Tag Archives: Mexico

Amanda Johnson Brown

Amanda J Brown

Amanda Johnson Brown

1911-2010

Amanda Johnson Brown passed away on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 in the South Valley Care Center, West Jordan, Utah of natural causes.

She was the youngest child of Francis Lee Johnson and Sarah Josephine Williams and was born on September 15, 1911 in Chuichupa, a remote little Mormon Colony high in the Sierra Madre Mountains in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico. After losing her father at the age of two, her family moved to Arizona where her mother could get work.

Amanda attended school in Binghampton, Arizona until her senior year when she moved to Colonia Juarez to attend the Juarez Stake Academy. She married Laurel Jasper Brown in the Mesa, Arizona temple on February 10, 1933. They had three children. Larry Dean Brown (deceased), Laurel Brown Dimond (deceased) and M. Kay Brown (Patricia). They made their home in Arizona, and Colonia Juarez until eventually moving to Utah where they had a mink ranch and raised quarter horses. After the death of her husband in March 1964 she enrolled in Brigham Young University to study Theatre History and Costume Design and graduated in June 1970 cum laude with a Masters Degree. She spent the next nine years teaching and designing at the University of Utah Pioneer Memorial Theatre. Even after retiring she was invited to design and construct many productions for the U.

Amanda was asked by the LDS Church to costume Promise Valley in the spring of 1968. In the summer of 1978 she was asked to costume the production of “Oh Elizabeth” in Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1980 she was invited to costume the LDS Church’s production of ZION.

Amanda was a faithful and active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day-Saints holding many positions. She loved music and teaching and was Music & choir director for many years. She was Relief Society Teacher, Gospel Doctrine Teacher and many more. Amanda worked in the Jordan River Temple from 1982 until 1986. She served as a member of the M.I.A. General Board. Amanda also served a mission at the Peruvian Temple. Amanda also served a mission at the Peruvian Temple.

She worked for the Democratic Party for Utah, worked as Salt Lake County License Director, Committee Secretary and Docket Clerk in the House of Representatives.

Amanda is survived by her son Melvin Kay Brown and wife Patricia, 34 grandchildren, and one great-grand daughter. Preceded in death by her parents, brothers; Lynn, Frederick, Grant, and sisters; Jennie and Hazel.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m, Thursday, March 4th at the West Jordan Central Stake Center at 8173 S. 3200 W. West Jordan. Family and friends may visit on Wednesday evening from 6:00 to 8:00 at the Stake Center and from 9:30 to 10:30 on Thursday morning. Internment will be in the West Jordan City Cemetery.

Jasper Ray McClellan

1911-2009

Jasper Ray McClellan passed away in Blanco, Texas, the morning of Monday, March 9 at age 98. He was the father of Blanco resident Keith J. McClellan who is married to Barbara Gail Moore McClellan. Jasper was born to Samuel Edwin McClellan and Bertha Maria Lewis in the little Mormon settlement of Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, on January 19, 1911. He graduated from high school at the Juarez Stake Academy. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1930, one of the first in Mexico.

Jasper served a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Texas, Arizona and California. Following his mission he went to Utah where he found employment during the Great Depression as a Spanish teacher and construction worker. He married Rula LaVina Price in 1937 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. Five boys were born of that union: Boyd Ray, Keith John, Rulon Edwin, Jay R, and Dale Ronald. Jasper loved to play the carpenter saw with a violin bow and he sang bass and toured with an all-male chorus called the Swanee Singers. He enjoyed a successful business as a building contractor.

In 1957, he was called by his church to take his family and move to Monterrey, Mexico, to oversee the construction of churches and schools in the northern part of that country. He also supervised the construction of the first LDS meetinghouse in New Braunfels, Texas. In 1961, the family moved to Mexico City and his building efforts were expanded to include all of Mexico. He was responsible for building thirty churches, ten schools and refurbishing other existing buildings.

In 1965, Jasper was called by his church to serve as Mission President and to lead the missionary efforts of 250 missionaries in central Mexico. Following three years of service in that capacity, he was asked to work as the Church Real Estate Representative for Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela. Jasper’s church property transactions included the purchase of over 300 properties as future sites for meetinghouses and schools in the rapidly growing church.

