Voices from the Past Life Histories of Nephi and Lorna Christensen Interviewees: Nephi and Lorna Christensen February 28, 1970 Tape #128 Oral Interview conducted by Harold Forbush Transcribed by: Sarah Hatch August 2006 Edited by: Aubrey Steffen March 2009 Brigham Young University- Idaho
*This transcription is incomplete due to poor audio and the interviewee did not speak clearly conceivably due to age.* Harold Forbush: Through the facilities of the Upper Snake River Valley Historical Society located on South, on North Center Rexburg, Idaho, the taped material first done on reel to reel tape is now placed on a C 90 cassette. The interview with Mr. & Mrs. Nephi Christensen is now transferred onto this cassette on this 20 th of June 1984. HF: (static) of the Upper Snake River Valley (cutting out). This morning to have come to my office here at 6080 East 1 st South Rexburg, Idaho this morning the 28 th of February 1970 Brother and Sister Nephi Christensen, whom I shall interview pertaining to their life story. Uh, Harold Christensen for a little while and I am just real pleased to have them that we might examine them and their experiences in the church and the early days of Blackfoot, Idaho. I m going to ask you Sister Christensen a question to which is quite easy since you are the lady here with us, will you state your full name, the date and place where you were born? Lorna Christensen: My name Lorna Altonia Lorentson. And uh, when I come here? HF: Uh huh, and when you were born. LC: Oh, I can t remember. HF: You were born in 1881? LC: Yeah, I guess that. 1881. HF: And where? LC: In HF: In Norway? LC: Yes, in Norway. In Melsomvik. HF: And you were a convert to the church? LC: No, I wasn t. My people didn t belong to the church HF: But you LC: But I joined the church when I was a young lady. About up here. HF: Uh, do you know who the man was who taught the gospel to you? LC: Well there was an L. K. Larsen from Hyrum, Utah who really spoke the religion to me, and converted me. 2
HF: I see. And about how long have you been in America? LC: How long, dear? Nephi Christensen: Nineteen nine. HF: You came to America about 1909. LC: Nineteen nine, yeah. HF: And it was about this time that you married Nephi Christensen? LC: Yes. (muffled) It was 1910. HF: 1910. Where did this marriage take place? LC: [inaudible] Logan temple. HF: Well isn t that fine? All right, well now LC: We only had a family with ten children. HF: Only ten children. All grown up in the gospel. LC: Yes, and they belong to the church. HF: Now isn t that wonderful? Well now I m going to ask your husband a few questions about, uh, his life and if you have anything you d like to comment as we go along, well I would have you I would be pleased to have you do so. LC: (faint) But I m a bit forgetful. HF: (laughing) Now this is real LC: I don t think about it enough I guess. HF: I see. Now will you Brother Nephi state your whole name? NC: Nephi Christensen born in Hyrum, Utah on 9 December 1880 HF: And who are your parents? NC: Hans Niels Christen Christensen the oldest son of 9, [inaudible] Christensen emigrated from Denmark, with his three sons and a daughter, losing his first wife in Denmark. 3
HF: And your mothers name was? NC: Karen Marie Sorenson, she emigrated from Denmark the date I don t know. HF: And your father and mother met in America I take it? NC: No. Father and grandfather, I his 3 children, were the only residents of Hyrum, and then there came [inaudible], her father was an alcoholic and because of that she had to go begging in Denmark to try to get bread for herself and other children of the family. And she joined the church, her mother joined the church and came first, and later, her mother brought a son and a younger daughter, left one son in Denmark and mother came later. When she came to Salt Lake, as I remember, what the folks told me, she was there and had no way to get into Hyrum where her mother was, her mother had married again and grandfather [inaudible]. And she later married father and that started but she had to marry soon because, if I remember right, her health was poor, she was sick on the boat and traveling over the plains her health was poor, she followed behind the wagon, and she said in the morning and early noon she d walk ahead as far as she could and then she d follow the little wagon. She said the man driving the wagon was kind to her, so when she got tired, he allowed her to hold onto the wagon to follow it. When she got to Salt Lake and Hyrum, she wasn t as yet very strong, but she soon after married father and there they lived to their death. And they had 11 children, only 6 [inaudible]. HF: Uh, now, lets see, this was your mother you were telling me about? NC: Yes. HF: Now, your grandfather actually, after he arrived in America, he had 3 wives, did he not, and 3 families. NC: He had 3 wives, one was an elderly