Life Sketch Of Mabel Luella Wilkes Brown
By daughter, Valene Brown Tolman

"Mabel Luella Wilkes Brown was a little girl with eyes of blue, black hair and was permitted to come to this earth of August 25, 1899 to John Wilkes and Martha Elizabeth Hunt. Sister Connie Eggleston was the mid-wife. There were 9 children - 3 boys and 6 girls - and Mabel was the youngest. She was named Mabel Luella after her oldest brother's (Johnny's) wife, Luella.

"She tells of the time she was 8 years old when her mother took her up by the old mill "Gardner's ) to have her baptized. It frightened her so much she cried and cried and they had to take her home without being baptized. She was baptized when she was 9 years old on September 5th up Swift Creek.

"Her mother ran a hotel which was very hard on her. In the fall of 1914 she took sick and was sick nearly all winter. She died on January 20th 1915 about three o'clock in the afternoon. Mom said she remembers sitting by the window wondering what would become of her now.

"Her sister, Lola, had a cute little black dress for her to wear to the funeral. In a week or two Joe and Lola moved in with Mabel and her Dad. She was so thankful for them. In the fall of 1917 brother Noen and Mamie moved in and stayed with them.

"Mother had many boy friends but married Joseph Lorain Brown from Fairview on June 5, 1918 in the Salt Lake Temple. On the morning of the 12th, about 10 o'clock in the morning they got a phone call from Kemmerer saying he was drafted into the army and to report on the 13th. They surely felt blue but they got into the Buick and went to Snake River to get his dad to bring him home to take care of the place. On the morning of the 13th Lorain took her back to her father. They said goodbye until January 16, 1919 when he was released.

"Mom was a city girl. She lived in Afton on main street and worked in Burton's store. She enjoyed this job very much and always wanted to have a little business of her own but she married a cowboy. She now lived on a farm and didn't know much about farming but she pitched in and learned a lot. She cooked many meals for threshers, cattlemen who were trailing cattle to Montpelier. The big 'Brown' hotel took a lot of care and work and she did it.

"She had five children, 3 girls and 2 boys. Valene, June, Junior, Mack and LouJean. When she was having her family she wasn't too well. We had a lot of hired girls and sent out the washings. When Junior was born she got infection in one of her legs. She was sick a long time then. She and Dad both had Scarlet Fever at the same time and it was difficult to find someone to come in and care for the family with such a dreaded disease.

"Mom was an exceptionally good wife. She was so supportive in all Dad was called on to do. He was bishop for 13 years and she helped him. She kept us kids on the ball and made sure we did the chores when Dad was gone so much.

"When Dad was bishop they had to keep track of the tithing and balance the books. This was a very hard job for they had no adding machine nor typewriter. All the names of the ward members were written and how much tithing they paid each month and then totaled for the end of the year and balanced. They would go to bed at night and add numbers all night long. She did this as well as her church responsibilities in Primary, Relief Society and the Bee Hive teacher. I guess she enjoyed the most her singing with the Singing Mother's group. At one time she sang with the 300 Sing Mother's Group in the Salt Lake tabernacle. She always made sure her family was spotless and ready for Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting on time. She was interested in genealogy and tried to help search out her ancestors in anyway she could. She came from a very loving, considerate family and she was desirous of keeping them together and visited each of them as often as she could.

"After all their children had left home they sold the old Brown ranch and moved to Logan, Utah. Mom got a job working in Allen's Ladies Dress Shop and really enjoyed working there. She sang in the Relief Society Choir. She was a temple ordinance worker and helped Dad work at the Rural Arts Building on Utah State University campus. She learned to knit and made beautiful sweaters for her children and many of her grandchildren.

"On May 10th 1970 she died in Logan of cancer. Dad lived for another five years and passed away on the 28th of May 1975. Both are buried in the Logan City Cemetery."

