horses, a wagon, buggy, and two very beautiful daughters. The oldest, Ione, had brown hair, dark blue eyes and a very light skin. Her hair had a natural curl. Mother would put it up on rags. On Sunday mornings she would take the rags out and there would be ringlets. The younger daughter, Belva, had shorter black hair, big brown eyes and sort of olive skin. She was very happy, outgoing, very noticeable and very beautiful. My parents were certainly happy and blessed.

The intent of the Saints was to settle the choice locations because the church leaders knew that many people would join the church. They wanted to be sure those who joined the church would have a place to live. One choice location was about 25 miles southeast of Sanford on the east side of the Rio Grande River. There was also a mountain site, not too far to the south with a lot of timber. On part of the mountain there had been a forest fire. A lot of the timber was still standing, well seasoned, with most of the bark and limbs burned, therefore making it ideal for logs to build houses. The smaller trees were ideal for building corrals and barns.

The people went there and cut and hauled logs. The timber was mostly Red Spruce which is very strong and durable. This group was very thrifty and really enjoyed each other. A real haven on earth. My mother worked with my father. He would cut the timber and she would drive the horses and skid the timber to the wagons. When they had enough to load the wagons she would drive one wagon to their homestead and he the other. It wasn’t too long until they had enough logs to build their home. At that time the government allowed each family 160 acres if they would develop it and live on it for 5 years.

Then some friends would come and in a short time they would lay the logs and make houses. Later they hauled more logs and built barns and corrals. I don’t know how many families were called to settle here but my mother and father were called. It took the men a year to build the dam and ditches. Philo and Nellie already had two children, girls, and they both felt the next was to be a boy and that was me. They all were happy and took Saturday afternoons off from work to play ball, have pot luck dinners, and quite often an evening of dancing.

I’m sure they were a happy, loving group. The ladies in their long dresses with a glow in their eyes. The men in their best, really not very fancy, but neat and clean with just a few patches that added to the quality. As my grandfather once commented, “They are the best. The physically weak had died on the trek and the spiritually weak had turned back. In the migration to the west only the best survived.”

My mother explained to us children, even tho we were very young, our whole life was teaching our future families. Also, Grandfather Coombs stressed that we should live as we would want our children to live. My mother often said the reason I was willing to do my part of the work was that while she was carrying me her whole feeling was to help my father build their home.

I know I have missed a lot that my parents told us about this settlement. I do know there wasn’t any contention, and later on, I noticed when these people met each other they showed only love and joy. I do know that this little group had the champion baseball team. They had a complete choir. As for dancing, my parents always took first prize.

In those days, they danced for the beauty and grace, real quality. There was the square dance, the schottische, and the two step (This was to liven the dance up). Then they would waltz. This was the dance where they gave the most graceful couple the prize. This was a beautiful dance. The couples were judged on their form and grace. The man’s hand just on the middle of the lady’s back, the lady’s hand on the man’s shoulder. They had just the right clearance between their bodies. Then they would dance with grace and rhythm to the waltz music. It was especially beautiful because all the couples danced uniformly. However, after three or four couples were selected and there was plenty of room on the floor, they could include personal acts. These acts were hesitation, graceful turning and a few capers.

They cooperated in building their homes. The first built had two rooms. One room was a kitchen-dinning room with room for one bed. This was the main part of the house. The back room was for closets and beds.

To have some income, my father freighted to the Red River Mining Camp. He hauled grain, hay and supplies. My father would buy surplus grain and hay and freight it by wagons. This was the early 1900's so every transportation was by horses or train and the trains never covered remote places. They needed more corral timber and parts for fencing. Even though my mother was pregnant with me, she drove one team to help get the timber out. After I arrived, she said while I was still very small, not even walking, I would crawl around pulling a shoe of my father’s with a string in each hand flipping the strings up and down and clucking as if I was driving a team of horses.

They said from the very beginning I wanted to help. Especially one time, I gave my mother a real scare. My father was on a trip at the time. It was getting towards evening and my mother couldn’t find me. She had the whole town looking for me when they finally found me. Even though I could barely walk, I was bringing the cows home. We had a real good dog and he was helping me. Whether I followed the dog or the dog followed me we don’t know, but my mother says I always wanted to help. It was a regular thing to bring the cows in for the evening milking so I was doing it.

