The effects of a war torn soilder can have long lasting effects.

While in basic training, many of the young World War One recruits develop a spirit of self proud with the others and you feel comfortable that you have a great back up in time of the stress in confronting the enemy. Part of our brainwashing tactics are to raise enough ire in our own troops to not give a second thought of taking the life of another who is about to kill or harm us. The sense of taking another human life is not thought of until the job is over. That inner core of bad memories remains longer within more than we ever know. The first photo is of Warren "Dell" Jones from Nephi, Utah. He has been properly trained to fight Germans of the first World War. He is confidant and ready. That photo was sent back home for safe keeping. The second photo is of the war torn photo carried by Dell in the middle with his buddies on each side, the left one being "White" and the far right one being "Johnson". In Dell's letters back home, we see they are in Company C. 3rd Army and it appears MP Bn. with other numbers of AP9027AEF.  He carried that second photo with him for some time, and even when he returned home, it was a photo he kept hidden, not willing to share the stories of his deadly encounters. He did have close encounters attacking the occupation of Coblenz- later spelled Koblenz following the war. Traveling to and from Europe was quite the Lagoon ride as there were countless attempts to sink the soldier carrying boats. I pay tribute to my Uncle Dell. He never did talk much about what he had to do during war, and we only know he had to take the lives of others for our freedom. I never forgot that and hope I never do. Thanks Dell Jones, son of Wm. and Elizabeth and Tolley Jones.

I am afraid in this of world of Tyranny more of our dynamic young people will be called out to serve to fight the bullies of the world. I do appreciate the brave people who go forth to serve us, and the tears left for those they leave. Those tears speak more loud than ten thousand tongues, and show unspeakable love to us. Whoever you are, and when you are called- we praise you; honor you, and you shall be held in high esteem. In this world is not what we take up, but we give up, that makes us rich and who we are. Thanks for your service, now, it the past and for the future.

It is Decoration Day weekend or call it Memorial Day if you follow the Federal law.

I still call it Decoration Day as I pay homage to loved ones who have gone before us, as that is what the families of both sides of the Civil War called it. But you know how politicians like to change things for change sake. However, we do like to pay respect to all veterans who answered the call of duty when we had to go fight one world bully after another, and to places in the world we couldn't even spell. We wanted to list these photos and names before they are given to the Daughters of Utah Pioneers in Nephi, Utah, where they will be numbered and categorized for future reference. Veterans of Juab County have been called or drafted to fight in the "Utah War"; Spanish-American War; Mexico War; "Blackhawk" War; World War I and Two; Korea, Viet Nam, and now in various parts of the Middle East. If you can make it, try to attend on of the ceremonies dedicated to those that helped preserve our freedom. Some of our veterans are;

Gettyburg or at the new Mona Veterans Memorial-one can't help but say thanks.

If you have American blood running through your veins, it is difficult to hurry through the battle sites of Gettysburg, where 50,000 American casualties occurred. The somber feeling is the same at the new Veterans Memorial in the Mona, Utah cemetery, which they will dedicate this 2018 Memorial Day. Alone I stood, then knelt and cried, giving thanks to all those who serve to protect my individual and collective rights of this great country. After inquiring, I discovered that one of the volunteer committee members, without notes, recited the entire Gettysburg address, and others were so moved, the words are inscribed there. I thought of my personal hero's of Fort Wainwright; Fort Sill, Fort Carson, Fort Bragg, Fort Sam Houston and Salt Creek Fort. Some gave their all for you and I. The 9th Infantry Division of the United States have been called the "Old Reliable's" since World War One and with just cause! I give thanks to Lt. Hal Moore of the 9th Infantry, and a Juab County medic of the same 9th, for the lifes he saved on the front lines of Viet Nam. I salute all of you who served and your family who endured. For those who survived the physical battle, the head battle continues!

It only seems like yesterday when they graduated......the Class of 1916!

The "Jayhawker" was an important machine for stacking loose hay a hundred years ago, so the student body so named the year book for Nephi High of 1916. We have shown the School Board and the thirty two graduates of that year, including my Aunt-Alberta Blackett Jones. Sponsers were needed to publish the yearbook, so we included Lunt's Pharmacy and a prescription in the book for a certain "powder for pain". A.E. Gibson wrote the news for the Juab County Times, then became the head writer for The Times News. If you came for graduation, park the horse and wagon in the Livery Stable, then on the way home, get some coal from my grandfather-Evan Harris. If the Forrest Hotel was full, go an extra few miles and stay at the Christensen Hotel in Levan, Utah.

Remember Dean and Bertha Winn of Nephi, Utah! If you don't, we will remind you.

