Lucille's "Life of Claude Arthur Erskine"

For some ancestors, there are no recorded histories. For others, there may be multiple. When we spotlighted Claude (Dad/Lamar's grandfather, great-grandfather to the Westra siblings) here on the blog, (Claude Arthur Erskine - A Biography) it was a compilation of details from three different documents. From the "Life of Claude Arthur Erskine" featured below, from the similar history written for Olive, and Lucille's "I Remember Dad" document. 

The original history had been saved to FamilySearch in PDF format. It is 20-pages long ... but only the first three pages are actually Claude's history. There is also a letter to a descendant from the President of the LDS church, Thomas S. Monson, recounting his memories of Claude.  

As we've been looking at the histories, if we can, we'll retype them up for easier reading and so that portions could be cut and pasted if needed. Chris retyped Claude's history, as written by Lucille. 

Life of Claude Arthur Erskine

He was born February 7, 1883 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and died February 14, 1953  at the age of 70. His mother was Eliza Roberts and his father Archibald MacFarland Erskine. His mother came from England and his father from Scotland. He was #3 of 10 children. Archibald Frank born March 28, 1880, Kate May, August 3, 1881, Claude February 7, 1883, Stanley John December 16, 1884. Ruby November 10, 1889, Bessie March 30, 1891, Ralph Samuel January 6, 1894. His parents raised seven children. Archibald Frank, William Rob and Infant Son all died right after birth.

He lived at 726 1st Avenue while growing up. He has a wonderful mother and father, brothers and sisters. They were a close knit family and his memories of boyhood days and growing up were very precious to him. They had a large family and everyone had to do his share.

He broke his arm when a child, and the doctor set it crooked. He always said that is why he never had any money - couldn't  hold his hand out straight.

He loved fishing, and used to bicycle to the canyons with his friends. They would camp for a week at a time. His friends were Bob Batley, Tom Squires, Will Sears, Rue McKnight, and Will Loveridge.

Olive Laura Cushing and Claude were married in the Endowment House on June 12. 1907. They had 6 children. Mildred lived only 2 days. She was born on Nov. 9, 1908. Ruth January 2nd, 1910, Lucille October 25, 1911, Maxine September 18, 1913, Harold Claude February 28, 1917, and Shirley Laura July 11, 1924.

Claude took Olive as a bride to their home at 836 Spruce Avenue, later named 831 Harrison Avenue. They lived there all their lives. It was fun having their own home, and Claude enjoyed working in the yard and fixing the place up to suit them. They had a fireplace in the living room which they thoroughly enjoyed and used often. They had a wonderful life together.

He learned the bookbinding trade as an apprentice, and worked at Arrow Press for years as a bookbinder. He belonged to a Union. He was unable to get work at one time and had to go to Butte, Montana in order to find work. It was very lonely being away from his family. He worked at Western Hotel Register as a bookbinder for many years and had a wonderful association with Spence Monson and Mrs. Zelley. She took over as head of the company when her husband died. Claude bought stock in the Company and enjoyed being a shareholder.  (Spence Monson was the father of President Thomas S. Monson and we have a letter from President Monson recalling his relationship with Claude).

He lived in the 21st Ward, Ensign Stake while growing up, and when he was married they lived in Emerson Ward and Hawthorne Ward. He was baptized August 30,1892 by Charles W. Hardy, confirmed September 1,1892 by Wm. Bayles, ordained a Deacon March 26, 1897 by James Maxwell, ordained a Teacher January 13, 1902 by James Maxwell, ordained a Priest June 2, 1907 by Bishop M. S. Woolley, ordained an Elder June 6, 1907 by Bishop M.S. Woolley, ordained a Seventy February 13, 1931 by Rulon S. Wells, ordained a High Priest July 19, 1946, by Doreal Jensen.

He loved to drive his car once he got the Chevrolet in 1926.  He always parked his car in front of the house so he could put it to bed at night, by driving around and up the alley. He always said that if he got so he couldn’t drive any more he didn’t want to live.

Claude was pretty healthy all his life. He had a broken arm as a child and a broken ankle while skating at Liberty Park. In November 1947 they discovered he had leukemia. He was in and out of the hospital for blood transfusions. He did get pretty strong for a while and went back to work, but died of leukemia on Feb 14, 1953 complicated by chickenpox, which he caught from his grandson Jim Dunlop. When his children were young and had chickenpox he was not susceptible to the disease

He used to play the mouth organ. He would accompany Olive on the piano. They also had a mandolin which he liked to play.

