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This Is Your Life Arch Francis
It was in a two room adobe house in Lake Shore. Utah, on a
{rosty November day in 1884. that you. with the help of "crandma
Archibald". the midwife, made your first appearance on the scene.
oh. how pleased your father was that his first child was a boy and
you were promptly labeled "Joseph Archibald" in honor of your
father and grandfather, but you soon became iust "Arch".
Your father, Joseph Francis, was an Englishman. He had sailed
to Amer ica when he was twelve years old. He had landed in New York
and after working there three years, he came on to Utah. He did
various iobs until 1877. when he came to Lake Shore. where his
brother. Samuel, was homesteading. By working in the smelters, and
sending money to Samuel. he obtained part of the land. While
working in a saw mill in Spanish Fork Canyon, which was owned by
Archibald Cardner. he met the owner's pretty blonde daughter.
Annie, She was very modest and Joseph often embarrassed her. as he
was a Eireat tease and was b.lessed with a great sense of humor, She
said she fel I in I ove wi th his beautiful bl ack beard. and thev were
married 28 Nov. 1882. He had built a home with his fathers help in
1879. and Mr. L L. Reece had made adobes in 1878. which he later
laid up and did the masonry work on this home to which Joseph
It was one of the nicest homes in
Francis took his young wife.
Lake Shore at that time and it was here that you were born.
you were about four or five years of age. you became ill
Your father and mother both contacted the
with typhoid fever,
disease. As you recovered sooner than they' you were sent to Uncle
Neal and Aunt MagRie Gardner's to be taken care of. Aunt Maggie
taught you this little poem. "I hate vain thoughts, God's laws I
do love." You got up and said it in Primary. (Remember how your
mother made you go to primary until you were nearly big enough to
get married?)
When
home of the
All was not peace and harmonl, in this little
Yorrr father's and mother's temperaments were too
Francis".
di fferent for there not to be clashes. Remember how upset your
mother would get and how calmly you father took her outbursts. You
were her pride and joy, so following one of their quarrels, (what
it was about you can't remember ) she decided to leave and take you
with her. She uas always very afraid of the dark and you felt you
were taken to give her courage. The corral was south of the house
then and that was as far as you got' Here you waited for the young
husband and father to come and bring you back. It was very dark
ancl with each sound the younR woman held tighter to the small hancl
of her son. Finat lv leaving you behincl the chicken coop. Annie
went back to peak and she how "Joe" was taking her leaving. There
he sat, calmly reading his newspaper. You can imagine how irate
this would make a woman. and your mother was no different that most
young women. She started back to where she had left you, determined
she'd reallv leave. She'd show Joe she meant it. but as she past
the window. she saw her own reflection and it nearly friShtened her
out of her wits. Together you waited a while longer behind the
chicken coop. but finally
you back to the house.
(2\
the chill and darkness of the nisht drove
When you father worked away at the mill. you always had to
look under all the beds "to see if the cat was under one" before
Grandma would go to bed. She slept with an old pistoI under her
pillow.
It was never loaded and she wouldn't have dared shoot it
if it had been.
Ereat faith in her rel igion, (No matter how sick
she was, she always knel t to say her prayers . ) She passed this
faith on to her sons and daughters, also she had been taught
only in not wasting money, but in not wasting time
thrift--not
also, and this she strove to teach to you. Your sister Rean says,
"Arch wasn't selfish, but he took care of the pennies. When he
went to the store with a few dozen eggs, if there were a few cents
over, he would bring home three or four nutmeg for mother instead
of hrrving candy for himself. I remember once he had fi{teen cents
coming. so he bought Lizzie a pretty ribbon for her hair, He was
verv ambitious and when he was very young he was the janitor of the
little west school, sweeping after school and walking thru the snow
For this vou were paid 34.00 a month.
to build the fire."
Your mother often had members of her own or yot.rr father's
family stay for dinner. One summer da),, her folks were aII seated
around the table: the east door was open and during a lull in the
Everyone
conversation a lorrd blast came from under the table.
saw
was an
all
they
the
table,
When
they
looked
under
iumped.
innocent looking pipe which you had slipped under, had blown into.
and had r un I augh i ng .
