John Lea Lloyd

History of John Lea Lloyd
Born 21 March 1879 Married 13 March 1901 Died 1 April 1967

My Grandfather, John Lea Lloyd, was born in Wellsville, Cache County, Utah on March 21, 1879, a son of Thomas W. and Elizabeth Lea Lloyd. He was the 2nd child in a family of nine boys, two of whom died in infancy.
He spent his boyhood on a farm in Sterling, Utah, which is near Wellsville. Since there were no sisters he learned to wash dishes, tend babies, make beds as well as to do other chores boys usually do on a farm. He went to school after the fall work was done and the snow piled high in the canyons. There are two things he remembered best about his school days. First, the teacher seemed to be constantly at his side ready to rap his knuckles with a ruler if he tried to write with his left hand. He used his left hand almost exclusively for all other tasks so it was really a trial to learn to write with his right hand. Second, they looked forward to the time that the snow would be gone. For then it was time for school to let out in the spring. His father was a cattle man and also a farmer, so he spent a great deal of time driving cattle from Brigham, Logan, Mantua and other places. He often hauled wood from Sardine Canyon. (About where the new road is today)
He attended Sunday School and Primary in the little Sterling Ward. There were no lesson manuals at that time, so they put their chairs in a circle and passed the Bible around while each member of the class read a few verses. He spent many hours chopping wood for the widows of the ward and cleaning the little meeting house in order to fill his Priesthood assignments;.
His father was a devout hard working man. It was his firm conviction that idle hands were the tools of mischief, so he tried to keep his boys busy. Grandpa and his brothers did work hard, but boys will be boys and they managed to find a little time to play and even to get into mischief. Rob Redford, a cousin, lived nearby and he always seemed to know when Grandpa’s father would be away from home buying or selling cattle and then the fun would begin. One day when Rob came over, they decided to try their hand at roping some half-grown calves and finally succeeded in throwing the noose over the head of one of the animals. In the excitement that followed the rope was pulled tight around the calf’s throat, too tight for the boys to loosen. In the meantime the calf had stopped struggling and lay on the ground with its’ eyes bulging and tongue hanging out apparently breathing it’s last. Frantically, the boys searched their pockets for a pocket knife and horridly cut the rope just below the knot, but the knot was pulled so tight it wouldn’t slip. Luckily for the calf and the boys, Grandpa arrived just at that moment and in a matter of seconds he had cut the rope above the knot and saved the calf. For some reason Grandpa always ends the story right there, we’ve never been able to find out what happened next. However, they still carried on their little private rodeos out behind the barn whenever the opportunity presented itself.
When Grandfather was twelve, he and his older brother, Will, spent part of’ a summer camping out and breaking land for the neighbors. They used a hand plow, and while Uncle Will drove the team, Grandpa walked behind the plow holding the handles to keep it in the furrow. For this work they used their own plow, fed and furnished their own horses, and received two dollars and fifty cents a day in pay.
At fifteen years of age he was hired by the canal company and had several men working under his supervision.

When Grandpa was about sixteen his father was called on a mission. His older brother, Will, was farming for himself at that time so Grandpa was given the responsibility of taking care of the farm and helping his mother with the other children. This was a responsibility that he took very seriously and did to the best of his ability. One day, while his father was away on his mission, younger brother, Parley, began to neglect his chores. He was especially negligent about milking the cow dry. Grandmother’s patience with him finally came to an end and she attempted to give him the thrashing he so thoroughly deserved. She was a frail little woman and after a few minutes completely frustrated and almost in tears she called out “John,” you come and take this boy out to the wood shed and give him a good thrashing.” Grandpa was a reluctant disciplinarian but he carried out her order to the best of his ability, but confidentially, I think that he suffered over it more than his younger brother did. Grandpa loved good horses and took great pride in keeping them well-groomed. He was very particular about the way a harness looked and how it fit his team. He loved to drive a spirited team and always drove with a tight line. He often tells little incidences that happened while he was driving Old Barney, Daisy, and Old Snip.
Grandpa seemed to have a way with the ladies. There were always plenty of girl friends more than willing to be his partner at a box supper or a ward dance or other entertainment.
I think his code of living might be summed up in these words. He is a man whose word is as good as his bond. As a granddaughter speaking for all the other grandchildren, I would like to say, “Thank you Grandpa for your wonderful example.

