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Note: The following is from:
CALL, Joseph Holbrook, Descendants
Author: Lucy I. Osmond
CALL, Joseph Holbrook, Descendants. Lucy I. Osmond. A compilation of family histories from various members of the Call family.
http://www.familytreemaker.com/_glc_/2383/index.html
Joseph H. Call has honest blue eyes and a kind and loving disposition.
His father, Anson Vasco Call, was called on a mission to England, for
the Latter-Day Saint church when Joseph was eight years old. He was
in poor health at the time he was called and he died as he journeyed home after two years in the mission field. He was buried 4 Aug., 1867 at Rock
Creek, Wyo.
Joseph's mother, Charlotte Holbrook, has preceded his father in death one year before on 9 June; 1866, at Bountiful, Davis Co., Utah.
Joseph remembered the terrible loneliness after his mothers death, also the dreadful cold and deep snow, the bare floors and the scanty
furniture. He remembers wearing pieces of burlap tied around his feet
in winter, in the summer he went barefoot.
After the parents died Joseph and his brothers and sisters went to live with relatives. Joseph and his brother Lamoni lived with their Aunt
Kate and Uncle Lamoni "Moniei' Holbrook, his mother's brother. They
taught Joseph to be kind and gentle, he gained a wonderful background
from them on which to build his future success and happiness. He grew
up to be a useful and substantial man. He learned to meet the future with trust and hope, also to make the best of life, to live for the day and trust
the future.
Joseph enjoyed his boyhood days. Sometimes there was mischief brewing when he and his pals Brigham Henry Roberts, Hyrum Argyle and
Truman Barlow got together, but it was only in fun.
One day the wind was blowing just right for the boys to take a boat ride. Joe said, 'We had a great time, a long ride, but to get back was
another story. The wind took us out but it did not turn to take us back." After an all night ride they landed in Kays Ward, five miles from home.
By daylight the boys were back as far as Centerville, where they had
started from. Some of the boys fell in the Salt Lake and were well salted.
In the autumn he and his friends would sometimes visit the neighbors
watermelon patches after dark, they would borrow a melon. and sit on the
ditch bank while they ate it and told stories. Sometimes the owners would
come after them with a switch or try to scare them away,
He loved all kinds of sports and especially baseball He had very little time or chance for schooling, in those days it was not considered
necessary.
The friendship of Joseph and Brigham H. Roberts, later one of the Seven Presidents of Seventies, continued as long as life lasted. He re-
ceived the priesthood when 'he was 12 years old, he went ward teaching
from that time on for the rest of his life, He had his Endowments when
he was seventeen years of age.
Joseph and Sarah Isabel Barlow lived on the same street in Bounti- ful, about one mile distance during all of their youth. They fell in love,
and after they were married they lived with Aunt Kate and Uncle Lamoni
for three months, at that time they moved into their own home which they
had built themselves. They spent their first Christmas of married life
in their own home. He gave her a pair of beautiful blue china vases for
her Christmas gift. They are still treasured in the family as heirlooms.
In a few months they sold their home and filed on a quarter section of land on what was then known as the Sand Ridge, now Kaysville, Utah.
Eventually came word of good land in southeastern Idaho. In the spring
of 1882, Joseph and a number of his friends filed on a quarter section of land in Idaho near Soda Springs.
The men moved their families into shanties in Idaho while they worked
to build larger homes in which to live while they settled the Idaho territory.
They called their canyon home Elkhorn City. It was a four day drive from
the Idaho home to Bountiful, Utah.
Joseph wore a mustache most of his life. He was very handsome. Sarah's father died in 1883. His last words to her were, "Goodbye, God bless you."
While the men were away working in the canyon, Sarah and the other women stayed at home, they fed and watered the animals. Many times
in the winter Sarah would go to the meadow to chop a hole in the ice on
the river and lead the cows to drink.
In winter cold winds swept the country and snow covered the roads. Joe had to drive his oxen over the trail every day to keep a passage way
cleared.
Joseph and Sarah's entertainment consisted mostly of visiting with their brothers and sisters who lived only a few miles from them. They
would often stay together for a number of days, so they were well ac-
quainted and the children loved each other and enjoyed being together.
As a general rule some of the group had to sleep on the floor but that
was part of the fun for the children. On Sunday all of the families
attended Sunday School and all religious meetings.
There were no telephones so it was necessary to see the relatives and friends at intervals.
The temperatures were often below zero in the winter. There were no doctors and it was customary to have a midwife come to the home at
the time of childbirth if possible.
About 1885 the authorities of the church were urging the men to take
plural wives. Joseph and Isabel decided to take their council. On 9 June, 1886 in the Logan Temple, Joseph and Martha Ester Williams were
married. From that time on there was no more peaceful hone life.
Idaho was a territory and the government officials made life very miserable
for all polygamists.