My mother felt the desire to help. This was passed on to me from her. She said it was because her heart and soul, while she was carrying me, was to help Father get logs and build their home and barn. She agreed with her father that you started training your children before they were even born. They agreed it was important to eat, sleep and act correctly in order to have good children.

When the town was 4 or 5 years old, they had a real wet spring. The floods came. They came so fast that the town’s people couldn’t let the water out of the dam fast enough. The dam was washed out. They were all broken hearted which we all can understand. They really grieved, and why not, they had spent hours night and day to build their homes and clear the land. They had even built a nice brick church. They had a get together and all voted to not rebuild the dam. They had worked so hard and suffered while building, that all except my father and Sam Dunn left. It wasn’t long before some other people came and bought the land. My father sold out also. I might mention that the dam was built back. The district became noted for growing the best potatoes and all crops for that matter. Those days the government didn’t declare an emergency; everyone just took it on the chin, which builds children with courage and love for each other. Not complaining, just being willing to work and looking to overcoming the problem.

My parents moved back to Sanford. There was a town band organized and Father got a clarinet and enjoyed playing in the band. I am not able to really explain the wonderful life of the early settlers. The fourth of July and the 24th of July, which was celebrated for the pioneers arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, were real days of celebration. On the 24th the celebration would start out at daybreak with the shooting of a cannon. Then the band would be in a wagon going through town playing. This would wake everyone up because it was very good music. This was followed by a very colorful parade depicting the early pioneers and Indians. The part that was the most outstanding was the little children, some in costumes and some in their newest and prettiest clothes. Then in the afternoon, foot races of all different ages, then horse races, a special dance for the children, and then a reel dance for all. These people loved all reel dances. They were very graceful and in time with each other. It was beautiful, and still my father and mother were outstanding.

They bought a home close to Grandfather Carter’s home. I spent a lot of time with him while I was 4 and 5. I noticed he kept all his tools in order. He raised a special garden. He had lots of berries. He had red currants, gooseberries, crab apples and Whitney apples for eating. I really enjoyed the Whitney apples. They were small but extra sweet. The best treat was red currants with cream. Red currants made good jelly with crab apples. Grandma always had canned red currants on the table. You could take a few of them beside your egg in the morning or have a few with bread and butter.

I enjoyed visiting them. The important part was both of my grandparents kept everything in order. The garden never had weeds. My grandfather made sure I helped with this. I’m sure my grandmother enjoyed cooking as she always served tasty meals.

My Aunt Dell was proud of her parents. Her father built the Sanford Church of stone. He was a special rock mason. Aunt Dell tells that every day her mother would take him a hot lunch.

About this time my mother gave me a lasting lesson. It warmed up some at Easter and the children were permitted to have outings. They could wade in the water, play games in the willows and have a real Easter picnic. I had trouble with my lungs. If I got my feet wet or got chilled, I coughed a lot. Sometimes I would almost choke. As mothers will, she gave my sisters and me instructions. I was not to wade in the water, but to keep dry and warm and stay close to my sister so she could watch me. They were all having so much fun running and splashing in the water. I pulled my shoes off, rolled up my pants and over the objection of my sister entered into the fun. Very soon, I could tell I had done the wrong thing. I started to choke up, so we had to go home. My mother could tell immediately what I had done. For punishment she sent me to bed. She probably did this to doctor me and get me warm. I hated going to bed more than anything. It wasn’t long until all the children came to our house and were having good food (cookies, cake, etc). I told my mother that she had said to stay close to my sister so I had followed her. I complained and begged to get up. I asked my mother why didn’t she make my sister go to bed. Why was she having all the fun! If I could I’d explain it to you the way my mother explained it to me. She told me in a way that I could never forget. She said all our lives it was up to us to govern ourselves and take what we deserved. She told me I had tried to blame my sister. That was when she gave me a stern look. She informed me that what others did was their business but what I did was mine. She told me it really was a big sin to try to put the blame on someone else. I had been told to stay out of the water and I hadn’t. My mother said for me to lay there and think it over. To help me remember, she didn’t let me eat dinner that evening. The next morning she came to see if I had gotten the point, the point being, I had to stand on my own two feet and that’s the way it would be all through life. I had remembered it while I was laying there listening to the laughter of others, wishing to be with them. I digested the point not to blame my sister or anyone else for my mistakes.

