For Jan 18, 2010

Tell about a favorite Aunt.

Wow This one is hard. With my mother having 5 sisters and my dad having three brothers whose wives were also very special Aunts and a sister that I never knew but did know her husband and second wife. So I'll hold till the end a surprising answer to this question.

I cannot say which one was my favorite. I remember Velma as being the very quiet one. Then Zelma. whom we probably visited the most since they lived in Mapleton, being the one that cooked like Grandma Hansen using the wheat flour and honey or raw sugar. Carma and Helen were the ones I came to know most after mother’s passing since we spent several hours working together on the Hansen family history and always seeing them at any of the weddings in the family. They were also both very small and someone that I was able to at least get a little taller than even though I wasn’t that tall myself. Finally in mom’s family there was Ardyth, she was the youngest, tallest and was from California and when she and Doyle arrived the party arrived. She was always a lot of fun and it was at her wedding reception where I learned to love ice cream cake roll.

Aunt Florence and Aunt Fern, on my father’s side, were also very special. I knew Aunt Florence probably the best since she and Uncle Mont lived in Duchesne and we spent a lot of time with them. Aunt Fern and Uncle Tennis lived in Orem so we didn’t get to see them as much but I sure loved to be in their yard because it had so many beautiful flowers. I hardly knew Aunt Helen, Melvin’s wife, and can only vaguely remember her. Then Aunt Veda passed away long before I was born so Uncle Jack’s second wife was the one I remembered. In fact it was when Lynn and I went to Uncle Jack and Aunt MaryJo's place in Bountiful to stay that I learned something I had never heard before. As we were getting ready to go to bed she told us to go to bed naked as it wasn’t good to wear any clothes to bed. (That was probably the only time I slept that way.)

I had another Aunt that I claimed on Dad’s side even though she wasn’t really my Aunt. I can’t even think of her name at the moment but will never forget how I came to know her and Uncle Art. I was a missionary in Pampa ,TX and with my companion knocked on the door of a couple who had beautiful flowers planted all around their yard. I commented on how beautiful they were and that I would like to return and photograph them on our Preparation Day. She graciously invited us back even though they were Southern Baptist. We returned the next Monday and when the door was answered I thought for sure it was Uncle Jack standing there in front of me in the doorway. I simply said “Uncle Jack what are you doing here?” And he simply answered “Jack is my bother I am Art.” He then explained that I must be related to Jack but that the two of them did look a lot alike and that Jack was a brother four years younger. We visited that home several times although we didn’t get to preach the gospel to them they were very soon my favorite family in Texas. I saw Uncle Art at Aunt Mary Jo’s funeral and have somewhere a picture of Art and Jack sitting side by side at the grave. I even had a hard time telling which was which with them together, it was no wonder that I was so confused that day in Texas. We took a vacation through Texas on our way back to the National Jamboree for Scouting in 1990 and stayed at their home for a while so the children could work out their energy before traveling on the Dublin, TX. They still comment about the turtles and bird houses that Art and his wife had in their back yard.

So I guess in reality my favorite aunt had to be "Great" Aunt Zelma. I can only remember her visiting Duchesne a few times but she was our measuring stick at just a little under 5 feet tall she was the one we liked to measure ourselves against until we finally passed her. She was one of the most faithful writers to me when I was in the mission field and would send me $10.00 each month. She was Grandma Hansen’s sister and always reminded me so much of grandma. We went to St George on our way to Arizona one year with my children while Great Aunt Zelma was still living. She lived to be 104 and almost 105 since she died just a month before her birthday. I was shocked by how tall she was then. She couldn’t have been much over 3 feet because she was bent over so far due to osteoporosis. That was the last time I got to see her but it has not been the last time that I have thought about her. She and Great Uncle Leo had never had any children but they treated all of their nieces and nephews and their children like they were their own and we all knew it and loved them for it. Yes I must admit that she would have to be my favorite if such a thing could exist.

