A Tennant Family

This is my Father's life story (CARL ALGOT NEILSON) as he wrote it - feeling that it would have more original interest kept in the state he wrote it and worded and punctuated it, ungrammatical though it may be in it's present form.

MY LIFE'S STORY

I was born at Durango, Colorado in 1894, September 2. Traveled in covered wagon to Salina, Utah when I was less than a year old. Of course I didn't go by myself my parents took me their so I have been told and then too there was my two half sisters and on half brother (their names were Fred and Minnie and Lena Winroth) And of course they were as much Swede as I was. Well my parents resided in Salina, Utah for a couple of years or so then decided to go farther west and immigrated to California in covered wagon also. They settled in a small town called Healdsburg. There father worked for a man named Lewie Sebastian clearing land and at that time flour was $50 per hundred. And then after about one year they moved again over to Alturas by a small lake called Gooselake. This trip was also made by covered wagon. There, father also cleared land for a man named Vitland while we lived there then it was that I stated to remember just a few things in life as they were.

I remember living in a log cabin with a rude old fire place and dirt floors I also remember one day when Father was currying the team of horses that he worked. I picked up a currycomb comb too. And was grooming up a small colt which I thought was gentle enough. I attempted to curry the colt down his hind legs, when bingo the colt let loose with his hind leg and the curry comb and I was using caught me just under the eye I rant to the cabin balling, blood running down my face,. Mother dressed it up for me and I was OK then. And no more horse tending for me at that time.

I also remember when the covered wagon freight would come into town. I could see them at a long distance coming along the side of the mountains with a great number of them in line. And then after living there for one year my parents decided to move back to Utah again and settled on a man's place by the name of Albert Tourson a short distance from Salina, called Lost Creek.

I also remember the day we left California. It was in early spring if 1898 and a skiff of snow was on the ground. Of course I can't remember all the things that happened. I imagine I was a sleep a large part of the time in that old covered wagon coming across the Sierra Nevada mountains. Anyhow I remember coming down a steep hill and at the foot of this hill a small creek ran by and the water was running quite rapidly, there happened to be an old man in our train traveling with us, he was driving a four wheeled singled rig buggy with out any top I think this man was a tea and coffee and spice drummer. I can't remember when he came into our train nor when he left. Anyhow his old white horse he called prince wanted a drink of water very badly. He stopped so sudden in the creek and turned so sharp he caused the buggy to upset the old man's good and all came out and a lot of the goods got wet.

And then another time I remember Father taking in chase after a wild boar with a Musloader or musket rifle used in Civil war time but no porker did he get. Anyhow while living in Utah Father also drove a freight wagon for a mercantile store. The man's name was Lewie Jacob. This route was up Salina canyon to a place called Gooseberry by this time we were living in the town of salina And there is where I first started school and my first teachers name was Miss Viburn.

I also remember when President McKinley got shot and died in 1802 it was the month of September.

And then again in 1365 in October we immigrated to Blackfoot Idaho in covered wagon this time we had three wagons Mother drove the whit top buggy Father drove one wagon my half brother Fred drove the other wagon this trip took us about 30 days. The other trips to California and back took between 2 and 3 months each way. And then the fall of 1367 we moved again from Blackfoot to the Egin Bench country west of St. Anthony. I graduated from the eight grade in the country school a wooden building called center just across the canal north from where brother Otto now lives.

After graduating I mostly did farming. And then in 1918 I was drafted for the army of world war one and just before I got my final papers the war was over. On June the sixth of this same year I and Mildred Farley were married and I continued doing some farming also worked for wages I worked for the Union Pacific Railway as a Sexton hand that was in 1920 then in 1921 & 1922 I worked on different farms again. The fall of 1922 I worked in a Round House for the Great Norther Railroad in Butte, Montana. Then in the spring of 1923 I worked in a roundhouse at Gelnnsferry Idaho. Then in January of 1925 I lost my job with the Railroad Co, And then we went back to St. Anthony and did some more farming. In March of 192 I worked in the mines at Burke, Idaho.

In April of 1931 we moved to Twin Falls and there I worked at any odd job I could find to do. The depression was on at that time and then is when a man at the head of our nation got things moving the I.E.R.A. and the W.P.A. was organized and excepted by every one. Just about all the Banks were closed in the nation but not for long they opened again under more secure basis. And thanks to our President Roosevelt.

Things started to pick up after that and everything got better as the years went by, except for the war ant that just had to happen like all other wars in the past and others to follow.

