Edmund Homer Tithing

Salt Lake City, Utah: October 21, 1970; The request that I put my testimony on paper for the benefit of others having been made, I Edmund Homer type this my testimony of the benefits which have come to me and my family through the paying of tithing.
I think I have always believed in tithing, but, the spirit has at times been weak along with my flesh, so I have failed at times.
I was firing boilers at the Utah state mental hospital at a very small salary, always worrying because I could not give the Lord the one tenth He asks for in return for the blessings He gave me. One night I kneeled down on the boiler room floor and asked for his forgiveness for not paying tithing and promised Him I would pay my tithing from then on.
The next payday I received my paycheck of $80.00 and payed ten dollars tithing. Two paydays later I recieved a raise in pay of ten dollars each payday, which covered the tithing.
I continued to pay tithing and an unusual event occured. On Thursday morning my boss said to me, "Homer, why don't you take your vacation starting Monday?" I answered I can take it anytime, but, I want all the time I have coming. This was four weeks as I had some comp time coming. He ask me why I wanted so much time and I told him I was going to get a job and earn extra money to pay my debts, or at least some of them. He answered, "Let me look at my time sheets then." He went back into his office for a time and when he came out he said, "wait until a week from Monday."
The day before my vacation started, the Salt Lake Tribune had extra big headlines three hundred and fifty men wanted at Ironton the next day. I know that my boss did not know in advance about this need for men, yet he set my vacation to start the same day. I went to the hiring center to apply for a job as laborer and they asked for pipe fitters. I had had considerable experience in this work so I decided to try for it as it paid a much higher wage. Four of us went in to take the written test. In about thirty minutes one man left, then soon another one left. THe other man asked me how I was doing and I told him it was a pretty hard test. He soon left and I thought, what chance have I. They only need two pipefitters and those three are a way ahead of me. I wanted to give up and go back and ask for a job as laborer. I stayed with it until the last problem, which was to list materials needed to complete a piece of work for which the drawing was given.
I was stuck, until I remembered that all plumbing blue prints listed the material needed to do the job the blue print called for. I learned that I was the only one who finished the examination and my answers were all correct. It pays to not give up easily.
When the four weeks were nearly up I went to my boss and told him I would have to stay with the new job for the sake of my family, as it paid more than one hundred dollars per more than the old one. He said he could not blame me for taking the better paying work and ask me to stay with him until he could get a man to take my place. So I worked days at Ironton and afternoons at the state mental hospital for another month. THis helped a lot toward paying my debts.
Another incident occured about this time which I must mention. We were building a church in the Grove ward and the finance committee had sent out our suggested assessments. We were sitting in church waiting for priesthood meeting to start and were discussing the new chapel and what was quite important to us, how we would pay for it. One brother said he just went and gave the bishop his check for the entire amount so it wouldn't worry him. Others were wishing they could.
I had borrowed on my home to pay off my other debts and added enough to cover half of my assessment on the new chapel. I told the brethren I had borrowed half of mine and paid it. Brother Charles Crobbsley turned to me and said "If you had the faith to borrow and pay half of your assessment the other half will come to you and YOU WILL PAY IT AND NEVER MISS IT." I will tell you how this came about.
While working for the state at the state hospital six and one half percent of my wages were held back for a retirement fund. When I left the hospital for Ironton the state mailed me a check for the amount with held which was considerable more than half of my assessment on the new church. I just endorsed the check and turned it in to the building fund. It came to me and I PAYED IT AND NEVER MISSED IT, because I never had it to miss.
The Union struck at Ironton and as I had a family to feed and clothe I went looking for work. I went to Bugway and worked for thirteen and one half years, I then retired and my wife and I went on a mission to the Cumorah Mission for two years.
The Lord has blessed us beyond measure. One other thing. I had a fair retirement... (the second page is missing.)