This is a picture of Grandma Hansen's brother's and sister's. And Yes this is where I got the spelling for Loren's name was from my Great Uncle Loren.

For Jan 17, 2010

Tell a fond memory of your Grandma.

I had two Grandmother of whom I was very fond. Of course since Grandma Poulson lived in the same town I have probably more memories of her but I still have some very special ones of Grandma Hansen as well.

First Grandma Poulson (Nana):

When I started kindergarten mother had started teaching at the high school so I would go to the elementary in the morning for a half day and then walk to Nana's at noon and stay with her until mom came to pick me up. I am sure Marsha was there as well since she was three years younger and Nana would have been babysitting her also. What I remember most though from those days were the treats. Nana always had cookies in her cookie jar or had just made some that morning for the cookie jar. I really liked them but can't really tell you what kind they were. I am sure they changed in variety as often as she cooked them but I seem to remember chocolate chip ones being my favorite. I always liked her tapioca pudding too that she would give us for lunch or snacks. It even had raisins in it at times and I didn't mind even though they were cooked in with the pudding. Nana also had a shed out by the side of the house where we liked to play and spent a lot of time in and around it. Nana also was always with us for Christmas Eve. That was always special but the one time that has since become the most special was the year that she passed away on the 26th of Dec. She had stayed long enough for us to have Christmas before she finally was able to let herself leave. She was ill for several weeks and we would go in and see her each night after we got home from school and it was hard watching her get so feeble and sick. I had turned 10 that year and it has always been a very strong part of my memory especially since that was the same year that I had been playing marbles on the front sidewalk of our Alamo type looking elementary school (at least that's what I always thought it looked like) when someone ran out of the front door and yelled to tell us that President Kennedy had been killed. We all ran into the school and and our teachers then told us what had happened. That was in November and happened in Dallas, Texas, a place that was as foreign to me then as China. Now however it is a special part of my history since I spent part of my mission very close to Dallas and had visited the museum near the area where it all happened. The years of mystery cleared up quite quickly as we were able to walk down the road and look toward the building where it had all taken place. I don't remember Nana's reaction to it but I believe that was one thing we probably talked with her about that day after school.

Grandma Hansen:

Our trips to Centerfield were far and few between. It was along drive over Indian Canyon on that narrow old road that wasn't widened until I was in high school. Then the trip down toward Price and turning north toward Provo and then before getting to Provo turning south again to go through Manti and on toward Gunnison and finally Centerfied. At least we knew when we saw the temple standing up on that hill that we were at least getting a little closer. We would go all the way through Gunnison and then into Centerfield and would be carefully watching for the old beet factory because we knew we were really close then. The turn down the dirt road to Grandma's and Grandpa's was really close then.They always seemed to be watching for us as well because we could barely turn into the yard before the door would come open and they would come down the steps and take us each in their arms and give a a big hug. Grandma always seemed to have an apron on as well except for when she was going to church. She made fantastic meals that were also ready for us when we got there. We loved to go down the steps and into the two rooms, divided by a wall with a hole up in the top that we would climb through to get into the other side as we played. I believe it was explained that the hole was there so heat could get into both rooms. It wasn't real big but neither were we. The girls always stayed in the one side and the boys in the other. The girls were lucky too because the Old Victrola record player was in that room along with all of the records. It was fun to play and listen to the music as it came out of that old horn type speaker mounted to it. Grandma was always so loving too and would get grandpa quite quickly to rescue us from the bathroom when we couldn't get the door open. I must admit though that the one thing I really remember about Grandma was her telling us to use no more than 4 squares of toilet paper when we were wiping after using the bathroom. (Now if you want some real awakening count the number of squares you use next time and remember the toilet tissue wasn't double layered at that time either).

