Memorial Day in the Beaver City Cemetery


Coming into the Beaver cemetery on Memorial Day is quite an experience! Many people have erected full size flag poles by family plots, and along with all the flowers it is a wonderful and beautiful and awe-inspiring sight!








Jeannie's Father's (Edward Thompson Murdock's) grave



While I was arranging the flowers and taking the pictures, an older lady approached me and asked if I was related to "Toss" Murdock. She grew up in Beaver and knew Jeannie's Dad. She moved to Cedar City about the time that "Miss Gaddie" came to Beaver to teach school, and she heard that Toss and Miss Gaddie had married and lived somewhere in the South. She shared some experiences, including one she and her fiance had with "Johnnie" (John R. Murdock, Jr., Jeannie's grandfather) in his drugstore in 1945 or 1946. Sharing more information, it turned out that she was also a great-granddaughter of W. G. Nowers and in Cedar City knew Barbara and Fred Adams and lived around the corner from Dixie and Lee Morrell (Barbara and Dixie are Jeannie's cousins). It is, indeed, a small world!

(Pre-) Memorial Day in Logan

After an exciting Evans Reunion on the Saturday before Memorial Day many of us journeyed up to the Logan City Cemetery.




The rain threatened but never intruded



Visiting with siblings is a rare and fun opportunity



Some more happy participants



Resting places for Marjorie and Laurie Evans, infant daughters of Ted and Mildred who died at or shortly after birth in 1952 and 1956, respectively.



Mom's (Mildred's) grave



Dad at his parents' graves (Frederick Charles and Caroline Eschler Evans)



David and Diane



Todd and Pamela



Mark and Nadine



Headstone for Jeannie's maternal grandparents, James and Mary Gaddie



Another view of the Gaddie headstone.



The beautiful setting for the Gaddies' graves, under an ornamental cherry tree they planted.

Fred and Carrie Evans Family Reunion!

The Saturday before Memorial Day was a reunion for the Caroline Eschler and Frederick Charles Evans Family. The initial site was planned to be Logan, Utah, but was switched to the Civic Center in Hyrum, just south of Logan, due to having an indoor venue available. About 100 descendants attended, most from the Utah area. Without going into too much detail, here is some background information (you can skip if you desire).

Frederick Charles ("Fred") Evans, 1872-1957,was the son of Frederick Henry Evans and Emma Raymond, two of the very first settlers in the Thomas Fork Valley in southeastern Idaho. He was an educator, rancher and farmer plus served in the state legislature and in several local and county offices. He was bishop's counselor for 11 years then bishop for 22 years.

Caroline("Carrie") Eschler, 1893-1947, was the oldest daughter of Gottfried Eschler and Rose Kunz. She was 14 when her father was called on a mission back to his native Switzerland, and for two years she had major responsibility with her mother for caring for 8 younger siblings, supporting her father and keeping the large dairy farm running. Most of the milk was made into cheese. She was also educated and played the piano some.

They had seven children: Roscoe, Alice, Legrande (died of appendicitis when 14), Ruth, Edith, Edwin (Ted) and Douglas (Doug). Edwin and Douglas are still living and both attended the reunion.



Sign heralding the EVANS REUNION!!!


The primary instigator of the reunion, my cousin Mary (Aunt Edith's oldest child and my age), with her husband, David Evans (not a close relative, just a coincidence)



My cousin Mont Evans, son of Uncle Roscoe, and his wife, Sherry. Also is a window salvaged from the home of Emma Raymond Evans, right across the street from the home of Fred and Carrie. Mont and my sister Diane brought most of the artifacts displayed (only a portion being in the photos below).



A wash stand built by Fred. One was placed in each bedroom.



Some tools used by Fred



Dining room table and lamps from Fred and Carrie's home, plus the bread box from Henry and Emma's home.



A chalk drawing by Emma Raymond Evans, wife of Henry Evans and mother of Frederick Charles Evans. According to the signed inscription on the bottom, she drew this for Roscoe's first birthday. (Roscoe was Edwin's oldest brother.)



Two surviving children of Fred and Carrie Evans: Edwin (91) and Doug (84)



A rare picture of Edwin and Douglas with their Mother (Caroline Eschler) and Father (Frederick Charles Evans)

How crazy to let the time go by without adding any of the exciting events going on here in beautiful SD! March 4th was a significant day for this household. And so we will march forth, but who knows where or when. Being in SD for 7 years has been a very great blessing for the fam. So many important prayers have been answered, so much has been learned. My gratitude is overwhelming. And we may just stay here, but right now it feels like we are in freefall as we try to decide what would be best and try to gain the guidance we need more than anything else.