| Notes |
- LIFE HISTORY OF IVY MYRTLE CARR FRANKLIN
Written February 15, 1963
I was born in Manassa, Colorado to John Henry Carr and Mary Paulina Layton on November 15, 1894. We lived there until I was a girl of eight. My parents left our hometown of Manassa, Colo. and moved to a small place 3 miles West of Manassa called the Star District, one and one-half miles Northeast of Romeo. That was our first move. We had owned our home since my parents came
to Colo. My mother and we children cried bitterly because of leaving our old and loved home.
My father was a very good carpenter. He contracted building big buildings, such as Hotels, dwelling houses, and all sorts of big business places all over the country. He even built places for Hot Springs in Mexico. He built Oheo Calienthy Hot Springs in Mexico, which is known all through the country as a wonderful place to go bathe for many ailments. It is much larger than Glenwood Springs. He was gone from home most of the time. He would come home on weekends sometimes. He and mother would go upstairs and send us children out to play. When they would come down mother would be red-eyed and her eyes would be swollen as though she had cried bitter-ly. But we never knew what had taken place or why. Now as I look back I know they had quarreled and had differences but we was never allowed to know. I never heard my parents quarrel ro say harsh words to one another.
My father took another woman to live with. She had 4 children. We were told
to call her Aunt Molly. She would go with my father places and cook for him while my mother stayed home and ran the farm. She milked 12 to 15 cows. My two older brothers Dud and Chris helped with the farm work.
My mother had 11 children and while living on the Star Ranch, my next to oldest sister Annie married Milt Guymon and moved to La Jara, Colo., where she has lived all these years never moving one time.
My oldest brother John Dudley married Fronie Guymon, a sister to Milt Guymon, and my younger brother, Chris went to Washington where he is now if he is still alive. He married a widow there with 4 children. She passed away and he never married again. He raised the children and they loved him dearly. Just as much as if he had been their own father. The last I heard he was still living there with her oldest son.
Then came our second move, we moved two miles South-east of Romeo. There my next sister May left home and went to work in a large Hotel at Antonita, 8 miles south of Romeo. The Hotel was owned by a man and woman named Eawell, a Jewish family. My father had just completed building the Hotel and she stay, ed there two years.
At that time my oldest sister Lily Pinckard lived in Pueblo, Colo. She had married before we left Manassa. I could not remember her ever living at home. Lily wag very sick and May went to Pueblo to take care of her. After being there awhile she met a bartender, Bill Miller, the son of the rich Bill Miller who owned all the bars, saloons, and pool halls in Pueblo at that time. She married Bill Jr. and lived there several years.
Then my sister Estella met and married a worthless bum, my father had working for him at the time. She had two lovely little girls. He was very cruel to my very sweet and beautiful sister until she took Typhoid Fever and passed away. When she passed away my mother took the two girls to raise. The oldest one being 4 yrs old, named Inez. The baby 6 months old named Almira.
By that time my father had built our own home in the town of Romeo and we made our third and last move. By that time there was only four children left at home; my sister, Mary Viola, myself-Ivy, and a brother Dewey and a brother Emmett. The rest of us married there in Romeo and my mother struggled on milking cows.
Before Mary Viola and I were married my mother took in washings and ironings
for the rich farmers of Romeo. When my father built this home in Romeo it was a large house, 10 rooms in all. Six bedrooms. Shortly before Mary and I married mother stopped taking and ironings and began to take in roomers. There was only six of us left at home counting her and father so she had 3 extra bedrooms.
Father had contracted the Big Hotel and Store there in Romeo for a big shot named Burkins. He also had a large Lumber and Hardware Store built by my father. Mother took all his men to room and board that was working on the New Hotel, Bank and Store. My father stayed pretty close to home that two years working there in Romeo.
Then in 1911 I married Henry L. Franklin and moved to La Jara, Colo., on a ranch. We lived there having 3 girls till 1916 when we sold our ranch and moved to Monte Vista where he worked on a ranch as Head Irrigator for two years. Then in the fall of 1927 Henry went to Little Lagurita to work at a sawmill and the girls and I stay-ed at Center, Colo. until we could move to Rupert, Idaho in the Spring.
We and our three girls went to Rupert, Idaho in the Spring and Henry went to work for his brother Hilyard; a sheep man. Henry was foreman of three big ranches, kept them all rolling as his brother Hill was busy out at the sheep camps. We stayed there till we lost our baby girl, Stella, in Dec of 1919.
That summer a Stallion had gotten Henry down and just about killed him. In the excitement I almost lost the baby then. I was in bed more than I was out till finally the 9th of December my baby was borned dead. The doctor, old Doctor Canagy broke her neck trying to deliver her. She weighed 4 lbs. He said she had never developed since Henry was got down by the Stallion in August.