lady, she used to come and visit mother, she lived on the next block to us, [inaudible] she was old. And a younger woman, she had a large family, seven boys and one daughter, and those boys moved to Goshen, Idaho, and their daughter married to Joseph Jensen [inaudible] he and the boys got the great piece of land there, and they built his house on the same 160 acres. HF: Did your grandfather, though, I gather that he passed away in Hyrum, he didn t ever come to Idaho did he? NC: No, he passed away before I was old enough to remember. But the way he passed away in Hyrum, was he went out to the field, there was a little drop in the elevation, and on that drop, there was a nice cold stream came out of the hill, and when he came home from the field working, he overheated I suppose, he got down off his wagon and [inaudible] and when he got that spring, and took a drink of water. He must have got chilled and as I remember what the folks said, he took sick and he died. He didn t [inaudible]. HF: Well then, his wife, his third wife, 4
NC: Kristine was her name HF: Kristine and her sons and the daughter came up to Goshen and let s see, do you recall some of the names of his, of the boys of that third wife? NC: Their oldest son was Andrew; he married a Wilson girl and lived in Hyrum for quite some time. And then the next one was Ezra, he had an accident and had his leg broken when he was a child, I guess, or a young man and was, that leg was shot [inaudible] so it was crippled partially. And the next son was Heber, he married soon after he came to Goshen, he married a Nelson girl, she was very young and he had a farm but I don t remember what year it was I came and worked for them all summer. That was Ezra, Elder and Hyrum and Rupert, Rupert was three years older than me and I worked for them all that summer and returned back home in the fall. HF: Now, about what years would this have been? This would ve been prior to the turn of the century wouldn t it have been Nephi? NC: Well, I think I was 15. HF: So this would ve been maybe 1895? And this was near Shelley. NC: They lived in Goshen HF: I see, now this Wilford, who would ve been an uncle, a half uncle or great uncle or something like that wouldn t he? NC: Ya HF: And became the Stake President did he not? NC: I believe it was a counselor to the Stake President HF: A counselor to the Stake President, I see. Well now, NC: Let me tell you something, when I worked there, the only transportation we had was a horse, white top buggy, and that was that on the farm. Rupert went to basehop, there was a young lady he went to see there, I didn t ever go to see her, but she must have been a very pretty young lady, and I remember his mother saying to him, asking him about her and he d recommend a good recommendation of her was number one and she s says Rupert, are you worthy of that girl? That was her attitude. In fact he was wonderful. It was her youngest son. HF: Her youngest son. Well now, Nephi, during the summer that you worked for them, should we say about 1895, do you remember any of the neighbors in the area, who else lived in the area around Goshen? 5
NC: Well, Uncle Neil, he had moved his family there too and his boys, Joe, was the oldest and Hyrum, and Will was my age, and then there was a, their mother had died, and there was a girl, Lydia, and she moved in and married my uncle. HF: Let s see, now was this the third wife? NC: No, this was a brother to father, this is one of those 3 boys. HF: One of those 3 boys, I see. Now, the other boy was a Christen and Charles father? NC: Yes, Charley s father HF: Do you remember very much about Hyrum as a little community as a young man? NC: Ya HF: What can you tell me about Hyrum, Utah as you recall in the very, very early days? NC: I grew up there. I went to school there, and we lived one block up Main Street, and coming [inaudible] was quite a decline in a hill, and right on the top of that hill was the Presbyterian Church, and up on the next corridor, they built an opera house that would be used by theaters of the young people. And farther along that block was the first church built by the latter day saints, President [inaudible] built the Mormon Church and later on, I went with father, one day after another to haul sand from the Little Bear River, they were building what they called the academy on that same block. HF: Now, which river are we talking about? NC: Oh, the Little Bear HF: The Little Bear River. Does it flow into the, where does it come from and into which place does it flow? NC: It came down from the mountains of Paradise, out of what they called a canyon HF: Out of Bear Lake? NC: No, it doesn t go clear over to Bear Lake, just before [inaudible] past the edge of Hyrum, so they called it the Paradise collar, kinda takes place between Hyrum and the dry farm country on the other side. It [inaudible] and pulled it down some place. HF: I see, now, there s two or three little communities there in the southern part of this valley, Bear Lake, excuse me, Hyrum is one. NC: Paradise, just south of Hyrum 6