Grandma as I told you in the last blog was the recorder for Grandpa. She had very beautiful neat writing that has always put mine to major shame but I suppose that had to be so that she could fill that roll for grandpa in his later years. She was also very loving as was Nana and she always had cookies too, and if I remember correctly they were made from whole wheat bread. Grandma always cooked with whole wheat and honey and I loved the fresh bread she would make for us when we were there. I was blessed with two very wonderful grandma's. I left for my mission in 1972 and returned home in 1974. I knew that I wanted to marry Marie and Grandma had since moved to Orem from Centerfield. Dad and mom and I went out to stay with her one weekend after I had returned and I remember it was about the time the Provo temple was completed. Anyway I asked dad if I could borrow the car and drove down into Provo where I went to the jewelry store, bought a ring that I could afford with my limited money and went back to Grandma's. I was very quiet about what I had done and thus they were all surprised later when they discovered that I had bought the ring while we were out visiting her a few weeks before I actually gave it to Marie.

Jan 16, 2010

Tell a fond memory of your grandpa.

Grandpa Poulson's lap and Grandpa Hansen’s blessing

Many of the memories of my Grandparents were with my mother parents. Grandpa Hansen gave me my patriarchal Blessing and Grandma Hansen lived until I was home from my mission and had my first son. Dad’s parents however were a part of my memories as well but Grandpa Poulson was only a part of one specific very vague or faded memory. I remember sitting on his lap while I was three years old just prior to his death. I can’t remember his funeral even though I was most likely there but I can remember sitting on his lap just that one time. I have often wished that I could remember him better but know that someday I will get to know him just as I did my own father. Grandma Poulson was a big part of my childhood though since she was my babysitter after mother started working for the school. I would go from Kindergarten to her home just a coupe blocks from the school. I would play there until Mom or Dad came to pick me up. Dad was working as a carpenter and at that time was helping Mr. Grant build a home just a block away from Grandma so she would let me go visit him once in a while also while he was at work. We got to spend most of the holidays with her since she lived in Duchesne. We always loved to go there to do our Trick or Treating on Halloween and I always loved her tapioca pudding. Grandma lived until I was ten years old, seven years after grandpa had passed away. She was in our home for the last couple of months prior to her death and passed away the day after Christmas in 1963. Mother said she always felt that Grandma had stayed until after Christmas so that she wouldn’t spoil Christmas day for us children. We all loved her very much and she was the lucky Grandma that we got to live close enough with that visiting her was almost a daily occurrence. I loved my other Grandparents as well but getting to visit them required a trip usually taking up a couple of days.

Received My Patriarchal Blessing from Grandpa Hansen

My Grandfather Hansen had been a spiritual leader in the church most of his life. He was a Bishop and a Stake President and late a Stake Patriarch. It was the last calling that I remembered him as being in the church during my lifetime. I could hardly wait to receive my patriarchal blessing since I could receive from my Grandfather even though he was in a completely different stake of Zion. I knew my Brothers and sisiters had all received theirs from him so I was anxious to get mine. It was a soft policy I suppose in the church while I was growing up to wait until you were older than 14 to receive your blessing. However there were some allowances made for my younger sister Marsha and I when we traveled to Centerfield to receive them from Grandpa. I was 13 and Marsha was 10 years old. I remember it seemed like hours as I sat on the chair with Grandpa sitting on a stool behind me nd with his hands on my head and the Grandma sitting to the side with a pencil and paper recording the blessing for him as he spoke it. That was part of the reason for the length of time since he would pause regularly to give her time to write each word down. Marsha and I were dressed in Sunday clothes and it was on a Sunday that we received the blessing. I have always felt very fortunate to have been able to receive that blessing when I did because only a few months later he had a heart attack and passed away. Marsha was really lucky since he was only 10. Grandpa was always special to me for a lot of other reasons a swell. I would wait for him to go get water from a lake north of Gunnison and then help carry in the gallon bottles filled with their drinking water. The water apparently was so hard from their well that they could only bathe and do dished in it. I also loved going out to the corrals behind the house to watch him do chores and help feed the livestock. I never got to know my Grandpa Poulson since I was so young when he passed away and so Grandpa Hansen filled both of the roles so to speak and did it well.