While living in Twin Falls I worked on different farms did little road work construction on the Holloster road toward Nevada worked on Francis Cable's dairy. Worked in a sawmill for the Help Your Self Organization. I also worked as a sheep wrangler at a shearing plant for Andy Little at Emmet Idaho. And then the fall of 1938 the Church had me assessed for $50.00 to help pay on the new church building I didn't have 50 cents so I was pretty much discourage. And left. My family and took off for California.

I was really on the bum then for 2 or 3 on the highway to Susanville California which is about 22 miles from Westwood. And there I landed a job on another dairy farm three of us milking 32 head cows twice a day a couple of times all by my self all hand milking too. I stayed with that 15 months.

Then got another, just general farm work job for a couple of years. And then I went from there to Toppinish Washington and picked hops and some fruit. "Then I went over on the coast again at Hoquiam Washington to cut soft wood for a paper mill a strike was on so I went out and picked cranberries for two weeks they grow in wet boggy ground. Two weeks was enough for me so I went to Seattle Washington . And got a job on another diary ranch across the bay at Port Orchard stayed three months. Then got another dairy job close to Port Angeles stayed there just one month.

Then I went back to Seattle and got a job at a lumber yard for the LockWood Lumber Company. Then on the 14th of August 1941 it was, I took a bust for Yuma Arizona worked for a cattle Company there one month. Then went to Tucson Arizona and got a job on an extra gang for the Southern Pacific Rail Road Company. I quit there and went to Sunnyside Arizona and worked there in a mine for the Boulder Mining Company. About two months then went back to Phonex, and worked in a letticue field until the later part of December then I went back to Susanville and went to work for the man I had worked before on the ranch his name was Joe Urnburn I worked there until the fall 1946. Then I went to Smoke Creek Nevada and wrangled beef cattle for the Smoke Creek Packing Company. It took a little over 30 days to round up all the cattle there were 6 of us and we would leave at daybreak on horses and ride until about 3 in the after noon before coming in for dinner and that would be the days work.

When this round up was over I combine And when the Company I was working for sent me down to Likely California to do some night plowing with a large tractor. We had two outfits and pulling five disc plows we were plowing up an old hay meadow it was sure some size meadow we could only make two round in a half shift we plowed that way all winter long I enjoyed it and thought it was much fun. And that winter is when I met Audrey operating a café we both went to Oregon she cooked in a cafe there in Merrill and I worked for Balies and Youst Construction Company building grain elevators for about two years.

However in May of 1948 - we were married after quitting the construction company I went to work in a feed mill for about four years. Then in 1954 - we sold our home there and moved to Artseia New Mexico for about a year however in 1955, from June until the latter part of November I was in Visilia California working in the grape fields except bo two months I worked on another big hay and cattle ranch in Austin Nevada the Visbeck Ranch. Anyhow I cam back to Artesia New Mexico sold our home there and came again on water pip lines in Brookfield Missouri. And Wellingtion Kansas and also here in Vinita and on construction of a new filter plant for the city. After that was all done I had a skimp season in 1958 just doing odd jobs again like mowing peoples lawns and topping a few tall oak trees.

Then that fall I got another job out on a big cattle and dairy farm but I didn't have anything to do with the milking this time after I worked there for about two years I quit that and landed this part time janitor's job which I now still hold at the Junior High School here in Vinita.

I can say that I have enjoyed my life which God has given me and very much thankful for the good health that I still do enjoy next week I should have new store teeth which I hope shall improve my health even better if that's possible. And right now I am finishing my story we were enjoying a very nice down pore of rain for the last could of hours. And that is the first we have had for the past two or three months.

July 27, 1963 - Albert Neilson

To bring Dad's life story up to date I wrote to him and asked him to tell about the past 18 years of his life since he wrote his account. These are his words.

"I was still working for the school at the time of Audrey's death in 1964 and continued working when I remarried to Roxie Maynard in August 2, 1968 and in the fall of 1969 I retired on account of my health and we moved to Grand Lake for a while and more sickness in the family we had to move to Afton, Oklahoma where we lived for 5 years. Then on account of Roxi's health we moved to Vinita and we are still here at this date (1981).

In 1978 I was operated on for Gall Bladder in Tulsa at the St. Francis Hospital and in 1980 I had a cancer moved from my head here in Vinita in December. And now everything seems to be OK."

• Married Edna Mildred Farley June 6, 1918 at Salt Lake City.
• Married Audrey Ping in May 1948, she died 1964.
• Married Roxie Maynard in 1966, she died in 1984.