Talents and Trials

Sometimes life isn't fair. Talents and trials are not distributed evenly. My uncle, Elmer Leon Beard, knew this truth and was given more than his share of each.

Uncle Leon Beard

Born with the most musical surname in the Teton Basin, Leon was destined to love and perform music. Every event in the valley included an ensemble of members of the Beard clan singing and entertaining.Their harmonization could not be surpassed. Their fingers were a blur on the strings of a guitar, banjo or fiddle.


Grandma and Grandpa Beard's favorite date night was the annual "Old Time Fiddlers" concert and since Leon lived at their home throughout his life, he often made the outing a threesome. He learned to fiddle from his dad and in later years when Grandpa lost his hearing, Leon would tune the fiddle to perfect pitch so that Grandpa could continue to play. Family members cherish the fiddles to this day, even the cracked original fiddle that will no longer resonate.


Rumor has it that Leon was a devoted member of the Tetonia LDS Ward Choir, even taking his turn at directing for a time. He sang solos in sacrament meeting and in ward dramatic events as well.

Jaw Harp

There was an interesting musical instrument kept on the shelf in Grandma's corner china hutch in the kitchen which I often begged to play during our visits. I remember Leon calling it a Jews Harp; other sources use the name Jaw Harp. It certainly doesn't look like much, but Leon could make music with it. He patiently demonstrated how to hold it and pluck the reed to make the distinctive Bluegrass twang, but all the music I could ever produce out of it was a tinny thunking thud. Leon would tease and laugh at my attempts and then demonstrate how to get a clear sound and vary the tones. This is one of my favorite memories of time spent with my uncle.


If you are not familiar with this instrument and would like to hear what it can sound like; watch this brief YouTube video:

 

The harmonica also held a fascination for Leon and he had a large collection of mouth organs in a wide variety of keys and sizes. The smallest was so tiny, it was hard to imagine Leon being able to control it with his man-sized fingers. It surely would be lost in his mustache. The largest was much wider than the span of both of his hands. His displayed collection was impressive.

Leon passed along his musical talent and passion with his daughter and son, both of whom are accomplished musicians.

Leon later in life

As severe trials came to Leon later in life, I like to think that the memories, joys, melodies, harmonies and spirit of music buoyed him and helped him endure to the end.

Ingenious Marketing

The best shelf in my china hutch is reserved for a partial set of gold-rimmed china plates with a wide burgundy band around the outside and a magnolia blossom in the center. Food rarely touches these dishes, they are so dear to me. Do they look familiar to you? 

Homer-Laughlin Burdundy Magnolia China

 

In the 1950’s Duz Detergent began a promotional campaign which involved including a piece of 22K gold-trimmed dinnerware in each box of laundry soap. They began this promotion to gain sales over Tide detergent. Each month an additional plate, bowl or serving piece was added to boxes of soap, to entice customers to buy in order to acquire the dinnerware. 

The dishes were made by the Homer-Laughlin Company. The range of pieces included platters, luncheon plates, salad plates, bread and butter plates, soup bowls, berry bowls, vegetable bowls, cups and saucers, sugars and creamers, salt and pepper shakers, gravy boats, cake stands and more.

Grandma Speas

 

Grandma Speas is evidence of the brilliance of this marketing scheme because normally she wouldn’t purchase detergent. Grandma made her own lye soap. She passed on this skill to my mom. Their process for making soap will be shared in a future post. 

But apparently Grandma put her frugality aside for a time to acquire some beautiful dinnerware. She must not have indulged for too long of a time span because we only have plates in the remaining collection. If only she had bought the box of soap that held a cake stand - wouldn't that be a treasure!

From the Church of Ireland to Methodism

James Creighton

My Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather, James Creighton, was a seeker of truth and dedicated his lifetime to religious endeavors. 

Born in Ireland in 1737 or 1739 (records conflict), he graduated from Trinity College in Dublin and was ordained into the Church of Ireland in 1764. He was appointed to a curacy in the Cathedral Church. 

Cathedral Church

At that time a curate was a person responsible for the care (cure) of souls in a parish, so in essence, James was the parish priest. Sincerely devoted to truth, his ministry left him with questions, as the Church of Ireland had a wide range of beliefs, from Catholicism to Protestantism. 