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Western States Mission - Denver, Colorado

Ben rode the Inter-Urban Electric Train to Salt Lake City around the first of December, 1945. He found the Missionary Training Center near the Eagle Gate and Brigham Young's Lion House. (Across the corner from Z.C.M.I.) It had served as a U.S.O. for military personell until a few days before Ben arrived. In one room was a Juke Box. Ben and a Lady Missionary going to Mexico on her mission, decided to dance. The Juke Box was stopped and Ben and his partner were informed that there was no dancing for missionaries. One missionary did get permission to attend his farewell party in one of the Salt Lake City Wards, but dancing was not permitted. Ben was assigned to be his Missionary Companion, so they sat out the dancing. (It was held on Saturday evening, they had great music, and all the girls were beautiful. A few of them enjoyed making the missionaries miserable with their teasing.)

General Authorities came to teach us how to be missionaries. A Doctor, Creed Haymond, was going to be a Mission President. He taught us how to remain healthy during our missions. Ben was ordained a Seventy by Seventies President, Milton R. Hunter, and was Set Apart for his mission by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith. We received our Endowments in the Salt Lake Temple, and then were taken on a tour of the Temple. We went to the Assembly Hall on the top floor, we saw the Holy of Holies room. (We were not invited in.) We saw the room where Elder James R. Talmage stayed while he wrote the book, "Jesus the Christ."

Ben was given a ticket on the Denver and Rio-Grande Rail Road Train December 12. He was required to stop over in Provo three days to allow his Mission President time to arrive in Denver before Ben did. He was instructed that he was not to touch a female person above her wrists except his mother. He could give and receive a hug from her. On the 15 th he boarded the train for Denver. President Francis A. Child and Mission Secretary, Elder Kenneth Sundberg, met him at the train station in Denver. Ben had been informed that he would recognize his greeters because they would be the tallest two men at the Depot. He had no difficulty spotting them. Ben was assigned to work in the mission office and lived in the Mission Home in Denver. His companion was Elder Sundberg. The Denver Ward Meeting House was next door to the Mission Office, so a few Saturday evenings were spent watching kids have fun, dancing. My, what torture! Sundays were spent traveling by bus to branches near Denver. Ben gave a lot of talks. Some weekday evenings were spent tracting or holding Cottage Meetings.

Elder Homer had his 21 birthday in the Mission Home. After about six months, he was assigned to go to Boulder, Colorado with Elder Burt U. Dickerson, from Ogden. When Elder Dickerson was released, Elder Varsel Jenks, from Idaho became a Jr. Companion. We had no church organization in Boulder, so we organized a Home Primary. A sister with several small children wanted to have a Primary. Her oldest daughter invited her school class to the first meeting. We had one class with 25 students and three classes with one student each. The large class shrunk each week until it stabilized at five.

We were invited to attend the Saturday services of the Seventh Day Baptist Church. After a couple of visits, we were asked to teach the lesson in the adult class. We chose, "Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy". Some were so impressed with our class lesson that we were asked to preach the sermon in the main service on a Saturday that the Pastor was out of town. However, someone in Denver learned about our appointment, and we were cancelled. Someone came from Denver to preach the sermon that Saturday. It was interesting while it lasted. My brother, Marion, came to visit me while he was on leave from the Navy. Marion and Raymond were both in the Navy, and both sent me support money for my mission.

I was transfered to Colorado Springs, with Elder Wm. Kent Marsdon as my companion. The branch met in a college building with 60 to 80 members attending during the school year and 5 or 6 attending during the Summer. Two lady missionaries were assigned to Colo. Springs while Elder Marsden and I were there. Sister Lois Clark and Sister Janis Weeks. Elder Marsden married sister Weeks when they were released. Elder Homer dated Sister Clark after their releases. They were engaged for about a year, but the whole idea fell through before they got close to a temple together.

Elders Homer and Marsdon started attending the Pilgrim Holiness Church on Wednesday evenings. he preacher started introducing us as his "regulars". We were never invited in while tracting before attending the P.H. Church. After meeting people at church, we were invited into nearly every home we tracted. We didn't baptize any one, but did get to talk to a lot of people.

While tracting one day we met a lady who said she would love to visit with us, but she was too tired. She was tending her brother who was dying with cancer. She had no one to spell her off, so we volunteered. We would sit with him while she slept. We gave him his medicine and water to drink. He died in a few days, and she asked us to preach his funeral sermon. Not many Elders had that experience.