On the 15th of May 1965 this writer with wife, Mabel, and son, John, visited Aunt Mabel and Uncle Lorain with the purpose of interviewing them about her parents and children. The interview was taped. In a family letter sent to all related family which was dated 1 December 1965 the first part of the interview was shared and the next quarterly letter dated 1 March 1966 additional of the interview was given. Accompanying Aunt Mabel's history as presented by Valene perhaps it will be forgivable to include some of the highlights of that interview as part of this history. Apology is made for some of the material being duplicated from what has already been written. Aunt Mabel is the participant in the following dialogue giving the answers: it should be remembered that considerable research has been done on the Wilkes' family history since this interview and in some cases our discovered facts vary slightly from family tradition which Aunt Mabel was relying on in some of her answers. There are no alarming discrepancies and where there are variances, let us not worry about them.

Question: Aunt Mabel, do you recall any stories as to why your father left England?

Answer: The Mormon missionaries converted the Wilkes family to the L.D.S. Church and they developed a desire to come to America. They came for the Gospel. They came in an old sailing vessel across the Atlantic.

Question: Do you have an idea how long they were on the water on their way over?

Answer: I don't really know. It seems that I remember the folk saying it was about six weeks.

Question: If I understand the story correctly, the family moved directly to Salt Lake in about 1858. Is this correct?

Answer: As far as I know.

Question: Can you tell us the story of their moving from Salt Lake to Bear Lake?

Answer: No, I don't know that I cant ell excepting they have told us that they moved from Salt Lake to Bear Lake and, as a boy, father, barefooted, herded sheep to help obtain means to take care of the family. Tradition is that father was six years old when he left England with his parents and that he was nine years old when he was herding sheep in Bear Lake. He told me that he walked most of the way across the plains on his way to Utah. He had one pair of shoes and he has told me that most of the time he would keep them in the wagon to save them. He talked about a wagon for he kept his shoes in the wagon, but it seems to me that they traveled with a handcart company. George Crook came in the same company and they have mentioned pulling a handcart and yet they talked about a wagon. I have written to find out which handcart company they came in, but I have never learned which (Nor have we been able to locate this record up to 1984. L.B.)

Question: What did your father's father do? Did they have a farm in Bear Lake?

Answer: They didn't have a very big farm. I remember them saying they had some lambs and at times the lambs were so weak they would take them in the house to save their lives from the cold. They didn't have very much ground. This, of course, was in my father's father's home, but after my father and mother were married they wanted a place of their own and so they sought this in Star Valley. My grandfather, William Wilkes Jr. never went to Star Valley to live.

Question: How soon after (their marriage) did they first go to Star Valley?

Answer: They had three or four children before they moved to Star Valley. They had Johnnie, Mat and Ed. We have an article of the early pioneers of Star Valley which was published in the Star Valley Independent and it says that the date of their arrival in Star Valley was June of 1870 which would mean they had three children.

Question: The article you refer to says they first went into the Lower Valley. Can you tell us about this?

Answer: They had their pick of the country, it seems, and it appears the soil was less rocky down there than in the Upper Valley, in fact, there were no rocks at all around Freedom.

Question: it is very interesting that they moved into the Freedom area and yet, the first account of their home in Star Valley was at Afton. There is a story of their first winter in their log cabin and their horses dying from poison early in the spring. Was this then, in the Lower Valley?

Answer: No, for some reason my parents did not stay in Freedom. The Rolphs, Uncle Abel Moroni Hunt and others remained in Freedom but my folk built their cabin in the mouth of Swift Creek Canyon about where the old Gardner saw mill was later built. The cabin needed to be puttied between logs so they went to the Sulphur Springs at the base of Stump Creek in Auburn to get lime for their mud mix. It was during this first winter or early spring that their horses, being salt hungry, licked the lime from an old boiler in which some of the lime had been stored and horses poisoned.

Question: This would indicate that their first stay in the Valley was not for long.

Answer: If I understand correctly, after their horses died they returned to Bear Lake.

Question: Do you know how long they remained in Bear Lake this time before returning to Afton?

Answer: The article states, and as I recall the story, they stayed in Bear Lake for three or four years before returning.

Question: If they moved into the Valley for the first time in about 1879 then Uncle Ed would have been the baby for he was born in December of 1878. Aunt Lottie, the next child was born in Bear Lake in 1882 which certainly indicates they were then back in Bear Lake. Mother (Hettie) was born in 1884 in Bear Lake and Uncle Noan was born, also in Bear Lake on the 24th of January 1887. This would indicate, from the birth of the children, that they were in Bear Lake for five or six years, at least. When they returned to the valley do you know whether they returned to the same log cabin in the mouth of Swift Creek canyon?

