History and Memoirs by Evelyn Leonard Bjornn, July, 1994

The children have been asking me to write my life history. Every time I try to interest them in our ancestors, they laugh and tell me they are more interested in my life's story than in someone's who has been dead a hundred years. I have promised to do that, if they will accept the fact that none of us is perfect, even a great-grandmother. Some of the history may not be exactly as they wish it were.

The art of writing is certainly not one of my natural talents, but maybe as I record some events each day, I will, with practice, be able to express my thoughts more clearly.

At the time I started writing this history I was seventy-nine years old! Where has the time gone? The years have passed so quickly! When I think of all the wonderful events and experiences that have transpired in my life, I am so grateful my many blessings, and I hope that I can record them in such a way that my children will derive something worthwhile from them, add their histories to it, and pass them all on to their children.

I was born in Price, Utah on May 28, 1913, the fifth child of Leopold (Leo) and Zoe Ellen Powell Leonard. When I was born, Enid Russell's mother was heard to say, "That Zoe has really hit the jackpot with this baby! She has the most beautiful child - lots of black hair and big, brown eyes!"

We lived at 276 South Carbon Avenue, in a beautiful, two-story, white-frame home, trimmed in green. The house was surrounded by a white picket fence enclosing our yard which had a large lot for the children to play and romp in. My parents were blessed with nine children, seven boys and two girls. We never had a dull moment around the house because we had an older sister and brothers to tease. We had time for swimming in the local swimming hole, and our house was always filled with company.

Baby sitters observed that my parents reared a family who knew how to do things. We all knew how to clean the house and make crafts. Home was always a place where there was plenty of food, and where guests never went hungry. Many fond memories of those childhood days linger in my heart.

When you are raised in a large family there is always a great deal to do, washing clothes, cooking, mending, ironing, baking bread, feeding chickens and domestic animals. We didn't complain because that was our way of life.

My father, Leopold Leonard, was born and raised in Kamas, Utah. His father, George Bradford Leonard, died in 1899 at the age of 57. Dad was seventeen years-old, the youngest of seven boys, at the time of his father's death. Dad went on to graduate from the BYU Academy in Provo, Utah in 1903. He went to work as a bookkeeper in the mining town of Sunnyside, Carbon County, Utah. He met my mother, Zoe Ellen Powell, while he was living at her sister's boarding house in the mining camp. Mother had come up for the weekend to visit her sister. After that weekend Mother and Dad began courting and were eventually married on June 17, 1904 in Price, Utah by Bishop Ernest Horsley. They were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on June 22, 1933.

Mother always said that what first impressed her about our father were his many talents. He played all string instruments -- the mandolin and violin especially well. He was willing to share his talents whenever they were needed, in church or in the community, or for- any good entertainment. He was also a good foot racer and baseball player. He was different from the ranch boys she knew. Mother and Dad had been raised with similar pioneer backgrounds and they both came from good Latter-day Saint homes where each had been taught high standards. These qualities Mother knew she liked right away.

Dad always looked out for his brothers. After their mother died in 1911 he helped three of them relocate to Price. Dad was a hard worker and a very generous man. Mother used to say if Dad had a dollar he thought it would burn a hole in his pocket before he could spend it. My parents' descended from Mormon pioneers. As a family, we were always aware of our heritage and of the sacrifice and commitment our pioneer ancestors had made. Two great-grandparents were disowned by their parents when they joined the church. Even though we descended from faithful pioneers, who were strong in the gospel, I don't think it gave their descendants a testimony of the gospel. I believed in the Church as a child because it was our way of life, but I really didn't have a strong testimony. You could say I was not really converted. In Price, where I grew up, I was always active in the Church, but I remember how concerned I was when my eighth birthday passed and I couldn't be baptized. I was baptized the next year, May 14, 1922, in Storres, Utah, by Carlyle Carlson, and confirmed the same day by Richard Peterson. I realize now that the blessings of the gospel don't come from just knowing about it or belonging to the Church. Blessings come from actually living the gospel principles in our everyday lives.

Mother and Dad were always helping their families. They didn't have much, but they were always willing to share what they had. I have seen Mother put groceries, jam, and home canning items in a box and we would take them to people in need. In 1918 we all had the flu and the relatives took care of us. If somebody needed help, Mother and Dad were among the first ones there to help. We, as their children, have carried on this tradition throughout our lives.

One of my first recollections as a child of 5 or 6 years was of watching my mother, her sisters, Grandma Powell who was Relief Society President, and sisters of the ward knitting wool socks for the soldiers of World War I. My older sister, Birdie, was taught to knit and she would sit there with the ladies. She was only 9 years-old, but a very talented young girl. I often wished I had some of her talents and skills.

