RESEARCH FINDINGS

Effie Lenore Wiser, was born 22 Feb 1886 at Lewiston, UT, the daughter of Samuel Frost and Rebecca Ann (Telford) Wiser.  During her life, Effie was an avid and widely known genealogist.  She never married and passed away the 14th Aug 1974 in Logan, UT, age 88.  In 1934, at the age of 48, she kept a journal.  I have the original copy of her journal and thought members of the family would like to see a reprint of her journal in this and future editions of the newsletter.  I have maintained the original spelling and dates as found in the journal (some entries are not chronological).  To more distant relatives, I believe her journal will be of some interest as a single woman who lived in rural Utah (Mormon religion) during the later part of the depression (some 71 years ago).

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1934 Apr. 11-80 above zero in the shade-same temperture continued for 10 days or two weeks. May-Seagulls again destroy grasshoppers in Utah-At Salt Lake airport, planes were unable to take off for two days as the gulls were so thick on the ground gorging on the hoppers as in Pioneer times.  25 May-From Ogden assistant county agent Francis M. Peterson reported from 50 to 75 percent of the hoppers had been destroyed by poison bait broadcast a few days ago.

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26 May-“Seagulls saved the crops in the vicinity of the sinks a few miles west of Snowville recently when they flew down on the fields and cleared them of grasshoppers and bugs that were destroying the crops.  As in the days of the pioneers, the gulls again have saved the grain in that region.”  Reported from Park Valley in the Deseret News of May 26.  Air Plane Armadas of 16 ships took off from Salt Lake City on the 25^th of May on a 5 day trip-visiting 16 Utah and Idaho (airports) cities, 40 in all.  The “Good-will Air Amada” carried invations to visit the modernization exposition to be present for “Greater Salt Lake Day” on June 2.  Flight com. Ray L. Peck directed by Winston Ellerbeck of the chamber of commerce aviation committee.

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Fri.-visited Ogden, Logan and Preston. Of Church Interest-19 May 1934-Pilgrimage of Aaronic Priesthood to grave of Martin Harris at Clarkston Utah-commemorating the 151^st anniversary of his birth, May 18, 1783.  8,000 people attended-800 buses, trucks and private cars.  Father and mother and Aunt Janie went to Clarkston attended the program, returned home and attended the pageant at Logan in the evening. May 13 to 24-“My Fathers House” –a sacred pagent commemorating the jubilee anniversary of the Logan Temple at Logan Tabernacle.

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Sun. 27 May-this date was appointed as a day of fasting & prayer through out the church-a prayer for rain (& got it).  Father was asked to offer the prayer in the Lewiston first Ward.  Hundreds of churches through out the middle west  prayed for rain-Cath. Ch. of S.L.-2 wks. Sun 13 May

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Chicago-19 May-$15,000,000 fire in stock yards and packing plants and vicinity-worst fire since the city was burned in 1871.

26 May-Sat.-The formal opening of the second year of the Century of Progress at Chicago.  May 29-Aunt Linnie and Mr. Briggs of San Francisco spent the evening.

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30 May-Memorial Day-Pres. Roosevelt gave an address at Gettysburg as tribute to heroes.  The first democratic chief executive to speak at this cemetery.  The American Legion put over their usual memorial programs at the Lewiston Cemetery.  A very good program.  Hundreds present.  The season is so far advanced this year-a month or more in advance of the usual season at this time.  The peonies came out the last of April so were gone (most all) before and most of the roses.  The tiger lilies were just beginning to bloom (our peonies were all gone).

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31 May-U.S. Navy Review-Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt reviews 96 warships of the American navy off New York.  Later fleet anchored in Hudson river.  Wed. June 6-Benson Old Folk’s Day at Smithfield.  Father and mother attended.  Alice graduated at Pocatello-Univ. of Ida.  June 7-Father started cutting hay.  Fri. June 8-Wayne & 5 others went at 5 a.m. to S.L.C. to attend conference.  Niles and Al also went down to conf. & on business.  June 9-Pres. Roosevelt message to congress asking for $525,000,000 for drouth relief. 

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Sun June 10-Nell & kiddies spent late afternoon.  Mon. June 11-Marjorie and Kay came in morning to spend most of the day. Maud Dopp came teaching. Ivy and Christell and her little 03 mo. old son Kerit came in the early evening.  Ivy in her Lafayette car.  Christell is here from Bakersfield Ore. on visit to her mother.  Published account of the terrible tornado-2000 dead in San Salvador whole villages wiped out.  Death & destruction in out lieing districts unknown.