Upon his retirement in 1976, Jasper and Rula moved back to his beloved birthplace in Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua. They built a home and planted 14,000 apple and pear trees. He was the first in the area to water his orchards with sprinkler irrigation. They both remained active in church and civic affairs.

Rula passed away in 2003 at age 93. Jasper later moved to Blanco to be with his son, Keith, and daughter-in-law, Gail. Because of failing eyesight, he lived the past year at Live Oak Medical Center in Blanco where he thrived under its excellent program of care.

As of this writing, Jasper and Rula have 77 descendants. A viewing was held at Crofts Funeral Home on Tuesday, March 10 from 5:00 to 7:00pm. A memorial service will be held at Crofts’ at 2:00pm on Wednesday, March 11. It is open to the public. Burial will be in the Colonia Juarez Cemetery in Mexico next to his beloved wife.

For there is one God, and one mediator

between God and men,

the man Christ Jesus.

(1 Timothy 2:5)

Marian Lunt “Heaton Lunt of Colonia Pacheco”

Marian L Lunt’s book, Heaton Lunt of Colonia Pacheco, was a lot of fun to read.  The biography was written from audiotapes recorded by her father-in-law, Heaton Lunt, I don’t think that Louis L’Amour or Zane Grey could have written better stories than the life Heaton lived.  It is like a Hollywood screenwriter had John Wayne or Clint Eastwood in mind as he created a script filled with banditos, hermits, army scouts, wild animals, and gunplay.

Marty Robbins must have been singing about Heaton in his western gunfighter ballads.  Heaton even uses the words outlaw when referring to an extra ornery horse that needed to be “broke” and mentions riding underneath a hanging tree where the nooses were meant for he and his compadres.  I was hoping he would use the word iron when referring to the six-shooter he smuggled back into Mexico, but I guess that would have been too Hollywood.

This is one of those books that you don’t mind staying up until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning reading (I did). Even the next day while you are dragging because of lack of sleep, you can’t wait to stay up until the wee hours of the morning again to finish it.

Although the book starts out with great stories of adventure, it wasn’t until near the end of the narrative that I realized just how Heaton was able to live through these ordeals—his positive attitude and outlook on life. Heaton had a great attitude.  Here’s an example:  I remember people describing how hard it was, during that Depression.  Many a time I’ve told people, when they were bellyaching about what a hard time they were having, I used to say, “I don’t think it’s so hard; my kids are just as fat now as they were in the good times.  It must not have hurt them.”

He goes on to say:

The Depression…as bad as it was, we make it sound worse that it really was.  I think it was a good lesson for the country in general.  It’s getting about time for another lesson.  They’re getting so ungrateful, so wasteful.  To me, I can’t pity people who holler about hard times when they’ve been wading through such good times  (pg 420)     

Heaton remarks are straightforward and honest.  He shows humility while staying self-confident in his perspectives and abilities.  He shows us extreme clarity when he said, “Well, it’s like I believe, lots of times, success is management, and we managed.” This is sage advice for our day as we deal with trials we face in our lives.

You’ve heard people say that we need wilderness to remind us that there are still wild places and wild things in the world; well, we need to remember that there really were men like Heaton Lunt who overcame tremendous adversity and dangerous situations.

Heaton Lunt was a man’s man who lived a life full of adventure, but was faithful to his Latter-Day Saint tenants to the end.   It’s good to know that these kind of really existed and their lives were much more exciting than even Hollywood can contrive.

It is stories of people like Heaton Lunt that made me want to start Las Colonias magazine.  We need to keep these stories alive and in our collective conscious. These stories need to be saved and shared with future generations. Click on the link below to purchase the book through Amazon