He loved fishing, and after he got his car the fishing trips were more frequent. He loved to go to Fish Lake and up on the Weber and Provo. He was a good fisherman and always got his limit.

The Erskines used to have fun home evenings. They would play Crokinole, Pit, Room, and Rummy. Olive would always have yummy refreshments. She was a wonderful cook. Claude liked to make stuffed dates and the children enjoyed them. Every Saturday he would bring a big bag of taffy from Keeleys home for the kids.

Claude and Olive used to love to go to the Wilkes theater on State Street, and see the plays. The Clollinger Company played there for years. When the Salt Lake Theater was on First South and State, they went there often to see plays and concerts. They used to pass a silver goblet down the aisle for those who were thirsty, They almost always brought chocolates to eat.

Their friends liked to play the game of 500, and mostly every Saturday night they would get together with one couple or another. They had their club for over 40 years. There were Helen and Bob Batley, Ethel and Will Sears, Tom and Virtue Squires, Teen and Will Loveridge, and Olive and Claude.

They enjoyed going to Saltair on picnics. When Saltair was first opened they had roller skating to music on the big dance floor. They enjoyed going to Lagoon, Liberty Park, Bear Lake, Hermitage in Ogden Canyon, Vivian Park in Provo Canyon, and to all of the beautiful canyons close to Salt Lake City.

Every summer they would have an Erskine Reunion at Liberty Park, honoring Claude’s grandmother. She was 99 years old when she died, and had her picture in the paper numerous times as the oldest lady on Old Folks Day. This was a big family and they enjoyed seeing Aunts, Cousins, Uncles and 2nd Cousins. They would pull a red wagon down to the park, loaded with a big picnic lunch. On the way home the youngest would get to ride back. They loved to go through the Zoo. It was located at the west end of the Park.

Claude enjoyed going down to the Municipal Ball Park close to his home to watch the baseball games. He enjoyed taking Harold down there to fly his kite. They would make the kite out of newspaper and sticks. Some flew and others crashed and they were back to make another one. It was fun to have a son to do man and boy things with. He taught Harold to fish and he loved the sport.

When Harold grew older they went to football, basketball and baseball games together. He didn’t neglect his lovely girls though. They had good times hiking, sleigh riding, and skating

Maxine was the first to get married. She married Clarence W. McEwan on Oct 1, 1931, and they had two children, Janice and Ronnie. This marriage ended in divorce after 10 years of marriage, and Maxine married John Blair who had a son Keith, on Dec. 27, 1949. They had a son by this marriage, Mike. This marriage also ended in Divorce.

Lucille was our next to marry. She married Joseph A. Westra in the Salt Lake Temple, Sept 5 1935. They have two sons and two Daughters. Joseph LaMar, Sharon Lucille, Diane, and Steven Arthur.

Ruth Married Oscar F. Benson on July 17, 1936. They had no children.

Harold married Frances Wilcke of Dayton, Ohio on July 12, 1946. They have four children. Dale, Mark, Dean, and Nancy.

Shirley married Phillip Dunlop on Feb 6, 1945 in the Salt Lake Temple. They had one son, James Phillip, and he was 18 months old when his father was burned to death in an explosion. Shirley later married H. LeGrande Lewis on Nov 24, 1950. He had two little girls, Barbara and Kathy. They have three children by this marriage. Connie, Kristie and Stephen.

They had 18 grandchildren, and loved every one of them. They have 18 great grandchildren to this date, Sept 1, 1973.

Olive and Claude had a very special marriage. They were happy that they could be together from 1907 to 1953. When their  family was all grown and married, they had time to do things they weren’t able to do before. They went on many lovely trips around the United States, and had some good trips with their friends, Ethel and Will Sears. They enjoyed each other’s company.

Line of Authority

• Claude Arthur Erskine ordained a Seventy Feb. 13, 1931 by Rulon S. Wells
• Rulon S. Wells ordained Seventy Oct 22, 1875 by
• Brigham Young ordained Apostle Feb 14, 1835 by
• Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, who were called by revelation to choose the Twelve Apostles, and were “blessed” Feb 14, 1835 to ordain the Twelve Apostles, by
• Joseph Smith and his counselors in the First Presidency.
• Joseph Smith was conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood in 1829 by
• Peter, James and John, who were ordained by Jesus Christ the Savior.