We stayed on at Hill's place making whiskey for him, taking all the chances and him reaping the profit until the Spring of 1922 we left him and went to Nampa, Idaho on a construction job. Henry started contracting Jipo jobs under Marson and Knutsen. We did that until in November of 1922, our first Baby Boy, Henry Arthur, was born. We Jipold all summer and would come into Emmerr, Idaho to send the girls to school in the fall. We was from Caldwell, Idaho to Little Salmon River doing Road work, building roads and doing all kind of construction work until I got homesick for my people. It had been eight years since I had seen any of my people, so there came a slack with Marson and Knutsen. They wanted him to go to some God-forsaken country and I suggested we shake heads or tails and if it came up heads we'd come back to Colo. Or if it came up tails we'd follow Marson and Knutsen. It came up heads so we loaded up two wagons and started on our way. I drove 4 horses to a sheep camp wagon. Henry drove 4 to a supply and Furniture, consisting of a new Monarch range, Table and chairs, cooking utensils and dishes, our life's possessions on construction work.
We drove from Boise, Idaho to Tremonton, Utah. We had 12 head of horses when we left Boise and by the time we got to Tremonton, Utah we had 8 good head. He had traded and sold horses along the way.
I and the children were tired and weary by the time we reached Tremonton and
it cost so much to feed the horses and it was hard to find camp space and we decided to sell or trade the outfit for a car and small two wheel trailer to haul the things I wanted to keep.
We were in Tremonton 2 weeks and I made a few friend there, one was a beautiful widow Henry met. She was so sweet and sticky tounged. Her name was Elsie McBride. She talked Henry into leaving a big Queen Ann table and Dresser and 4 nice chairs and a nice chest of drawers with her that we had not been able to sell. She was to send us $10 a month till they were paid for so we did just that and came on our way with a Model A Ford and trailer.
The girls and I pushed more than we rode as the roads were slick and muddy. The Spring thaw had begun.
We landed in Alamosa with 4 kids, a Mode A Ford, a broken back, no job. We
went on to Romeo to see my mother and father. Stayed one night, rented a house, moved in the next day. And Henry went to work for Burkens Lumber Co. He worked there until Spring and then we came to Collbran, intending to go back to Idaho. His mother was not well so she begged him to stay near her. So he stayed that summer at Collbran.
In the fall he went to Grand Junction, got a job in the cannery, from there he went to work in the round house for D&RG railroad. We lived in a house on South 5th Street down by the river. Tommy was born there the 31st of Dec. Henry worked at the round house until March and he saved enough to buy a horse and buggy, a plow and a few other farm needs. WE went back to Collbran the Spring of 1926. He started farm-ing the Raney Ranch. We farmed there two years, bought more farm machinery and moved to the Bill Wallace Place where we had 10 milk cows. I skimmed the cream by hand, churned and sold butter for 25 cents a pound. We raised a whale of a big garden, a large corn and bean patch. The three girls and I took care of the garden, corn and beans. We also had an orchard, Apricot and Cherries. We sold stuff from the garden, Cherries and Apricots to buy their fall clothes for school. We sold roasting ears for 20 cents a dozen, beans 20 pounds for $1.15. We picked them. Peas for 3 cents a pound. Cucumbers for 20 cents a doz., Carrots and Beets for 10 cents a large bunch, also Radishes 5 cents a bunch, later in the fall we had Potatoes, Cabbage and Turnips and Rutabagas to sell. The girls raised Pinto Beans enough we had to hand pick them. Put them on a large tarp and tramped them out by foot at night. I felt as though I had walked 20 miles. Then in the Winter when there was no work outside we'd take a hundred pound sack of beans and pour them on the table and hand pick all the rocks and trash out. A sack a night. Before lessons or any homework was done. When we had them all cleaned we sold them just before Christmas.
We bought a hand turned separator and Christmas for the 5 children. They each got a new dress, a pair of shoes, and one Hankie. Was they ever proud, thought they really having a wonderful Christmas. The two boys too small for school got shoes and material for shirts and overalls, I made them.
The next Winter Guy Hodson sold him a horse, he worked it out working for Guy.
We moved to the Bill Wallace Place which was a 75 acre ranch. We bought more cows and more machinery. O6r credit was excellent. We could have all the cows and machinery we could use.
The girls and I cut and raked and stacked hay and wheat and oats. We made very good and so we had more and could dress better.
I raised Turkeys in my spare time. 500 of them by hand. Set old hens and turkeys, raised them all by my self. We cut and shocked grain and milked cows. We were a busy family for sure.
