Thursday, December 17, 2020

Gifford Chairs

 Samuel Kendall Gifford was an apprentice for Edwin Whiting [KWJW-7B9] in the Nauvoo area where he learned to make chairs. Edwin Whiting was also the local branch president who performed the wedding of Samuel to Lora Ann Demille in 1848. She was a granddaughter of Joseph Knight. They initially pioneered in Manti Utah in 1851. By 1865 they moved to Rockville in Southern Utah  and later to Springdale which is surrounded by Zion National Park.

He continued to make chairs and taught some of his sons the same skill. There were some complaints about the quantity and quality of wood available for them to work with. Recently I met via Family Search a third cousin of mine (another 2nd great grandson of Samuel Kendall Gifford) by the name of Bill Fairbanks.  He owns two of the Gifford chairs and today sent me photographs of the chairs. 


Very intriguing ropework.  I think I'll try to match that weaving.  Should be a fun project.

Update from Bill Fairbanks: "The rope weave was done by my father [Merwin Gifford Fairbanks KWC8-L1X]  in the same pattern as the old leather stringing that was taken off of the chairs. He stripped the layers of paint and put the rope weave seat on in the late 1950s.
[The chairs] are mine. I understood that they actually came across the plains."




Friday, December 4, 2020

Ross McGee: The rest of the Story

 

The Ross McGee Family Story: Installment 5

(In the words of Myrna McGee Smith) 

After the war was over Ward and Irene [Despain] moved to Granite while he attended school at the University of Utah. They later moved to Coalville where Ward was Principal and teacher at the North Summit LDS Seminary. After leaving Coalville,  Ward was Coordinator of Seminaries in Southeastern Utah at Price, Utah and then Coordinator of Indian Seminaries in Provo, Utah. Later they lived in Pullman, Washington where Ward received his doctorate degree.  Then to St George, Utah where he was Director and teacher at the LDS Institute at Dixie College. They had many church callings from Bishopric, High Priest Group Leadership, teaching opportunities for both of them. Prior to his retirement they went to Hilo,Hawaii at the LDS Institute for four years. It was an enjoyable experience for them. Since that time Ward and Irene have served at the St George Temple.                               

Ward and Irene are the parents of three children. Mary Ann, Steven and David.

School began for the family of Ross and Elsie McGee during that year of 1943 in American Fork, Utah.  Lloyd, LaRaine and Colleen were at the American Fork High School and Leola and Myrna at the Harrington Elementary. 

 Lloyd and LaRaine both had jobs very quickly after we moved to American Fork. They worked for Bob Crookston hauling hay and later LaRaine worked for Mutual Creamery which was later called Arden Dairy.

 It was an adjustment especially for Myrna after attending a school in Granite with three grades in one room to a school in American Fork that seemed so large and overwhelming to her.  She was in Miss Rasmussen's class (who was very stern and irritable) She went to school with Leola and wanted to stay with her, but she couldn't go in her class so she left the school and walked home and told Ross that she wasn't going again.  He very patiently told her that she had to go to school and he would take her.  The next day she would go to school and then end up going home again and each time Ross would take her back to school.

Then she told the teacher she was sick so she would spend time in the sick room until the door got locked and she couldn't get out and she screamed out the window for someone to let her out.  After that she decided she would have to go to class and finally seemed to adjust.

The next year in the fourth grade she did much better because she had Mrs. Hill for her teacher who really gave her special love and attention that she needed and she like school after that. 

Solon was married to Louise Christiansen, a daughter of Henry Oscar and Eloise Christiansen on November 14, 1943 in Salt Lake City. On May 12, 1944 they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of six children: Diana, Kathleen, Michael, David, Melody and Rosemary. Solon died on October 4, 1983 and was buried in Kearns, Utah.

Ross didn't work at Geneva Steel very long because of his age he had to quit and find other work. In 1944 he was working for Walker Construction as a night watchman near American Fork Canyon. Walkers Construction was putting in a big pipe line and had been filling in the trench over the pipe by taking one of the construction roads and pushing the dirt from it as a fill.  We had heard that there was a big fire up the canyon so Lloyd and LaRaine drove up to make sure that Ross was alright. As they drove along in LaRaine’s Model A the dirt road  came to a an abrupt halt and the road dropped 10 feet.  Lloyd’s head hit the rear view mirrow necessitating several stitches in his forehead.  He woke up the next morning in the hospital with a sore knee which resulted when his knee put a dent in the area of the car under the dashboard.

