Life History 1892-1946
Percy S. Hawkes was born December 2, 1892, in Richmond, Utah, to his father, Joshua Hawkes, and his mother, Sarah Ann Smart Hawkes. He was their sixth child. This family was the second family in a polygamist family. Percy was number 15 of a total of 16 children.
Soon after his birth his family moved back to Franklin, Idaho, where his father had previously (1876 to 1884) served as mayor for eight years. Idaho became the 43rd state July 3, 1890. Utah became the 45th state on January 4, 1896.
His mother, Sarah Ann, longed for a home and place of her own away from the large extended family in Cache Valley. She was able to prevail upon her husband to come with her, and move her family of seven children north into the new country being homesteaded in the upper Snake River Valley in eastern Idaho.
They selected and homesteaded a ranch near the townsite which is now known as Drummond, Idaho. It was the spring of 1896 when they filed on the homestead, and spring in 1897, when they moved the family by horse drawn wagons to their new home site in a place called Horseshoe Flat. Percy was a four year old child when this historic move was made. Some of the older married children from the first family also came and settled in the near vicinity with their small families. Joseph Bryant and his family came just a few days later and L.J. and family came in 1898. Other brothers from the older family also came seasonally to work but not to settle.
There were other good reasons for Sarah Ann wanting to make the move north. Her sister Mary Jane Smart Webster and her husband James Whaley Webster together with their brother William Henry Smart and his wife Anne Haines, had formed the Smart & Webster Livestock Company and had moved to the Rexburg area the year before, in 1895. Another sister Alice Fleet Smart Pratt and her husband William Jared Pratt had moved to Wilford three years earlier, in 1883.
William J. Pratt had looked over this new virgin country east of St. Anthony and Wilford on his way to the timberlands to get firewood and logs. He liked what he saw very much. From the extended Thomas Sharrett Smart family then living in Cache Valley, he recruited, encouraged, and helped them to move and locate in this new area near Drummond.
The following people including his own son, Thomas Henry Pratt, all moved into the Drummond area and took up homesteads or settled there, in the years 1895 to 1898. They were all related and members of the extended Smart family by birth or by marriage: Ossian Leonidas Packer, Nathan Packer, Joshua & Sarah Ann Hawkes, Joseph Bryant Hawkes, Lewis Joshua Hawkes, John Ervin Morrison, & Lorin M. Mendenhall.
Percy helped his father and brothers build their two roomed log cabin. Later as a man, he would marry, come back to farm, and start his own family of six children in this very same log cabin, and live in it with them for 10 years.
Information on these very early years of their life on the new homestead can best be learned from reading the writings of his older brother Acil S. Hawkes. He wrote a book titled, “Luxury in a Covered Wagon,” which was later edited and published by Kelly D. Hawkes. This book gives an intimate detailed picture of how the family traveled from Franklin, Idaho, and entered this beautiful spot and eventually made it their home. This farm has remained in the Hawkes family ever since that time.
Here are some excerpts from the above mentioned book:
“With covered wagon.... we came to the crest of the hill overlooking the place they had called Horseshoe Flat.... a very beautiful place, covered with a sea of tall grass intermingled with flowers of blues and yellows... what quietness.. and peace.”
Spring 1897....Joshua & Sarah Ann Hawkes & children, Estes, Acil, Percy, Effie, & LeGrande. “On the homesteads...without gun or tent...build a cabin...used snow from the bluffs...posts from the groves...dig a ditch...build a bowery...dig a deep water well by hand...plow one or two acres of sod per day...we will make something of this place.”
Summers were spent developing the homestead with new buildings, farm land, and livestock. The winters were spent in Rexburg, thirty miles down the valley to the southwest. There the children could go to school and the family could be away from the deeper snow and drifts. Each fall his mother, Sarah Ann, would box things up in the cabin, and see that the kitchen stove was loaded in the wagon. They would haul their belongings to a rented cabin near Rexburg, and unload the stove and other things to use during the winter months.
Percy was baptized when eight years old on July 12, 1900, by Hans Neilson, probably in Fall River near Hans’ Home. He was confirmed by James Green the same day. The warmer season was chosen because there were no buildings with fonts available at that time. That was much better than being baptized soon after his birthday which was December 2nd. His father, Joshua, helped organize and was the president of the first Sunday School in the Conant Branch, in 1900.
We can only imagine the events of his childhood days. We can picture in our mind the joys and difficulties he had as he participated with the rest of the family in everyday life. They were not yet blessed with the luxuries of life but worked hard to make a meager living and get a good education.
Percy was on hand to help haul logs and firewood from the forest which lay 10 miles east of their place. For several years they hauled water in barrels from Conant Creek which was four miles away. A successful well was dug by hand in one day in their front yard. This well furnished water for them, nearby neighbors, and travelers for many years. Horses were used to do farm work, ride as saddle horses, and pull the wagons and buggy. Cattle furnished milk, butter, cheese, & meat, but had to be grazed, tended, and milked. He probably got a turn herding cows in the surrounding hills and vales.
Percy went many a time with his father and brothers to work on the Conant Creek Canal Company. They were digging a sizeable ditch ten or more miles long, east of Drummond, that would bring water from the creek and out onto the farm lands. As they would camp on site, or be in the forest overnight, his father would relate many stories and experiences he had had during his early life.
His father was 60 years old, and his mother was 41 when they first came to this new home. His father had stories to tell from the days of Joseph Smith and building the temple in Nauvoo, crossing the plains in wagons, settling in Utah, Indian Wars, Johnson’s Army, his own escape from the hands of persecution, and finally having to spend a winter (1888) in jail in Boise, Idaho, for living the church law of polygamy. His father loved to sing songs, tell stories, and was a happy and jovial man.
In addition to his advanced age, his father had a very sore leg which had troubled him through the years. As time went on, he was not able to keep up to the hard work of farming, ranching, and etc. He finally turned the work over to his family and went back to live the remainder of his life in Franklin and Logan where he worked in the temple and rested from the rigors of such a hard life. His father died March 5, 1914, in Logan Utah, at 78 years of age. (Joshua’s life history has been compiled and published in 1996, by his grandson, Percy Blaine Hawkes.)
Percy attended elementary school in Rexburg and then the Ricks Academy for a while. This was the forerunner of Ricks College. He later attended the Agricultural College in Logan, Utah.
Sometime in the years between 1910 and 1912, Percy and his mother, Sarah Ann Hawkes, both decided to go to the Raft River area and homestead some farm land there. The following is a little background on how that came about. The Francis C. Gunnell family was called on a mission to help settle the Rexburg, Idaho area. Father Gunnell was called to serve in the first stake presidency, as the second counselor to Thomas E. Ricks in 1884. A son, Frank Owen Gunnell, later met Percy’s sister, Alsamina S. Hawkes, as they both lived in the Rexburg area. They fell in love and were married in 1905.
Earlier, many of the extended Gunnell family had taken up homesteads in the Raft River area. Frank and Elsie (Alsamina) decided to make this area their new home. Their homestead was one mile southwest of the town of Naf. Sometime during this time frame, Percy and his mother were attracted to this area and each homesteaded tracts of land. They turned the Horseshoe Flat homestead land over to one of the older Hawkes sons, Estes, and put their energies into this new adventure in Raft River.
Percy built a cabin on his Raft River homestead and commenced to try to raise crops. The weather was very hot and dry, and soil was too alkali to produce much of a crop. The wild rabbits became so prolific that they would come into the area and eat up most of the grain. The farmers would conduct “Rabbit Drives” which consisted of several men and boys walking about 100 feet apart across the fields and gradually cornering the rabbits into pens. Then they would shoot or club them by the hundreds. Their bodies were hauled off for pig feed or buried.