About this time my father started taking me with him when he was freighting to the Red River Mining camp. On our first trip I taught myself something. (My father did it as a joke.) We stopped at a pretty little meadow to rest a bit, we generally ate our lunch. There was a beautiful stream of water. The water was so clear and looked very inviting. I laid on my stomach and took a big mouthful of water and it really puckered my mouth. Of course, I spit it out. My father explained to me that the water was alum water. The thought came to me then, regardless of how good something looks, you had better check it out. My father laughed and no more was said.

I enjoyed being with him. He had prayer every morning and night. He passed on his strength to me.

While on these trips my father always left me in camp. A few families lived at the mine. They washed and hung their clothes on a community clothes line. One day two women got in an argument as to who had the first right to the line and how much of it was theirs to use. Well, they started fighting. They were pulling hair, hitting and kicking. The rest of the women gathered around, some being for one and some for the other. It was quite a show. They fought quite awhile. Finally, a sensible woman, and also strong, got between them, which got them to stop fighting. I never heard anymore about it because, of course, we had to move on. I told my father about the fight and he laughed. He said it was probably quite a show. He said women take things more seriously then men. They even tore each others clothes. To them it was really serious.

On these trips he explained how to drive four horses. You had to hold the lead team’s lines in the top two fingers and the wheel team’s lines in the middle two fingers, making sure to hold them separately. The main thing was to make a wide swing on the curves because the trail wagon naturally trailed out further. You always had to allow for the trailing.

My father knew horses and had a way of teaching them. He always had the most lively horses in the lead. It’s really amazing how horses learn to work together. They learn to pull evenly. They also learn to swing out on curves.

When I was 8 or 9 it was hard to find help. My father had me drive one unit from Sanford to the Red River Mine, trips that at best were three days up and three days back. These trips were a real benefit because it taught me the endurance and strength my father had. Some trips everything went real smooth, but once in awhile it rained a lot and we would get stuck and have to double up. To double up means you take a team from one outfit and hook it to the stuck wagons which would make six horses on two wagons. Most of the time the added strength would get the wagons on solid ground. This same procedure was used to go up the hills as there were lots of hills between Castilia and Red River. There are many tricks to freighting. If you are stuck bad the extra team is hooked to a rear wheel high enough that it has leverage to turn the wheel and sometimes that would be enough to get the wagons moving again. Maybe you would have to reset the chain several times as it only turned until it was a straight pull, which was approximately 10 feet and had to be done several times. However, most of the time, the added strength of two horses would get the wagons on solid ground. The main thing that rubbed off on me was to never give up, to have patience, and never become angry because if you did it passed on to the horses. They also become frustrated and chances were your troubles increased. You had to have the horses pulling together. If they didn’t you didn’t move. Really, that is the same with a family. My father always had prayer morning and night which really settled you and gave you peace and confidence. He told me different happenings of his other trips and what caused the trouble. He hired other drivers when I didn’t go with him.

One trip the driver was stubborn, claimed he had drove horses many times. My Father could look back and could see the man wasn’t swinging out enough on the curves. You had to crowd your lead horses and the lead wagon as close as possible to the upper side of the road and if you don’t the trail wagon will cut too close to the lower side of the road and if too low it would slide off. He warned the driver a couple of times but still he didn’t obey. Sure enough on a curve he cut too short and the trail wagon slid off. If the trail hitch hadn’t of broke it would have drug the front wagon, horses and all into the creek.

They had a hard time getting the wagon righted and pulled back in the road. Not too many of the sacks of oats got wet as they were sacked tight and the water only got the outside wet. But they had to carry the sacks out one at a time and it was noon the next day before they had them reloaded and on their way. My father told the man that if he lived his life the same way he cut corners he was in for a lot of trouble, just as had happened. He asked me if I had got the point that you just didn’t cut corners and succeed.

Of course, he had let me drive some with him. He also gave me the best horses. They almost drove themselves. The wheel horses were outstanding. After I had made a trip or two, people on the road called me, “The little four horse man.” They were somewhat surprised.

