Brief History of Margaret Smith Bailey Kerr

I was born October 1, 1899, in Wellsville, Utah, the first in a family of twelve children, to William Adamson and Mary Elizabeth Smith Bailey. I was baptized June 13, 1908, in the new baptismal font of the Wellsville Tabernacle.

Father homesteaded in Arbon Valley, Idaho. He was a dry farmer. They would move back to Wellsville for the winter. At one time while in Arbon Valley, Father and Mother operated a small store. Father would go to Pocatello for supplies, which was about 40 miles away. Sometimes he would take Mother, my brother, and me with him. It was a long hot trip by wagon and a team of horses. Sometimes a band of Indians would pass through the valley and stop to buy goods. They always wanted "fire water" or ginger ale. I did not like them. They always called me a papoose. They were very peaceful, but Mother was always glad when they moved. on. On summer when I was about five years old, my Aunt Maggie (Mother's sister) was in Arbon with us. It was stylish for the ladies to wear bustles. Being curious, I tied Aunt Maggie's on me and made the mistake of tying the strings in a hard knot instead of a bow- knot. While I was trying to get it off, one of Aunt Maggie's boy friends came and they -- Mother, Aunt Maggie, and the young man--all laughed at me. Finally they asked me to let the young man untie it. Well, that was the last time I tried that. Every time I saw that fellow for a long time, he wanted to know if I had worn any more bustles. I was embarrassed. I remember one day it was nap time for us children. We were lying on the bed when we heard a sudden snap. I knew what it was so I jumped off the be and ran to see if it had caught the mouse that had been bothering us. Mother said to leave it alone. But like kids are, I wanted to see it. I picked up the trap and the mouse bit my finger. It had only been caught by one leg. I opened the trap and let it go. Mother was quite disgusted with me. I learned my lesson and let someone larger take care of the mice in traps after that. When I was a small child, Father and some of his brothers would meet at our home and sing. They were a musical family and enjoyed singing. It used to thrill me to hear them sing. It was a joy to hear them sing Church songs as well as the popular ones of that time. Father sang in the Wellsville Ward choir for many years. He had a beautiful tenor voice.

In Wellsville, we raised hay, grain, and sugar beets. Papa always had milk cows. When we were kids, Dad used to take his lunch to the farm.. Sometimes he didn't eat all of it and he would bring the rest home. The other kids would dive in to finish it. I had never been able to eat any of Dad's lunch. It just didn't smell good to me.

One day, we were going to the Hyrum ranch to work on the farm. I knew we would have a lunch to eat and I wondered how I would be able to stand it. We also had to take water in a can. I worried about that, too. Mama fixed us a nice lunch and when we got to the ranch, Dad put the water i a shed to keep it cool. Although I worried a lot, that was one lunch I really enjoyed. In the fall, Dad would take us to pick chokecherries. We'd take our lunch and have a day together. We would sometimes bring home a ten-gallon can of cherries.

Dad was quite strict in the family. We knew we had to obey when he said something. Papa sent me to the neighbors one day to get our pitchfork, which they had been using. Instead of coming straight home, I stayed and played ball with some of the neighborhood children. Papa waited as long as he felt was necessary, then he came for me. I went around the house the opposite way when I saw him coming. I arrived home first, but Papa wasn't very far behind me. I got a good switching when he got there.

I started school when I was seven years old. That first year, I spent some of the time living at Grandpa Smith's home until Papa and Mama moved into town. I attended the first four grades in the old red brick school, which was overcrowded. The next year, the fifth grade was sent to a one-room rock building up in the south part of town. That year a new school was built. We were very proud of it.

I graduated the eighth grade and because I was needed at home, I did not continue into high school. Mother was not well, so I remained home to help with the housework and with the children.

There was always plenty to do. In the summertime, we thinned sugar beets, hoed weeds out of the beets and the garden, and milked cows. It seemed like there was always plenty to keep us busy. We had a good family life and were happy. We did not have swimming pools. We children used to play in the irrigation ditch when it was irrigating day. We thought that was fun.

On October 1, 1919, I married Elmer Leishman Kerr of Wellsville, Utah, in the Logan Temple. Shortly after our marriage, we moved to Hall, Montana, to farm. We stayed in Montana for three years. We tried very hard to make a living there, but prices fell and we weren't able to keep the farm. We were forced to give up nearly everything we had and return to Wellsville to start all over again.

During that time we were in Montana, one child, Elmer "Junior" was born. This was August 14, 1920. He was a bright, cheerful, little boy and everyone loved him.

After we returned to Wellsville, Elmer worked in the butcher shop. We lived in various homes during the year or two we were in Wellsville. Our second son, William, was born June 1, 1923. In October, 1924, Junior became ill with inflammation of the stomach and bowels, and after suffering for about ten days, he passed away on October 26, 1924. He is buried in the Wellsville, Utah, Cemetery. Reid, our third child, was born February 15, 1925. He was never well because of a heart condition, and he died March 8, 1925. We buried him alongside his brother, Junior, in the Wellsville Cemetery.

