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Family History of Arthur Velorus Metcalf and his wife Jane Erickson Metcalf

Arthur Velorus Metcalf was born on 8 Dec. 1877 to Anthony Metcalf and Sylvia Eliza Sanford Metcalf in Fayette, Sanpete, Utah. Arthur’s father, Anthony, was born in Belfast, Ireland where Anthony’s father John Edward Metcalf was working on construction. John Edward was a carpenter by trade. John Edward and family joined the church in 1849 and crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the ship, Ellen Marie. They crossed the plains in the Claudius Spencer Company. Anthony was 10 years old and he walked most of the way from the Missouri River to Salt Lake City. They arrived in Salt Lake in Sept.1855. They lived in Salt Lake for a year and then moved to Springville Utah. Anthony worked for Bishop Bringlurst and Jacob Houtz, freighting for them to Nevada. In the fall of 1862 the family was called to St. George but was released from there after 2 years and was called to Warm Creek, now Fayette, where John Edward built a flour mill. Great Grandfather John Edward died at Fayette on 4 Feb. 1887. Anthony was married to Sylvia Eliza Sanford in Aug. 1862 at Springville, Utah. They moved to Fayette in 1866 to operate the flour mill. The Indians were so troublesome that Anthony had to work under heavy guard. It was here in Fayette that Arthur Velorus was born in 1877. He was No.9 in the list of 15 children. Anthony and Sylvia Eliza were finally forced to move to Gunnison (because of the Indians) where Anthony built a mill of his own and he operated that mill until he was called on a mission to New Zealand in 1884. Sylvia Eliza died at the age of 101 years 9 months on 12 Aug. 1947. By then, many of her children had passed away including Arthur Velorus who had died 26 Aug. 1941. Arthur was just a lad of 7 years when his father went on a mission to New Zealand. So Arthur had to help around the home and at the mill. He had plenty of older brothers and sisters (him being No.9) so he had tenders and play mates right at home.

Arthur watched Gunnison grow from a pioneer settlement into a thriving community. He assisted greatly in its development. He attended the schools in Gunnison and later became interested in farming to which industry he devoted his life.

Arthur was baptized by Anthony Metcalf on 2 June 1886. Confirmed by Pete F. Peterson on 3 June 1886. Ordained a Teacher by Bishop A. C. Fjeldsted on 11 March 1912. Ordained a Priest by Bishop A. C. Fjeldsted on 18 March 1912. Ordained an Elder by Bishop Herbert Beck on 29 June 1919. Ordained a High Priest by Allen E. Park on 13 Sept. 1925.

Arthur was a High Priest at the time of his death and he had worked in various organizations in the Church. He was a member of the Old Folks Committee for 25 years in the Hamilton Ward and served in that capacity in the Stake for three years. He served as second counselor in the Hamilton Ward bishopric to Bishop Hans. C. Olsen and as second counselor in the Elders Quorum to Martin Madsen. He married Jane Erickson on 7 Dec. 1898 with Bishop C. A. Madsen performing the ceremony. He was treasurer of the Western Irrigation Company in West View for ten years.

Arthur and Jane

Arthur and Jane were married on 7 Dec. 1898 in Gunnison. This marriage was later solemnized in the Manti Temple on 22 Feb. 1922. Arthur was 21 years old and Jane was 15 going on 16. What a handsome couple they were. Him so tall and dark and Jane so fair. What hopes and dreams they must of had when they started their lives together. They probably never did have a lot of money but they had enough to get by on. Do you think they even imagined the hard work that was ahead of them? But Arthur worked hard at farming trying to make enough to build a home and keep food on the table for his family. At first Arthur farmed out in the New Field but later he bought a farm out on the West Bench known as Clarion. That is where I can remember helping Dad on his farm. Arthur also worked out on a threshing machine in the fall of the year. They would pull their thresher to different farms and thresh the grain. It was quite different from the way we thresh now. Arthur’s older boys helped him on the farm and worked out for some of the neighbors. Clem often worked for a Japanese neighbor Mitachi. Jane kept house in a little log cabin. She turned the separator night and morning to separate the cream from the milk. Then the Cream was saved until she had enough to drive into town to the "creamery which was owned and run by S. P. Jensen. She would hitch up the horse and buggy and drive into town to sell her cream and buy a few needed supplies. She cooked many dinners for the help. The "help" were men who came and worked for Arthur at haying time and threshing time.

