STAR VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HISTORICAL BOOKS INVENTORY DETAILS
1.
Overview
Title: The Life Story of William Boyle Izatt
Author: Meletia Izatt Miles
Subject: Personal History
Publisher:
Publishing Date:
Number of Pages: 2
ID#: 421
Location: Website
2.
Evaluation
Evaluator's Name(s): Kent and Polly Erickson
Date of Evaluation: December 2014
Key Words: Scottish tam, Bedford, Afton, influenza, mail carrier
Included Names: Alexander Izatt, Elizabeth Boyle, Rhoda Ann Turner,
Mary Welchman
3. Svnopsis
He was born in 1870 in Utah. When he was 17 years old, he moved to
Bedford, Wyoming where he homesteaded. He married Rhoda Ann Turner in 1891.
They were the parents of nine children. He became a mail carrier and the family
moved to Afton. Later he was a marshal and a deputy sheriff. He passes away in
1928.
4. Other
'^Submitted by Kathy Walker
,Ci
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THE LIFE SWHY UF WILLIAM
(WM) BUYLK
IZATT
^
by Melotia Pearl Izatt Milea
.. WllUam Boyle Izatt was born 10 Mar I87O at Logan, Cache, Utah, to Alexander Ixatt
[1 and lillEabeth Boyle.
i He had red curly hair. Hie parents always made him wear a Tam, which he hated. He
kept trying to lose it but every we knew who's it was and would return it to him.
k. So one day when he was five year'sT^he family were going to church and he told
h \ then he had forgotten something.' He ran back in the house and shoved his Tam in the
[>V Istove. This time it was definitly gone.
4
When real young, he and two other boys went to a mans house and he was lying asleep
One of the boys said "Lets kill him." They grabbed an icicle and ran it across his
throat. Evidently it had awakened him and he thought they had cut his throat with
'.a knife and he fainted dead away. They had quite a time trying to bring him to.
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mxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxmxxxxxx
I found another account of the Tam and this is it. He always had^to wew theJam
: that was aScotch custom. But none of: the other kids wore one so he felt
; place. So one day when they were going to church he said"
' Snd he ran back in the house and lifted the stove lid and thrust
Btove and watched it burn. Happy Dayl At last he had gotten rid
J
of
^
,
OhI- Grandfather was furious but there was no way to get another one,, so that d^
he kad to go to church bareheaded. This was certainly out of order in those days.
From what I gather the Izatt home was a very happy one. They
y®"!®
people and would sing and dance and have a very good time, although Grand mother
Ti Izatt was never very well.
•When Father was IV years old he left home with Dick Hlncks and
I^Uatlne and
; went to Bedford, Wyo. Where he Homesteaded some land it was called Squatters Hights
!Not\ong after this he went back homo to see his folks and his mother lay
• dying. She was so far gone that she could'nt talk to him. One hour later she died
this was certainly a sad time for him.
Father was away from home a lot. He always loved little children and was
good to them. He went back to Bedford after his Mother died and that is when he
met my Mother, Khoda Ann 'l-urner. Grandfather Turner was a wonderful musician and
he would have the young people come to his home and dance and sing, ihat is where
he net my mother. Grandfather Turner lived in Turnervilla. the town named after him.
I do hot know just how long he courted my mother^Jjyt finally he ask her to become
his wife. She said yes, so they decided to go to Temple to be marrieo. fhey left
in a white topped Buggy.
.
Kla two alatera Annie and Oeorglna were «o thrilled when they
•k H
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and his Bride-to-be were coming that they could hardly wait, when they thought it
was about time for them to come they walked a ways up Lo^an Canyon and met them.
When they got to Grandfather Izatts home mother was real concerned about her wed
ding dress that she opened the trunk it was in to sfee if it was alright.
Annie and Georgina just stared with glee as they said it was the most beautiful
dress they had ever seen. Mother made it herself. 'X-hat was her profession she made
dresses for everyone. They were married in the Logan Temple HNov 1091.
Their Wedding Supper was held at Grandpa Izatt"s home and it was a wonderlul
affair.
In Bedford they lived in a two stofy log house. This is where their nine children
m
were born. The children are» Mary Elizabeth, Billiam Alexander, Ira Deloss, Leslie,
Rhoda Marcella, Wilford Louis, Grace Delila, Meletia Pearl, &Howard .
William died when he was 12 yrs old with a ruptured appendix. And Howard died when
he was six weeks old with whooping cough. This left me (Meletia ) baby again and
BoyI Was she babied11 By all of the family. Was I ever spoiled.
My Father had a store by Calob Bleazards store and one day when I was about four
yrs. old I went to Mr. Bleazards store and told him I wanted a nickels worth of
candy. He said "Why don't you get it from your Dads store ?" I said, "He won't
take nickels with a hole in." BoyJ Bid he laugh and 1 am sure he feave me more than
a nickels worth.
W
In 1913 Bad got an asigJ^nent to be Mail Carrier from Afton to the Lower Valley.
80 we hod to move to Afton. The night before we left ail of the children were pla-
ying "Kick the can " and Wilford said "Everyone get behind me 1 am going to kick
IP i«feihr!n-iJSllt''S5''h!S?