Joseph was taken to trial and put in jail by the territory officials
a number of times but no one would testify against him, he was always
freed. A U.S. Marshall, Mr. Hobson, tried to make trouble for him.
Later on he said Joe Call was the only man he had ever been afraid of.
He always treated him very well.
Every six months for two years Joseph was brought to trial in Soda Springs. Each time he was acquitted.
The months were long and lonely for the wives. Gillette (1-3) was four years old when he got a bad cut on his forehead.
His father took him 50 miles to a doctor to get the wound sewed up.
The doctor gave Joseph needles and thread and showed him how to sew the wounds in case there were other accidents. This was a good
thing because it was only a short time until Lucy (1-2) was dragged under a harrow behind a team of horses, the cord in her neck was almost
severed. Her father, Joseph, got out his needle and thread and sewed
it up and Lucy has carried the scar ever since. He did save her life as
she could not have lived to make the long trip to a doctor.
Joseph decided to take his family and move to Wyoming, it was a State
and folks could live there in peace and could live their religion as they wished. They packed up their belongings and had a dreadful trip over
mud and water in cold and snow, with small children and heavy hearts.
They took two wagons and four horses and what provisions and house-
hold goods they could crowd into the space along with two families con-
sisting of five small children and three parents. They traveled for three days, at last they came to the home of Harmon Lehmberg in Auburn, Uinta
Co., Wyo. He gave them food and shelter. Their gratitude to him has
lasted through the years.
They arrived at Afton, Wyo., 28, Oct., 1888. The family of eight moved into one small room that Joe's brother Anson had used for a
carpenter shop. They lived in this room for the entire winter.
During the winter, 21 Feb, 1889, Baby Ralph passed away after suffering with bronchitis for only two nights and a day. Sarah often said,
"The Lord chasteneth whom He loveth." She was sure He loved her if
that were true.
During the first winter in Wyoming there were many deaths. There were less than fifty families in the valley.
Joseph spent most of the winter in the canyon getting logs to saw into
lumber so he could build a home for his family. He paid for the sawing of the lumber with logs. He helped other people to build their homes and
he received meat, flour, butter and milk in exchange for his labor.
Joseph's brother Anson Vasco was his friend and constant companion.
They worked together and enjoyed each others company until the end of
their days.
In the spring of 1889, Joseph built a new three room house, the best
and largest in the valley, it had shingles on the roof and two large windows
in each room. Most of the houses were just one room built of logs and
topped with a dirt roof.
Sarah spent the summer of 1889 in Bountiful with her mother. She canned and dried fruits to take home with her. Joseph came for her in
the fall, with a team and wagon, and took her home to he new house he
had built during the summer.
Joe raised a large garden with plenty of potatoes, they had milk that
they set in large flat pans in an outside cellar to keep cool.
Joe learned to be a carpenter, he made toboggans in which he could travel over the deep snow with one horse to pull the sleigh. He secured
a house for Ester in the summer before her baby. Florence passed away
in January, 1893. Just five months later Sarah's baby Katie passed away
on the 24 June, 1893. A few years later on 1 Apr, 1898 another of her
babies, Elmora, passed way.
In 1896 Joe acquired a new four room two story house for Ester just one block from Sarah's home and across the street.
Joseph was a Deputy Sheriff for a number of years. As a father he was always kind and affectionate. His children would meet him at the gate on his return home from work. He always took time to caress them and
was so interested in anything they were doing. He was a school trustee
for many years and he owned the village dance hall and a Notion Store.
All of the young people in the valley loved him.
Joseph donated most money to help build the Salt Lake Temple, he and his
wife, Sarah Isabel made a trip to Salt Lake to be present at the dedication.
He helped every missionary who ever left the valley. He was Uncle Joe
to everyone and was loved by everyone who knew him. He was especially
kind to the young people and many who were in need of help or advice or
money to get a start in life came to him and no one went away empty.
He was of sturdy build, five feet ten inches tall. His blue eyes seemed to dance with happiness when he looked at one. He made folks
happy and comfortable when they were with him. He was quiet and un-
assuming, gentle, dependable and trustworthy. He could be stern if
necessary but never cross, he never ________ but he invited confidence.
He took life as it came. He trusted his God and his neighbor. He taught his children to pray. His prayer was short, simple and sincere, he seemed
to talk with the Lord. He was not a public speaker. To know him was
to love him. In all of his life his wife Sarah, was by his side, she helped
him in every possible way. She was a true and kind helpmate. She never
wanted or neglected anything. She was his rest and his inspiration.
Sarah could be stern, but she was kind and always ready to help others. She was a great church worker, she always made her home a
happy one.
Joseph and his brother Anson Gall took their families to Yellowstone
Park one year. The trip took three weeks. It was a time they will all
remember.
They took Sarah's mother into their home when she became ill in the year 1899, they cared for her until here death 4 July, 1901.