Jan. 15, 2010

Tell of any other nicknames in your family.

Well I think I have jumped the gun a little on this one since I included the comments from Clair a few days ago and his nicknames. He was the only other sibling that I remember as having a nickname .

But there is a story concerning names that I can relate here. Alma was named after Grandpa George "Alma" Poulson so when she was old enough to realize that it was a boys name then she decided she wanted her own name. So as I understand it mom and dad allowed her to choose her own name and she chose "Joyce". They gave her that name legally and she was called that for a period of time and later decided that she liked Grandpa's name better and has gone by that name for as long as I can remember. Now, however, she has picked up another name , that as I think about it is probably a nickname, of "Nana" with her grandchildren just as Grandma Poulson was always "Nana" to us. I now realize that it is a common name for grandma's but to me in my youth she was the only person that had that name and I never realized for many years that it wasn't her given name. Grandma Hansen was always Grandma Hansen but Grandma Poulson was always "Nana".

"Nana"

1ST three pictures Grandma and Grandpa Poulson and Kermit's oldest brother "Mont"

Last three are Grandma Hansen

I am adding the following pictures while still relating things about my grandparents so that you can get to know my Aunt's and Uncle's. It has been fun for me to realize also that both sets of my grandparent's had 50th wedding anniversaries.

My father's family.

My Mother's family.

L to R: Chester and Helen (sitting), Kay and Velma (sitting), Doyle and Ardyth, Gandma (sitting), Grandpa (sitting), Carma, Carling, Kermit, Ilean (sitting), Lyle and Zelma (sitting).

Jan 14, 2010

Tell a nickname your family gave you and how you got it.

I basically had two nicknames when I was growing up and have had a third during my adulthood.

The first was "Kentucky Pete" as you already know given to me by my Uncle Mont, I didn't ever know why but as I look at it now I am sure it was just the long way around Kent.

The second was "Wilbur" given to me by my cousin Jack Skewes. I am sure he did it just to tease me and he did that quite often and quite well. The following is a story about on such incident.