In the 1930"s when the great depression hit America, Clem left the farm to go to Idaho to find work. He found work on a farm in Burley, Idaho. Arthur was unable to keep the farm payments up and he lost his farm in Clarion. Then he and family: moved up into their home in Centerfield permanently. Before we had went back and forth. We had lived out on the farm in the spring and summer and had come into town in the winters. We lived in Centerfield but Deon, Margie and Lois went to Gunnison to school so our address was Gunnison. We went to the Hamilton Ward which was over by the Gunnison Seminary building.

Arthur really enjoyed dancing and they had some good times in the Hamilton Ward. They even turned back the rugs in their front room many times and had dances there. Arthur had asthma and it seemed to get worse as he got older. He couldn’t seem to be able to give up his cigarettes which he had started to smoke again. He did give them up while he was working in the church. I remember when I was 11 or 12 years old I always wanted to see the show, Buck Jones. So I would coax my Dad to go with me but when we got to the hill by the turkey plant he always said that I would have to push him up the hill because he was so short of breath that he couldn’t make it.

Arthur and Jane bought a Studebaker in the 1930's and decided to take a trip to Vernal, Utah to visit his sister, Aunt Em. I remember how we had to walk down into a canyon because there were no roads down to their home. There was a trail that we had to follow. We got into Vernal around sundown and by the time we walked down this long, long trail it was very late and all of us kids were give out. The little way they told us it would be turned out to be about 5 miles. Alva and Amber went with us on this trip.

We also made a trip to Twin falls, Idaho to see our brother Clem who was working on a ranch. This was my first encounter with "hominy". I could hardly choke it down but we had to clean our plates. On this trip we had a little coupe with a rumble seat where Margie and I rode. One night we stopped at a Motel and Margie and I had got into bed and was very near to sleep when Mom saw some bedbugs crawling up the wall. She made us get up and get dressed and we spent the rest of the night in our little car and it was raining cats and dogs, but Mom wouldn’t stay in that cabin, knowing it had bedbugs.

Arthur used to go to Jap's Valley for wood and I remember going with him. I'm sure I was more hindrance than help but I really enjoyed being with my Dad on these trips. We would sleep out under the stars and Dad would wake me up when he had breakfast ready.

One summer when I was around 8 years old, my folks and Aunts and Uncles and a dozen or so cousins went up to Twelve Mila Flats for an outing. I remember the tent that I slept in was about 15 feet long and there must of been 12 kids sleeping there. It was a great get together with plenty of food to eat and lots of games to play and we also went on hikes in the hills. When we started for home, a lot of us kids were riding in the back of a big truck and we were pretty scared to come down the mountain because it had rained real hard the night before and the roads were real slick. My Dad rode with us in the back of the truck and at each slip of the truck we would all gasp and holler and I remember Arthur asking us if we didn’t have any faith in the Lord. He told us that the Lord would help us down the mountain safely. Then he started to sing and we all joined in and we sang "Who's On The Lord's Side Who? We made it down off the mountain safely and we also knew that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers. Arthur died of a heart attack on the 26th August, 1941. He was 63 years old.