HF: And Wellsville was on further south? NC: No, it was west. HF: Further West? NC: Ya. And Millville and providence was between Hyrum and Logan on the east side. HF: I see. Then, all of these little communities are south of what we call the big center of Logan? NC: Ya. HF: And then on further North, of course you had Richmond and NC: Rich valley HF: Rich Valley, very wealthy, very productive valley? Alright, well, let s tell us a little more about Hyrum and the area [Inaudible] HF: Nephi, you ve mentioned that there was a Protestant Church, Presbyterian Church NC: There was also a Methodist Church started there. HF: In other words, there were enough Non-LDS to warrant the coming in of say, other churches, was there a Catholic Church? NC: No. HF: Just some of the Protestant NC: Presbyterians, they had a fair number [Interruption of interview about 2 minutes] HF: In the area NC: [inaudible] Father only had one, Arthur Krisp and Uncle Neil married sisters and Uncle Neil s first wife died, I remember [inaudible] my age was her last son, then he was younger than Will. Then he married another sister of the same family, and they again had another family then. This other family was renown and Annie. They moved up to Goshen, and they later moved, the boys moved up to Shelly, there was Tom and another girl when they lived there [inaudible] 7
HF: I m quite surprised Nephi that you ve mentioned that there was a Protestant Church, Presbyterian Church. NC: Well there was also a Methodist church started there. HF: In other words, there were enough Non-LDS to warrant the coming in of other, say, other churches. Was there a Catholic Church? NC: No, HF: Just some of the Protestants? NC: Presbyterians, they had a few members and they had a school house. There was a few. And the Methodist Church, they didn t last as long. I don t know that it had any real members or not, but they had a school and my oldest brother, his education was through that, and he and my other two brothers when they were grown up, they went to the Methodist school one winter so as to further their education. That didn t last very long. But what I was gonna say, there were quite a lot of polygamists, and I remember when the Deputy Sheriff, they called him the Deputy, came to Hyrum, looking for these polygamists. There were some living on the block where we lived and when they found out they were in town, these brethren would hide off as much as they could so as not to be found. One Brother Pearsen, I remember him well, he spoke in Sacrament Meeting and Sunday School, and he had more than one wife, and he went down to our neighbors and met him out in the garden there, and grabbed a hold or something and was working there. They came there, asked him if he was H.H. Pearsen, I was told this as a child, I guess it s the truth, and he says no, I m James J. Andersen, and that s where James J. Andersen lived. He was our closest neighbor; he had a father that run on and left him. And I remember Father talking about, talking to one of the brethren about Neil Andersen. He had two wives and he told [inaudible] penitentiary for it. And he said, words to this effect, he said they asked he if we quit the polygamy, quit association when we said goodnight and only live with his first, if they did that, they d turn him loose. And he says, I told them I wouldn t do it. I remember that, and I remember the family living on what we called Wellsville road further down in town. They had two young men that went to the Presbyterian Church and he sent the Deputy when he was there to find Mormon polygamists he d give each of those boys $5 gold pieces to give him the names and whereabouts of some of them. I remember those two boys going to that school and never associating much with the LDS boys. HF: That s very interesting. Yes, go ahead Nephi. NC: I went on a mission. I was called in 1906. HF: Now did you leave from Hyrum? NC: From Blackfoot. In 1903 my two brothers Willard and James, younger than me, bought a farm in Blackfoot. And I lived there and the other two boys were in Hyrum, tilling father s land and they rented Joe s farm in his college ward in 1906 I was asked by Bishop Buchanan if I d go on a mission, but he didn t say much about it. I answered him, if I remember it, that I wasn t 8