Joseph was a good business man, he never got into debt. He owned a large dance hall, furniture store, notion store and carpenter shop. In
1909 they all burned to the ground. Building insurance was not known at
that time so it was a total loss to him. The store burned in 1909.
Joseph was not one to be easily discouraged so before he slept that night he had plans made to build a larger and better building, so to the
canyon he went to get logs. Some kind friends volunteered to help him
for a few days and in a few months he had lumber sawed and a nice
modern dance hall all ready for use. He was 52 years old. He was in
business again. He was an exceptionally good manager and business
man.
During the passing years the children grew up and several of them were married and there were grandchildren.
It was 1907 that Esters mother became seriously ill and Ester went to Blackfoot, Idaho to care for her. Edna and Martha remained with
Joseph and Sarah. As the mother remained an invalid, Ester decided
to stay with her indefinitely. She came back to Afton to sell the home
that Father had bought for her, she took her daughters and made her
home in Blackfoot, Idaho.
Joseph was very unhappy about her decision but Ester had always been worried about living in polygamy after the Manifesto in 1890, so
now that the girls were older and Emma was married, she felt that she
could get along by herself. Sometime later her mother passed away.
Ester purchased her home and lived on in Blackfoot for several years.
As the years passed Joseph lived quietly, he raised a nice garden and cared for the Notion store and the dance hall until it was burned.
This was his second burnout. Soon he rebuilt the amusement hall. Not
long after this the home which he had purchased for Aunt Ester caught
fire and burned to the ground.
When automobiles came on the market Joseph was intrigued. He bought a new car every other year the remainder of his life. He owned
two Reo's, two Buicks, two Oldsmobiles, two Nashes and probably others
that I do not remember.
He was never idle. He bought the town newspaper, "The Independent." His sons published the newspaper from that time on, it is still being
published by younger members of the family.
Joseph was progressive, he wanted the comforts of life and was willing to pay for them. He had the first bath room with hot and cold
running water, he also had the first telephone and electric lights in the valley.
Christmas was a gala time at the old home. It had now grown to be a large two story house with eight large rooms and many closets. The
home was made cheerful with lighted candles, silver tinsel, bright
colored paper chains and strings of pop corn and wonderful food cooked
by Sarah Isabel. Joseph was always the first one up on Christmas morn-
ing. The families always gathered at the old home on Christmas morning,
even after there were many grandchildren. Thanksgiving was also a
joyous time at the old home.
The golden wedding was the highlight of their lives. Many relatives and friends came to bring greetings and to partake of a full course dinner.
After the dinner many friends came to tell of their love and respect for
this gracious couple.
Sarah was a zealous church worker. For twenty-two years she was a member of the Stake Y.L.M.I.A. Presidency. She was stake chairman
of the Genealogy committee for many years. At all times she was a tire-
less worker in the ward. For many years she furnished bread for the
Sacrament in the Afton Ward every week.
Sarah was very unassuming and reserved, serene and peaceful. She made people comfortable when they were with her although she talked
but little. She was kind, conscientious and trustworthy. She was a
wonderful manager and homemaker. She could and did forget herself in
serving others, and no e�fort was too great for her to do service for
another. She had a firm and burning testimony of the Gospel truths
and was always faithful and dependable in doing any church requirement
including tithing, donations or helping in any worthy cause.
Sarah was a tireless worker during the war and Red Cross days. She taught her children to pray and to accept the answer the Father-in-
Heaven gave them. She was the nurse when all of her grandchildren were
born.
When my parents owned cars they had many trips over the country. They attended the Worlds Fair at San Francisco. They had good trips
and bad roads. Sarah spent her latter years doing genealogy. She
worked incessantly, she seemed to feel that there was never enough time
to do all that she had to do.
A number of years after Joseph passed away, Sarah Isabel decided to have a grand birthday party on her eightieth birthday. She invited
scores of friends and relatives. Fantastic preparations were under way,
then came word of the sudden death of her sister, Annis, at Blackfoot,
Idaho. She was buried on Sarah's eightieth birthday. The party was
postponed for one week.
Three days before the party was to be held Sarah fell and broke her hip. She was in the hospital for one month. All of the children came to
her bedside.
It had been ten years since the brothers and sisters had all been together, the family now was scattered far and wide from Wyoming to
California.
A doctor specialist came to Afton from Salt Lake City to care for mother, he nailed the hip together but she was never able to walk again
and she was always in pain. Her children tenderly cared for her, she
was ever patient and uncomplaining. She spent one winter in Logan,
Utah, at the home of her daughter Lucy and the following summer she was
in the homes of each of her children.
After two and a half years of suffering, she passed away at Afton, Wyoming, 14 Oct., 1941, at the home of her oldest son, Gillette Joseph
Call: She was buried 17 Oct., 1941, in the Afton cemetery.
Numerous friends and relatives attended the funeral and paid her great honor as they had done for Joseph a few years before on the 15
January, 1935.
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