The Raft River venture was soon abandoned by Percy and his mother. She moved back to Cache Valley. By 1913, Percy spent his summers back in the Drummond area working on the farms with his older brothers, especially, Acil. In the winters he would move back home to Logan and attend school. Then, in the spring go back to the farm and work for his brothers in Idaho.
Percy’s brother, LeGrande Hawkes, left Salt Lake City, to serve in the Eastern States Mission, on April 10, 1912. The last entry in his very good missionary journal is dated November 6, 1913.
Percy was ordained an Elder and received the Melchizedek Priesthood, February 17, 1915, from Dan. S. Swensen.
On November 17, 1917, he received a patriarchal blessing in Wellsville, Utah, from Alexander J. Spence. Percy asked for and received other patriarchal blessings, and special priesthood blessings through the years. These blessings were a great strength and comfort to him in special times in his life, and in times of discouragement or stress. He had great faith in the power of the priesthood to give blessings of comfort, and administrations in times of sickness, etc.
On December 15, 1917, soon after his 25th birthday, he joined the United States Navy. This was during the time of World War I. He spent the last few months of his enlistment in a place near San Diego, California, call “Goat Island.” It was a place of quarantine for people who might be carriers of some communicable disease that was prevalent at the time. While he was on this island the war ended and thus he was able to be discharged. He was discharged as a Shipwright, from San Francisco, California, on January 15, 1919.
On April 16, 1919, Percy attended the Logan Temple in Logan, Utah, and there received his temple endowments. This was a great blessing to him in many ways and helped to prepare him to later serve a mission for the church.
Percy received a patriarchal blessing given by Hyrum G. Smith in SLC, on June 4, 1919.
Now, that he was home from the Navy, his mother deeded over to him one of the 80 acre parcels of land on the east side of Horseshoe Flat that she owned. With this and some other leased acreage, he began his own farming operation. He still worked part-time for his brothers Acil and Estes. They helped him out at times and he in turn worked for them at day labor when they needed an extra farmhand. He was raising winter wheat, spring wheat, & oats, and summerfallowing one half of his land each year.
By August 2, 1920, he was able to purchase his first car. By May 21, 1923, he had acquired a tractor which needed overhauling after a neighbor had borrowed it for an extended period. He and his brother, Acil, did the overhaul job, but later, ended up putting a new motor in it. Horses were used before that time, and after that time, when occasion required.
On March 27, 1922, Percy received another patriarchal blessing from George R. Hill, in Logan, Utah.
On November 18, 1923, Percy bid goodby to his mother, family, and friends, and left Salt Lake City to fill a mission in England. He was now 31 years old. He enjoyed the railroad trip across the United States and the voyage across the Atlantic by boat. His mission president was David O. McKay. He had a very successful mission, but suffered poor health while in England. After 13 months Pres. McKay decided to release him and bring him home on the same ship with his family, as they were being released and coming home. He arrived home on December 19, 1924.
Percy wrote a wonderful personal missionary journal describing his daily work and experiences. In it he bore a strong testimony of the Gospel, The Savior, Father in Heaven, and the many blessings he had received from going on his mission. There is included at the end of this written history a 35 page type written copy of his missionary journal. It gives the reader a full knowledge of the type and quality of a man that Percy S. Hawkes was and is. His mission has been a great blessing to those who read the journal, and those others he contacted in England, as well as to himself, and the Lord.
He continued living in Logan in the winter months. In the summers he would come back and engage in the business of farming. His brother, Estes, and family, had by now, 1926, moved to Boise, Idaho. Percy was able to acquire some of the land Estes had been operating. His mother had deeded some of the original homestead acreage to him in Horseshoe Flat, and he rented other nearby land including some state land. By 1927, he was farming several hundred acres.
In January of 1927, while living in Logan in the winter, he happened to go to an MIA Dance in one of the wards. It was there that he first met Ida Weyerman of North Logan. They continued their acquaintance and finally courtship. On August 3, 1927, they were married and sealed in the Logan Temple, by Joseph R. Shepherd.
Ida had been working in the hospital for a while and hoped to pursue nursing as a life’s career. Percy’s crop of grain was now ready to harvest, the honeymoon time was spent hurrying up to the ranch and getting right into the harvest. Ida’s main job was cooking for the harvest crew of men. Percy was very busy for several weeks—following the threshing crew from one farm to another as they took turns at one farmer’s place and then another—helping each other, as they did in those days.
The following summer, on July 1, 1928, their first child, a son, Percy Blaine Hawkes, was born, in Logan, Utah. Because of a complication in the birth process, Ida suffered a serious infection problem that almost cost her life. It took about a year for her to recover and gain her strength back. During this recovery, she spent most of the time in Logan, living at Mother Sarah Ann Hawkes’ home with her new baby.
On October 31, 1930, a second son, Lawrence Weyerman Hawkes, was born at home in the two room log cabin on the ranch. Dr. Hargis from Ashton came out and attended the birth, but pretty much let nature take its course, which it did very well. Mother and son came through the birth process in good condition. He was born on the night of Halloween.
By now, the ranch had some livestock which required their attention in the winter. So, they did not move to town, but stayed on the ranch and did what work was at hand to be done in the winter and tended the cows, horses, chickens, pigs, etc. Percy and Acil continued to trade work on their farms, both labor and equipment. When something needed done they each helped the other out and by this cooperation both families were greatly benefited.
Percy was a carpenter and used his skill to make furniture items that were needed about the house. Ida was a skilled homemaker and together they worked and fixed their home up very cozy and comfortable. There was the butchering of hogs and animals for meat, chopping wood for the stoves to heat the house and cook the food. Water was drawn from the open well and carried into the house for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, etc.
One half of the dry farm acreage was planted each year into grain crops. The other half was plowed and clean cultivated through the summer so that no weeds would grown and sap the moisture from the ground. The soil in this area is very good to preserve the rain water and the snow that melts in the spring. This method is called “summer fallowing.” By farming this way a crop is raised every other year, but has the advantage of two years of stored moisture. Sometimes if a few scattered weeds were growing here and there in the summer fallow, Percy and Ida and the children would go out with garden hoes and walk through the field about 10 paces apart and chop out the offenders.
On March 29, 1933, their third child, a son, Lloyd Hawkes was born at Logan, Utah.
Percy was sustained as the Bishop of the Farnum Ward, Yellowstone Stake on September 24, 1933. Thomas H. Murdoch was 1st Counselor, Stillman Whittle 2nd Counselor, & Brigham Murdoch Clerk. Later, Blaine Peterson, and Curtis Marsden both served as counselors, and Lester Hendrickson as Clerk.
Percy was ordained a High Priest on October 9, 1933, by George Albert Smith. He served faithfully as a bishop for seven years and was released November 17, 1940. While he was bishop, he and his family lived in Horseshoe Flat for five of the seven years. During this time the family drove the four miles from their home to the Farnum Church house by automobile or horse drawn sleigh in the winter. Percy also had to do many of the annual reports at the end of each year to send to the Salt Lake City church offices.
During much of his term of office as bishop, he and his family had to do the custodial work of the church building. This included starting wood fires early each Sunday morning in the big stove that heated the main chapel room and another heater in the basement area that was used for classrooms. The floor needed to be swept and cleaned, the linen for the sacrament table laundered, and various other items to be readied each week.
One incident that took place in the last two years of his term of office was particularly vexing to him. He, by then, had begun to operate some of the land that lay to the North of the church house. At harvest time it was the custom for the farmers to work together and cooperatively hire a large threshing machine to come around to each farm by turns, then together all the farmers would help haul the bundles of grain in to the threshing machine. Some of the non-member neighbors, including the man who owned the threshing machine, decided to play a prank on Percy as he was now the bishop.