Crandma had
Two year s later
ln September l89l, you started to school
your sister Rean started. She writes: When I started to school '
he and I walked rrp to the old adobe school house. If the road was
flooded. he took off his shoes, got me, and carried me across. I
was alwavs slow. and woutd get a pain in my side. so I usually
stopped at Job Measom's to play a few minutes with May. I got out
ol school I/2 hour earlier than Arch did. but he always over took
me when I wasn't half wa], home and hurried me on,
Remember as a small b.,y, you and yorrr young cousin. Jack
You dug so deep that you hit
Francis. decided to die a well.
surface water. When you used to stay too long playing with Jack
asparagus or gather a few sticks
and Ted you'd always pick a little
your
your mother's displeasure.
on
way
home
to
soften
for kindling
the two homes is still
you
between
used to cross over
The stile
ther e after seventy year s .
When Crandpa was away. you and Jack and Heb Clayson, who
wasn't yet five, would swing on the old derrick hay outfit and
ehase granclpa's calves around the field trying to lasso them.
You were attending school at the old Lake Shore school at the
{ 3)
center. and one muddy spring--there was no gravel on any of the
roads at that time--you and Jack and Heb Clayson were riding home
from school. You and Jack were on an old yellow mare and Heb was
on his fine little
racker--he called it Dickie. Dickie liked to
started
to
race and old yellow ran away. She ran helterrun. You
skelter past both Jack's and your homes and you two were holleringHeb
-Heb says, "You know your dad could holler awful loud,"
got
till
he
was
nearly
sick
the
blame
for
starting
laughed
and he
her and he savs "r ightly so".
Along with the work and lack of modern conveniences that those
days held, also came wonderful times. Relatives visited all day
of travel, they even stayed over
then. because of the difficulty
night at times. You went swimming in the lake, There were candy
pulls. popped corn. cutting bees. and dances in the evening to the
music of orqan! violin, accordion or even harmonica.
1892. at the age of seven. the first great sorrow came
By then the family had grown to five children:
into your life.
yourself, age 7; Rene, age 5i Lizzie, age 4; Earl. a8e 2; and baby,
Al t five of you got the
John Henry, nearly two months old.
whooping cough. Yours. Rene's and Lizzie's were mild cases, what
they then calIed "chin cough", different in degree from whooping
cough as scarlatina is to scarlet fever, but the little
ones, Earl
and .lohn Henry. were very ill.
Grandma Jones was there holding the
baby while your mother took care of Earl. Hoping that the milk
mieht help, you and your dad milked the mare. but your two little
brothers died within one hour of each other and were btrried in the
same casket. You went out among the greasewood between yours and
Uncle Sam's houses and gathered the early spring {lowers to place
on their grave.
Tn May
You were baptized I April 1893 by
Apri I 1893 bv Bi shop Lorenzo Argv I e.
J
Sones and confirmed
2
White ruffled col lars were in style and you hated them. Your
mother was so proud of your starched ruffles and insisted you wear
them. Finally a kindly neighbor suggested you tuck the collar
inside your shirt after you left home and pul I i t out when you
returned. This you did and your mother couldn't imagine how you
Bot your col lars so wrinkled. She finally let you quit wearing
them. long after the other boys your age had quit.
You and Heb Clayson hunted together: you were with him when he
killed his first duck down on the old siew. Heb had an old 4570
Once you two were standing in
rifle--used to load shells for it.
your yard when some geese flew over. Heb took a shot and soon
there came down a wing feather, close but not close enough. You
had an o!d 40.70 single shot. He said you were a better shot than
It was
he. You killed a goose a fourth of a mile or more flying'
(Dad
to
ed
the
\[est
Pond
then.
added
it
over Wr ide's Pond--you cal I
goose
the
last
one.)
and
hit
this story that he aimed at the lead
(4)
Remember the time that you and Jack and Ted stole Mr. Crave's
water melons. When he chased the bunch of you, you hid in the
ditch and fack and Ted in the grain. When Mr. Graves caught you,
you yeIIed.
"Come on Jack and Ted, we're caught,"
Didn't Mr.
Graves take you all home with him and give you a piece of cake?