Sometimes between trips, for recreation, my mother and father would go to dances. In fact, almost everyone did. People would make beds in their buggies for the children to sleep on. The little children were laid on blankets or quilts. One of the mothers would look after anyone of them that needed attention. You would have to have been at one of those dances to see and feel the wholesome environment. They generally stopped at midnight and had pies, sandwiches, and cakes. Every one brought something.

But the real excitement came on the way home. Almost everyone had good horses that they were proud of. My father really had some good horses. I never failed to see when someone would pull up and challenge him for a race. My mother sometimes acted like she didn’t want to race but she always hollered a little and laughed at the same time. There were times when it was real dangerous because the buggy wheels would be real close. We never hooked wheels but a few times other people did. This, of course, caused wrecks and in a case or two, hurt people. These races gave them something to talk about and challenge each other.

I know my father had a big bay horse that really could trot. He bought it for the full purpose of winning. They didn’t always just race at night on the way home from dances but at times when they would meet on the road. They even had match races. They really enjoyed each other and their horses. After they found out my father’s horse was so fast Father challenged a man that kept good horses. He could hardly wait to try his horse out. He soon found out he had a winner. My mother even raced a friend or two on the way to town and enjoyed it enough to tell us about it. The horse made a name for us and himself.

About this time two events happened that strengthened our faith in prayer. The farms my father had been able to purchase were a small distance apart. As always we all helped, my mother especially. My father would cut the hay, my mother would rake it in windrows, then all of us would put it in piles to cure. My mother was traveling from one field to another, when something scared the team and they ran away. Going over the brush and bumps threw her off, the rake tripped and she was caught inside the rake. A rake tooth went thru the calf of one of her legs, which was serious. They didn’t use doctors hardly at all those days. They trusted in prayer and home remedies, swabbed the injury with turpentine, then with coal oil, and followed with regular prayer. Those days, every morning and evening, families would kneel down and take turns in praying. In approximately two weeks, even tho it was serious, it was almost well. Shortly after, there was a 4th and 24th of July celebration and the two best teams were playing a baseball game, the town baseball team at La Jara that was really good, and my father’s team at Sanford which was also very good. When these two teams played each other, it was a real challenge. They had a game on the 4th of July. It was to be played in Sanford. My father was shortstop. He was trying to overtake a man that was trying to go to third base. He and the second baseman were throwing the ball back and forth. They worked together to where the base runner never had much room. My father was really fast and he got close enough that he felt like he could run and touch the runner. He took after him. The base runner dived for second base. My father dove after him. The base runner fell with his feet up. My father fell on the man’s heels, of course which heels had spikes on them. It almost killed my father. It caved in his chest and the injury went to his lungs. The elders administered to him. They say what they are inspired to say. The elder promised my father that he would live and raise his family. This was faith promoting to me, for the next morning the cave in his chest was almost normal. It took a long time to completely heal.

He knew he couldn’t work hard. He read in the paper that Singer Sewing Machine Company wanted a salesman to travel and sell machines. He took the job and sold many machines. At that time if you sold a machine and the people didn’t make the payments, the salesman had to take the machine back and resell it or pay for it himself. He was a friend to all and would take chickens, grain, cows or anything they wanted as payment. There were many Mexican people and he could speak their language. Having a farm, he would feed or sell what he received. In fact, he traded to different ones whatever they wanted. In all his selling he never repossessed a sewing machine.

We also had a market at Alamosa for meat, eggs, butter, and chickens. It was a good market. Alamosa had the railroad shops for the Denver Rio Grande Railroad. It was a fairly large town.

While my father was recuperating from his injury, we really became hard up. My mother patched and remade our clothes. For me it turned out hard. My clothes had so many patches that the others started to tease me. I was small and they called me “runt” and “patches”. This made me feel bad but my mother knew what to do. She told me not to let them know I was offended and they would tire of it, which they did. As for being a runt, she explained that small is sometimes the most precious. One day I did something that really helped me overcome the teasing. The ringleader was a bully. One night after school I waited just off the school yard. I had a hickory stick. I told him he was a bully and that the stick would put him down to my size. I put a real solid lick across the top of his shoulders. Then I took to him and put some good marks across his face. The others must have felt good about it because not one of them interfered. The boy later became a real good friend. I never forgot about the small diamond being the most valuable. I could make my own luster.