Lucille's "Life of Olive Laura Cushing" History

You can read the most recent write-up for "Olive Laura Cushing Erskine" here on the blog. For that presentation, I took parts and pieces from several different documents. Lucille had typed up histories for herself, her husband Joe, for both her parents, for her grandmother, and did "I Remember" spotlights on her parents.

Below, you will find a copy of the original "Life of Olive Laura Cushing" just as Grandma Lucille wrote it up. You'll find many of the same/similar passages in the most recent write-up, but also other things that I left out in my version of Olive's history. It's always interesting to see  what people choose to include. Grandma Lucille added in a lot of facts about family members (Olive's mother, brothers, children, the doctor/nurse) that didn't seem to be "Olive's History" but definitely information that I might spotlight elsewhere. 

The original scan of Olive's history WAS on FamilySearch, but it was a bit hidden, in a 20-page PDF that started with Claude's history, and was only included in Claude's memories. Now, the original "Life of Olive Laura Cushing" as written by her daughter Lucille has been uploaded as a PDF to Family Search, and it is also in the Westra Dropbox (A Photos and Histories by Family -- Lamar's Relatives) ... and now it's also included here on the blog.

 

I Remember Mama, I Remember Dad ... by Lucille

Grandma Lucille was good at writing up memories. Her own auto-biography, and histories for her husband, parents and grandmother. In addition to the biographies, she wrote some basic memories of both her parents. We don't know if these were written before the more formal biographies, or afterward. There is a lot of the same information, but some different memories/phrasing between the documents. Both the "I Remember Mama" and "I Remember Dad" documents are featured in the MEMORIES section on Family Search for Olive and Claude. As scans of old typewritten pages, perhaps copies of a copy, they are a little hard to read. The "I Remember Dad" moves into many childhood/family memories from Lucille. Both documents have been retyped for easier viewing.

I Remember Mama 

Life of Olive Laura Cushing Erskine

Born - October 18, 1882 

Died - August 5, 1959 (age 76) 

Mother - Laura Cushing Father 

Samuel Hunt Father - sealed to Henry Cushing 

Worked in the primary. Sung in the choir. Was on the Primary Stake Board. Mother was the backbone of our home. Everyone loved her. 

She lived in the 11th ward as a child, and after she was married, belonged to the 11th Ward Club for years, even until she died in 1959. 

Her friends were Helen Eatley, Virtue Squires, Ethel Sears, Teen Loverage, Alice Wickens. 

She played the part of Queen Ester in her school play. We still have the lovely picture of her in her costume. 

She sang in the Tabernacle Choir and had a lovely trip to California with the choir. 

Mother was an accomplished piano player. She took lessons from her mother Laura Cushing, who had one of the first grand pianos in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

When Mother graduated from high school, she started working at RexMeyers, a wholesale hat shop. She enjoyed making lovely hats. 

Mother was married in a lovely white lawn dress with lace inserts. I still have it in my possession.

Mother had three half-brothers; Harry W, Herbert and Robert. Robert died at the age of 4. Herbert was a soldier in the Spanish American Wa. He never married and died of Sugar Diabetes. Harry was a wonderful brother, but was crippled in his early marriage with rheumatism. 

Because Grandma had a lovely piano, all the boys and girls gathered at Mother’s home to enjoy their evenings. 

They had a hammock in the side garden, and Mother and Dad courted there. They used to go roller skating at Saltair ballroom, and also dancing. They enjoyed hay rides, bob sleighing, ice skating, the Sale Lake Theater, taffy pulls. 

Mother and Dad belonged to a dance club, which was a big enjoyment to them.

I Remember Dad

Life of Claude Arthur Erskine

Born - February 7, 1883

Died - February 14, 1953

Mother - Eliza Roberts Erskine

Father - Archibald Erskine

High Priest in Hawthorne Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Dad was always a wonderful father. I remember Dad riding to work each day on his bicycle. He didn’t get his first car until 1926, A Chevrolet touring car. He loved to drive the car so much, he would park it out in front so he would have to take it down the street, up the alley and into the garage.

Dad worked at Western Hotel Register as a bookbinder. He bought shares in the company and thoroughly enjoyed his work.

As a boy of 12, he had to quit school and help out in his family. He first started working at the Arrow Press as a clean-up boy. He was still working at Arrow Press when he got married.

Dad lived up on 726 1st Avenue, and Mother lived on 8th East, 124 South 8th East.

Dad had 2 brothers, John and Ralph, and 4 sisters, Kate, Ruby, Bessie, and Ivy. Aunt Ivy was a triplet, and the other two babies died. Aunt Kate was the oldest and Dad was the 2nd child.