The plan was to move around the neighborhood in such a way that one of his harvest days would fall on a Sunday. Then they would force him to be out working on the Sabbath while his congregation was holding services in plain sight of the church house. He, of course, protested this turn of events. They told him either he would work on Sunday or they would pull out and move the threshing machine to the upper country 20 miles away and not return again for the rest of that season.
So, much to his chagrin he did have to comply with their unjust terms. He suffered much that day as he worked in the field just north of the church house and saw the people come and go to church. He vowed that day that he would never again be put in that kind of a compromising position. The next season he bought a combine of his own so that he could harvest on the days of the week he wanted to.
Percy’s mother, Sarah Ann Smart Hawkes, passed away November 3, 1934, at Logan, Utah, at the age of 79 years. Percy was now 42 years of age. He had been very close to his mother and missed her very much.
In the fall of 1934, Percy and Ida’s children were starting elementary school. They took turns with the neighbors hauling the children to Drummond where they attended school. In the winter a covered bobsled was heated by a small stove and pulled by a team of horses. The driver sat inside with the children to keep warm. Leather lines were slipped through a slot in the front to guide the horses.
To receive some special counsel and comfort, Percy asked for and received a special Priesthood blessing from Henry W. Miller, Patriarch of the Yellowstone Stake, on July 13, 1935. This and other blessings are found at the end of this written history.
On August 17, 1936, a beautiful daughter, Norma Ruth Hawkes, was born at Logan, Utah, to Percy and Ida. She was the pride and joy of the family, the only girl in a household of five brothers.
Percy received word that his brother, LeGrande, had passed away on March 26, 1937, at his home in St. Louis, MO. A fire had started in the living room and he had suffocated.
On April 18, 1937, Percy and Ida moved into a new addition on their 2 room log cabin. It was a two roomed frame house that had been moved over from the Cazier place the fall of 1936. It was brought in on log skids and placed on the west side of the log cabin. The two houses were inner-connected in such a way as to allow easy access. This made the home almost twice as big. Earlier, Percy had built a small one bedroom addition on the east side of the house for the boys to sleep in. The home was growing in size as the number of children increased in the family.
A humorous incident occurred one cold night in the boys bedroom. Ida came in and asked if another blanket was needed as it was getting colder each hour. Lawrence replied, “No, Mother, we don’t want to have to get another blanket warm.”
In the fall of 1937, Lawrence contracted scarlet fever and the family had to be quarantined under doctors orders for a couple of weeks until he recovered. After that, the house was fumigated to kill the germs and closed up for three days. The family stayed at Chester and Neva French’s home during that time.
A tragedy occurred earlier one Christmas season. The tree was decorated with ornaments, candles, icicles, & etc. Lawrence had wanted to dress up like Santa Claus and come into the room and surprise everyone. His mother helped him get ready in the bedroom. When he came out looking just like Santa with cotton whiskers around his face, ears, etc. there was great excitement. However, he came too close to the burning candles on the tree and all at once he was on fire. Percy threw him down and quickly rolled him up in a throw rug to put out the fire. Ida got some burn ointment and treated the burned areas. His ears, neck, and face were scorched. Percy gave him a priesthood blessing. He was blessed and was able to recover without any scars or blemishes.
In January 1938, Percy became quite discouraged with several things. Many families had moved away from the ward and church attendance was down to about one dozen that attended the meetings. He was worried that the ward would soon have to be dissolved because of lack of members. (Ten years later, Jan. 11, 1948, it was dissolved and made part of the Marysville Ward.)
Another worry was the price of grain. They had been blessed with a very good crop and had 3500 bushels of wheat to sell, but the price had fallen to only 72 cents per bushel. He had invested in a T20 International crawler tractor. He had traded in a wheel tractor for $500.00 on the crawler, but still owed a balance due on the deal.
Electricity had not yet come to the rural area. A 12 volt wind charger generated enough electricity to charge a bank of batteries, when the wind blew. This furnished a light bulb in each room and would operate the radio. There was a piano in the home given by Percy’s mother in Logan. Percy played by ear with both hands and the family enjoyed singing together as he played. He also bought a mandolin and learned to play it. Blaine took piano lessons from Belle Lupton in Ashton once a week.
In the fall of 1938, Percy and his brother, Acil, decided to trade farms. Acil and his wife, May, had built a big beautiful new home in Farnum about of a mile northwest of the church house. It was built in 1918-1919 and had electricity, a set of out buildings for livestock, a good dooryard, garden, apple and shade trees, etc. Thirty plus acres of good irrigated land and pasture surrounded the building site. The farm totaled 160 acres of good deeded land. (Percy farmed other rented ground and later bought 80 acres from Herbert Benson one mile east of this home place. This gave him enough acreage, and with a small livestock operation, enough to earn a fair income for his family.)
Acil and family moved to California each winter and only lived in their farm home in the summer. Percy and his family lived on the Horseshoe Flat homestead the year around in the original two room log cabin with an addition on it. Percy had more land (400 acres) to trade, but the offer of the much nicer home and 160 acres of land clinched the deal.
During the month of December the actual move was made and Percy’s family spent the Christmas of 1938 in their new home. The children now attended the Farnum School, a two-room stone building one mile west of the Farnum Church. All eight grades were taught in two rooms by two teachers. Percy served as a trustee in the Farnum School District #64 from 1939 to 1943. He also took his turn periodically being the “Bus Driver,” which was a car in the summer and a covered sleigh in the winter.
Percy was released as Bishop of Farnum Ward, November 17, 1940, and sustained to the Yellowstone Stake High Council, November 20, 1940, where he served until Dec. 16, 1945. He enjoyed this new assignment and his association with Pres. Horace A. Hess, Karl C. Klingler, & E. Glen Cameron, the Stake Presidency. Oliver K. Meservy was the stake clerk. Other members of the High Council were: Royal A. Grover, Erastus P. Peterson, Ira E. Rudd, Severin Swensen, Eli M. Jergensen, Fred Porter, Eugene O. Rich, Floyd Law, Burdette Remington, Emmett Hunter, and J. Edgar Birch.
He was able to travel around the Ashton/St.Anthony area which was all one big stake with about 14 wards in it. Every three months a quarterly conference was held in the tabernacle in St. Anthony, with a visiting authority from Salt Lake City in attendance. During one of these conferences, his former mission president in England, David O. McKay, now one of the twelve apostles was visiting. As Brother McKay sat on the stand he recognized the former missionary he had known 20 years earlier. He communicated for Percy to come up to the front after the meeting. They had a good visit, which was a thrill to both of them and Percy’s family.
A son, Richard Reed Hawkes, was born November 18, 1940, in Rexburg, Idaho. Richard was the fifth child, and the fourth son born to Percy and Ida. He was born two years after the move from the Horseshoe Flat homestead to the new home in Farnum.
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States became involved in World War II. Percy had served in the U.S. Navy in World War I. Now, a great defense effort was started all over the United States to build military installations. People from all walks of life were asked to help out if they could.
As Percy was a skilled carpenter, on January 30, 1942, he joined the Idaho State Defense Council and went to work at Mountain Home, near Boise. He was involved the rest of that winter building buildings, etc. for the Air Force Base. Ida and the children stayed on the farm and tended & took care of the livestock. The older boys were now in their teens and so were able to manage the livestock in his absence. He went, out of patriotic duty and also to supplement the family income.
He came back in the spring of 1942, to be with the family and to operate the farm. Blaine worked that summer (and until 1945) for Walter Clark on his dry farm in Squirrel. After the harvest was over that fall he decided to go away again to work in the defense program. He joined the United Brotherhood of Carpenters October, 27, 1942, and worked in the SLC/Ogden area at the Hill Air Force Base during much of that winter.