James wanted a more definitive understanding and began to correspond with John Wesley (co-founder of the Methodist Church) in 1773. There is evidence of multiple communications between them and a few are still in existence.  

Letter from John Wesley

James’ role as a parish minister became increasingly controversial as he drifted towards Methodism. After much soul-searching, he became fully converted to the teachings of John Wesley in 1776 and commenced an evangelical ministry in the parish of Swanlinbar near Londonderry. 

This change of heart, which he proselyted to his parish, met opposition from church leadership. One existing letter from a church leader by the name of W. Martin warned James of “excessive zeal”. 

A letter from John Wesley during this time period encouraged James to remain in his troubled curacy in Ireland until “our great Shepherd” called him to go elsewhere. Although this “call” is not documented, in 1783 James moved to London to act as one of Wesley's clerical helpers. 

He was named as a member of the Methodist Conference in the 1784 Deed of Declaration.  

After John Wesley's death, James continued his ministry at the John Wesley’s City Road Chapel preaching and administering communion to the Methodists of central London.

City Road Chapel

Missing in action

This sad story is about my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandmother Anastacia (or Eustacia) Gregory Rawlins Phillips. 

She was born in Kentucky in about 1768 and married Charles Joseph Rawlins in 1785 when she was about seventeen. Together they had five children. 

Her husband and two of her sons enlisted in the military. At the end of their service, the two sons came back, but her husband Charles did not. A long time passed and all trace of his whereabouts seemed lost, so he was believed dead amid reports that he had been killed in battle. 
 

They believed Charles had died

After a period of mourning, Anastacia and her children moved  and she met and married a man by the name of Noah Phillips. Together this couple had several more children. 

Years later an old neighbor was going through the town in which they lived, and recognized Anastacia. He told the family that after they had moved, Charles Rawlins had come back in search of his family, only to find them gone. He reported to his old friends that he had been very ill and taken prisoner. They informed him that his wife had married again. Grief stricken he went away and was never heard of again. 

Learning that Charles was alive was a source of immense grief and turmoil to Anastacia, but with a new family with Noah Phillips, she was in an impossible situation. She wondered if she would be condemned for remaining with her present husband. They decided to seek out Charles, but found no trace of him and she finally convinced herself that she was doing the right thing and remained with Noah Phillips the remainder of her life. 

It is believed that like the character Enoch Arden in Tennyson's poem, Charles loved Anastacia too much to disrupt her new life and happiness.

Dad's Favorite Hymn

During my last visit in Archer, I asked Dad if he had a favorite hymn. After a pause of approximately a nanosecond, he replied, "Count Your Blessings, Hymn 241". If someone were to ask me the same question, I would mull it over forever, trying to choose a favorite. But not Dad, he knew his answer in an instant.

If he were to name his blessings, they would all have faces attached - yours and mine. I put those blessings and facings together with a bluegrass rendition of this hymn in this video. The pictures are familiar favorites that you've seen before, but I hope that you will see them in a new light with the melody of Dad's favorite hymn attached.

Really good advice

Mom taught us many valuable lessons. To list them all would take hours, days, weeks, or more. 

I wish I could say that I listened to all of her wise council and implemented it; that is still a work in progress. 

Sherry, Sandi, and I received one standout piece of advice that I'm proud to say I followed to the letter:

"The Family, A Proclamation To the World" was revealed to the Prophet and Apostles after Mom passed away, but she understood the truths stated within it about the roles of fathers and mothers within a home:

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

The chores in our family were assigned to prepare us for these divine roles later on in our own families. The daughters were taught and expected to sew, cook, clean, garden, can, etc. Kevin had different expectations to help with the animals, milking, feeding and hay, yard work, etc. 

I'm grateful that I was taught the homemaking arts and I still love the role that is mine. 

Movie Star

Grandpa Elmer Aaron Beard came to Teton Valley with his family in 1910 by covered wagon and ox team.

He had learned from his father how to manage a team and was very skilled working with oxen.  In fact, the men in his family were in three movies using this skill. 

The first movie, "Three Bad Men", was produced in 1926 by John Ford and partially filmed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

In this western/romance, set in 1876, three outlaws come to the aid of a young girl after her father is killed. Typical for westerns of the time period, the film features the gold rush, horse thieves, a corrupt territorial sheriff, a land race, a lonely cowboy, vigilante justice, and romance. 

