George Trevor Proctor

George Trevor Proctor

1907-1981

     George Trevor Proctor was born 14 June 1907 in Leland, Utah to Franklin DH Proctor and Elizabeth Sarah Williams. 

Birth Certificate

I really don't know a lot about Uncle George but I will write what I know and what the facts say are so.  Uncle George lived most of his life in Utah so I am not sure but think he must have been visiting his sister and brother-in-law Atha and Opal Staker who lived in Robert, Idaho, when he met and married Louella Poulson.  They were married 15 June 1932 in Roberts, Idaho.  To this union was born 2 children Afton Ann Proctor 31 Jan 1933 and David Trevor Proctor 19 May 1936.

      Uncle George and Louella's marriage wasn't to last.  Shortly before or after David was born they were divorced.  The 1940 census shows Louella and the 2 children living with her parents in Pocatello.  This record states that they were living at the same place in 1935.  So I am not sure just when the divorce took place.

      Uncle George was inducted into the army 5 June 1942 at Fort Douglas, Utah.  His enlistment was for the duration of the war plus 6 months.  I don't know if he ever saw any action or just how much this affected his life. 

     He married Lydia Elizabeth Staker 22 July 1945 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Lydia Elizabeth Staker Proctor

I only ever knew of Uncle George and Aunt Libby as she was called.  They never had any children but were a super great Uncle and Aunt to me.  When my family lived in Lovelle, Wyoming, Uncle George and Aunt Libby lived in a trailer house right next to the basement I lived in with my family. 

Joyce and Lois Cook 

Uncle George and Aunt Libby's trailer in the background

So we saw a lot of them.  Dad and Uncle George were working on the high power lines there in Wyoming.  I remember that we would go to Yellowstone National Park nearly every weekend and camp there with them.

     I remember him as always being happy and good natured.  He was quite a tease and was always a barrel of fun to be around.  There was never a dull moment when Uncle George was there.  I loved him and Aunt Libby and enjoyed being around them.

    This entry was taken from a booklet that was published for the reunion of the Spanish Fork Class of 1925.  It appears that the reunion was held in 1970 with the sketches from the class members being gathered the prior year:

     George Proctor-2400 South 4th East, Salt Lake City, Utah - Spouse: Luella Polson (Div); Lydia Elizabeth Staker.  "I have had a very good life.  I have lived in Salt Lake most of my life.  I work on construction (electrical) and at present working as a maintenance man for Utah Power.  I travel around a lot and work where I am needed.  I have been married twice and have had two good companions.  At present I am in Idaho doing work on a pole line."

Ruth, Atha, George, and Annie Carol Proctor

Bill, Annie Carol, George, Atha, and Ruth Proctor

     Uncle George died 3 March 1981in Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 73.  He is buried in the West Valley City Cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah.

     Aunt Libby lived to the ripe old age of 100.  She was born 2 March 1904 in Sunnyside, Utah and died 23 August 2004 in Bountiful, Utah.  She is buried next to Uncle George in the West Valley City Cemetery in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Elwood and Jennie Proctor-Obituaries

Elwood Leslie Proctor

     When I blogged last week about Uncle Woody and Aunt Jennie, I inadvertently left off their obituaries that appeared in the newspapers.  I really wanted these to be in the blog and so I am adding them this week.  

     

Elwood Leslie Proctor

Elwood Leslie Proctor

1904-1955

     Elwood Leslie Proctor was born to George Kidd and Annie (Ludlow) Proctor 8 January 1904, in Benjamin, Utah.

Elwood Leslie Proctor

     He lived in Aberdeen, Idaho and then moved with his family to Tooele, Utah where he spent the remainder of his days.  He was a miner and a fireman.  Friends and family all called him Woody.

     He married Jennie Vera Searle on 18 August 1924 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

     To this union three children were born: DaLane, George Lyman, and Sue. 

Jennie and DaLane

     Woody died 24 December 1955 of silicosis a condition caused by inhaling too much silica over a long period of time.  Silica is found in sand and rocks such as granite.  His death was undoubtedly caused from working in the mines for so long.

     Aunt Jennie was born 29 August 1906 in Midvale, Utah, to Asa Lyman and Ursula Catherine (Snyder) Searle.  She passed away 8 November 1988 in Boise, Idaho.  Both Uncle Woody and Aunt Jennie are buried in the Tooele City Cemetery in Tooele, Utah.

