STAR VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY HISTORICAL BOOKS INVENTORY DETAILS 1. Overview Title: History ofandrew Carlos McCombs Author: Ellen McCombs Van Leuven Subject: Personal History Publisher: Publishing Date: Number ofpages: 4 ID#: 544 Location: Website 2. Evaluation Evaluator's Name(s): Kent and Polly Erickson Date of Evaluation: December 2014 Key Words: missions, Cache Valley, Grover, Wyoming Included Names: Andrew and Lucy Lucetta Brown McCombs, Ellen (Nellie) Gray 3. Synopsis He was born in Centerville, Utah in 1857. The family moved to Cache Valley, living in several different towns. After his mother died in childbirth, his father's second wife raised all of the children. He married Ellen Gray in 1884. Star Valley became their home in 1886. They were one of the earliest families to settle here. Besides breaking the land, he helped carry the mail. In 1908, he served a mission to England. He passed away in 1945. At the end ofthe selection there is a page Entitled "Faith ofandrew Carlos McCombs." 4. Other
History ofandrew Carlos McCombs 27 March 1857-24 July 1945 Written by Ellen McCombs Van Leuven Andrew Carlos McCombs, son of Andrew and Lucy Lucetta Brown McCombs was bom atcenterville, Utah the 27^^ ofmarch 1857. In the year 1865 his family moved from Centerville to Logan and then to Clarkston. While in Logan, his father, being a rock mason, worked on the Temple and while still a young boy Andrew Carlos walked on the walls ofthe Temple when they were just a few feet high. In 1867 Indian trouble became dangerous and every person in Clarkston was forced to ferry Bear River and go to Smithfield. They lived in Smithfield one year and then went back to Clarkston. In 1868 they traded their home in Clarkston for one in Smithfield, where the children attended school. In November, 1869 his mother died and left a baby boy one hour old. His father's second wife, who was also his mother's sister, raised the children, four boys and two girls and cared for them as her own. In the spring of 1870 they moved to pioneer Trenton and they lived in a dugout. In 1871 his father started building a large rock house. Andrew Carlos was only thirteen years ofage, but he helped his brothers carry sand and clay and mixed the mortar. They then carried the rock and mortar up to his father while he laid the rock to build the walls. He also helped haul saw timber to finish the house. Andrew Carlos was a good worker and helped in every way to assist in supporting his father's family. When a young man he fed and herded sheep and Church cattle. He also rode the range for the cattle. In 1880 they grew a good crop ofgrain and put up their first crop ofwheat. In the fall of 1881 they bought a header to harvest the grain, and in the same year his father was called on a mission, leaving the family in debt for the header, but with hard work and careful scheming they got out ofdebt and kept the father on the mission. By the time he returned the family was farming exclusively. During the winter of 1882 while at Trenton, Utah he met a young girl, Ellen (Nellie she was commonly called) Gray. She came from Scotland and was visiting her cousin. They became interested in each other and onthe 25^ ofjime 1884 were married in the Logan Temple. They were among the first to be married there, as the Temple was dedicated May 17, 1884, one month before their marriage. On April 4^^ their first baby
was bom. They named her Ellen after her mother. At that time during the summer months, they lived in a house which was the property ofmyron Butler. He then built a small home on some land he owned, he also owned three horses, two colts, one cow, one calf, a harness, a wagon and a few chickens. In 1886 they moved from Trenton to Star Valley, Wyoming and located in Afton. They arrived May 30, 1886. At that time there were only four houses with roofs on and families living in them and two families in tents. He bought a lot and built a one room log house on it. It was the first house in Afton to have a wooden floor. He hewed the three sides oflogs with a broad axe and planned them for flooring. He also took up a ranch at the north end ofthe upper Star Valley. In the fall of 1886, he went back to Trenton and worked on a header and earned enough flour to last them a year. At that time he brought the first shade trees from Cache Valley to Star Valley. In the winter they killed deer for meat and tanned the hides for buckskin. He and his brother, Alvin, each made them a pair ofbuckskin trousers, and Charlotte Hale made them a buckskin shirt each. In the spring of 1887, he built a house on the ranch and got water on the land and hauled timber to fence with. The ranch was covered with sagebrush and anthills. He cleared the land and made good fertile meadowlandofit. In 1888, they moved to the ranch. They lived in Afton in the winters and the ranch in the summers. In March 1890, he helped carry the U.S. Mail from Afton to Montpelier, Idaho. They used skis to travel with and carried the mail on their backs. The snow in the mountains where theroad ranwas nine feet deep. He celebrated his 31 ^ birthday with the U.S. Mail sack on his back. At that time he was out two weeks on the road with the mail going to Montpelier and back to Afton. In the summer of 1897 and 1898 he milked cows on shares and made cheese. In the fall he would take the cheese to Cache Valley and trade it for flour, dried fruit, honey and apples to last through the winter. His father died in 1902 and they took him to Cache Valley for burial. In 1904 he was taken in the High Council and then his missionary life began as a home missionary traveling from ward to ward. In 1905 he had his fingers cut offwith a mowing machine.
In 1908, he was called on a mission to England. He lefthomemarch 31 ' for Sah Lake City. On the 9''' ofapril he left Salt Lake and landed in Liverpool England May 2"*^. He labored innorwich and Ipswitch. His companions were Vem Toolson and Joseph Edwards. The president to the Branch Mission at that time was Charles W. Penrose. After fulfilling his mission, he returned to his home, June 1910. While on his mission his wife and children milked cows and furnished him with every dollar he spent. He then settled down to farming. He was the father ofeleven children, six girls and five boys. He passed from this life at the age of 88 on the 24'*' ofjuly 1945. He was buried in the Aiton cemetery.
Faith ofandrew Carlos McCombs I, with others, were called out ofsunday School to administer to Sister Lena Nelson. In the administrationthe complaint was rebuked and she was promised she would get well and give birth to a boy and live to raise him to manhood. This was literally fulfilled. The child's name was Orvill Nelson. A number ofyears later Sister Nelson became sick and under the doctor's care they were treating her to prepare her for an operation. She sent for Bishop Ray S. Thurman, John Hepworth and myselfto give her a blessing before she was operated on. Bishop Thurman took charge. He called on me to seal the anointing and I promised her she did not have to be operated on and she would get well. This was fulfilled as promised. In 1918 I took a very bad cold and it turned to brights disease. We let it run until the doctors told me no doctor could cure me. My wife called the Elders in to administer to me the first Sunday in July 1918. They promised me I could live as long as I wished to. I recovered so much I was able to go back to normal labor and church work again. In March 1921 in company with Wilford W. Cranney, we were called to Fairview to do missionary work in the ward. Before I left home I administered to two ofmy daughters before giving birth to their babies. I promised each one they would give birth to a baby boy, which they did, Myron Dutson and Ivan Van Leuven. Later I, with Bishop Thurman and Calvin Van Leuven and John Hepworth were called to administer to Lillie Hincks. When we got there she was in a convulsion, and had been for two hours. We rebuked the aihnent and promised her she would live to raise her baby boy. The doctors said Lillie couldn't possibly live but she recovered and lived several years after that. Andrew Carlos McCombs had a great healing power, which the Lord blessed him with. These are only a few instances ofhealing the sick in which he was called to administer.