Dad and Mother came to live at 833 Spruce Avenue when they were married and later it was changed to 831 Harrison Avenue. They lived there all their married life.

Dad loved to go fishing, and we have pictures of his fishing trips.

His friends were Tom Squires, Bob Batley, Will Sears, Will Loveridge, and Rue Mcknight.

Mother and Dad were married on June 12, 1907 in the Salt Lake City Temple. They had a lovely reception at Mother’s home, and stood in the bay window to receive their guests. They had planned an outdoor wedding, but it started to rain, and rained for 2 weeks. Mother thought Spruce Avenue was a long, long way from home.

After having 4 daughters, Mildred, who lived only 2 days, Ruth, Lucille and Maxine, Dad was on cloud 9 when he received a son, Harold. Later, another daughter, Shirley came to bless their home.

I remember our fishing trips to the flats on the Weber every 4th of July. The touring car packed with supplies and kids to the extent that it would hardly make the summit.

Every holiday was important to the family, and we always celebrated by going on trips as a family. Trips to Como Springs, The Hermitage in Ogden Canyon, Vivian Park in Provo Canyon, Liberty Park, Geneva, Black Rock, Saltair, Lagoon.

In the fall , I remember our hikes up City Creek Canyon through the autumn leaves. We didn’t have a car then, and all went on the street car. We would always stop at town to pick up a large bag of peanut butter chews. Mother would pack a nice lunch and we would hike up to the natural bridge.

At thanksgiving time we would celebrate with Grandma Cushing, Aunt Eva, Uncle Harry, Robert, Kenneth and Carol.

At Christmas time, Dad would enjoy picking out our lovely Christmas Tree. They would always leave it up a couple of weeks after New Years, they enjoyed it so much. I remember summer evenings when we, as children, would entertain our parents and neighbors, by singing and dancing for them, as they sat out on their porches.

I also remember when it was so hot, Dad would sprinkle our feet while he was watering the lawns.

Every summer we would make root beer as a family project. Tie the corks on with string, and some would explode.

I remember moving out on the sleeping porch for the summer. The whole family. Then we would use the front bedroom for our playroom. Also moving our kitchen table out on the back porch for the summer. 

I remember our big swing in the back yard, and how fun it was to swing on a summer evening, after we were ready for bed. 

I remember taking supper over to Grandma Cushing, who lived just through the block on Sherman Avenue, and how fun it was to visit her.

I remember cold winter nights, when Mother would slip an iron wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of our bed to keep our feet warm.

I remember cold winter mornings, when we would hurry from bed and gather around the hetrola in the dining room, where Dad had built a nice fire.

I remember our family nights, when Mother would play the piano and we would all sing.

I remember going ice skating with Mother and Dad at Liberty Park.

***************************************

The Westra Siblings created a list of "I Remember" moments regarding Mom(Margie) and Dad(Lamar) for Mother's Day/Father's Day in 2020, so check those out for more "I Remember" Mom/Dad memories!

Claude Arthur Erskine ~ A Biography

Claude Arthur Erskine was born February 7, 1883 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother (Eliza Roberts) came from England, and his father (Archibald MacFarland Erskine) from Scotland. He was the third of 10 children (only seven siblings survived childhood, the first baby boy died, then there were triplets, of which only one of the three survived).  They were a close knit family. Claude loved fishing and used to bike to the canyons with his friends. They would camp out for a week at a time.  He broke his arm when he was young, and it was set crooked. Claude would always say that was why he never had any money ... he couldn't hold his hand out straight.

When Olive and Claude were courting, he would walk down to her home from 1st Avenue, and she would walk up to meet him. They were married June 12, 1907 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City.  They had planned an outdoor wedding but it started to rain, and it rained for two weeks! They set up house and lived in the same home all their lives (The House on Harrison Avenue). Claude enjoyed working in the yard and fixing the place up. They had a fireplace in the living room which they enjoyed and used often. 

Six children were born to this union. Five girls and one boy. The first child, Mildred only lived two days. Then came Ruth, Lucille, Maxine, Harold and Shirley. Claude enjoyed going down to the Municipal Ball Park close to the home to watch the baseball games. He enjoyed taking Harold down there to fly his kite. They would make the kite out of newspaper and sticks. Some flew, and others crashed ... and they would be back to make another one. He taught Harold to fish and they went to football, basketball and baseball games together. He didn't neglect his girls though. They had good times hiking, sleigh riding and skating.