Percy was a jovial person and loved to sing, dance, play the piano, and mandolin. He was pleasant to be around and would relate stories of times gone by. He had a testimony of the gospel and lived a good life. However, he suffered from sciatic rheumatism, milk leg, and some depression at times.
On November 14, 1945, Percy and Ida purchased 80 acres of land from Herbert and Alta Benson as they were moving to the Rexburg area. This land lay one mile east of their home place and 60 acres of it could be irrigated. This made a good addition to the farming operation.
Because of the stress of life and health conditions he asked Stake Pres. Horace A. Hess to release him from the High Council. He was released December 16, 1945, after serving in that position for five years.
On March 31, 1945, David Weyerman Hawkes was born in St. Anthony, Idaho. David was the fifth son, and sixth child in the family. He was 2 months old when his father, Percy passed away on June 12th in St. Anthony, Idaho, at the age of 53 . Ida was 38 years old.
Percy was buried June 15th at Ashton, Fremont County, Idaho. A copy of his funeral proceedings are found at the end of this history. Also found there is a copy of his missionary journal, patriarchal blessings, written memories of his wife, Ida, and each of his now living children and others who knew him.
This history was compiled in by Percy Blaine Hawkes.
Life History
I was born to Gottfred Weyerman and Olena Hoth in a lovely country community by the name of Greenville just four miles east and north of Logan, Utah, the place later being named North Logan. The date of my birth was August 8, 1907. My family were happy to have me in their home even though I was the eighth child to bless their home.
I was named, and received a blessing at the hands of my father, Gottfred Weyerman, in August of the same year being named Ida. I was named after my father’s only sister, Ida.
I feel sure I was welcome as I came into this family, as those who followed after me were most welcome and loved. Our home was a two story frame house built by my father. Father had attended school but a few weeks in his life, yet he could do most anything. He studied the gospel and taught it to his family. He could play almost any instrument and sing beautifully. We enjoyed gathering round the old family organ with father playing and leading us in singing the songs of Zion and also songs of the day. Mother too would join in when she had time.
I enjoyed good health as a child, and grew almost too fast for my own good. Living on a farm I enjoyed the out-of-door life, the farm animals and many good times with our family, as we had a nice farm house and trees, lawn, and flowers. Our home was almost at the mouth of Green Canyon where we went to get our wood for fuel, we also enjoyed many trips to the canyon for wild fruit, service berries, and others. We also loved to go there picking wild flowers, and for our Easter parties as small children. As we grew older we enjoyed long walks and mountain climbing. Being in a large family, there was much to do, and I was given daily responsibility while very young. We were taught to care for our own clothes and room. My mother being a good housekeeper, taught us to do our work well.
There was no linoleum or rugs on our floors except rugs my mother made. They were lovely and made the house look very homey.
As we grew older our responsibilities were more. As there were three girls at home, the work was assigned to each one. One week it was my duty to clean and keep the house in order, the next week to get the meals for the family, then the family wash and ironing, the bread making, and all. We were taught very young.
My mother has given fifteen spirits the privilege of coming to this earth and receiving bodies, losing six in infancy & nine of us still live - this being the year 1942, November. So you see we had to learn to give and take, learning to love each other, and get along on a very meager amount at times.
I remember very clearly one Christmas as a young child waking up to find my old tin-headed doll with a new dress on in bed with me; she had come up missing some time before, and I was indeed happy to have her back. Getting dressed and going with the rest of the children to the Christmas tree, we found what Santa had left for us - we each found candy and nuts and an orange in our stockings which we had hung the night before. I also found a dress my mother had made over from one someone had given her. We were very happy and thankful for the things we received and spent a very enjoyable day. Oh yes! The tree was a cedar tree the boys had brought in from the hills which we had trimmed with pop corn and straw chains; one of the prettiest trees I have ever seen. In the afternoon all the children of the ward were invited to a dance and party at the ward house - the dance being given by the ward Sunday school. I wore a lovely dress my mother had made for me, and together with the other children went to the party. We were taught little folk dances and games. Every child was on the floor having a grand time, when at last we were led in a grand march to the front door of the church, where Santa was waiting with baskets and baskets of candy and nuts - giving each child a bag, and biding us goodbye until another year. He asked us to each be good boys and girls, and do the things our mother’s and father’s wanted us to do. Oh! how happy we were!
My father was a convert to the church. Yes, he was born in the old world, in Switzerland. His mother, upon hearing the gospel there by humble missionaries, came to Zion with her three living children, my father being the oldest was sixteen years old. When he was twenty-one he returned to his homeland as a missionary.
He was very earnest in teaching his family the gospel, and taking us to Sunday school and meeting. While yet very young, I was taught to prepare for the Sabbath day during the week - mending and pressing my clothes, shining my shoes or whatever needed doing, that we might appear well. Our clothes were not the best; but were always neat and clean. Mother saw to it that there was food prepared on Saturday for the Sabbath day that we might have a day of rest from all our labors.
I remember in the winter time my older brothers would make long tunnels of snow, hollow them out and we would ride through them on our sled. Winter time was truly fun time, with apples, popcorn balls, singing, and games. We even had walnuts and hazel nuts off our own place. Father was always trying to raise new things or grafting one fruit tree to another.
Summer time was always a very busy time as we had all kinds of fruit; currants, berries, cherries, peaches, apples, and garden vegetables to pick and get ready for sale. The days we were not picking for ourselves we would be helping at the neighbor’s to earn a bit of money to buy our clothes.
Early spring we would take our lunch and go to the foothills to pick flowers; buttercups, wild violet, blue bells, and with our lunch we would eat sago bulbs which were very tasty.
My first grade teacher in school was Grace Patterson, a young lady from our own ward. My last teacher was Myrtle Nebecker. She and her sister came to North Logan as school teachers and taught there for many years. I was fourteen when I finished the eighth grade. My teacher Miss Nebecker wanted to help me through high school. They wanted me to live with them and work for them in exchange for board and room. But, Father felt that I had enough schooling and I was sent out to find whatever work I could to make my way through life. My father never gave me money for any reason after I was eleven years of age, but I was called on to give of my earnings to help the family.
I was baptized in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 19, 1915 at North Logan, Utah in a ditch of water running near our place, by Fredrick Gilgen, then a member of the Bishopric. I was surely disappointed for I had anticipated being baptized in the temple, but due to a fire that had done a great deal of damage, and would take so long to repair it, my Father felt it best not to wait. Father confirmed me a member of the church the following day, it being the Sabbath day.
As a small child, I attended religion classes and Primary which I remember with much joy. We were taught the gospel together with character building lessons, mixed with enough fun to keep us eager for the next meeting day to come.
One of my Primary teachers, Sister Rose Nyman was my ideal as a child, and I still think of her as a wonderful woman. Now she is an officiator in the Logan Temple & whenever I go to the Logan temple I watch for her, and I am very disappointed if I do not get to see her.
When I was twelve years old, my mother told us girls we were to have a new baby in our home, but not for several months. It seemed that Mother was never well during those months of pregnancy. She was under the doctor’s care all the time. The doctor knew that things were not as they should be. It was her fifteen child and the doctor felt she would lose her life at childbirth.
I remember Mother directing the work, but doing very little for months, she was trying to prepare us for what was ahead of us without a mother. One night she called us all around her, asking us to pray for her in our secret prayers every day that she might live to raise her family, for she knew how badly we needed her at that time of our lives. I remember praying that night that she might live, and if it were necessary that one of them be taken, that the Lord would take the baby. At the baby’s birth, Mother had a normal case; but the doctor didn’t expect the baby to live through the night. He lived three weeks and died of heart trouble. That was Mother’s last baby, and she felt the loss of it keenly, I shall never forget how I thanked the Lord for saving my dear mother; but how it hurt to give up our sweet little baby brother. Mother let us help take care of him and how we loved him.
