Charles Rich Clark

Charles Rich Clark was born April 1st, 1861, in Farmington, Davis County Utah. He was the eighth child in a family of eleven born to Ezra Thompson Clark and Mary Stevenson.

As each "Thousand Dollar" boy arrived, he would take his place in the family and help with the farm and ranch operations. In time there were more boys in Mary's family and ten children in Susan's family. The families lived across the street from each other, and a close and friendly relationship grew up between the mothers and the children of each family. The boys, including Charles, learned to ride well, help take care of the stock, guide the walking plow, and irrigate the crops. Most of the family members lived under a family cooperative similar to the United Order. Pooling their efforts they in time acquired 700 acres in the Farmington area, a mill and acreage in Morgan County acreages in Franklin County, and about 1200 acres in Georgetown, Bear Lake County, Idaho.

The Georgetown venture came as a result of a call by Brigham Young to Ezra and some 200 others to settle Bear Lake County. Cattle herds from Farmington trailed northward in the spring and returned in the fall. Charles relates that he enjoyed his first cattle drive northward when he was thirteen years old. Charles was a good student in school and progressed well considering the interruptions made necessary by the farming operations. His specific intere seemed to be history, mathematics, religion and elocution. As he grew up he took part in church and school programs. Singing groups attracted him, and he often recited "pieces" he had memorized.

An entry of August 18th notes that he is now attending the University of Deseret. He continued there during the winter and obtained two certificates. The next year he took a mathematics course at the University. On November 2nd, 1881, he began teaching in Centerville. The day before he started teaching he was introduced to Mary Emma Woolley a daughter of John W. Woolley. Mr. Woolley was one of the trustees of the school. Charles had agreed to board with families as a part of his pay. He received $4.00 a month plus board.

During the winter of 1882 Charles and his sister Annie were able to attend the B.Y.A. in Provo. Brother Karl G. Maeser and John M. Tanner, among others. were a great influence in their lives. Brother Maeser suggested he remain there, continue his study, and become a teacher at the institution. Charles notes in his diary of March 23, 1883: ''Discontinued, as I was needed at home.' After talking with his father, he decided to return to the farm and develop his abilities along the lines of farming, ranching or milling. That spring he courted and won the hand of Emma Woolley. They were married in the Endowment House on June 28, 1883. They started for Georgetown July 23rd, arriving there the 27th, and moved into the Clark home. They took over the duties of Joseph, who had been called on a mission in 1882. Their first child, Marion, was born there April 4th, 1884.

After Joseph's return from his mission, Charles, Emma and Marion moved to Morgan, where he operated the farm and grain mill that the Cooperative soon acquired. Water was stored in a pond near the river and produced most of the power needed for the mill. At times a steam engine was used. The Clark families as well as nearby farm families used the mill to produce flour and stock feed.

According to the teachings of church leaders and because of the successful example of his father's marriages, Charles considered and accepted in his own mind the principle of Celestial Marriage as pertaining to plural wives. With the approval of Emma and the encouragement of church leadership, he made himself acquainted with Ann Elizabeth Waldron, a young woman living in Morgan. He had first talked with Brother Waldron about the proposal and then made his wishes know to Annie. It was a serious but not an unexpected step. After a short and secretive courtship, they were sealed, November 24th, 1886, in the Logan Temple. To Charles, Emma and Annie it was the supreme application of their religion. Sometimes there were misgivings as to their relationships and responsibilities, but their belief inn the principle was uppermost in their lives.

In the fall of that same year Charles taught the upper grades and his sister Annie taught the lower grades in Centerville. He had previously taught school in Morgan in 1885 when the students paid him $3.00 each for their instruction. Charles noted in his diary of 1887: "This is the first time since I was a child that I have been out of the schoolroom either as a student or a teacher."

After Annie's marriage, it was kept a secret in Morgan. As the time approached for her first child to be born, she moved to Farmington and lived the Ezra T. Clark family. Wallace was born there, and because of the disapproval of polygamy by the civil authorities, Annie and her young son lived in secrecy. Lawrence and Gladys were born in Farmington. May 2, 1892, Mother Annie and her three children moved back to Morgan.

Charles received a Mission Call to the Southern States and left October 1891. He was successful in bringing many into the Church and revived activity in branches in need of help and counsel.

To help finances, Emma, taking Marion as a driver of the horse and buggy would go out selling books. Annie notes that she often took care of Emma's children as well as her own on such occasions. In October 1893 Emma took Marion to Chicago where they met Charles and for about two weeks enjoyed the World's Fair then in progress.

