LIFE'S STORY of

LARKIN ANDREW ERICKSON AND ETHEL ROBERTS

by

Beatrice Erickson Ruesch Spendlove 1980

Larkin Andrew Erickson was born in Lost River, Butte

County, Idaho, August 1, 1881, to Anders Gustaf

Erickson and Martha Melinda Watters. He had an older

sister, Mary Elizabeth, born in October of 1876 and a

brother, Edmond, born in February of 1879. Both his

sister and brother were born in Beaver, Utah, so they

had to have moved to Idaho where Larkin was born in

1881 then back to Utah and lived at what was known as

the Rocky Ford Ranch near Minersville, where his father

died in 1883. Larkin was just two years old when his

father died.

Larkin's mother had a terrible temper and would beat

her children for everything they did that she thought

wasn't right. It is said that she beat her daughter,

Elizabeth, until she had running sores all over her body

which later caused her death. When Larkin was nine

years old, she was beating him and he told her she had

better give him a good one for it would be the last one she

would ever give him. She beat him until she was

exhausted, rested, then beat him again and again until

she could do it no longer. He left home after this and

never saw his mother again.

He went to Spanish Fork and lived with an uncle, George Watters, who owned a farm,

and worked for him for his board and room and clothes. Here he stayed until he was old

enough to find jobs for himself.

Larkin only went through the second grade of school. A girl, who was a distant relative of

his father, took an interest in him and taught him to read and write. When he was away

from her, they corresponded and she would correct his letters and send them back to him

explaining what was wrong. He got so he could read and write quite well. He was real

good at writing poetry. When his children were in school and had to make up poems, he

was a real help to them. I remember one poem he helped me to write and when I read it in

school and handed it in, even the teacher thought I had copied it out of a book. I regret not

saving it.

When Larkin was old enough to go out on his own, he went to Pioche, Nevada and started

working in the mines. He worked at Pioche for quite some time and was sheriff while he

was there. It was the saying in Pioche that they had a man for breakfast every morning.

One time while he was standing at the bar, he had his legs crossed and someone shot him

through both legs. I remember seeing the bullet scars on his legs.

One time he came to Beaver to visit his Uncle Larkin Watters, who was his mother's

brother and Larkin's wife, his Aunt Lucy. While he was there, Ethel Roberts came to the

same place to visit her Aunt Lucy, who was the sister of her father, William H. Roberts.

This is where a romance started between Larkin Andrew Erickson and Ethel Roberts.

Ethel Roberts was born in Beaver, Utah, September 6, 1887, to William Herman Roberts

and Anna Elizabeth White. She attended the old Black Rock school house, which is the

Ernest Muir home now. She then went to the Central School building located where the

tennis court is now and last to the old Park Hall which was located just south of the

Belnap School on the corner.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F8PZ-QLD

1905 Larkin A. Erickson & Ethyl Roberts, "Utah, Marriages Name: Larkin A. Erickson

Birth Date: 1884, Age: 21

Spouse's Name: Ethel Roberts

Spouse's Birth Date: 1887. Spouse's Age: 18

Event Date: 25 Dec 1905. Event Place: Beaver, Beaver, Utah

Lark, as he was called, and Ethel were married December 25, 1905. Seven children

blessed this union: Beatrice, Elvin Andrew, Loe "E", Leonard William, Pershing "C",

Lark Roberts and Joe Claude. They moved to Frisco, Utah, west of Milford, where Lark

continued to work in the mines. On July 2, 1906, their first child, Beatrice, was born, a

seven month premature baby weighing three and one half pounds, so small she had to be

carried around on a pillow and kept warm on the oven door. On November 8, 1908, a

second child, Elvin Andrew, was born.