I remember my two cousins coming home from the war. Elmer Davis, who served in the Navy, was the son of Aunt Mary Elizabeth and Joseph Davis. Ervin Leonard served in the army and was the son of John T. Leonard. Ervin lost his arm in France. There was a tremendous celebration for them at Grandma Powell's house when they returned.

I remember running from our house through the Orchard of apples, pears, plums, and apricots to Grandmother Sara Jane's big brick home on the corner of South Carbon Avenue. She would always make me feel so welcome. If she was having her lunch she would set another place, just like we were grown-ups. We loved having a Mormon tea party with her. She would take her best china cups and saucers out of her big china closet, pour hot water from her big granite tea kettle into our cups, add some rich fresh cream, and ask how many sugar cubes we would like. The sugar cubes were a special treat for us. This was called Mormon tea. I've enjoyed doing this with my own grandchildren. We now have what we call herbal tea. Jonathan will come in and say, "Grandma, should we have tea and crumpets?" Then he and Ashley will pick their favorite china cup and saucer.

Our planning of holiday activities was quite different then than it is today. We would string popcorn and cranberries, make red and green paper chains for the Christmas tree, and make honey candy. Oh, how I remember flying to dig out the honey from the big five gallon can we bought from Uncle Lott and Aunt Mame, who had bees on their farm in Altoonah in Duchesne County. We were kept busy shelling walnuts, cutting up dried fruit such as apples, apricots, peaches, cherries, and lemon peel for fruit cakes. We made cookies and raisin and mincemeat pies, which took days to do. It also compensated for a lack of presents under the tree on Christmas morning. I remember a plaything I made for Max out of all the big colored buttons Mother had in the drawer. Isn't it nice to approach each Christmas holiday as if it were happening for the first time?

We were a musically-inclined family. Papa, as Dad was called in our early years, had an orchestra in which all my brothers played different instruments. We had many evenings of music in our home. Mama also played the piano and was active in music circles. Papa and Mama were kept busy playing for funerals and church social functions. They loved to play music for people. After dinner Mama would say to Papa, "Get out your violin, let us have some music." Before long we were all grouped around the piano singing. I also remember going with Papa when he played for the silent movies at the Price Theater. Those are enjoyable memories.

As I reminisce about the years we lived in Peerless I look back on them as educational and challenging, and it reaches back to the history of my grandparents' being sent to Carbon County to settle a new area of the State in 1878. My grandmother, Sarah Jane Shields Powell, was the first white woman to enter the Castle Valley of Price, Utah. In 1800 Price was the center for freighting to and from the Uintah Basin. John Ammon Powell developed a road through Nine Mile Canyon for freight, which had the lasting effect of providing Price with a strong commercial foundation. The coming of the railroad helped to elevate Price to a dominant position as a commercial center of Castle Valley. Carbon County was formally organized in 1894 from an area that was previously part of Emery County. As for the Church, Carbon County remained part of Emery Stake until 1910.

By 1908 the railroad's monopoly of coal lands in Carbon County was broken and other coal camps were opened. In 1919, Peerless was the eighth to be opened. The coal mines offered employment to the Mormons, and farmers from Emery County found the coal camps to be a lucrative market for their produce. The coal mines offered work to the farmers during the winter months and to their sons when the farms were unable to support them.

The Great Depression started in 1920 and really never ended until 1939 when the war began in Europe. Those were desperate years for Carbon County. By 1921 the farmers were hurting. Farm prices fell over forty percent. All the farmers were hard hit. By 1922 the county was going into a depression. As the depression got worse, the farmers from all over Davis, Utah, and Uintah Counties came to Carbon County to work in the mines.

It was into this environment that we moved in 1920. We moved to Peerless when I was seven -- ten miles from Price, where Dad had taken a job as tipple boss and bookkeeper for the company mine. The town was built in a narrow canyon close to the mine. The population was about 200. Each town had a center where the mine office, store, boarding house, and doctor's office were located. Also the main water hydrant was there. The houses each had four rooms, usually identical, with a few larger homes reserved for officials and mine bosses. Our house was one of the larger ones. For a family the size of ours we had beds everywhere. During the summer the boys would sleep on a day bed on the big front porch. The coal camp was a radical change from the nice home we left in Price. The distances between the coal camps increased our sense of isolation, as did the strange new languages we heard every day. Looking back over those years I often wondered how Mother and Dad adjusted to this different way of life.

We had to go to Storres for school, church, and social entertainment. As children we seemed to have adjusted well. At first, Mother was very protective of us children because of the foreign element living in the town. She was afraid to let us play with their children, and as a result, the other children would call us names and throw rocks at us on our way to school. They thought we considered ourselves better than they were. Later on, when Mother was called to care for the women as they had their babies, or when they were sick, she learned that they were good people and developed an appreciation for them and their cultures.