The Erskines used to have fun home evenings. They would play Crokinole, Pit, Room, and Rummy. Claude liked to make stuffed dates and the children enjoyed them. Every Saturday he would bring a big bag of taffy for the kids. Claude would play the mouth organ while Olive played piano. They also had a mandolin which he liked to play. Every summer they would attend an "Erskine Reunion" at Liberty Park with all the extended family. This was to honor Claude's grandmother, who was 99 years old when she died. She had her picture in the paper numerous times as the oldest lady on Old Folks Day.

At an early age (12) Claude had quit school to help out the family. He first started working at the Arrow Press as a clean-up boy. Later, he apprenticed as a bookbinder, and was still working there when he and Olive got married. At one point, when Claude was unable to find work he had to leave his family for work in Butte, Montana. He then worked at Western Hotel Register Co., a printer of hotel registers, menus and other types of printing (the manager was Spencer Monson, see Memories From Thomas S. Monson). Claude bought stock in the company and enjoyed being a shareholder.

Claude rode a bicycle to work for years. They bought their first car in 1925. It was a Chevrolet touring car. He loved to drive and always parked his car out in front of the house so he could "put it to bed" at night (by driving around and up the alley). He always said that if he got so he couldn't drive anymore, he didn't want to live. After he got his car, his fishing trips were more frequent. They would drive out to the flats on the Weber every 4th of July with the car so packed with supplies and kids that it wouldbarely make it to the summit.

 

As the children grew up and got married, Claude and Olive took trips to California, the Northwest, Yellowstone, Fish Lake, Bear Lake, Glacier National Park, and all the canyons around Salt Lake, Provo, Logan and Ogden. They loved going to the Wilkes Theater to see plays and going to Saltair on picnics. They belonged to a dance club, which they enjoyed. There was a group of friends that would meet each Saturday night to play the game of "500" ... they called this the "500 club" and met for over 40 years!

In November 1947, Claude was diagnosed with leukemia. He was in and out of the hospital, but recovered enough to go back to work for a time. The leukemia, with added complications from chicken pox became too much. He passed away February 14, 1953.  It was Valentine's Day, and he called the florist and ordered a bouquet for Olive before he died.

This history was compiled from documents on FamilySearch.org. There is a history written by Claude's daughter Lucille "Life of Claude Arthur Erskine" with additional details from "Life of Olive Laura Cushing" and "I Remember Dad". Original documents are on Family Search and will also be included here on the blog in the near future. 

Memories from Thomas S. Monson

Most everyone in the LDS church is aware of who Thomas S. Monson is. Serving in the First Presidency since 1985, then as the President of the church starting in 2008. The Westra family had a loose connection, as his son's family lived in the ward. Wendy and Jen would babysit his two grandkids. But there is another connection further back, along the Erskine line. Apparently, when Thomas Monson was a teen, his father (and young Thomas himself) worked with Claude Erskine (great-grandfather to the Westra siblings). One of Dad/Lamar's cousins (Dale Erskine, his father was Harold, the only brother to Grandma Lucille and her sisters) reached out for some reminiscing and received this nice letter back ...

Glancing through Family Search, I saw a second "Letter from Thomas S Monson" in the memories, and thought it was a duplicate, but upon closer inspection, it was a different letter from some years later. Similar sentiments expressed in this additional document.

As mentioned above, the younger Monson family was located in the ward Mom/Dad lived in, where the Westra Siblings grew up. When President Monson passed away, Derek shared this memory ...

I’m sad to lose President Monson. He has been an amazing example of serving and caring for the poor and needy throughout his life – but I’m genuinely so happy that he is now reunited with his loving Frances and so many friends. I met President Monson a few times growing up, but one time will always stand out in my memory. Here’s my President Monson / Rollerblade story:

In the LDS Church, Church members fast for two meals one Sunday each month and then donate money (what we would have spent on our meals) to the poor and needy. 12-14 year olds are assigned to go door-to-door to collect the money and provide it to the Bishop (local unpaid leader) to distribute to the poor in the congregation. As a young 12-year old, I recall rollerblades were all the rage, and we used to use them to speed up our fast-offering routes.

I was zipping through my route when I stopped at one house and rang the doorbell. A very tall man who I recognized answered the door. It was Thomas S. Monson – and only then did I remember that it was his son’s house (he was our Deacon’s Quorum advisor and we all loved him). I sheepishly asked President Monson "Hi…do...you want to donate a fast offering?" He replied "Of course I do! Come on in!" I was wearing rollerblades and this was the era of carpeted entryways, and I wasn’t sure if I should take them off, but I didn’t. I just went inside and stood there on the carpet like an idiot with my rollerblades on their carpet floor.