In the spring of 1924, we moved to the farm where I now live. The corner where the house now stands was covered with sagebrush, grass wood, and prickly pears. Later in the year, giant tumbleweeds would grow. The hot sand was just right for snakes, lizards, and stinkbugs. Our home was a little on room shack with a lean to jutting out from one side. A large tent nearby served as sleeping quarters. There was no water on the place and we had to haul it from a neighboring farm about half a mile away. Before long, Elmer had a well dug and we had plenty of good water.

Later on, we were able to build a large family home to take the place of the one-room shack. Flowers, green lawns, and cooling shade trees have replaced the weeds and brush. I have always had a flower garden. After Elmer retired from farming, we worked together in making our "corner" a place of beauty with a multitude of flowers. This has brought a lot of joy to us and others who happen to pass our way.

A vegetable garden was always a necessity to provide food for our family. We grew most of the vegetables that were needed each year. We also had many fruit trees and bushes, apples, prunes, plums, pears, cherries, peaches, raspberries, black raspberries, dewberries, gooseberries, strawberries, and red and black currants. For many years we had raspberries and strawberries to share with the neighbors and supply the local grocery stores.

I have always enjoyed singing. When I wasn't yet 18 years old, I began singing in the Wellsville Ward choir. After moving to Fairview, I was a member of the Fairview choir for many years. When my eyesight failed to the point that I could no longer read, I had to be released from this calling. I served as a visiting teacher in the Relief society for over forty years. I have taught various classes in the Primary and Junior Sunday School. For one several-year period, I was Junior Sunday School Coordinator.

Life was not always easy, but we worked hard and had a wonderful life together. The little farm enabled us to give all the children who desired it a good education and to send three of them on missions. The children learned early in life to work and contribute their share toward the upkeep of the home and the expenses of the family.

In 1969, Elmer and I observed our 50th Wedding Anniversary. We had planned to celebrate our 60th anniversary, but Elmer had been in poor health and passed away August 18, 1979, just six weeks short of 60 years of marriage. I still live in the home we built. Occasionally I make trips to visit our children who live in various parts of the United States, but I really enjoy being at home among the friends and neighbors of Fairview, Idaho.

We were blessed with nine children -- seven of whom are still living. At the present time, November 30, 1982, we have 35 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

Our children are as follows:

Elmer (Junior) Bailey Kerr born August 14, 1920, Wellsville, Utah William Bailey Kerr born June 1, 1923, Wellsville, Utah Reid Bailey Kerr born February 15, 1925, Wellsville, Utah Margaret Jane Bailey Kerr born June 12, 1926, Wellsville, Utah Thomas Bailey Kerr born May 5, 1928, Fairview, Idaho Larry Bailey Kerr born January 10, 1930, Fairview, Idaho Mary Bailey Kerr born March 17, 1932, Fairview, Idaho Elva Bailey Kerr born March 24, 1936, Fairview, Idaho Allen Bailey Kerr born February 5, 1945, Preston, Idaho

Memories of my father, William Adamson Bailey by, Margaret Bailey Kerr

William Adamson Bailey was born November 4, 1868, in Wellsville, Utah, to Charles R. and Johanna Frederick Bailey. He was reared on a 128 acre farm east of Wellsville. He was very poor, as were many people at that time. Father was a hard working person. He worked hauling freight into Montana in his youth.

Father married Mary Elizabeth Smith on November 11, 1896, in the Logan Temple.

Father homesteaded in Arbon Valley, Idaho. He was a dry farmer. They would move back to Wellsville for the winter. Later, Father and Mother came back to the farm in Wellsville to live year-round.

While in Arbon Valley, Father and Mother operated small store. Father would go to Pocatello by wagon and a team of horses, for supplies which was an 80 mile round trip. Occasionally, I would go with him.

Father served two terms as Town Marshal for Wellsville, two years when I was about eight years old and two years when I was in my early teens.

In Wellsville, Father had a farm. He raised hay, grain, and sugar beets. Father always had milk cows.

Father was a very kind person, but he was also quite strict. He expected us to obey when he said something.

One day, Father was out on the farm plowing, he thought he had hit a rock, but we couldn't find one. He must have suffered a stroke because he remembered the jerk and falling to the ground. He was never very well after this, although he was not confined to his bed.

Father died March 29, 1927, in Wellsville, Utah. He is buried in the Wellsville City Cemetery. Memories of Johanna Frederick Amanda Adamson Bailey

I really don't remember much of anything about Grandma Johanna Bailey. I remember hearing others tell me Grandma would walk from the farm house to town carrying a bucket of eggs to trade for supplies she needed. Eggs were a precious commodity.

She was hard working and was always a kind and gentle person. She and her mother emigrated from Stockholm, Sweden. She wasn't a very large person.

Grandma Bailey's home was situated tow blocks south and one block west of Joan Richardson's place. she lived in an older house at first; then they built the new one a few rods west of the old one.