I especially remember the mine doctors -- Dr. Eldon Donnan, Dr. Orson Spencer, and Dr. Gene Snider. Dr. Snider was Jewish. It was he who delivered my brother, Max, and after whom Max was named. Each family paid $2.50 to the company per month for their medical care. The doctors became important members of the Carbon and Emery Counties. They were held in very high regard, equal to the mine foremen and superintendent.

Although the company doctors were highly respected by the immigrant men, both the American-born and the immigrant women worried about having them deliver their babies. The women would often come to Mother for advice and help when they had problems and the babies became ill. The young doctors had a hard time finding good nurses, so they were always grateful for someone like Mother to help them take care of the sick mothers and babies.

We attended elementary school at Storres School. I could hardly wait for school to start in the Fall. Our school was located two miles up the canyon to the next mining town called Storres or Spring Canyon. The elementary school consisted of the first eight grades. I remember walking with my sister, Birdie, who would start in the seventh grade, my brother, Clair, in the fourth or fifth, and I was to start second grade. I was very much aware of everything that was happening that first morning of school.

When the bell rang at 8:55 am we all ran to get in line. We could hear one of the teachers playing a march on the piano. The other teachers stood on each side to make sure we were all in step. It was too far away to go home for lunch, so Birdie always got up an hour earlier than the rest of us to pack our lunches in red, white, and green metal lunch pails. We considered it a privilege to ring the school bell.

My teacher for first and second grade was Virginia Murphy. She was a good teacher and one of my favorites. She was a big, buxom lady with a beautiful smile. She would stand by your desk, pat you on the head and give you a little hug and let you know how well you were reading or writing.

My third and fourth grade teacher was Afton Tuttle, a nice looking young lady from Provo who later married Carl Nielson the eighth grade teacher. I had a terrible crush on Mr. Nielson and I was broken hearted when he married Miss Tuttle.

My fifth grade teacher was Lucille Jorgensen. I remember her as being tall, thin, and rather severe looking. It was her first year as a teacher. I think she wanted to make a good impression on the other teachers so she was very strict and exacting. I am sure she was a good teacher, but she scared me half to death. If we were late finishing our lessons she would make us stay in after school and memorize poems. I remember as if it were yesterday standing in front of her trying to remember lines from The Village Blacksmith. The days she kept me after school Birdie and Clair would get tired waiting for me and go home. I had to run home alone and I was so frightened, especially in the winter when it got dark earlier. I would walk or run down the D&RG railroad tracks, which ran parallel to the road. Sometimes I would pass the section gang on their trolley. Mother put up with this a few times, then she went to talk to Miss Jorgensen. After that when I was late with my work I stayed in on my lunch hour.

Mr. Clayson was our principal, seventh grade teacher, and music teacher. He taught violin and saxophone. I had a few violin lessons, but soon lost interest. He also played in Dad's orchestra.

When I was eleven or twelve years old I was playing on a boarding house lawn doing dances and cartwheels. A girl bumped me in the middle of doing a cartwheel and I dislocated my knee. It was terribly painful and Mother and Dad took me to Storres to the company doctor. He put me in a cast for six weeks.

Three days after my cast was removed I was walking home from church. I was stepping over a ditch and a dog ran between my legs, and I fell down and cracked my knee cap. As a result, all summer long I was in a cast. For the rest of my young life, whenever I went hiking in the mountains I would wrap my knee in an Ace bandage.

During many of my growing up years I kept a diary that I hid in my dresser drawer beneath my underwear. I guess we all have secrets and make believe fantasies we want to hide. I was always terrified that my family would read the diary and discover my most carefully guarded secrets. I guess when we enter our teen years there are so many frustrating changes in our mind and body.

When I look back on those years, I think I had a tendency to be an imaginative, dramatic child. I know my older brothers said I could always put on a good fainting act when I didn't want to do something.

My brother, Stanley, says he remembers that there were always squabbles about who would do the dishes. No one wanted to, as the water had to be carried in buckets from the well and had to be heated on the stove. That was quite a chore. He also recalls that more than once I would fall down on the floor and make believe I had fainted. He would rush to the well, draw a bucket of cold water, and dowse me in the face to quickly revive me. When I entered high school my fantasies and daydreams seemed to disappear.

The Depression took its toll on the County and by the late 1920's most of the mines were closing or working half-shifts. Peerless mine closed in 1929 and we moved back to Price in June of that year. Carbon County played a significant part in Utah history. Unlike the rest of Utah, it brought in the foreign population and intensive capitalistic development that affected both the growth of the area and the people. The families of Carbon County mining towns deserve to be remembered.