very well prepared, I should have more information and knowledge to go on a mission, and that s all that was said about it. A little later I got a letter from Salt Lake City. HF: Now, let s go back, just before we talk about going on your mission Nephi, and let me inquire, what induced, what encouragement did your brothers receive, and your family, your father s family, to move up into the Blackfoot area. Had they heard something about it? Apparently they had, what were some of the circumstances that caused them to take up their residence and maybe ownership of land in the Blackfoot country? NC: Well, my uncle, they were working in the hills, not they didn t have enough land, and they went there and took logs to the saw mill and worked in that line. HF: Where? NC: In [inaudible] canyon from Hyrum, they went up the canyon and they moved to Goshen. I don t know just where they got the incentive, or for what reason, but they moved up to Goshen and bought land, I think his name was Alfonzo Whitmer lived out of Blackfoot. They bought I think 260 acres to begin with. Anyway, they had that when I worked for them. And I got up there, worked with them, they gave me a job and I came in the spring of the year after school was out and worked for them until fall. And later, my younger brother James, he came up there and worked for months, we went up about the same time as Monsen and his family, and they bought land on the same section. HF: Is that Munson or Monsen? NC: Monsen HF: S-E-N? Now, is that the same name as the Monsen s that have lived in Blackfoot for a number of years? NC: They lived in Blackfoot for years ya. HF: It s the same one, we re talking about the NC: No, HF: It s still another family? NC: He was in the bishopric in Blackfoot, he run a store there, you spell his name S-E-N. HF: I see. Well, then about what year then did you come up to Blackfoot to be with your brothers? NC: My uncles HF: You re uncles; this would be about 19 9
NC: Fifteen I think, I was born in 88, HF: Yes, but I mean to say, that you had worked for your uncles, but when your brothers came to Blackfoot NC: 1903 HF: About 1903 NC: I was there 3 years before I got called on a mission. HF: On your mission. Now, did your mother and father go up there with you? NC: No, they never did. Father died, oh, I d say, between 1 and 2 years after I left Blackfoot, I think it was the 2 nd winter I left HF: In other words he had passed away before you left on your mission? NC: It was after I left. HF: And your mother remained in Hyrum? NC: Yes, she remained in Hyrum till she died. She had 3 different paramedics come before she died. HF: I see well then you and your brother James, and your other brother, what was his name? NC: Willard HF: Willard, were in Blackfoot between 1903 and 1906? NC: No, only me. The other 2 brothers remained in Hyrum and worked there. HF: Oh, I see. So you were alone in Blackfoot then between 1903 and 1906? NC: Ya, and one of them came up each winter and helped me each winter and helped me in the spring and we broke up sagebrush ground. HF: Did you have a ranch of your own? NC: We had one. We had it to start with. My sister s husband and I think there was 10 or 12 men in Hyrum, came to Moreland and bought a track of land of this same man Whiten. And it was cut HF: How would you spell his name? 10
NC: W-H-I-T-E-N HF: Whiten, I see NC: And that land was cut in 100 acre tracks and my brother in law, he got the first track they brought to the land coming into Blackfoot. He got the first track. And he let his father have half of his track and he happened to be an alcoholic. The year that I worked for my uncle, when I quit working there, I went over to Moreland before going home and visited my sister and her little girl. She was the oldest of the children, came and sit on my knee and she said, I m gonna be quiet, do you get drunk? I said no, she said papa does. It was only a few years till he had been in Blackfoot and gotten in trouble, and I think 2 men that would hang around the saloon quite a lot, beat him up, don t know for sure. Anyway, he was laid back so he could be run over, and he forgot [inaudible] he died from that. That left my sister with her little girl and two boys alone and for that land 21 acres I think she had and she moved from that back to Hyrum and me and my two younger brothers, bought that portion of land. HF: I see. NC: And then in 1903, we traded that on the face of 117 acres in Blackfoot. HF: What community was that? NC: Between Blackfoot and Wapello HF: Between Blackfoot and Wapello NC: We belonged to the Blackfoot ward. HF: To the Blackfoot ward. And I suppose there was just the one ward in Blackfoot at that time? NC: That s right. HF: Really, Blackfoot wasn t a Mormon town was it? NC: No, Senator Dubois was still alive and his influence was felt very much in that community. I remember, I built a one room house a lean to, where I lived until I went on my mission, and then my brother came back who had just gotten married and he added another room to it. At the rate we went to the lumbar yard, not the Boise yard, there was another one, I forget what they called, I m not sure what the price paid {inaudible} I went there first for lumbar, and there was two men in there, one was a younger fellow, in his 20s and the other maybe 30 or so. Talking to them, there was something said that brought in religion and I expressed my opinion to them. And it didn t mix with them. There wasn t much said because they couldn t say much to one of their customers against his religion, so they shut up about it. But outside of that, I never felt any pressure to speak up, but there was a lot around through the country. 11
