He may not have been an assinged soldier, but he nevertheless gave his life to protect the pioneers of Sanpete and Juab Counties.

The exact history is a little sketchy, but I did find some papers from 1941, showing family history of people who came to Nephi in the early days of its founding. We know that Wm. Thorpe was sustained on Aug. 13, 1854 as the first leader of the Nephi Pioneer Choir. He held that position for a year, and helped it excel getting it organized and trained, and word was sent back to Brigham Young that "there is an excellent choir at Nephi and the Saints are justly proud of it" and noted in the History of the Church on May 7, 1857. During the same era, many immigrants had difficulty with the local Indians, and now we understand why- the White Man was taking over their lands through Manifest Destiny. Although Mormons were directed to "feed the Indians rather than fight them", confrontations still arose at times. Many of the immigrant's were directed to establish townships in Sanpete County, and as such took their wagons east of Nephi, through Salt Creek Canyon. Although young William Thorpe was just getting settled in Nephi, he was directed to move his family to Ephraim, to assist with the protection of the Mormons. We found a journal entry which reported "he was killed by Indians" then in the book written by Keith Worthington and Sadie Greenhalgh, it reports that "Oct. 17, 1865.......A band of about  30 came down from the canyon....Wm. and 6 others were herding cattle. Wm. was killed and scalped". To connect him with modern day Nephi, I have included a photo of Julia, the daughter of  William and Charlotte Cruse Thorpe. She was born in Nephi on April 1, 1855, then returned to Nephi where she married Timothy Hoyt, who died in 1915. Julia Thorpe was active in the LDS Church; civic organizations and honored by Nephi residents on her 86th birthday in 1941. She passed away two weeks later. The other photo is a son of Julia, who is Will Hoyt. At the time of Julia's death, she was survived by three of nine children born. Will Hoyt  became well known during his mortal existence, becoming the Juab Stake President, then a Patriarch. His excellent leadership and care for people was also demonstrated when he was selected to be a District Judge for the State of Utah.

Now you know a little about the Hoyt family of Juab County.

Happy Birthday America-We are still free, but it came with many a scarfice since 1776.

Throughout the history of our Forefathers decision to dissolve its connection with Great Britain, many people have died doing exactly what the signers of the Declaration of Independence promised...."we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor". Since 1776, many lives have been lost in defense of that promise. On this Fourth of July, I want to share the rest of a story, to get it told before it is lost through time. We call it the Viet Nam War, but if you travel to that far away country, the locals there call it "The American War". Regardless, our soldiers were sent to fight there, starting in 1964, and officially terminating it in 1975, during the Fall of Saigon. Various countries joined the Allied Force and over 9 million personnel served during the Viet Nam War. At least 58,000 United States kids died during that fight for freedom. With that many soldiers deployed, it was  seldom a Juab High graduate would meet anybody from the State of Utah. A local boy named Hal Jones was one of those soldiers directed to fight on the front lines of Viet Nam. He was a Medic, and felt proud he was with the famed 9th Infantry Division, which was created in World War I, then called "Hitler's Nemesis" during World War II. It was only natural for military leaders to order up the "Old Reliables" of the 9th Infantry. "Doc" Jones was sent to the front lines to replace another Medic who had been killed in the line of duty. Total shock and dismay hit Hal, to find out he was replacing Blair Wilkey, another Nephi, Utah man.

I salute those who gave their all that we can celebrate today including Blair Wilkey and the young family he left Nephi, Utah, USA.

If things start to slow down tomorrow after the hot dogs and fireworks, here is a little brain excercise for the family, like we did fifty years ago.