Lots of things happen that are hard to explain. Here is one of those happenings. When I first started to school my teacher was Lea Black. She was sort of plump but she had a pretty face. She was really kind. Now there were two of the prettiest girls that ever were. I can’t explain it, but being only six years old, I loved those girls. There were times that I became obsessed with the idea that I wanted to catch them and kiss them. They, of course, acted like they didn’t want me to. They would holler a little and run. They didn’t tell the teacher but others did. She asked me why I did it. I told her there were times when I looked at them and they were so pretty, I just wanted to kiss them. She counseled me not to do it but a few days later I became obsessed again. I caught Mary and kissed her. The teacher talked to me again. She made me sit on her lap in front of all, so I did lose the desire. If you question this kissing desire, I’m sure almost everyone has had the same feeling about a beautiful baby.

During the time I was driving the teams on the freight line I had a valuable lesson. We were on our way home and it was snowing really hard. The snow on the road made the wagons pull hard and we had to travel slow. The first night out we had to camp out where there wasn’t any shelter. The next night we made it to a town where we often stopped. Here there was a barn for the horses and a small shed for us to put our bed. The following day it was even colder and still hard to travel. It was so cold. My father had wrapped me in a quilt and I had good mittens on but ever so often he would tie his lines up and walk back and ask me how I was. Well, along in the afternoon I told him that my feet were so cold they were hurting and I was also getting sleepy. He had me tie my lines up and instructed me to come on down and walk with him. He then explained that a person who freezes has the easiest death. He said they just want to sleep. He explained the value of walking. He had me do as he was. Throw your hands back and forth around your body. Throw them quite fast and cross them each time. Extend them as though you were reaching for something in the middle of your back. He explained that walking helps make the blood go all the way to your toes. He said rotating your arms lets the blood circulate to the ends of your fingers. It probably wasn’t even ten minutes until my toes weren’t hurting and I wasn’t sleepy any more. We probably walked for a half hour. We stopped for awhile and then did it again. We both felt like riding. I felt good for quite awhile.

In the meantime, the wind became stronger and the snow came faster. I believe one reason the snow seemed faster was because the wind was picking up the snow that was on the ground. We could hardly see. My father dropped back to me. He told me we were going to stop and see if we could find shelter. He said the horses were tired from tugging through the snow. This wasn’t hard to tell because you could see the steam rising from the horses. So I know they were straining.

Shortly we came to a Mexican’s farmhouse. My father went and asked if we could take shelter there. They said sure. They said they had seen us pass many other times and would be happy to meet us. My father took me in and then the man followed Father out to help him take care of the horses. My father spoke Spanish so he was able to really visit. It was near supper time and the lady was preparing food. They had a fireplace, nice throw rugs and a big pot of beans. She also had a big grill to cook tortillas on. They were the kind made from bread dough. She had home made butter and jelly. I still remember the wonderful meal and cozy home. They had two boys. Both were younger than me but were really friendly. They offered us a bed but my father asked them to let us spread our own bed on the floor. They had sheep rugs in front of the fireplace and they suggested that we bring our bed in and roll it out on them. The next morning the sun was shining. My father had a hard time paying them for their goodness, but they finally accepted some pay. Late that day we got back home.

After that, we almost always said hello as we went by. I don’t know but what my father always gave them something. The Mexican people are real friendly and generous.

About this time I received my second lasting lesson. We all had jobs to do. One of my jobs was to gather kindling and wood chips in the evening to start the morning fire with. Well, one evening I was so busy playing with a neighbor girl who was a real friend of all, Bessie was her name, that I forgot my job. I and her walked to school together most every morning and home in the evening. We really could sing songs; Slide Down my Cellar Door, Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam, and our main song was America.

The next morning when my father got up to start the fire, there weren’t any chips or kindling. He came in and woke me up. He had me get dressed and go out to get chips. It had snowed during the night so I had to rake the snow off to find them. My hands became so cold that they were numb. In fact, I was cold all over, cold enough that I never forgot again. My father explained to me that if we had a job that was our responsibility and we neglected it, everyone suffered. He said if we had a responsibility it was necessary to honor it. I was so cold I cried.