HF: What group of people or economy, economic group, actually settled Blackfoot in your thinking? NC: Well HF: Did railroads have any influence? NC: I think so, I think so. In old instances, it was on the main line wasn t very many things at all. Later on, when I got there, Frank S. was Bishop I think when I got there, and Frank Parkinson was made bishop next I think, and the, it was Buchanan. He was bishop when I was sent on a mission. HF: And that was in 1906? NC: Ya. HF: Nephi, do you remember the name of Jusk? NC: Ya. Frank Jusk. HF: Any other names of Jusk? NC: James Jusk, he was the oldest son of that family. They lived in what we called Crystal and had a big farm on the Blackfoot river, just west straight up into the canyon. HF: Did you know a Sister Agnus? NC: Ya, I knew her, just [inaudible] I was over there when I worked for my uncles the first spring, I was sent over there with Willard I guess, to get a load of hay. So I went over there and got it. HF: Now this would ve been a, was this up towards the reservation? Was it NC: Ya. HF: Quite near the reservation? NC: Ya. HF: Now, there weren t very many Mormon families in the area were there? Would you say there was quite a few latter day saints? NC: Ya HF: By the turn of the century, by 1900, do you think there were quite a few latter day saints that had moved into the Blackfoot area? 12
NC: Ya, there were some out there. They had a church built and there was a pretty good ward. There was Allan Thomas, he was in the US land office and his father, I don t know whether it was true or not, but I heard said, he must have been talking to Senator Dubois and issued to Senator Dubois said that he would see the day and wouldn t realize what he said. Something to that effect. This may not be true, may be hearsay, but I got that from someone and I don t know how long after I got back that Senator Dubois passed away, but I think he worked quite strongly against the Latter-Day Saints. HF: Well now, Nephi, I would like to have you pursue this a little bit further in telling me the names of other LDS families in the area, early ones, early LDS families in the Blackfoot area. NC: Well, Frank C. Parkinson and his family. He was living in Blackfoot. And Osmond Buchanan, he had a brother Karl, and Frank S. Mike Gibson, he lived right next to the church, he kinda adopted us when we d come in town, we d go there. And Mrs. Browning, her first name I don t remember, she had HF: Van Ordens, were there any Van Ordens? NC: Ya, Van Ordens were there. Ya. I don t know. HF: Do you recall any of the leaders in the community perhaps who were Non-LDS. NC: Duckworth was the Stake President. James Duckworth. HF: Duckworth was the Stake President. NC: Rich, he lived at Pingree, he was his first counselor and Arthur Davis was the other counselor, anyway, I don t which was first or second HF: There was a Rich you say? NC: Ya. HF: Now was this one of the Rich s probably from NC: Heber HF: Heber Rich, from over in originally from Bear Lake Country maybe? NC: Ya. HF: And how about Budges, was there any Budges? NC: No, I don t think there were any Budges. 13
HF: There weren t any Budges? NC: Then there when we d go up to Goshen, Christensen s had gone early there [inaudible] John Berg, he was an old man, he went further away on a mission than I did. HF: John Greg? NC: B-E-R-G HF: B-E-R-G? NC: Ya, he was an early settler there. HF: How about the Pendleberry s? NC: They were in Blackfoot, but I don t know HF: How early? NC: I don t think they were quite as early. I didn t get acquainted with them anyway, until later. We started, I guess quite a bit later, association when we all had interests and worked together [inaudible]. And there was Blane, different kids HF: Now in the Moreland area, who do you recall in the Moreland area? NC: Well, there were HF: The interview will be concluded on side two HF: Side two of the interview with Brother and Sister Nephi Christensen and the same will be concluded on this tape. NC: No, that s more down the riverside, then there was Wilson, [inaudible] HF: Who do you remember in the Pingree area? NC: Well, Les Rich was down in that area, and I was down there, well, I don t remember the names. HF: Springfield, or Springville? NC: There was a Blackburn HF: Blackburn? 14