President Monson returned with the envelope and said, “would you like to see my pigeons?” Of course I said yes, and he said, “follow-me” and he headed to the back of the house through the kitchen (I think). Again, the dilemma of do I take of the ridiculous rollerblades, or not…but I decided not to and I waddled on the carpet through the house leaving in-line wheel prints behind me in the carpet. The family was around back and he showed me his pigeons and let them go. He explained that they would fly back to his home and he’d retrieve them there. I thought that was about the coolest thing I’d ever seen as a 12-year-old kid.

I’ve worked for the Church for the past decade and I’ve met with many apostles and members of the First Presidency, but never President Monson. I’ve always been relieved not to have met with him, because I was (unrealistically) afraid that his photographic memory would somehow recall the ridiculous little boy standing there in his rollerblades.

It’s a funny little memory, but it really speaks to the man that President Monson was throughout his life. He was constantly serving others and making their days brighter and better. Even for an awkward kid who interrupted his time with his family.

Thank you for your life of service and your example President Monson.

Thanks to Wendy, who preserved the story on her family blog! Additionally, as the Monson family went through things after President Monson passed away, they found a Book of Mormon in Dutch. Back in 2002, President Hinckley had dedicated the new temple there. The President of the Temple there gave the book to the First Presidency, and the younger Tom Monson knew Dad/Lamar had served his mission in the Netherlands, and gave it to him thinking he'd treasure it. 

Olive's Obituary

 

Olive Erskine is Dad/Lamar's grandmother. Her history will be be posted on the blog soon. For now, just a quick look at a few of the death documents preserved in Family Search. The obituary, the program from the funeral, and the death certificate. Buried in the "City Cemetery" which is the Salt Lake City Cemetery up by the avenues. With it being Memorial Day, perhaps one of the Westra descendants should see if her gravestone could be located; it was not included as a memory in Family Search. Take a picture and upload it to family search. Many of the Cushing/Erskine family are buried there. Olive's husband Claude, her mother Laura, and her brother Herbert and likely more ... as we continue our family history search!

Herbert Cushing & Mercur Utah

Going through photos from Dad/Lamar's side of the family, this picture was uncovered and scanned in. Written in Grandma Lucille's script are the words Herbert J. Cushing, Mercur, Utah.

So WHO is Herbert and WHERE is Mercur?

Herbert J Cushing was the half-brother of Olive Laura Hunt, who was Grandma Lucille's mother. That would make him Dad/Lamar's GrandUncle, the WestraSixSibling's Great-GrandUncle, and the Great-Great-GrandUncle of the next generation, Westra Grandchildren.

The arrow drawn on the photograph points out which gentleman is Herbert. He was born in 1876, served in the Spanish-American War (1898) and passed away in 1912.

Olive Laura Hunt is in the picture too, next to her brother ... the woman sitting on the left side of the group. She is Dad/Lamar's Grandmother, which makes her the WestraSix's Great-Grandmother. Olive was born in 1882, so she is six years younger than her brother. She passed away in 1959, before Dad/LaMar and Mom/Margie got married.

We don't know who the other people in the picture are ... 

Now on to Mercur ...  Ironically enough, in March 2021, shortly after Chris uncovered this photograph, Conner and Amber (Chris's oldest) were going camping with friends. Where? Mercur, Utah! 

Mercur was located in what is now Tooele County and it had many ups and downs throughout its history. Today, no trace of any town/building remains in the area. An abandoned cemetery is all that remains of a once booming mining town.

In the beginning, it was a typical mining town with saloons and gambling, and later, a school and a church. Most of the buildings were of simple wood construction. Gold mining reached its peak in 1873. Population estimates were that 2000 people were living there then. In 1880, the ore dried up and it became a ghost town. A Bavarian prospector came in hoping to find different metals, and he did. Cinnabar, an ore of mercury ... and that's where the name Mercur came from. In 1890, a new process using cyanide was developed,  accessing gold that hadn't been able to be extracted before. The boom was back on!