(Dad insertecl "Yes" into the historv. )
Remember the time when you were about fourteen that your
ly and your Uncle Henry's spent a week at Lake Creek? Your
"I thlnk it was sixty one years ago. when
sister Rean writes:
Father, Mother. Uncle Henry and Aunt Lizzie took the two families
for an outing up to Lake Creek. lle stayed about a week. Arch and
Henry A. built a raft and went on the lake. They gave all the
younger children rides, but as Hetty and I were older, they made us
wait until the last day for our turn. llhen they had us out quite
a ways. they laughed and waded to shore. Both of us were very
afraid of wading. We coaxed and pleaded, begged and tried to buy
At last we took off our shoes
them to take us in but to no avail.
got
and stockings and
off the raft which the boys had fastened b]'
putting the stick oars in the mud, There were large water lizards
in the water. but we had to wade anyway. By the time we had
reached the spring and washed the black oozing mud off, we just had
time to r:atch the last wagon leaving for home."
f ami
Your sister Lizzie wrote how ambitious you have always been.
When young, you would often get up, milk all the cows. load the
milk in the long racked buggy, and start for the creamery. waking
the family by the noise of the horse and butgy as you passed the
house from the welI where the milk was cooled. Along with the
noise of the wagon wheels: you'd sing or whistle as loud as you
could. a habit ],ou carried over into the years when I was growing
up. I was usually awakened in the morning by your singing of
Stephen Foster's songs as you past my bedroom window.
Lizzie mentions how she was always full of mischief and in
She never remembers
trouble and that you always took her part.
hav i ne a quar re I with you .
On the l2th of February 1899, you uere ordained a Deacon by
Bishop l.orenzo Artyle, and about this same time you took over your
father's f arm, He was now the owner of the Lake Shore Store. You
loved to hunt and the family looked forward to the rabbits which
you killed and cleaned.
On 8 March 1901. you were ordained a teacher by Bi s hop
Lorenzo Arg), I e.
Remember the time that you and Heb Clayson mischievously took
a few shots at your father's chimney? They had moved to the
center--and when you got married and brought your bride to the home
you were born in. you had the messy job of fixing that chimney'
Again sorrow came into your ljfe
when little
golden haired.
five year old. Inez became ill
(5)
with scarlet fever. Whi le your
parents cared for her ancf Niel, age 4: and Ron, l: who were also
sick, vou clerked in the store, but all their loving care did not
save little
Inez. She past away on your lTth birthday. We all do
things in life that we later wish we hadn't done, and had
little
Tnez lived, you would probably never even remembered that day just
before she died when you took her along with you to the creamery.
There were alot of men and boys around when Inez informed you that
she needed to to to the bathroom. At seventeen boys are a little
cross with her,
embarrassed by such things and you were a little
telling her she'd have to wait awhile. That was nearly 50 years
ago. but vou sti I I resret those cross words.
Across the fields from home. I ived the fones.
They had
several daughters. one of whom had a beautiful voice. This was
Lavina Ursula. You wore a path between her home and yours and on
28th of July 1903, you were married by Isaac Hansen at Benjamin.
She was a wonderful wife to you. Together in the Iong evenings you
read Harolcl Bell Wright's books. sometimes in the company of Frank
and Susie Sirnmons. You read many books those first few years.
among them was Marie Corelli's
Thelma, and when your first child
girl.
was born, a I ittle
she was given the name of Thelma
Elizabeth. When Thelma was born the midwife handed the baby to you.
while she finished taking care of Sule. The baby kept crying, and
the louder she cried the more bewildered you became. You decided
she must be hungry. so you stuck your finger into the syrup pitcher
and let her lick it off. thus Thelma's very first food was syrup.
Years later when they began putting Karo syrup in the babies
formulas you felt I ike a prophet,
Remember how you earned the money to buy the chairs for your
home? You made a grasshopper trap of gunny sacks and canvas ' It
took two boys to run the trap. Before it was verlr light, you'd ride
over the I ucerne patches , catch i ng the grasshoppers.
There were many parties hetd at yours and Sule's home. Your
f r.iends would bring their children, put them to sleep in one room,
while they sang, ate ice cream and visited one another. At one of
these parties. you had just finished eating the ice cream when more
guests arrived. so you went out and milked a cow and the women made
more ice cream. More people camer so you milked another cow. and
kept this up as the later comers arrivecl until all the sugar was
pone and there was no use o{ milkine another cow.
Yorr had been ordained a Priest in 1903 by Nathan Clayson and
in June of 1904. Henrv Cardner. Sr' ordained you an Elder.