(This history was written by Lillis Lloyd from personal interviews she had with John Lloyd and given by Marflean Lloyd Nielsen at a Stake Genealogy meeting. This history and the history of Hortense Lloyd Yost were written in 1952.)

In 1900 John and his brother, Will, went to St. Anthony to work on the farm their father had purchased.
Their parents lived and loved the gospel so it was only natural for the two brothers to attend Sunday School in the little Wilford Ward not far away. Their cousin, Rob Redford, was working in a lumber camp near by so he went with them. The three boys looked around with a great deal of interest at the members of this new ward and especially at the young women of their own age. One girl caught John’s fancy almost at once. She was an attractive girl, quite tall with gray eyes and dark curly hair done high up on her head in the becoming fashion of the day. Again that evening the boys made their way to the little Church House for evening service. There was no chorister present so Rob, always willing to help out, consented to lead the singing. He stood up and announced the first song, “Haste to the Sunday School.” A ripple of soft laughter went over the audience but John wasn’t one to let a friend down so he stood up and did the best he could to keep a straight face while he said, “Haste to the Sunday School.” Later on a dance was held and he was formally introduced to Hortense Parke, the charming girl he had seen in church.
A few nights later she was surprised to have him stop in for a little visit with her at a neighbor’s house where she was working. As they sat talking and laughing together John played with a little gray and white kitten. When it was time to go he said, “Be sure to feed this kitten well so she’ll look a little better when I come again. At the time Hortense felt that he was unduly concerned for the welfare of the kitten but she soon found out that he had other things on his mind. The next The next time he came it was raining hard so they had a cozy little chat before the fire and when he left he asked permission to take her to the election rally and dance. Of course, she was delighted and promised to go with him. They had a wonderful time at the dance. Never had the music seemed so sweet. The orchestra played all their favorite tunes, “Daisy Bell,” “Coming through the Rye,” “Over the Waves,” and “Red Wing.”
That winter John spent in Wellsville with his family. Letters were exchanged but seemed most unsatisfactory and on Feb. 1st he returned to St. Anthony. Hortense looked even more beautiful to him than he had remembered and on Feb. 14tn they became engaged to be married. The wedding date was set for March 13th, Certainly that was not much time for a girl to prepare a trouseau, but Hortense was a resourceful young woman and when she set her mind to do something she usually did it. On March 12th they left St. Anthony by train and went to Wellsville where she met John’s parents for the first time. They were married in the Logan Temple the next morning. Back in St. Anthony they set up housekeeping in the little house on the farm. On 18 Jan 1902 their first child, a son, was born. He was named John Lyman.
In 1903, John asked Hortense how she would like to move to Bancroft. She had never heard of such a place but she was willing to go if he thought it best, On Nov. 9th John loaded their household possessions into a wagon and started out. Hortense and baby Lyman were to follow by train in a few days. When John reached lona, just East of Idaho Falls, he was told that there was a short cut route to Bancroft if he would just cut through the hills from lona, he could cross the Indian reservation and in no time he’d be in Bancroft. He had a few crackers and some cheese for himself to eat and three or four sacks of oats for the horses. Surely that was enough for the short trip. Three days later he came out at 10 mile pass. When he came down into Ivins he inquired of Willard Banks how to get to Dan Lloyd’s place and was told it was just down the road a piece. Darkness overtook him at the railroad tracks so he was very grateful to a sheepherder who invited him in to supper, the first meal he had had in three days.
The next morning leaving his wagon, he started out on horse to find the farm he had bought. He had bought it without ever seeing it. It was located at Central. The place now owned by Parley Lloyd. (This farm later purchased by Terry Rindlisbaker) The home has been torn down.) It was a big lonesome country at that time. Houses were widely scattered and there were practically no fences. It was even a dangerous country as John found out when he was lost in a blizzard for several hours.