When I was a girl, we had to be fourteen before we could become a Beehive girl. I was very anxious for my fourteenth birthday to come, for at that time our stake was building a summer camp for the girls in the beautiful Logan Canyon. The camp was finished the summer I was thirteen years of age. I remember walking from our home to the camp, seven miles, to see President Grant for the first time in my life. He came to dedicate the camp and grounds. I was so thrilled to see him and hear him talk, I felt repaid for my long walk.
When I became a Beehive girl, I was fortunate in having the privilege of going to the camp for one week. The lovely time we had at camp has always stood out in my mind as something very special.
As a Beehive girl, I filled and received my credits to The Keeper of Bees. After that time I was away from home most of the time. I started at the age of eleven working out for other people to help get the things that were needed for such a large family.
My Father’s health being poorly, and our farm very small - nine and one half acres - we had to start on our own at a very early period in life. I stayed away from home for two years going to grade school, and working for board and room and $1.50 a week, which bought my clothes.
I remember working at one place for $2.50 a week. I worked until I had earned and bought my winter’s clothing, including a lovely coat and muff. I was really dressed up for the first time in my life. I had $5.00 left over, and on my way home I lost the $5.00 bill. As a child I remember nothing hurting me more. I was really having trouble. I was surely glad my tithing was paid out of it, I was at least out of debt to the Lord.
At the age of fifteen I received my blessing by Patriarch William Hyde of Logan, Utah. I will neither take time nor space to copy it here; but through my life it has been a great comfort and blessing to me, and as time goes on I can see it being fulfilled.
As a young woman I wanted so much to become a nurse. I knew I could get no financial help from home. I located work at the Budge Hospital in Logan, Utah as a cook for the patients. I hoped to earn and save enough money to keep myself through training. I was making $40.00 per month and in about one year I had saved $120 in the bank. I felt that $150.00 would see me through the three years of training. I had nearly reached my goal, when we had a misfortune come in our home, and father needed my savings; leaving me to start all over again. I was glad to be able to help in this time of need. Shortly after that time I had an appendicitis operation which cost about $175.00. It took some time for me to save and pay for that. I often found myself going without things I really needed. It seemed that one thing followed the other until my dreams of being a nurse were lost.
I had paid an honest tithing, paid my own way, worked hard, saved, gone without; but still I could not have the thing I wanted most in life. I felt that the Lord could have taken a hand, for I had prayed from my childhood for guidance in all that I did. Blaming the Lord I became bitter, quit paying tithing, went to church when I could not find other places to go. I used my tithing money to buy much needed clothing for myself. I went on like this for three months and at the end of the fourth month when I received my check, I just couldn’t spend that money for I knew it wasn’t mine. It was on my mind constantly, until I got on my knees, and asked my Heavenly Father to give me strength to do what was right. The next day being Sunday, I took my back tithing and went to church. After church I gave it to the Bishop who had been just like a father to me. He took the money and held my hand, looking at me with tears in his eyes. All he said was, “I knew you would bring it.” It was Bishop Benson in the fourth ward of Logan, Utah.
That also reminds me of my father, as I worked for him when I was home, and helped with anything that needed doing on the farm. As I worked with him and saw his determined effort to live the gospel through all odds, it gave me faith and courage.
I recall one time being asked to talk in church. I felt very backward in doing so, and asked my folks for help in preparing a talk. Father said he would rather I would do it alone, while Mother thought he should help me. He was determined and said, “Let her alone.” She said she would do it, and she will do it well. I just couldn’t fail.
Those things have stood out in my life as something to tie to - just to know that people I looked up to had faith in me & thought I could and would do the right thing. Even now when the problems of life come before me, I think of my Father and Bishop Benson and others who have had faith in me, and it still gives me courage to face life.
I was seventeen years old when I had my first date. I just didn’t have time to live a normal life with good times, parties, and dates. For nearly four years I guess I tried to make up for lost time. I was eighteen when I bought my first formal, and went to a very formal party in the Hotel Eccles in Logan given by the Doctor’s staff. It was a wonderful evening and I had a lovely time. Those four years were filled with parties, dances, and memories that will live forever in my mind.
I would like to take the time and space to write of a few experiences worthy of remembering. As a girl of eighteen I was coming home from a dance one Saturday night. In crossing the street I was struck with a car on the inner side of my left leg. The flesh was badly bruised, swollen and dark before I could get to the hospital where I was employed. The doctor, thinking it to be just a bad bruise, had me go to the home of my sister, instructing me to walk all I could each day so the muscle in my leg would not shrink. As the days went on, my leg became worse, turning black from the toes to and above my knee.
A friend took me in to see the doctor. He told me my leg would have to be taken off at least at the knee. The operation was to be the next morning at 7:00 A.M. I had the faith and prayers of my loved ones in my behalf and spent the night in prayer to my Heavenly Father. As I was taken to the operation room I refused to take ether, just wanted a local, so I could see whatever should happen to my leg. It was decided to open my leg where the car had hit it, clean it out and amputate my leg later on if it proved necessary. About one quart of pus and blood clots were removed from my leg, relieving the pressure. I was able to walk from the operating room to my bed, down two flights of stairs. The wound was left open to drain and in a few days I was out walking around, feeling that the Lord had truly answered our prayers.
Whenever going out with a boy friend or in a group, I would have my secret prayers, asking for the Lord’s protection, for strength to resist temptation, to keep my standards high, that I may live the clean life, and be a credit to my family. I feel that prayers were a great protection to me. In my courtship years I prayed that the Lord would help me in choosing a life companion, that I should know when I had met the right man to be my companion for time and all eternity. I could not think of marriage outside the temple.
It was in mid-winter in 1926, that I went with a girl friend to a mutual dance as she was serving at a refreshment table for the evening and didn’t care to go alone. It was at that dance I met the man who became my husband.
Our meeting was very different from any other I had experienced, we both felt a nearness or a kinship not experienced in a casual acquaintance. He asked that he might come to see me, and our friendship grew into a love that was sealed in marriage in the Logan Temple, August 3, 1927 to Percy Hawkes son of Sarah Ann Smart and Joshua Hawkes. His mother was an officiator in the temple at the time of our marriage and was for seventeen years.
Percy and I were married August 3, 1927 in the house of the Lord at Logan, Utah with Joseph R. Shepard performing the marriage. Percy’s mother and my mother were with us. My Father and Mother had taught me of the beauties of a temple marriage; but I am sure that I was thrilled beyond anything I had expected. After this most wonderful experience of getting married in the temple, Mother Hawkes and Effie had prepared our wedding dinner at Effie’s home so we were taken there, to find at least one hundred guests, all so happy and wishing us well. After the lovely dinner - gifts were presented, enough things to set up house keeping.
Our wedding night was spent at Mother Hawkes’ home in Logan, Utah. The following day a group of my girl friends gave us a shower, presenting us with a lovely silk bed spread, a linen table cloth, and napkins. We spent about three days visiting friends and saying good-bye for our home was to be at Drummond, Idaho.
About the fourth day we packed all the lovely things that had been given us, together with our personal things into our model T Ford. We started for home, a new home to me, for I had never seen the country to which I was going, leaving all my friends and loved ones and going into a new country and a new life, but with the man of my choice and one who I loved very dearly. Our home in Drummond was 210 miles from Logan, so with our old car the day was well spent by the time we arrived home. Our home was a two room log house built by Percy’s father about thirty years before when they homesteaded the land. The well on the place was the first well in the country and all who traveled by stopped to water their horses at the well.
As we entered the house, instead of pressing a button to turn on the light as I had been in the habit of doing, we lit a coil oil lamp setting on a homemade table in one corner of the one room that had been lived in, with the other room serving as a shop. It being late, we fixed a light lunch and retired for the night.