Branch President, Rolleigh Gardner, came one day to ask Elder Homer to perform a marriage ceremony while he was out of town. He had obtained permission from President Child. Elder Homer spent much time rehearsing the ceremony. Then he learned that the couple he was joining in marriage were deaf-mute. Their relatives would peform the translation needed. WOW ! The ceremony was conducted, the papers filled out and signed and mailed in. About ten years later some of the relatives located Ben Homer in Salt Lake City and informed him that the couple had lived in sin for five years. The state of Colorado finally located them and informed them that Elder B.F. Homer had never been registered with the state of Colorado to perform marriages. They did have the ceremony repeated by someone with authority in the state of Colorado. Not many missionaries have tried that, either.

New Mexico was exciting. My last missionary assignment. When I first met President Child, I told him how disappointed I was to not be assigned to a Spanish speaking mission. I studied Spanish at the "Y" after I met Kathleen Bowman. President Child promised me that if I behaved myself, he would send me to New Mexico before I was released. New Mexico was included in the Western States Mission. We only had a Spanish speaking branch in Santa Fe.

Some of the members in Santa Fe were in the F.B.I. , working with people at Los Alamos. We were asked to visit Los Alamos to organize a Sunday School. With Permission from President Child, we obtained passes to visit Los Alamos, and got the Sunday School started. While visiting the members at Los Alamos, Elder Homer was invited to submit an application for employment. President Child gave permission for that, so we spent another day "on the Hill". Several interviews and a physical exam were completed. About three months would be required for a background check by the F.B.I. They suggested that I attend another Quarter at B.Y.U. while I waited.

I was released 12 December 1945, and went to work at J.C. Pennies for a couple of weeks before going home for Christmas. The manager of Pennies was married to one of our members in Santa Fe. He tried to persuade me to come back and work at Pennies, but my heart was set to work at Los Alamos.

Three months went by quickly. I was attending Conference in Salt Lake when I heard my name over the p.a. system. I had an emergency phone call, "Go to the nearest pay phone and ask for operator 753." So, I did. It was a call from Los Alamos. My security clearance had come through and I was to report for work in two weeks. When I returned to Pleasant Grove I told Mom about my exciting phone call. She said the call came to our home and she told the girl that I was attending L.D.S. Conference in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. The girl said thanks and hung up. She didn't give up, she found me.

I became a Jr. Scientist at $160.00 per month. I lived in an Army Barracks. I worked mostly for Dr. Newell Hart Smith. He had lots of fascinating projects to work on. On the phone, I tried to propose to Kathleen Bowman, but she finally said, "Ben, let's stay friends." So....On one of my trips home I went to Salt Lake and got a date with (Sister) Lois Clarke. One date led to another date and a lot of letters, and one night we became engaged to be married. We kept the postal service in business for a year. Then I received a request to re-schedule our wedding, then another and ... I finally wrote and asked if she wanted out, and she wrote back, "Yes". I waited a year for her to change her mind, and then traded the rings for a down payment on a car. One day my boss called me into his office. "Ben, take a leave of absence, go back to B.Y.U., marry one of those beautiful Mormon girls and come back here with your mind on your work". So, I did.

I liked Vesta Ann Ball a lot. She was chair woman, or on every committee at the "Y". She was fun to date, but impossible to catch up with. I had a date with her to go to the New Years Dance. Our Stake President, Wilford Warnick, organized a Returned Missionary Fireside. We met once a month to hear the testimony of the recently returned missionary. I went to David Smith's fireside and met a cute red head that didn't know. Her folks moved to Pleasant Grove while she and I were on our missions. She was fun to flirt with. Her name, Verda Adams. It was cold outside when we went to our cars, and Sister Adams said, "I wish some one would drive me home to get my gloves". I quickly responded, "I will." So, I drove her home to get her gloves, she drove me back to get my car. (A new blue Crosley.) The car was so cute she accepted an invitation to try my car. We dated a few times, and I was definitely interested in her. I asked David Smith to get a date with her for the New Year's dance, with the understanding that we would trade a lot of dances. She was as fun to dance with as she was to flirt with. But I soon saw my mistake in asking David Smith to help. He refused to recognize that his help was no longer needed. I warned him that we were on a collision path. He promised to leave Verda alone, the liar.