Answer: I don't know, but this article states that they did return to the same home but it wasn't long before they must have moved down on main street across from Burton's store. The article states they were the first family to plant a garden in Afton and this was in the summer of 1883. (Comment by the writer: There is an apparent discrepancy between the story referred to and the birth of the children. Is there a possibility that Grandma Wilkes could have returned to the home of her mother in St. Charles for the birth of her baby, Aunt Lottie, while still living in Star Valley? Unless this were the case, then the article referring to their planting a garden in 1883 must be in error. Is there anyone in the family who can verify one or the other matters in question?)

Question: This (planting a garden in 1883) creates a problem. The article does not appear to agree with family genealogy. According to this date Aunt Lottie should have been born in Star Valley which is not the case, according to the family. It doesn't look as if the family stayed in the Valley this long.

Answer: They came back, according to the article in the spring of 1888, after remaining in St. Charles and returned to the same building they had left a few years earlier. It seems to me they stayed in Star Valley the first time only a year or two before they returned to Bear Lake for their five or six year stay.

A temporary interruption to the dialogue: the reader will have long since become aware of the discrepancy of the date of the first entry into Star Valley by the Wilkes' family. The non-family historians give the date as the spring of 1879 and surprisingly and, perhaps, a little contradictory also, state that the first garden in Star Valley was 1883. One of these dates appears to this writer as being illogical. Under the conditions where food was so essential to survival it would appear the year should be the same. Arriving in June of whichever year, it would seem the garden would have priority of even building their cabin - at least getting the seeds in the ground in order to take advantage of all the summer weather possible. It is hardly thinkable the first garden would be so delayed if 1879 was the entry year.

The 1883 date for both entering the valley and planting the first garden would fit in nicely with Aunt Mat's account of the family going into Star Valley with Aunt Lottie being the baby thus, as Aunt Mat states, with four children. Aunt Lottie was born 23 July 1882. If their stay was for the summer and first winter before their horses were poisoned, they would have returned in the spring of 1884 in plenty of time for their next baby, Hettie, on the 19th of November 1884. During their stay in St. Charles they also had another baby, Noen, who was born 27th of January 1887. We do not know the date of their next entry into Star Valley, but it wasn't before this last date.

The more we ponder, the more convincing Aunt Mat's story becomes that the first trip to Star Valley was in 1883 despite the claim of 1879 by the Star Valley historians.

And again we return to the dialogue:

Question: Now, this home which your father and mother built on Main Street - on the corner across from Burton's store - do you have an idea of the year it was built? Was it built before you can remember?

Answer: Yes, it was before I was born. That was the house in which I was born.

Question: Was that house built originally as a hotel or boarding house?

Answer: No, it was converted into a boarding house later. My father was a cripple and he was unable to work or hold a job so my mother had to earn the living. A boarding house was all that I remember it to be.

Question: Do you remember any noted people staying at your boarding house? After all, for some time it was probably the only boarding house or hotel in Afton. (At this point Uncle Lorain spoke up and said he stayed there a couple of times before he met Aunt Mabel).

Answer: The forest rangers used to always stay there - there were about four of them. Mother used to worry about those who stayed there for there was a saloon in town and some of the men were drinkers and mother worried a lot about that. One man, on one occasion caused a disturbance and Mother had to call in the town marshal, Roe Hale. She had hard times and it seems she had to put up with a lot. She was the one who had to make a living for Father was not able to help much.

Question: Your father was a cripple what was the cause of him being so?

Answer: they always told me it was infantile paralysis which came on him just at the time he had started to walk. His one arm was no larger than the elbow than a baby's arm, but it was larger below the elbow. The foot on the other side, from the knee down was small and his foot was bent so he had to walk on his toes. There is a story that he had a stroke but I don't think that was right. He was town marshal for a short time and state water commissioner having charge of all water sources of the Valley.