They traded butter and eggs for groceries and other things that could be purchased at the general store. Butter was 120 a pound and they usually had six pounds a week to sell. They felt that they were blessed to have the necessities of life but sometimes it was a real problem to get enough cash to buy stamps or any other commodity that couldn’t be traded out in butter and eggs.
Their domestic water supply came from a cistern. It was one of the few in the country at that time. In the fall it was filled with water from Spring Creek. This supply usually lasted until the water was turned in again in the spring but if the water was a little low in the cistern, little trenches were dug in the snow so that as it melted the water ran into the cistern.
In spite of the hard work and the hardships involved in pioneering this new country they enjoyed social relaxation with friends and neighbors. During those next few years, at one time or another, five of John’s brothers lived in that vicinity. On Sunday afternoons or Christmas, Thanksgiving, The Twenty-fourth of July, Birthdays, and other occasions they gathered at one of the homes and enjoyed the companionship of each other and families.
Another little boy came to bless their home. He was called Isaac Joseph. A few years after they came to Central, John decided to take up a homestead a few miles from where they were living. These were trying times for the young couple. John came down with spotted fever and was very ill and he was sick for a long time. His brothers came to harvest the crop that fall but due to the frost the grain was poor. Hortense, too, was ill and finally underwent an operation for appendicitis, a dangerous operation at that time.
The land on the homestead seemed spotted and didn’t produce as well as they thought it should. One year when John was a little late with his Spring planting he decided to let one piece of land lay idle until the next year. The neighbors thought it was a foolish thing to do but the next year an abundant crop proved that summer fallowing was a profitable practice.
One day John came home with exciting news. Ira Call had succeeded in drilling a well and indications were that he would have a plentiful supply of water. This was good news because it was thought by most people that it would be impractical to try to drill a well and the absence of good domestic water was a serious handicap to the development of the whole country. John engaged the well digger to start drilling on his place next.
In 1910 they sold the homestead and bought an irrigated farm at Lund. Eight years had passed since their second baby was born so they were overjoyed at arrival of another little boy. He was named Clinton Parke. Times were better now and John was getting ahead financially. Hortense was doing her share too, another little boy came to bless their home in September 1914. He was called Alton. During this time John was a member of the High Council and went with Brother Paul Lechtenberg all over the Stake. They traveled by horse and buggy to Grays Lake, Soda Springs, Grace, Cleveland, Chesterfield, and all points in between. They were usually gone three or four days on these trips.
In 1913 when their fourth son was only five weeks old, John was called to go on a mission to the Southern States. He had always wanted to go on a mission and felt it was a great privilege to be called but still it was hard to think of going away and leaving his little family alone. During his absence Hortense and her boys managed to complete the payments on their farm.
Soon after John returned they moved to Grace where they bought a place called Piney Ridge and another little boy came to join the other four. They named him, Clarence. Hortense was delighted with her little boys but she felt that John had enough help now, and it was time for a little girl to join their family. Her wish was granted two years later when twins were born, a little boy whom they called Horace and a girl that they named Hortense. Now there were six sons and a little daughter and they felt that their family was complete.
They looked back over the years with satisfaction. The Lord had surely blessed them. They had lived the gospel and taught their children to do the same. Family
prayers were held each day. They took an active part in civic and church activities. John was bishop for five years and was now serving in the High Council for the second time. He was very proud of Hortense. She was a wonderful mother and efficient house keeper. She was a good cook and a friend to anyone in need. Through the years she had also been a school trustee, Sunday School teacher, President of the Mutual, President of the Primary, a counselor in the Relief Society and was at this time the Relief Society President in the Grace Ward. They had a lovely home and nearly a thousand acres of land. John was never much of a singer, in fact, he seemed just a little afraid of his own voice but in those days he was frequently heard singing little snatches of his favorite hymn, “Israel, Israel God is Calling”.