Jane was a second councilor in the Relief Society in the Hamilton Ward and she was a visiting teacher for many years. One of her partners was Mrs. Frank Allred with whom she enjoyed visiting very much. Jane had a testimony of the Gospel and she taught her children to be honest and fair. Her hands were always busy, whether at tending a child, hoeing a garden or crocheting something pretty. She made many pretty doilies and other pieces that decorated her own home and also her children's. Her washing was done on scrub boards. And ironing day was just that. Most of one whole day was devoted to ironing. She had tubs full of ironing to do and she heated the irons on the old wood cook stove and would iron for hours at a time so all the shirts, dresses and blouses would be fresh and wrinkle free. Then she finally got a washing machine, but it had to be turned by hand. But it cut out the old scrub board. She also made her own soap. When Arthur would kill a pig, she had him save all the fat and she would render out the fat for lard or shortening and then she would use the crinkles and lye to make soap. She would build a fire outside and set the big black tub of lye and grease onto the fire and cook it until it was of the consistency for soap. Then she would cool it and then cut it into big bars of soap. Jane was 59 years old when her companion of 43 years passed away. But Jane had always been a worker so she kept a milk cow and she milked this cow for many years. She had water in her house but she never got a hot water heater. She never had a bathroom or an electric refrigerator or an electric stove or many of the conveniences of that time of 1941. She never learned how to drive a car and so she did a lot of walking. She would walk up to Gunnison for her mail and when she was 65 years old, I drove down to the bottom of the "G" hill for Easter so that Jenny, who was 4 years old at the time could go for a Easter hike. So Grandma Metcalf walked with Jenny up to the G. I stayed in the car with Mary who was a tiny baby then. A lot of Jane's daily walks would take her over to visit her daughter, Amber. Or over to see Lois and her family. She really looked forward to the times when someone would pick her up and take her for a ride and a hamburger. She also enjoyed going to the show on Jack Pot night. On Wednesday night's, Cy Anderson would hold his Jack Pot night and everyone who went was hoping to win the $100.00 Jack Pot. As Jane grew older and everyone had left home, she used to spend January in Salt Lake, at a son, Clem's home. Then she would come home and stay at her home in the daytime, but at night she would go, either to Lois's place or over and sleep at Amber's. She didn’t like to be alone at night. She spent a lot of time with Jenny and Lois's other children. When Jenny was real small (2and 3 and 4) she practically lived at Grandmas. Grandma would play cards and other games with her. And when Jenny would have a birthday party, Grandma would always come with a gift for Jenny and another one for little Mary so she wouldn’t feel left out. Talk about Grandmas spoiling kids. And nights when Grandma slept at Lois's, she always had a story to tell Jay and Ron at bedtime. How lucky they were to have their Grandma close by. When her granddaughters got older, they took turns staying with Grandma at her home at night. Connie Amtoft was with her on 4 Dec. 1962 when Jane had a heart attack and died in her sleep at the age of 79. In 2 weeks, she would have been 80 years old.

Obituary:

Heart Attack Claims Life of Prominent Gunnison Resident

Arthur Metcalf Called to Reward, Tuesday-Services Conducted in Gunnison Ward Chapel

Funeral services for Arthur Velorus Metcalf, who died at his home last Tuesday from a heart attack, were conducted Saturday in the Gunnison ward chapel by Bishop Earl Pickett of the Hamilton ward. Friends and relatives filled the chapel to capacity in paying their last respects to the man who watched Gunnison grow from a pioneer settlement, and assisted greatly in its development.

Mr. Metcalf was born in Fayette, December 8, 1877, a son of Anthony and Sylvia Eliza Sanford Metcalf. When but a small boy, he moved to Gunnison and helped his father operate the first grist mill of this locality. He attended the schools here and later became interested in farming to which industry he devoted his life.

He married Jane Erickson in Gunnison, December 7, 1898, with Bishop C. A. Madsen performing the ceremony.

Mr. Metcalf was an ardent church worker, being a member of the ward Old folks committee for 25 years, and chairman for the Old folks committee for the past three years. He served as second counselor in the Hamilton ward bishopric to Bishop Hans. C. Olsen, and as second counselor in the Elders' quorum to Martin Madsen. He was a high priest in the Gunnison stake at the time of his death.

In addition to his widow, he is survived by six sons and daughters: Clement and Deone Metcalf of Salt Lake City; Mrs. Alva Lund, Mrs. Clair Coates, and Marjorie and Lois Metcalf, all of Gunnison; his mother, who is now 96 years old, and the following sisters: Mrs. Jack Chew, Vernal, Mrs. Sylvia Caldwell and Mrs. Melissa Nay, Centerfield; Mrs. Ike Brown, Springville; Mrs. Carl Nielson, Salt Lake; Mrs. Ezra Nielson of Thistle and Mrs. Clara Ludvigson of Gunnison. Ten grand-children also survive.

In addition to remarks, on the life of Mr. Metcalf by Bishop Pickett, the following speakers paid high tribute: and spoke words of comfort to the family at the services: Hans. C. 0lson, John Bardsley and. Charles S. Hansen. Musical numbers included, "Oh My Father", vocal trio; "Whispering Hope", duet; "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine", male trio, and "I Know that My Redeemer Lives", trio. Invocation was offered by LaVoy Sorenson and the benediction by Carl Nielson. Burial was in the Gunnison cemetery and the grave was dedicated by I.S. Brown.

Contributed by jhammond22@cox.net

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