Often I think young peop I e think that their parents don't
understand how hard it is to get started and how trying financial
worries can be. l know I always thought of you as never having had
to worry about money to pay the bills, and as never really needins
anything that you didn't have money for. How little we now of our
parents livesl Remember the year that you threshed in your near
(5)
barefeet and after being paid in grain for your work. you rushed to
your father's store. only to find you lacked enough grain to pay
for the shoes? You were too proud to ask your father for credit
and good old Uncle Sy Gardner. having seen you leave. followed you
behind the store and found you crying. He insisterJ on lending you
the money .
There were good times. too. You loved music and was a member
of the Lake Shore Brass band from the beginning until it was
discontinued. You were a trombonist in the Lake Shore Orchestra
from 1904 until 1926.
On 5 Jan. 1905, a little
stillborn daughter was born. Ada. and
on the 5th of September of that same year, you and Sule were
endowed and sealed together for time and all eternity in the Salt
Lake Temple. The sealing was performed by Elder Francis M. Lyman.
On 4 June 1905. you were ordained a Seventy by Eli B. K, Ferguson,
About a vear after this, you were asked to Bo on a mission, but
hecause of the illness of your wife. she was expecting your fourth
child--Wayne had been born 25 March 1906--you asked to wait until
after the birth of your child. Donna was born ll April 1908. and
on 8 December 1908. you left for the Northern States Mission. Here
was a man with a wife and three little
children, leavinF to spend
two years at I east as a mi ss ionary to teach the true gospe I of
Jesus Christ. This would require Breat faith on the part of both
hrrsband and wi fe.
You once said about it, "l never had any
'misgivings aborrt my cal l' . I wanted to go, "
You traveled from Salt Lake City to Chicago with another young
missionary, Elder J. H. Cold. and roomed with him for a week in
Chicago while you waited for your first appointments. You were
both assigned to west Iowa.
You left
Chica8o at 10105
P.M.
December 17. "traveled all night, no sleep. 8ot into Co. Bluffs at
4 P.M. December 18. 1908. " Elder Vern i I e Jensen wrote of your
"President Ellsworth sent us word to meet a certain train
arrival:
and there would be a new missionary get off so to be sure and meet
Elder Huffacker and I were there to meet him' We looked at
h im.
everyone getting off the train. Could we pick him out of all those
who got off? They were all strangers to us, of course, but it did
We could tel I him by his
not take us long to pick h.im out.
'horns'
It was a happv meeting to meet such a fine man. This was
at Council B luff. Iowa."
You went to the Elder's room, President Fugal asked you to sit
You were sure
up atl night with a dead woman, Sister Turley,
The next night you went over to Omaha, Nebraska. to help
tired.
tear down the booths. etc. of the Utah State Exhibition of fruit.
honey. mi lk. etc.. at the National Horticulture Conqress, They
qave vou two cases of Sego milk. one of figs. apples, honey, etc..
for vou r work
.
Yorr labored alt the first winter in Shenandoah. Iowa. with
Elder Verni le Jensen and par t of the second winter and alot of
(7)
Etder Jensen writes
surrner work in the country with him.
"The president of the West Iowa Conference then
concerning this:
sent Elder Francis and I to Shenendoah, a town of about 7'000
people. We rented us a room from an elderly lady. Mrs. Himes at
601 Lowell Avenue. We did our cooking all in one room. There were
no saints or friends there at al l. ile tinal ly met a f ami ly who
The man. T. A. Cool, and his wife' Mina
became very friendly.
named
Vay. became wonderful friends to us. So
Cool. and a daughter
vou see where mv first daughter got her name and where one of Elcler
Franc i s ' daught er s got her name--Vay--from.
"This was in the early spring tracting.
The place was hard
people
were very cooI toward us. Then the weather began to
and the
warm up and we were anxious to travel in the country. We wanted to
hold street meetings in the smaller towns. \lt e made our first start
in a town about 9 miles south of Shenandoah. We invited the people
to come out and hear the Mormon missionaries preach. We held our
meeting in front of a little drug store. Of course, the new Elder
would be the fjrst speaker and then I came next.