Father had some fond memories of his pioneering at the town that they had helped build. We passed by the Ute Mountain from which they had gotten the logs for their house.

Some trips he would get a load of poles or logs to sell. One trip he had an order for a flag pole. He spent quite awhile looking and found the longest pole ever known of. The timber was spruce so it may still be in use. Spruce is next to cedar for lasting. The town it was for was Manassa, Colorado.

Sometimes, when hauling poles or logs, we would camp at Ute Mountain. In those days there were wild horses both in Colorado and in New Mexico. On one occasion we had a very nice mare that was in heat. A wild horse mated with her. We didn’t know it for about a year. However, we had heard confusion among the horses, and in about nine months she started showing. At her time she had a male colt. The father had to have been a buckskin and a well built horse because the colt was beautiful. He had a black stripe all the way down his back. He had a black stripe over his shoulders. His body color, when he matured, was buckskin. He was a very wonderful animal. He was well gaited and smart like his mother. He turned out to be quite fast. He was the most sure footed horse we ever had. His endurance was unbelievable. My father especially loved him and the horse seemed to return it. My father named him tiger because of the stripes.

I love the United States of America because of our freedom, our right to be happy, and our chance to have beautiful experiences. I love the U.S.A. because here we can have the joy of our church, of family ties, and church and school activities.

About this same time, our neighbors had a talented girl that was about my age. We were real buddies. Most generally, we would walk to school together. She could really sing and at that time my voice hadn’t changed so I could sing fairly well.

We had class at the church for the young children up to age 12. We had some religious training but mostly singing and entertainment. The little neighbor girl and I really sang well together. I would sing the lead and she would sing tenor or second harmony. The teacher must have noticed we sang so well together because they used us quite often on programs for the parents. We would practice on our way home from school. Our favorites were Colorado, Colorado I Love Thee, Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam and especially America.

Another cherished memory was my father’s organ. As many as two evenings a week, our neighbor’s children would visit and we would all sing. Some evenings we played Kick The Can, Run Sheep Run, Pull, Pull Away and real pleasant activities. Once in awhile we would make taffy candy and enjoyed pulling it. That was real happiness. We even had a cellar door to slide on. In one program the neighbor girl and I sang Slide Down My Cellar Door and acted it out.

My father had given me a very choice horse for my 7th birthday. He had come the night before with the horse. That morning he told me, “Happy birthday,” and said, “As soon as you eat your breakfast go look in the corral,” that there was my birthday present. She had four white feet and a blazed face. Her color was brown. As soon as I got in the corral she seemed to understand that we would be great friends. I got a bridle and she lowered her head and let me put it on. From then on she would let me go to her regardless of where she was, but not anyone else. At first she wouldn’t travel very fast but as I learned to ride better she would travel faster. I named her Bird because she was so alert and light footed. A boy couldn’t ask for anything better. We became great friends. She would come to me out of the pasture or anywhere, but for others she was hard to catch.

One of my jobs in the summer was to take the cows to pasture every morning. On the way back I’d be so full of joy that I felt like really cutting the breeze. My horse seemed to feel the same way because she would fly home. People complained to my folks that I would hurt myself, but my folks knew I could ride well. I had been riding by myself since I was two years old.

As I said before, my grandparents lived close. My grandmother made me feel real good so I’d stop by to say hello. My horse would be shivering because of the sweat,. his nostrils contracting and expanding with his head up. The horse was especially beautiful. Grandmother would say, “What a great horse and boy. I’m sure you will be a man before your mother.” It was awhile before it dawned on me that my mother would never be a man.

This horse was almost human. On one occasion this horse came to the edge of town where Mr. Peterson was milking his cows. She came to the corral and whinnied. He knew whose horse she was so when he finished milking his cow, he went out to catch her. He could see she had a colt because her bag was tight. He knew that a mare rarely would leave it’s colt. She kept just out of his reach. She knew how to turn her head so she wouldn’t step on the reins. She acted like she was leading him somewhere, so he followed her instead of going home. She went west and out into the brush. She went out a ways and stopped. She would now let Mr. Peterson catch her. When he got her, he found my sister lying in the brush unconscious. He loaded my sister on the horse and mounted in back. He took my sister home.