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500 dead in Octoepeque, Honduras, the entire community wiped out, drowned by flood.  Nilus & Al came in on their return from Salt Lake had a good time-attended conf. & mon. a.m. also the Soldiers Review at Fort Douglas.  June 12-visitors today were Belle Harris of Ashton Idaho and Sadie & Emile Byington of Bancroft Ida. and the two little boys, Blaine and Neil.  This morning listened in to the world Rotary program from Chicago.  Heard a report of national conditions from eight nations-England, India, Japan, China, Australia and others.  All reported improved conditions.  Was especially interested in the report of the representative Rotarian from Australia.  He said there are 110,000,000 sheep in Australia-during the

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worst year of the depression the price of wool dropped to about 1/3 of usual value bringing only $100,000,000 +-but conditions have improved until this last year they received more than double this amount.  The heavy taxation on income & land has been reduced-unemployment has decreased & a feeling of confidence exists among the people.  This afternoon listed to a lecture over Station K.S.L. by W.W. Henderson of the agricultural depart of the U.S.A.C. at Logan.  He gave a history of conditions here in Utah from pioneer times on grasshoppers and crickets.  The worst cricket years was in June & July of 1848-the year after the first pioneers reached Utah.  The crickets were so thick that from 2 to 3 were found in every head of wheat.  They would climb the stock-cut the heads off & drop to the ground &

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eat it-The ground was so thickly covered with crickets that anyone walking over it would step on as many as the foot could cover-crushing them-There was some trouble with crickets in 1849.  The first grasshoppers in Utah were in 1855-some in 1856-and then again in 1867-less in 1868 and on until 1871-this year both grasshoppers and crickets menace the crops-unless vigilence is used by every man-all the crops not destroyed by drouth will be completely ruined by the grasshoppers & crickets-complete confiscation of crops is predicted unless care is taken.  Utah is a grasshopper state-the arid temperture caused this to be the worst menace to the state-the whole state & every county in the state is menaced by the grasshoppers & “Mormon” crickets.  Vast areas are now destroyed by these pests & complete destruction of crops is threatened unless they are poisoned & destroyed.  Federal Gov. has given Utah

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300 tons of poison bate.  Emile reports that squirrels have destroyed much of the crops left from drouth.  The squirrels have been driven down from the mountains in such numbers that they have done more damage in his field than his 100 head of pigs would do if turned loose.  Poison is put out every other day & the ground covered with dead bodies-but still they can not notice any decrease in this pest.  So many killed that the stink is so bad they can scarcely endure going in to put out more poison.  Some grasshoppers or crickets there also.

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June 14-Flag Day-Nilus & Al & children came and spent the afternoon.  Glenn started hauling the hay here this morning-Hal & Paul helping & others.  June 15-Fri.Idaho State Day. The usual celebration in Franklin.  In the afternoon had a good rain storm.  Left every thing so fresh & green & cool and after the rain an immense brilliant double rainbow-2 distinct bows & complete in the deepest colors and most pronounced & distinct & perfect I have ever seen.  And the most gorgeous sunset I have ever seen in its coloring-not the brilliant crimson usual after a storm-but the entire sky a deep brilliant blue shading from birds egg blue in the west & gradually deepening in color to a deep sapphire blue in the east.

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And over & through this the richest deep billowing clouds of all shades of apricot & snowy white-with smoky blue & silver in the north east.  In the evening a surprise party from Logan-Aunt Millie and Linnie & Marie (Mrs. Clark of Calif) and Bessie-Ruby and Mary Hansen.  We had a very nice visit and served watermelon which Aunt Linnie brought up.  Aunt Linnie & Marie remained here-the others returned home (Effie’s journal to be continued next month).

OBITUARIES

Please accept our condolences to those who recently lost family members.