In 1930, the Beards were cast in "The Big Trail" starring John Wayne and Tyrone Power.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was one of the 15 filming locations for this production.  The story follows a heroic young trail scout as he leads a large party of pioneers along THE BIG TRAIL to the West, with Indian attacks, natural disasters & romantic complications all part of the adventure. John Wayne was pulled from obscurity for this first important movie role. 

It wasn't easy to locate the third movie listed in Grandpa Beard's biography as "All Faces West". This film was originally planned to be released in 1928 as a silent film, but instead was retooled with a talkie prologue, very badly done sound effects like barking dogs, etc., and a song tacked on under the new title "West of the Rockies" in 1931. This movie was financed by the Mormon citizens of Utah and although it is not clear if the wagon train characters are Mormons, they do follow the Mormon Trail. Apparently the best part of this film is a very authentic buffalo stampede. 

Speaking of buffalo's, did you know that Grandpa was once hired to rope a couple of stray bison and return them to Yellowstone National Park?

Not bad for a guy born in Hog Holler, Wilford, Idaho.

Didn't Work

Wow, was I ever shocked. I was innocently reaching for cilantro in the produce aisle and there it was, in a grocery store! How could this be? Watercress! In Harmons! 

I couldn't grab it quick enough. I couldn't wait for lunch to make a sandwich of bread, butter, and watercress. Yummmm! But, not the same as the crisp, fresh greens from the ice cold stream in Tetonia.

Grandma Beard knew the exact place and exact time of year to find supreme watercress. I considered it a delicacy, and now I know it is.

Good try, Harmons, but a distant second to the "real thing". 

I needed to know more about this yummy green. To my amazement, watercress is said to have many medicinal, as well as nutritional values. According to Google, among the long list of benefits is that it treats baldness.

Maybe the watercress season is too short in Teton Basin.

Grandma Rockford

I once asked Grandma Beard, "If you could be anything at all, what would it be?" Do you know what she told me?

 

She just loved Jim Rockford, the ruggedly handsome detective on the television show, "The Rockford Files". Grandma told me that she solved the crime before Rockford on almost every single episode, so she was confident she would be great as a private eye. Her life in Tetonia must have seemed rather dull compared to the capers of James Garner's character in the popular series. 

Even though her fantasy never came true, her sons and daughter, and maybe even Grandpa, would tell you that she had a pretty good nose for sniffing out the culprit of a crime. She tracked down many a cookie thief in her day. 

Guss Chase

This biography of Guss Chase (my Great Grandfather) is adapted from his life story written by his daughter Lucille (my Grandmother). 

Guss Chase was born July 22, 1875, in Springville, Utah. His parents couldn't agree on a name and decided to call him Guss until they found a name they both liked; he was never really named.  

When he was two a brother, Fritz, was born. They were very attached to one another and very always close. Others of this family were Myrtle, Marcellus, Martha (Mattie), Della, and Glen. 

As a small boy Guss worked with his father in their sawmill during the summer seasons. 

They used their timber in carpentry work during the colder months. As he grew he became invaluable in the family's carpentry business. Two notable structures built by the family were the first schoolhouses in Glendale and Kanab, Utah, both large brick buildings. Guss was often the cook for the crew and he also carried hod (mortar).

When about seventeen years of age he contracted typhoid fever while working at the sawmill. The only medicine available for his high fever was sage tea. This did not prove very effective as he came near death. The disease caused all his hair to fall out and he was bald from the time he was in his late teens. 

Perhaps the fever also stunted his growth. Small for his age, he was the perfect size to be a jockey in a number of horse races while in his teens; a popular sport of the day. 

On August 23, 1895, Guss married Emily Francis Taylor and the newlyweds lived in Spanish Fork, Utah. They later moved to Springville and stayed in one room of his uncle‘s house. Their first baby was stillborn. The second child, a daughter, Sarah Louise, was born 12 January, 1898, and lived just one year.  The following August 25, 1899, a daughter, Stella, was born. 

In 1900 they moved to Idaho because the timber was too scarce to continue running the sawmill. They bought a 160 acreage including a log house with two rooms. Guss's parents, and a total of 15 family members lived in those two rooms until the next year. 

The family worked together to establish a sawmill in Blacks Canyon and the next year built a house for Guss's parents' family. 