NC: Ya, and I was always working with [inaudible] working with Johnny too, and Mitch [inaudible] HF: This was after your mission wasn t it? This was years after your mission? NC: Ya. HF: Well now, you say that Bishop Buchanan called you on a mission in 1906, where did you go on your mission? NC: To Norway. Scandinavian mission and when I got to Denmark, where the headquarters were, Justin Sneagle was [inaudible] and he interviewed me and [inaudible] He said Brother Christensen, you re going to go to Oslo, Norway [inaudible] There was 3 districts in Norway, and I went in that, he says, That s the best mission in the stake. I went, and I was happy there. HF: Did you ever know or hear of an Alma B. Larsen that had served over there? NC: Alma B. Larsen was in there, sometime after I d left and Soren Rasmussen was president when he came, he worked in Oslo most of his time and he was made President to the mission. Me and Sister Christensen knew him well, and we knew him after he came here and once when we went down to Salt Lake to Conference I met him there in the Patriarch s group. I went over and talked to him; he says, Brother Christensen, I m happy to meet you in this group and he spoke about some of the other Brethren and one of them had got him in trouble and had called the court on him and one or two of them died overall and he was really a good friend and good man. HF: Well now, this Brother Larsen whom you knew, what was there about him that was quite remarkable? NC: He originally came from Ireland, he was a nephew of L.K.Larsen that was instrumental in getting my wife into the church and he was humble; he was prayerful; he was congenial; he was patient; he was a good Latter-Day Saint, sober to God. HF: Now, he became a Patriarch up this way didn t he? NC: Yes. HF: Did you know that he was a blind man? NC: Ya, I met him in Salt Lake when his wife brought him there, so I met him in the Patriarch s group. HF: He was truly a man of God and had the special blessing of healing power. NC: Yes, he did, and I remember this too. One of our grandchildren I guess it was, going to school to Rexburg had gone, either gone or someone else, anyway was along with somebody that 15
had got a blessing from him, and he wanted to know who it was, where they came from and all about them, and then they told him, dear old Nephi Christensen and his wife now. He found out they were related and [inaudible]. He said, they told me about it. I talked to him, I came here once, I don t know what, I guess, one of the children was going to school there and I met him here, it was of a Union meeting and I met him in his meeting and went to Priesthood Meeting with him. HF: Indeed, he was a great individual. Well now, Brother Christensen, after you returned from your mission from Norway, what were some of the experiences of your early life in Blackfoot? Did you take up the home again and start farming after you returned? NC: Ya went right back to the farm. Went back in that new lodge, then our first two children were born there, my wife was right there satisfying our good needs. The children grew up there, and they all had one blessing. We had enough to eat, but we didn t have the luxuries; we got up to the table and no one said I want this, I want that, it was placed on the table and each one of them took their plates and they said thanks. They were taught to pray, they were taught that the lesson had to [inaudible]; they were taught that the main doctor was God the Eternal Father, and He heard and answered our prayers. HF: That s truly inspiring. When did you get acquainted with the Kirby family? When did you first hear about Mrs., Sister Kirby? NC: It must have been, I don t know, it was after we were married, I don t know how many years. We were married in 1910, must have been 5 or more, from 5 to 10 years, it was just after they got there. I don t know if it was the ward teachers or somebody, or something else it seems that they came for. They told us about this family and the condition they were in and the sickness [inaudible] and I told them, I said, [inaudible and we bought some for our family. I said [inaudible] took a minute to make some clothes for the children, soon after I was put in the Bishopric. HF: With whom? NC: Marlin Jefferson, I was the first counselor, Neil Woodruff, he was a telephone manager, he was the second counselor, we got along fine. HF: When you went to check into the family, you found them in pretty sad circumstances? NC: Ya. HF: Describe what you learned. NC: Well, they weren t in our ward to start with, so I didn t find too much about them then. It was later I found out more about them. It was after, either before or after I was in the bishopric with Jefferson. Anyway, I was asked to talk in church for Sunday night. On my mission I d been in Norway and it s hard to translate. I was a boy when I was in Norway, and I had a memory and I could memorize any word, so much so that I had passages that were necessary in 16