Charles taught school the winter of 1894-l895. And in September, 1895, he was appointed as a Delegate to the Fourth National Irrigation Congress in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Reports of irrigation practices from Canada to Mexico were given and suggestions made.

After his return, Charles, besides milling and farming, acted as Secretary of the Precinct Committee of the Republican Party and was elected councilman of Morgan. He was active as President of the YMMIA. On July 25, 1888, he was dis-enfranchised because of polygamy. At that time he could have been appointed county surveyor except for the dis-enfranchisement.

In Sacrament Meeting April 12, 1896, Charles was called upon to read the manifesto signed by the First Presidency, ten of the Quorum of the Apostles, the Patriarch, and First seven Presidents of the Seventy.

In 1901 Father Ezra T. Clark took 17 pieces of paper, and on each paper described some "best" property along with some "2nd best" land. The "best" property was the Farmington and Morgan property. The "2nd best" included land farther away, such as in Georgetown. Included also were certain stock cattle, horses, interest in a mercantile store, and Davis County Bank shares. There were also some cash and personal items. A balance was made so that each paper had a nearly equal value. As each son or daughter drew their lot, great joy was manifested.

Charles' prime property awarded was in Morgan, and the Georgetown division was next best. It also included some cattle and horses. He elected to go with Emma to Georgetown to live, and Annie and family would stay in Morgan.

On Newell's 5th birthday, April 25, 1901, they arrived Georgetown and lived in a log house near the creek. Here Julia was born July 22, 1902. Emma with frugality and foresight arranged for the purchase of the George A. Smith home, where they lived until after Emma's death.

Charles, Emma! Marion, Vernon, Marvin, Newell, Marie and Julia all helped in the farm operation, which was generally located from the North Lane to Woolley's Spur on the south, east to the Georgetown townsite, and west to Bear River, including the hill on the west side of the river. They also had a few choice acres called the "Twenty east of town and a smaller garden spot nearer the mouth of the canyon.

Charles liked to teach Religion Classes in Georgetown and helped get the program going. He was called to be the First Counselor to Bishop Alma Hayes on June the 10th, 1906. He also kept the tithing records for a time. Many times the ills and needs of families in the Ward took precedence over the need on the farm.

Charles worked hard as as example to his boys and then expected them to carry out much of the work. Even though he spent most of the time in Georgetown he often went to "Conference" and helped the Morgan family as long as his train ticket lasted.

His grandchildren remember him as being the one to clear the snow from the walkways early in the morning after a snowfall. He would fill a tub with some coal and then pull it with a horse or put a rope over his own shoulders and clear the way so that children for blocks around could get to school easily.

He encouraged us to go to Sunday School and would spend considerable time helping us memorize the concert recitation. "Teeter-totters': and swings were devised for our use. At milking time he often took a cup along to be filled with fresh, warm milk from the cow so we could enjoy milk at its best. If we did wrong or failed to accomplish a task that was ours, we could expect a rather extended "talking to."

His garden near the home was large and well kept. Many people other than his own family profited from its produce. The "Garden Spot" up the lane was a favorite spot with all of us. From it came excellent raspberries, apples, currants and strawberries.

He encouraged all of us to attend school and prepare our lessons well. He especially was interested in the development of Fielding Academy located at Paris, Idaho. He often went out to solicit funds for the school. All of his children and some of his grandchildren attended to the school even though they had to leave Georgetown to do so.

Chares had several narrow escapes from death in his lifetime. On one of his camping trips through Yellowstone Park with his family he fell into the backwash below some river falls. He managed to catch hold of a large stick and made it to the bank. Another time while cutting ice on Bear River he slipped into the water, and as the current carried him downstream he caught hold of the ice at the lower part of the hole. Another time he fell in, went under the ice, but luckily came up a few yards downstream where there happened to be an opening in the ice cover.

One of the frequent jobs he performed about the ranch was sharpening or repairing iorn and steel parts a the the forge. He would shape a horseshooe and then nail it on a horse's hoof. He has a special room where he repaired harness for future use.

He.was an excellent walker. Walking or "hitching" a ride helped him on his frequent trips. One common trip was over the mountain between Farmington and Morgan. He knew the trail and could make the trip almost as fast as a horse drawn vehicle over the Weber canyon route.

After Emma s death November 19th, 1928, from an attack of typhoid fever and dropsy, Charles lived in either Morgan or Salt Lake City. He stayed with Vernon about two years and did a considerable amount of endowment work in the Temple. After a bronchial and lung infection, he moved in with Julia. He died October 6, 1933, and was buried alongside of Emma in the Farmington cemetery.