Wichita KS Eagle, 22 Nov 2004; Brown, Don Arbor (ancestry to Benjamin Wiser Sr., previously married to Harvene Venora Shepard, her mother, Loretta Christena Butz Shepard, Addie (Adda) Thomas Thornburg Butz, Nathan (Inman) Thornburg alias Miles B. White, Cloe S.M.D.Wiser Thornburg Inman Canady Bean, James Wiser, Benjamin Wiser), 68, owner of General Contractors, Inc. for 30 years, died Saturday, November 20, 2004. Visitation Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; service 10 a.m. Wednesday, both at Cochran Mortuary. The casket will be closed at the service. Two sons, Kevin and Shawn Brown, preceded him in death. Survivors: wife, Merrillee Brown; sons, David Greening, Lance Brown, Steven Greening, Lynn Brown and Jody E. Brown; daughters, Donette Biggs, Patricia Shipman, Pamela Stillwell, and Andrea Schilling; brother, Carl Rader; sisters, Patricia DeTienne, Sharon Goolsby and Marta Murphy; 19 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren. Memorial: Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice, 313 S. Market, Wichita, 67202. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family via www.cochranmortuary.com 

Idaho Falls Post Register, Friday March 04, 2005; Rhea Eugenia Williams Smith, 94, of Idaho Falls,

died Feb. 26, 2005, at Chandler Regional Hospital in Chandler, Ariz. She was born Dec. 21, 1910,

in Emery, Utah, to Alma Williams and Sarah Elizabeth Killpack Williams. She grew up in Osgood,

Parker and St. Anthony.  She attended Ammon and Idaho Falls high schools. During World War II,

she worked in Portland, Ore., in the shipyards, making ventilation ducts on aircraft  carriers. She

graduated from Ricks College in 1955 with a bachelor's degree in education. On April  25, 1934,

she married Reid Edward Smith (his ancestry to Benjamin Wiser Sr., his father, David Amanuel

Smith, Amanda Jane Wiser Smith, John McCormick Wiser, Samuel Wiser, Benjamin Wiser Sr.)

in Logan, Utah. He died June 17, 2000. She taught school in Osgood for three years, Warm River near Ashton, Shelton and Jamestown, Idaho, and in Malaga,  Wash. She taught school in Idaho Falls for 29 years before retiring in 1967. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served as a secretary in the Relief Society and in many other capacities. She was a member of the teachers sorority, Delta Kappa Gamma, and served as a delegate to its convention in Cleveland, Ohio. She enjoyed doing crafts, knitting, crocheting and quilting afghans. Survivors include her son, Collins R. (Colleen) Smith of Gilbert, Ariz.; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Blanche Williams (Roy) McBride of Idaho Falls and LaRene Williams (Elwin) Smith of Salt Lake City. She was preceded in death by her husband; a son, Rand E. Smith; two sisters, Iona Murphy and Melva Stewart; and two brothers, Glen and Leo Williams. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at the Parkwood LDS Chapel, 395 Second St. in Idaho Falls, with Bishop David Burger officiating. The family will meet with friends for one hour before services Saturday at the church. Burial will be in Fielding Memorial Cemetery.

Hilton Head Island Packet, Tuesday, 11 Jan 2005; SUN CITY HILTON HEAD -- May Utley Ford, 86, of Sun City Hilton Head died Monday, Jan. 10, 2005, at Hilton Head Regional Medical Center.  Mrs. Ford was born Dec. 11, 1918, in Lancashire, England, and was the daughter of the late Herbert and Ada Ward Utley.  Previously from Metheun, Mass., she lived in Bluffton for the past four years. She was a member of First Baptist Church in Metheun for 50 years. She was an avid gardener.  Mrs. Ford is survived by her husband of 54 and a half years, Herbert Wesley Ford (his ancestry to Benjamin Wiser Sr., his mother, Bessie (Bernice) M. Momblo Ford, Sarah Armina Wiser Momblo, Nathan Wiser, Benjamin Wiser Jr., Benjamin Wiser Sr.); sons and daughters-in-law John and Ann Ford of Atkinson, N.H., and Robert and Darlene Ford of Metheun; daughter and son-in-law Nancy and Mark Szen of Hilton Head Island; grandchildren Matthew, Timothy and Kyle Szen of Hilton Head, Alyssa and Vanessa Ford of Metheun, and Travis Ford of Atkinson; and friend Arlene Murphy of Raymond, N.H.  A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at All Saints Episcopal Church, with the Rev. Rick Lindsey officiating. Inurnment will be in the All Saints Columbarium.  Memorials may be made to Island Hospice, 300 New River Parkway, Suite 6, Hardeeville, SC 29927; or to the American Diabetes Association, 2711 Middleburg Road, Suite 205, Columbia, SC 29204. The Island Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

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Thanks for any suggestions in regards to our family newsletter. Please contact me at or at 6 Baton Rouge, Roswell, NM  88201, or at (505) 623-2534.