our gospel principle, but I couldn t give that when I came home. I was strained, I was dedicated. [inaudible]. As I prepared for this talk, there was a little paper in 5 or 6 sheets maybe. I got that paper, read it over, I was in like with that, the evening was late. There was a Robert Baxter, he had written a nice article about his family and his life and what he wanted his family to accomplish, what he was working for, it was just wonderful, that s good for anybody. When I took that with me and I went to that meeting and sit up on the stand with the other brother that was gonna talk and he talked. Then I got up and talked and I read this article and when the meeting was dismissed, I was going down the platform and here Sister Kirby came, Brother Christensen, can I have that paper? I loved that, I ve been praying about that, that s just what I want. And I gave it to her. She said, Brother Christensen, do you know something? I says, No She says, All the while you sat there, there was a light over your head. When you got up to talk, that light was over your head all the while you talked. That s the faith she had, that s the way the Lord answered prayer. She says, This is the answer to my prayer and that s my testimony, that is the truth. I had that same experience when Sister Christensen and I were sent to Norway in 1947. We were there, we came home in 49. There was a sister there, her name was Evansen, and 16 years her husband had been a member to the church. She had followed him to the church time and time again. They had 4 children, 2 of them had been baptized in the Church and 2 when we came, were going to have a baptism and Sister Evansen sat with the two lady missionaries and she had told them she would be baptized, then she told us in one of our morning meetings before we went tracting. And the presiding Elder was a Lieutenant in the Norwegian Army; he was doing missionary work as well as we were. He said, She won t come, she said that before and she didn t come; she didn t come, and time went on. He was released and I was made presiding Elder. We was gonna have another baptism and her little boy was 8 years old, he had come to that age and your father said, Now you have the 2 oldest, it s no more than right that I have the next 2. And that was agreed on. On Tuesday night, we had mutual, and after year or so, we had English school, a lot of them wanted to learn so they could immigrate. And this Brother Evansen always came down to English School. He says, Brother Christensen, did you tell Brother Evans about that [inaudible] I say, Ya, I told him. He says, Had Brother Evans been the presiding Elder? I say, Ya, I told him that I hadn t told him. We set there in the one room we had a classroom, and under that there was a trap door, and under there was a vault, and we had that baptism (?) had been taped (audio unclear). They didn t come, he was gonna confirm the others, and Sister Christensen sat close to the door, and they came and knocked at the door, she opened the door and here come that good man and his wife with that little boy. They felt pretty bad, he felt sorry, they came talking to somebody and I went right over and said, Brother Evansen, don t blame anybody but me. It was my fault, they asked me if I d told you and I said yes, and I am sorry. I said, Well tend to that now. Well, that was a great day, and Sister Evansen went with Sister Christensen to find clothes for their boy, they hadn t been gone for too long, she says, Sister Christensen, she says, Ya? she says, Have you got clothes for me too? I m afraid I ll come close. They went and found the clothes, including the clothes for her, both of them. Then she stopped again, she says, Sister Christensen, who s gonna baptize me? She said, Just anyone you want, you can have your choice. And she wanted me, I got that privilege and she was baptized. A few years ago, I was down to the conference I got in Sunday, it wasn t conference, it was.or was it, anyway we stopped in Ogden and looked up in the telephone booth, in there was the man with his wife the four children. The oldest boy, the oldest girl was going to Paris to teach school and father and mother was working in the outskirts of Ogden in a lowly district, where there is a preschool now, 17