After living in American Fork for a time Ross became active in the 4th Ward where he became close friends of those in the High Priest Group and enjoyed their friendship.  Elsie became involved in genealogy and family records and they began attending the temple very often.

After working at different jobs Ross began selling McNess Products and worked at this for sometime until his health didn’t permit him to do very much.

Lloyd worked at Geneva Steel for a time when he was a senior in High School working the swing shift for six months. He graduated from American Fork High School in 1945 and the following  month was drafted into the Army.  His basic training was at Camp Roberts, California. He later signed up for three years in the regular army joining the Corps of Engineers. In January 1946 he was sent to Germany where he was with an engineering company and was assigned to guard the war prisoners.

LaRaine graduated from American Fork High School in 1946.  He stayed with Ward and Irene for a time when he worked for Al Despain on his farm. Later he lived in Salt Lake with a friend Paul Hansen. After Lloyd returned from the service he also lived with LaRaine and Paul. LaRaine eventually had his own business in construction and under ground telephone lines.

On November 16, 1949 LaRaine married Dolly June McCandless, a daughter of Gene and Hazel Green McCandless  in the Salt Lake Temple.  They made their home in Salt Lake City where LaRaine continued with his construction business.

 LaRaine was active in the Scouting Program in their Salt Lake City Ward for about fifteen years, which he enjoyed very much.

 He and Dolly have enjoyed all of their antique cars which he started getting even when he was still in High School and through the years. They have enjoyed traveling with a group of friends driving the antique cars on many trips.

 LaRaine and Dolly are the parents of four children: Susan, Gary, Kenneth and Kerry.

 Colleen graduated from American Fork High School in 1948. After her graduation  she was employed at the Mt States Telephone Co. She worked in American Fork and later was transferred to the Telephone Co in Salt Lake City where she lived with a group of girls.

 On January 17, 1952 Lloyd married Marna Ruth Maynes, a daughter of John Alexander and Sarah Louretta Despain Maynes.  Marna was a cousin of Ward Despain and a sister of Fred and Colleen Maynes. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple. 

 They lived in Salt Lake City where he was going to school at the University of Utah. They later moved to Wilmington, Delaware for Dupont Co. as a Research Chemist. In 1959 they returned to Utah where Lloyd worked at Thiokol in Brigham City until his retirement.

 Lloyd and Marna are the parents of eight children: Larry, Karen, James, Linda, John, Robert, Patricia and Heidi.

Lloyd and Marna have served in various callings in the church over the years, Lloyd serving in the Bishopric and High Priest Group Leadership. Marna has enjoyed serving in many teaching and other callings.  Since his retirement he and Marna have served in the Ogden Temple and at St Louis, Missouri serving a Temple Mission during 1998-99.

Leola attended American Fork High School through her Jr year and then moved to Coalville, Utah to live with Ward and Irene during her Sr year and graduated from North Summit High School in Coalville.

Leola married Roger Ball, son of William Alton and Mary Rogers Ball, on April 17, 1953 and lived in Salt Lake City for a number of years and then moved to Pleasanton, Calif. They are the parents of three children, Connie, Mary and Diane. She worked in banking while she was there. Roger and Leola were later divorced. She later moved to St George, Utah and there she continued working in banking. 

On July 7, 1992 Leola married Elwin (Pink) Rees in the Jordan River Temple and lived in Salt Lake City and recently in 1997 built a home in Hoytsville, Utah.

She has served in many position in the Church through the years. Primary and Relief Society and in the Young Women MIA program.

Myrna graduated from American Fork High School in 1953 and began working at First Security Bank in Salt Lake City. A business teacher from the high school referred several girls to work at that bank to give them experience. 