One night I was feeling a bit down, so I went over to the Adams home to chat with Verda a few minutes. She was wearing a bath robe and her hair was in curlers. She said she couldn't visit, she didn't have time. I pleaded for just a few minutes, so she said ok. A few minutes. Time goes so fast when....There was a knock on the door and she said, "Oh, no! I'm not ready." She answered the door and in came David Smith wearing a Tux, with a beautiful corsage of flowers in his hand. He said, "You're not ready!" Then he saw me. Every one became quiet. Finally, Verda said, "Well, I may as well bake a cake." So she did. She put white frosting on it. We enjoyed the cake. Finally, David said, "I might as well go." So I said. "I'll go too." I got in David's car and read the riot act to him for a while. He finally apologized and promised, "Never again." So I got out of the liar's car. I drove home feeling much worse than I had been feeling when I came.

We both had Temple Recommends, so some of our dates were going to the temple together.

We started kidding each other about which Temple we would rather be married in. We finally settled on Manti as our favorite. Verda was the most stubborn woman I had ever met. Once she made a decision, she didn't consider changing it. I had a friend who was the U.S.A. champion vacuum cleaner salesman. I told him Verda had just purchased a new carpet for her parents home. She had to drive a mile to borrow her sister's cleaner, and I bet him a malt he couldn't sell her a cleaner. He lost the bet. I wanted to propose marriage to Verda (Seriously), but I didn't dare try it. I knew one turn down would be the end. One night she went to sleep on our way home. I asked her, "Verda, did you enjoy the dance?" "Uum hmm." "Shall we go to one next week?" "Uum hmm." I had just finished a sales training thing, and I thought, "Wait a minute, we have something going here." So I asked, "Verda, will you marry me?" "Uumm hmm." I didn't dare push my luck, so I took her home. Next morning I phoned her at work. I didn't know that all phone calls were monitored by 30 other girls. I thanked her for accepting my proposal and told her I was leaving for Los Alamos to to work. She had said that she would never marry a sales man. She wanted an income that could be depended on to pay the rent and buy the groceries. All the girls asked her, "Verda did you accept a proposal?" "Did you get a ring?" "Well, I guess so, and no, no ring." I left for Los Alamos, determined to keep my mind on my work.

Verda flew to Albuquerque, and I rented a car to pick her up. We toured Los Alamos and picnicked in Frijoles Canyon. She accepted my proposal and ring. After we had been married a week she exclaimed, "Oh, my. I still have one engagement ring to return." I asked, "How many engagement rings did you have?" She just smiled.

Life with Grandpa and Grandma Brandon

My Father and brothers went to work for a farmer and took carrots, celery and potatoes for pay. We had a lot more to eat than we had in years. A young man and his wife moved out of one room, so my folks moved in and we had a little more room. My father rented a farm in Orem just North of Provo. We moved with them. We rented a small house near by. Elmo borrowed money to buy cows and start a dairy farm. We bought a cream separator and rented pasture at Lakeview. We bought a horse and buggy to go to the pasture (About 5 miles) to milk the cows. We bought hay and grain and sold cream, but we couldn't make the loan payments, so we lost it all. Leland was born there. Ben started going to Sunday School and gave his first 2 1/2 minute talk in the Sharon Ward. His S.S. teacher helped him with the talk and praised him for doing such a good job. Ben loved her. (Ben attended Primary in Springville, but his Sunday School teacher asked him to stay home unless he could dress more appropriately for Sunday. Patched, faded, blue denim overalls were his only clothes, so he stayed home on Sundays.)