In December of 1909, Ethel's mother, Anna Elizabeth Roberts, passed away with typhoid

fever and Lark insisted that his wife, Ethel, who was the oldest of the Roberts' children,

stay and care for her father, three brothers (Leonard 20, Cyril 12, Don 9) and two sisters

(Loe 14 and Anna 4). These, with the two children of her own, made quite a family for her

to care for at age twenty two

I was only three and one half years old when my grandmother died, but I can still see the

white topped buggy drawn by two horses carrying the casket to the old meeting house on

the square. Six pall bearers, three on each side of the buggy were walking along the sides

of the buggy with white ribbon bands tied on their outside arms. The old meeting house

stood in back of where the library is now.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XMY1-2NG

1910 Larchin “Larkin” A Erickson in household of William H Roberts, "United States

Census" Name: Larchin A Erickson Event Year: 1910

Event Place: Beaver West Ward, Beaver, Utah, United States District: 2

Gender: Male Age: 28 Marital Status: Married Race: White

Relationship to Head of Household: Son-in-law

Birth Year (Estimated): 1882 Birthplace: Idaho

Father's Birthplace: Switzerland Mother's Birthplace: Nebraska

Household Gender Age Birthplace

Head William H Roberts M 44 Utah

Son Lenord W Roberts M 21 Utah

Daughter Loe Roberts F 14 Utah

Son Cyril W Roberts M 12 Utah

Son Donald Roberts M 10 Utah

Daughter Anna Roberts F 4 Utah

Son-in-law Larchin A Erickson M 28 Idaho

Daughter Ethel Erickson F 22 Utah

Granddaughter Beatrice Erickson F 3 Utah

Grandson Elvin A Erickson M 1 Utah

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1910," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XMY1-

2NG : accessed 31 Aug 2013), Larchin A Erickson in entry for William H Roberts,

In September of 1910, the sister, Loe, at age 15, passed away with typhoid fever, leaving

more work and responsibilities on Ethel. In March of 1911, Ethel had another baby girl,

their number three child, which she named Loe after her sister who had just passed away

the September before.

The home they were living in, which belonged to Ethel's father was just a two roomed

brick home with a lean to kitchen on the back. This was pretty crowded for a family of

ten people; however, Lark was away most of the time working at the mines. Ethel and

Lark never enjoyed any privacy at all when they were together.

There was no electricity in Beaver at this time. Coal oil lamps were used for lighting.

Water for cooking and drinking was carried from a well a block away. Wood burning

stoves were used for cooking and heating. Washing was done on a washboard and the

water carried from the well. After the white clothes were scrubbed on the washboard,

they were boiled on the stove in a copper boiler in soap and water to keep them white.

They were then rinsed in clear water and last in blue water, colored with balls of blueing

tied up in a cloth and then hung outside on a line to dry. They were then brought in the

house, sprinkled and rolled up ready for ironing. Ironing was done with heavy stove irons.

The boys all wore white shirts for dress up and the collars and cuffs had to be rinsed in

celluloid starch to make them real stiff so they would stand up when held in place with

cuff links and collar buttons. This was a real hard and tedious job.

There was a little log cabin just in back of the home where the family lived. This log cabin

was the home of William Roberts, Sr. and Demaris Roberts who were the parents of

William Herman Roberts, Ethel's father. William Herman was born in this log cabin.

Later his mother let him build a home for himself out in front of it. Demaris Roberts lived

in this log cabin until August of 1920 when she passed away just before turning ninety

years old on December 12th.

Ethel's father owned a forty acre farm up North Creek, five miles north of Beaver, where

he raised hay, grain and potatoes to help with the family living They always raised pigs

and cured them which was about the only meat they had. They fattened the pigs on the

grain and hay and cured the meat by packing it in a fifty gallon wooden barrel and then

pouring hot salt brine over it. All the slop from the house, including the dish water, was

saved to feed the pigs. They couldn't put soap in the dish water and it got to be pretty

dirty and greasy. They always kept a cow for milk and butter. They had an old DeLaval

Separator that had to be turned by hand to separate the cream from the milk. The whey

was mixed with grain and fed to the pigs. I can just see my mother churning butter in the

big old round wooden churn and then molding out the butter.