I was 16 years old when we moved back to Price. Thank goodness we had our home to come back to. Even though it was in a deplorable condition, it was still our home. We all worked hard to make it livable again. It was good to be back among family and friends, and to have a room of my own. I soon made friends with the girls in the Church and have kept in contact with the ones that are still living.

I started teaching in Junior Sunday School at age 16, and have had a job in the Church ever since. I have served in every auxiliary in the Church but one, the Primary. I spent an interesting and educational four years at Carbon High School in Price. I was active in the Drama Club, Girl's Glee Club, Secretary of the Type and Bookkeeping class, which was funny at the time. I was lucky to type 25 to 30 words a minute. I was asked to be a member of the Pep Club and Marching Band which performed at half time for the football games. I had to decline because of complications at home. With Mother's being pregnant and not well, I had to help before and after school. There were many mornings I was late for first period. At those times I would have to explain to the Principal and Mr. Bethell, my first period teacher, the reason for my tardiness, and I was often scolded for reasons beyond my control. I also had to run or walk a mile to school. However, I was able to enjoy many school activities. I was invited to all the parties and dances.

My first high school date was with Grant Hutchinson, the football Captain. I had great anticipation of being driven to the dance in a Cadillac, but to my chagrin, I was escorted to the dance in a 1924 

Model T Ford truck, Grant's pride and joy. I can still hear Mother and Dad laughing. One Sunday, not long after we moved back to Price, a group of my friends and I were attending Stake conference in the Price Tabernacle. I was sitting next to Henry Giles, a boy I was dating at the time. I picked up a lesson manual sitting on the seat next to me, and as I thumbed through the book I saw the name Clarence Bjornn written there. "Who is that, and where did he come from?" I asked. "He's from Salt Lake," Henry answered, "and he's right up there on the stand. He's been asked to give the opening prayer." I looked up and smiled at Clare. We sort of lingered after Church, visiting with members we hadn‘t seen since the last conference. Eventually Clare came out and joined our group. He knew Henry Giles and DeLay Ence because they were rooming together at the Gibson home on North Carbon Avenue, Clare had moved to Price in 1928 to live with his sister, Lou, and brother-in-law, George Crowther. Clare started to work as a "flunky" (a newspaper term) with George at the News Advocate, the weekly newspaper in Price. He was 19 years-old at the time and learned to set type and do odd jobs in the printing business. In 1929 Lou and George moved back to Salt Lake City where George bought the Salt Lake Times Printing Company. Clare stayed in Price to continue his apprenticeship in printing.

After Stake Conference that Sunday we all went for a ride in the new car Mama and Papa had just purchased a few days before. We all had fun together. The boys, being alone on Sundays and having to eat at the only two restaurants in town, which weren't desirable, Mama would have them for Sunday dinner, just like we have the missionaries today. In due time Henry Giles was transferred to Provo. DeLoy Ence got married and I started dating Clare.

Growing up, I had the reputation of being popular, but I always followed my mother's protective rules. Clare and I didn't date much at first, but it became quite steady after a while. Clare tells the story of many evenings when he walked to our house. On the way he would often run into Jack, my five-year-old brother, who was on his way uptown to a movie or some such nonsense, and Jack would run back to the house and yell, "Evelyn, here comes Clare Ban Jomn!"

After Clare and I had dated for two years, Mother thought that we had "a good start" and that if we dated for two or three more years we could begin to think about marriage. We didn't wait that long. Clare and I eloped on Halloween night 1931. Our first child, Theodore Clarence Bjornn, was born at the LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, at 6:30 pm. on the evening of our first wedding anniversary. He weighed six and a half pounds. He was named after his grandfather, Theodore C. Bjornn and his father, Clarence. They thought, "What a long name for such a little fellow." We were living in Salt Lake City. Ted was blessed by his grandfather. In December of 1932, and was baptized by Clare at the age of eight, on November 2, 1940, in the Central Park Ward of Salt Lake City. Clare also confirmed him the next day.

Ted's first twelve years of schooling were in Salt Lake City: Emerson Elementary, Madison Elementary and in South Salt Lake at Granite High School, Granite School District. He attended the University of Utah for one year then transferred to Utah State University in Logan, Utah, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree. He then attended the University of Idaho where he received his Master's degree. Then he returned the Utah State where he received his Ph.D.

Ted married Kathleen Rich on December 28, 1953. They had two boys, and triplet girls. They later divorced and he married Christine Moffit. They now reside in Moscow, Idaho. We decided we would have our second baby at home. Dr. Newton R. Jackson was my family doctor and he had a nurse or midwife who assisted him with the delivery. We lived at 1336 McLelland Street in Salt Lake City. My doctor assured us it would be perfectly safe to deliver the baby at home. Mother brought extra sheets, towels etc. It was at Mother's insistence that we had our second baby at home. She had had all of her children at home with family members there to assist and help wherever they could. So it was all settled. Anyway, it would save us $50 on the hospital bill.