Heaton Lunt book

Mennell Harvey Taylor Sr. 1938-2006

Mennell Harvey Taylor Sr., 68, of Pleasant Grove, Utah, formerly of Edwardsville, IL, passed away Sunday, June 18, 2006 in Provo, Utah. He was born March 24, 1938 in San Luis Potosi, Mexico to Mennell Hyrum and Floriene Farnsworth Taylor. He married Velma Whetten on July 16, 1957 in the Mesa, Arizona LDS Temple. A graduate of BYU and The University of Illinois, Harvey taught for 33 years at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in the Department of Education. He enjoyed teaching and was loved by his many students. He was an archaeologist for the Amerind Foundation in Mexico and worked throughout Central and South America. Harvey was happiest with a fishing pole in his hand and his grandchildren by his side. He was a true friend to all and will be greatly missed by his family. He is survived by his mother, Floriene Taylor, Col. Juarez, Mexico; wife, Velma, Pleasant Grove; five children: M. Harvey (Janet) Taylor, Pleasant Grove; R. Paul (Colleen) Taylor, St. Louis, MO; Nina (Mark) Adkins, Orem; Jefferey (Leslie) Taylor, Thornton, CO; A. Sean (Shannon) Taylor, Ames, IA; 15 grandchildren; two step-grandchildren and two step-great grandchildren; six siblings: Shirley Taylor, Carol Wagner, Stephen Taylor, Philip Taylor, Mary Wagner, and Agustin Taylor. He was preceded in death by his father. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 24, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. in the Pleasant Grove Stake Center, 275 East 500 South, Pleasant Grove. Friends may call Friday evening from 6-8 p.m. at Olpin Family Mortuary, 494 South 300 East and at the church on Saturday one hour prior to services. Interment will be in the Goshen City Cemetery.

John Kartchner

John Kartchner

1851 – 1946

John Kartchner was born the first night following the day the Mormons arrived in San Bernardino, California, and he was the first white child born in that city. He was the fourth of his mother’s 11 children. He was born in a tent and the wind was blowing so hard that it was necessary for one man to attend each of the four corners of the tent so mother a baby would have protection from the bitter weather of the night.

When John was five years of age, he moved with his father and mother and their family from San Bernardino, California, to Beaver, Utah. In Beaver John lived the farm boy life. He was the oldest living son so he spent many hours with his young brother, Mark, hoeing weeds and doing farm chores. John’s father was nearly always in his blacksmith shop, so as John advanced in years a little, he took charge of much of the farm operation.

In 1865 the Kartchners move to what was at the time called “The Muddy” in Nevada. William D., John’s father, had rheumatism and it was believed that he would be better in the low climate of The Muddy. The father went ahead and then sent for the family to follow. John drove to yoke of oxen the long distance from Beaver, Utah to The Muddy, over very rough frontier roads. He was 14 at this time.

The Kartchners stayed at The Muddy for six years. Through this time John’s father ran his blacksmith shop and was the postmaster. John was in charge of the farming with his sisters and the younger boys. He raised corn, potatoes, squash, alfalfa hay, and truck garden items. The main cash crop was cotton which they hauled to St. George, Utah. Some of the cotton they would sell for much needed cash and some they wove into cloth, taking the cloth back to The Muddy for their own use.

In 1871, when John was 20 years old, President Brigham Young called all the Mormons from The Muddy and advised them to return to Utah. The Kartchner family lost their home and all they had developed at The Muddy. They had wheat up and growing fast, cotton ground prepared, and the farm was ready for a crop. Most of the Mormons set fire to their houses and barns and sheds and buildings.

During this early part of John’s life he had become a very good fiddler. He played hundreds of popular tunes for all kinds of square dancing and he didn’t need a drink to put pep into it. Where he went he was welcome. He played for house parties and public dances, much of the time for benefit dances and of course the house parties were mostly for the fun, and he had a lot of fun doing this service. He could play all night and not play the same tune twice John loved his fiddle and he liked anyone who enjoyed dancing.  He also liked anyone who can play a fiddle or guitar or an organ.

The Kartchners moved from The Muddy to Panguitch, Utah, in 1871. Here he met Lydia Amelia Palmer who later became his wife. They were married May 11, 1874 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. On return to Panguitch John built a long log house. He moved into the house in 1875 where his first child, Theda, was born April 29, 1875. John and his wife and their baby lived in the log house until the spring of 1876.  At this time he became interested in the United Order.  So, he sold all he owned in Panguitch and moved to Long Valley or Orderville.

In 1877 all the Kartchners were called to help colonize the northeast corner of Arizona. They settled in te area which carried the post office address of “The Little Colorado.” Here, through a period of time John was Presiding Elder. He was also foreman of one of the crews of men in the dam construction. The settlers attempted to build an earthen dam across the Little Colorado River.  When the rains came which brought flooding in the river, the dam did not hold and the settlers decided to move, giving up the project.