On Oct 12, 1953 she married Kale Smith, a son of Clyde and Florence Jeppson Smith. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple June 24, 1955. They lived in American Fork until Kale was called into the service training in Ft Hood, Texas and later at the Hanford Works in Richland, Washington. They lived in Kennewick, Washington. In 1958 they returned to Utah and lived  again in American Fork. Myrna worked in Provo at Deseret Federal Savings and Loan.

 In 1962 they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and lived there for ten years and then in 1973 returned to American Fork. Kale worked for Gibbons and Reed Construction Co. as a Superintendent for highway construction until his retirement. Myrna worked again for Deseret Federal Savings and Loan and then from 1973-1999 at Bank of American Fork.

Kale served in the Elders Quorum Presidency in Salt Lake City and American Fork and Counselor in the High Priest Group and Temple Assignment Coordinator. Myrna has served in the Primary in Salt Lake City and American Fork and in the Young Women MIA program and Missionary Coordinator.

Kale and Myrna are the parents of three children: Judie, Marcia and Carol.

Colleen married Frederick Despain Maynes, a son of John Alexander and Sarah Louretta Despain Maynes on Sept 10, 1954 in the Salt Lake Temple. (Fred is a brother of Marna Maynes McGee. and cousin to Ward Despain). Fred and Colleen lived in Salt Lake City and then built a home in Granite, Utah.

 Fred worked at Jordan School District as an electrician and building inspector over construction of new schools.  Through the years he served as Scout Master  Elders Quorum President, Ward Clerk and in the High Priest Leadership. Colleen served as MIA Secretary, Primary, cub scouts, Librarian.

 Fred and Colleen are the parents of five children: Mark, Kurt, Jolene, Kevin and Brent. 

Ross spoke so often of his early life in Missouri and Oklahoma and always had a desire to return there one day.  He was able to realize that desire when Leo and Gladys took him on a trip back to Oklahoma in October 1962 and it was such a thrill to him. They went into Kansas and then to Oklahoma and Ross knew his way. He was only fourteen when he left there but he recognized it. It had been modernized some and he was so thrilled at the thought that he could go out where the old garden was, where they raised melons.  The farm wasn’t little anymore, it was now a fifteen thousand acre cattle ranch but the well they had dug in his youth was still there.  Ross was a great story teller and he enjoyed telling about his life there. He remembered so well the Dalton Brothers, the famous racketeers and told how they would greet them in their fancy saddles.  They gave these brothers watermelon they had raised and he thrilled to tell the story. He remembered the pond they played in but now it was a big lake with a dike. He talked about the ducks and geese they used to hunt there and as they traveled along he seen many ducks and geese and thought what a beautiful sight that was to him. 

 Ross would tell about the missionaries who came to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ and how they enjoyed being around these Elders and how they got converted to the gospel and about their baptism. 

 He remembered how they just left their home there in Oklahoma and traveled to New Mexico and told how they got into Blanco Canyon and run into the Indians, who were all painted and they would scare people and how they ran out of food and how they had faith in the Lord that they would get through this situation and how they ran into a Mexican sheepherder and how he provided them with flour so they could make bread to eat. 

 Ross remembered moving on to Richfield and Springdale and into St George and the struggles they had through the years. And after moving north to Draper and Granite, how he would always talk of returning to St George again, how he had loved it there and always wanted to go back. 

Ross has enjoyed the closeness of his family through the years and has loved each one very dearly. He was proud of everyone of them. His posterity was eleven children, forty-one grandchildren, one hundred- twenty great grand children and the number of his great great grand-children will continue to grow.

 There is much mention of the lives of his brothers and sisters and his own children and not just a story of himself, but his family was his life whom he loved so much.

 Elise lived with Ross and Elsie through her life time until they had to live at Alpine Care Center and then she lived with Leo and Gladys for several years. She was very devoted and gave much service to her parents.

 Ross’s health continued to fail through the late 60's and 70's and in Nov 1975 was unable to care for himself and for Elsie so they then went to the Alpine Care Center.  Elsie passed away on April 28. 1976 and for the next two years it was very lonely for Ross without his wife. His health became worse and he passed away September 6. 1978.

 Ross was now able to return to St George, Utah where he and Elsie McGee are buried at the St George Cemetery.