The house was built of hewn logs with the cracks filled with mud. The inside had been covered with building paper just tacked on, the floor was of six inch boards, and had shrunk until a case knife would slide between the cracks, so that by the time you had swept the floor you needed no dustpan.
As we did not intend living there in the winter we did not change things very much, except to hang curtains at the window, pictures on the wall, a bed spread on the bed, putting on a table cloth, and a few home made rugs on the floor that my mother and grandmother had made for me. It was home and we were happy. That was all that really mattered.
We had a set of metal stove irons we heated on the stove to do the ironing of our clothes. After using one for a while it would become too cool, so another hot one was taken from the stove with the detachable handle and put in use until it cooled, etc. We had a sheep camp stove that was set up on a box. The oven was about 10X14 inches. I baked bread, cakes, pies, and roasted meat or whatever we wanted. In fact, that is what I had to cook on for the harvest hands. It was the only source of heating the house. Later on we did get a kitchen range.
I remember one winter, I took a correspondence course in nursing. I had to get up 1 hours before the family so I could study. I would make a fire in the stove and take a sponge bath in cold water. That was part of the course, then I would study for an hour.
Our source of water was a well about 50 feet from the house. It was cold and pure water. We hung buckets of milk, cream, & butter, on ropes, letting them down into the water, keeping them cold and fresh. We pumped and carried water for all our house hold needs, also for all the livestock. We had an outdoor toilet and took our bath in the wash tub on the kitchen floor.
In September the harvest was on. As a child I had lived on a very small farm in North Logan raising small fruits and vegetables for market, also having about ten cows. At the age of sixteen I left home and went to work in town living in the city until I married. I am sure I couldn’t or didn’t appreciate the beauties of the rolling grain fields as did my husband for he loved them with all his heart. He had come to that home as a child of four and had spent most of the summers of his life in this country, so everything was just a part of him. He had spent summers there with his father whom he lost in death when he was just sixteen years of age. His friends and good times of youth were here.
The harvest brought much work, as the grain was cut with a binder, shocked and when ripe and dry was harvested and thrashed with Hans Neilsen’s thrasher. About six teams and racks were hired to do the job with the machine crew, and in all there were about ten men to cook for. We had one hundred sixty acres of grain, so as I remember, we were about ten days or two weeks thrashing. About the next year Acy, Percy’s brother, bought a combine harvester taking only three men to operate it; thus harvesting was made much simpler. When harvesting was over there was fall grain to plant and getting things ready to leave for the winter.
We had a lovely crop and good prices. Percy was renting the land from his mother, so one third of it was hers, which was eleven hundred dollars that year. Our share was $2200. We felt that we had a very nice start in life and within four or five years we could have our home paid for and a new home built. But we found out that life just doesn’t work out that way. Percy felt that we couldn’t afford to pay tithing that year.
When we finished our fall work, Uncle Jim Webster of Rexburg asked us to come and work for him on the farm. We lived up on his dry farm about four miles from town. I cooked for a crew of men and Percy worked on the farm. We stayed there about one month at fifty dollars a month for the two of us. We received a letter from LeGrande Hawkes, Percy’s younger brother, who lived in Kansas City. He, having a business there of manufacturing school supplies, offered us our fare one way and six dollars a day.
In two days time we were on our way. It took two nights and a day for the trip. I had been ill for a few weeks as we were expecting a baby in due time, and almost hated to go on such a trip feeling so ill; but the trip seemed to be the thing I needed, for I was never sick a minute while traveling. We arrived there in safety and was met by LeGrande, taken to his home with all the comforts of life, but very much lacking the spirit which we had enjoyed in our humble little home of having family prayers, and of attending to our church duties. However, we were welcomed and enjoyed their home and friendship as we lived with them in their home for the next two months. Percy and LeGrande spending most of their evenings talking over old times and the things they did as boys together.
Shortly after Christmas (1927) we moved to Independence, Missouri, in an apartment where we lived until spring, which was nearer his work.
It was about the first of January 1928 when Percy became ill with stomach trouble, we didn’t know just what his trouble was, and he continued on with his work until he suddenly became ill. I called in the doctor, he pronounced it stomach trouble, put him to bed, and on a strict diet; but he became worse as the days went by. We called in the elders but to no avail, we sent his name to the Logan temple that they may pray for him. Still he did not recover. It went on for about a month when we took him to the hospital where he remained for two weeks under observation. They found that he had ulcers of the stomach. He was put on a milk diet and started to recover slowly. I, too, had been ill all this time; but could keep going most of the time. He recovered so that he could take care of himself when I became very ill. We were not expecting our baby until June or July; this being March. I continued being ill the rest of the time.
In Logan, our first baby, Percy Blaine, arrived the first of July. Three days later I started running a very high fever, swelling up until I could not be recognized. Doctors were called in the consolation to find that I had strep infection. I was very ill for weeks and months; doctors doing all in their power to save me.
Many times the elders had been called in; but nothing seemed to help until one day Apostle Cowley was visiting in Logan and Mother Hawkes came and asked me if I would like him to administer to me as he has a special gift of healing. I asked for him to come, and among the things he said in his prayer were that I would recover when, and if I would covenant with God that from that time forth I would keep his commandments doing whatsoever I was called on to do to further God’s work here on the earth. I want to say that most of that night was spent in prayer, the next morning my fever broke and I started to recover. That was five months since the birth of our little boy.
It wasn’t until the next spring, that I was able to return to our home on the farm. During my illness Percy had also been too ill to work and spent that time with me. From then on, we paid our tithing in full, honoring the Lord as we should have done from the beginning of our marriage. I had paid tithing all of my life. Percy had filled a mission and we should have been more faithful. Shortly after our returning to the farm, Percy was called to be Sunday School Superintendent, a few years later he was called to be Bishop, and later a Stake High Counselor. I was called to be President of the Y W MIA in our ward. We only had summer Mutual as we had such severe winters and most of the young people left to go to school. I served there from 1940 to 1943.
My health was very poor for a year or more after returning home until my health improved greatly. I have been able to do the work of raising a family and keeping a home together with working in the church at whatever I was asked to do. I am now the mother of six lively children.
Percy did not recover from his stomach trouble for about three years - suffering a very great deal; so you see we are all tried and tested in one way or another. We came back to our farm hundreds of dollars in debt, and with a new baby added to our home every few years, we have been many years freeing our home from debt.
Our second son, Lawrence Weyerman Hawkes, was born October 31, 1930, on the farm. My health was much improved, Percy’s health was also back to normal and once more we started out a much wiser family. The Lord came first.
Lloyd, our third son, was born March 29, 1933, at the home of my sister Anna in Beaver Dam, Utah.
At the birth of Norma Ruth, my fourth child, August 17, 1936, just after the doctor had gone and I was well out of the sleep of ether, I asked my mother and sister Anna if they could see Mother Hawkes standing a the foot of my bed. They looked at each other and spoke hushed words of calling the doctor, thinking Mother Hawkes had come to get me as she had been dead for two years. I assured them I was feeling fine, she had only come to let me know how happy she was that I was having my family, and to be there as that little spirit entered the world. Leaving me very happy for her message and for having seen her, she was gone. The spirit of peace was felt by all who were there.
One night in the dead of winter, while living in the old log house on the farm, Percy was suffering very intense pain. He had been ill for a long time with rheumatism and had been bedfast for some weeks. The pain became more than he could bear. He asked me to call two men living across the street, John and Jim Brown, to come and administer to him, John had been on a mission and Jim was an Elder also. Their reply was that it had been too long since they had done such a thing and that they would rather not. It was miles to anyone else and a raging blizzard was on. In his suffering my husband ask if I would administer to him. I used the oil but not in the name of the priesthood as the Elders could have done. But I prayed and felt the spirit of the Lord with us. It was but a few moments until his pain was gone and he had a good night’s rest. I feel that the women of the church can enjoy many gifts and blessings if we but live for them.