We had a large underground pit which Granddad filled with potatoes every Fall of the

year. Potatoes were the main vegetable we had. Every morning for breakfast, we had fried

potatoes and pork and usually hot biscuits. For dinner, at noon, we had pork, mashed

potatoes and gravy with bottled fruit and whatever else we could stir up, for supper we

had stewed potatoes with either bacon or butter cooked in them. For supper, Granddad

Roberts would have what he called buttered sop which was bread broken in a bowl, salt,

pepper and butter added and then covered with boiling water.

When Ethel would mix bread, she would make it in a huge sized pan and handle enough

dough for as many as eighteen loaves of bread at one time. After it was baked and cooled,

it was stored in one hundred pound lard cans. This had to be done at least twice a week.

When she would bake cookies and cinnamon rolls, she would fill the large kitchen table

with them. There was a flour mill in town and Granddad would take some of the wheat

he raised to this mill and have it ground into flour. There was always a bin full of flour on

hand for baking.

Shortly after the sister, Loe, passed away, they tore the lean to off the back of the house

and built two more brick rooms onto it. Granddad Roberts had some ground in

Manderfield and a herd of cattle. They sold the ground and cattle (the cattle went for

around $15.00 a head) and this is where the money came from to do the building. A man

by the name of Clay and Ernest Cowdell did the carpenter work and Henry Boyter layed

the brick.

Ethel was under so much pressure and tension for so many years that she developed a bad

heart and Lark had to hire a girl to come and help her. The girls were Loretta and Bonita

Rogerson and Darle and Viola Patterson. These girls also helped her with sewing dresses

and shirts for her children.

Lark was still working at the mines. Mining Companies he worked for over a period of

years were the Bristol Mine, the King David Mine, the Tintic Lead Company, Old

Hickory Mine, Centennial Gold Mining Company, Gold Dome Mining Corp., Prosper

Mining Company, Horn Silver, Moscow and Montreal. It is reported that he was an

excellent timber man, powder man and blacksmith, sharpening all of the mining tools. It

seems he could do anything he was asked to do. He was a man who was honest and always

gave more than a day's work for a day's pay. He could get jobs when no one else could

because of his outstanding reputation and dependability.

While he was working at the mines in Milford, the cooks would put oranges in his lunch

and instead of eating them, he would put them in his clothes bag and on his trips home, he

would bring them to his children. It was a real treat for them.

He also leased mining claims at Montreal and Moscow. He would follow the veins from the

main shaft and take out the gold ore. Cyril and Leonard Roberts worked helping him.

Cyril said he made good money doing this work. Later in life he leased mining claims at

the Old Hickory Mine and did this same thing.

At one time, Lark took a contract drilling wells for water on the farms on Milford Flat. A

man by the name of Sears let the contract. Lark would locate where he wanted to drill the

wells by using a willow from a tree and holding it over the ground. Cyril said it really

worked as they always hit water. A windlass pipe and weight were used to do this drilling.

He also took a contract with Mr. Sears to rail brush and clear ground on the Milford Flat.

He used a large rail with two mules on each end. Mr. Sears owned the mules. Cyril was

still working with him and did the brush burning.

Approximately the year 1913, electricity was put into Beaver, but we were too poor to

afford anything but lights. We didn't know what electric appliances were. The first

electric washer Ethel had was purchased from Montgomery Ward in 1928 and the first

bathroom was put into her home in 1944.

In the Spring of 1915, Lark went to farm on shares the John F. Jones farm, two miles

north of Beaver. He moved his family to the farm to live during the Spring and Summer

months and back to town during the Winter months so the children could go to school.

During the Spring the children took lunches and walked to school in the morning and

home after school, a distance of two miles each way. Granddad Roberts stayed at the

home in town and lived alone during the Summer months to watch over the place.