"A Quarter for a daring feat: Climb down into the well." I don’t know for sure how I survived my Cousin’s visits each summer. There seemed to be a favorite member of our family that they would always pick on and that person was me. This particular story also deals with one of those pranks. Jack Skewes has always been one of my favorite cousins and I don’t know why because one of my earliest memories of him was when he challenged me to climb down into our well house. The well house was a cement box that about 8 to 10 foot deep and five foot by 6 or 7 foot wide. It was below ground and housed the pump and water tank that was the storage for the water when first pumped out of the well. It was a very dark place especially after the wooden lid was placed over the hole that was the access to the well house. Black Widow spiders seemed like the place a lot better than I did and for years I can recall on several occasions finding them in that hole along with other various species of spiders. I accepted the challenge because, well, I was trusting and he offered to give me a quarter which was more valuable than a bucket of gold to a young man of my tender years. I remember the fear that I had as I climbed down the wooden ladder that allowed access to the pump and the tank. I was almost to the bottom and victory when the wooden lid was slipped back over the entrance and I was submerged in total darkness with all those spiders ready for a hearty meal of a young man’s flesh. I quickly climbed back up the ladder only to find that the lid would not moved. Jack had put a heavy rock on the lid so that it wouldn’t move. My memory from that moment on was probably something that I have shoved deep into my subconscious memory bank since I have no recollection of how long I was in there before he had pity on me and removed the rock. I don’t remember if I cried but suspect that I probably did since I was not very brave nor have ever been since that time. I am sure the spiders were probably just as scared as I was as well but that wasn’t in my mind either. So why is he a favorite cousin, well, probably because he has also been there most of my life as a good friend as well as a cousin after the “rock on the well lid” incident. This must have really affected me since I have actually written about it twice. Another version: All for 25 cents I have told in other stories about the fact that I had cousins from Bountiful who would spend their summer months in Duchesne living with Nana (Grandma Poulson) and often staying or visiting with us as well since we only lived a couple of miles out of town and were on a farm no less. I have also explained that I was often the target of pranks that they would devise in my behalf sine I was four years younger than my next older brother and 10 years younger than my oldest cousin. It was my oldest cousin that pulled this prank on me and has since changed my life forever. (At least I like to blame it on him and hold no malice in so doing since we have become very good friends and I have gotten revenge many time over by taking his picture at every event we have ever attended just because I knew he didn’t like it either.) I must also explain that even though I did get an allowance of 10 cents or so once a month and maybe even more often, that to me at that time 25 cents was worth an awful lot. Candy was still sold for a penny a piece and so 25 pieces would go a long to satisfy a sugar need. I probably didn’t get to have all 25 pieces though since mother was very strict about our paying tithing first and so 3 cents would most likely have gone into my little yellow tithing bank. We also got our water from a well. The well house wasn’t an above ground building but rather a cement lined hole in the ground with a cement top minus room for a hole where the ladder would lean and we would gain access to the tank and pump below at about an 8 foot depth. It was very dark inside and consequently a handy spot for Black widow spiders with their lovely red hourglass marking on the bellies. I hated the well since you could barely move around the tanks and work in it. My cousin must have guessed that fact and thus dared me one day to go into the well. It took some convincing but the quarter that he offered finally made me bow into the pressure. He removed the heavy rock that was on the wooden lid of the well house and then the wooden lid as well so that I could climb down into the well. He watched as I went all the way to the bottom of the ladder and then kindly replaced the wooden lid complete with the heavy rock. I have absolutely no recollection of the length of my duration in that dark spider infested hole but was sure at the time that every black widow sharing it with me was headed my way to teach me about the importance of not invading their space. I did finally escape their vengeance unbitten to receive my 25 cent reward but to this day am a bit claustraphobic in caves and dark abyss where black widow spiders not only try to get revenge for my invading their domains but revenge for all the black widows I have killed so that they wouldn’t invade my domain either. The third nickname came to me while working at Signetics: Two of us that were technicians had similar names. Ken Robinson and Kent Poulson. We were both having fun with our supervisor and would often both answer him when he called either of us to make an assignment. SO, one day our supervisor, Tony Coates, came through the door and when we answered he stated "OK, to make this easy your'e "Kenner" as he pointed to Ken and then turned to me and said "Your'e KP". That stuck for both of us even to the extent that my boys learned at scout camp that they could always get my attention by calling "KP" when dad, scoutmaster, and Kent would never be quite enough to make me turn. I had learned to respond to KP above any and all noise of the workplace and it worked elsewhere as well.

Jan 13, 2010

Due to 4 new work schedule and the fact that we are riding together I am going to post the night prior as much as possible so that I am not trying to do it before she arrives at 54:00 a.m.

Did your mother work outside the home?

Yes, mother was a trained social worker and worked for Duchesne County when they were first married. Then for several years she was a homemaker. About the time Marsha was born she began working for the school system and was a teacher when I was young. Later she became the librarian and I even had classes from her when I was in High School. She also taught a couple other classes over the years but I don't remember what they were, I think English was one of them. She worked at the high school in Duchesne until she retired.

This is what she worked at the hardest however through the years. It is missing pictures of Marsha and I.

Jan 12, 2010

What did your father do for a living? (Somehow I missed two pages so I am doing them today and tomorrow.)

Dad was a rancher and a farmer for a good share of his early life. He did not complete his education because of having to return to work on the farm due to his fathers illness and World War 1. He later worked building homes which is what he was doing when I was in Kindergarten, then later took a job with the Duchesne School District. He worked there until his retirement at age 65 and at that point became a supervisor over a construction project where they were putting the canal into pipe. He died three years after retirement.