In December of 1938, we bought Acy’s home and land in Farnum. It was five miles from where we had lived. There we had a lovely modern home for our family.
On November 18, 1940, Richard Reed, our fourth son was born in Rexburg, Idaho. Richard was our fifth child.
In this new home we entertained many friends, held many officer’s meetings, weddings were performed there, children’s parties as well as a place to come for many friends to spend a weekend or overnight visit, always feeling welcome. It was a home where the sick were blessed and healed. The children always had a horse to ride, and a dog that they taught to pull them on a sleigh or skis. They were also taught to work. They all have wonderful memories of the farm.
On February 4, 1943, I asked for and received a special blessing from Patriarch Alma B. Larsen in Rexburg, to help me over some of the problems that beset my life at that time. [See a copy at the end of this history]
Our fifth son, David Weyerman Hawkes, was born March 31, 1946, in St. Anthony, Idaho. He was our sixth child and weighed 10 lbs.
When the baby was about one month old, my husband became ill with a blood clot in his leg. He had been afflicted with this many times before. This time it didn’t seem worse than other times, except it was more prolonged. Our doctor was A. A. Kruger of Ashton, Idaho. We felt very sure that everything that could be done was done. Percy seemed to be recovering when at the end of about five weeks he became suddenly much worse. The doctor had him moved to the hospital in St. Anthony where he could be watched and receive every care.
However, his condition grew worse until on the 12th of June, 1946, he passed away. The blood clot had moved from his leg to his lung and had caused Pleurisy Pneumonia. This is what caused his death. [A copy of his funeral is found at the end of his history] This was surely a great shock to everyone.
At a time like this, one wonders how you can ever go on. Looking at it now about 20 years later, I really marvel at how greatly we have been blessed. As I think over the heart breaks we each had, I would about as soon leave them in the past. There were so many adjustments to be made with six children, a baby two months old and a farm to run. The thing that happened is that we decided to keep the farm, a family cow, a horse for the enjoyment of the children, and sell all the other livestock so we could handle everything ourselves. Blaine had just graduated from Madison High School in Rexburg. Lawrence was home with us. Lloyd and Norma were in grade school in Ashton. Richard hadn’t started school, and there was the baby.
On July 21, 1948, Blaine and Bonnie Marie Clark were married in the Idaho Falls Temple. By fall we decided to rent the farm to them and move to Providence, Utah. My mother, Olena Weyerman, lived in Logan with no one to really look after her, so we were glad to have made the move.
The home we bought was an old pioneer rock house with walls two feet thick. There were three bedrooms, an open stairway, and a beautiful fire place. The front room and downstairs bedroom were carpeted. We loved it on sight. I paid $4000.00 down and borrowed $3,000.00 from a brother-in-law, Charles Orison. It took us four years to pay that back with interest. Other than buying my home or a car, I have never gone in debt. I knew about what my income would be and tried to live within it.
In order to help make the payments on our home in Providence I had to go to work. However, I stayed home until David started school. I cooked at the Kappa Delta Sorority at USU in Logan, for $150.00 per month. I was home in the summer with the children. I did this for two years, then clerked at the Everton’s Hardware Store. In the summer we raised a large garden, canned fruit and vegetables. For years we had a family cow and chickens, so we raised much of what we needed.
I served as the second counselor in the YWMIA for three years. Then I was called to be the President of the MIA. I served in the Logan Temple in the filing department one night a week for 5 years. The children were active in Primary, MIA, Sunday School, and attended public school.
As I was working at a USU Fraternity house during the winter of 1959-60. I invited Blaine and Bonnie and family to come down and live in my Providence home so he could go to school and become a school teacher. They accepted this offer and he did become a teacher.
In August 1961, I was awarded a Five Year Service Award from the General Church Primary Presidency for faithful service in our local Primary organization.
On October 2, 1961, I was set apart as a Stake Missionary by Pres. W. Loyal Hall in the Mount Logan Stake.
Blaine married Bonnie Clark, July 21, 1948.
Lawrence married Shirley Fielding, July 6, 1950.
Lloyd married Donna Prisbrey, Sept. 6, 1957.
Norma married Fred Niederhausern, June 11, 1965.
Richard married Glenda Dees, December 6, 1963.
Lloyd, Norma, Richard, and David filled full-time missions for the Church in their youth. Lawrence, and Lloyd served in the military serve. The details of each of their lives can be found in their own individual life histories.
In March of 1965 David was called to serve a full-time mission in California, but had to come home a little early to have open heart surgery. He did not survive the operation and passed away January 8, 1967.
On June 12, 1965, I accepted employment as a cook on a dude ranch south of the Hoback River in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I worked there through the summer and enjoyed the scenery and meeting the tourists who came there to vacation.
That fall, I was employed as a Dorm mother at Ricks College in Rexburg. I enjoyed this employment for four years. I was in Dorm # 1 each year. I had many wonderful experiences counseling the young women at Ricks, and gained many friends and associates. I was also able to be closer to Blaine and Bonnie and family as they lived only 12 miles away in St. Anthony.
In 1969, I sold the rock home in Providence for $13,000.00. I put that money down on a nice home in Logan that I purchased for $17,500.00. It was located on 581 East 900 North. It had a full basement with an apartment that I rented out to supplement my income.
September 9, 1969, I was called as an officiator in the Logan Temple. I enjoyed doing this work until May 1, 1972, when I received a call to serve as a full-time 18 month missionary in the Florida South Mission. The last six months I served as a district leader. During my mission I saw 18 people baptized as a result of our teaching and the blessings of the Lord.
After returning home from my mission, I was again called and set apart May 6, 1974, as a temple officiator and served there until the 2nd of October 1976, when the temple was closed for renovation.
In October 1976, I signed up and took a travel tour to the Holy Land with a group from USU. It was conducted by George Ellsworth. This tour was an inspiration of a lifetime - to be there with others and see places where Jesus walked and feel the Spirit witnessing to the truths of the gospel.
I would like at this time (1977) to express thanks for the many blessings that have been mine through out my life. First, the blessing of being born under the covenant. Also for parents who have taught me the gospel. For having been taught to work and to live within my means. For the faith I have in the Priesthood. For my brothers and sisters. For being married for time and all eternity to the man of my choice. For our six children. For the knowledge I have of life after death. For friends wherever I go. For the principle of forgiveness, to be forgiven and to forgive. For the many opportunities I have had to serve in this great church, and in my work. For the power of prayer. I am thankful I can see my own faults, just wish I didn’t have so many.
I do love my children with all my heart, even though I do not approve of some of the things they do. I am greatful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I do know the Lord will always bless us if we keep His commandments, may we be blessed so to do. I am thankful to live in the United States of America, a land choice above all other lands, where the gospel was restored. We do have so many things to be thankful for and to live worthy of.
I do want all my family to know, I do love you with all my heart. I pray for your success in life, and that you will each seek to do the Lord’s will. Your mother and grandmother, Ida Weyerman Hawkes.
On July 10, 1977, I was called to serve on a full-time service mission to the Indiana Indianapolis Mission. My assignment was to work in the mission home with Pres. Max and Bonnie Mortensen. I was in charge of the kitchen, cooking, serving the food, etc. After about 6 weeks I had the misfortune to fall and break a small bone it my foot. I could not walk on it for a long time until it would heal up, so I was given a release and had to come home.
In December of 1977, Billy and Luisa invited me to come down and stay with them as he is in veterinary school in Mexico City. They used part of their Christmas holiday and took me around to many of the Book of Mormon sites in that country. We visited the National Museum and other attractions in the great Mexico City.