The Brandons moved back to Provo, so the Homers bought a tent and set it up on their front lawn. We lived in the tent until it became too cold, then we rented what was left of a log cabin. Ben started 7 th grade living in a tent. His English teacher asked him to walk toward the black board and stop when he was close enough to read the assignment. He stopped about 6 inches from the blackboard, so his teacher made an appointment with the school nurse to check his eyes. The nurse made an appointment with the Daynes Jewelry Store to check his eyes. Dr. Daynes (Optometrist), arranged for the Lions Club to pay for the glasses. Ben discovered that it was possible to see birds and individual leaves on trees. He was thrilled. He started recognizing kids and adults, so he started saying "Hello", and found friends at school. A new experience.

Elmo started working on the Deer Creek Dam up Provo Canyon, so we bought a house in Lindon. $100.00 down and $10.00 a month, no indoor plumbing. Ben finished the seventh grade at Pleasant Grove Jr. High School. We all started going to Church again. Everything started working out better. I started teaching in Primary and really enjoyed it. Elmo was Scoutmaster, and Ben and Marion were Boy Scouts. Ben was Patrol Leader of the Lion Patrol.

Ben was in the Ninth Grade and Marion in the Seventh when police came to the school to interview them. A neighbor, Corkey Frier, had seen them cutting off the trees in a new orchard he had planted. (Three acres) The police had talked to little brother, Raymond, at the Elementary School, and he had admitted helping to cut down the new trees. (Raymond said they promised him that we would all get off much easier if he admitted doing it.) Ben and Marion held out and were promised that they would be in jail in a few days. A neighbor who trapped beaver along the canal mentioned to Elmo what a shame it was that the beaver had cut down Corkey Friers new orchard. Elmo talked to the police, and the whole thing was dropped.

An empty house on Locust Avenue, in Pleasant Grove, was flooded by irrigation water. Part of the foundation was washed away into the basement. It was for sale to some one who could make the necessary repairs. We bought it. There were fruit trees, lots of garden space, irrigation water, and indoor plumbing. Elmo and the boys repaired the foundation. We were in Heaven, until our 18 mo. baby, Ross, ran over to our neighbors electric fence and died from the shock.

The Japoneese attacked Pearl Harbor. Ben went to Salt Lake with Willis Brimhall to attend the N.Y.A. (National Youth Administration) Radio School. They wanted to get into radio when they went into the army or other service. Willis joined the Navy, Ben couldn't pass the physical. He became the Draft Board darling. They sent him to Salt Lake every month as part of their draft quota. He failed the physical every month, so each month he had a free ride back to Salt Lake City. His life long ear aches had resulted in a perforated ear drum, so he couldn't join and wasn't drafted. He went to B.Y.U. He rented a room with Norman Wright and Paul Adams, and worked for the University Custodian to pay tuition and buy books. Ben cleaned the lower floors of the Education Building and the Women's Gym. The Girls Dorm had been moved from Amanda Knight Hall to the upper floor of the Education Building. Ben enjoyed being Night Watchman for the girl's Dorm. Some of the girls were so sweet when they wanted the door left unlocked a bit longer for their room mate to get home from a date. They were very good at distracting the night watchman until their room mate was back. Ben washed dishes in the cafeteria to pay for his meals.

The second year at the "Y", Ben became very fond of a blue eyed, blond, (Kathleen Bowman) girl from Colonia Dublan, Mexico. He talked his Mom into naming his baby sister Kathleen. Kathleen was called on a mission, so Ben dated Ruth Blackburn untill she teased him too much by also dating guys Ben didn't approve of. Marion talked him into dating the sister of Joan Kirby, Gaye.
Ben received a mission call to Colorado and Gaye asked him to marry her instead of going on a mission. Ben promised to marry her when he came home, but he really wanted the mission. Gaye said she would be married when he came home, and she was.

Going to theTemple

We never seemed to be able to save enough money to pay our way to the temple, so Elmo said, "I am going to borrow the money." The man said, "What do you want the money for?" Elmo said, "We want to go to the temple." He said, "Do you pay your tithing?" "I do" "Then, I do not need any security if you pay your tithing, I believe you are honest, and I will trust you. I knew a Mormon once, and he was honest." That has always been a testimony to me.