The committee was delegated to talk business with Mr. Stinson who owned a ranch in the location which is now a Snowflake, Arizona. The committee became discouraged and returned without making a deal for the ranch.  William Flake, John’s brother-in-law, then went to the Stinson place and purchase the ranch. Mr. Flake then invited all who wished to join him, and all the Kartchner clan moved to the Stinson Ranch (Snowflake).  A townsite was surveyed in each family drew to find which homesite or lots each would own. In this drawing, Mr. flake took his chances along with the rest. The town was named Snowflake in honor of Mr. Flake and Erastus Snow. Award of the LDS church was organized with John Hunt as Bishop, William Flake as First Counselor and John Kartchner  as Second Counselor.

While in Snowflake John met and married Nancy Jane Mann. They were married in the St. George, Utah, Temple, March 20, 1884. The Kartchners lived a rugged frontier life, but they were happy. He made himself part of all the activities for the betterment of the town. John ran a small farm, had milk cows, pigs, chickens, raised hay and grain, and always raised a good garden. In addition to these activities John ran a small herd of sheep on the open range.

All the time John was making people dance to some of the best country fiddlin’ they had ever heard. With or without pay the music was always the best he knew how to give, which was good. He loved every minute of it.

While in Snowflake, John served on the town Council, acted as deputy sheriff, and acted on the committee which selected the first County officers.

Early in 1885, President John Taylor advising people in Snowflake that any person who was about to be jailed for polygamy could if he wished, go to Mexico where the Saints were forming some colonies. Many of the men and some of the women decided to go to Mexico. Jesse N. Smith was President of Snowflake Stake.  He and Jesse N., Jr., Lot Smith, and Bishop John Hunt were among the ones to start for Mexico. John Kartchner was the only one who completely sold all he owned in Snowflake, and he and his family moved to Mexico. John and Bishop Hunt traveled together. Soon after they arrived in Mexico, Bishop Hunt received word that one of his wives he left behind in Snowflake had burned to death in an accident. Bishop Hunt rushed back to Snowflake and never returned to Mexico.

A short time after the John Kartchners arrived in Mexico, John began to help organize, survey, and do the things necessary to create the colony which was to be called Colonia Diaz. John’s wife, Lydia Amelia, lived in very poor health and in Diaz  her condition became rapidly worse. So, because of Lydia’s health condition, the John Kartchners moved up into the mountains of Chihuahua and help to settle Colonia Pacheco. It was in Pacheco that the Karch nurse spent most of the time they were in Mexico and it was in Pacheco most of John’s 18 children were born.

In Mexico, life for the Kartchners was packed with hardships. They lived an extremely rugged frontier life. They would go many weeks and even months without sugar. Part of the time they were fortunate enough to have molasses for sugar substitute. On rare occasions they would enjoy wheat flour. And sometimes there was not much to season the cornbread. It was common in most of the Pacheco homes to see a little container in a convenient place in the kitchen with a piece of rock salt and which had been gathered from the hill. Water would be soaking the salt and then the salty water would be used to season food.

John worked many different jobs trying to make a living for his large family. He was a fair carpenter, a good blacksmith, and a good sawmill man.  He worked at all these trades, but the deepest interest was in farming and livestock and he kept trying to get into this business.

In the evenings when the day’s work was done and the Kartchners would gather around in the frontier home, they would have good times. All the family would enjoy singing with each other and they would see many songs and also they would spend time testified each other of the truthfulness of their Christian faith. Some of the favorite songs of this family group were “All is Well,” ”We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet,” and “The Unknown Grave.”  They sang many of the songs of the prairies, the plains, the Indians, and the cowboys. And, of course they also enjoyed many of the current love songs. In those days new songs and the words to those songs traveled around very slowly, but they learned and kept in the family circle the decent songs they could hear and learn.

On August 10, 1896, Lydia Amelia Palmer Kartchner died in Colonia, Juarez. At this time Nancy was living in Dublan and when it became apparent she was going to pass away she felt heartbroken about Lydia. Nancy and Lydia loved each other dearly and had respect and trust for each other. After Liddy’s death the Kartchners moved back to Pacheco but for the rest of the time John lived in Mexico he owned a shack in Diaz, a home in Juarez, and a home in Pacheco.