"Elder Francis quoted the scripture in Acts of the Apostles
'And these signs shall follow those who believe
where it states:
in my name. They shal I cast out devi ls, they shal I take up
serpents. thev shal I tay hands on the sick and they shall be
hea I ed. ancl if they drink any deadly poison it shal I not hurt
them.'
" Elder Francis Bave a very good talk but after the meeting was
over the druggist came over to Elder Francis and said. 'f)o you
real ly bel ieve what you have been preaching?' Elder Francis said.
"l sure do." The druggist then said, 'Come into my store and I
will mix yoll up a poison drink and I'll see if you do.' You should
have seen Elder Francis. He was really in trouble. I came over to
the druggist and said to him. 'Do you believe in the Bible?' He
said'l
do,' Then I showed him in the Bible where it states: 'A
That
wicked and adulteress generation seeks after these signs.'
settled that and Elder Francis was sure a happy man.
" Well. from here on. things got to going better.
Elder
Francis was sure a fine missionary. He was a very good singer and
tle was a good speaker.
that means a lot in the mission field.
extra good, and a hard worker. He is one man who did not try to
kill time in the Mission Field.
" In about three months the Elders of West Iowa Conference came
back to Shenendoah to hold a conference. (Dad wrote that it was
Sioux Rapids). There were eight Elders and we were there for five
days and nights. holding meetings on the street each afternoon and
nieht. While here we decided to take a swim in the Floyd River.
north of Shenendoah. (Dad says i t was the Li ttle Sioux River in
Sioux Rapids. ) Al I the missionaries were good swimmers but myself '
They all jumped in the river and were having a good time, But me-I did not dare to get in the deep water so I hunted me a long stick
(8)
to test the depth of the water. When I got back with my long stick
I could see trouble.
Elder Francis had taken a cramp and Elder
Taylor was trying to rescue him, but he had to fight Elder Francis
loose. I saw Elder Francis go down under the water again. I ran
down the stream and got hold of a long root of a tree and waded out
as far as I could reach toward Elder Francis. lVhen he saw the
stick he grabbed a hold of it and I pulled him to the bank. Elder
Gold pulled him out. By that time Elder Francis knew nothing. I
thought he was dead but the Elders worked over him and then he
This turned out to be happiness. I
started to show signs of life.
you!
tel I
!"
Sister Cold (writing for her husband) tells this about your
near drowning. "They were doing country work. They crossed the
State o{ Iowa {our times that sumrner. walking and contacting
They were in the \[est Iowa clistrict (or
f ami I ies as they went.
Conference as they called it them. ) They divided the conference
F-ach with a
Company A and Company B.
into two companies.
paired
off in two and each two
supervisor. These companies were
Elders took a di fferent route through the country and would al I
meet in a bigger town or city at the end of the week and hold
meetings Saturday and Sunday then be given a different companion
and routed again for the next weeks work.
"Your father has in his diary, it was the l7 July 1909. Four
Elders were together . Elder Arch i e Francis, Elder Verni I e Jensen,
Elder Hyrum Cold, and Elder Ulyssis Taylor. My husband says he
can't remember just how it was that they four were together this
day. It was Saturday and they were coming into the town for their
weeklv meetines. They came to a stream which was an overflow from
the river.
They decided to go swimming. Elder Francis said he
woulcl like to see if he could swim up stream. He had done so much
swimming in the lake at home, but not in a stream. Elder Vernile
Jensen didn't go in at all.
"Quoting from your Father's diary. 'l was the last to go in.
Elder Cold and Elder Taylor were standing in water about 3 1/2 feet
deep. I was in water waist deep. Elder Gold said. "That is over
vour head there." but I went in anyway and couldn't touch bottom-an under current took me down.' (end of quote) Elder Cold says
they were calling to him that he wasn't making any headway and they
didn't think he could swim up stream. Then he went down out of
sight. They were watching for him to come up, but it was so long
they became worried. Then he came up, but a long way down from
them. Elder Taylor went to help him but before he could 8et to
him. he went down again. lVhen he came up Taylor tried to get a
hold of him, but Francis locked around him (as drowning people do)
and they both went down, Taylor said he couldn't get away from him
urrtil they were right on the bottom and he had to put his knees on
Francis' chest and iust break himself loose. lfhile he was there on
the bottom of the river trying to get away. he said he remembered
his Mother's last words to him when he left home. 'L.llyssis. if you
will stay out of water I will not worry about you.' When he got
(e)
away from Francis, he came up just spouting and blowing water and
choking,
Elder Cold says he could hardly get to shore himself.