I had a child every time the moon changed. I was known by Lucy Larimer and
Lavine March as the old rabbit. Oh, those were happy days though. And then we moved on Dr. Zinkees place up the peninsula. Still more land and more milk cows. More turkeys.
Then Edna decided to marry Hank Shoup. Then it was Dad, I, and the two boys, Nita, and Vi. WE stayed there three years and Bill Wallace came and gave Dad a better deal. To come back to his place so we moved again. Stayed at Bill's 3 years more. Then along came Norman Kiggins, offered us a whale of a deal and we had pasture and 300 acres of farm land. Then we really began to work. Nita had married the last year on the Wallace place, so Vi and I and the two boys had it to our lonesome.
We mowed, raked, and stacked hay. Then he hired from 8 to 10 men during the
farm season. I cooked, raised kids, wrangled cattle and milked cows for a past time. Washed on the board for 8 of us. Vi was always in the field mowing, raking or some-thing to help her Daddy. We lived there 5 years on that place. Then Violet decided she would go away from home to work. Then I had it to my lonesome. Cook for men, milk cows, ride for strays, and chain the baby, Rosalie, to a telephone post so she could not get drowned in a large ditch near the house. When I would get back I would run here and there, cooking meals for 8 to 10 men. Oh, I had fun till my boys got big enough to help milk and do chores. Then the work got so heavy after we moved to the Kiggind place on Salt Creek we finally had to hire a girl to help me. Vernice Fitzpatrick. She was a very good girl, dependable to leave when I had to go to town for supplies, also when I had to ride to/run strays out of the field. She stayed all that summer then I took Edna's two children part of that winter and fall. They lived in Cedaredge then. Vernice got a job teaching school. So next summer I had Alice Hull, a very good girl. She stayed till the work was all done that fall. Then she got married. The next summer I hired Helen Place. She was good to work but she and the kids fought like cats and dogs. Then Charley and Margaret Schramm came along and hired Charley and gave Marge and Lorraine their board to help me. WE got along fine. Then we sold out and a place at Hunter in 1937. We lost that place and moved back to Georgia Mesa on the Bob Skinner place. We farmed that place till Ruff Barnard got Henry to take his place at Molina. We moved again. We were there 8 years. The 5th year Mr. Barnard died. Everything went smooth for awhile then Pearl, Carl Barnard's wife took over being boss. We were leaving and poor old Mrs. Barnard begged us to stay and cried. We did stay 3 years longer.
By then we had enough to buy a farm at Loma. We stayed there 2 years and his health failed him so fast with the three boys in the service. We sold the 85 acre farm. But while there on the farm Tom and Faye both married. Then we got a 40 acre farm near Fruita. And Rosalie and Newell both married while we were living there.
Then I got Rheumatism, had a cerebral hemorrhage, a black widow spider bit me,
all and all with Henry's bad health we sold the ranch at Fruita, had a sale and bought this small place at Pear Park, and could have been very happy but in 1952 we lost Tommy, He was killed in a coal mine at Axial, Colo.
Then Henry's health got worse. Then in 1955 I had a Heart Attack. From then on it was continual drain on our savings. Operations for him. Medicine and Doctor bills for the two of us. Then came the day when was snatched away from us. I was left alone, broke and very ill. I wanted to die and tried to die but I could not so I started to go places with the kids. Ernest and Marie Lemon came and got me, took me to their home in Long Beach, California. Then a niece and nephew, Florence and Joe Britton took me to Las Vegas, there we gambled and won better than $1500.
I came home and paid each of the children that helped me pay Henry's burial expenses; One-hundred dollars for the $76.35 they loaned me. I sold a few things I had and with getting the pension I squeezed by till I had to buy a Deep-Freeze. And two months later I had Natural gas installed and then my problems started. First one thing and then another happened. Things began to fall apart and I had more expense than my pension could cover and have enough to live on. Then I met Tom Meador, he asked me to marry him and I said I could not at first. I could not marry and no love attached, then as time went by we both grew closer to each other. Then Tom was call-ed to Kansas on the illness of his son. He kept writing to me. I decided to take a trip and was gone a month. Came home and he came to see me and I promised to marry him. He told me he would take me to my church. Later he stopped smoking and said he would join my church, which he did. I went to the Temple the 4th of July did all the work I could do at that time. Came home and went to talk to Newell at his home. He was a very sick boy and still is. he blew up and I decided to give up marrying Tom but Ernest Bond came to my rescue, told me to decide for myself and let no one influence me.
I came home and told Tom we would be married July 25, 1962. So we did. I have been very happy ever since. I have worried terribly over Newell and Arthur but my Doctor Herman Bull told me to stop my worrying or I would lose my mind so I started fighting to do as he said. My nerves are much better, and with my good husband's help I know thru prayer and faith I will win.
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1894 - 1983 (88 years)