We went to the temple and then we went back to Wichita and payed back the loan. Marion David came to liven things up on the 20 December 1926. The night Marion was born, Ben came down with an ear ache. It broke the next morning and ran for nine months. We didn't sleep much at night. I was supposed to stay in bed 10 days with a new baby, so Ben didn't get much help. Marion cried when ever I put him on the bed. At 4 1/2 months I took Marion to the doctor who said he had a rupture and would need an operation. The Dr. wanted some one in the operating room to help, but neither Elmo or I could do it, so we asked a missionary, Elder Barnes, to go in. The operation went well, but a thunder storm came up that night and no one slept.

About the 15 of July we bought a 1918 Model T Ford, to move to Utah. The Branch had a farewell party for us and gave us some money for our trip. We were on the road 12 days. We slept on the ground the first night, but I was afraid of rattlesnakes, so we slept sitting up in the car the rest of the way. I drove part of the way. The ruts in the road were so deep, you couldn't run off the road, and we never met any one coming. I would go to sleep and wake up later, still driving.

We started out from Walden, Colorado just before sunset. The mountains were beautiful. Our low band went out, so Elmo decided to back up to the top of the mountain. He zigged and zagged so much I asked him to stop and let me out with the babies. So, he backed up and I carried the 5 month old and dragged the two year old to the top of the mountain. It was one of my longest nights. We were happy to reach Steamboat Springs by morning. From the top of the mountain we could see for miles, and not a single tree in sight. It was hot riding in July. We finally reached Logan, Utah.

Elmo went to work in the Preston Idaho Flour Mill. I had Raymond all alone. Elmo came home the next day. We moved to Smithfield, Utah to work in a flour mill. Then we moved to Salt Lake City on the train. They broke most of our bottled fruits and vegetables, so they payed us rod them. Elmo had his foot run over by a truck and didn't work that winter, so I washed clothes for a Mrs. Lyman for 75 cents a week. We got by. Elmo had me go to the library to get books for him to read. I carried one arm load home and he said, "I've read all of those, bring me some I haven"t read." I thought that was impossible, he had read them all.

In the Spring we moved to Dr. Cannon's dairy farm. We had to clean our little house before we could move in. We used a hose to wash the cow piles off the walls and floor, what a mess. I had to get a kidney infection before Norman was born. We called the doctor when it was time and he drove out to the farm. He walked in and said, "I don't care what you do with this baby after it is born, but I am not going to deliver it here. If you don't have the money to go to the hospital, you better go with me to see your Bishop. He took us to see the Bishop, and then drove like wild fire to get me to the hospital. Norman was born 10 minutes after we got to the hospital. Ben, Marion and Raymond picked some milkweed flowers and sent them to the hospital with their Dad. I thought it was so sweet of them to think of me.

I went home in 10 days, and what a mess. The milkers had been boarding with a man who came down with scarlet fever. So, Dr. Cannon said I would have to cook for them. Well, there I was. An 11 day old baby to care for, I had to get Elmo's breakfast at 7:00 am so he could go to work. Then the boys and I would eat at 8:00, feed the baby at 10:00 and feed the milkers at 10:00. I just about lost my mind. We all eat at 12:00, then the milkers again at 2:00 pm, feed the baby again, we all eat at 6:00 and the milkers again at 8:00 pm. Elmo found a very sweet 16 year old girl to help me. One morning I had a revelation. I said to the girl, "This morning every thing that came up, you said you loved it. I said I hate it. You've taught me a wonderful lesson. I'm going to start looking at things the way you do."

Norman was a wonderful baby. Elmo was laid off at the end of the summer, so we moved back to Salt Lake City, to the same house. I did Mrs. Lyman's wash again for 75 cents a week until dear Mrs Lyman raised it to $1.00 a week. Ben went to Kindergarten. His Dad made him a kite, and ran up and down the street trying to get it to fly. The sticks and news paper were too heavy. They never did get it to fly.

