LIFE SKETCH of James William Hurren and Ingra Toolson

LIFE SKETCH OF JAMES WILLIAM HURREN
 (1889-1960)

Photo from a pea factory card, Smithfield, UT

*This history is a combination of grandfather's obituary that was put in the paper at his death and what I--Sharon Evans Belnap, remember growing up close to him.

James William Hurren born December 2, 1889, at Hyde Park, Cache, Utah. All his life he was called JW and that is what he will be referred to in this history. He was the son of James William David Hurren and Margaret Ann Ashcroft. He died July 9, 1960, at Meridian, Idaho, at the family home.

He married Ingra Toolson in the Logan Temple, October 4, 1911. He and Ingra had two sons, William Keith of Kuna, Idaho, Wendall T. of Hyrum, Utah; three daughters, Alice H. Douglas of Salt Lake City, Bernice H. Evans of Meridian, Idaho, and Margaret H. Haslam of Hazelton, Idaho.

JW received his elementary education in the Hyde Park public schools and attended the BYC at Logan, Utah. He served as a missionary in the Southern States from 1911 to 1913.

JW and lngra resided at Hyde Park where three of their children were born. They later moved to Smithfield after a brief stay in Trenton where my mother, Bernice, was born. Their third daughter, Margaret was born in Smithfield where they finished raising their family.

JW was an active church member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served on the Benson Stake High Council for 12 years (1922-1934). He worked in the various organizations of the church, including president of the YMMIA and a teacher in the Sunday School. He was also active in civic affairs.

He lived as the Savior taught, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." He made donations to all church and civic organizations. He was always considering the welfare of others.

In 1946, JW and Ingra bought a farm and moved to Meridian, Idaho. They lived on Amity Avenue. He retired from farming in 1957. He enjoyed fair health until his illness. He died on July 9, 1960 of acute myocytic leukemia.

He possessed a deep abiding faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and strived to live his life in accordance with the commandments of God.

I, Sharon Evans Belnap, will now try to mention some specific incidents I remember about my grandfather, JW, as I was growing up. 

•  Grandfather was a hard worker. When we would go out into the field to haul either long hay or baled hay he would always do his best to keep up with my father, Dean Evans.

•  Grandfather was much older and obviously had "rheumatism" in his hips because he walked along with a distinct limp, somewhat like the old time movie actor, Walter Brennan, and he would say, "I've got a catch in my get-along". 

•  Grandpa was a tease, although he never did anything to me. He would find mice and snakes hiding under the hay piles and the snakes he would grab a hold of and toss them up on the hay load and scare my brothers. I am sure he didn't do that often or my brothers would have refused to tromp the hay for him. But the amusing thing about this situation was he was afraid of mice and when a mouse was found under the hay piles ready to be thrown up on the hay load (which was quite often) he would start to yell and dance around until the mouse was out of sight. My uncle, Alton, and my dad, Dean, would laugh in private, not wanting to make fun of my grandfather, but I am sure they found that scenario very funny. I certainly did.

•  My grandfather was an avid reader of church books. Whenever he wasn't working he was reading. He was really smart when it came to reading about the church doctrine. He really knew the gospel. So much so that when fast meeting was held in the ward every month my grandfather would periodically stand and bear his testimony about a particular principle of the gospel. My brothers and I were always embarrassed because he would invariably take too much time and would sound like he was preaching instead of bearing his testimony. Whenever he would stand Bruce and I would say under our breaths, "Oh, no-o-o-o". I would give anything to hear his testimony of principles now.

•  In the 1950's television was becoming popular but my parents could not afford a set and also did not want a television set. My grandparents had bought a brand new set and so we went over every weekend to watch the Ed Sullivan Show, the Lawrence Welk show and Liberace. We dearly loved those shows. But there was one outstanding problem with this arrangement. My grandparents loved to have us come but sometimes we were a little reluctant to go. You see my grandfather had a lovely recliner that he sat in and reclined. He would naturally take off his shoes to totally relax. Well he had the worse smelling feet I have ever smelled in my whole life before or after him. My grandmother would admonish him to go wash his feet but he never did. He would always say it didn't bother us so why should it bother her. We all sat there and never said a word. Occasionally my mother would say she could smell them but none of us ever said anything. We had our chance to speak up but we never did. I know I wanted to watch those shows more than anything and I think I was afraid my parents would have taken us home had we put up a fuss. Anyway that is a source of amusement in my mind whenever I think of my grandfather.