I remember that Ruth Pixton and I were expecting our babies around the same time -- I with Gary, and she with Richard. I remember how we giggled and laughed as we ate sour pickles. It was here we became good Friends, and that friendship has lasted through the years. My due date was August 15, 1937, but on the morning of the 14th my time had come. Mother prepared the bed, got everything in readiness, and the day progressed uneventfully. I went to bed and woke up at 3:30 am with pains every five minutes. Mother seemed to know when to call the doctor. The doctor and nurse came at 9:00 am. Clare and the doctor sat out on the front porch talking and enjoying the beautiful day.

Our baby, Gary, arrived at 12:35 pm. August 15, 1937.  The timing was perfect. Yes, we had family and relatives galore until 3:00.a.m. Clare and I were sure we would never have another baby born at home.

Steven was born on June, 24, 1940 at the LDS Hospital. We were living in our newly purchased home at 2526 South 3rd East in South Salt Lake. This was the first home we bought. I remember I had a rough time carrying Steven. I was sick the whole nine months. It took me a long time to get my strength back. I also had three lively boys to keep me busy.

Steve attended school at Madison Elementary. We moved to Bountiful shortly after he completed elementary school. He attended Bountiful Junior High and then Bountiful High School. He excelled in football his last two years of high school. He was called to serve an LDS mission to Norway in 1960. After he returned home from his mission he attended BYU for two years where he met Marsha Ann Chlarson. He attended Utah State University for two years, graduating in 1962.

Steve and Marsha were married September 14, 1964. They have seven children: three boys and four girls. Steve has served in two bishoprics. He is the agent for State Farm Insurance in Rexburg, Idaho.

The boys loved living in South Salt Lake, There was no such thing as a bad neighborhood in the forties and fifties. The boys could ride their bikes everywhere. We didn't worry where they had gone after school. They may have stopped on their way home from school to fish in the little stream called Mill Creek, or stopped to play ball at one of the ball fields. Walking two to three miles to junior high and high school never seemed to bother Ted and Gary. What a fun time they had over in Fox's field playing cops and robbers. They built their tree houses and loved to hide in them. I don't remember how many burials for cats and dogs we had in Fox's field. It seems like we were always getting a new dog. Mr. Fox would let them build a bonfire if he was around to supervise. They enjoyed baking their potatoes and pine nuts over the hot coals. Many times I would sneak over and have a hot blackened potato with them.

My youngest brother, Bob, was born just before Clare and I were married. He and Ted were close enough in age that Bob spent as much time playing at our home as he did at Mother‘s house. Today I still think of Bob as a son as well as a brother. 

My parents' habit of having lots of company around the house has carried over to my family. Our house has been referred to by our children as the Bjornn Hotel. For several years, when Mother and Dad's health began to fail, they lived with Clare and me, because I wanted them close and to know that they were receiving proper care. Enid Russell described me as "the most caring person in the world."

Each of our three sons graduated within two weeks of each other with various degrees in fish conservation work. A newspaper article about them read: "If you want to know what's fishy about having three sons graduate from college at the same time ask Mr. and Mrs. Clarence R. Bjornn, Bountiful. They'll tell you.

Each of the three sons - two of whom graduated a week ago from Utah State University, and another who graduated Saturday from Weber State College - is in fish conservation work in Idaho. Theodore (Ted) Bjornn, 34, now of Boise, received a doctor's degree at USU and is now fisheries research chief for Idaho Fish and Game Department. Steven Bjornn, 25, graduated from USU's College of Natural Resources with a Bachelor of Science degree, is now a biologist for Idaho Fish and Game Department at Idaho Falls. Gary L. Bjornn, 29, now of Gooding, Idaho, received a bachelor's degree from Weber State College and has accepted a position as a conservation officer in the Gooding area for the Idaho Fish and Game Department."

After I had gone through my difficult pregnancy with Steven, Dr. Newton A. Jackson warned us that I should not have any more children. After waiting two or three years, we were getting the feeling that we should try for one more child, hopefully a girl, to grace our family of three wonderful sons. We naturally were asking ourselves: "Could we be blessed with a daughter?" I went back to the doctor and he informed me that my health was good and he didn't see any reason why I couldn't try for one child -- so we did.

When our fourth child was born, to our great happiness she was a girl. We were overwhelmed with happiness, not only that she was a little, black-haired child, but she looked just like her mother. She is still the joy of our hearts. We have enjoyed forty-eight years of happiness, watching her grow up to a beautiful daughter and mother of six wonderful children of her own. While growing up, when Clare had his bread route, Joyce would go with him. She was four or five years old. She would take her dolls and play house in the back of the truck. Then, when the day was finished, she would make a play house in the back of the truck with the empty bread boxes, sometimes falling asleep until they arrived back home from the day's work.