Lark operated the Jones farm for five years and was a very efficient and successful

farmer. While living on this farm, Ethel was a real help mate to her husband, milking

cows, raising a large garden, raising chickens and turkeys and killing and cleaning them

for market, making butter and trading eggs and butter at the store in town for groceries.

She hauled two ten gallon cans of water from town, for drinking and cooking, in a one

horse buggy, every two or three days besides caring for her family and cooking for farm

hands.

While on this farm, their second son, Leonard William, a fourth child, was born. Leonard

Roberts had been gone away to work for several years. Cyril and Don spent some time

working on the farm but soon left and went on other jobs. Anna was still with them. Cyril

joined the Navy December 13, 1917, and was there until September of 1919. He married

Gladys Christensen Dec. 23, 1919. They went to farm the Jones Farm in the Spring of

1920. While he was in the Navy, Ethel had her fourth son born October 12, 1918. She

named him Pershing after General Pershing.

In the Fall of 1919, after leaving the Jones Farm, Lark went to Dixie on the Smith

Mountain just north of Virgin, to prove up on some ground for Dr. Warren Shepherd and

the Doctor's mother, Sarah Ann Shepherd. He moved his family down in the early Spring

of 1920. He lived alone on this farm during the Winter months. He moved his family

down in the Spring after school was out and back to Beaver by the time school started in

the Fall. Traveling was all done with a team of horses and a covered wagon. Five days

traveling each way. We crocheted, played games, sang, read and slept trying to shorten

the days.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8PC-495

1920 Larkin A Erickson, "United States Census"

Name: Larkin A Erickson, Event Place: Beaver, Beaver, Utah, United States, District: 3

Gender: Male, Age: 38, Marital Status: Married, Race: White

Can Read: Yes, Can Write: Yes

Relationship to Head of Household: Head

Own or Rent: Rent, Birth Year (Estimated): 1882, Birthplace: Idaho

Father's Birthplace: United States, Mother's Birthplace: United States

Household Gender Age Birthplace

Head Larkin A Erickson M 38 Idaho

Wife Ethel Erickson F 32 Utah

Daughter Beatrie Erickson F 13 Utah

Son Elvin A Erickson M 11 Utah

Daughter Loe E Erickson F 8 Utah

Son Leonard W Erickson M 3 Utah

Son Pershing C Erickson M 1 Utah

Sources

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1920," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8PC-

495 : accessed 31 Aug 2013), Larkin A Erickson, 1920.

Here again on this farm, Lark was an outstanding farmer. The ground was all sage brush

when he went there and it had to be cleared, the brush railed and burned, before anything

could be planted. This was a dry land farm but the ground was very productive. Sacks

and sacks of dry beans were raised, acres of field corn, wheat, sugar cane and oats were

raised. Also squash the size of a number three tub and water melons that were the largest,

sweetest and juiciest that could be found anywhere.

The first two summers on this mountain, we lived in tents with dirt floors. One was for

cooking and eating and one for sleeping. There was a bunk bed in the one where we ate, a

table and a stove. The table was a couple of boards nailed to the side board of the tent and

then to another board stood up at the other end for a support or leg. Some would sit on

the side of the bunk bed to eat and the others would sit on wooden boxes for chairs. In

this tent was where Lark lived during the Winter months while the family was away and

he was living alone. The other tent was just used for sleeping while the family was with

him.

While he was living alone and he had to leave the place for a few days, he pinned a sign on

the door which read:

"If you are hungry, eat and sleepy, sleep and feed your horses hay,

But don't be a damn thief and carry things away."

While living in these tents all of our water had to be carried from a spring Lark had

blasted in a ledge and then rocked up. The spring was about a block away. We had to go

down a steep hill and then follow along a wash until we came to it. The water was carried

in buckets.