"Elder Cold was swimming around looking for Francis to come up
aeain. but wondered what he could do as Taylor was a.better swirnrner
ancl much bigger man than he was. But Francis came up with just the
back of his head and shoulders out of the water. Gold caught him
by the back of the hair and started to swim for shore pushing
Francis as he went. Elder Jensen was s tand i ng on the bank of the
river holdint to a I ittle tree and reaching as far as he could
reach out to help him to shore and calling, 'Come on Elder Gold.
push him inl
push him in!'
got him to the shore they worked
When the finally
with him a long time before they got signs of life in him. They
didn't know just what to do for a person who was drowning. so they
And
iust rolled him and worked with him untiI he was all right.
they were some thankful Elders. That night or evening and Sunday
they held four meetings as they always did over the weekends,"
the same suit nearly all of your mission, putting the
trousers under the mattress at night to press them.
You wore
Remember the niBht that you and Elder Fairbanks slept on a
straw stack. You woke to find the crickets had eaten the band out
of your hat and the bottom out of his pants. He had to stay hidden
in the straw while vou walked to the nearest town and had the oants
patched from the material from his vest.
You were surprised to see in a theater in Chicago a picture of
a Mormon polygamist family. Lined three deep along a sheep camp
wagon were 25 or 7O of the school boys from Lake Shore, among them-your brother . Niel.
Another missionary friend. Elder l,yman wrote of your s incer i ty
toward your missionary work. and Elder Jensen wrote : "Elder 3. A.
Francis was a nrrmber I missionary. a good speaker. a good mi xer .
and evervbodv ;ust loved him, He was a good singer and everything
in him was good. There were not many saints in \?est I owa. but they
He was a man wi thout any bad
at I worshipped Elder Francis.
faults."
Meanwhi le at home. Sule cared for your three ch i ldren and
managed the 45 acre farm with Uncle Evan's help. Not only did she
do farm work. but for a time she cooked in one of the Tintic mining
camps. One winter she worked at Uncle Sy Gardner' s in Spanish
Fork. taking care of his yountest children while he and Aunt
Josephine spent the winter in California.
You wrote about your trip
You returned home 29 March l9ll.
got
in all my life was when
greatest
I
thrills
home: "one of the
of
Price.
It was just Setting
Thompson.
east
the train stoppe.l at
water.
I stepped off on
take
on
there
to
light. The train stoppecl
the siding ancl a meadow lark sang out, the first I'd heard in over
( l0)
months. and it sure made me homesick. I thought of mt, farm and
tittle family and the bircls singing, 'l-ake Shore's a pretty little
place.'
The tJtah Valley sure looked good when we came out of
Spanish Fork Canyon. It was a lovely Spring morning, March 29.
Mapleton bench was green and the sun shinning on the lake. Was I
proud to show the folks on the train where I I ived. "
30
The f i rst night you were home. I i ttle Donna wanted to know why
"that man was taking his 'oveyalls' off?"
She wasn't used to
having a father around the house.
You were soon busy again in church and civic affairs.
You
were a trustee of the Lake Shore School from l9ll to 1915. While
on the school board--a very young teacher, Miss
fell
desperately in love with you. Aunt Jose Andersen wrote that no one
ever heard how you managed to shake her, but next year she wasn't
teach i ns in Lake Shore.
alwavs kind-hearted. One winter when you were on the
trustee board. the snow was so deep that some chi ldren weren't
getting to school. You votecl for a school covered wagon and got it
going in Lake Shore. This was the forerunner of our present day
schoo I bus system.
Yorr were
You were a member of a dramatic company for several years.
Member of the advisory board of Lake Shore Crazers Assn. for l0
years. You worked with a stock company in Dramatics and traveled
with them for a year or two. Do you remember when you and Miss
McKee were awarded a Nobel_prize for the drama where you were
Cregory Cr imes and she Sal ly?
