1919 - 1929 Wyoming and Ogden--Early Lives of the Compton Children
by Tammy, using histories written by Margaret Compton, Bud's family and my dad, Merlin ComptonGeorge returned home from his mission in Tahiti in May of 1919. He obtained work at the railroad office in Ogden and he and his family rented Carrie Wiggins’ furnished apartment.
Young Marama "Bud" Compton
Around September of 1919, George took a job in Wyoming with the B & B outfit so the family moved close to Evanston, Wyoming. George was a carpenter helper and Margaret was the cook for six railroad men. She prepared 3 meals per day on top of taking care of little Bud. George and Margaret and little Bud lived in a boxcar that had been remodeled to be like a trailer home. The place was dreary and uninteresting as well as dangerous. Bud was 3 years old and had to be watched closely on account of the trains continually moving along. Once he was almost run over by a train. The work was hard for both of them; the railroad workers were rough and uncouth. They decided it wasn’t a safe place for young Bud, so they decided to move back to Ogden.
George took a job as a bookkeeper in the Weber County Treasurer’s office. George continued in that office his entire career. The family rented a home in Ogden on Hudson Ave. between 29th and 30th Streets where they lived for 2 ½ to 3 years. Lane Albert Compton was born there on April 11, 1920.
In the fall of that year they bought a home in Ogden on Porter Ave. between 29th and 30th Streets. Lane wrote that his first memory was when his mom was expecting Merlin during the summer of 1924. Lane asked his brother Bud what he would do if the baby was a girl. Bud said, “I’d throw her out the window.” Thank goodness the baby was a boy, (Merlin.) Merlin David Compton was born on July 22, 1924.
Margaret wrote an 11 page account of Merlin’s birth and early life. I wonder if she wrote something similar for her other children? If so, I've never seen them. I don’t have much material for Bud and Lane’s very early lives, but I have many details for my dad (Merlin’s) early days, as you see below, and some stories about Barbara as well when she was young, thanks to my Grandma Margaret’s detailed account. I edited her writing slightly for punctuation and clarity. The account is as she wrote it for the most part, and her expressions, her gentle, loving voice comes back to me as I read it.
By Margaret in a letter to Merlin:
When Dr. Emmett arrived to deliver me he was ill. At intervals he would step outside onto the lawn on the north side of the home and relieve his nausea. George was delayed and he didn’t get down there as soon as he wanted to, so there I was -- laboring pretty much alone. George did get there before you, Merlin, arrived. Then between the doctor and Mrs. Irwin they completed the last tasks of caring for the baby and myself. I don't remember the exact hour of your arrival. However I surely felt like I had had a bad time. Mr. and Mrs. Irwin called you the little round mouth baby. You were so darling, plump, and round, and so good. Another thing that was hard on me was that I had to take care of you at night, like changing you and giving you water and helping you burp. The next day your father took Bud and Lane up to Grandma Compton's in Morgan to spend the 24th of July and stay there until I could return home.
But, at that time my Father Peter A, Mattson was very, very ill. On the 10th day after you were born, the day I was to go home, I happened to look out of the window and saw your father coming up the walk, and I had a quick feeling of something being very wrong. My sister Mamie Evans came to the home also -- Mrs. Irwin had asked Mamie to come and have lunch with me in the dining room. When your father came in and sat down beside me, he said "I have some rather bad news for you, Mom. Your father [Peter A. Mattson] passed away today. He explained that my father was very ill and couldn't get well and we mustn't grieve too much. Your father was very kind and careful about how he presented the bad news to me. I told him I understood, and that we would have to accept that it was God's will that my Father should not have to linger on suffering any longer. I assured your father that I was OK and he wouldn't need to worry about me.
Your Father and Aunt Mamie and I sat down to have lunch before I went home. We started eating and I seemed to feel OK - but I gradually started feeling weak and things seemed to effect me -- very much against my trying to fight the horrible feeling, and the next thing I knew I was back in my bed, and I was sinking, sinking, sinking into a faraway oblivion. Mrs. Irwin called Dr. Emmett, and he sent out some medicine for me. I am not sure how many additional days I was detained at the Irwin home but I improved and returned to our home eventually-- I guess within a day or so. I wasn't able to get to my father's funeral services but I was able to go to his viewing at his home on 23rd Street. He was buried in a beautiful dark suit that he had had for many years. The family had to buy a casket made to order because of his height, well over 6 ft. He was a large man, not fat.
Blanche and I would put our babies in their buggies and we would go to town for little parties and so on. When you were blessed, the new18th ward was meeting in the old Weber College building on their old campus at Jefferson between 24th and 25th St. You were one of the first babies to be blessed in the new 18th ward in our new stake Mount Ogden. We used to walk from our home at 2879 Porter to all of our meetings at the Weber College Campus. Mrs. Lorance's friends and some of my friends, Opal Hamilton, mainly gave us baby showers so we both had things for you two babies that were just alike.
When Merlin was in the crawling stage he was quite adventurous and he seemed to be always aware of a part of our kitchen cabinet where some of our cooking supplies were stored. He loved to mix syrup, dry beans, rice, brown sugar, honey, macaroni and whatever else he could get his hands on. He would be in the height of his glory until apprehended.
