Happy 81st Wedding Anniversary Glenn and Helen Rex Frazier.

 Thanks to Family Search I'm reminded of my parents' marriage and their 81st wedding anniversary today.

Helen was from Randolph and Glenn was from Woodruff  and several years older than she.

They courted as young people did in Rich County in the 1930s.

He was accepted by her family. Glenn is here with Helen on the right. Her sister Winnie is on the left. Beautiful blonde Flora is in front.

Glenn moved to California to seek his fortune in 1936.

Helen visited him there in May, 1937.

She returned for their marriage November 20, 1937 in Oakland, California

Helen's letter home to her parents describing their wedding is below.

The following year they had this picture taken to send home to their mothers for Mothers Day!

“November 21, 1937, from 4180 Opal Street, Apt. 5., Oakland, California

“Dear Folks:

“Well I have been married just exactly 21 hours, and it is grand.

“We had lots of fun last night. Eve and Erle [Bill and Mabel Rufi’s daughter and  son-in-law] came for us about 6 o’clock. Eve brought my flowers. It was a co─ (can’t spell it) [corsage]. Anyway you know mother you wear them on your shoulder. They were 3 white ones, (don’t even know the name of them [gardenias]). No comments on the English up above.

"Bishop Shields is a fine man. He used the Latter Day Saints marriage ceremony, instead of the one Lewis uses. I was glad. We talked to him about our recommends, and tonight when we go to church he is going to get the clerk to get our names and the wards where we lived. He asked us what we could do, or what our talents were and said they had plenty of use for people here in the ward. …

“After that we went up to Uncle Bill and Aunt Mabel’s. Just as we got out of the car down came the rice. Eve and Erle had filled their pockets. When we went in the house they gave us a lovely white lamp. It was from all of them to Mr. and Mrs. Helen and Glenn.

“Then we went to Robin Hood Inn. It is the cutest place and they had a table all set for us to ourselves. It was for eight, but Glenn’s Uncle Dave and his wife couldn’t come. We had a wonderful dinner, roast turkey, and everything.

“Right now Glenn is writing to his folks and we write for a few minutes then read to each other what we have written.

“After Dinner we went for a drive around Merritt Lake and up in the residential district of Oakland and Piedmont. It was up where all of the wealthy homes are, and then we looked down on the city, but it was so foggy we couldn’t see the bridge.

“Yesterday after we got our license we went up town and got in a lovely rain storm. It was the worse storm they have had down here for a long time. Consequently we had to buy an umbrella.  

“Have felt kinda punk though, but am feeling better. My things haven’t come that I sent freight. They may not be here for a day or two yet. It is a good thing I sent the blankets and sheets in the box, or we would have been in a fine fix. As it is we’re without a table cloth and luckily Glenn had a couple of bath towels. Oh well we are happy.” 

These pictures have been published on this blog before. Letter from Histories of Percy Harold Rex, Bessie Morgan Rex, Mary Elizabeth Herbert Rex and their Descendants, pages 83-84, published 2014.

2018 - Veterans Day!

My gratitude for our service men and women could never be adequately expressed. In 2011 I gathered together all VETERANS I'd posted about here.

May we NEVER forget!

Morgan cousins gathered - September 22, 2018

Cousins Karen and Lee Matthews celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and 80th birthdays. It was such a grand and happy occasion. Karen's granddaughters modeled her wedding dress and other heirlooms. Beautiful pictures, vintage home movies, picture and history books, a delicious crepe bar, and endless beautiful cousins filled the afternoon.

Erma Morgan Todt and John "Bud" Morgan, Great Grandfather John Morgan's grandchildren attended.

They're seated below with their sisters Peg and Dawn (deceased) and their Grandma Mellie Morgan. Their on the from porch of her  Bryan Street home in about 1930.

Reunions are for embracing, remembering, reminscing and sharing!

This year's P.H. Rex Family Reunion was held Saturday, September 8 in the Randolph Ward at noon, and was no exception! Yearly it is the first Saturday following the Labor Day Weekend.  

Some of us traveled north and returned over Monte Cristo.

Cousins shared lunch, histories, artifacts, and memories. 

Yara and Flora Lee

Stanley and Nancy, Tom, and Jay.

Irene hosted and presented a Power Point presentation of early family reunions. It was so much fun. Pictures reminded us of our beginnings and those who weren't able to be with us. We missed them.

Stanley, Daniel, Nancy, Tom, Jay, and Michael

Richard, Bessie, Bob, and Judd

Stanely identified the mystery artifact. Tucked away in Helen Rex Frazier's cedar chest, I didn't see it my youth. Stanley recalled it hanging in Grandpa and Grandma Aunt Mary's home.  Near her little upstairs dressing room he thought.

 

Mary Elizabeth Herbert Rex

It's in my home now.  I'm so pleased to know who it belonged to, and that Helen chose to keep it after the final dispersing of Grandpa and Grandma Rex's treasures.



I'd snapped a picture of a very similar item five years ago when I traveled with D. U. P. daughters to central Utah and visited the Fairview Art and Pioneer Museum. I wonder if this was a popular pattern Grandma Aunt Mary or her mother tufted and sewed? 

Note:  Apologies to cousin Janeen for not posting a picture with her in it. She flew all the way from Arizona to be at our reunion. 