They always felt it was a special privilege to entertain the Church Authorities in their home and there were many who came and enjoyed their hospitality. There was Joseph Fielding Smith, His brother Hyrum Smith, Hudger Clawson, LeGrande Richard, Stephen L. Richards, Melvin J. Ballard, President Heber J. Grant, Corey Hanks and others.
Now there was another little girl named Leah. Their friends had always told them they would have to have twins to get a girl but now there were two of them. They had six boys and two girls, a fine family and they felt that they had surely done their share.
There was only one thing to mar their happiness. Alton had had a serious illness when he was six years old. He had a terrible fever that the Doctors were unable to explain. It had changed their plump happy little boy into a thin, nervous child who never seemed to get quite enough rest. He was patient and uncomplaining and tried bravely to keep up with the rest of the children in their activities. The Doctors had said that he would out-grow it and eventually be well again but there was little change. Years later they were to learn that Alton was a victim of Parkinson’s disease, a terrible thing that strikes without warning and destroys the nerve cells.
In 1925 their oldest son, Lyman, was called to go on a mission to New Zealand. His mission was to last for three years. One of our country’s worst depressions
was slowly setting over the whole country and they decided that a family of growing boys would be better off out in the country so they sold their property in Grace and bought the property that is now known as the Idaho Ranch. It was truly an ideal place for boys to grow in. Plenty of space, a pony to ride, lava beds to explore, and yes, plenty of work to keep everyone busy from morning until night. Times were really hard. Wheat sold at 300 a bushel. Pork at 50 a pound or less. A good cow was worth 25 or $30 dollars. Hay was cheap. If the test was extra high a can of cream would bring nearly $10.00. Hortense made shirts for the boys and the girls wore made-over dresses. She had always excelled in everything she attempted to do and now she took up barbering in a big way. Everyone had their turn from John on down to four year old Leah.
In the fall of 1927, Hortense began to feel a vague uneasiness and surely her imagination was working overtime. The feeling persisted and finally she spoke to John about it. He was emphatic in his denial. “No, No, There’s nothing to it. Couldn’t be.” Resolutely she pushed the thought away from her. It was as John had said there was nothing to worry about. A few weeks later she knew she could not deny it any longer. They looked at each other aghast. Surely this couldn’t be happening to them, and what would their friends and neighbors say. Why, they were respectable, middle aged people with a grandchild on the way and a grown son coming home from a mission. Nature has a way of fulfilling its’ destiny and on April 4th a husky, blue eyed boy made his appearance. Warren was not in the least concerned at being Uncle Warren to another baby who was already six months old.

John and Hortense Lloyd with their adult children and spouses-Lill and Joseph are on the right

As their children married and moved away, they began to take life a little easier. They spent several winters in Mesa, Arizona, enjoying the sunshine and doing temple work. They worked in the Genealogical Committee of the Lund Ward and they made frequent trips to Logan to do temple work there. Hortense made and gave temple clothes to each of her children. She still loved to sew for the little new grand babies.
This couple were a spiritual couple who received the help of the Lord. Hortense as a young lady had her life restored because of a special blessing, and when they had a young son, Joe, kicked in the head by a horse and the Doctor told them he was dead and nothing could be done for him, they again went to the Lord and this son’s life was also restored.
Later in their lives they sold their farm to Warren and retired. They moved to Bancroft where they spent many happy hours.

(History written by Lillis Earl Lloyd. Typed to be given out at the John Lloyd reunion in 1982 by Ella Lechtenberg Lloyd.)

John and Hortense 60^th Wedding Anniversary