Question: Would your consider your parents as active, semi-active or inactive so far as the Church was involved.

Answer: My mother was as active as she could be with her duties of running a boarding house but I never remember my father going to Church. My mother used to go Relief Society teaching for, at times, I used to go with her. I shall always remember her when she used to dress to go Relief Society teaching with Sister Michaelson, for she would wear her big beaver hat in the winter. It had big plumes on it and she always looked so lovely and sophisticated in that big hat.

Question: Your mother passed away, I just figured here, when she was 58 years of age. What was her problem at the time of her death? Was it because of a particular sickness?

Answer: I was 15 years old at the time and I used to go roller skating and I remember her being quite sick and she was getting a little worse and I used to wonder about her welfare. My father sent for Aunt Sarah to come (Aunt Sarah Allred of St. Charles) and I knew there was something serious. Aunt Sarah stayed a week and I could see that my mother was getting worse. They didn't tell me anything. Aunt Sarah would go to the front room with the doctor and talk o one day I peeked and listened and I heard the doctor say there was nothing he could do. I understood it was cancer of the stomach. It was not too long after that that she died - the 15th of January 1915.

Question: Aunt Mabel, what do you remember about your mother which has left a lasting impression? Was she a pleasant, talkative woman?

Answer: Not too talkative, but was quiet and had a lot of patience, much the same as Aunt Lottie. She was hard working and had a lot of responsibility. She was patient with her family. We would always have to go shopping in the afternoons to get food for the next day for the boarders and I would always look forward to getting cleaned up to go shopping with her. Just before Christmas we would always shop for gifts for the whole family including her little grandkids. She would start in in November, maybe earlier than that to get little presents for different ones. She would say, "I've got so many girls and so many daughters-in-law - she would get the same thing for the daughters-in-law that she would get for her daughters. Her boys would get the same thing so far as she possibly could and then she would count her grandchildren - so many grandsons and so many granddaughters - and within certain ages she would try and get presents alike. At nights we would wrap these little gifts and put them away in a box for Christmas. I enjoyed that with my mother very much.

Question: the fact that you wee but fifteen years of age when your mother passed away and you being the only child left at home, it probably seemed rather lonely and desolate. Do you recall your feelings?

Answer: yes, I remember. I didn't know what was going to happen to me. That was the first thing I thought about. I knew my father was not able to get out and work and it seemed that, due to the fact that we ran a hotel, I had never learned to cook for I was only fifteen. Mother did the cooking and I had the other part of the house work to do. My mother never taught me how to cook for she felt that she couldn't afford to have anything spoiled. She didn't take chances of experimenting with a girl cook. I would set the table, but was never allowed to do too much cooking. Sister Lee was the Relief Society president and she took care of the body and as I sat there by the window I wondered what in the world would become of me. Lola and Joe (Holbrook) came over and Lola stayed with us until after the funeral. She got me a little black dress and had it made for me for the funeral. I thought that was the cutest little dress. Lola always took pains with me and looked after me and she enjoyed doing it. Lola and Joe asked Papa if he thought they should come and stay with us so they moved over with us. (They were living near Auburn eight or ten miles away to the north and on the other side of the valley. L.B.) They were in Auburn on Dr. Proctor's ranch.

Question: They had a couple of children by then, probably?

Answer: They had Thede, I think was all. Anyway they came and lived with us until I was about eighteen years old. They ran the hotel for the three years and then Joe bought his father's ranch - Clarence had part of it and Joe had part of it. In the fall of 1917 they moved which left me home alone for that winter. Lola always did look after me, helping with my clothes so I would be presentable with the other girls. Joe was always good to me giving me money and things like that. They were like a father and mother to me.

Question: That was in the fall of 1917 - you were married in 1918. Did you marry one of your boarders?

Answer: No, I didn't know much about him. It was at the county fair in 1917 we were at the dance and he asked me to go home with him. So I went home with him and it seemed like we started to go together from that time on. On the 5th of June 1918 we were married.

Question: Your father was still with you living in the house on Main Street.

Answer: Yes. It was on the 13th of June that my husband was drafted into the army so I went back home and stayed with my father until in January of 1919 Lorain came home.