On one slow, sultry fourth of July, some of us kids sat around the table fifty years ago, and spoke of all the nice cars we had way back then. Nothing looked more cherry than an Impala; a Thunderbird, but the only way to climb up J hill was in a Willy's Jeep.  Back then, we had Ford, Chrysler, Chevrolet, GMC and a Rambler, and thought they were the only ones that ever made vehicles.  However, I recently found a handwritten list of the makers of vehicles that my father remembered, and we wrote them down back then, but they may not have the correct spelling.
Auburn                                                                            Marmon
Austin                                                                              Marquette
Blackhawk                                                                       Mathis
Buick                                                                               McFarlom
Chalmers                                                                          Moon
Cadillac                                                                            Nash
Chandler                                                                          Oakland
Chevrolet                                                                        Oldsmobile
Chrysler                                                                           Overland
Cord                                                                                Packard
Cunnignham                                                                    Paige
Davis                                                                                Peerless
Desoto                                                                              Pierce Arrow
Diana                                                                                Plymouth
Dodge                                                                               Pontiac
Dodge Bros.                                                                     Reo
Dusenberg                                                                        Rickenbacker
DuPont                                                                              Roamer
Elcar                                                                                  Rolls Royce
Erskine                                                                             Roosevelt
Essex                                                                                Ruston
Essex Super                                                                      Star
Falcon Knight                                                                   Stearns Knight
Flint                                                                                  Studebaker
Ford                                                                                   Stutz
Franklin                                                                            Velie
Gardner                                                                             Viking
Graham                                                                             Willys
Graham Paige                                                                    Willys Knight
Hudson                                                                              Windsor
Hupmobile                                                                         White Prince
Jewett                                                                                Wolverine
Kissel                                                                                 Stanley Steamer
LaSalle                                                                               Whippett
Lincoln
Locomobile

We gathered as a family today, to honor the birthday of Shane Jones. We were ready to give him a bang up show, but he out ran all of us.

The first photo is of Shane Jones, which was taken shortly after he told what he thought was a funny joke. The second photo is of his family who gave him a head start before they wanted to demonstrate what they thought of the joke.

Nevertheless, happy birthday Shane Jones of Mona, Utah.

Are you ready to join the United States Military for country and glory! You better not be doing it for the money, as it may be much the same as it was in 1942.

Through the help of The American Legion, we finally got it de-classified after 73 years. We now know how much our soldiers were paid(or not paid) when they were drafted in 1942. If you have been in the military or had a family member there, it can be fun to see the wages and information for the soldiers written advise of World War Two. As the Air Force didn't become one of its own until 1947, it shows as the Army Air Corps.

In reading of the passing of Carolyn Ockey, I couldn't help put remember her as a class lady.

As a kid, I recall my father talking of a particularly good person, and explained it by saying they often excelled as "they came from good stock". When I helped my father stucco the home of Carolyn's parents, I came to know and appreciate the "good stock" from which Carolyn was raised. She was not only one of the most beautiful gals around, but a friendly personality to match. Her father was the pictured Farrell Carter, who was liked and respected by all, much like Carolyn's mother-Yvonne. You can't do much better, than being born in Nephi as a Carter, and your mother being a Broadbent. Then to top it off, you marry in another great and well respected family-an Ockey. Carolyn's mother in-law was Viola Ockey, who started out as a Worthington. During the early 1960's, Carolyn and her husband was living across the street from Nephi Floral, and I recall my father and I visiting them as Ward Teachers when they had small children. Those kids seemed to have the same high class as their heritage, so with the passing of Carolyn, all can raise their heads high, for having the perfect blend of a parent. and should cherish the time we had to know her.

The Boy Scouts of America have always been an important eleement of the sucess of Juab County young men. One of those helpers was the late Scouter Boyd Ivie.

I recently read the obituary of Boyd Ivie, and remember him with great fondness. In the late 1950's, he was the new representative sent to Nephi as the professional Scout overseer. On his arrival, he was quickly accepted by all local Scouts. Although professional in every sense of the word, he was personal with an effervescent way of giving many a young men the inner motivation to be a better person. He helped show us the way to have a fun way to obtain monies for Scout camp. That was with paper drives and cake sales and always had the wonderful smile, even when we would contact his wife to have her bake the cakes. My hat goes off to this fine American. He was the perfect Boy Scout representative, as was C.R. Lomax ; Don Royce and Glade Sanders, who is pictured in the second and third photo. Glade was an Eagle Scout, and passed away when he was a hundred and one years old, being one of the oldest living Eagle Scouts around, and so honored. Glade is sitting in the chair with Weston Jones in the middle and Lucy Sanders on the right.