Guss and his family continued living in the original log home in one of the rooms. His brother Fritz and his family moved into the other room. This demonstrates the live and cooperation between the close knit brothers. After a few years of working together in the sawmill they each built a nice house. 

Guss and Emily's first and only son was born 14 October, 1904. They were so very proud of him and named him Arthur John. They had not been back to Springville since they left, so at Christmas time in 1906 they took their two children and went for a visit. Little Arthur took sick and died 7 January 7, 1907 and was buried in Springville. One of the greatest sorrows of their life was to bury him and come home without him to see his toys and clothes strewn about the home. 

February 10, 1911, a daughter, Lucille, was born. She always felt that her parents were disappointed she was a girl. Reta joined the family in 1915, followed by a still born baby the following year and Bessie in 1917. They did not have any more children although they longed for a son. 

Eventually the timber ran out in Blacks Canyon and they moved the sawmill to Pine Creek. Unable to prosper, they sold the mill in 1916, although they tried to buy it back later. 

In 1949 Guss bought a ranch in Teton Basin. He enjoyed fishing on the head on Spring Creek on the property. He milked a number of cows for years with his wife who was a very good helpmate. 

Emily suffered with inflammatory rheumatism. Following the advice of her doctor to go to a lower climate, in the fall of 1929 she went to Nampa, Idaho, to visit her sister-in-law. 

On the evening of November 4, 1929, the neighbors brought a telephone message to Guss that Emily had passed away. He went to Nampa and shipped her remains to Rigby where she was buried. This was during the depression and Guss had no funds, forcing him to borrow money to meet funeral expenses. The anguish of losing his dear wife, along with the financial struggles he endured caused him to lose heart and he became very discouraged and depressed. 

In September, 1933, he married Elizabeth Elzada Campbell, a widow with four young children. She was 25 years younger than Guss and was a very good companion. 

In the spring of 1934 he lost the ranch, but by selling his cattle and some of his machinery he was able to buy forty acres just east of Tetonia. This financial setback was a strain on him and his health began to decline. 

On July 10, 1942, he passed away at home just before his 67th birthday.  All his family were with him and mourned his passing. 

Guss was loved by all his family, his step children and his neighbors. He was always ready to help anyone in need. Although he had very little education, he learned what is most important. He was noted for his honesty, loyalty, and independence. 

How did Quentin do it?

After reading yesterday's post, you may be wondering, "How did Uncle Quentin Speas carve those chains?" This YouTube video shows how:

http://youtu.be/EPjX4ZTvfq0

Uncle Quentin Harris Speas

Among the special treasures at Grandma Speas's house was a small box of intricate carvings. Occasionally she would let us open the box and hold them.

Whittled chain and ball in a cage

I was told that my Uncle Quentin had whittled these amazing items. I thought he must have been a very talented and patient person to carve something so small and complicated. Other than these fancy carvings, I have no memory of Quentin, as he passed away when I was only three years old.

Quentin was my mother's older brother, born September 21, 1922, the third child of Robert Rector and Ethel Hurst Speas. In January, 1943, he enlisted in the United States Army to serve in World War II.

He married Myrtle Arlene Sessions August 22, 1946, in the Salt Lake Temple. Three children joined their family.

His friend, David R. Johnson, tells the following about Quentin's commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:  "Quentin had a big Harley that he was was very attached to. He gave it to a church auction for a fund to build a new house of worship. That was like Quentin."

In 1961, a tragic accident claimed the lives of Quentin, his wife, and two of his children.

Grandma Speas was inconsolable. According to Uncle Dennis Speas, Quentin's youngest brother, Grandma was haunted by a picture that was published in the newspaper of the accident showing a shoe by the side of the road. Seeing that shoe made her imagine the violent collision that ejected her son from his vehicle and threw the shoes right off his feet. 

She diligently sought the peace and comfort she needed to go on with life. One day, overcome with grief, she went to the fruit room in the basement of the home. Quentin's spirit came to her in a way that made her know he was busy on the other side of the veil and happy. This gave her the peace and comfort she sought. 

This experience of the love between a mother and son has always inspired me and strengthened my testimony of the eternal nature of the family. 

Thanks to Quentin's surviving daughter, Darlene, and to Uncle Dennis Speas for information in this post.