Question: Were you still operating the boarding house?

Answer: No, after Lola and Joe went back he didn't have a boarding house.

Question: In the mean time the Allred hotel, and maybe others, had been set up to take care of that type of business?

Answer: Yes

Question: After you left, the old home was disposed of?

Answer: After I was married my father decided to go to live with Aunt Luella in Pocatello. She wanted some help in her business (grocery) and my father always had a good business head, so he went with her and sold his home.

The above is only a portion of a much longer interview, but the contents have been reasonably well covered in Aunt Mabel's personal history or elsewhere in other portions of this history.

Valene Elizabeth Brown Tolman. Spouse Edwin Osborn Tolman, born 28 Jan 1921, Afton, Wyoming

Valene Elizabeth Brown Tolman was born to Joseph Lorain Brown and Mabel Luella Wilkes 11 of October 1919 at the old Wilkes home in Afton, Wyoming. I grew up in Fairview, Wyoming and attended the first 8 grades of school there. I always went to Sunday School, Sacrament meeting. On Friday we used to have Religion Class at the end of the school day. I also went to primary.

I attended Star Valley High School and desired to take courses that would admit me into college in care I was lucky enough to go. I graduated from High School and Seminary in 1937. I attended 3 years of college and was qualified to teach school. My first job was in Bedford, Wyoming. It was a wonderful experience. I was called to serve in the Northern States Mission in 1941. It was a wonderful experience for a young lady to have. I am grateful to my parents and June for this opportunity.

Eddie came home from his mission in December and we were married in the Salt Lake Temple Dec. 29, 1943. He felt he should join the army and get into a branch of the service he desired rather than be drafted so he got his call in January and went into the service. I taught school in Afton. Scott our first child was born in Oct. 1943 and he was nine months old before his dad saw a picture of him. I have been grateful that Eddie came home safe.

We came to Logan in November 1945. This has been a wonderful home to us. I have had much opportunity to serve the church and community. I have been chorister in primary and Sunday School. I have taught in primary, Sunday School, MIA, Relief Society. I have been President of Relief Society. I worked in the Logan Temple Ladies department. Eddie and I have been in the Church dance program for 23 years beginning as Ward director, Stake Director, Regional Directors and for the past 12 years have worked with Special Interest Dance Program. We have taught Ballroom dancing for the past 8 years or more for Logan City Community Education teaching 1 class a quarter. We have been Activity Chairman for our Ward the past 5 years. I have taught school for 27 years. We have thoroughly enjoyed all our work in the church. It has certainly been a privilege to work as husband and wife in these callings.

We have been most lucky to have my Dad and Mother and Eddie's Dad and Mother living close by. They have been an inspiration and help to us and our children. Eddie's mother has lived with us since his father died 26 years ago.

We have had the opportunity to spend a month in Germany with our son Scott, and travel Europe with him. Eddied and I just returned in October 1983 from a Mediterranean Cruise with the BYU Travel Study Group where we visited Scott in Tunisia before the cruise and went to Italy, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Greece. We were most privileged to have Elder Mark E. Peterson and Howard W. Hunter on the cruise with us. This was a most inspirational experience for us.

We have 3 wonderful children: Scott, Judy, Janis. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be alive and do so many wonderful things in the church, in our community and with our family.

I have a testimony of the gospel. I know our Father in Heaven hears and answers prayers. I also know Satan is always on the job trying to lead us away. It is my desire to have my family be together, with our parents and our Heavenly Father in the life to come.

Written May 10, 1984

A BRIEF LIFE SKETCH OF JUNE CECILLA BROWN BARRUS

I was born in a lovely little white frame house in Fairview, Wyoming. My birth day was filled with sunshine, birds and the beautiful flowers, and all of the splendor of spring. This day was June 23, 1921. I was the second child born to Mabel Luella Wilkes Brown, and Joseph Lorain Brown.

I loved my childhood days on my father's ranch. The fields of hay and grain. The pastures filled with white faced cattle, and my favorite horse, 'Old Star'. The mountains and old Crow Creek flowing right through the middle of it. What more could a child want?