The three older children, Anna, Bea and Elvin, were quite a lot of help to their parents but

the other three were quite young and had to be looked after. The second summer Ethel

was pregnant again and on January 21, 1921, another son was born named Lark Roberts,

making a total of seven children, six of their own and Anna.

The third summer on this mountain, Lark built a little two roomed house over on his own

homestead. There was a large room where we cooked, ate and lived and one small

bedroom for him and Ethel. There were stairs going up into the loft from the large room.

The loft was divided in the center. The boys slept in one end and the girls in the other.

Our beds were just made on the floor. Ethel built her own table and two benches to sit on.

She was really handy at doing things.

From this little house we had to haul all our water for a good one half mile. Lark found a

little spring of water coming out of a rock ledge. He blasted a hole large enough so when it

filled up with water, we could get a forty gallon barrel full. He covered it all over with

boards to keep the water clean and made a lid we could raise up so we could dip the water

out with a bucket and fill the barrel. We had one big cedar tree in front of the house and

we would park the sled with the barrel on it under the tree so the water would keep cool.

When Lark and the older children were busy on the farm, Ethel had to take her turn

hauling water in the barrel. The sled was pulled by a horse named "Old Tom", the same

horse she used on the one horse buggy while living on the Jones farm. Sometimes when all

the horses were being used and she would run out of water, she would walk and carry two

buckets of water from the spring well.

The farm was about thirty miles from town and the nearest grocery store. About once a

month and sometimes a lot longer and traveling in a wagon, was as often as they could go

for supplies. Once they had run out of food and had to eat dry beans three times a day for

a week until they could make a trip to town.

It was real hard on Ethel living on this farm helping with the farm work and caring for

the large family, having to be handy man for everyone. She was doctor and nurse and had

to know the answers to everything. When the children were sick she was under real hard

pressure. No doctors within at least fifty miles, no neighbors to talk to or share her

troubles. Farms were five and ten miles apart. Here, again, there was no electricity, and

coal oil lamps were used for lighting. A lot of extra work was needed in caring for food

and washings were done on a washboard.

There were lots of snakes on this mountain, rattle snakes, blow snakes and red and blue

racers. We had some real frightening experiences with them, especially with the red and

blue racers. We had to keep watch for them all the time. We would almost step on them

or put our hand on them before we would see them as there was no warning of any kind to

let us know they were there. Ethel would shoot them with the 22 rifle.

Ethel was pregnant twice while living on this mountain. In 1920, the second summer on

the mountain and now again. It was real hard on her jolting over long rocky roads in a

wagon and hoping and praying everything would go well for her while she was so far away

from help. Her last child, Joe Claude, was born Sept 23rd, 1923, making a total of seven

children of their own. He was born shortly after their trip back to Beaver to get the

children into school that Fall.

Roger Farrer, a friend of Ethel's father, was a bachelor and when his health started to

fail, he came to live with them. He lived with them for two or three years, then in the

Spring of 1923, he told Ethel if she would care for him the rest of his life, he would deed

her his pasture and farm land and home, which was the old black rock house that was

located across the street west from the high school. She and Larkin were afraid of how

long he might live and the burden he might become on Ethel, so they refused his offer. He

died that Fall just a short time before their last child, Joe Claude, was born. The Farrer

home was purchased by Burnett Swindlehurst and later sold to Standard Station

Company. They tore the house down and built a Standard station on the property.

The last year the family lived on Smith's Mountain, Ethel's heart began to give her some

trouble. She went unconscious a couple of times and had to be brought back to Beaver

where she was under the doctor's care and confined to her bed for one year. Beatrice and

Anna missed their last year of high school to stay home and take care of her and then went

back the next year and finished high school. Ethel grew stronger and was finally able to

resume her responsibilities in the home.

While Lark was working for Dr. Shepherd, he went to work on the two mile tunnel in

Zion's Canyon and then down to Boulder Dam. He was powder man and timber man on

both of these jobs. He would stay in the tunnels and work when the rest of the men would

have to keep going out for air. Some were even having to be carried out. His oldest son,

Elvin, worked with him in these tunnels until they were completed.