When Merlin was a little fellow he had two close calls which could have been so disastrous. The first one happened, I believe when he was about a year old or a little more. I had decided to paint our kitchen woodwork in our home at 2969 Porter Ave. I decided on lacquer paint--a pretty sand shade. Well one evening while George was at a meeting, I proceeded to paint. Bud and Lane were out playing and Merlin was sitting in the high chair playing with toys on his high chair tray and watching me. I believe it was early spring - I am not sure - anyhow I was very foolishly painting with the doors and windows closed.
Well I had been painting away very diligently and I became very lightheaded - and felt so funny - I laid down on the kitchen floor for a short rest. Sometime later - I guess for a few minutes - My dear neighbor friend decided to run in to see us. When I didn't come to the door she let herself in through the back door into the kitchen. What she found alarmed her very much! There I was resting on the floor and Merlin was drooped over in his high chair. My dear neighbor friend was Mable Cox. She immediately opened all the doors and windows, carried Merlin out of doors and proceeded to awaken me. She didn't scold me but she told me how very foolish I had been to paint with the doors and windows closed.
Merlin was about 2 1/2 years old when Barbara was born. Merlin had a little jealous streak about the arrival of a new baby sister to share his position as baby. He felt left out in second place. He would pull his little rocking chair into a corner of our dining room where I would bathe Barbara each morning. He would be facing the wall - but every once in a while he would look at me working with Barbara and he would say all during the time, "Aren't you through with the baby? How soon will you be through?" And then when Barbara' s bath was done and I would nurse her - he was really upset. “How soon will you be done with the baby?” The thing that would save the day was when Mrs. Lorance would drop in to watch me give Barbara her bath and she would size up the situation with Merlin feeling left out, and she would take Merlin on her lap and hold him close and love him while I finished with Barbara and put her in her bassinette for her nap. In time, he became a lovable big brother and playmate, though.
Another episode in Merlin's life. One spring day when Barbara was about. 3 months old, Merlin was playing with his little friend Frank Lorance out in the yard and I was busy as usual giving Barbara her bath and feeding her. When I went to check on Merlin's whereabouts I couldn't find him anywhere. Immediately I panicked - I put Barbara in her buggy and set out to comb the neighborhood - over to the brickyard grocery store -- up and down streets --- no Merlin, but I found out that Frank Lorance was with him. Near noon a neighbor girl came to our home with Merlin and Frank and their little red wagon. She had found them walking north on Washington Ave. at about 24th St. They were going to the barber shop to get a hair cut. Merlin hadn't ever been to a barber, but Frank had. Merlin had the prettiest somewhat curly hair. He was such a pretty little boy.
Lane is to the left, then Merlin, a step cousin to the right and Barbara in front. 1928. I wonder where this picture was taken, and who are the women standing in the doorway? We will probably never know.
A close call happened when Merlin was about 4 years old and Barbara was 2. I had had a very serious double major operation and had been in the Dee Hospital about 15 days and then Blanche and Lloyd Lorance took me from the hospital to their home on 2979 Porter Ave. to care for me and help me get well. I wasn't doing at all well in the hospital and when I stayed at Lorances, they had to feed me and help me get used to walking again. I had to have special nurses in the hospital and they are very expensive.
About in August the Weber County Treasurers’ Office hired extra help to get the fall tax notices out. George was in charge of the extra help and we asked the treasurer --Uncle David W. Evans if he would hire me to work evenings to help pay for the special nurses I had had. My cousin Opal W. Hamilton was also hired, and we would go to work together. Bud was to come right straight home from school and take care of Merlin and Barbara. This one day I was due to go to work and Bud wasn't home. I was terribly upset and I knew I had to leave, and I thought Bud would be home any minute. He was very dependable and such a good boy. Well I hurried off to work, leaving Merlin and Barbara in the house together. How terrible of me.
When I didn't meet Opal on the corner where we usually met to go to work together, she hurried to our home to see if I was ill or something, and what a wonderful thing that she did. She walked into our house and went looking for me, and lo and behold, there were our precious little Merlin and Barbara standing in the kitchen quite near our gas cook range -- their arms about each other and sort of tottering and swaying a bit. I do not have any idea which one turned on the jets to the range, but the room was filled with gas fumes. Well Opal immediately turned the gas off, took the precious children out doors, and opened the doors of the house. By that time Bud had arrived home. He said there was some kind of excitement happened on his way home and stopped just a moment to watch. How foolish I had been to leave the children. When Opal arrived at work she immediately told me what had happened and I went all to pieces. I asked George if I could go home and he said I could. You see, the young children would only be alone with Bud and Lane a short time as George would be home a little after 5 PM.
Bud and Lane reading a book together --1926
This concludes the information I have for this period. My grandma's account jumps around in time quite a bit in the original, and I've tried to cut and paste the episodes into chronological order as best I could. There will be a few more excerpts from her long letter that I'll share in future posts.
In the fall of 1929, George had the idea to rent a farm in North Ogden to raise chickens. And so began a new experience for the Compton family. They rented out their Ogden home and moved to live on the farm. My dad had many memories of the farm, which I'll share . . . .to be continued.
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