Allen Hendry Archibald
 1883 - 1950
 by his daughter, Ruth Archibald Aston

           Allen Hendry Archibald was born September 27,  1883 in Wellsville, Cache, Utah to Elizabeth Hendry  and John Russell Archibald.  He was the youngest child  in a family of seven children:  six boys and one girl.   His brothers and sister were John, Thomas, Isabell,  Michael, James and William.  His youngest brother  William died at age 20 years.
           Father attended public school in Wellsville,  graduated from the 8th grade, then attended the B. Y.  Academy in Logan, Utah.
           He was a farmer and worked very hard to  acquire the farm he had.  He took good care of his  stewardship.
In 1912 he was called on a mission for the  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to the  British Mission.  He was set apart for his mission by  Wm. McMurrin, on the 10th of December 1912, and  sailed on the ship called The Virginian for Liverpool, England.  He was assigned to the Scottish Conference.  He served two years in Scotland and was released on 1 January 1915.
           Scotland was the land of his ancestors.  His father and mother were both born in this land, and came to America when they were in their youth.  Papa often talked of his mission and his companions; it was a great experience in his life.  Grandfather John R. Archibald went to Scotland on a mission in his later life also.
           Our grandfather John Archibald had two wives in a polygamous marriage:  Elizabeth, our grandmother, and Deseret Kilfoyle.  They each had homes that looked alike on the corners of the block, on the same street. Father's and Mother's home is in the middle of the block.  Papa had three half-sisters, two of them died young.  We remember one of them — Aunt Berty Larsen.  Papa always spoke kindly of Grandfather's other wife, fondly called Aunt Dezz.  The family seemed to have a close relationship.  He had a happy home life.
           After Papa returned from his mission he began to court our mother.  They lived just a block and a half apart.  They were married on December 8th, 1915 in the Salt Lake Temple. Papa, as he was called by all of us children, had a beautiful home built, or almost finished, by the time they were married.
           Father's mother died in January of 1919 just four years after he was married.  She died of the awful flu that was around that year, and 1920 also.    Grandfather also had the flu but he recovered.  There were seven children born to this union.  They are in order:  Virgil, Allen, Ruth, Claine, George Murray, Garth and DeAnn.

           Our home was located in the extreme northwest part of  Wellsville, and the farm land was out of town a ways.  Papa had a  herd of cows and built a fine big dairy barn with a big hay loft.  He  took very good care of his livestock and was a good farmer and good  provider.  He had lots of good help from his five boys as they grew  up.  We all learned to work together and worked hard in the sugar  beet field, putting up hay, milking cows, etc...  I remember when my  brother Allen was in the Army in California.  He bought a used  milking machine and brought it home with him on leave one time.  That proved to be a blessing to the family.
         Allen served in the military during World War II and George Murray served in the Korean War in Korea.  Claine also served some time in military service.
 Father was rather a short man but well-built, very strong, and  a very handsome, good-looking man.   His handwriting was pretty; I so often admired this.  You very seldom ever heard Father sing.  He said he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.  He really couldn't stay on tune, but he loved the hymns.
          I remember Father and Mother going to Brigham City in the fall of the year to get fruit for canning.  They would take the back seat out of the car and come home with eight or ten bushels of peaches, and lots of watermelon and cantaloupe.  Oh, how Papa did like watermelon and cantaloupe!  Papa used to help peel peaches to help to get the fruit done before it spoiled.  That is something not many men would do.  In the wintertime there was always bushels of apples in the basement.  When we were young Papa used to set by the stove and peel us apples to eat.  Papa liked all kinds of fruit and I think we all enjoyed it too.
 Mother and Father made a very good home for us.  The yard and flowers were Mother's hobby but Father helped with a lot more than most men did.  It was one of the prettiest places in town.  We were always encouraged in our church duties and attended church regularly.
          Father gave all his sons a dairy heifer when they were young, which they milked and kept the offspring from, so when they got married they each had the start of a cow herd.  He gave us a heifer when we got married.
          Papa suffered a lot during the last few years of his life with arthritis and a hip that was badly worn.  He died at home of cancer at the age of 67 years on 22 July 1950, and was buried on July 26th in the Wellsville Cemetery.

               Only a dad, but he gives his all
               To smooth the way for his children small,
               Doing with courage stern and grim
               The deeds that his father did for him.
               This is the line that for him I pen.
               Only a dad, but  the best  of men.
               He was  always so  kind and  patient.
                             -- by Ruth A. Aston

The children, grown up:
Back row:  Garth Archibald, Virgil Archibald, Allen M. Archibald, Claine Archibald
Front row:  DeAnn Archibald Olsen, Murray Archibald, Ruth Archibald Aston
Taken on the occasion of Murray's wedding to Joyce, 1978

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