We later found what happened. In the evenings, my oldest sister generally went for the cows. My sister said there were other cattle with ours. She said she was cutting them out and the horse fell. She was hurt badly. She carried a scar on her left knee to her grave. Mr. Peterson and everyone thought that this horse was sure something. She had a colt at home but was so loyal to my sister that she went for help. I might tell you this made Bird part of the family. We all loved her.

We also had a sweet dog. She was very special because she was sweet and clean. My father taught her very easily to play dead dog, jump through the hoop, roll over, speak for her food, sit up and other tricks. The most valuable thing she did was guard our garden. It was really outstanding how she watched our garden. She was going to have puppies. It turned out she only had one. My father said a lot of pups would be a nuisance. He also said quite often female dogs attract a lot of other dogs. Having a lot of dogs around disturbs everyone, so he gave our dog away. It was awhile before I caught on to the fact that she was gone. When I did realize she was gone, I was very disappointed in my father.

We had the practice of kneeling morning and evening for family prayer. We took turns praying. Every time it was my turn, I prayed for our little dog, Fannie, to come home. Fannie had learned to knock at the door. On this evening, it had been my turn to pray. Of course I prayed for my dog. Just as my prayer ended there was a knock at the door. My mother spoke and said, “There’s your dog.” I opened the door and sure enough, there she was. She had been gone for about two months. She had apparently chewed her rope to get free because she still had a little of the rope around her neck. I can’t explain how happy Fannie was. She bounced in the house and made circles. She made little noises of joy. I was crying and laughing too. It made me believe in prayer.

I have other stories about good dogs that will come later. However, I believe I’ll tell about one of my mother’s horses. She had a grey mare that was a very trusted buggy horse. We lived quite close to open country. The horse came up missing so one day we all got in the buggy to go look for her. There was some open country northeast of Sanford. We went out that way and sure enough, we saw her. My mother tried to call her. She hesitated some but went with the other horses. The next morning, she was in the road by our northeast gate. She had some other horses with her. It probably wasn’t true, but my mother said the horse had brought the other horses to show them her home. My mother also said she had come home to show them her new colt. We didn’t have any trouble catching her. We never lost her again.

I had always wanted a brother. My mother had a sister that lived way out. They didn’t have a school so she sent her son to stay with us in the winters. I teased my sisters and him a lot. Well, I got the mumps. Not very bad, I just had them on one side. Mother wasn’t home so I told him I was going to give him the mumps. He was shy. I chased him all around. He was screaming and really taking on, which I was enjoying. The neighbor lady heard the commotion and came to see who was hurt. Well, after she understood what was going on, she really gave me something to think about. She did it in a good way, but she made me understand it was really disrespectful to offend someone so much.

My cousin was very shy and the boys at school teased him quite a lot. The first year I would protect him and had several fights over the way they treated him. It turned out good for him because he gained confidence and really learned to answer them, and more or less, turn the tables. In fact, he became real witty, was accepted, and later married one of the choice girls of the town. He was very handsome. Part of the first year his mother insisted on him wearing his hair to the bottom of his ears. His hair was naturally curly and the color was special, a dark auburn. Being only 7 years old we all felt it was becoming. He had been sheltered all his life to that point. He cut his hair, which helped. He played good baseball and before the first year was over he had taken his place. He was a special friend and even yet I think of him as a brother.

One summer I went to a dance quite a distance from home, was tired and didn’t feel like riding the horse home so I accepted an invitation of a boy and his sister to stay the rest of the night with them. I shared a bed upstairs with him and seven more brothers, which was crowded. I noticed the younger boys scratching a lot. Well, in a week I had the itch and was really scratching also. You treat it with lard and turpentine and leave the rag wrapped around you for about 10 days. My grandfather visited us shortly and suggested that I should be careful of my company. He joked that the way dogs got fleas was by laying with another dog. Anyways, it sure was food for thought and I decided that even our speech and all our actions was built from our associates.