Elmo heard of a man who was selling beans cheap, so he walked several blocks to buy some. He told the man he wanted 25 cents worth. The man gave him a large bag of beans, but Elmo said, "I can't carry that many." The man asked how far he had to walk. Elmo told him, so he handed back the quarter and said, "Take the street car." Elmo said, "It doesn't go on my street." The man said, "Take your quarter and those beans and get out of here, I don't care what you do with them." We ate a lot of beans that winter.

One of the school children asked Ben why he played with that nigger kid, Billy? Ben said he didn't know any nigger, but after school he asked Billy, "Are you a nigger?" Ben was on the ground before he knew what had hit him. Billy said, "Don't you ever call me that again." Ben promised that he wouldn't, and they continued to be good friends. We lived on 3rd South and 7th East, right next door to the Black Church building.

In the Spring a "good deal" came our way. We could move to a ranch in Hobble Creek Canyon, East of Springville. Mr. Rudger Amondson told us we could have all the meat and vegetables, milk and eggs we wanted to eat, and he would pay Elmo a monthly wage. Well, the wages didn't show up, but we had food to eat. He was a building contractor in Salt Lake City, but houses were not selling in S.L.C. Our neighbor, Mrs. Lily Jenson, took Ben to Springville for First Grade school. Ben brought a book home to practice reading to Mom. The book was "Peter Rabbit". Peter had an uncle Benjamin Bunny. Mom said, "That's your name, Benjamin." But Ben knew his name was Benny. She finally convinced him, so he learned how to spell his name from the book. He was proud to write Benjamin on his school papers after that .

A neighbor, Beulah Clark came to visit one day. We both had babies under 2 and were both a few months away from our next baby. The snow was deep, and Elmo came in and asked if we would like to go for a sleigh ride. He had to take the sleigh about a mile to get some hay. We thought it would be fun, so we went. We were riding back on top of the hay when a snow plow came along. we asked to get down off the hay, but Elmo insisted we would have no trouble. He pulled up on the snow bank on one side of the road to let the snow plow by, and over we went. Mothers and babies eventually crawled out from under the hay and Elmo reloaded the sleigh and we went home. Elmo enjoyed it.

In February I went to Springville to stay with Mrs. Marton until my baby came. She waited until the 12 and decided it was time. I guess she was tired of feeding me. She called Dr. Anderson and asked if it was ok to give me quinine and castor oil. He said it would be ok, and he came to help her give it to me. Richard was born around 9:00 pm. Elmo came to see me and said that all the boys were sick and Mrs. Jones was caring for them.

In the Spring, Mr. Amondson came to tell us that he was losing the ranch. He didn't have any money to pay us. There we were, with five little boys, and no where to go. Life never looked as bleak as it did then. I said to Elmo, "Take a ten gallon can of Amondson's cream to Springville and sell it and buy some flour and some potatoes, and we'll get by." So, he did, and we moved to Springville. He couldn't find any work, so he went to the dairy where he sold the cream and asked if he could work for a bucket of skimmed milk a day. We ate a lot of potatoes with skimmed milk on them. I'm glad I learned to bake good bread. We had a lot of bread and milk. Ben came home with chicken pox two weeks before school was out, so all the boys had chicken pox. Richard became so sick I took him to Dr. Anderson. He said, "Mrs. Homer, you can't make a lawyer without pay, and you can't make a Doctor work without pay." I took Richard home, but I didn't feel much love for Dr. Anderson.

We thought we would lose Richard. I took him over to Sister Bartholomews and she said, "Call your doctor." I said, "I don't have a doctor." She called her Dr. Anderson, and he was there in 5 minutes. He said, "I don't want to build up your hopes for this baby," I thought, I can't give him up." I told Elmo to get the Bishop and administer to him." He opened his eyes and wanted to eat. The doctor said not to feed him because he would choke on any food. I fed him anyway. He was sick for months, but he lived.