Lark's and Ethel's home was home to all their family and to her brothers and sisters as it

was owned by her father, William Herman Roberts. At one time, Lark had a chance to

purchase the old Robinson home two blocks east from where they were living. He wanted

to do this so they would have a place to call their own; but Ethel's father asked her to stay

where she was and told her he would deed her his home and she could have it when he

died. So, they stayed and after her father passed away, Feb 1, 1944, she recorded the deed

in her name.

As this home was home to so many people, whenever any of the family needed their

children tended or when any of them were sick, it was always Ethel to whom they came.

When they were out of work, it was this home to which they came, bringing their mates

and children and staying until they could find work and a place to live.

Larkin was now working at the mines again. When he left to find work, he threw his pack

on his back, which contained some bedding and clothing and started hitch hiking down

the road. When he left, he said, "I won't be back until I can find work and bring home

some money." He always would find work. He said when he did come home, if he could

look in through the window and see that everyone was all right, he was ready to go back to

the mine again.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XH6Q-JQW

1930 Lark Errickson, "United States Census" Name: Lark Errickson , Event Place: Beaver, Beaver, Utah, United States, District: 0011

Gender: Male, Age: 44, Marital Status: Married, Race: White

Relationship to Head of Household: Head

Birth Year (Estimated): 1886, Birthplace: Utah

Father's Birthplace: Utah, Mother's Birthplace: Utah

Household Gender Age Birthplace

Head Lark Errickson M 44 Utah

Wife Ethel Errickson F 42 Utah

Son Lenord W Errickson M 13 Utah

Son Pershing C Errickson M 11 Utah

Son Lark R Errickson M 9 Utah

Son Joe C Errickson M 6 Utah

Sources Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XH6Q-JQW : accessed 31

Aug 2013), Lark Errickson, 1930.

Sheet Number and Letter: 1A, Household ID: 2, Line Number: 2

During the depression which started in 1933, Lark never did accept of any of the WPA

work nor take any of their commodities. He worked at the mines. He and his boys hauled

wood and posts and he did everything and anything he could to support his family. He

was too proud to ask for help of any kind. These were bad times. Each family was left

one cow for milking. The Government paid $20.00 a head for the rest and took them out

and shot them. Hay was brought in on big trucks to feed the milk cows. Each family was

allowed to purchase one or two bales of hay each week to feed their one milk cow.

In April of 1935, Cadmas Ruesch, husband of their oldest daughter, Beatrice, became ill

with Bright's disease. They were living in Hurricane, Utah, at the time. By August, he

was totally blind and gradually losing his mind. He was really hard to take care of along

with three small children so Lark and Ethel took the two boys, Ned 7 and Kenneth 3, to

Beaver to care for them and Bea kept Glenna, who was just one year old, with her. At this

time, Lark and his boys were running the Jackson Farm down by the Minersville

Reservoir. They only farmed there one summer. By November, Cad was really bad and

more than Bea could care for alone. His folks refused to help with him, so all she could do

was take him and move back with her parents. They helped to take care of him until he

died on May 7, 1936. This all happened during that bad depression. All the income Bea

had was $16.00 a month relief money and that was going for medicine.

In September of 1936, Bea left and went to Henagers Business College for one year to

prepare herself to make a living for her family. Ethel tended her three children while she

was gone. At this same time, Lark went to work for Ray Barton at a mine near

Wendover, Utah, This was a bad winter. Snow was really deep. A woman died and they

had to bury her in the snow and leave her there until the snow melted in the Spring.