Crow Creek was a lovely stream filled with fish and used for swimming by most of the kids in Fairview. One swimming hole was named 'baptismal hole'. This is where most of the ward kids were baptized and it's here I was baptized by my Father on June 23, 1929. We celebrated with a birthday party following the baptism. It was a memorable occasion.

I attended elementary school in the town of Fairview. This school was officially a part of School District No. 19. The building had 4 class rooms and each one had 2 grades in it. I attended all eight of them. I had good teachers and a happy learning experience.

I attended high school at the Star Valley High School located in Afton, Wyoming from 1934 through 1939 when I graduated along with many other rural-town children all eager to try the world. My first try at earning a living was at the Ranch Caf in Evanston, Wyoming. I saved enough money from my summer work to attend the LDS Business College in Salt Lake City for one year.

With my recently attained skills, I was employed at the Lincoln County Extension office in Afton, Wyoming by E. Francis Winters who was the County Agent. He was also a Bishop and later the Stake President. I could not have found a better boss. He taught me many things no related to my secretarial job. I worked for Mr. Winters during World War Two. When the War was over, I married Douglas A. Barrus. We had grown up in the same town of Fairview and went through the same schools, but had waited for this special time to decide we were meant for each other.

On one special occasion during the war Doug came home on a furlough and we received the special M Men and Golden Gleaner awards together in first such honors ever held in Star Valley.

I married Douglas A. Barrus in the Salt Lake Temple October 9, 1946. I continued to work in the County extension office and Doug went to work in the Mallory clothing store until March, when we moved to San Francisco, California so Doug could attend Mortuary school.

Our homes were many after this. We moved to Rexburg, Idaho and Doug graduated from Ricks College in 1951. We lived in Afton, Wyoming, operated a mortuary and taught school, moved to Altamont, Utah where Doug was high school principal, Idaho Falls, Idaho, taught school, South Weber, Utah, and Clearfield where he worked for the Weber Basin Job Corps. We finally settled down in Clearfield. All of our moves have contributed to the education of our children.

We have always worked in the Church where ever we have lived. I have served in the Sunday School, Primary, Stake and Ward Relief Society, twice president of the Young Women's Mutual. The last eight years I have prepared the Sunday Bulletin and am still doing this today.

I also worked three years at the Clearfield Job Corps while two of my sons filled missions.

Our children are now grown and married and we have nineteen grandchildren. Doug has retired from the Federal Government and we spend time in temple and continue to work in the Stake. I have assisted and supported my husband in all of his callings. He has been on the Stake High Council, a Ward Bishop and presently serves as first Counselor in the Clearfield Stake Presidency.

I love the Lord and know He lives and guides us. We have always tried to put the things of the Lord first in our lives and feel and know this is the right thing to do.

Written May 3, 1984

MACK W. BROWN

Mack W. Brown was born January 5, 1925 at Fairview, Lincoln, Wyoming. He was baptized June 30, 1933 at Fairview, Lincoln, Wyoming. He attended Star Valley High School in Afton, Wyoming where he was active in basketball and other sports. He graduated from the LDS Seminary there. He received his endowments November 19, 1946 in the Idaho Falls Temple. He received a Master m Man award and served a mission to the Central Pacific Mission from April 1947 to 1949, where he served as a District President.

He was married to Valeen Chadwick on April 23, 1947 in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of seven children:
McKay C. Brown, born September 24, 1949 at Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming.
MaRee Brown, born October 28, 1950 at Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming.
Kirk Ren Brown, born November 27, 1952 at Logan, Cache, Utah.
Gwynn Brown, born July 9, 1954 at Logan, Cache, Utah.
Bonnie Brown, born February 5, 1957 at Logan, Cache, Utah
Craig C. Brown, born October 2, 1958 at Logan, Cache, Utah
Karma Brown, born November 16, 1960 at Logan, Cache, Utah

Mack operated farms in Fairview, Wyoming and Smithfield, Utah until 1952, when he moved to Logan, Utah. He worked at the Clearfield Naval Supply Depot for two years and then was appointed a State Driver's License Examiner in March of 1954. He still holds this position and is supervisor of Box Elder, Rich and Cache Counties. He lived in Logan, Utah until 1961, when he moved to Hyrum, Utah.

