All About My Grandparents

I knew both sets of my grandparents.  Grandpa Ray and Myrtle Carlson lived in Albion, about a mile from us.   Originally my grandfather was from Pleasant Grove, Utah.  His dad was Isaac Carlson.  My grandmother Myrtle Adams was from Albion, the daughter of Joseph Smith Adams.  I don't know how they met, but they were married in the Salt Lake City Temple.  My father, Joe Carlson, was born in a house in Declo, just below Albion, the house was just north of the 3rd level canal on the Albion/Declo road.   Later the family moved back to Pleasant Grove where my grandfather was an electrician, plumber and carpenter for the city of Pleasant Grove.   The way I was told the story, my father really wanted to move up to Albion, Idaho and live on a ranch.  He kept pestering his folks until they relented and purchased the home place (where my folks lived most of their married lives- Half Diamond C Ranch).  They also purchased the house and land just east of the ranch where Lee and Marijane Jolley have lived their lives on.  When dad and mom got married they were going to purchase a ranch up southwest of Albion near Mt. Harrison.  But when they talked with my grandfather, he said he would sell them the home ranch if they wanted it,  they did.  So they paid my grandparents for it, and my grandparents then built a house and moved up into the city of Albion in a house that my grandfather built.  It was kitty corner from where the original bank stood.  Just south of the 2nd post office ran by Wendell and Bernice Bailey.  The house only had the master bedroom and one additional bedroom.  I have stayed there many a night while they babysat me.  He also had a garage (not-attached to the house) with a carpenter shop in the one end.  He would take me out there and show me what he was working on, he told me that when he died, all of his tools would become mine, and they did.   He died in that house from a heart attack.  My dad did not like carpentry or plumbing and that was the reason I got the tools.   Dalilah, dad's sister and husband Charlie Clay got the other ranch where the Jolley's live.  On the main ranch was the large hay barn and barn for the milk cows.  During the Depression of the 1930's,  My grandparents ran the dairy and sold milk to the college (Idaho State Normal - a school for teachers), that kept them afloat.  So the Depression was not as hard on them.   Grandma Myrtle Carlson, lived there for many years after her husband’ death, but then her eye sight was going bad with glaucoma, she moved in with her daughter, Dalilah who was divorced, in a house in Albion until her death.  The house is just on the east side of the Albion park.  While my parent's large new home was being built, they lived with them.  Pam and I were married and gone.  Both of my grandparents were very good and kind to me.  I was pretty little to remember much else.

                                                                                

     My grandparents Orville Wellton Ward and Nancy Lerona Durfee lived in Almo, Idaho about 35+ miles from Albion.  The Wards were some of the first settlers to that area,.  Orville met Nancy (she went by the name of Nina, until as a grandmother she went by the name of "Nana") as young folks in Almo.   The story I remember them telling me was that while going to church activity on a date, another young man who was also courting Nancy, drove up with his one horse buggy and started acting like he wanted to race them, Orville had 2 good horses on his buggy and really showed him who was the fastest.  He said, that was the end of the courting from the other guy, Nancy liked his fast horses.   They got married and started ranching/farming, which his folks were doing.  After a couple of years, they had their first little girl, Hazel, then twin daughters Edith and Edris.  They were about 2 or 3, when a letter came to Orville from the President of the LDS church calling him on a mission to Little Rock Arkansas.   He moved his family into town in a small house (still standing) just across the road from the old demolished building (maybe a store or saloon), and near her parents.  His brother took up farming his land, and Orville left on his mission.   His parents and Nancy's parents helped look after his family while they were gone.  My mother could only remember, that was a time when her mother cried a lot upon his departure.  But she went on and they waited for his return.   

      When he returned they went back to ranching/farming.  They lived part time farming in a place called "punk" in a wooden cabin.  Then they had a wood frame home up where the main ranch would be.  He then built a new brick home for his family which is still standing.  They continued having children until they had 7.   He was a good farmer and rancher and did well.  They were some of the first to have electricity in Almo.  Previously, they had a windmill that charged batteries for their electric needs.  He milked cows and we have the old kerosene lantern he used, hanging on the wall in our basement.  He was a gifted speaker in church and was always being called upon to speak at funerals.  He had to cancel one of those speaking engagements when I was born, because they thought they might lose my mom.   Grandma "Nana" always had a bowl of sugar cookies for us grandchildren, that is my largest memory of her.  She also had a special "rock garden" that my folks would bring her rocks from distant travels along with her other children.   "Gramp" was getting older, as I remember him, he always would set in his big chair and read.   They were both loving and kind to me.