When Bea returned from school, she got a good Government job, but she still stayed with

her parents until she moved into a home of her own in October of 1942.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VTWY-NX3

1940 Larkin A Erickson, "United States Census" Name: Larkin A Erickson. Event Place: Beaver, Beaver Election Precinct, Beaver, Utah, United States

Gender: Male, Age: 58, Marital Status: Married, Race: White

Relationship to Head of Household: Head

Birthplace: Idaho, Birth Year (Estimated): 1882

Last Place of Residence: Rural, Beaver, Utah

Household Gender Age Birthplace

Head Larkin A Erickson M 58 Idaho

Wife Ethel Erickson F 52 Utah

Father-in-law Wm H Roberts M 74 Utah

Daughter Beatrice Ruesch F 33 Utah

Son Lark R Erickson M 19 Utah

Son Joe C Erickson M 16 Utah

Grandson Ned C Ruesch M 10 Utah

Grandson Kenneth E Ruesch M 7 Utah

Granddaughter Glenna Ruesch F 5 Utah

Sources

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1940," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VTWY-NX3 : accessed 31

Aug 2013), Larkin A Erickson, 1940.

During the Winter of 1941 and 1942, Ethel became very ill. She lost a lot of weight and

was very sick. The doctor decided she had a poisonous goiter and would have to be

operated on. They took her to Cedar and Dr. Graff who was a specialist in this line of

operations only gave her a twenty-five per cent chance to live. It was the Lord's will that

she get better for He knew that she still had a lot of work to do. By this time, Lark's

health was failing. His heart was bad and he had worked in mines so many years his lungs

were also real bad.

In the Fall of 1942, Lark and Ethel went to Shasta Dam, California, where Elvin,

Pershing, Lark and Joe were all working on the dam. Lark and Joe who were unmarried,

lived with them and took care of their living expenses while they were there, until May of

1943, when Joe, the youngest son, went into the US. Navy. He took them as dependents

and this gave them an income on which to live. They stayed in California until the Fall of

1943, and then came back to Beaver.

After Ethel's father died, February 1, 1944, and Ethel had the deed to the home recorded

in her name, Lark had the kitchen remodeled and put in a bathroom. This made the

home quite comfortable for them.

Lark was now confined to his old rocking chair until the time of his death, January 23,

1945. During this time, he was very pleasant and patient and very easy to please. He

never did complain or grumble about anything. When people would come to see him and

ask him how he felt, he would say, "I'm just waiting for the Old Man to come and get

me."

The main things our father taught us were to live righteously, to be honest and truthful

and to give an honest day's work for a day's pay. He taught us to be respectful to him and

our mother and to older people and to always live the laws of the land. He could not

tolerate a liar and a thief.

I never knew of my father ever taking a drink of liquor or swearing and using bad

language around the house. If ever his children did something wrong, he was the first one

they would run and tell because they all knew he trusted them and that he would be

forgiving.

Just a few minutes before he died, he called all of his children around him and said, "You

have all been good kids and I have tried to be a good Dad to you. I am not leaving you any

wealth, but I am leaving you a good name." And he was gone.

**************************

After Lark passed away, Bea left her home, took her family and moved back with her

mother. She had married Marvin Spendlove in March of 1942. He was called into the

Service in June of 1942 and was there until August of 1945 at which time she went back to

her home but left her son Kenneth to live with his grandmother, so she would not be

alone. He lived with her for three years, then moved back with his mother to finish his

high school. From then on, she lived alone.

She always raised a big garden. She had flowers and shrubs all around her house and

some fruit trees in the back. She worked in her yard every day and got a lot of enjoyment

out of it.

On September 3, 1945, her son, Joe Claude, was drowned in the Pacific Ocean near

Hawaii while he was serving in the US. Navy. He was buried in a military cemetery on the

Island of Oahu for a period of two years. In October of 1947, they shipped his body home.

This was very heartbreaking to her. He still had her as a dependent so she continued to

get income from him, which was enough to take care of her needs.