On January 4, 1896, Utah was being admitted into the Union as a state. The residents of Mercur were planning to incorporate their town to coincide with that event. But a few days before, most of the town was destroyed by fire. The town was rebuilt. Then in 1902, there was another fire. In just over two hours, every business building in the city had been destroyed. They rebuilt again. By 1910, estimates place the population at 8,000-12,000. But in 1913, the gold mining operation became unprofitable, and by 1917, the town was deserted, again. Once again, new methods of extraction and refining got things going again in the 1930s, although this revival stayed small, just shacks and barracks, no real town. Later on all remaining buildings were torn down, and Mecur was no more.

Herbert passed away when he was just 36 years old. Mecur is mentioned as a place of employment in his obituary. The obituary on FamilySearch can be enlarged to be more readable, but I'll also include it below. Printed Sunday, October 27, 1912

Herbert John Cushing, son of Henry Charles and Laura Cushing, died Friday of diabetes. The deceased was born in Salt Lake August 29, 1876. During his young manhood he worked several years as a printer and later as a plumber. For nine months he was a member of the Utah National Guard, being a corporal in Company D. He enlisted in Battery C, Utah Volunteer Light artillery June 27, 1898. While in the service of the battery at Angel Island, California, he attained the rank of sergeant and was mustered out of service December 21, 1898, at which time he received an honorable discharge which certifies to an excellent character. Both before and after his service as a volunteer, he was employed in the mills at Mercur, Manning, Sunshine and Kimberly. At the last named place he worked his way up to mill foreman. At this time, as his efforts were being crowned with success, he was seized with diabetes. He was forced to give up his work October 20, 1905 and return to the home of his mother. He was unmarried. A mother, one brother Harry W Cushing and one sister Mrs. Claude Erskine, remain to mourn his loss. The remains may be viewed at his mother's home, 837 Sherman Ave, today between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Funeral services will be held this afternoon at 2 o'clock in the Emerson Ward chapel, to which all friends are invited. Interment in City cemetery. 

McFarlane Erskine ~ Full Family Photo

 

Extended family photos are always a bit of a challenge. Trying to schedule a time that works for everyone, deciding on what to wear, getting everyone to look at the camera at the same time. Back in the late 1800s, I'm sure it was even more of a challenge, which makes this group photo all the more impressive. 

The photo was in the FamilySearch archives, with many of the people labeled and tagged. There, almost in the center, is the matriarch of the crew. Ann McFarlane Erskine (her husband, Archibald had passed away thirteen years prior to this picture).  Following the relationship back, Ann is Dad/Lamar's Great-Great-Grandmother. Therefore she is the "3rd Great-Grandmother" to the Westra siblings, and the 4th Great-Grandmother to the Westra grandkids. 

Here's another look at the progression from Family Search for the Westra line.

Claude Erskine was Dad/Lamar's Grandfather (Claude would have been 15 years old in this photo).

Archibald McFarlane Erskine was Dad/Lamar's Great-Grandfather.

There was a legend that had been created to accompany the photograph. 

This included when the photo had been taken (1898) and a number of names.

The handwriting here looks SO much like Mom/Margie's ... but it's not. The assumption would be it would be Grandma Lucille's, but it doesn't really match her handwriting we've seen labeling other photographs. Based on the "our father" indication, it seems it could have been written by one of Lucille's siblings? The dark circles noted above are all directly connected to Archibald McFarlane Erskine (his mother, himself, his wife and seven living children). 

You can see there are gaps in the information above though ... question marks and empty spaces. Chris did some detective work, using the Decendancy tool in Family Search. Checking to see what children existed, and trying to match them up according to approximate age, and position near parents. 

Chris also contacted others through Family Search to see if any additional information could be found. He did get a little feedback, that "Easy Erskine" (#27) was Louise Mackay Rutherford (Easy being a nickname, Erskine her married name). 

There is still a "mystery girl" (#21) ...

So after Chris's work, not only are all the individuals (aside from "mystery girl") labeled in a new legend (see it below) but the faces have been labeled and linked in Family Search.

Here's a new numbering on the photo itself ...