For some reason, the name of Chad Winn keeps coming up going through family documents, so we wanted to share our limited knowledge of Chad and his parents-Dean and Bertha Winn. Chad's name was recently seen on donated pioneer Sacrament vessels(Second photo) in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum; Chad was a Juab County Commissioner; school teacher; LDS Bishop; Missionary; Auctioneer and member of an LDS Stake Presidency on or about Sept. 20, 1986. Now back to his parents. Bertha Neuffer Winn was born in Mapleton, Idaho; her parents being Charles and Christine Wanner Neuffer. For a better education, the Neuffer family moved to Preston and she loved school. As a teenager, she worked for George Winn, at a Grocery and Meat Market. At the time, the Idaho Winn family experienced heart ache, loosing loved ones to the epidemic-Asian Flu. However, Bertha met a lot of good people, and fond of the Winn family. On one occasion, Dean and brother Bert Winn visited the Idaho store. Dean and Bertha first developed friendship which blossomed in to love. Dean was born in Nephi during the harvest season of 1899, a son of Samuel R. and Elizabeth Stanley Winn. He had four brothers and five sisters. Dean graduated from Nephi High, and on Feb. 9, 1921, Dean and Bertha were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They lived in Nephi, and the pictured home is where they raised their kids, and the same home that Chad and Vernice now live. We are not really sure, but that home may have been previously owned by the Harry Sperry family, or so a scribbled note shows. The kids of Dean and Bertha are Keith; DeVon; Joyce(Allan); Dolores(Carter) Melba(Cook); Chad and Christine(Nielson). Dean and Bertha also helped to raise a niece(Beulah Bullard) after the mother died. As I recall, Dean Winn was not just a hard working rancher, but active in the community as Farm Bureau President; Juab County Fair Board Chief, but also active in his church. Bertha raised the kids, but a great ranch hand, as during the ten years she and Dean lived on the Russell Farm, she cooked for the hired men; knew how to cut hay, and often seen leading the derrick horse, then tromping the hay. Although her work was strenuous, she was a happy camper doing it all and spread her cheer to others. She was also very active in the LDS Church, being in Primary; MIA; Secretary of the Relief Society in the early 1950's and carried a good tune in the choir when a teenager. The Winn's are Juab County Blue Ribbon winners!

It is high school graduation day in Nephi, Utah, with the printing of the yearbook more expensive than the school budget!

Although the high school principle didn't authorize me to print this, I knew him as an educator, friend and neighbor, so I can safely say that George A. Sperry Jr. was one of the best Principles we ever had. He was progressive, enthusiastic, energetic and a local boy gone good! I guess it was educational DNA as his two sisters-Alean Pace and Mable Sperry, was some of the best elementary teachers around. From the leather bound Nebonian- Class of 1914, we would like to present the graduating class from Nephi High School, with the school colors then being Crimson and Green. The photo of the entire student body is shown in front of the west buildings between Center and 1st South(by the old Post Office) on Main Street. We thought we would throw in a couple  of the business sponsors, as one was my maternal grandfather-Evan Harris, with his Livery Stable, which was west of the present Wells Fargo Bank in Nephi, Utah. It is not cheap to run a year book, as noted by the expense account listed by the students who must have taken Jones Humor.101!

Nephi, Utah has lost one with "A Life Time of Service". Our tribute to Annette Kendall.

Annette Howarth Kendall was a true Nephite from the get go. Both her mother and father had early pioneer names, as does her three kids. She also possessed the pioneer spirit of service to others, regardless of who they are or where they were. She basically raised three kids on her own, and in doing so, went to college and became a registered nurse, serving locally for more than 45 years. But her service didn't stop at retirement, as she became an EMT for the ambulance people and a "bleacher bum" in support of grandkids and neighbor kids. I became acquainted with Annette while she volunteered her time and talents with the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. She felt the only way to understand the future was to study and preserve the past, and instrumental to document and categorize the thousands of artifacts donated to the DUP museum. If you went when Annette was there, you could get a free "two for one"! Not only could she tell you the history of the people in Juab County, but still had the nurse knowledge and tell you how to fix any physical ailment or "itises" you had. In her final days of life on earth, she reminded family and friends not to worry, using her famous quote of "it all will be alright". Well done Annette.

We are in search of "Mrs. Majors", a wife of Pony Express Co-Founder-Alexander Majors!

We know that Alexander Majors was one of the three co-founders of the Pony Express riders going from Sacramento to St. Joseph, Missouri, with the pony riders having various stops in West Juab County, such as Simpson Springs. What we don't know is how the Nephi, Utah Jones family came in possession of the 1902 Webster Dictionary, with the stamp of "Mrs. Majors" on the inside flap. While going through the weathered but well persevered book, we found a newspaper clipping, which we believe may have been from a Kansas City paper printed in 1887. The article gives a short history of Alexander Majors and the Pony Express. Computer research shows Mr. Majors was married twice and had more than a dozen kids. We don't have factual evidence that "Mrs. Majors" was the same as the family of the Pony Express leader, but we will donate the 608 page book to the Nephi City Library, for use in their historical section, then some day a bright student may show finger oil proof of its true owner. For a little color, we threw in the black and white photos of the worlds greatest Lexicographers, but you will need a dictionary to figure what they are! The reverse side of the paper clipping has an article about "The Green Corn Stamp Dance as Celebrated by the Creek Indians".

"Yes Mom, we have Democrats in Juab County"!