•  Another incident that happened was a ride to stake conference in Boise. We belonged to the West Boise Stake and had our stake conference in Boise. Grandfather loved cars and he had some fairly nice ones during his lifetime. One car I remember in particular was a green Oldsmobile. He took Bruce and I to stake conference in it. He drove all the way to Hiway 20 and went to Boise on that road. That was quite a few miles north and then quite a few miles east. Of course, Bruce and I wondered why he chose that road to drive on. Well we soon found out. Grandfather wanted to see how fast the car could go. Well, he got it up to 90 miles an hour and I was really scared. When he started to slow down when he got to 70 miles an hour it felt like we were crawling. I have never gone that fast before or since in my whole life. We didn't even have seat belts to put on either.

• My grandfather was very kind, but he was quite set in his ways. He really thought he knew what was best, not only for himself but for grandmother too. When he was sick and he knew the end was coming soon he really wanted to live. He would hallucinate that there was something growing just outside the door that would cure him and he wanted my grandmother to find it. He needed it. Would that have been true I am sure it would have been picked, ground up, steeped and used. Maybe there was something out there, who knows. He died of leukemia.

 It was really a fascinating thing that grandmother was always the sick one and grandfather the well one. But when he was dying grandmother rallied a lot and took care of grandfather until he died not thinking about herself and her problems. Of course, the children came to help. I know that mother (Bernice) was there every day to help. But nevertheless I am sure grandmother was blessed a lot to be able to take care of grandfather. She lived another year before she died.

I lived very close to my grandparents for quite a few years. My grandparents were very different in their temperaments and personalities consequently there was quite a bit of yelling going on. Grandmother did the yelling and my grandfather always listened to her and then went out and did exactly whatever he wanted to do. But I know they loved each other very much. We should always remember that.

 Written by Sharon Evans Belnap (granddaughter)

The following is the remembrances of Bruce Evans, oldest grandson of James William Hurren.

When grandpa would talk in church he never had notes [because during his mission he never used purse or script.  Everything was memorized.] Regarding his mission in the Southern States he said that he was once tarred and feathered and driven out of town.  He was married when he went on his mission. (1911 through 1913).  

Grandpa used to bring hay to the barn in Smithfield.  The barn still stands today (May, 2011).  When Sharon and I played outside in the barn we would jump on the hay and tumble down.  The hay was brought from Amalga to Smithfield.  Grandpa had an old truck and we both sat on the front fenders straddling the lights.  I remember he had German prisoners come to the farm to work.  One time I caught a fish.  It got caught in a culvert.  A German prisoner came and helped me get it out.  

During World War II about 7,000 German soldiers were kept as prisoners of war in Utah, mostly in Ogden. Some of them remained after the war ended.

Grandpa had a chicken coop between the house and the barn.  Grandpa would chop chickens’ head off with an ax over a stump.  One time I chased Sharon with a dead chicken that had its head cut off.  Sharon ran to the house screaming.  Dad was there and I got a spanking.  I was put in the attic room and had to stay home while my parents and Sharon went to the World War II victory celebration (at the end of 1945).  I used to go to grandpa and grandma’s place and play outside with little toy soldiers on a ditch bank.  I would have battles with tanks, soldiers, etc.

Sometimes I had to clean the chicken coop.  I had to shoo the chickens of the nests and gather the eggs.  That wasn’t scary but snakes were scary.  

I remember going up on grandpa’s farm (120 acres).  Along the canal on the south side there were blueberries.  We would pick them.  Boy they were good tasting.  I remember grandpa changing water (irrigation), gathering hay and working in the field a lot.  He was always working.

One night we were watching TV at grandpa’s house.  He was stretched out on a couch.  A mouse came across the floor.  He jumped and let out a big yell.  He didn’t like mice.

 One time grandpa was changing his garments and I saw his truss for his hernia.  I was startled.

During the second half of my mission I heard of grandpa’s illness.  I was upset.  I cried.  At his funeral after my mission I just sobbed.  I wondered how come Brent was not crying like me.  I was around grandpa a lot but grandma was always in pain.

After my mission and the death of grandpa I was given grandpa’s car, a 53 Oldsmobile, 2-door Holiday sedan with a cream top and a green bottom.  I went 110 miles per hour in that car.

MEMORIES OF GRANDMOTHER HURREN

All I remember about Grandmother was she was hugging and supporting.  I remember when grandmother had kidney failure.  Mother would go and tend her for many years.  Most of the time she would be in such pain and would say, “I want to die”.  Mother took good care of her.  Mother was really attached to her mother and would visit her almost every day.  Mother would go to grandmothers and would dig her scalp to get rid of her dandruff before mother shampooed her hair.  This ritual was carried out once a week.