He and Valeen were divorced January 15, 1973 and he was married to Ruby Quire February 3, 1973 at Elko, Nevada. They live in Brigham City, Utah.

He has held many church positions: MIA Superintendent; Counselor in MIA, the Sunday School and Elder's quorum Presidency; Sunday School and Explorer teacher; Sunday School Superintendent.

Valeen married Darwin Rawlings July 1, 1975 in Logan Temple, Logan, Utah. They reside in Logan, Utah.

LORAIN JUNIOR BROWN

On a beautiful summer day June 30, 1923 Lorain Junior Brown was born to Joseph Lorain Brown and Mabel Luella Wilkes, on the Brown ranch with no doctor.

He had two sisters Valene and June then later Mack and LouJean.

He had very poor health from the beginning of his life. The first winter he had pneumonia and many times he wasn't expected to live. He had every disease from then on and they were very hard on him. He was 12 when he had typhoid fever and it left his body weak and finally ended up with sugar-diabetes. He had this all the rest of his life. He took 3 shots a day and was to be on a strict diet. He did very well to take care of himself.

He went to grade school in Fairview and graduated from Star Valley High School. School was hard for him. He liked best of all to work on the ranch, ride horses and take care of the animals.

He was a good child and loved his parents, and tried to do what they ask of him. He was dependable and thoughtful of others. He always went to church and had been secretary of the Elders Quorum and been through the temple.

The time came when he had to break away from home. He went to Logan, Utah and got work. He was a good worker and kept his jobs. The sad thing was he quit attending church and took up some bad habits which broke his mother's heart.

Junior had to put up with poor health all his life. He died in Salt Lake LDS Hospital 7th of April 1961 and is buried in Logan City Cemetery.

LU JEAN BROWN ERICKSON

As the first day of spring arrived on March 21, 1927, so did a baby girl arrive to Joseph Lorain Brown and Mabel Luella Wilkes Brown.

I grew up on a farm in Fairview, Wyoming and have wonderful memories of it. I attended grade school for eight years in Fairview and four years of high school at Star Valley High School where I graduated in 1945. I also graduated from Seminary.

I enrolled in college at Utah State University, but my stay was only two quarters as the working world took my interest.

I married Glenn C. Erickson two years after gradation from high school. We moved to Ricks College where Glenn attended college and graduated in 1951 with the second four year college degrees. We moved to Salt Lake City where Glenn became an Accountant for the State Insurance Fund. We have five beautiful children, 2 girls and 3 boys, Connie, Kelly, Gary, Lynn and Glenna Lou.

On September 18, 1968 tragedy hit our family as our wonderful father and husband was taken from us with a heart attack. I didn't know how I could ever go on. My oldest child, Connie, was a junior at Utah State University, and was engaged to be married. Kelly, our second child, was 19 and working. Gary was 16, a junior in high school, who turned out to be an All State and All American basketball player. Lynn was 13, a 7th grader at junior high school and Glenna Lou was but a fourth grader.

We had not been active in the Church, but, as this bomb landed on me I knew immediately that I must get my life in order and pray for help to raise this family. I had been raised by goodly parents and knew that the Church was true, and I was in need of help and guidance so desperately. I took out my endowments in March 1969 when Connie took hers out, and she was married on March 7th 1969.

I have surely been strengthened and bless and given many wonderful opportunities to grow. I have been a Primary, Mutual and Sunday School teacher. Have been a counselor and president of the Mutual and am now serving as the Relief Society president.

I started working for the State of Utah a month after Glenn died and am still working there. It will be 16 years since I have been alone this September 1984. I can truly say the Lord has blessed, prompted and guided me to help raise my family and take care of our home. All my children are married with the exception of one divorce.

Four of our children graduated from college. One son filled an L.D.S. mission for 2 years, three children have been sealed in the temple in their marriages. I have had 16 grandchildren (2 died as infants). I have 14 grandchildren and I love and adore each one of them.

Valene, LuJean, June, Mabel Wilkes, Lorain Brown, Mack and Lorain Jr. Picture taken in the early 1950s.

---

---

---