SeWS ihJ'lai? (fKhyM SSrit^ide
I
open. We had to go to Afton to get Dr. West to sew it up. I carry the scar to this
te
day.
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oiuved tu Al'luii lha iiuxL day. i wua fiva yra pldi Wa muved In with Aunt DeXile Uar-
Iji; dner. 1 do not know how long we llvod with hor* It must of boon quite u few weeks. Then
'We moved to a house which would be aboui; 193
2nd Ave at the prebent time. It was
right, at the end of the first block on 2nd Ave. Ws lived there for a few yrs. Then Dad
• bought a plott^of land from let Ave to the middle of which is Adams St. now. We moved
' into a tent while Dad was building a house. He was still a Mail Carrier from Afton
*' to the Lower Vnlleyi 1 don't know how long h« served as Mail Carrier.
While we ware in the Tent our neighbors) the Corsi children come to see us they thought
J we were Indians. Because Indians often camped on Swift Creek. We became the best of
friends with Corsi's.
We were bo liitppy when the house was dune. We thought it was vory beautiful. Did'nt
i have water in the house we had to get it out of the ditch wliich was real close to the
house. Dad cut out a place under the ditch bank where he put a box and we put our
milk and other things we needed to keep cool. It was'nt too lon^ until we got a pump
in the house so we could pump in cold water from the ditch.'<Then we would heat it in a
teakettle and reservoir for washing dishes etc. We would heat water in the boiler on
the stove to wash and boil our clothes in.
OhI How wonderful Christmas was in those days. Dad would get up and make a fire but
would'nt let us get up until it was warm. H& kept saying "Ohl You ought to see what
Santa Claus has brought."
I stairs and see.
We could hardly wait. Finally he told us we could come down
It was just great every thing was under the tree, nothing wrapped.
' ' We each got one big (not very big) thing under the tree and some small thing in our
, . stockings. Of course there was candy and if we were lucky a banana and apple. It was a
rj glorious Qccassion.
j. I was sick a lot with earache and Dad would sit on the floor with me ana play games,
r . I really loved him.
? After Dad retired as Mail Carrier, he was Marshal of Afton, and later Deputy Sherriff.
He was Deputy Sherriff when the Armistic was signed in World War 1. Mother saw him
coming home and he was stai^gering and she thought he was sick she ron to meet him and
he was drunk. Nearly all the men in town got drunk when they heard the Armistic was
signed. That was the last time Dad every took a drink.
Dad w6rked with bishop Low one time helping to fill the Silo and Bishop opened a little
door that said not to open while in motion and a big iron rod flew out and hit Dad on
the chest. He could'nt breithe.They got the Dr. and he held him some way so he could
'•f
breathe. He was sick for some time.
During the War was when the Influenea started and Dr. Laffette Keese died with it.
Everyone was so afraid of it but Mother went and took care of people. She took care
of Byron heese M.D. in the old Hospital which was on Main St. It was located where the
Lazy B Motel is now (1986). Mary Welchman worked there also and she got the Flu and
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died and Mother had to lay her out* Her head kept turning so she ask Dr. Heese if he
could come and see if she was aead. He got out of bed and looked at her and she was
dead. He said it was the muscles in her neck that kept pulling her head over.
Mother also took care of four men in the old Kelief Society Bldg. who had the Flu.
Finally all of our family got the flu even Mother and my sister was a world War nurse
and she took leave and cared for us. Mother slept all through the Flu and Mary thcgught
she had Sleeping Influenza which was very serious, but I guess she was tired out from
all the care she nad given to others. She come out of it just fine.
During Probition Dad had to confiscate a great amount of liquor from a man, as he was
Deputy Sherriff. And one night two of dads friends a lady and man come to see us and
after they left Dad found that they had stolen some of the Liquor.
In 192^ Mary married Michael Joseph Garve/ and in 1925 she had a baby, Gloria. She had
a terrible time having her and it caused a clot of blood to lodge next to her brain.
And it caused her to have Lnphteiffla (Sleeping sickness) So in 192? she and Gloria come
to live with us.
In 1927 wilii'taiAar>^dj>«fflL'LT' started a beau^ Business,
I
went around to the peoples homes
and did a Marcel on the ladies hair.
decided he wanted to find a shop for
so he found a builoing by the side of the Hexal Drug store. It was all rundown so he
fixed the floor and chimney and roof and that went on the first years rent. And Meletia
moved in, in 192ti. Kvery day he would go by the shop and stop and uak ."Did you get the
mail".
Un the first pnrt of June 1928 he took very ill and the Doctor thout,nt it was a stoppage
of the Bowels. He operated and found that he v.-as full of cancer. He died on June ^th and
was buried on June Vth in 'iliayne, Wyo wheri two of his sons were buried.
Hi/:
He wan ih«« ncmt honcat. it.nn I hnve ever seen. If ho owed h bill he would wuxic >0 miles
tP
8® and Mother wasu th9 SflRld th«y tflUJtht It
to all Lhnlr chiliiren. I nm veiygrateful for that.