We have enjoyed watching Joyce take speech lessons with Grace Nixon Stewart. She was a wonderful teacher and Joyce has become a gifted speaker and actress. She began acting in her Bountiful High School days and, while attending BYU, she played the lead role of Annie Sullivan in the "Miracle Worker". She won an "Oscar" -- best actress of the year -- for this role in 1965. She is married to a wonderful, helpful man, Dennis Tolman. He has been very supportive through all of Joyce's busy life, raising a family and filling Church positions. We have been very happy and pleased with the life and accomplishments of our daughter, Joyce.

I have served in every auxiliary in the Church, except the Primary. I was MIA President in the Emerson Ward from 1935 - 1936. Clare was in the Elders' Quorum. We were sealed in the temple in September, 1935. After a few years of marriage I began a career as a laboratory technician. I worked in several doctors' offices over a period of thirteen years. Later I worked in the wholesale business with my niece, Jeannie Wellington, until I retired. We had been living in our home on 2526 South 3rd East just a short time when Dave Adamson came into our home and invited us to be a part of a wonderful group of your married people-in the Central Park Ward. It has been one of the most memorable happenings in our life. It has culminated into some of the most glorious friendships that could ever be. We have enjoyed each one of the group as a true loyal friend. I haven't the words to express all the fill] times, such as Summer parties, Halloween parties, Christmas parties, not to mention all the dancing parties we used to enjoy. Through the years we have lost twenty-two members. They will never be forgotten. We have been together over fifty years -fifty wonderful years of knowing, loving, and associating with the sweetest, friendliest, people in the entire world.

While living in the Central Park Ward, Clare was in the Sunday School, Elders Quorum, the MIA, was the Ward Clerk, and was in the Bishopric. I worked mostly in the MIA. It seems I have always had the ability to relate well to the young people. I loved working in the Mutual and the many activities it entailed. In later years I was Stake Secretary of the Granite Stake Relief Society until 1953. I also took an active part in the community and the school. I was PTA President at Madison Elementary, First Vice President of PTA at Granite High School from 1951-1952, State Delegate for the Democratic Party in 1950. I always supported Clare in everything he did.

During those years I was active in women's groups. I worked for my political party -- the democrats -- was an officer in garden clubs, and was active in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and the Daughters of the American Colonists. In spite of all the activity I continued to have a special love for genealogy and for researching my family heritage.

The first meeting of the Bountiful Camp branch of the Daughters of the Pioneers was held at the home of Ella Larsen, on the 26th of April, 1954, with thirteen members present. I was one of the thirteen. The next meeting of Bountiful Camp met May 24, 1954 at the home of Helen Noble. At this meeting Euphamia Terry and I were appointed to arrange for our part in the Lagoon outing to be held August 5, 1954 for all county camps.

On that day of the outing we won the first prize for having the most beautifully decorated table and also for having the largest number of members present per enrollment. Everyone enjoyed the day. In April of 1956 I was elected Captain of the Bountiful Camp.

Other officers were:

Ruth Ames - Ist Vice Captain, Irene H. Budge - 2nd Vice Captain, Betty Tingey - Secretary and Treasurer, Fern Bryden - Registrar, Gertrude Kartchner - Historian, Catherine Wilcox - Chaplain, Rita Brown – Lesson Leader, Inez Anderson - Parliamentarian, Ella Larsen - Chorister.

On May 16, 1964, my daughter, Joyce, had the privilege of representing the Bountiful Camp Daughters of the Utah Pioneers as a contestant for the Queen in the Days of '47 pageantry. The day of the pageant began with a luncheon at Clark's Cafeteria on the grounds of the State Capitol. This was the beginning of a wonderful and exciting day meeting 106 outstanding and talented girls. After the luncheon the contestants went with their evening clothes into the Senate Chambers of the State Capitol Building. Joyce said she doubted if those solemn halls had ever had so many fills at one time.

Joyce was chosen as one of the twenty-five finalists. While she was not selected as an attendant or the Queen, she was a beautiful representative of our Bountiful Camp. I've become quite a collector through the years. I first started collecting spoons. I would buy one in the different states I visited. Friends and family would bring me one from different foreign countries they visited. When I joined the Daughters of the American Colonists I purchased a collection from the 13 Colonies. It makes for interesting conversations. l have also collected some beautiful china cups and saucers from England, Canada, Germany, and a collection of teapots and pitchers. I love all my different pitchers I have made in my ceramics classes. I have some with floral designs, some tall and slender, some with gracefully curved handles, some small and dainty, some for cream and syrup. I have given many for wedding gifts and birthdays to dear friends and special people.