It is the time of year when political campaigns are once again upon us, and the signs are being posted. At least down this way, it appears all the signs are properly placed, and even the opposing parties are lined up in perfect order. Although there are a lot of different political parties in Utah, in a sense, we all are a party of one, as we are Americans, and as such have the right and obligation to vote for whoever we choose. The Times News show in their Nov. 18, 1937 paper, Democrats of Juab County had a fine banquet and good speeches, and the other day, we found the Nephi lawn sign advertising the importance of loving your neighbor and to vote Democrat. As we have some old political bumper stickers and articles, we thought we would toss them in.

Road Signs.....do they help or hinder!

The freeway bosses don't like the suggestions I submitted, such as "Don't read these signs- they are distracting" and "Stop driving, the fumes are killing us". The first photo sign below is one that took some getting used to, and it is placed in an area of Utah that used to be very rural not long ago. The second photo is one in the  area of rural Nephi, which alerts drivers without obliterating the view. For a little humor, we put other road signs on which we borrowed from the inter-net, to show that here in Utah, perhaps we don't have it all that bad and hope we can keep some of our rural countenance without the signs which just may cause our rampant road rage.

This is our version of the Bracken family history of Nephi, Utah

Before our memory and notes fade more, we thought we should write our version of the Nephi Bracken family, as the first Bracken-Rulon, was my hero, as was his son-Dwain, who taught school to many of us local yokels in the 1950's and beyond. Rulon Bracken was born in Thayne, Wyoming in 1894, the third son of five boys and two girls. His personal diary relates hardships of dealing with Indian hostility and starvation rations. He nevertheless knew the importance of an education and attended Brigham Young Academy(now Logan High), then on to college at the AC(now Utah State). When World War One broke out, he joined the Army, and loved his duty, as it was tending to the horses of the Calvary in France. After his return to Star Valley, Wyoming, his family moved to Nephi, Utah. His sister Arvilla married Frank Lunt; brother Milo married Belle Kendall and Vera married Alvin Rolph. Rulon then started teaching school in Levan, Utah. One eye was on students and the other was on a teacher by the name of Tacy Irons, who was the seventh of nine children-six girls and three boys. She lived on a farm two miles southwest of Nephi, where she loved riding in a surrey; horseback riding, and gathering mushrooms and roots for family meals. She joined the LDS church, being baptized in Salt Creek on First East. She was put under the water by James Bigler, then confirmed by James W. Paxman. After graduation from Nephi High, she graduated from BYU and started to teach in the Duchesne School District, then came home to Juab County, and taught at Levan. She was fond of Rulon, but that was put on hold as the head man of the LDS church-Joseph F. Smith wanted her to go on a mission to a far away culture-in Brooklyn, New York. While there she traveled by train, boat, bus, horse drawn sleighs and by foot. She returned home to teach at Nephi Central, where her son-Dwain Bracken taught for 35 years. Rulon and Tacy were wed and along came Newell(married Evelyn Blackett); Mary(married Hugh Steele)Glenna(married James Moore) and Dwain, who married Joyce Huber and they had seven children. Dwain has passed, but Joyce remains as sharp as she ever was. Rulon was a hard working farmer, and that is where me and my brother Hal came to know him. We were hired to change the irrigation on the farm, and we would walk to his truck as 13 and 14 year old kids to drive it to the fields and work all night. During the day, as soon as Dwain left me and his Dad to work together, that is when I learned to love farm work, as Rulon had good work ethics, but would often teach other important things of life while taking a break. Although he was active in the LDS church, serving in the Bishopric for Elgin Garrett, there was a rumor the main reason he attended church was in order for him to sleep, as he worked hard for the other six days of the week.When I questioned him, he didn't admit or deny that. Rulon passed away after suffering from Parkinson and pneumonia. For me, that was a sad winter day in 1967.Tacy followed suit. Not only did I grow fond of the older Bracken, I had the same feelings for his son-Dwain, and lucky to have him as a teacher in both 5th and 6th grades. Like his Daddy, he fought in a World War, serving in the Army Air Corps. He too has passed, but I delight in talking to his wife-Joyce, a source of strength for all. Last photo is of home where Rulon and Tacy raised their kids 75 years ago

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This is another photo journey in or near Nephi of Utah's Juab County...Chapter Three.

Our first photo coverage of Nephi was on the April 27, 2017 blog; the second on April 4th, 2018, and since the photo bug hit, we submit Chapter Three for your consideration.We included photos outside of Nephi, but still in Juab County. If you visit Nephi, we are a progressive City, but wish to remain rural, as the journey of life can be as serene as the destination. However, it may not be advisable to take a slow "Sunday Drive" up Nephi Canyon as many of us pretend we are in the Indy 500 and drive like a bat out of hell-thus the two grave markers at "Deadman's Curve". Please gear down with speed as we have loose sheep; big buffalo; mean trains, and tiny tots walking home from baseball games. You can even pay your utility bill at the counter that resembles a beautiful front room, with items purchased from local thrift stores.