By 1909, there was already some Revolutionary rumblings in the Sierra Madres. The rebel army by necessity had to live off the land. This condition made it more and more difficult for the Mexican colonists.  John Kartchner decided to leave Mexico and go to United States at this time. He sold, by contract, most of what he owned in Pacheco and stored the things he didn’t want to sell in a cave nearby. He never returned to the cave. He then went to Juarez with the intention of selling his property there. While in Juarez, Vanetta reached her 17th birthday and while a small group of children were playing at the party she fell off a spring seat which was placed on a double bed wagon. Her side struck the wagon tongue and within four days she died from this injury. The John Kartchner family then stayed in Juarez as until the spring of 1910.

By the spring of 1910 John had rounded up more of his cattle and made time payment sales of the things he could not take with him to the States. He left the colonies with three teams, two wagons, a white top buggy, and riding mare. He arrived in El Paso with one team and wagon, and sold them for money to live on and to travel by train to Bluewater, New Mexico. The Kartchners then went my team and wagon to Blanding, San Juan County, Utah, arriving in Blanding on July 10, 1910.

In 1923 John and Nancy had only two children left at home and at that time the family moved to the Salt Lake Valley. John Kartchner died February 3, 1946, in Salt Lake City. At this time his home was at 316 East on 13th South Street. Nancy Mann Kartchner died November 1, 1961 at Blanding, Utah.

Pearl K. Robertson, daughter

Pg 382 Stalwart’s South of the Border Nelle Spilsbury Hatch.

 

Vilda Whetten Hunsaker 1918-2011

09/06/1918 ~ 09/13/2011
On a fall afternoon, just one week after celebrating her 93rd birthday, mother returned to the waiting arms of her husband T.D., and to a couple of high-fives from her grandson Dax. Mother was born in Colonia Garcia, Chihuahua, Mexico, the 7th child of John Amasa Whetten and Martha Elizabeth Carling. While still a very young girl, her mother died two weeks after giving birth to her brother Carl. This necessitated in bringing together two households, resulting in a new family of 23.
Mother spent her early years in Colonia Garcia, Colonia Juarez and finally, Colonia Chuichupa, Mexico. She graduated high school from the Colonia Juarez Academy and later served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church) in Mexico City, Mexico. Shortly after her mission, and being fluent in Spanish, she accepted a job as a teletype operator at Fort Bliss, El Paso, TX. While at a Church dance, she met a handsome, curly dark-haired service man who was on leave. Mother was smitten at “may I have this dance”. Six weeks later they were married – a marriage that lasted for 63 years. Blessed to this union were six children, 27 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren.
After Dad was discharged from the army, they moved back to his home town of Honeyville, UT. This is where they remained the rest of their lives together. The same home, back yard, garden and pasture, is where lessons were taught, rules sometimes were broken, love was abundant and you were always safe and respected. In the case of Mom and Dad, their “starter home” became their “finisher home”.
Memories of Mother include the smell of fresh home-made bread or cinnamon rolls wafting from the kitchen. During the summer canning months, rows of wide-mouth Kerr jars lined the kitchen counter, waiting to be filled with the harvest. Her quilting frames set up in the living room. And, being asked to help roll the quilt when necessary was a privilege. You always felt loved, safe and special when on her lap or in her presence. She was a wonderful cook, seamstress, mediator, healer and child advocate. Mother was a devoted wife and often stood still and silent and allowed Dad to stand on her shoulders.
Mother loved the Lord and served faithfully in many leadership and service positions in the Church. After Dad retired, they served two additional Church missions and two decades of service in the Ogden Temple.
After Dad’s passing in 2007, Mother truly felt the sting from the loss of her soul mate. However, she remained in Honeyville for a few more years. With her advanced age, and mourning the loss of Dad, living in an empty house, filled with over a half century of memories, was difficult for her. During this time she welcomed the frequent visits from her children and friends. Her previous good health began to yield to maladies incident to age, and on September 11, 2011 she suffered a stroke from which she never recovered.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at the Honeyville 3rd Ward chapel, with a viewing one hour prior. Additionally, a viewing will be held at the Myers Mortuary on Friday, September 16, 2011 from 6:00-8:00 p.m., located at 205 South 100 East, Brigham City, UT. Pursuant to Mother’s request, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the General Missionary Fund of the Church. Condolences and love may be expressed at www.myers-mortuary.com.
– See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=153635930#sthash.gkzhy8ST.dpuf