The third night after your sister Rean was married. she and
Uncle Ren slept in the old Ellen Keenan home. During the night
some friends? sneaked in and stole al I their clothes except Aunt
Rean's girdle and Uncle Ren's collar and tie, then left, locking
the front door. On vour way to church the next morning, you heard
about this and remember ing the little door in back, you locked it.
or blocked something against it. locking them securely in and went
laughingly off to church, (they might have been locked in there to
this very day had not James Argyle and Jack Mitchel taken pity on
them, brought them some clothes and let them out.)
on ].,our return from your mission you became a Sunday School
teacher. A position you fi I led wel I for 49 years. On 25 March
son. Jones.
1912. vou were blessed with a new little
Remember the cold Januarv dav that vou took the new baby and
with Uncle Arch and Aunt Sarah Ann HufJ ventured forth in their old
some second hand stores to help
Mocle t T. Ford to Salt Lake to visit
them find a frontroom carpet. You nearly froze to death at the
point of the mountain, but you had an unforgettable day'
You were ordained a High Priest l5 May 1913 by Hyrr.rm M. Smith
(ll)
and became 2nd counselor to Bishop John P.
Youd
(1913-r920)
On the 25th ot 3anuary 1914, Allen was born, and on 3l Dec.
t915. during a severe blizzard. Vay was born. You were playing at
a dance in Thistle and was unable to get home because of the
terrible storm. That night both Vay and Melva Huff were born, and
Grandpa Francis. who was clerk at the time was real disgusted with
vou and Uncle Arch. as he had to change his yearly reports which
he'cl alreadv completed,
You used to stand at the dances, play your trombone and see
al I the funny things that went on at the dance. After thev
remodeled the church the first time (1913) they tried to pay for it
with dances. The orchestra played for nothing, and the people got
so used to it being that way that they quit paying the musicians at
all.
Sometimes as a treat they'd give each of you fifty cents if
you'd play I onger.
the night that you, having blown your horn all night,
and being in a hurry to get home, entered the room where the
children slept while their parents danced, wrapped up the baby, met
Sule who had gone to get her coat, and started for home. Screams
from a distraught mother who couldn't find her baby disclosed the
fact that vorr had the wrons one.
Remember
You sang in the choir manv years when William Parry was choir
leader. He said he was always afraid of making a mistake while
leading because Arch would know. and if given a chance could hum
the right notes for each part.
On 6 May 1918, Annie was born and 3 August 1920. Alta arrived.
Sule was expecting a new baby, Aunt Lenore helped Thelma clean
horrse. She ment ions how fun i t was and she says she can st i I I
taste the macaroni and cheese that Sule made. It seemed to her
that no one could make it so good. She says Ursula and Arch were
so jolly and happy that it was a pleasure to go there.
When
You became
lst counselor to Bishop \[illiam Foster. (192O-1924].
Aunt Sarah Ann Huff lived in the tr/est End then and she says
that every Monday night she would see you and lVayne going to
priesthood meeting--regardless of the weather.
waton
Remember the wet miserable February day when a little
pulled by four horses and loaded down with a large family and a few
possessions pul led into the old Sam Francis home. Thi s was the
Tuckett familr,. moving from Idaho. and because of the terrible mud'
thev had had to leave most of their possessions on a large wagon in
Frank Simmon's yard. It was Saturday night when they arrived with
little to manage with and the next morning you insisted on missing
church, hitching up your team, and goint to help them 8et the rest
They never
of theit possessions. You helped them 8et settled.
forgot this kindness or how you helped them find and fix a two-wav
(
l2)
plow that they might get their plowing done that first
spring.
Ruth was born 5 May 1923 and soon after you began a 34 year
term on the board of the Strawberr), Water Users Assn. On 23
November 1924. vou were ordained a High Counci lman. which position
vou held for twentv years.
Grace was born l5 March 1925. and Beth. 30 December 1927.
Sule had become ill with influenza pneumonia and when little Beth
was only 2 days old. her mother was called home. This was a
terrible time for you.
You had I os t youf be I oved w i fe and
companion and was left with ten unmarried children--Wayne was on a
mission at the time of his mother's death. Ruth can remember only
2 or 3 incidents of her mother's presence (she was 4) but she
remembers vour sitting by the old coal stove with her in your arms
and crving for hours. She also remembers how you cried at night.
and she said that being so little
and not understandins she'd wish
"Daddy
quit
that
would
holding her so tight and crying so that she
could go to sleep. " She was sort of a l ittle shadow: she even
stood by you and clunB to your leg when you preached or prayed.