My bell collection started in 1974 when we went to visit Joyce and Dennis in Columbus, Ohio. One day we drove over to Dublin, a town close by. Clare and Dennis went to play golf on the new golf course. Joyce and I went window shopping at the unusual shops that carried beautiful crystal and china. Joyce bought me a beautiful crystal bell for my 62nd birthday. That started my bell collection. Everyone who comes to visit likes to look at my bells. There are crystal, ceramic, porcelain, china, sterling silver, crocket, and pewter - a bit of history from each one.

My sister, Birdie, died when her twins were only thirteen months old. Clare and I were willing to take them in as our own, but it was best that they stay with their family, and their older sister Geri truly did most of the raising of them. Even so, Clare and I have had great concern about them and we have tried to stay close to them. Brothers are a wonderful source of emotional support. Our siblings know us in ways that others never can. As we grow older good sibling ties bring us even closer. I've felt fee in discussing personal problems with my brothers, and always knew we could call on each other when we needed help. We all worked together to take care of our mother and dad as they grew old. Our mother admonished us to stay close to each other, and we have. Children, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces all love each other and enjoy being together.

In 1970 I joined the Top Hatters Dance Club which was a formal dance club. I participated for three years. In May 1974 we spent two delightful days with Gary and Nancy‘s family in Boise, Idaho and then drove on to Moscow, Idaho for the graduation of the triplets from Moscow High School. We stayed in Moscow with Ted's family for several days, and then Gary's family joined us and we all went to Spokane, Washington for the World's Fair.

We took a trip through the Southern States with our close friends, Reid and Violet Bennett in May and June, 1978. We enjoyed and made the most of each day, no stress, no deadlines to meet. We traveled as far or as little as we desired, staying at nice, but modest motels and hotels, usually five or ten miles from the big cities. That way we really got to see the people and the surroundings. They were glorious days. We still talk and laugh at the funny things we saw and did. It was a wonderful summer.

On Sunday, June 13, 1990, Clare fell getting-into the car out in the church parking lot. He bumped his head and hurt his leg and knee. He wore a leg brace for a while, but that didn't keep him down. He is as busy as ever and now uses a cane if he needs it. We were grateful he was not hurt more seriously. In 1990 one of the highlights was our trip to McCall, Idaho for our family reunion. There were about fifty members in attendance this year and they enjoyed water skiing, swimming, boating, golfing, games, and a lot of good visiting and good food. This was the 19th year we have gone to McCall as a family. The first year we rented one Condo for all of us, and there were about twenty-two people then. We still go to McCall every year.

Some other highlights of 1990 were Clare‘s 83rd birthday. We also spent several enjoyable days and Steve and Marsha's cabin at Island Park, Idaho. We were able to take a side trip into Yellowstone and we saw the devastation done by the fire the year before. It was very sad to see all the damage that was done. We also enjoyed the Leonard Family Reunion and our 59th wedding anniversary in 1990.

Clare and I sat side by side on our 60th anniversary and he said, "Sweetheart, do you know it was sixty years ago that I led you to the altar to be my bride? In all these sixty years, even though there have been smiles and many tears, we've always been the sweethearts we were then. We were steadfast in our love. I knew you loved me and I loved you. Years haven't changed our faith and trust in each other."

When you get as old as Clare and I are, the world takes on a new meaning to you. No one grows old by living, only by losing interest in living. We are a family who loves to be doing things, to talk, to laugh. We even laugh when we look in the mirror and it makes ugly faces at us. Clare, at 86, is living proof of a well-adjusted older person who can still enjoy a game of golf once a week. He doesn't do too badly at it either. He also has taken up doing ceramic pieces and painting different objects that his brother Lloyd cuts out of wood. We try to take the opportunities that come up, like going to St. George with Gary and Nancy or Steve and Marsha for week, or they will come down and get us and take us to their homes in Idaho. I love going to Steve's cabin in Island Park. It is so peaceful and beautiful. Ted and Chris send us plane tickets to fly to Moscow to visit them. Joyce and Dennis are more than willing to drive on errands and to have us spend holidays with them.

There is a poem a friend of mine, Florence Jackson, wrote about nostalgia that I would like to include:

As we retire

Life can be so beautiful -

If we take time

To enjoy a sunrise

A sunset

A stroll in wooded areas-

Time to

Remember friends and

Associates - To

Cherish time past -

To remember those

Who have touched

Our hearts.

Friendship is forever -

I am so grateful

To have touched

Shoulders with you.

It's so nice to

Remember nice folks!