Elwood Leslie Proctor

Jennie Vera Searle Proctor

     My Uncle Walt Formo wrote a tribute to Uncle Woody that follows:

     "Woody bought a beautiful brick home on East Street in Tooele, Utah.  Since his front lawn was higher than his neighbors, he built a rock retaining wall, with the aid of Al Peterson, that is beautiful.  Alongside of it, he planted the most beautiful rose bushes which are still there.  In back he had a lovely patio and fish pond with lots of flowering shrubs and roses.  He called his back yard 'a little bit of heaven.'  Dowstairs he had his den where he kept his sporting equipment and had his office.  He bought his daughter, DaLane (Doug), a baby grand piano and she became very skilled in music.  Later his younger daughter, Sue, also studied music.  He loved his family dearly and was very close to them.  His only son, George Lyman Proctor was born in 1931 but passed away shortly after birth.  My son Bill says Elwood used to pick him up and drive down to Hank and Evans Confectionary and let him buy penny candy and then take him back home.  I often visit his resting place and all the families'.  To me he was a beautiful person who I feel honored to have known and worked with.  Yes to me he was a legion."

Elwood Leslie Proctor

Elwood Leslie Proctor (They had photo bombers then too)

Dan and Inez (Proctor0 Whitehouse, Jennie (Searle) Proctor, Dorothy (Blackstone) Proctor, DaLane and Sue Proctor

Ninian Nelson-Immigration Story

By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled

Compiled by Leatrice Nelson Hunsaker

(Great Granddaughter of Ninian Nelson)

     In Ether 12:3 we read, "By faith all things are fulfilled.' That surely was true for the 457 Passengers on board the ship, The Constitution, who began their journey from Liverpool, England to the land of America on 24 June 1868,  They were a company of people who had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, believing it was the True Church of Christ which had been restored upon the earth in this modern day.  On board that ship were 45 from Switzerland, Bavaria, Württemberg, and the Netherlands, and 412 were from the British Isles.  There were also a number of missionaries included in that group, returning from their missions:  Elders Joseph S. Horne and John Hoagland from the Swiss and German missions; Elders Harvey H. Cluff, C. P. Liston, Hyrum T. Spencer, and Nephi R. Fawcett from the British Mission.  Also Elder Hugentobler from the Switzerland Mission and Elder Van Stetter having served in the Netherlands Mission.  Elder Harvey H. Cluff was appointed president of the company with Elder Joseph S. Horne and C. P. Liston as has counselors.

     Ninian Nelson and his son Edward Nelson were among that group of people from Scotland who had joined that Church.  Ninian and his wife Christina were baptized in 1847.  It became their great desire and goal to come to America, which seemed to be the land of opportunity for them.  Things had not been going very well for them in Scotland.  They were not able to make that trip, however, until more than twenty years later, when Ninian and his oldest son Edward came to America in 1868 intending to prepare a place where they could soon bring the rest of the family.  Ninian left behind his wife and five children. 

     When and Edward got to Liverpool to board the ship, The Resolute, which they were scheduled to cross the ocean on, that ship was not in port.  There were two ships scheduled to bring the immigrants across the ocean at that time, The Emerald Isle and The Resolute.  They loaded The Emerald Isle and it left Liverpool on 20 June 1868.  The Resolute had not yet arrived in port.  The immigration officers went in search of another ship to carry the rest of the immigrants across the ocean.  The only ship they found was The Constitution, a ship that had been condemned and was considered to not be sea worthy.  They sought out the Captain of that ship, Captain Hatten and asked him if he would take his ship across the ocean one more time.  He hesitated at first about taking that old vessel on another ocean voyage.  Upon learning that the passengers would be Mormons, he no longer hesitated but agreed to cross the ocean one more time.  "You can't drown the Mormons!" he is reported to have said. 

     The passengers on board that ship soon learned that was indeed a brave statement.  That ship leaked so much that it was necessary to pump water out both day and night.  That was the last sailing vessel to carry a large group of Saints across the Atlantic Ocean.      

     Three days into their voyage they encountered a strong wind which caused the ship to sail faster across the ocean.  Captain Hatten said they were in the midst of a cyclone.  He said, "The fury of that storm somehow seemed to pass around us.  That was fortunate for us.  Our frail vessel could not have endured the full force of a cyclone."