Dad sleeping while holding KellyAnn.

Jan 11,2010

Name all the street addresses you can recall and/or all the communities you have lived in and years there. (Second Day)

This question was asked for two days so I am taking the liberty since I was able to answer the question in full yesterday to put in a few pictures from my fathers history.

My Grandfather George Alma Poulson

My Grandmother Rozilla Johnson Poulson (we called her Nana)

My father by a cactus in Arizona

My father and neice Jenn Poulson Curtis

My 4th grade picture, mother’s favorite “caught the mouse” picture

Jan 10, 2010 Kasia’s 8th Birthday

Name all the street addresses you can recall and/or all the communities you have lived in and years there.

I was born In Duchesne and lived there until I was 18 years old. I then went to Snow College and lived with Sister Anderson and my Brother Lynn in Ephraim, Ut about four blocks south of campus. Went back to Duchesne for the summer of 1972 and then went on my mission to Texas. (I will name the cities where I lived and approximately how long from what I can recall, I can in no way remember the addresses.) 1. Arlington, TX, for 4 weeks. 2. Terrell, TX for 3 weeks maybe 4. 3. Garland , TX for four months. 4. Stephenville, TX for 4 months. 5. Cleburne, TX for 1 week. 6. Midland, TX for 6 months. 7. Pampa, TX for four months, and Grand Prairie, TX for 5 months. After my mission I returned to Snow College and lived with Sister Beck across the street from the Institute Building. I then went back to Duchesne for a month prior to my wedding on June 20, 1975. Marie and I then lived at 2023 South 800 West in Mapleton for 6 years, In Spanish Fork Utah for 6 weeks (can’t remember the address I think it was 1400 east however on the bench in what was called the Jex subdivision.) Then were asked to live in the home at 33 West Maple in Mapleton and finally built the home we are currently in and moved into it around July 24^th 1983.

These are images of the home where I spent my first 18 years. Pictures taken by Ilean Poulson.

Jan 9,2010

What was your father’s date/place and circumstances of birth?

I don’t know any of the details surrounding my father’s birth but the following gives some details of how he moved from Holden to Duchesne where he would spend the rest of his life.

From my father’s history!

I was born 27 May 1909 in Holden, Millard, Utah. My parents are George Alma Poulson and Rozilla Johnson.
I spent the first four years of my life in Holden where my parents operated a hotel. I do not remember the details surrounding our move to Duchesne, but we left Holden in April of 1913. We went by buggy to Juab, and my father and Uncle Albert Stephenson drove our cattle from Holden to there. Uncle Albert's family and our family made this move together. Mother and Aunt Ruby were sisters, and our families had always been very close.
At Juab all of the belongings of both families were loaded on the train, and we traveled to Colton. From there we traveled over Indian Canyon. Each family had their buggies and wagons. My older brothers, Mont and Melvin, rode together on one horse and drove the cattle to Duchesne. Our first home was in a small two-story building (frame) located about where the high school building now stands. We lived there for a short time, and then our
family moved into the house where Mrs. Lella Wardle now lives (I, Kent, home taught Sister Wardle for several years totally unaware that dad had lived there until after I had returned from my mission). I attended first grade while we were living in this home.
The following autumn (1916) we moved into a two-room frame house located on our present farm and lying about one-half mile west of the home where I now live.
The following summer the building was moved to the present location of our home to become part of the present family home. While the house was being completed we lived in a one-room building near the house. Our new home was being built during the years that the United States was fighting World War I. It was built by Jess Clement. Father worked with Mr. Clement, and we boys were required to give whatever assistance we were able to give. I spent many hours straightening nails. Nothing was wasted in the construction of our home. I cannot actually remember when we moved into our new home, but it was probably in the autumn of 1917.


The above images are of two of the places where my father spent most of the first 32 years of his life.