History of Frank & Lucinda Tyler Carpenter by Lucinda, installment #2

On May 6, 1896, when I was eight years old, I was baptized in the Union Canal by Hyrum Claridge and confirmed by Hyrum Chlarson.

Time has a way of moving swiftly on and we all had work that had to be done each day. Since I was now the oldest child I had to help with the work. Besides helping with housework, I milked cows, fed calves, pigs and chickens, planted corn and turned the grindstone and did many other things that had to be done on the farm. How I hated to turn that grindstone! But I had to do it so my father could sharpen his hay knives and axes.

When I was twelve years old my father was called on a mission to the Southern States. My mother was left with three young children and another to be born in a few months, and the farm to look after. My father’s brother, Oscar Tyler, helped manage the farm. One of our neighbors, William Carpenter, who had lived with us for several years as one of the family, helped with the farm and chores. Everything worked out fine and Mother felt that they were greatly blessed in so many ways while Father was gone. She was complimented several times on her good management of the farm and other business affairs.

When I was fourteen I was sustained as Secretary of the Primary.

When I finished the eighth grade I thought I knew about all there was to know. Our class had planned a graduation exercise bur something went wrong that day and we didn’t get to graduate. So I’ve never had the thrill of graduating.

A few years later the L.D.S. Academy was having a struggle to keep going. In order to help the school and to have more efficient officers and teachers in the Ward, several were called to go and take a course that would be most beneficial to them. I was called to take the Kindergarten course. I was happy about this. My instructor was a very dear friend of the family, Serena McGuire Pomeroy. She was a very good teacher and I enjoyed the work very much. I also enjoyed my classmates and some of them became lasting friends. It was at this time that I became interested in children and I have enjoyed working with them ever since. I had plenty of work to do after school hours, but there was always some time for fun and recreation, such as going to Mutual and choir practice.

My cousin, Lena Pace, and I were very close pals. We were always together whenever possible, and we always went everywhere and did everything together. Our boy friends, Gordon Kimball and David Cheney, were close pals also, so the four of us were inseparable. My boy friend’s dad, Andrew Kimball, owned a horse and buggy, and when we could get that we had plenty of fun. We could go to the dances in Thatcher, Pima and Central, and once we went across the river to Hubbard. Sometimes three or four couples would get together and go in a wagon. The boys took turns driving.

One night there were three couples of us and we had been to Pima to a dance. I was with James Johns. We had had our turn at driving and it was Wilse Lee’s turn. He never would drive if he could get out of it. This time he bowed up and wouldn’t budge. So we sat there and sat there, argued and persuaded until we were almost to get out and walk. Suddenly James jumped up, grabbed the lines and said, “Come on, I’ll drive.” He yelled at the horses and gave them a whack. They jumped and over went the back seat which contained Wilse and his girl. We finally got them gathered up and settled in place, and then went merrily on our way. But the next time it was Wilse’s turn to drive, he did.

When I was seventeen my dad went into the sawmill business in Graham Mountains with William A. Moody, J.R. Welker and others. They built a flume from the sawmill to the foot of the mountain. Then the lumber was floated down the flume and hauled away by team. It was quite a thriving business for some time, but later was abandoned as it didn’t pay.

As Father had to be at the sawmill almost all of his time, the family spent the summers there. We had gay old times, hiking, exploring caves, sliding down the flume, hunting berries and pine gum. It was sad when my dad, using the hand saw, accidentally got the fingers of one hand cut off.

In 1905 I was sustained as Secretary of the Y.L.M.I.A. Sarah B. Moody was the president. She was the wife on William A. Moody and a very good friend. I was secretary for seven years. I liked Mutual. It was about all the recreation we had.