Front (Bottom) Row (Right to Left)

1.  Wallace John Erskine (born 1891)

2.  Laura Erskine Dangerfield (born 1890)

3.  Sidney Archibald Erskine (born 1892)

4.  Arthur Edwin Dangerfield (born 1894)

5.  Ralph Samuel Erskine (born 1894)

6.  Mayme Irene Dangerfield (born 1892)

7.  Mary E. Hunter (born 1890)

8.  Bessie E. Erskine (born 1891)

9.  Ivy Roberts Erskine (born 1889)

10. Robert Murchie Hunter (born 1893)

11.  Edna Hunter (born 1888)

12.  Ethel Ada Erskine (born 1889)

Next Row Up (Right to Left)

13.  William Rutherford Erskine (born 1896)

14.  John MacFarlane Erskine (born 1867)

15.  Peter Pieters Erskine (born 1865)

16.  Margaret Phoebe Erskine (born 1895)

17.  Annie MacFarlane Erskine (born 1859)

18.  Annie Louise Dangerfield (born 1897)

19.  Genevieve Maud Erskine (born 1887)

20.  James Park Erskine (born 1870)

21.  Girl born about 1896 - sitting on James lap. Need to find this one.

22.  Ann Jack MacFarlane (born 1826)

23.  Archibald McFarlane Erskine (born 1856)

24.  Jessie Hunter (born 1895)

25.  Jessie Erskine (born 1854)

26.  Adam Jack Erskine (born 1863)

Next Row Up (Right to Left) - second row from top

27.  Louise Mackay Rutherford (born 1870)

28.  Phoebe Evans (born 1865)

29.  Cora Amelia Erskine (born 1897)

30.  Benjamin Stephen Dangerfield Sr. (born 1858)

31.  Eliza Roberts (born 1855)

32.  Ruby Erskine (born 1886)

33.  William Hunter (born 1847)

34.  Ada Elizabeth Adams (born 1861)

35.  Archibald Erskine Hunter (born 1886)

36.  Albert Charles Dangerfield (born 1887)

37.  Stanley John Erskine (born 1884)

38.  Claude Arthur Erskine (born 1883)

39.  Ann MacFarlane Hunter (born 1883)

40.  William Erskine Hunter (born 1881)

41.  Kate Mary Erskine (born 1881)

42.  Benjamin Stephen Dangerfield Jr. (born 1881)

43.  Isabella Hay Hunter (born 1884)

44.  Jessie Pearl Dangerfield (born 1883)

45.  Ernest Archibald Dangerfield (born 1885)

Biblical Brothers

 Peter, James and John ... they may be more well known from the bible, but they were also brothers of one of our ancestors (Archibald, great-grandfather to Dad/LaMar). 

The trio would have been brothers to Lucille's grandfather. So Lucille's "grand-uncles". 

It's her handwriting, and her album where we found the photo. 

Here's a couple snags from Family Search ... tracing back the relationship.

For the Westra Six Siblings - the men would be "2nd Great-GrandUncles"

"2nd Great" is the same thing as "Great-Great" ... two "Greats"

Boy, the word "Great" looks weird when I see it so often!

For the grandkid generation - they would be "3rd Great-GrandUncles"

And LaMar's Great-Grand Uncles.

Interesting that Peter's middle name is ... Peters.

John's middle name is MacFarlane ... which is also Archibald's middle name.

McFarlane was their mother's maiden name. 

10 siblings. Archibald was third, the first son.

Peter, John and James were 7th, 8th and 9th.

About 10 years between Archibald and Peter.

And just 2-3 years between the births of the three biblical boys.

The House on Harrison Avenue

831 Harrison Avenue - Salt Lake City, Utah

 We've done a blog spotlight on the various homes the WESTRA family lived in as they immigrated to the United States, and then to Utah (A History of Homes...). Also on the Westra side of the family (in our genealogy) are the Erskines. Dad/Lamar's mom, Lucille, and her parents, Claude and Olive Erskine.  

In Lucille's history, she wrote ...

All my life was spent at 831 Harrison Avenue, until I got married in 1935. My mother and dad were married in 1907 and came to live at 831 Harrison Avenue. They lived there all their lives. We had a nice living room, dining room, kitchen, bath, and two bedrooms, and a big sleeping porch. We enjoyed the fireplace and had a fire most every Sunday. We had a piano, which my mother played beautifully. I remember in the summers we would move our beds out on the sleeping porch and use the front bedroom as a playroom. We had a big swing in our backyard. We had a big blackboard out on the porch that we used when we played school. I remember our old coal stove in the kitchen. The good smells of homemade bread and chili sauce and mustard pickles. I remember the flat irons that mother would have on the back of the stove and would wrap in newspaper and put at the bottom of our beds in the winter time. I remember the heatrola in the dining room and how we loved to get behind it to get warm. We had a garden in our backyard and my father grew corn, tomatoes, carrots, beans and peas. I remember taking Grandma Cushing’s dinner over to her two or three nights a week. She just lived on the next block. I would love to visit her and sit at her kitchen table.

Chris did a Google search to see if he could find the house today (in 2021)