In the Fall of 1949, she started going to Relief Society and Church and in April of 1950,

she went to the St. George Temple, did her own endowments and was sealed to her

husband. At the same time, she had four of her children sealed to her: Beatrice, Leonard,

Pershing and Joe. On February 21, 1951, she went to the Salt Lake Temple with her son,

Lark, and daughter, Loe, and had them sealed to her. Her son, Elvin, who was living in

California and not active in the Church was not sealed to her. She felt sad about this and

wondered how she was ever going to get this work done.

Her home was the gathering place for all her family. They gathered there on all holidays

and nearly every Sunday. During the summer months, she walked down to the sloughs

with her grandchildren and went fishing with them, climbing over and through fences.

This was great fun for them. She never ceased worrying about her children and helping

them in every way that she could.

On August 3, 1959, while she was out in her yard, she had her rake trying to keep a

porcupine from getting close to a pig she had in a pen and as she took a step backward,

she caught her heel in a weed and fell over backwards, hitting her head on a very small

piece of cement that was left from building her cellar and was knocked unconscious. The

doctor said the bump was not hard enough to kill her, but that she had swallowed her

tongue which was the cause of her death. She always said she wanted to die with a hoe or

rake in her hand, that she didn't want to be a burden on anyone.

Two weeks before her death, she said her husband came to her and said, "If I came for

you, would you be afraid?" She answered him by saying, "No, I don't think I would."

She then got up and went into the back bedroom and lay down on top of the bed. She also

left the light on. For two weeks she slept in this bedroom, just lying on top of the bed with

her clothes on and the light burning. During the days of this two weeks, she cleaned out

everything in her house she thought no one would want and burned it. She burned a lot of

things that we did want, over which we are very regretful.

Our brother, Elvin, passed away on April 6, 1978, and on August 29, 1979, Pershing,

Audrey and I went to the St. George Temple. Pershing did Elvin's endowments. I acted

for and in behalf of mother, a man in the temple acted for Dad and Pershing acted for

Elvin. We had Elvin sealed to his parents. I'll bet this was a day of rejoicing for them.

**************************

A TRIBUTE TO UNCLE LARK AND AUNT ETHEL ERICKSON

by Wanda Roberts

Dear Aunt Ethel and Uncle Lark Erickson,

The kind of people who are known as the salt of the earth. They truly loved their

fellowmen and always had room in their hearts and home for anyone in need. They

helped care for their brothers and sisters, their nieces and nephews, their neighbors and

the strangers passing by. They could always make another bed on the floor if need be.

Uncle Lark was a kind and patient man and you were always made to feel welcome in his

home. He was honest as the day is long. They were honest, ambitious, hard working

people. It seemed like anything they turned their hand to was a success. Their vegetable

gardens as well as their flower and rose gardens were things of beauty. They took pride in

raising the best animals, the best vegetable garden and the most beautiful flower garden

around. Aunt Ethel could make the best steak and fried potatoes and baking powder

biscuits ever. Whatever she did, whether it be her jams or jellies or pickles and even her

homemade soap always seemed to turn out just right. Oh, and her cinnamon rolls - just

mountains of them all spread out on her large kitchen table and iced with powdered sugar

icing - no one could make cinnamon rolls quite like Aunt Ethel and you could have all you

could eat.

Aunt Ether was an expert seamstress. She made beautiful coats, dresses, skirts and pants

for her children, grand and great grandchildren, even for the children of the Doctor and

Dentist.

If ever there was sickness, an accident or a hurt of any kind, Aunt Ethel was the first

person called on for aid and assistance, and she usually knew just the right thing to do.

Uncle Lark and Aunt Ethel both had a great sense of humor which helped them, and us,

over many a rough spot.

Our lives have certainly been enriched from having known two such wonderful people.

FIND A GRAVE

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=104559

Larkin Andrew Erickson

Burial: Mountain View Cemetery , Beaver, Beaver Co., Utah, USA

Plot: B_B21_1

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=104560

Ethyl Roberts Erickson

Burial: Mountain View Cemetery , Beaver, Beaver Co., Utah, USA

Plot: B_B21_2