Glenn Frazier 1937-1943 Monte Cristo Homestead

In mid-August cousins Nancy and Flora Lee took me on a grand adventure on top of Monte Cristo. I'd planned on a mid-week retreat to Randolph to be with them. Flora Lee suggested we might be able to find the remains of the cabin my father, Glenn Frazier built on his Monte Cristo homestead in the late 1930's.  I couldn't resist. 

We visited the Rich County City Hall which is down the street from Flora Lee's Randolph home. Its on the corner of Church and Main Streets. There we poured over land records and found the record and location of Glenn's homestead.  We didn't know where he'd built his cabin. I had this picture of it.

August 2018

Glenn built the required cabin on his homestead before he moved to Oakland, California and married Helen Rex there on November 20, 1937.   

Family history reminds us that Glenn sold his homestead land in 1943 to help his father Frank Frazier pay the taxes on his Woodruff, Utah Ranch.               

Glenn's six-hundred-thirty-six acres and forty-five-hundredths of an acre homestead is part of "Woodruff Park" as the area is called on the Cache National Forest Service Map. Thanks to my cousins' generosity, Jeep, and incredible navigational skills we found our way there.

We located the collapsed cabin in the dry barren sage brush covered hills according to the land description coordinates.  Many years ago Glenn's son Rex discovered the cabin and the "roof was caved in."

It's presumed this 1925 picture of Frank Union Frazier with his sheep camp was taken on land very much like "Woodruff  Park" and his son Glenn's homestead acres.

Percy Harold Rex Family Reunion September 8, 2018

L-R Grandpa P. H. Rex, Winifred Andrus, Glenn Frazier, Helen Frazier, 

Roscoe Andrus holding Millard; front, Bessie, Rex, Marilyn, Irene, Marlene, Ilene

Yesterday's note from Cousin Irene concluded her beautiful 2018 Rex Reunion tribute to Grandpa Rex.

In last October Conference Elder Bednar spoke of meekness, that often mis-understood and surely under appreciated attribute of our Redeemer. He gave a great description and as I read it afterward I immediately thought of how well it described our beloved Grandfather Rex. Hope it resonates with you. Elder Bednar said, "Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily provoked, is not pretentious or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others," In the late 30's and early 40's, Grandpa lived through at least three heavy losses with courage, strength and modesty. I think his example is truly worthy of emulation.

Picture mid-1950

We enjoyed reunion pictures found here:  

The FRAZIERS of Woodruff, Utah continue their fathers' and grandfathers' legacy. Patriots All! Happy July 4th!

I just bid farewell to Frank Union Frazier's grandson, cousin Frank Earl Frodsham. Tomorrow he'd have celebrated his 88th Birthday! 

An earlier 4th of July Celebration post is fitting.

Does anyone know how John Morgan came to be called "John Hamilton Morgan"?

Group of Southern States Missionaries about 1880

3-John Morgan, 4-Matthias Foss Cowley (SS Mission 1880-1882)

Used with permission, John Hamilton Morgan Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. purchased 2012.

Great Grandfather John Morgan's FamilySearch.org family tree is marked "Read Only." Amy's 2014 question is still found there and accessible.

Does anyone know how John Morgan came to be called "John Hamilton Morgan?" The book "The Life and Ministry of John Morgan," makes the following statement about the middle name, but the co-author, Nicholas G. Morgan Sr., does not give a source for the information: "Although christened 'John Hamilton Morgan,' the 'Hamilton' name coming from his mother's people, my father confined his name, throughout his mature life to 'John Morgan.'" Every record I recall seeing from John Morgan's lifetime calls him "John Morgan" with no middle name or initial, with the exception of the 1850 US Census, which calls him "John W." Anyone familiar with any letters or other sources that show him using the middle name "Hamilton" during his lifetime?
25 May 2014   by Amy Tanner Thiriot

During August of 1894 Matthias Cowley was attending to John Morgan as he lay dying in Preston, Idaho.  Cowley's journal entries reveal some helpful family history facts.

Last year cousin Karen discovered a drawer full of 5 x 7 index cards her Grandfather Nicholas G. Morgan had copied his own father's journal entries onto. Among the cards were eleven with Matthias Cowley's August 1894 journal entries.

The card I transcribed below is very telling.

(continued from the previous card where he is writing about Mary Ann Linton Morgan)

Aug 19 – 92 After moving away for some time, she again returned and again, the third time – and this time rented Adam Hunter’s house in which another little baby boy was born [Jan 26, 1894] and whom they called for me – Mathias Cowley. His father blessed him and I blessed him again the night after his father’s death.

After the burial, Mrs. Helen [lined through M. Morgan] Snyder and myself attended the services in the Tab. and listened to Pres. Housdale of the Michigan University on the Essentials of the Mind. After meeting called on Geo. A & Lucy Smith, his wife, the later a second cousin of mine. Returning to Bro. Morgan’s by request of Sis. Helen M. Morgan,  I blessed her little baby boy, sealing upon him the name of John Hamilton. Slept that night at Bro. Morgan’s.  

The following image shows three other index cards of the eleven in Nicholas Morgan's file drawer.

If there is interest, I will add the transcription of the other ten index cards that describe John Morgan's days at Preston, return train trip to Salt Lake and his funeral and burial.

Thank you cousin Karen.