We moved to Provo. There was no work, but the Government was getting welfare started. We got some things from them to eat. One day I sent Ben and Marion to a place where they were giving out hamburger. They stood in line most of the day, and finally were given a package of hamburger. When I opened the package, it was crawling with maggots. I put it in the garbage and we went hungry another night. Elmo joined the C.C.C. for $30.00 a month. We went to the welfare to get a sack of coal so I could bake bread. The lady said, "You're going to work, we can't give you coal." We said, "He doesn't get paid for 30 days, how do we eat until we get the check?" She didn't have any answer, but there was nothing she could do about it. Ben and Marion took their wagon to the train tracks and picked up coal that fell off the trains. Marion had to have his tonsills out before he could start to school, so we had Ben's out at the same time. Richards legs were so weak he couldn't try to walk until he was almost two years old. Gretta was born December 11, while Elmo was in California with the C.C.C. (Civilian Conservation Corps) I asked Ben to write a letter to his dad and tell him about our baby girl, but Elmo came home for Christmas before he received the letter. After Christmas he went back to Calif.to get his release and went to work in Prove on a W.P.A. project for $40.00 a month. Imagine feeding 8 people on $40.00 a month.

In the Fall, my Mother, Father, Sister, Lily and her daughter, Daisy Mae, my Brothers, William, Marion, and Elmo came from Oklahoma (Dust Bowl) to stay with us in our one bedroom apartment. A week before thanksgiving, William, Marion, and Elmo Homer went to Albuquerque to get a truck load of furniture they had left when the truck broke down. After dinner, Thanksgiving day, Ben talked his cousin, Daisy Mae, his uncle Elmo Brandon, his brother Marion, and four neighbor boys into taking a hike on the mountain East of Provo. His cousin and uncle had never been in the mountains before, and they knew nothing about snow. When it started to get late, Fenn and Jay Erickson decided to go back home, but Ben persuaded the others to continue on. He had heard of a cabin that he wanted to see. They found the cabin as it was getting dark, so they decided to stay until morning. Then it would be safe to go back down the mountain. The mothers became worried, so they persuaded a couple of policemen and a group of men to go look for the hikers. The rescuers found the campers about 3:00am and started home with them. After they reached home, the group returned from Albuquerque. No one had much sleep that night.

Daisy Blanche Brandon Journal

"I had met Elder Homer and Elder Evans at the home of Sister Ulum's, and when I was ready to go back to my home at Oil Hill (Kansas), it was hot in July and I had a long way to walk walk. As I walked, the thought came to me, 'Well, I am not going to go with another man, until I go with Elder Homer. Then I am going To go with him forever.' That was quite different from my first opinion of him. I thought, why did they send those two ugly Elders out here together? They will never get into any ones home. But they did. Elder Evans was soon transferred, but Elder Homer spent 19 months in that part of the Mission. He came to stay with us before leaving to go home, and I cried all night. 'I would never see him again.' But, my father always said to the missionaries, "Write to us." None of them ever did, until Elder Homer. Elder Homer wrote that he arrived home ok, and Mother said, 'Daisy, you'll have to answer Elder Homer's letter.' So, letters came and went to and from the Brandon and Homer home. I had never opened one of his letters, until my sister Lilly insisted I open one. He asked me to marry him, so I wrote and told him he would have to ask my father. He did. He asked me to come to Idaho, but I insisted he would have to come back to Kansas if he wanted to marry me. He did.

I caught a light case of the measles, but the Dr. said it didn't harm my baby. I was sick all summer, and didn't feel like making any baby clothes. Dr. Rainry said, "That baby has been dead since you had the measles. Its a wonder you didn't die from blood poisoning." The next March I had a similar experience except I didn't lose the baby. A Sister Etaugh, was visiting from Utah. She said she gave blessings in the Temple, and she wanted to give me a blessing. She said my first baby was comming back to get a body and he would be able to sing. She said she could almost hear him singing now. December 21 our baby was born, we named him Benjamin for his grandfather Homer and Franklin for his grandfather Brandon. Ben weighed 9 1/2 pounds at birth. He weighed 19 lbs. when we took him to the temple to be sealed to us. (One year old.) I took him to a doctor and he asked what do you feed this baby? I said, I nurse him. He said wean him and start feeding him at the table. Ben had one tooth at 4 months, two teeth at 5 months and all of them at one year.