     The ship was required to have a doctor on board.  Mr. Johnson was the doctor on board The Constitution.  His services were only called upon once during the entire voyage.  That was to see a child.  The mother of that child became alarmed when her son got sick and she desired the doctor to see her sick child.  Elder Cluff went to get the doctor and brought him to see the child.  Dr Johnson prescribed that the young boy be given one quart of beer and a pint of wine daily.  The doctor was unable to walk the deck along, so Elder Cluff helped him return to his room on the upper deck.  When Elder returned to the mother, he found the mother in tears.  He asked her, "Do you wish to follow the advice of the doctor?"  She said, "No!" "What would you like done for the child?" he asked.  "I desire the Elders to administer to my child."  Elder Cluff got the Elders and they administered to the child and the next morning the child was quite well.  The doctor entered a complaint to the ship's Captain because Mr. Cluff did not give that young boy one quart of beer and a pint of wine as he had prescribed.  He also complained because he was not called upon to visit the sick.  The Captain said to him, "Doctor, these people are Mormons and do not believe in doctors.  But, of course, the government compels us to have a doctor on board, hence, you are here, and unless Mr. Cluff requests your services you are not to go among the people."

     On Sunday 5 August 1868, late in the evening, after six weeks of rugged sailing, The Constitution arrived safely at Castle Gardens, New York, with 457 passengers on board four days ahead of The Emerald Isle, which was considered to be a good sea worthy vessel, which left Liverpool four days ahead of The Constitution.

     Elder Cluff is reported to have said this about that journey, "How can we feel grateful enough to our Heavenly Father for the blessings which He has so graciously bestowed upon the passengers of The Constitution?  Considering the kind of ship, the passengers crowed into a cave, as it were, and the leakage of the old tub, makes our preservation still more to be thankful for.  While it is true, we had some sickness, yet the perseverance of the Elders in watching their wards and looking after the health of the people, administering to the afflicted and giving comfort to the despondent and cheering up the downcast, we arrived in port at New York without losing a single passenger and without any contagion, four days ahead of The Emerald Isle which was considered a good sea worthy vessel.  Dr. Johnson was the most feeble person on board The Constitution.  He remained on his bed most of the time under the influence of opium."

     The Constitution was reloaded with cotton for the return trip to England.  On the third day out the ship went down but no lives were lost.  The crew were all rescued and most of the cargo was saved. 

     Leatrice says she is convinced that it was the combined faith of those emigrants and their diligent use of the power of humble prayer that engaged the Lord in helping them cross the turbulent waters of the Atlantic Ocean safely.

Sources:  Church Records, Constitution Ship Roster, Ship, Rail and Wagon to Zion.

Annie Ludow Protor-The Best Christmas Ever

Stories told by Annie Ludlow Proctor

to Shirley Fay Proctor Brough

Her Granddaughter

Annie Ludlow and George Kidd Proctor Jr

One year when Annie was about 8 years, they all went to bed as usual on Christmas Eve.  Usually their Mother woke them early to do the chores before breakfast, but this Christmas morning they gradually woke and discovered it was quite late.  Hurry to put on their clothes, they went into the kitchen where their Mother was making breakfast.  She had gotten up early and done all of the chores and now told them to go sit at the table.  At each place was 1/2 of an orange and a 1/2 of a cup of hardtack candy.  Annie said it was the best Christmas she could remember as a child.

Annie Ludow-The Rattlesnake Story

Stories told by Annie Ludlow Proctor

to Shirley Fay Proctor Brough

Her Granddaughter

Annie and her sister Alenia Ludlow

     Annie's father died when she was quite young, so she and her sisters had to help with the chores each day.  One of the main things to be done was to take the wagon and horse out each day and get a load of greasewood and sagebrush to burn in their stove.  They would go in pairs and take turns each day of the week, except Sunday.  The greasewood and sagebrush was stacked against the shed each day, and what they didn't use that day for cooking, washing, etc. was saved for their winter supply of wood.

     One day she and her sister, (Fay didn't know which one) got the axe and hooked the team to the wagon and proceeded to start gathering wood.  Being desert country, there were a lot of rattlesnakes, but the girls hadn't been bothered.  They had about half a wagon load when they moved the sagebrush.  Grabbing it they were ready to start chopping when a large rattler came out, coiled and threatened.  Annie's sister immediately chopped the snake behind the head, but the head kept slithering toward them, scaring them to death. 

     They ran to the wagon, jumped on, and drove home as fast as they could, and it was several weeks before their Mother could get them to go out again.