Sometimes I wish we could bring back the old days, renew old friendships, and reflect on the past, share our joys and sorrows, our age and our memories. A few months ago, an old friend I went through high school with called to say she had been thinking of me, of all the good times we had, how we laughed about our boyfriends, and the film times we had learning to play tennis. Marie K. Basinger and I knew we would always keep in touch. It made me think of all the old friends I wanted to bring back into my life, so one day I made a list of a few very old friends and relatives I wanted back in my life: Birtie Ballard, Ruth Pexton, Naomi Pond, Elva Killian, Marcia Benymore. What a happy time we have had - to have someone remember us the way we were and love us for the way we are now.

The most important thing in my life is my family -- my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I want them to be taught well, to be cultured, and to grow up with a purpose, like my mother taught me. We are so grateful for every one of our children and grandchildren, for their many accomplishments. Our sons and daughter are such nice, intelligent children that sometimes I can't believe they are mine. They have always been so good to us, and to each other. Clare and I thank our Heavenly Father every day for our many blessings and the privilege that is ours in raising such a beautiful family.

Our sons and daughter have wonderful spouses and children. The happiest time in our lives is when we have our whole family around. Our best looking pictures are taken with our families. What I want most for the rest of my life is for our family to always stay close to the Church and to each other. Clare and I tried to teach our children that living the gospel is an important part of life. As parents, we can constantly change and become better by putting the gospel into practice in our lives every day. When we realize all of the wonderful blessings that come to us, we should, or must, accept spirituality as part of our souls and part of our living. I know I find I need the spiritual guidance from our Father in Heaven, to know God personally, and to have prayer and communication with Him. Once we have felt His love and have developed a relationship with Him, it is much easier to understand others. And I realize that we must stay close to the Church and we should always be doing what we should.

Patriarchal Blessing given to Evelyn Leonard Bjomn,

March, 20, 1952

by Patriarch Albert G. Meyerhoff

Sister Evelyn Leonard Bjornn, as an ordained Patriarch in the Church I lay my hands upon your head and give you a Patriarchal Blessing. You came for this blessing because you felt it would be a guide to you throughout your life and to get your lineage. Our Heavenly Father is pleased on your coming for this blessing because it is a demonstration of your faith in Him and in the Patriarch who gives blessings.

Your lineage is choice for you are of the seed of Ephraim, the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt. Through you lineage and your faithfulness there shall be many blessings in store for you. You were one of our Heavenly Father's daughters in the pre-existent state. Through your faithfulness you were permitted to come here upon earth and take this mortal body in which our Heavenly Father placed one of His spiritual children which makes you a co-partner with Him. Our Heavenly Father is pleased with you because you went down into the very valley of the shadow of death to bring children here upon this earth. It is a great blessing -- in fact the greatest blessing one can get is to be a parent. Another blessing is the fact that you were married for time and all eternity. It is wonderful to be married for time and all eternity.

Your husband and children shall always be with you. I bless you that your days shall be long upon the earth. I bless you with health and with strength of body and of mind. I bless you that you shall continue to gain knowledge, wisdom and understanding. I bless you that it shall be your desire to always be active in the Church. Our Heavenly Father is pleased with your past life and He will be pleased with you in the future. I bless you that as you sojourn on earth that you shall always be happy in this mortal state, that you shall enjoy the good things of this world. I bless you that you shall grow spiritually and that as you go through life that you shall have many experiences.

I bless you that you shall be able to thwart the plans of the evil one, that when temptations come over you that Satan shall have no power over you. Our Heavenly Father blesses us when we do our part. It is his desire that we always keep His commandments that we might get His blessings. It is only when we become negligent and fail to do our parts that we do not get the blessings of our Heavenly Father. I bless you that it shall be your desire to instruct your children to walk in the straight and narrow path. I bless you that you shall have an influence over them always for good. I know that as you instruct them to be obedient and to walk in the straight and narrow path that our Heavenly Father will be pleased with you and you will be pleased and your-children will honor you. It is a great blessing to have your children honor you and be proud of you. I bless you that there shall always be unity in your home, that you shall always understand one another, that you shall live happily and that your days shall be long upon the earth.

I bless you with health and strength. I bless you with knowledge, wisdom and understanding. I bless you with every blessing it is my right to bestow upon you as a Patriarch. I bless you that you shall be active among the sisters in the Church, that you shall be an inspiration and teacher among them, that you shall help to guide them. There are a lot of our people in the Church who are adults and yet they fail to keep the commandments, they do not sense the responsibilities that are given them. They need leaders. Our Heavenly Father does raise up leaders in His Church to guide others and to exhort them to be active and to do the things they should do. Now again I bless you that your days shall be long upon the earth, that you shall enjoy this mortal life and that you shall have health and strength.

These are the blessings I seal upon your head. I seal you up against the destroyer that he shall have no power over you, that you shall come forth in the morning of the Resurrection of the Just. These are the blessings I seal upon your head through your faithfulness and in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.