looked like some bushes. She said, Well I thought this district would be strange, and it was like Norway. I wanted to live there. [Inaudible] HF: Well isn t that quite a fine experience. The fruit of your labor. Well now, Brother Nephi, we have just a few moments left on the tape and I would like to have you, while we, on this few remaining moments, tell us something about the Kirby family as you grew up to know them, that is in the years that you knew Sister Kirby best. What she did, how she reared her family, and what conditions were like for the Kirby s as you understand it. NC: Well, she got her greatest support in her fine answer when it was so necessary through people that weren t members of the Church. I m not saying that anyone did anything against her, but the others were able and were more willing to help. That, she worked everyday, left those children at home to care for themselves, the older to take care of the little ones. And went into work, and did it well every place she went so that she was satisfied, and they were happy to help her and I think time gave her a little more than we re used to. I remember one day when I was in town and had a few groceries, taken home another and just talking to her and I think that something about fine answers. I don t know whether it was for her or someone else that was there she told me that was in need, I had to do something and I did, to give to them. That was her attitude, to help somebody else and she had the faith that couldn t be rocked. Maybe I shouldn t say this, but the Bishop Jepsen was a kind of a joker fellow, and sometimes he d say things that a joke just doesn t go, the things that are really [inaudible] need to come and said something in a joking way, I got so mad. She said, Brother Jepsen, I pick my own. I don t know what she called it, something. And she said it in a way so he remembered it; I don t think he ever said anything like that to her again. And when there was anything in particular, she wanted, she simply spoke to me about it. He lost a lot of his interest with her in that way. He was a good man, he had a lot of talent, and I didn t have any talent like he did. HF: Did you get acquainted with Sister Kirby s children quite well? The boys and the girls? NC: Oh ya. There was always concern that the boys worked for a man, (mumbles) where they sold cream. (mumbles) It was just like our own kids. HF: Well now, Brother Christen NC: We re happy to claim them. HF: That s real fine, now, when did you move out to the Lost River Stake? When did you move out to the Lost River Stake? NC: I don t remember what, it was early. Well, he finished his high school up in Lost River, so it was when he was not 15 yet. We ve been married 60 years and we ve had 10 kids. HF: Sister Christensen, can you give me the names of your children, starting with the oldest? LC: I don t think I can, you d better have him do it. 18
HF: Ok. NC: Clara, she married Jimmy Larsen; Olive, married Leroy Barkley; Olva married Erwin Williams; Carlson married Betty Morgan; Ulna married Max Taylor, Ronald married Gwenn Tew; and Alma married Alice Ricks; Robert married Lois, what was her name, I don t know what her last name was, Robert wasn t it; and Raymond married Donna Gildser, married and went on a mission; and Harold married HF: There s a couple of, 3 or 4 names that my wife has, and I have talked about that you surely knew. We ve, you mentioned cousin Duckworth, who were his counselors? (Women speaking in the background, inaudible) NC: Wilford Davis was the first counselor I think, and I think Rich Pingree, I don t know where, oh, Peter T. Johnson was in an office. HF: Now NC: Peter T. was in it first, he was released, all 3 of them was his counselors HF: Now, who were some of the other leaders of the Stake that you recall, say, from 1910 until say 1930 or 40? NC: I guess you can LC: Duckworth was a Stake President all those years and Nel R. Thomas and those came in, but President Duckworth was the Stake President that I remember. I don t know who else. HF: Do you have any recollection of other individuals living in the Blackfoot area? Do you remember who owned the first car? NC: Sneakman was the attorney wasn t he? LC: An attorney in land. NC: John Jones was an attorney. Mellick, he was one of the richest men I guess around. He had the mill and a lot of property around there, his wife was a member of the church, he wasn t. HF: Who owned the theaters in those early days? Do you remember who owned the theaters? NC: No, I don t think I ever got to know them. HF: What type of industry was developed in the area, early in the area, besides farming? NC: Well, the sugar factory came in. 19
HF: The sugar factory? NC: And Pendleberry, he had that the potato growers that interested, I joined that. [inaudible] The lumber, well, lets see, we have a lumber yard, we made one and there was another one that, I don t know what one it was. Hendersen Lumbar finally come. [inaudible] HF: Besides farming, there was quite a lot of fine industry then? NC: Ya. HF: In the area. And as the years have passed, more Latter-Day Saints moved in and it s become quite a Latter-day Saint area now hasn t it? NC: Ya. In the early days, it was just horse country. We d go out to the horse races and we sure were successful in that. Had a real fire pit and stuff. My wife was on the, in charge of the ladies for several years and now she has [inaudible]. What do you call ribbons sewed together. [inaudible] HF: Well, it s been real good having you people here today. I appreciate it very much. 20