Thoughts and stories, by Pal

More family Christmas stories is a blog I repeat each Christmas.  It was published last year as entry # 304, and I have added more pictures this year.  More Family Christmas Stories, first published Dec. 3, 2013. This was posted last year on December 3, 2013, as blog # 24.  I hope you enjoy these family Christmas stories. The "Pull Out The Rug" story down a bit, is about our son Allen when he was about 8 years old.  The picture above is when he was a navigator in the Air Force, and his wife, Holli.  He served for almost 7 years, also in Desert Storm. There are several stories about Christmas in our family, and you may enjoy these: ----  (The photos are different from last year.) My mother, Ruth, was just 6 years old when her father passed away.   In the summer of 1914, her father, John Butler Allen, got a sliver in his eye.  Later a horse switched his tail and a long hair cut through his eye again.  These accidents c...

This was posted last year on December 3, 2013, as blog # 24.  I hope you enjoy these family Christmas stories. There are several stories about Christmas in our family, and you may enjoy these: ----  (The photos are different from last year.) My mother, Ruth, was just 6 years old when her father passed away.  In the summer of 1914, her father, John Butler Allen, got a sliver in his eye.  Later a horse switched his tail and a long hair cut through his eye again.  These accidents caused him gradually to go blind in that eye.  The infection from this brought on Bright's Disease (the old-fashioned term for kidney problems).  He suffered very much with the infection which now could be cured in a few days with antibiotics.  He grew steadily worse until on October 26th, 1914, he finally passed away.  There were 8 children in the family, the 9th child having died at just four and a half months, before Ruth was born.  His wife was left with ...

Levinah Emmaline Wilson , or “Emm” was born down on “The Muddy”, St. Thomas, Nevada, as it was called, on April 14, 1870.   It was covered now Lake Mead.    She was born in a dirt floored and dirt roofed house.  Her father had been called there to start a saw-mill.  She told the story, as it had been told to her, that at her birth it was raining,  (a rare thing for that section), and that sisters had to hold pans over the bed to catch the rain water, during her birth process.   Only the tops of a few trees used to show through the lake to show where the town had been.   It since is uncovered now due to the lake having less water.   Her father was George Deliverance Wilson, and her mother was Martha Ann Riste.   She was the 7th child out of eleven.  There were eight boys and three girls.  Aunt Martha was 10 years older than Mother and quite sickly.  Aunt Sadie was 8 years younger, so Levinah had brothers both younger and...

HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW, OR HAVE KNOWN YOUR GRANDPAS?  I NEVER KNEW MY OWN GRANDFATHER – MY MOTHER’S FATHER (OR MY FATHER’S FATHER AND MOTHER).  WHAT A BLESSING IF YOU KNOW THEM PERSONALLY.  I HAVE ENJOYED GETTING TO KNOW MY MOTHER’S FATHER BETTER THROUGH THE HISTORIES WRITTEN BY MY MOTHER, AND HER SISTER LA VERN – AND WHAT THEY WROTE .   Some following is what they wrote:  My mother Ruth’s father, John Butler Allen was born October 8, 1856, in Spanish Fork, Utah.  His parents were Philo Allen and Sarah Adeline Butler, who was his second wife.  Philo Allen and his first wife, Lucy, were some of the first settlers called to settle Spanish Fork, and while they were establishing dwelling places or homes, they lived in a dug out in the side of the mountain.  In this they were warm and comfortable while their cabin was being built.  Sarah Adeline was the daughter of John Lowe Butler, who was the first bishop in Spanish Fork, and when they were...