We were taught at home to only eat clean wholesome food; no tea, coffee, and no alcohol. It is taught in the church as the Word of Wisdom. My Father told us that is what made him so strong and with superior endurance. I had wondered at times why my ancestors didn’t have any fear of death and were so brave about everything. I analyzed it that they loved life and their fellow men and so lived that they were ready to meet their Maker. As quoted in the Book of Mormon, love each other, live the commandments of the Lord, and it will make you free. That means free of all worry, guilt complexes of misconduct, stealing, lying, swearing, mistreating people or animals. Really, our progression and character is built by acts of the freedom we have and use.

My Uncle Bert Coombs had a female dog that was special. She had several pups that turned out to be like her, very special cow dogs. On one occasion I heard my grandfather tell my oldest sister to pick a husband, visit the family and observe all of them, especially the mother, and then decide if she would be satisfied for her children to have their traits. If so, follow thru. Then he gave me the same council when I left home.

My father stopped freighting and took a contract building fences. East of the Rio Grande River a new farming country had opened up. Then he contracted plowing and planting in a place near a town called Mesta. The people had made a lot of money growing wheat and were looking for somewhere to invest it. My father was good at anything so they hired him to build fences. He built a lot of fences. With his profit he bought some land north of Sanford along the La Pass Creek, hay land. He got some cattle and lived at home. We had our home programs in the evening, and sometimes we had neighbor children over.

My mother and father both acted in several home talent plays. They were good actors. He took the part, one time, of a villain and portrayed it so real that other towns wanted to see it and they traveled to several other towns. The play ended when he fell in love with a lovely girl, quit his gambling and drinking, and became an honorable man. All plays in those days had a good moral in them. My mother portrayed the part of the man’s mother, hoping he would change his ways.

This period, I’m sure, led my sisters and me to be close knit as a family. Worthwhile accomplishments are a joy and give lasting progression. We always read some scriptures and were taught that this life is a school for developing our talents and knowledge and this is what we take with us to the life hereafter and that we continue our progression.

I had some trouble at school. I got my lessons so easily that I had spare time. I talked too much. I did one thing that really offended the teacher. The worst thing I did was tease a girl that sat in front of me. The teacher asked me a time or two not to. She told me to tend to my own self. The teacher could throw a baseball really well. She played with us sometimes. The eraser in those days had a heavy hardwood back. This day, just as school was turning out I pulled the girl’s braids. She hollered really loud. The teacher threw an eraser at me. I dodged it and it hit another girl back of me. It hit her on the left cheek and really bruised it. It really made her cry. The teacher told me to stay after school. Just opposite me was a big boy so I walked out beside him. In those days we marched in and out. The teacher didn’t notice me until I was just going out the door. She sent two boys after me but I out ran them. I hid in a blacksmith shop. I hid in a binder bull wheel. I stayed there until the owner was ready to lock up, then I slipped out and went home. The teacher sent word that she wanted to see my father and me. It was their Principal that talked to us instead. He suggested I stay under supervision of my father for the rest of the school year. Because the school year was about over, I would have time to grow up. I was expelled!!!

Well, I got a chance to grow up. My father had taken a big contract to build irrigation ditches. Even though I was young, he gave me the job of hauling water for the camp. The camp included 100 horses and mules and as many men. They would harness and hook my horses to the water wagon. The tank was probably a 2000 gallon tank. Some days I would haul two loads. It wasn’t too hard as it was a double action hand pump. It drew water both ways. It was hard because it was still cold weather. I’d remember how warm the school house was. When I had the water hauled, sometimes I’d be through by 2 or 3 o’clock, I would go to bed in order to keep warm.

When my father finished the canal job he took a job of clearing and planting a large tract of land that the reservoir was built to provide irrigation water for. There never was idle or wasted time for him or his family.

With that many men, there was some trouble. The men all ate together in a big tent facing each other. On one occasion they had pork chops. Of course there was a plateful every so often on the tables. There was one fellow that never did pass the food. He already had two or three chops. This day, the fellow opposite him asked him to pass the food. He acted like he didn’t hear so the man asked him again. The man still didn’t pass the food. The man that was asking for the food threw a coffee cup and almost knocked the fellow out. He then said pass the pork chops, which the man did. I was surprised it ended at that.

The next serious thing that happened was a fight. My father and I were out looking over the project.