In between all the traveling and activities with the family, I spent many profitable days reading good books at my home in Logan. I also made temple aprons for 27 grandchildren and their spouses-to-be, a total of 54 aprons that I hope they will use when they go to the temple for the first time.
I served as YWMIA President, Junior Sunday School Coordinator, Relief Society Stake Board, taught the Spiritual Living class, Visiting Teacher, belonged to a Family Home Evening Group, and a Sewing Club. All these things helped to make life interesting and form many wonderful friendships.
In June of 1978, I went on a church history tour with Blaine and Bonnie, and her sister, Betty. Ken Howell and a Brother Gibbons were our guides. We visited Nauvoo, Ill. and most of the other early important church historical sites. It was a wonderful experience for all of us, and strengthened our testimonies of the restored church.
In July 1978, I attended the Mormon Miracle Pageant held on the temple grounds at the Manti Temple. I went down with Lloyd and Donna and their family. It was fun to be with them, and the pageant was a great inspiration.
On August 8th, I turned 71 years old, and am beginning to have some of the ailments of old age creeping up on me. I have had sugar diabetes for a couple of years now, and am having really bad headaches a lot of the time. I have had some back aches, pain in my legs, heart troubles, some crying and emotional problems. I try and watch my diet and get proper rest. The Lord has blessed me, and I do continue to enjoy many things, and life goes on. I am able to do quilting for various members of my family, and visit them occasionally, which helps a great deal. I go to the Temple regularly and do several names each day I am there.
In November 1978, I had the beginning of a rather sad experience. I went to add a few more coins to my jar of money and found that the jar of money was no more in my house. I hadn’t added to it for some time, but had a lot of change in the jar. I looked where I had put it last & it was not there. I almost took the house apart to find it, but it was no more to be found. The last time I counted it, there was $30.00 and that was some time ago. You know we have been counseled to have some money on hand for an emergency. The money was here when I left for Indiana on that work mission, and that is the last I could remember it. I felt so sorry. There were a very few people who could have taken it. I prayed the Lord would forgive them.
[The above story came to a conclusion almost two years later] I want to confess my sins. I have judged a neighbor of maliciously deviling me and found out it wasn’t him at all. I felt very humbled, now another thing is the bottle of money I told you was taken. When I went on my mission to Indiana, I put everything in one room and had a man come and put a lock on the door, so the renters could not use or disturb the contents of the room. Well the room was not locked before I left. The renters had moved in. This man came back after I had left to finish the lock on the door, so when I came home and the money could not be found, I felt that either the renters or the man had taken this bottle of money.
Time went on and this man’s wife invited me to come to her home to help her quilt. They were talking about different things, when the lady of the house said, “I just have to tell you this, my husband does the funniest things. Out in the shop he showed me a bottle of money.” She said, “That’s a new one, he has never saved money in a bottle before.” Well, in my mind he was branded, for he was the man who had fixed the lock on the door. Well, time went on and I was cleaning out drawers and found my bottle of money. Well, I set down and cried and ask the Lord to forgive me for so judging other people. I am telling this that we may all remember not to judge anyone but leave judgement to the Lord.
After counseling with my family, I decided to sell the farm in Idaho. We sold the East 80 to Francis W. Bratt, the Benson 80 to Billy Bishoff, and the home 80 to Mark Albertson. This was all accomplished in 1978 and 1979. We took the money from these sales and put it in the Beehive Credit Union at Ricks College where I had some other money on savings.
February 3, 1979. The evening before Fast Sunday, I had started my fast at noon Saturday as I often have Sunday dinner with Norma’s family. So, we fast from Sat. noon to Sunday noon after Fast Meeting. I had felt close to my family, thinking of each of them and their families and their standing in the church. Those who were strong and faithful, as well as those who just drifted along, and those who made no effort at all to serve in the church. My mind had been on these things a lot that day, wondering what I could do or say to encourage those in need. So, as I fasted I made these things a matter of prayer before going to bed.
I was awakened the following morning about four o’clock, praying and pleading with the Lord in behalf of my family, that we would be able to be together as a family, mother, father, and children throughout all eternity, Even as I was awakened and lay there for hours, I continued to pray in behalf of my family that we would each strive to prepare ourselves and that we would have a longing in our hearts for each other and to serve the Lord. I prayed for hours for those living and dead, for they did not seem dead, yet they were not with us. I got out of bed and onto my knees and prayed for a long time and then back into bed. I felt near to the Lord, I felt at peace with myself and near to my family. I have never had an experience just like that in my life. I wish I could go on in that spirit for I felt so very close to heaven. May this all be so, that we will all cleave to each other and strengthen each other. After this wonderful experience, I found myself singing and in very happy spirits. I remember thinking of the prophet Amos and how he prayed to the Lord.
On February 13, 1979, I was set apart for the third time as a temple officiator in the newly remodeled Logan Temple, by President Reed Bullen. He gave me a wonderful blessing. I was assigned to work with the new brides that would come to the temple to be married. The temple was rededicated March 13th.
This is a bit difficult to write about, but I felt that I should. Some of you know that a few years before Daddy died, we were having a very difficult time in our marriage. Things did not get any better, and when he passed away he was very upset. When we moved to Providence I felt his presence a few times, but for many years, nothing.
Sunday January 6, 1980, in fasting and prayer, I pled with the Lord that things would work out between us and that I would be given understanding. While sitting reading before going to church, I felt Daddy’s presence in the room. He asked if I would ever come back to him. I told him how I felt, that if things could be right I would be glad and that his family needed him and loved him and he was gone.
I sat in total wonderment and prayed it would be so. The thought came to my mind, you have all your business taken care of, so your children would get full benefit of the property. There isn’t much more you could do for them, it could happen anytime. I want you all to know that I loved your father very much and felt we were right for each other, but things just didn’t work out, and that it won’t be too many years—in a few minutes a great gust of wind hit my house and it just creaked. I got up to see what was going on and all was still and a great feeling of peace was with me.
September 6, 1980, I was honored in a special Young Woman’s Program meeting in the Logan East Stake as an exemplary woman from the 19th Ward. This was a great thrill and made me thankful I have tried to live a good life and be of service wherever and whenever possible.
June 29th to July 1st, 1980, Blaine, Lloyd, Richard, Kim, Nathan, David and a neighbor boy put new shingles on my home in Logan. It was a fun time for all of them to be together and doing a work project. I really appreciated getting it done and seeing them working together.
On August 8, 1983, Mother’s 76th birthday, she sold her home in Logan to Michael Hughes for $51,688.23. After this transaction she lived in various retirement homes in Logan.
After several years of being in and out of hospitals, nursing homes, etc. with a variety of illness and poor health, Mother passed away peacefully on September 2, 1988, in Logan, Cache County, Utah.
On March 31, 1976, Mother recorded having done 1055 temple endowment names in the preceding 20 years. She averaged doing over 50 names each of those years. In later years she did several hundred names each year.
Mother spent a few days or weeks at a time visiting each of her children and their families through the years. We are grateful for those times. However, the great majority of the health care she received came from her devoted daughter, and our sister, Norma Ruth. We each owe her a great debt of gratitude for the kindness, the tender loving care, the patience, the many hours spent even when she herself did not feel well.
Mother loved her boys, but she had a special bond with her sweet daughter that carried her through many a hard or lonely time. It was her choice to live in the same town and be close to Norma and Fred and their family. Norma, we will always love and appreciate you, especially for the extra kindness you gave our Mother.
May we all live worthy to be a part of the Eternal Family she so much desires.
Note: This history was written using excerpts from her written diary\journal and other documents in our family history files. If there are any additions or corrections that would make this more complete please send them to P. Blaine Hawkes.