You wrote that "Once when I was preaching or conducting a meeting,
I got sweatins and reached in my pocket for a handkerchief and
pulled out a pai r of Grace's pants. "
In the fal I of 1930, you were involved in an accident that
You had a Ma),tat
left you unable to work much until spring'
gasoline washer. lt had run out of gas and although it was still
hot you were putting more gas in so Donna could finish the washing'
You had poured the gas in but had some left in the cup. Allen. not
thinkins about the sas in the room. lit a match. and the washer
brrrst into flames. The flames leapt from the washer to the cup in
vour hand. You threw the cup and it sent flames flying through the
(Annie ran and put
kitchen. Annie and Grace were burnt a little.
her foot in the well.) You turned the tap of water on yourself and
you burst into flames. You ran outside and rolled on the lawn. but
continued to burn. Allen ran for an old rug that was in the shanty
The burns were so deep
and threw it over you. smothering the fire.
that you said you weren't in too much pain. You were burnt only
where vou temple garments did not cover. The fire had burnt
through your other clothes and where you had a button off your
you were burned. Donna
garments. allowing them to open a little.
took you to the Dr. You had to go everyday and have the burns
tapped to let the water out. Allen quit school and ran the farm
until you recovered.
During the first couple of years after Sule's death, you
attended your church and civic duties, but seldom went anywhere
else. Finall;r you were told by the doctor that unless you wanted
to have a nervous breakdown. you would have to get out more. You
were President of the Lake Shore Irrigation Company and Myrtle
Bellows Crump, a widow with three daughters. Myrl, Hazel, and Ina
You began taking her home, and to church
3o, was secretary.
functions. You had bel ieved you'd never marry again, (What woman
(r3)
would marry a man with so large a family?) but your feelings for
Myrtle grew. You double dated with your daughter, Donna. and her
brother, "Fritz,"
On 2 July 1931, you were married in the Salt
l.ake Temple. (I have a sneaky hunch that she malz have had to
propose. ) Sometime following your marriage, you went with Norman
and Donna to Strawberr], hunting sage hens. You considered this
your honeymoon .
In the Francis home there were misunderstandings and sadness
as well as happy times. There was alot of hard work for Myrtle as
well as yourself. but out of the toil.
troubles, love! and
happiness. grew a strong and abiding love. Although your combined
f ami I i es numbered fourteen.
you wanted another chi ld, a boy
preferabty--so on the 20th of April t933, I (Nona Kay) was born.
Those were busy years, full of farm work. church and civic
activities, and your growing family, and I'll have to admi t that we
didn't always make it easy for you. We managed to have our share of
growing-up escapades, such as taking old "Blue" without your
consent on an Eastering expedition up West Mountain the very day
she had her cott. to stealing your pure bred turkey gobbler off its
perch on the granary steps to provide the meat for the crowd's
"turkey henry". Remember the time you climbed up in the hay loft
to chase down some eBgs ]'ou thought might be there and found
instead that your son was making bootleg liquor and you a High
Counci lman! ! You've waited hunclreds of nights for us to come home
from dates, praying that there would be no accident and that we'd
remember your teachings. and somehow you managcd to love and guide
us through it all.
Time passes quickly. One by one, we children married and left
the old home, Sorrow visited you three times in three years when
you lost three children. Hazel died 5 March 1956. in Boston. Mass.
Donna: 29 March 1958 and Wayne, l7 June 1959. Your great comfort
at this time was the gospel and the plan of life and salvation
which vorr know to be true,
Now you and Mom are alone. but you are contented and happy. as
the chi ldren and grandchi ldren and great-grandchi ldren come home to
visit often.
This is ],our life. Arch Francis, a li{e which has been free
from indolence, discontentment, and malice. You have alwavs done
you have loved your land and
vour share and more of the toil:
home: vou have served your church and communi ty well, you have
comforted the sick and sorrowing: and you have been a wonderful
When the time arrives for you to Ieave this
husband and father.
I
feel
that the words of the Savior found in the
mortal existence.
parable of the talents will apply also to you: "Well done, thou
good and fai thfu I servant:
thou hast been fai thfu I over a few
things, I wi 1l make thee ruler over many things: enter now into
the iov of the [,ord."
----Nona Kay Francis Bishop